MUN Concrete Toboggan is a club at Memorial University that designs and builds a toboggan consisting of a superstructure, steering and braking systems, and concrete running surfaces that compete annually against universities/colleges across Canada and the USA. Undergraduate students from universities all over Canada compete at The Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race every year with their own fully designed and made concrete toboggan.
The Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race is the largest and longest running Canadian Undergraduate Engineering competition that is fully student-run. This year’s competition was supposed to be in Calgary, however because of COVID-19, it was cancelled but set to continue next year in British Columbia. 30 people can officially go to the competition with the toboggan however the club accepts as many people on the team as needed. 60% of the team must be in applied science majors however the rest of the team consists of students from any major. This is the first year there were non-engineering students on the team.
“When I first heard it was an Undergraduate Engineering competition that kinda deterred me from going … however the majority of the Universities in this competition have full business teams running their finances and social media”
-Alison Kavanah, External Relations Lead
The skeleton design for this year’s toboggan was created in a computer program called solidworks, which is primarily used by engineering students. In this computer program, the team does the overall designing of the toboggan and force analysis which simulates what would happen if the toboggan were to crash.
MUN Concrete Toboggan Skeleton sent in by Team Captain Mitchell Riberdy
“We must have a fully functioning steering system, braking systems, a full enclosed rolling cage and a crumple zone. The concrete needs to be pretty solid so we spend a lot of time mixing and testing that to get the perfect mixture that will withstand as much as possible. It all has to be 350 pounds without riders in it but the whole system has to allow 5 riders at 200 pounds each”
This year’s concrete toboggan team has gone through a lot with the pandemic and the cancellation of the competition.
“One of our biggest challenges this year is that the team has been off and on running since around 2018 … with COVID the teams had fully shut down and when we started to pick up the pieces, there were only three or four of us who had any experience with a concrete toboggan. The fact that we did what we did in four months, which other schools usually take 8 months to a year to complete, we are very proud of that.”
-Mitchell Riberdy, Team Captain
Anyone interested in joining the team for next year’s competition, the new senior staff will be starting recruitment in mid-February. The MUN Concrete Toboggan team is looking for undergraduate students from any major and in any year of study from first to last.
Alison Kavanah emphasized, “Even if engineering is not your background there is still so much you can learn from this club, like I know how to mix concrete now!” With a similar sentiment, Mitchell Riberdy remarked, “This is all extracurricular. We do this because we want to go, we want to compete, and wewant to represent MUN on a national stage.”
Interviewed by CHMR-FM Campus Connect Co-host Jenna Reid
MUN international students are speaking out about pressing concerns Friday, Feb.4th, 2022 on CHMR-FM’s show Campus Connect at 6 pm NLT.
Memorial University has been a headlining subject throughout local media as its administration continues to face frequent criticism.
While many international students have kept quiet amidst the university’s backlash, this week, four international students and one Memorial Alumni, spoke out regarding their concerns.
‘Rising Costs’
Memorial University announced the end of its tuition freeze in July 2021. While current local students will see a 4 percent increase every year until 2026, the cost for current international students will follow this schedule as well. New international applicants to Memorial University will pay the new rates.
This decision sparked major criticism among the MUN student body, while concern was generated regarding cutbacks to several services due to the pandemic.
“We want to pursue our dreams but not for the sake of our arm and leg, mental health,” said Chinmoy Kar Victor, a third-year mechanical engineering student from Bangladesh, referring to the impact of tuition increases.
“MUN gets a lot of international students due to its affordability, not its education”. “I don’t know if MUN believes we are not all children with very wealthy parents. Part of us coming out of our country is to help our parents’ ‘ said Lore Resendiz, a fourth-year Gender Studies Major, and immigrant from Mexico.
“It’s taking a huge mental toll on us”
Since the pandemic, various government restrictions have forced students to miss out on the traditional and coveted university experience.
Navon Revleen, a communication studies student from Germany, stated “we are missing out on the human aspect of the university experience”, which is increasing levels of loneliness.
Lore Resendiz said, “We leave our countries at 17 or 18, we are alone, this is not our country, our weather, our language (most of the time), we have no support system, and we face economic hardships”.
The lack of health care resources was also mentioned: “Health Insurance isn’t always clear and doesn’t give enough opt-in time for Green Shield, Guard Me is for emergencies’ ‘.
