StFX Students’ Union signs historic consultation agreement with their Board of Governors
For Immediate Release
Halifax, N.S. – The St. Francis Xavier Students’ Union (The U) has signed a historic agreement with the St. Francis Xavier Board of Governors (The Board). The two parties agreed to the terms of the agreement last week, after months of collaborative consultation. The U President, Troy Mrazek, and University President, Dr. Kent MacDonald, signed off on the agreement Wednesday March 2, 2016.
“This is a historic day for The U – StFX Students’ Union. We now have an agreement that recognizes the student voice surrounding the implementation of fees,” said Troy Mrazek. “The University Administration and The Board have been great partners in this process and we look forward to our continued work to ensure transparency and accountability at StFX.”
StudentsNS believes such consultation agreements are essential to maintaining the student voice in the process of fee implementation. Informal consultation is not sufficient and this document formalizes the consultation process.
The U is the second of our members to successfully come to terms with their respective Board of Governors and pass a consultation agreement. In 2013, Acadia passed a similar agreement. StudentsNS is continuing to work with other student unions and associations to make certain all students will have a voice in the decisions surrounding the fees they are paying.
“With the cost of university continuing to rise at unprecedented rates, it is the right of students, as the primary stakeholders of the university, to have the opportunity to voice their opinions and be consulted on what fees they are willing to pay. We must not allow Universities to increase, or add, new fees that students do not want just so they can balance their books,” said Nick Head-Petersen, Executive Director of StudentsNS. “Any fee should be in the best interest of the institutions primary stakeholder, their students. This agreement sets out how the collective voice of their students will be heard, in a formal way, at StFX.”
Other Documents:
For more information, please contact:
Nick Head-Petersen, Executive Director
Phone: 902 293 7232
Email: director@studentsns.ca
Or
Troy Mrazek, President and CEO of the StFX Students’ Union
Phone: 902 867 2435
Email: su_pres@stfx.ca
Students Nova Scotia is a not-for-profit and non-partisan advocacy and research group that represents post-secondary students from across Nova Scotia. Our members include Acadia, Cape Breton, Saint Mary’s, and St. Francis Xavier Universities, the Kingstec and Annapolis Valley Campuses of the Nova Scotia Community College, and the Atlantic School of Theology.