President’s message – Sep. 29, 2011
First of all, on behalf of the students’ union and the entire student body, I’d like to extend our deepest sympathies to the Barber family on the passing of Dr. Lloyd Barber. Dr. Barber was the second president of the University of Regina, and he set the foundations of this institution. It was through his leadership and commitment that the university partnered with the Saskatchewan Indian Federation College – the forerunner of today’s First Nations University of Canada. As president from 1976 to 1990, Dr. Barber accomplished many astounding feats, including nearly tripling the university’s enrolment. Dr. Barber’s guidance and successes were acknowledged many times with awards and honourary titles, including being made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1993. His legacy will live on in the hallways of this institution and outside in the form of the Dr. Lloyd Barber Academic Green. We will no doubt remember him.
Last week, the University of Regina agreed to hold a public forum on parking following a request to do so by the students’ union. The forum was well-received by both university administration and students. The students’ union said that the student body had creative and innovative solutions to the university’s many parking problems – and you did not disappoint. We will be following up with the university to see if any new ideas will be put into action.
Lastly, the final touches on URSU’s student-issues campaign have been completed, and we are set to launch the campaign in the coming days. Our campaign will be running parallel to the provincial election campaign, and will focus on education and matters that affect students, such as the skyrocketing rate of tuition, the lack of affordable housing, the need for additional childcare spaces, and accessibility to education issues for First Nations people. We will be asking politicians of all political stripes to make students and post-secondary education a priority. Stay tuned for more information on events, rallies, and other initiatives we will be undertaking up to election day on Nov. 7.
If you would like to volunteer or help in any way with the campaign, please do not hesitate to email me at president@ursu.ca.
Kent E. Peterson
URSU President
