Memorial University of Newfoundland Students' Union

Memorial University of Newfoundland Students' Union

Institution	Memorial University of Newfoundland
Location	St. John's, NF
Established	1961
Members	~14,000
Affiliations	CFS
Website	http://www.munsu.ca

Memorial University of Newfoundland Students' Union, (popularly known as "MUNSU") is a undergraduate student union located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the official student government representing the students of Memorial University of Newfoundland , St. John's Campus. Membership in the union is automatic and totals around 14,000 undergraduate students.^[1]

Board of directors

The Students' Union Board of Directors is composed of forty elected representatives including five Executive members, and faculty and constituency representatives. Elections for these positions are held annually in March. A by-election to fill vacant positions is normally held in the fall semester.^[2]

Executive Positions

• Director of External Affairs
• Director of Student Life
• Director of Finance
• Director of Campaigns
• Director of Advocacy

Committees

The board is broken down bi-weekly into several different working committee's, chaired by at least one executive director.^[3] Committee's include:

• Research and Communications
• Finance Committee
• Activities and Organizations
• Campaigns Committee

Services

The MUN Students' Union operates a number of services to meet the needs of members and to offer alternatives to university provided options at affordable cost to students.^[4] Some services include:

• The Breezeway - Student Bar
• CHRM-FM 93.5 - Student radio station
• Copy Center
• Health & dental insurance
• Studentsaver - Student discount program
• Travelcuts - Student travel bureau
• Walksafe - Free and safe escorts around campus
• SafeDrive - Safe escort service for those travelling off-campus

Resource Centers

The Students' Union currently operates seven resource centers ^[5] :

• Aboriginal resource center
• Disability information support center
• International student center
• Lesbian, bisexual, gay & transgendered persons at MUN
• Students older than average
• Student parents at mun
• Women's resource center

Activities

The union plans several activities for students during the school year, as well as assisting coordinate several community events. These include but are not limited to:

• Fall orientation Concert
• Winter Carnival
• St. John's Pride Parade

Campaigns

MUNSU is engaged in several campaigns for change at both the student level and national level.^[6]

• Reduce tuition fees
• Grants not loans
• Sustainability
• Be book smart

Achievements

Munsu has been successful in winning and maintaining a tuition freeze at the university, giving memorial the lowest tuition fees of any Canadian university.^[7] The freeze will be up for renegotiation in 2011.^[8]

In 2009 MUNSU successfully won a campaign to have the interest on Newfoundland and Labrador provincial student loans eliminated.^[9]

During orientation 2009 the union joined with the university administration to ban bottled water from the university campus.^[10][11]

Controversy & Criticism

Fall Orientation Concert 2009

In the fall of 2009 MUNSU lost over $100,000 on their annual fall orientation concert. The union brought rapper Snoop Dogg to St. John's Mile One Stadium on September 12, 2009 at a cost of $300,000 but only sold 2500 out of a possible 6200 seats. Critics claim that the union conducted no market research or survey of the student population to see if the rap act would appeal to them. Several MUNSU directors and members of the student activities committee also came forward saying that the decision was made without their approval or notification.^[12][13][14]

Credit Card Scandal

In the 2009-2010 academic year several executive members of the union were accused in an anonymous letter of abusing their union credit cards for personal expenses. A committee was formed to investigate both the source of the letter, its validity, and the executive credit card records. Bradley Russell, executive director of student life with the Union, resigned in the heat of the controversy.^[15][16]

Parking

In 2010 the university closed the largest student parking area for development into a new lot for the health science center. Students were allowed to use a temporary lot on the construction site of a new residence yet to be built, however due to the commencement of construction as of the 23rd of July that lot is also closed.^[17] This leaves the entire university student body with less than 250 parking places. Critics are bashing both the University and the student union for failing to plan and make arrangements for student parking since the developments were announced several years in advance. When questioned about the issue both the university and the union have stated that parking is not in their list of priorities as it does not meet their environmental policy. Before the closure of the student parking lot in early 2010 the university sustainability office sent out a survey asking students leading questions, making them chose between their interests in the environment and their desire for adequate parking. The survey stated the results would be published on the sustainability website however as of August 2010 the results are still unpublished. Pressure is still being applied on the union by several groups of students to do something on the issue.

External links

• Official site

References

1. ^ http://munsu.ca/section/37
2. ^ http://munsu.ca/section/108
3. ^ http://munsu.ca/section/108
4. ^ http://munsu.ca/section/6
5. ^ http://munsu.ca/section/131
6. ^ http://munsu.ca/section/38
7. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2007/06/28/memorial-maritime.html?ref=rss
8. ^ http://themuse.ca/articles/31619
9. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/03/27/student-loan-budget.html
10. ^ http://www.today.mun.ca/news.php?news_id=4844
11. ^ http://www.themuseonline.ca/articles/19993
12. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/09/25/nl-snoop-dogg-munsu-.html
13. ^ http://www.signalblog.ca/?p=6009
14. ^ http://www.thetelegram.com/Arts---Life/Education/2009-09-25/article-1456265/Concert-goes-to-dogs/1
15. ^ http://www.thetelegram.com/Education/2009-12-04/article-1439028/MUNSU-under-microscope/1
16. ^ http://www.themuse.ca/articles/23356
17. ^ http://today.mun.ca/news.php?news_id=5694