This concern was sparked as the province’s MCP card can take longer to receive, thus surpassing the opt-in deadline for MUNSU’s Green Shield plan.
Adham Usama, an international student from Egypt, said“I am diabetic so I need my insulin cartridges renewed monthly, so health insurance is a concern”. He advocates that MUN becomes “more lenient regarding its health insurance deadlines”.
Lore Resendiz also spoke of the “Absurd waiting lists” and the lack of “emotional and mental health support at MUN”, especially since COVID.
‘Harsh realities’
Although Memorial has received significant flack from its Canadian student body and from MUN’s associating organizations such as MUNSU and MUNFA in recent months; international students typically refrain from contributing to discourse out of fear.
Navon Revleen said, “students are not feeling free to raise their concerns due to the current administration, more so international students because they don’t know how everything will work”.
MUN Computer Science graduate from India, Jinesh Modi, gave advice regarding the concerns, stating “If you need help, reach out. There are lots of resources available”, and don’t be afraid to “utilize resources such as the campus food bank or to reach out to students, profs, and senior students”.
Although such issues are not limited to MUN, Newfoundland’s international students are calling on the locals to have their backs.
MUN is also once again being asked to listen to the students and reconsider its tuition freeze.
New experiential opportunities are available for those individuals who are not only crafty but excited about learning in unique areas outside of traditional MUN classrooms. Heritage NL has funded new programs for the learning of disappearing crafts such as bagpipe making, bark tanning, boatbuilding, weaving and more! These programs will include apprenticeships for those people who are interested that will last a year.
The program is an ideal learning experience for individuals who are not only passionate about their place of residence or hope to learn more about Newfoundland traditions, but to those people who want a truly unique experiential experience that they could easily add to their resumes. The program takes place in various locations across the province and pairs each learner of a craft with an experienced craftsman or tradesperson. There are nine different projects giving learners more choice in which craft they wish to learn. As well there is funding available for interested learners, up to $10,000 and a learner in this program would be matched with a particular craftsperson to assist them in their learning.
There are nine programs in total that are in different areas of the province.
The programs include Labrador duffle work, Rodney punt design and construction, bark tanning, Irish bagpipe making, wild food processing and preserving, Labrador Cossack making, and weaving skills.
Dale Jarvis, Heritage NL’s Executive Director, had this to say about the program, “The traditional craft sector is an important part of our contemporary economy, especially in rural areas…. We are excited to support these tradition bearers and entrepreneurs in learning and promoting skills and crafts that otherwise might fade away. There are so many fading traditions throughout our province that could easily slip away if we do not pick it up and start taking part in them. It is our responsibility as the story makers of tomorrow to not only make positive changes for tomorrow but also to keep our history and stories alive and real.”
Mr. Jarvis expressed their passion about the program, stating, “I’m really excited about the possibilities that the Mentor Apprenticeship Program holds… We have been meeting with our participants and they have all been enthusiastic and eager to get started. We have two more deadlines for applications coming up, and I hope to see some more great projects come forward.”
Participants will have a year to learn these fantastic, one-of-a-kind skills that will surely set you apart in the skills and abilities area of your resume. If anyone is interested they should apply by February 10, and/or April 10. More information is available at heritagenl.ca
This program is supported by the Labour Market Partnerships program, Department of Immigration, Skills and Labour, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
On Tuesday, January 25th, Twitter Account @MUNWalkout2022 was created to spread the word about MUN’s refusal to listen to students’ concerns for return to in-person classes, while the province remains in Alert Level 4 and has high COVID-19 case numbers.
This walkout has been planned and organized by the Students for Online Accommodations Coalition. I reached out to them in order to receive some more information about the event and their goals.
They explained that they are a group of students who originally came together when MUN announced that science labs would be in-person, during Level 4 restrictions. The Coalition continued, “We worked together to write a letter to the department of science to request that accommodations be made for those students/lab instructors/professors who either are immunocompromised or are living with someone who is immunocompromised, and also that this decision be reassessed to be treated like in-person classes.”
However, this letter did not appear to have a sufficient impact, and the Coalition decided to take on this new problem of MUN’s decision to return to in-person classes on January 31st. The organizers, therefore, named themselves Students for Online Accommodations Coalition to reflect their new goal of advocating for a safer environment to return to in-person.
