Abby SchenkHub Mall resident’s belongings thrown out
Fourth year design student Siying Chen returned in September to her HUB Mall apartment after a summer trip home to China and found most of her belongings, worth $3,200, were missing. Among the items were paintings and handmade furniture she had created for her year-end graduate show.
Chen rejected an offer from the University of Alberta to pay her rent for the month of December. She said that is was “not enough” as she had to rebuild her entire industrial design portfolio. She planned to move out of the apartment in January.
HUB Mall Closure
After an evacuation and closure of HUB Mall on Oct. 27, the University of Alberta confirmed a death had occurred in the building following initial reports of a gas leak.
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS), Emergency Medical Services and a hazardous materials team responded to the scene and blocked off surrounding areas. EPS later confirmed that the death was non-criminal.
The Dean of Students’ Office responded to the death by informing students, via social media, to “seek out resources during times of difficulty.”
Fall Reading Week Approved
With Provost Carl Amrhein’s signature, the four-year struggle to schedule a fall reading break came to a favourable end on March 31. Initiating the week-long break in an already packed Fall Term calendar caused a drawn out process, where 80 stakeholders on campus faced the constraints of planning around mandatory instructional minutes.
Set to take place in the 2015 Fall Term during Remembrance Day long weekend, the break was initially proposed in order to help with issues such as student mental health, engagement and retention.
Leadership College
The development of the college moved forward in a less controversial light than in 2013. The college, to open in 2016 under the guidance of former Prime Minister of Canada Kim Campbell, will run its pilot year within the Faculty of Arts from September 2015 onwards.
In a public lecture on Oct. 9, Campbell emphasized that the college’s admission process would not solely be based on grade point average. She outlined that there will be a rigorous curriculum, which is still in the works.
Despite the Leadership College still being in development, a public forum held on Nov. 5 revealed that the college’s residence is still a topic that draws concern among students who believe it might fuel marginalization.
Post-secondary Funding
The year started off with the promise of more funding, but ended with the grim reality of future tuition hikes.
The March 6 provincial budget announcement provided a welcome change from the annual cuts made in previous years by announcing a $2.27 billion base fund for public post secondary institutions. Despite not making up for the large cuts made in 2013, it was a decision the U of A said they could work with.
The U of A’s Faculty of Law proposal for a market modifier increase was one in a domino effect of market modifier proposals submitted to the Alberta government — a move that the SU criticized for lacking transparency and inadequate consultation among students.
Despite various student efforts against the approval of the market modifiers, including an Alberta-wide student rally to the legislature grounds on Nov. 17, the end of 2014 bore ill news for the campaign.
On Dec. 22 the Ministry of Advanced Education announced the approval of 25 out of 26 market modifier proposals.
This will result in 2015–16 tuition hikes in the Faculty of Law’s JD program, the Faculty of Pharmacy’s Doctor of Pharmacy program, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Department of Economics and the MBA program in the Faculty of Business.
Turpin Named U of A’s Next President
Indira Samarasekera announced the end of her term as the 12th president of the U of A, and welcomed her successor, David Turpin. After her 10-year term, which officially ends on June of 2015, Turpin will take over the helm at the U of A — bringing with him a depth in experience as the former president of the University of Victoria.
Board of Governors Chair Doug Goss said Turpin was an ideal fit due to his skills in communication, administrative knowledge and his proven track record with institutions.
LHSA Banned
The Office of Student Judicial Affairs launched an investigation into complaints of hazing surrounding a Lister Centre Tower competition in January.
This subsequently led to a year’s suspension of the Lister Hall Students’ Association’s registration as a student group, as of May 1, 2014.
