UNBSU President Interviews
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Shift - NB with Vanessa Vander Valk, Student Housing - September 4, 2024
CBC New Brunswick News - September 04, 2024
UNB, STU deal with tech woes as they switch to virtual parking app - September 6, 2024
Elections NB ups efforts to help students vote – September 24, 2024
Campus food banks help students break the cycle of poverty
Author: Alex Graham
Posted on Feb 20, 2024
New easy to access food bank services for non-perishable goods have opened on the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Fredericton and Saint John campuses to help students struggling to make ends meet.
“Cost of living, tuition, students facing inflation, textbook costs, housing costs. It’s a whole affordability thing right now, and it’s us trying to navigate that,” said UNB Student Union (UNBSU) president Amanda Smith.
The Fredericton campus food bank is in the Student Union building, just above the SU offices. It’s a compact and efficient space, jam packed with all kinds of nutritious non-perishables for those in need.
Smith said it’s taken a while to get the project going because the student union wanted to make sure the proper policies were in place before starting, with procedures covering food safety and food bank customer confidentiality.
“We wanted to make sure we had a system for sign up so that students can register. What we do is give them an identifier number so that the volunteers don’t know who they are by name because we want to respect students’ privacy.”
The food bank project has been in the works since last summer, as the student union saw interest for their previous program – food boxes from local food security initiative Greener Villages – outstrip their capacity.
With ever increasing demand for the food box service, and limited hours when the boxes could be picked up, the student union and Greener Village agreed that a different approach was needed.
Pick up time limitations meant that hampers containing perishable items needed to be returned to Greener Village for refrigeration. That led to a reimagining of how the food security initiatives could work and the food bank program was born.
Smith turned to student services and on campus food provider, Chartwells, for help getting the initiative off the ground. Both stepped up to help provided needed shelving and a first round of product to fill those shelves.
According to Alex Boyd, CEO of Greener Village, which will use its bulk purchasing power as a region wide food provider to buy food for the bank moving forward, the student food bank is one of the most important initiatives the organization is undertaking.
“Poverty is a trap,” he said. “It sucks people in, holds on to them and doesn’t let them escape.”
“We know that one of the most effective ways to break that trap is through education. It’s one of the cycle breakers and it’s massively important.”
When people have immediate, high priority needs like access to food or shelter, it’s impossible for them to address longer term needs like skill development and education.
“How much energy can you invest in education when you think, ‘I’ve got nothing to eat’? “, Boyd asked.
“If you can help people to complete their education to gain the employment that they need, they become more in control of their food and financial resources.”
Breaking the cycle of poverty in early adulthood is why Greener Village’s partnership with the UNB student union is so important.
“It’s a way for us to improve food security among students,” Boyd said. “And to have someone else dedicated on the ground, helping us to accomplish that is pretty special.”
The UNBSU Food Bank has also developed a great relationship with a local microbrewery. Trailway Brewing has created two beverages with proceeds going towards the food bank. Green Apple Spicy Water is carbonated water with tart apple flavouring and Lime Aid is a salted lime lager beer.
“Obviously the cost of food has skyrocketed and we’re all feeling it,” said Trailway manager Lindsi George. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a student right now trying to afford a meal for yourself.”
In addition to the ten per cent of purchase price going to the food bank, each product has a clever tie in to the food bank project.
The Trailway team worked with UNBSU to come up with catchy, relevant names for the products. Smith is particularly fond of the name the came up with for the lime flavoured lager.
“It’s called Lime Aid” she said. “Not like lemonade, but to ‘aid’ or help. You’re aiding people by buying this beer.”
“The green apple came from the Greener Village food bank logo,” George said of the non-alcoholic, spicy water. “We were all excited about what that one would taste like ... and it turned out really awesome.”
Both products will be available while supplies last, but George said demand for both has been strong.
“We’re getting quite low on the Lime Aid,” she said. “People have been loving it here in the taproom and it’s been going quite quickly…We might see a return to that in the fall.”
“For the spicy water, same thing. It’s really tasty.”
Saint John campus opens a food pantry
The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) on the Saint John campus also started a food bank.
The Campus Food Pantry opened Nov. 20 in the SRC office room. Using QR code technology, the bank gives clients a time slot to pick up their items, with a maximum of one visit per week. This is in addition to the Tuesday morning breakfast program the SRC runs at Hazen Hall, which also started in late November. Both programs are stocked with fresh, healthy food, and are supported by a mix of government grants, SRC funding and alumni donations.
“Forty per cent of post-secondary students in Canada are food insecure, with direct effects on both physical and mental health,” said SRC president Madison Worth. “With rising costs of living across this country, food insecurity is at epidemic proportions never before seen.”
Worth said when students neglect their nutrition because of cost, “it’s not an ideal environment for learning, it’s not an ideal environment for mental health.”
There are a mix of students accessing the food pantry and breakfast programs including international students, mature students and the biggest demographic – domestic students.
“It’s kind of been taken to a whole other level now,” Worth said of rising expenses for students, noting that homeless shelters and food banks off campus are now seeing students using their services.
The SRC is taking a wholistic approach to address not just food costs, but other necessities in the years ahead.
“We’re targeting the housing problem and setting up a new bursary for that, as well as some other transportation initiatives,” she said.
There are opportunities to support the food banks and other initiatives helping struggling students in the coming weeks.
Food Insecurity Awareness Week is Feb. 26 to March 3, and the UNBSU and the UNB-SRC will be drawing attention to the food insecurity issue on both the Fredericton and the Saint John campuses. The campaign will also include Annual Giving Day which is set for Feb. 29. The UNBSU and UNB-SRC will be encouraging alumni and others to make donations to the food bank through its online portal.
Banner photo: Greener Village's Alex Boyd joins UNBSU VP Events and Services, Kierra MacAlpine, UNBSU president Amanda Smith and UNBSU Food Coordinator, Lucy Armstrong in the Fredericton campus food bank
CBC Shift - NB with Vanessa Vander Valk
The students' union at the University of New Brunswick launched a new food bank on campus last week. We'll hear from the president of the union, Amanda Smith.
Listen here.
UNBSU Applauds Investments in Students; Highlights needs for further investments
View the official press release here!
On Tuesday, March 21, the provincial government tabled its 2023-2024 provincial budget, which includes a $7.6 million increase to loan and bursary programs covered by the New Brunswick Student Financial Assistance (NBSFA) Program.
The UNBSU applauds efforts of the provincial government to recognize the importance of student populations as drivers of the province’s future and economic growth through investments in students.
“Increases to up-front, needs based funding is clearly the best route for supporting students, as it will help ensure students can not only pay their tuition, but also their rent, groceries, textbook costs, and more so we applaud any investments in the New Brunswick Student Financial Assistance Program that will make life and post-secondary education more affordable and attainable for students,” said President Kordell Walsh.
The UNBSU was also thrilled to see another one of our advocacy priorities be reflected in the provincial budget through a $1.7 million pot of funding allocated towards the delivery of culturally relevant addiction and mental health services for Indigenous communities.
“We applaud the $7.6 million increase to loan and bursary programs. This is not only an investment into the students of today, but into the future of New Brunswick as a whole. This measure will allow more students to participate in post-secondary education, promoting a more higher skilled workforce into the future. Further, I was happy to see the investment in culturally relevant addiction and mental health services for Indigenous communities, which will provide meaningful support services to those who often face barriers in accessing healthcare services,” said Vice President Research and Policy Rose Grant.