The organizers explained, “Given that our original letter did not work, we knew that we needed to take a new approach to get MUN’s attention. We then thought about having this virtual walkout, as not only will it be able to include students who can walk out of class, but also professors/faculty members who may not be able to simply just ‘walk out.’”
They explained that they were inspired by the large network of people in academia on Twitter and decided that by flooding the website with their hashtag #SafeMUN4Everyone “…would allow everyone who wanted to support the cause, regardless of tenure status, personal commitments, exams, tests, etc., to participate and get the attention of the important decision-makers in the university community.”
When asked about their goals for the walkout, the organizers explained that they hope MUN will listen and understand that they need better protection from COVID-19. They noted, that under MUN’s current policy, if someone has to self-isolate or ends up catching COVID-19, it is up to professors and instructors to provide them with accommodations. They explain:
“We feel that this is unfair to both the student and the faculty member, given that the guidelines that MUN gave to professors regarding these accommodations are close to nothing, and there is no consistency. We want to ensure that everyone can attend their classes without having to choose between their health and their education, so this would mean handing out the correct masks as the university recommends (IE KN95s, N95s), offering online options to those who are not comfortable or at high-risk, and a concrete, university-wide plan as to what happens if a student or faculty member finds themselves in the situations above. Transparency and accommodations are key here, yet MUN did not seem to and continue to not take any of these issues into consideration as they plan to return to campus.”
The Coalition has gained significant social media attention since starting the hashtag, even gaining support from the Canadian Federation of Students NL. Their Twitter account now has 125 followers and has also received responses from students on student Facebook groups featuring stories from students unable to receive accommodations from their professors. Student responses show that students have had difficulties receiving accommodation from professors when raising concerns for their personal or family’s safety when classes return to in-person, with many expressing concern for their own health or immunocompromised family members.
In their statement to me, the organizers explained:
“For the most part I do think that we have gained a fair bit of attention, not only from students and faculty in the university, but also from people out in the communities of Newfoundland and Labrador. We only started our Twitter account a few days ago and are already at over 100 followers, and personally I have heard people talking about it in all of my classes this week, even if they did not formally follow the account or indicate that they were planning to participate. This is definitely in huge part thanks to CFS, who we met with early last week and who helped us organize our plan and helped us to advertise it on social media. The media (such as yourself) is also hugely helping, as we have had more interest in the past couple of days after speaking to several different outlets.”
I also asked the organizers if they have received any backlash to their social media posts or planned walkout protest and the organizers told me:
“There has not been any direct backlash. We did have a professor tweet us and say that they felt that we were blaming the professors for the lack of accommodations being provided (as we have been tweeting some personal experiences from students who are currently dealing with trying to find a way to be able to stay enrolled in their in-person classes despite their personal situations), however that was never our intent.”
On Thursday, the organizers released a statement in a Twitter thread explaining that they have been made aware that professors felt like they were blaming them for the actions of the university and that this was not their intention. They indicated their gratitude for professors that are doing all that they can to accommodate students and that they hope students and faculty will be able to work together.
They emphasized, “After we explained that our intention was to highlight the inconsistencies made solely by the very minimal guidelines from Memorial senior staff who made the decision, it seemed to have been smoothed over and we have gained some more faculty support as they too feel that MUN needs to be a safe place for everyone and face many of the same situations as students (IE being immunocompromised, living with immunocompromised individuals, overall not feeling protected, etc.)”
The walkout however does raise some concerns regarding the administration’s prior response to student protest. This past December, student activist Matt Barter was banned from campus after silently protesting the tuition hike and MUN president Dr. Vianne Timmons. This event has made some students weary that the University will take action against free-speech and other forms of student protest.
I asked the organizers about this concern, and the organizers responded that “In the beginning, this was definitely a concern given the situation with Matt and the fact that he got banned from the university for protesting. However, we realized that if we have as much support as we currently do, it would be hard for the university to punish everyone. It is not a current fear that we hold as we know that we will be stronger together and the more people we have supporting our walkout, the better our chances will be that MUN will listen to our concerns instead of punishing us for speaking out.”
