Halifax Students Want Change

Today I attended the Halifax Student Alliance's (which the DSU is a member of) Student Forum. The event ran from 10am-6pm at Saint Mary's University.

There was a diverse amount of programming for the event: explanation of the Mayor's Report on Crime and Violence, panel discussions, breakout session and a world cafe. There were students from Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, Kings University, NSCC Waterfront Campus, and Mount Saint Vincent University. There were also representatives from the Mayor's report, candidates for the upcoming elections, an MP, and other government officials. There were two members of the Halifax community. And members of the media (Gazette, DalNews, The Watch, CBC, and others). The point that I am trying to get across to you was that in terms of attendance there was a wide range!

It was great to hear students talking about what are municipal issues to them and what they think should be priorities for HSA - this will help the HSA board of directors set an agenda for the coming year.

During the world cafe session my group came up with two main priorities for the year - focusing on student safety in HRM and having strong collaboration with City Council and other interest groups in the city to have a strong voice for our issues.

The event was ended with a candidates BBQ - with both a municipal and federal election coming up quickly it was a great opportunity for students to talk with candidates about their issues (thank you to all of the candidates that did attend the event as well).

Overall the event today was great and I hope that throughout the year the HSA board and executive director (and other interested students) will be able to continue consulting with students (perhaps by faculty, or residence community, etc) to find ways to discuss their concerns and better advocate on their behalves.