Originally published on September 1, 2024
Construction Obstruction: Valley Line West
Liam Newbigging
Students returning to campus this September will want to plan commutes accordingly, as construction for the Valley Line West LRT expansion carves up major roads around MacEwan. In an email to the Griff, the City says that 104 Avenue in front of MacEwan will continue to be reduced to two lanes each way as drainage, civil works, and curb construction will take up the north side of the road. The city’s live traffic update says there will be some traffic delays.
Traffic on 107 Street between 103 and 104 Avenue will be permanently reduced to just one northbound lane, and access to the north side of 112 Street from 104 Avenue will also be closed until Oct. 31 but may re-open sooner.
The intersection at 110 Street will also remain closed until Halloween.
During construction, the city says that pedestrian access along 104 and other affected routes by MacEwan will be maintained and to look for wayfinding signs.
“Our communications team at Marigold Infrastructure Partners is actively collaborating with MacEwan University to provide timely updates on upcoming construction activities, address concerns related to access, and ensure safety remains our top priority,” Jonathan Cox, the construction manager at Marigold Infrastructure Planning, said in an emailed statement to the Griff.
The train line is expected to be operational by 2028, with the latest quarterly report (at the time of writing) published in March estimating the construction at 16.2 per cent completion (a 1.5 per cent progress since the last report and 10.2 per cent progress since last year).
The next quarterly report is expected before the start of the academic year.
New provider; same benefits for students
Liam Newbigging
SAMU student benefits will be switching from its provider, Canada Life, to Gallivan starting Sept. 1. SAMU says there may be a delay in the switch, but that coverage isn’t expected to be affected.
After the change, students can access their benefits via a new non-mandatory phone app or the provider’s desktop service. Canada Life accounts will remain active until Aug. 31, and afterwards, all claims (including ones from before Sep. 1) can be submitted through the mystudentplan portal.
Joseph A. La Torre, SAMU vice president governance and finance, says long wait times for reimbursements and customer service issues prompted the change.
“In addition, the Canada Life app had issues and was not very user-friendly,” La Torre said in an email to the Griff.
This switch comes after Canada Life took over benefits coverage for 1.7 million members of the federal government’s Public Service Health Care Plan in July 2023 and was penalized by the government in April for not providing timely coverage.
La Torre says students can expect a more intuitive and personalized service with Gallivan moving forward.
Coverage from SAMU benefits will remain the same, and limits and service cycles will not reset with the new provider.
Students will not be able to log in to Canada Life after Aug. 31, but all claims will be automatically migrated during the switch.
MacEwan Starbucks Gets a Makeover
Liam Newbigging
The on-campus Starbucks at MacEwan, operated by MacEwan Eats (via the food service provider Aramark), is being overhauled.
MacEwan’s Starbucks will sport a new look, swapping out dark earthy tones (which used to be a staple at Canadian Starbucks locations) for lighter wood counters and trims. At the time of writing, the planned opening date is Sept. 4.
“The revamped Starbucks on campus now boasts a sleek, modern look and an array of fantastic new benefits just for you,” MacEwan Eats spokesperson Dennise Camarador said in an email to the Griff.
The food-court-sized shop near the Clocktower in Building 6 is the latest coffee vendor on campus to get an update, as the old store has been completely removed and replaced. The new look will match other recent renovations from the brand, like that seen at the Brewery District location.
Along with the cosmetic update, students can expect a fresh cup of new features formerly unavailable at the MacEwan location, such as the Starbucks Rewards System and mobile ordering.
A station for serving the brand’s nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee will also be added.
MacEwan says as a franchisee it is contractually obligated to pay for renovations, but the funds used were from the shop’s revenue, and are not drawn from the university’s operating budget.
Students’ council elections approach
Liam Newbigging
Joehn Torres has been involved in student governance since his high school days, but he says elections for the SAMU Students’ Council are a different beast.
“It was very intense, very serious, very formal,” Torres recalls about last year’s election. “Here, it feels like a taste of the real thing—as a politician.”
The Students’ Council is SAMU’s highest governing body. Elections have a strict set of rules and regulations that candidates are required to follow to ensure fair and balanced elections.
Fellow councillor Nathan Poon says that the process can be intimidating, but he also says being a councillor “can be very fun and very rewarding.”