Other key investments relevant to students include:
Up to $8.4 million in operational funding for public universities
$800,000 to expand community supports for victims of sexual violence
$2.1 million invested in the Canada Housing Benefit, which many students may be eligible to apply for
Although the UNBSU applauds initial investments made within the provincial budget, the UNBSU will continue to advocate for further funding for students. Some specific initiatives we believe would be of great benefit to students include further funding for work-integrated learning opportunities, supporting our institutions address a growing deferred maintenance problem, and adjusting the NBSFA program to ensure grant maximums under the Renewed Tuition Bursary continue to rise and are able to benefit more New Brunswick students.
Students in New Brunswick continue to graduate with the highest debt amounts in Canada, therefore continued advocacy to ensure New Brunswick graduates are able to afford to remain in the province will continue to be a top priority moving forward. With retention remaining a top priority for the provincial government, minimizing debt loads for graduates and increasing grant amounts will remain a priority.
As the UNBSU begins preparing for advocacy over the coming year, we encourage all students to engage in our policy development processes and help guide our advocacy priorities for the year ahead - with our next event being Pizza and Policy with VP Research and Policy Rose Grant on March 27, 2023 from 2-4PM in room 103 of the Student Union Building.
RESULTS FROM THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTION:
RESULTS FROM THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTION:
President: Amanda Smith
VP Academic: Ryan Sullivan
VP Events & Services: Kierra MacAlpine
VP Finance & Operations: Isabella Hallihan
VP Student Wellness: Halle May
Accessibility Representative: Thomas Lepper
Arts Councillor: Abby Conrad
Computer Science Councillor: Gunpreet Singh
Engineering Councillor: Taabish Naseer
Inclusion Representatives: Angela Jalis and Arnab Mehfuz Taranga
International Student Reprsentative: Kartik Srivastava
Management Councillor: Sean Briggs
Off-Campus Representative: Priyanka Thakwani
Renaissance College Councillor: Evan Di Cesare
Science Councillor: Ally Murray
Women's Representative: Sneha Bhurani
Senate (1 Year Term): Rose Grant
Senate (1 Year Term): Gaia Noseworthy
Board of Governors (1 Year Term): Gaia Noseworthy
Appeals Board Decision Gaia Noseworthy February 2023
The recent Decision of Appeal can be found here.
This appeal involves matters related to the February 2023 University of New Brunswick’s Student Union (UNBSU) general election. Gaia Noseworthy was a candidate for President of the University of New Brunswick Student Union. On Monday, February 28th, 2023, the UNBSU’s Appeals Board (Board) received Noseworthy’s request to appeal the sanctions placed on their campaign imposed by the Chief Returning Officer (CRO), Drashtant Varma.
The UNBSU Appeals Board finds in favour of the CRO and imposes the following sanctions:
The original campaign restriction in place by the CRO will be upheld. All campaigning will be suspended until Thursday, March 2nd, 2023, at 11:59pm. This includes all campaigning associated with new posters, social media post, social media stories, social media sharing, social media events, etc., along with no in-person campaigning or canvassing. Furthermore, the appeals board authorizes that any new campaign violations related to this hearing (Restricted Locations & Distancing) which may be found or reported to the CRO against Noseworthy’s campaign can be subjected to increased sanctions as long as said sanctions are relayed to the Chief Appeals Officer and/or the Appeals Board in advance.
What's New With The SU? - Podcast & Radio Show Launch
We’re excited to launch our new show “What’s New With The SU?”
Wondering what your Student Union is up to? What’s New With The SU is a podcast dedicated to all things related to student life at the University of New Brunswick. Hosts explore the latest student issues, events, and services offered by the UNBSU and dive into community resources available to students. From discussing campus life and the UNB community to showcasing the latest initiatives by the UNBSU, this podcast is your go-to source for staying informed about student life at UNB. Tune in for engaging discussions, expert guests, and insights into making the most of your university experience.
This show is currently featuring the UNBSU’s Chairperson Joshua Lohnes and our VP Academic Ryan Sullivan as well as special guests!
For more information visit our page here!
UNBSU Successfully Advocates for Extended Library Hours!