Finally, the organizers stated that on Monday they will be walking out of classes and that they encourage/invite other MUN staff or faculty to do the same. Those who are interested in learning more can go to their Twitter Account to find out more information.
They also wanted to emphasize “…our intention is not to have the rest of the semester online because we understand that in-person truly is the optimal option for students and online education does not work for a lot of people, ourselves included. We are simply asking for the option to do so online, protection and transparency from the university, and reassurance that we will not be penalized if (or rather when) we get COVID.”
Their Twitter explains that those interested in participating in the walkout protest can help in three different ways:
Do not go to class on Monday, January 31st, 2022 and email your professors with the template (posted on their Twitter) to explain why you won’t be attending.
Use the link shared on their Twitter to automatically email the administration to demand safer conditions for a return to in-person learning.
Tweet #SafeMUN4Everyone and direct your tweets at administration and state why you think MUN needs to be safer, with the goal of taking over everyone’s timeline.
Continue to spread the word and get the message out to everyone.
In contrast to our previous publication, Ryan Guay was not deregistered because of his vaccination status but instead because of claims that he did not submit his exemption forms.Ryan is currently “blocked” from submitting these forms online. This update was written by Hayley Whelan.
Vaccinations have been the most talked-about subject since the beginning of the pandemic. Being fully vaccinated is required for many things in life right now, such as attending Memorial University, travelling, and entering places of business. The vaccine against COVID-19 has given us the chance to go back to a somewhat normal life. However, many people are still not medically able to receive the vaccine and are suffering the consequences.
Ryan Guay of Memorial University was deregistered from his courses because MUN claims that he hasn’t submitted his vaccination exemption forms. Guay states, “I was diagnosed with multiple embolisms (blood clots in the lungs) back in June 2021 and as a result of an adverse reaction from my COVID-19 vaccination. I’ve been in and out of the hospital for the past seven months due to my condition”. On January 9th 2022, Guay received an email from Memorial University informing him that he had been deregistered from his in-person classes, even though classes are online until the end of January. Guay says that this fight to continue his education because of his medical exemption has been tiresome, mentally draining and all-around frustrating to deal with, especially in his first year.
“My perspective on this school has changed drastically… These are the issues they put on students. The amount of stories I’ve heard of disrespect by a higher power in this school is absurd” Ryan Guay (via Facebook)
“I’m fighting back to have this resolved with all your support. My condition does not allow me to have another vaccine due to what occurred in June, October, and even last week (via ambulance to HSC). MUN has my medical exemption form that was issued by my hematologist so that I attend the University on campus. My point now, why am I being discriminated against to have an education?”
Ryan Guay’s situation pertains to a new plan in Quebec to tax the unvaccinated. Premier Francois Legault told reporters on January 11th 2022, that they “are currently working on a health-care contribution that will be charged to all adults in Quebec who refuse to get vaccinated for non-medical reasons”. The premier says this will boost the incentive to get vaccinated and help cover the costs that the healthcare system so desperately needs. The assumption would be that the people who medically cannot be vaccinated, such as Guay, will be exempt from this new tax. However, it is clear to see with Guay’s current situation how governments and universities often overlook exemptions and grey areas.
Guay argues that Memorial University “could’ve taken a better approach to the deregistration scenario by contacting me up until we can return to on-campus learning. This was delivered to me with intention. They deliberately sent this email to me the day before classes on a Sunday so I would be stuck not able to communicate with them”. Guay also argues that the communication with Memorial University and the Office of the Minister of Health has been limited and unhelpful.
“My perspective on this school has changed drastically… These are the issues they put on students. The amount of stories I’ve heard of disrespect by a higher power in this school is absurd.”
Do you think those who are medically unable to get vaccinated are suffering the consequences of those choosing not to?
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has released a report on January 18th, “Passing the Buck”, that emphasizes how MUN students will now have to take on the burden of the province’s financial deficit through the tuition increase.
This report raises concerns about the recent tuition increase and government cuts to the university. MUN announced last June that they would be ending the long-standing tuition freeze and that beginning in Fall 2022, tuition will cost $600 per course. For international students, the cost per course will rise to $2000.
