ADVOCACY
A list of recent UNBSU efforts and initiatives to make life at UNB better for students.
Advocacy Week 2023/24 Document
Our recent successful efforts
Provincial student loan interest
After years of advocacy from the UNBSU, the Government of NB recently announced that they were eliminating the provincial portion of student loan interest; which will result in thousands in savings for many student loan borrowers in the province!
Fall Reading Week
Previous executive teams successfully advocated for a Fall Reading Week, which started in Fall 2018 for UNB students. We are now advocating for University Administration to implement the continuation of this pilot project, in order to maintain a Fall Reading Week for future years.
Policy Forum 2022
This year's policy forum was titled An Interdisciplinary Approach to Climate Change. Since there are thousands of ways climate change is created, there needs to be thousands of solutions. This event proved so. Professors, community stakeholders, and students spoke about how their own professions combat the climate crisis. This allowed the audience to see how different stakeholders in the community are working towards a more sustainable future. Speakers included MLA David Coon, Dr. Heather Millar, Dr. Wright, Dr. Harvey from STU, VP Research and Policy Rose Grant, UNB Sustainability, and City Councillor Margo Shepard.
MLA Mondays with David Coon
We hosted, alongside STUSU, the MLA for the city of Fredericton David Coon. This event allows students to connect with their MLA which represents them at the legislative assembly. Students can chat about provincial matters including but not limited to climate policy, healthcare, affordable housing, mental health, equity, diversity, and inclusion and more! MLA Mondays happen twice a term on a Monday!
Just Chat with Jenica
We hosted MP Atwin at the SUB to allow students to chat 1 on 1 with the person who represents them at the federal level. Students are able to talk about visa permits, immigration, affordable housing, federal climate policy, and more! These events happen twice per term.
Townhall Tuesdays with Mayor Kate Rogers
We hosted the city of Fredericton’s Mayor at the Harriet Irving Library to chat all things Fredericton with students 1 on 1. Students were able to discuss affordable housing initiatives, public transit, sustainability initiatives, and student employment with the mayor!
Advocacy Week 2023
The UNBSU hosted meetings with stakeholders in the community such as Premier Higgs, Minister Green, Minister Holder, Minister Fitch, Canadian Mental Health Associations Bonnie Lipton-Bos, MP Jenica Atwin, MLA David Coon, Chamber of Commerce, Senator Ringuette, Elder Jean Bartibogue UNB, UNB Administration, MP and Minister of Official Languages Petitpas Taylor, UNB Counselling Services, the entire New Brunswick Liberal Caucus, Mayor Kate Rogers, city councilor Jason LeJeune, and more! The UNBSU advocated the provincial government through four different pillars, healthcare, student affordable housing, skills development, and student financial aid. The goal of this paper is to approach the current gaps in the system through an intersectional approach. Our meticulous research has consisted of meetings with students, governmental stakeholders, healthcare professionals, the business community, and university administration. We recruited 5 student volunteers to widen the perspective of students across campus.
What we are working on
Open Education Resources (OER’s)
The UNBSU is advocating to the UNB Administration to consider the adoption of open education resources (OER’s) which are free, accessible, openly licensed text and media that are usually free or very affordable.
syllabi resources
The UNBSU is advocating to all faculties at UNB to mandate the inclusion of mental health resources on class syllabi. The student union is also advocating for all commitments of equity, diversity, and inclusion made by UNB administration to be represented on all syllabi.
free menstrual products
The UNBSU is advocating to faculties, UNB administration, and all buildings on campus to implement free menstrual product dispensers in every building.
unbsu organizational involvement
The UNBSU is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). The Vice-President Advocacy and President of the UNBSU attend regular meetings of CASA and their respective sub-committees to represent UNB students.
Canadian alliance of student associations
CASA is a student-run, non-partisan, and not-for-profit organization that represents 24 Student Unions and approximately 344,000 students across Canada. Through policy development and research, awareness campaigns, government relations, and partnerships with stakeholders, the organization advocates on behalf of students to the Federal government. CASA’s goal is to achieve an accessible, affordable, and high-quality post-secondary education system where students enjoy an excellent quality of life.
Chairing of Federal Policy Committee
Our VP Research and Policy Rose is on the Canadian Alliance of Student Alliances (CASA) Federal Policy Committee. As chair of this committee, Rose oversees federal policy and helps set the direction of advocacy for the year alongside delegates and CASA home office.
Ongoing Meetings with Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Ministry
The UNBSU has 4 overall meetings per term with PETL to discuss how to collaborate with the government and make sure student voices are heard at the table. We have appreciated building a connection with this important stakeholder.