Along with the other 12 members of the council and the five members of the Executive Committee, Poon and Torres debate and vote on the bylaws and policies that govern SAMU. Councillors can also sit on committees dedicated to specific issues. External events are usually attended by members of the executive committee, not council members.
Poon says the Students’ Council is an opportunity to practice public speaking and time management skills.
“[There are] other skills, like scrutiny—how do you find those fine details in a report that you can use as a question to find that better answer?” Torres says.
When asked about why MacEwan students should care about Students’ Council, Torres mentions some of the issues that students face today.
“I know there’s a lot of students out there that are concerned. They’re always saying the housing crisis, they don’t have enough money, the affordability.”
“I think being part of student council kind of makes you rekindle that sort of fire that [students] have, knowing that there is a channel for them to be heard.”
Students’ Council elections are expected to happen on October 16 and 17, and nominations will open on Sept. 3 and close on Oct. 1. Poon and Torres are both expected to run again, but Torres says he’ll consider stepping aside if other students want a crack at being a councillor.
Construction obstructions: The business building
Liam Newbigging
As Ledcor crews continue construction for MacEwan’s new business building, MacEwan advises that some parking lots, roads, sidewalks, and traffic around the site will be impacted.
The MacEwan-owned parking lot directly north of Building 7 is expected to be closed until August 2025, and the Impark parking lot north of 105 Ave. and next to 110 Street (south of the City Centre Bottle Depot) will be closed until construction is finished. Ledcor crews and subcontractors will occupy the Impark lot.
Sidewalks on the south side of 105 Avenue between 109 and 108 Street (directly north of the site) and on the west side of 108 Street between the university and 105 Avenue (directly east of the site) will be closed.
The university expects on-and-off closures and increased traffic to roads around the site. While 105 Avenue between 109 and 108 Street will be closed to vehicles, the north sidewalk and bike lane on 105 Avenue will stay open.
“[Construction] will make travel around the site more difficult,” Robert Sabulka, MacEwan associate vice president for infrastructure, planning, and management, said in an interview with the Griff. “If I were a student, I’d avoid 105 Avenue [between 109 and 108 Street] altogether.”
Sabulka says the project remains on schedule despite some delays due to rain and permitting issues.
“We’re downtown — there’s a lot of services underground, and so you have to be really careful about where you’re digging.”
Underground services will also lead to a “lopsided” construction schedule, Sabulka says. While utilities on the east side of the site are being moved, Ledcor will move ahead with construction on the west side, and that part of the building will come up quicker.
“That’s just a way to maximize their schedule.”
The 376,000-square-foot building is expected to cost about $195 million, with the Alberta government spending $125 million to fund the project. The new business building is expected to open for classes in January 2027.
Menstruation at MacEwan
Rebecca-Lynn Reeves
As you sit and read this sentence on campus, it’s safe to say you’re close to someone menstruating. It might even be you! Millions of people around the world menstruate every day, so don’t be shy. Let’s talk about how people can feel more comfortable on campus as they shed their uterine linings, blood, and mucus.
Over 70 bathrooms across campus have dispensers with free pads and tampons stocked by facilities. Dispensers are in women’s and gender neutral bathrooms, but not all. You can find the complete list of the bathrooms with dispensers here.
Have any pregnancy, contraceptive, and STI concerns? Suppose you need advice, professional medical help, or simply someone to talk to about all things periods. In that case, there are multiple MacEwan services to contact for appointments in person or over the phone.
For instance, the MacEwan University Health Centre (MUHC) is a family medicine practice behind the construction of the new School of Business building. Their services, like counselling and prescriptions for contraceptives, STI assessments, and the HPV vaccine, are available to all current MacEwan students and staff. Make sure to book an appointment as the MUHC doesn’t currently accept walk-ins.
Look into some of the different resources and offices at MacEwan. The Office of Sexual Violence Prevention, Education, and Response and the Office of Human Rights are in Building 6. Building 7 hosts the Wellness and Psychological Services. A short walk down the pedway will bring you to Peer Support in the SAMU building. The Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CGSD) is on the bottom floor of Allard Hall past the Betty Andrews Recital Hall. CGSD partners with MUHC for an inclusive and specialized care program called the Rainbow Health Clinic for 2SLGBTQ+ and people who are questioning.
We previously stated that it is “the Office of Sexual Prevention, Education, and Response” However, the correct name is “the Office of Sexual Violence, Prevention, Education, and Response”. The correction was made on September 12th at 12:30 p.m.
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