The report highlights four major problems with the tuition increase at Memorial:
1. Tuition will be doubled or more for students enrolling in Fall 2022.
In-province students will see a tuition increase of 150% this fall, meaning that a degree will now cost $25,480 rather than the previous $10,200. International students will also experience a significant increase of 97%, with a degree costing $84,930 this fall as opposed to the previous $43,120 for international students.
This has raised many concerns considering the low tuition costs of Memorial University have been a major factor contributing factor for international students’ decision to enrol at MUN rather than other universities in the country. The report highlights that for international students, the tuition increase will now make Memorial the most expensive university in the Atlantic region.
2. There will be a decline in enrollment due to increased tuition fees.
The report also raises concerns that Memorial will become less competitive when it comes to attracting out-of-province student enrollments. Therefore, the report projects a 20% decline in enrolment due to the tuition increase.
3. Higher fees and operational cutbacks mean no benefits for students.
The government’s operational grant to Memorial will be cut back the same amount as tuition fee increase, meaning that Memorial Students will not benefit from the tuition increase. This means students paying more this fall will not experience an increase in the quality of education. This will also make the university less competitive for future students.
4. “Passing the Buck,” students will likely end up paying a third (29%) of the province’s financial deficit by 2025-2026.
The report emphasizes how instead of looking towards students as the future of the province, it is transferring their debt onto students. The report projects that student tuition increase will cause the province’s deficit will be turned into a surplus by 2025. Undergraduate students at Memorial will pay a third (29%) of the province’s deficit by 2025, transferring the burden of the province’s financial debt to students.
MUNFA, in a media release this Wednesday, emphasized how burnout among students, faculty, and staff is at an all-time high. MUNFA President Josh Lepawsky emphasizes how “faculty know first-hand from our students that many already struggle financially, experience food insecurity, and struggle to maintain stable housing. These fee increases only serve to further burden our students and severely detract from the university’s ability to attract and retain the students we so desperately need as a province.”
MUNFA believes that the tuition increase is unsustainable, as faculty are being asked to double the number of students in class, contributing to faculty and student burnout.
Burnout among students, faculty, & staff @MemorialU is at an all-time high. Now, in the midst of the pandemic, we face further cuts in funding, increasing tuition fees, & higher workloads. "Frankly, this is unsustainable." @CAUT_ACPPU@CFSNL#CDNPSEhttps://t.co/fi8tFKWQKL
This report raises many concerns for the future of memorial students. When tuition increases come into full effect, the province’s debt could be paid off. Therefore, there will be no need for students to be paying more by the time tuition increases are in full effect.
MUNL students are again concerned for their safety as classes return in person, while COVID-19 rates remain high.
On January 19th, 2022, Memorial University announced that students would return to campus at the end of the month under various restrictions.
This decision has prompted a mixed response from the student body, with many questioning MUNL’s decision-making as Newfoundland faces its most severe wave of COVID-19 yet.
Here’s What Students Need to Know About The Winter 2022 Update:
In MUNL’s Winter 2022 Semester Update posted by The Gazette, Dr. Florentine Strzelczyk stated, “St. John’s campus, classes with enrolment of 99 or fewer will resume in person. Classes with 100 or more students will continue remotely”.
“Labs, performing arts programs and practicums will take place in person where possible”.
“Students taking classes with both in-person and remote delivery will have access to spaces on all campuses to participate in their remote courses”.
In order to ensure campus safety, Memorial has employed “a vaccine mandate, mandatory three-ply masks, rapid testing, wastewater testing, occupancy limits and ventilation standards”.
In addition, “Students and employees are expected to use the COVID-19 self-assessment in the MUN Safe app prior to coming to campus each day”.
It was also released, “Memorial is considering adding a requirement for booster shots to the vaccine mandate, based on Public Heath requirements and guidance”.
Most of the information given in the update is not significantly different (minus a few exceptions) from the Fall 2021 semester, which took place entirely in person. However, with a new variant of COVID-19 comes new concerns, resulting in new safety measures and accessibility options.
The Canadian Federation of Students-NL released a letter yesterday stating:
“CFS-NL is calling for university and government leadership to prioritize the health and safety of our community above profit. We are calling for the university to implement support structures that acknowledge the multi-faceted experiences of students by committing to hybrid learning options, effective accommodations policies and clearly communicated contingency plans for students, faculty and staff at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador”.