The UNBSU is excited to announce that the Libraries are offering extended library hours again this semester! UNB Libraries and your Student Union are excited to share this announcement, that will enable provide a safe and welcoming space to study into the early hours of the morning! Our VP Academic Jill Carson has worked especially hard on this initiative.
The updated hours for the exam season are as follows (at the HIL):
HIL Hours Nov 14 – Dec 19 (Extended Hours):
Monday – Thursday* 8am – 2am
Friday 8am – midnight
Saturday 10am - midnight
Sunday* 10am – 2am
*Library services available until 12am when open until 2am
Students will need to have either a physical Ucard or their Ucard app on their phones to access the library after 10pm. Students will need to "tap" in at the front door. More information on hours can be found here!
Appeals Board Decision G-V.G. November 2022
The recent Decision of Appeal can be found here.
This appeal involves matters related to the November 2022 University of New Brunswick’s Student Union (UNBSU) by-elections. Mr. Gaurnash- Vipin Gupta was a candidate for Vice-President of Finance and Operations. On Friday, November 4th, 2022, the UNBSU’s Appeals Board (Board) received Mr. Gupta’s request to appeal the formal decision of disqualification ruled by the Deputy-Chief Returning Officer (DCRO), Drashtant Varma.
The University of New Brunswick Student Union decided that the results for Vice President Finance and Operations position in the November 2022 election not be ratified due to the interference. A new election will be held for the sole position of Vice-President Finance and Operations only including Manav Dhupar, Isabella Hallihan, and Kierra Macalpine.
UNBSU Applauds Elimination of Student Loan Interest
On October 31, 2022 the New Brunswick Government announced that effective November 1, 2022, it would be eliminating the accumulation of interest on the provincial portion of student loans. This comes after years of advocacy from the UNB Student Union to the department of Post-Secondary Education, Training, and Labour.
Today, in the Fall Economic Statement, the Federal Government announced the elimination of interest accrual on the federal portion of student loans, after a number of years of advocacy from the UNBSU and its federal advocacy partner, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA).
Combined, these announcements mean that student loan borrowers in New Brunswick can now receive student loans interest free! Interest previously accrued will still need to be paid under both programs, however any future payments made on student loans in the province will now fully contribute to lowering the value of the principal loan.
“The announcement comes at an opportune time for students and recent graduates,” said Kordell Walsh, UNBSU President. “These announcements come in a time where all Canadians are feeling the impacts of inflationary pressures. This is a monumental win for students - and makes life more affordable for recent graduates entering into New Brunswick’s workforce.”
Additional wins for students announced this week include:
a $50 million investment for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada to address ongoing application backlogs;
a $301.4 million investment over two years for the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy;
a $400.5 million investment over two years for the Canada Summer Jobs program;
An increase to the income threshold for the Repayment Assistance Plan from $25,000 per year to $40,000 per year, and indexed to inflation;
A lowering of the cap on the maximum monthly payments through the Repayment Assistance Plan to 10% of a student loan borrower’s household income, down from 20%
“We applaud the Government of New Brunswick for the recent elimination of student loan interest. This is an important announcement that will help to secure our future as a province. We all know that investing into post-secondary education secures our economy and promotes further innovation as a whole,” said UNBSU Vice President Research and Policy Rose Grant.
These announcements come ahead of the UNBSU’s Annual Advocacy Week, happening from November 7-10, where we will be engaging with provincial stakeholders on topics of affordable housing, healthcare, skills development, and student financial aid.
They also come ahead of CASA’s Annual Advocacy Week, from November 21-25 in Ottawa, where representatives from the UNBSU will gather with other student leaders from across the country for a week of advocacy to federal stakeholders.
The UNBSU is eager to discuss with stakeholders what these changes mean for students at UNB.
Media Contact:
Kordell Walsh
President
UNB Student Union
(506) 452-6094
president@unbsu.ca