Your REC Summer Summary
Hello MRU students,
We hope you’ve had an amazing summer! Whether you’re about to start your first semester at Mount Royal University or are in your final couple of classes before finishing your degree, we’re excited to see you around campus this year. While you’ve been traveling, working, and soaking up the sun, your Representation Executive Council has been advocating for what matters most to MRU students!
SAMRU’s Representation Executive Council (REC) is comprised of four students, selected by the Student Governing Board (SGB) and elected by students to serve the interests of all SAMRU members. From issues on campus all the way to the federal government, REC is the frontline for all things student advocacy.
Vice-President Student Affairs Anisa Tilston (she/they)
Vice-President Academic Fiona Chetty (she/her)
Vice-President External Genri Liclican (she/her)
President Tala Abu Hayyaneh (she/her)
Keep scrolling through to see how your REC team has been advocating for you over the summer!
REC’s priorities this year
Over the summer break, REC were given a Student Governing Board-approved list of priorities that they used to develop positions and goals to advocate for SAMRU members (all MRU credit students).
From tuition and fees to equity, diversity, and inclusion to mental health support, you can find all of their 2024-25 priorities here.
Student housing advocacy
As students prepare to return to campus for the fall, many are dealing with the stressful uncertainty of Calgary’s housing crisis. Similar to last year, residence waitlists have filled up at MRU once again. This, paired with sky-high rental prices around the city, is leaving returning students struggling to find a place to call home before they return to classes.
SAMRU REC President Tala spoke with CBC Calgary about the challenges students face when finding a place to stay and highlighted REC’s advocacy efforts surrounding affordable rental option incentives and more readily accessible transit options to campus. You can read the story here.
She also spoke about the issues students face trying to secure affordable housing in an interview with Global Calgary, which you can check out here.
Speaking up for food support
Although the anxieties of paying high tuition and rent are contributors to student stress entering the new year, they aren’t the only financial heartaches for students. With so much income dedicated to school and housing, access to daily meals and nutritious options can quickly spiral out of control.
In an interview with CBC Calgary, REC VP Student Affairs, Anisa, spoke about how many students are impacted by food insecurity on campus and how REC’s advocacy and SAMRU’s food support programs provide the stability to help students focus on their studies rather than their next meal. You can watch her full interview here.
Meeting with the mayor
At the tail end of July, Tala and REC VP External Genri took their advocacy efforts to the City of Calgary, where they met up with Mayor Jyoti Gondek!
The three discussed some of the issues students face during their academic journeys, including affordable housing and reliable transit routes to and from campus.
Provincial mental health funding
For years, numerous SAMRU Representation members from all REC positions have been tirelessly advocating for easier access and more affordable mental health support for post-secondary students.
Hearing concerns, the provincial government responded with a $10 million dollar expansion to provincial post-secondary psychology programs — including the program offered right here at MRU!
Tala attended the official announcement right here on campus, where Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney officially unveiled the 761 seats that will be added to programs across Alberta. You can watch the entire announcement on the Government of Alberta’s YouTube here.
Welcome back to campus!
At the beginning of every new school year, each of your REC members addresses incoming students, letting them know all about their advocacy efforts and what their Students’ Association is doing to help them succeed this academic year. These include orientations and tours in and around campus, such as the SAMRU Open House and Campus Carnival.
If you’re looking to learn more about your REC team, be sure to keep an eye out for them at events during the first couple weeks of September!
In addition to in-person events, REC members appear in quick minute-long interviews discussing their respective positions and what they are advocating for during their terms. You can check out their interviews here on our YouTube channel later this month to learn about everything on their radar this school year!
REC members are employed full-time in their respective roles for a year, which means every day involves advocacy and representation happening behind the scenes — all dedicated to improving your student experience at MRU. You can visit this link to learn more about your student representatives this year, along with updated position descriptions of each member of REC, position statements, and advocacy priorities, and you could even learn how YOU could become an elected student representative!
To follow along with your Representation team as they continue their 2024-25 terms advocating for you, stay glued to our socials @samrurec on X (formerly Twitter) and @samrubuzz on Instagram.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to email your representatives at representation@samru.ca.