CFS-NL(via Facebook)
In the letter, CFS-NL also claimed “many students will now be forced to make the choice between accessing their education and protecting their health”.
MUN Student Union (MUNSU) has also issued a letter of response issuing their concern:
“The MUNSU Board of Directors feel very strongly that this decision forces all members of the university community to jeopardize their own health, and the health of their loved ones, to meet the unsafe and exploitative academic and professional expectations handed down to them by MUNL upper administration. University leadership is not prioritizing the health and safety of those within the university community, nor are they considering the concerns of students, staff, and faculty in their decision-making”.
The petition also acknowledges the concern claiming “MUN is risking the health and safety of over 20,000 faculty, staff and students, as well as their close contacts (at 10 per person that number could be over 200,000)”- about 40% of the population of this province.
The Winter 2022 Semester update may be subject to change, depending on Newfoundland’s evolving COVID-19 situation. We will share information as it becomes available.
Photo Credit: Adam Glanzman / Bloomberg (via Getty Images)
It’s time to get boosted! The Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador’s St. John’s Campus is arranging a temporary booster dose clinic for the Covid-19 vaccine from 10:00 A.M to 6:00 P.M tomorrow, January 20, 2022. All students under the age of 30 are welcome to get the booster shot as long as they carry previous proof of vaccination (E.g. NL VaxPass, Immunization record, etc.), and for those who have it, the MCP card and MUN Student ID. The clinic will be set up at the University Center’s ‘The Landing’ on the 3rd floor, and no appointment is needed!
Note: Only shots of the Pfizer vaccine will be offered, and no COVID rapid testing will take place tomorrow.
NOTE: This article covers a developing story as of Jan 17, further updates to follow.
This Sunday, student activist Matt Barter announced the release of his campus ban from Memorial University campus by the Student Conduct Office. This result comes nearly a month after Barter announced he had been forced to lawyer up, on December 15th. In response yesterday, Memorial University spoke out to clarify the matter, somewhat breaching its usual zero-comment policy to clarify.
As recent determinations deem Barter is no longer a threat to the campus, MUN has now decided to more aggressively downplay the severity of the “interim measures” (or “ban” in question) as external investigations take place. Previous administrative standards for a zero comment policy on individual cases required MUN to passive-aggressively describe Barter as “a student who believes they have been banned from campus“. Now that the determination has been made about the lack of threat Barter poses, MUN has attempted to elaborate retroactively.
It seems this public safety determination has been supported by broad public support for Barter. Whether temporary or not, Barter was at least banned from campus pending a still-ongoing investigation into his conduct- that much remains true. MUN’s statement does little to answer the public rage over why he was banned, to begin with (and why his protesting was interpreted as dangerous). In all likelihood it probably doesn’t satisfy Barter who was given a letter directly warning him that he was “hereby banned”:
Correspondence
(Original Letter of correspondence shared by Matt Barter)
Instead, MUN has since denied that Barter was ever given a “complete ban”, stating:
“The student was never under a complete ban from Memorial. Interim measures that were in place allowing him to attend classes and exams. There have not been any agreed upon modifications.”
Memorial University statement (via Saltwire)
However, Barter does not appear to have ever been given a timeline for any of the supposedly temporary measures and essentially required strict permission from the campus enforcement to attend lectures, labs, or medical services which he paid for. While this may not be a “complete ban”, it is difficult to say how it did not function as such given the unwelcoming process to permit access to campus despite tuition payments. Had Barter been a student activist living on campus, this “interim measure” could’ve led to an eviction. As a result, the would-be defendant is not likely anticipating an apology soon, as has been requested by MUNSU.
Before this recent development, a large amount of public outcry had been made in defence of Barter. In addition to backing by MUNSU, the ban concerned the academic community as the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship posted a letter about the state of academic freedom in addition to the order of removing resignation posters. Also raising their support for Barter were the local Communists of the Sally & Chuck Davis Club NL. It is difficult to remember a comparable instance where such unanimous support was generated around one cause. The not-ban drew criticism of academics, communists, student activists, Newfoundlanders (and Canadians outside the province), the MUNFA teacher’s union, and nearly landed the school in court. The fact remains that Barter was penalized (even in the short term) for exercising rights that appear to be supported by the community and code of conduct (at least for the time being).
