The Select Committee on Student Needs is being revamped and re-instituted.
This Committee will again be responsible for advising the City staff, Council, and other groups about improving student life.
The original nine-person committee dissolved earlier in the year when most students left for the summer and their mandate was fulfilled. Committee Chair and city Councillor Jillian Merrick helped restructure the group, which she says will better serve students year-round.
“Many students in post-secondary generally aren’t available from about May to September when you’ve got a student society like CNC’s Student Union, for example, they might have eight members and we were asking three of them to sit on this committee. that’s a lot of extra work fo them.”
Instead of having eight appointed students, this year will have only four; they’ll represent groups including the aforementioned CNCSU and UNBC’s Northern Undergraduate Student Society. Merrick is a fifth member, and the other four will be volunteer city residents. Having committee members here year round will create stability amongst the committee.
Merrick wants the city to be seen as an educational destination. She says this would benefit the economy and incorporate students into Prince George life while they’re at school and, hopefully, after graduation.
“There’s just been a general appetite to build that and incorporate more young, knowledge-seekers that are going to be coming into our community and to building the community and becoming part of it and, hopefully, spending their careers and lives here as well.”
The last committee made a list of eight issues students face while living in PG. The biggest concerns were centered around transit and housing, but the list also included downtown, quality educational opportunities, nightlife, and the environment. Merrick believes this list is a good place to start with the new committee.
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