SAMRU, in collaboration with MRU administration, held their town hall series to talk about topics such as: cannabis on campus, the old library space, and an update around sexual violence on campus.
Throughout the event, various campus leaders, as well as members of MRU’s administration, received questions both online and in person.
Panelists include: Shayla Breen (SAMRU’s VP of Student Affairs), Steve Fitterer (MRU VP of Student Affairs), Andrew Nguyen (SAMRU President), and David Docherty (MRU President).
The goal of this series is to provide a space for students to discuss issues regarding their education.
Since the legalization of cannabis on October 17, 2018, Mount Royal has complied with the City of Calgary’s bylaw prohibiting public consumption of cannabis.
Similarly, SAMRU agrees stating “We believe that Mount Royal University should apply for and be granted an exemption from the City of Calgary bylaws to allow for a designated cannabis area so that we can promote harm reduction on campus, as we do with alcohol.”.
Mount Royal supports SAMRU in this initiative.
The old library space renovation is expected to cost $63 million dollars. Mount Royal has a campus master plan that demonstrates their plan for the space. The new purpose for this space is to create a “student-centred space,” where campus services are consolidated.
SAMRU is hoping to see funds allocated to fully renovate the space in the next provincial budget. Currently, SAMRU is working with Mount Royal to keep students updated throughout the year.
The final topic covered was sexual violence. Mount Royal first developed a sexual violence policy in 2017 at the request of the Minister of Advanced Education for Alberta.
Going forward, SAMRU believes not all issues are addressed in the policy and that more work needs to be done to implement the policy on campus, as well as provide support services for survivors.
Recently, the department of Campus Equity and Meaningful Inclusion hired a Sexual Violence Response & Awareness Coordinator to their staff to help implement this policy.
The next town hall series discussion takes place on March 19, 2019, and include the topics of: Post-Secondary Learning Act (PSLA) Changes, Bill 19, and Tuition/Fees as well as the Provincial Election.
Panelists included in this series include: David Docherty (MRU PRESIDENT), Andrew Nguyen (SAMRU PRESIDENT), Paul Rossman (MRU VP UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT), & Amanda Leblanc (SAMRU VP EXTERNAL).
