Matt Barter

On October 12th, 2021, MUN Students’ Union (MUNSU) External Director of External Affairs, Communications, and Research, Hilary Hennessey, spoke in a media interview about the criticism directed at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) for their campus master plan. She specifically took issue with the proposed skating loop project.

She states, “MUNSU is astonished with the disconnect between the senior administration and the Board of Regents and students within this university considering the survey that has been released regarding the skating loop.”

Hennessey says that it is not something that should be even discussed at the moment, even if it is in the distant future. She says the fact that the university released the statement means that they are talking about it instead of focusing on the “more important issues at hand that need be discussed before things that are 15 years down the road.”

Hennessey then spoke to the accessibility concerns, particularly with elevators not working and parking spaces not being properly associated with building regulations and accessibility guidelines. She then states, “We believe that those concerns should be prioritized over a skating loop at the moment.”

Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.