Brandon University was founded in 1967; it was originally called McKee’s Academy, founded in 1890 by the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada. However, in 1899, the school was renamed Brandon College, and then in 1967, through the Brandon University Act, it attained its university status. About two years after it was founded, the Student’s Union we have all come to know as BUSU was incorporated, and joined the Canadian Federation of Students in 1984. The Brandon University Students’ Union (BUSU) - a not-for-profit organization - was incorporated to represent undergraduate, graduate, and distant students at Brandon University. The BUSU office is located on the first floor of the Knowles-Douglas Centre and it is contracted by it to maintain the day-to-day operations of the campus bookstore, Baileys, and the school’s newspaper - The Quill.
The Quill - the newspaper you are reading now - was established in 1910, and is the second oldest student newspaper in Western Canada. It was first created as a response to the growth of the college at that time but is now charged with the responsibility of keeping the students of Brandon University up to date on the happenings on campus and in the community, as well as promoting the writing culture in students and acting as a voice for them.
On the 5th of February 2024, an email was sent to all Brandon University students calling to them, reminding them that the yearly BUSU elections were here. The email’s subject was, “BUSU election is here!!” It said that the First Nomination Period for the 2024-25 BUSU General election was to commence on that day at 8:30 am and end on the 9th of February at 4:30 pm. It was a call to the students of the University to think about representing the voices of their fellow students by being a part of its Student’s Union. I mean, what better way to make change than from within?
And so, we at The Quill, in light of the elections, decided to go and ask the students of this institution what their thoughts are on their Student’s Union. We wanted to have a broad picture of how the students felt about their Union and what their Union did for them. Some of the questions asked included:
What is the meaning of BUSU?
Where is the BUSU office located?
What does BUSU represent?
What does BUSU do for the students of BU?
In what way do you think BUSU influences you as a student?
What do you think BUSU is doing right?
What do you think BUSU could do better?
What are your thoughts or feelings towards the upcoming elections?
From the interviews done by the members of The Quill, it was obvious that the students had at least a fair understanding of what BUSU entails; most, if not all, knew what the full meaning of BUSU is as well as where the office is located.
When asked, “What does BUSU represent?”:
The interviewees believed that BUSU represents the interests of students such that they help in organizing orientation events for incoming students, providing health and dental plans for students, hosting events, helping students with academic inquiries, and assisting students in general.
When asked, “What does BUSU do?”:
The interviewees mentioned hosting social events like the ones at Bailey's, hosting gatherings to help students get to know each other more, creating awareness, keeping students up to date on the events on campus, and addressing issues bothering students - academically, financially, and psychologically.
When asked, “In what ways do you think BUSU influences you as a student?”:
Some interviewees couldn’t quite point out how they had been influenced by BUSU on a personal level. Most of them understood what BUSU does and what they are expected to do, but they couldn’t outline moments when BUSU affected their journey as students.
Many didn’t even feel any emotion around the upcoming elections, as they felt the influence of the Union was minimal.
When asked, “What do you think BUSU is doing right?”:
Most of the interviewees immediately pointed out the events the student body hosts on campus, the health and dental care provided by them, the orientation which really helps incoming students get to meet other students, as well as the printing station (the cheapest one on campus) which is located in the Mingling Area of the KDC building.
When asked, “What do you think BUSU could do better?”:
Better Communication:
The interviewees felt that a lot more communication was needed between the student body and the students they represent. They felt like there was a big gap between the student body and its students, which should not be so. They agreed that BUSU does host a lot of events but how do people attend these events if they are not properly informed about it? In fact, they felt like they were not even properly informed by BUSU of themselves.
Academic Assistance:
The interviewees felt that BUSU could help students in the aspect of academics even more, especially towards the middle of the semester which has the bulk of the semester’s workload
Some interviewees felt BUSU could try to make its presence more vibrant and noticeable on campus.
A cafeteria that sells a wider variety of meals so that International students can feel more at home
We were also able to take some questions and concerns from students concerning their Student’s Union. These included:
What happened to the BUSU food bank?
What does BUSU do to assist incoming students in getting accustomed to Brandon University’s campus (aside from orientation events)?
What is BUSU doing in response to the inconsistent WIFI of BU?
Why does BUSU not advertise for clubs anymore?
The printing station is often down, and is confusing for many students.
Why is it that some events happen on campus that we still have to pay for?
When we reached out to BUSU via email for comment on some of these important issues, they declined to respond. We encourage BUSU representatives to reach out with answers and explanation for these ways that they are not supporting BU students to the fullest.
Based on the interviews it was obvious that the interviewed students, although confirming the duties and responsibilities of BUSU, didn’t necessarily feel the full presence of the Student’s Union in their daily campus lives.
As I said at the beginning of this article, BUSU was incorporated to represent the University’s students, and I believe the students are calling out to BUSU to not only represent them but to reach out to them so that they can voice their concerns. Brandon University is home to people from a variety of backgrounds; Brandon University is a small campus shared by many; Brandon University is an umbrella that brings people together with its small class sizes and diversity; and Brandon University students are saying to BUSU: Amidst the challenges of being a University student, assist us in having a memorable and heartwarming journey.