Royal Roads University (RRU) isn’t your typical school. There are no dreary lecture halls filled with nameless faces and hands-off professors; there are no superfluous courses taken only to benefit GPA; and there is a distinct “real world” feeling one gets while attending Royal Roads that makes the transition from classroom to conference table that much easier. RRU caters to students who mean business, who either want to get in and out of school as fast as they can or be able to earn a paycheque while attending. Students here are academically competitive, socially conscious and eager to make positive change happen, especially when it comes to improving the experience for others.
The Royal Roads Student Association has been organizing student life for its on-campus and online members since 1999. Through the sustainability, social, sports, industry and safety committees, RRUSA funds many initiatives each year while also ensuring that each graduating cohort enjoys a grad event. This year saw the conclusion of the Students Against Violence project, a Status of Women in Canada initiative that seeks to spread awareness of gender-based violence on college campuses. This year also marked the roll out of a new Peer Support program, and of The Royal, an online/print magazine started by three Bachelor of Professional Communications students and supported and financed by RRUSA (royalmag.ca).
It’s an exciting time to be part of this council, the current executive has recently overhauled the constitution and is making some big changes when it comes to governance. New executive positions are being added to attract qualified candidates and leverage their experience in the professional world; processes are being streamlined and documented for greater efficiency and The Royal is coming under the purview of RRUSA and will provide exciting new opportunities for students to continue this legacy and gain practical experience in journalism, communications and photography.
The next executive council election will be in October and will see a brand new council emerge that will be able to immediately get to work on projects and initiatives. It’s been a tough year of trying to fix what was broken and clean up the mess that had accumulated over the last few years. The work that we’ve done this year maybe wasn’t the sexiest, but it will enable future councils to focus on what’s most important: the students.
