Your Tuition Dollars at Work

Exclusive interview with SRC president Melissa Colwell explains the latest student opinion survey, plus your bi-weekly synopsis of the events in student council

By Simon Jack

The Student Representative Council’s Student Opinion Survey is nearing completion, and the Council hopes to release it in the first or second week of February.  The Student Opinion Survey has been in the works since September, and SRC President Melissa Colwell hopes that the survey will help this SRC (and next year’s) better represent the students of UNBSJ.

“If we don’t know what students want,” Colwell said, “We can’t represent them to our fullest potential.”

The Survey will cover a comprehensive list of issues in areas such as Finances, Food Service, Health, Wellness and Recreation and other categories.  Perennial issues like a student U-Pass, parking, food service, drinking fountains, fitness and library hours will be brought up in order to determine student interest in action.  The SRC has already been contacted by some of the organizations involved in these areas, even though the survey has yet to be released.

Of course, one of the biggest difficulties facing each year’s student council is the short time they have to get things done.  Considering the survey will be released in February, it would be hard to take action on any of its points before March.  However, this doesn’t concern President Colwell.

“Each year’s SRC always builds on the work of the one before it, and this survey will help next year’s SRC serve the interests of students to their full capabilities,” she said.

The survey will be released as an official UNB e-mail to student accounts.

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It’s been a while since the last article regarding the excitement, laughter and carefree group hugs that characterize student government.  Two meetings have passed, and not much has changed – the wheels of student government grind slowly onward.  Soon it will be election season, and this year’s SRC will be forgotten in the excitement of the new SRC and the fun of determining the competency of a whole new group of individuals.

Council Meeting (20th November, 2009)

The SRC approved the addition of the Media Representative and the Non-Traditional Student Representative, and also approved making the VP External responsible for acting as Student Representative to the Alumni Council.  Jonathan Simmons and Nancy Vos were appointed as Media Representative and Non-Traditional Student Representative, respectively.

The SRC also took action to finalize the Student Opinion Survey and discussed the idea of a Student Discount Card further.  A letter was drafted for distribution to various Saint John businesses, and the SRC will be revising it as necessary.

It was interesting to note that the SRC technically held two meetings on the 20th – one lasted two minutes.  This let them do two readings of the constitutional changes in the same day.  There’s a valuable lesson on politicking in there somewhere.

Council Meeting (18th January, 2010)

The first item of discussion at the SRC’s first meeting after the Christmas break was whether or not the UNBSJ SRC should continue its relationship with the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA).  The SRC is unsure that a continued relationship with CASA is worth the cost to the SRC each year.  At the moment, it costs the SRC just over four thousand dollars annually to pay for membership in CASA.  Considering the expense this represents, VP External Celia McDermott will be producing a report on whether or not a continued relationship with CASA is worth the investment of student income.

Green Week will be from the 25th to 29th of January, and will involve both the SRC and the UNBSJ Green Society.  Both have many exciting events planned, including the Green Society sponsoring a presentation of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth lecture.

Member-at-Large Vasoula Papadopoulos suggested that the SRC look into providing some form of fiduciary support for UNBSJ’s Haitian students considering the recent earthquake in Haiti.  President Melissa Colwell agreed in principle, but noted that it might be better to ask the Haitian students where best to direct an SRC donation.  Vasoula will determine the number of Haitian students on campus for the next meeting.

The SRC is considering closing the Campus Information Centre.  The Centre currently costs the SRC about $2000 monthly and has been open for ten years.  The Centre still sees only limited traffic, and many of its services could be provided by the SRC Offices (which did so before the Centre opened).  It was suggested by the President that the two new SRC positions deserve some compensation, among other possible uses for the money.

The SRC budget is on track, with the Executive Council under budget.  Though the SRC currently has about $60,000 in debt, this was planned for and will be paid off with the next instalment of SRC moneys.  The SRC’s Quebec Trip is also currently quite healthy financially, with 86 people already signed up.

Student Representative Council meetings are now held at 3PM every other Monday in the Conference Room in the SRC Offices.  As always, observers are welcome.  The next SRC meeting will be February 1st.

Simon Jack is a staff writer with the Baron.