While some may see this relinquished ban as a positive development, it remains to be seen whether this is just the first in a series of hurdles Barter and other student activists may face in the near future. Prior to COVID-19, mobilization for student protests and picketing were common throughout the year. As pointed out by Barter, during previous tenures student protests sometimes went as far as the occupation of administrators’ offices.
However, with COVID-19, many students have yet to be introduced to Memorial’s usual demonstrations held by MUNSU and other youth activist groups. The recent climate march in October was a rare exception to the trend, occurring during a time when COVID case rates were far lower than the current post-holiday fallout.
It’s unclear if similar complaints against activists like Barter will occur once Coronavirus regulations begin to relax. If other not-bans (similar to the one issued to Barter) aren’t issued to post-COVID activists, then it will speak volumes about what was attempted in trying to silence a lone activist while MUN thought nobody was watching. Regardless, the Barter case has had a strong impact on raising student consciousness and the importance of the right to protest amid a time when many have yet had the chance to participate. It has also drawn further national scrutiny to a struggling administration.
The province of Newfoundland and Labrador is experiencing its third spike of COVID-19 cases, with cases at an all-time high (5583 active cases as of Saturday, January 15th) and lockdown measures put in place. Unlike previous surges in COVID-19 cases on the island, the province has decided not to implement a full lockdown and remain at Alert Level 4, allowing retail stores, restaurants, and gyms to remain open at a reduced capacity. This has presented many issues for workers and students who work part-time, as they have experienced a severe decrease in hours and income and struggle to afford living and tuition costs.
In previous COVID-19 lockdowns, the government had implemented a student financial benefit, called the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB), where students could receive $1250 from the government every four weeks for a certain period. Workers could also apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and receive $500 a week if they had been impacted financially by COVID-19. Despite COVID-19 cases being at an all-time high, these financial benefits remain closed.
There has been a massive decrease in working hours due to the Alert Level 4 measures, as restaurants and stores have reduced their capacity by 50%, severely decreasing workers’ incomes in the province. The provincial government also has not legislated paid-sick days for workers who are forced to self-isolate because they have COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, the NL public health website will instruct you to isolate immediately and make an appointment for testing. This generates another problem for many workers, especially those who work in high-risk environments like restaurants or retail, who must compromise their income, or ability to afford living costs to stay at home without pay.
The government of Canada has implemented the Canada Worker’s Lockdown Benefit (CWLB) to give “temporary income support to employed and self-employed people who cannot work due to a COVID-19 lockdown,” including employees who have lost at least 50% of their weekly income due to lockdown measures. This benefit is valued at $270 a week, which is $230 less than the CERB benefit. Many workers say it’s not enough to support their living costs and basic needs.
The current minimum wage in Newfoundland and Labrador is $12.75 an hour, equalling $446.25 a week at 35 hours a week. However, a study conducted in 2019 by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that in St. John’s, the minimum wage for a decent quality of life is $18.85 an hour at 35 hours a week.
15 and Fairness NL, who advocates for the province to implement a $15 minimum wage, believes that the government should legislate 10 paid sick days for all workers in Newfoundland and Labrador through the Twitter hashtag #paidsickdayssavelives. In a letter template that the organization has drafted for people to send to their MHA, they explain how “public health experts, health care providers, and worker advocates have been clear that workers need paid sick days to follow public health advice to stay home when they or their children are sick.” The organization is advocating for this change so that workers no longer have to compromise a loss of income to self-isolate and risk exposing others to the COVID-19 virus.
Photo Credit: Sarah Kilian (via Unsplash)
Furthermore, Memorial Students who work part-time jobs to afford tuition and other living costs have experienced decreased income due to lockdown measures. In contrast, university costs remain high, with plans to increase in Fall 2022. Memorial University does offer emergency bursary financial funds for students who have been impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic, but not all students qualify.
Despite the surge in COVID-19 cases, financial resources for students and workers remain minimal. The province lacks the legislation needed for workers and students to earn a living wage. Many Memorial students who work part-time jobs to afford living costs and tuition are experiencing a severe decrease in income from the surge in COVID-19 cases. Despite COVID-19 cases being at an all-time high, there is no government student benefit like the CESB. Therefore, there is a severe need for better financial aid and resources from the government and university for students and workers.
