VP Student University Affairs Candidate: Mitchell Parent

Mitchell Parent
Bachelor of Arts – English

1. What is your platform?

My platform is to return to our campus the sense of community that we’ve lost over the years. Wyckham House used to be a well sought after concert venue in Calgary. It’s not anymore. Clubs used to regularly hold really unique and fun

events in the campus bar. They don’t anymore. There used to be a lot of really cool and interesting events around campus. There aren’t anymore. I want to change that, and bring that certain joie de vivre back to MRU campus. I plan on

doing this by basically going through policy and changing or eliminating that red tape that’s getting in the way, and then by being involved and in contact with the students of Mount Royal. Working with students and staff will be the key

that brings back that sense of excitement and fun that used to be a part of our lives.

2. What do you think SAMRU’s role is and why do you think it’s important for students?

SAMRU’s role is to advocate for the wants and needs of Mount Royal’s students. In the last few years there have been several changes that have happened on campus and in the province, not limited to the budget cuts last year, that have

affected students. It’s SAMRU’s job to try and either mitigate the negative impact that can fall on our community, or else to find new solutions for making our new situations better. The way SAMRU does that is by lobbying with the

university and the government to achieve the goals our students put forward to us, and also by helping to steer the direction of the students’ association down a path that will bring students a great campus experience while they’re

studying at Mount Royal.

3. What qualifies you to be elected for the position you are running for?

Since my first year, I’ve gone out of my way to explore myself by doing new things and taking on new projects. My first big thing was putting myself really far out of my comfort zone and studying in Japan for my second year through

MRU’s International Exchange Program. When I came back, I was contacted by the university with the offer of writing the Student Life Blog for MRU, and have been doing that for three years. Most recently, I’ve been working as a

governor for SAMRU since the beginning of this school year. All of these things have, in a roundabout way, prepped me for the VP Student Life position before I even thought about running in elections. Campus used to be fun and full of

life. There used to be concerts in Wyckham and club events in the bar, and people use to hang out after class. Not only do I have the experience and know how to bring back that sense of community that we’ve lost, but I can also give

students those chances to explore themselves that they should be taking.