Hello MRU students,

We are your 2022/2023 Representation Executive Council (REC). REC is comprised of four MRU students just like you who were elected by MRU’s student body and hired by the Student Governing Board to represent student issues to MRU and all levels of government. 

In this post, we want to inform you about the highlights of our advocacy work from December 2022 to January 2023.

Summary:

VP External Tera Cardinal has taken an internship at the United Nations
Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign launch
Tuition and Fee changes for the 2023-2024 school year
Protecting students from having to provide multiple disclosures
Advocating for additional on-campus support
Improving transit service to MRU
Meeting with the Minister of Advanced Education’s Chief of Staff
MRU Convocation
Multi-faith prayer room in RLLC
Approval of new programs and minors
Academic Plan development
Increased capacity for counselling services

VP External Tera Cardinal has taken an internship at the United Nations

Tera has resigned from her role as VP External, effective January 24th, to accept a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to intern in New York City for the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations! Visit this link to read more about Tera’s time and successes with REC.

Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign launch

Alberta will be holding a provincial election in May of this year, and your SAMRU REC wants the student voice to be heard loud and clear!

When students get out and vote in large numbers, their needs and priorities are more likely to be heard by politicians. Over the next few months, we will host events and engage with MRU students to gather pledges to vote. Pledging to vote means you’ll be sent reminders closer to the election and be provided with information on how and where to vote. Keep an eye open for more GOTV pledge-gathering events in the coming months!

Pledge to vote right now using this link, and be entered to win one of five $20 gift cards to West Gate Social!

Tuition and Fee changes for the 2023-2024 school year

On December 2nd, Joseph and Pamela, who are the student representatives on the MRU Board of Governors, voted against the recommended tuition and fee increases for the 2023-2024 school year. 

MRU is proposing a university-wide tuition increase of 5.27%, an increase of 30% to the student services fee, and an increase of 10% to the athletics and recreation fee. The recommendations passed and will form part of the larger institutional budget, which will be voted on at a coming Board meeting. 

However, thanks to the advocacy of Yasmin, Tera, and REC volunteer Kyle at the Tuition and Fees Consultation Committee, MRU will be increasing its student bursary program from $1M to $1.2M, allowing more students to receive financial support.

Protecting students from having to provide multiple disclosures

In a meeting with the Director of Health & Wellness, Pamela asked for a way that students can provide their health information once, and have it passed to other healthcare providers, so the story does not need to be told repeatedly for the same issue. Pamela was advised that this cannot happen due to limitations put in place by Alberta’s Health Information Act. However, the Director did say that they are working on a form that can be used by MRU between specific stakeholders once the student has given their unconditional consent.

Advocating for additional on-campus support

Pamela heard about how MRU’s support services for the prevention and intervention against sexual violence are stretched thin. In the coming months, Pamela will advocate for more staff to be hired to support students’ needs in this important area. 

Likewise, Pamela heard about how MRU’s Access and Inclusion services require more capacity to adequately address student demand. Pamela will be advocating for increased funding for this much-needed department.

Improving transit service to MRU

Joseph connected with MRU’s Director of Business Services to discuss the need for more service hours for the MAX Yellow. Joseph brought up that the bus line continually leaves students behind at stations to wait for the next one.

He asked MRU to consider contacting Calgary Transit on behalf of MRU students to request that more buses and/or articulated buses run along that route during high-demand times. MRU has reached out, and is waiting to hear back from Calgary Transit.

Meeting with the Minister of Advanced Education’s Chief of Staff

In December, Tera met with the chief of staff to Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicoliades to discuss student issues related to inflation, housing and food insecurity and funding for Indigenous and international students.

MRU Convocation

At a recent MRU meeting, Yasmin shared with MRU the complaints received from students regarding the cancellation of the November convocation and advocated for students to be meaningfully celebrated by MRU upon completion of their program. 

Representatives from MRU shared that the November convocation had been removed due to the lack of students graduating at that time. Students are invited to convocate at the June ceremony in lieu of a fall convocation. MRU accepts the advocacy that students should be celebrated better and will touch base with SAMRU REC to continue the conversation further on how this can be achieved. 

Multi-faith prayer room in RLLC

At a recent MRU meeting, Yasmin advocated for a multi-faith prayer room in the MRU Library. This advocacy position came to REC from the Muslim Students’ Affiliation with support from various stakeholders across campus. MRU was accepting of the advocacy but shared concerns about the availability of space in the Library. Representatives from MRU indicated that they would touch base with the dean of the library and loop back with SAMRU REC to continue the conversation.

Approval of new programs and minors

At a meeting of the General Faculties Council, Yasmin and Joseph voted in favour of approving the new program/major (Biology, Honours) in the Science & Technology Faculty as well as the following: New Minor – Law & Governance, New Minor – Data Analytics, New Minor- Data Science, and New Minor – Outdoor Leadership.

Academic Plan development

For the last few months, Yasmin has been involved in the development of MRU’s next Academic Plan since the current one expired at the end of 2022. Consultations with members of the MRU community have been completed, and the next step will be to consult with external community partners.

Increased capacity for counselling services

Pamela recently met with MRU’s Director of Counselling Services and heard that things have been going very well since adding extra counsellors to their team. They have seen exponential growth and have been managing it very well. Have you had a different experience with MRU counselling services that you would be willing to share? Pamela would love to hear your concerns. 

Thanks for reading!

We, your REC members, are employed in our respective roles full-time over twelve months. Every day is full of advocacy and representation happening behind the scenes dedicated to improving your student experience at MRU. 

Keep your eyes open for updates, statements, and more on these and other upcoming initiatives on social media by following the SAMRU REC Twitter @SAMRUREC. If you have questions, email us at representation@samru.ca. You can also visit this link to learn more about the four REC members this year, view updated position descriptions of each member of REC, as well as learn how to potentially become an elected student representative yourself!