Each year, the Students’ Union hosts the Student Budget Consultation to ensure students have a voice in shaping our university.

Your budget priorities and service expectations are gathered through a comprehensive survey and a Town Hall. Priorities and recommendations are compiled in a report and presented to university administration and decision-makers for consideration. That means that your concerns are built into budgeting and plans – right from the start!

The Student Budget Consultation offers an opportunity to not only identify students’ priorities for future improvement, but also to recognize and celebrate the ways in which TRU excels, improves, and responds to the needs of students. 

This article is part of a series recognizing excellence, improvement, and responsiveness to student concerns at TRU. 

We are pleased to recognize the following areas for undertaking initiatives that respond to students’ prioritization and recommendations in previous Student Budget Consultations, and that may be expected to improve student satisfaction going forward.

Study Space 

Study space is an integral learning environment that supports students’ work between lectures, seminars, labs, and other formal instructional sessions. Students identified study space for improvement in the Student Budget Consultation Reports for 2017/18, 2019/20, and 2020/21. 

In October 2018, the university committed to calculate the total amount of study space per students and take action if it is below the accepted standard amongst universities. Actions would include exploring options to renovate existing spaces or under-utilized classrooms to be study-appropriate (i.e. study carrels, desks, outlets, sound dampening) and re-configuring existing study spaces to better separate individual and group study with signage to encourage associated behaviours. Further, the university committed to make modernized classrooms available for study space when not in use, and to develop a website/app to let students know which and when classrooms are available. 

On behalf of our members, the Students’ Union offers appreciation to the staff and administration of Facilities Services on the willingness and commitment to respond to students’ priorities and recommendations. Impacts on the student experience are eagerly anticipated. 

Food Services 

Food is a critical part of the university experience, from well-being and success to diversity and campus life. Students identified food services for improvement in the Student Budget Consultation Reports for each year from 2017/18 to 2020/21. 

The TRU Board of Governors supported a call for fulsome consultation of the campus community on the future of food service following the spring 2018 expiry of the exclusive food service contract. Food Services, supported by a representative committee and industry-leading consultant Porter Khouw Consulting, led the resulting consultation from September through November 2018. This included data analysis, focus groups and stakeholder interviews, an online survey with over 2,800 responses. 

On behalf of our members, the Students’ Union offers appreciation to the staff and administration of Food Services, as well as the Board of Governors, on following through on the commitment to consult the community on the future of food on campus. Further impacts on the student experience are eagerly anticipated. 

Student Budget Consultation

To learn more about how students’ opinions and experiences are reflected at TRU, visit the Student Budget Consultation page.

For more information, contact: