“Helen Connop is a widely-respected pillar of the Faculty’s student support system … a caring and thoughtful listener who’s always there to support students one-on-one.” That’s how Queen’s Law community members describe the school’s manager of education and equity services. On Jan. 27, Queen’s University recognized Connop’s important work as Principal Daniel Woolf presented her with the inaugural Michael Condra Outstanding Student Service Award.

Over the course of her 13 years at Queen’s Law, Connop has established highly effective programs to personally and academically support law students and to foster equity and inclusion. One of these is the Academic Assistance Program, for which she recruits highly motivated upper-year students who have excelled academically to tutor their colleagues in the law school. Sixty-five paid tutors now serve 275 first-year law students and some additional upper-year students.

“Law school has its own set of academic norms and expectations and can be particularly stressful in first-year,” said one of Connop’s nominators. “The tutoring program does an excellent job of reducing the stress. Additionally, it helps connect the different first-year classes and contributes to a more cohesive law school environment and a tighter-knit community.”

Much of Connop’s role is to provide individualized and confidential personal support to students experiencing personal difficulties. These difficulties may involve health, accommodation, grief or harassment. Using her insight, empathy and judgment, she helps students handle these problems and refers them to resources across campus when appropriate. According to one nominator, “Helen will listen to concerns with a caring a sympathetic ear. You will never feel embarrassed telling her that you are having a difficult time in school or otherwise.”

Ensuring that resources and assistance are accessible for all students is another priority for Connop. She works with the Law Students’ Society Equity and Diversity Committee to plan programs and initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in the law school. This has included establishing “Positive Space” hours and helping students contact legal professionals of similar identities. “We frequently seek Helen’s advice and guidance on various issues,” wrote committee member nominators. “She is always ready and willing to assist.”

Calling Mike Condra a “great mentor,” Connop is “particularly honoured and humbled” to receive the award in his name. The award, she says, is important for the university as a whole because it acknowledges the work done by staff in the areas of student support and learning. “Law school can be very challenging and stressful for students and it means a lot for me to be able to help students in their time of need. I’m fortunate to be working in an environment that is very supportive of the work that I do.”