Joe Paling recently inquired what my priorities were regarding residence. I sat down to write them out, and this is what appeared:

I have lived in the SFU residences for the past three years, in all of the housing styles available to undergraduate students. In first year, I lived in the Towers with a mandatory meal plan. In second year, I self-catered in Townhouses. Now, I self-cater again in McTaggart-Cowan, a traditional residence with shared kitchens. I am well aware of the benefits that one gets from living in residence—a strong, active community, academic and personal support, access to resources and facilities. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in residence, even going so far as to be a Residence Orientation Leader several times (hopefully again this year), and will be spending my final year at SFU in residence as well.

Residence is lucky to have several organizations catering to it exclusively; Residence & Housing, Rezlife, and the Residence Hall Association. These three groups ensure that students, like me, enjoy and benefit from their time on campus. In my opinion, they have done a fantastic job, and I have seen a great amount of growth and improvement within them as the residence community has blossomed in the last three years.

Jono, as a fellow resident and president of the RHA, has listed some of his priorities for residence already. One of his main focuses is the Chartwells monopoly on campus, which is felt most acutely by those in the Towers who are on mandatory meal plans. Having eaten at the Residence Dining Hall over the last three years (in varying amounts of frequency), I am glad to note that the quality of food and service has definitely increased since I was in first year living in the Towers. That said, there is always room for improvement, and the RHA is already taking very effective steps to negotiate with the Chartwells administration to ensure the needs of students are met. Supporting the efforts of the RHA, and using their model to help to negotiate for better service at the other Chartwells locations, would be a priority of mine as a potential Member-at-Large representative.

Additionally, I believe that residence could benefit from a continued rehabilitation of its infrastructure; residence certainly undergoes a great deal of wear and tear throughout a year, and it’s a constant struggle to keep up. Taking general steps to keep the standards of quality high would likely help to encourage students to respect their living spaces, and to better enjoy their time in residence.

Hope that helps.