Petition calls for increased capacity for MRU BSc Health and BSc CMB programs
By Ryleigh Kampman, Staff Writer
The numbers keep ticking off as names are added to a growing petition that has started at MRU in response to a distressing email sent out by the Department of Biology.
The petition calls for, “Increased Program Capacity for BSc Health Science and BSc CMB at Mount Royal University.”
The petition states that on March 2, “students who submitted a major declaration form to enter either the Bachelor of Science in Cellular and Molecular Biology or Bachelor of Science in Health Science programs were notified via email that both degrees have been filled.”
The email, which sharply precedes registration dates, has come as a shock to some students. The petition speculates the department may have been aware of the lack of space for some time given their meeting in late April to evaluate the programs.
According to the petition, the announcement has added great stress to students who are reeling to accommodate new full-year registration processes. With more than 200 signatures at the time of publication, the petition asks the department of biology to consider adding to the budget and increasing capacity for the program to accommodate the high demand for students who wish to declare their major.
The petitioner, Hope Guenard, hopes to gain the attention of Dean Jonathan M. Withey.
“Thank you to everyone who has signed so far,” says Guenard on the petition page after reaching 50 supporters. Currently, the petition has over 200 supporters.
This has become an unnerving issue for certain students, specifically for those who entered the program before 2017. Students who applied thereafter were herded directly into their prospective majors.
“Completely altering plans for our academic schedules on such short notice has added a large amount of stress on students who are still expected to perform in their classes,” according to the call to action in the petition.
Currently, he Bachelor of Science Program offers six majors: Chemistry, Environmental Science, General Science, Geology, Health Science and Cellular and Molecular Biology.
With Health Science and Cellular and Molecular Biology majors being filled, it leaves senior students in a bit of a bind. Specifically, those who have been taking the necessary courses and planning to declare their majors.
Yet, this is not just an issue for senior students. It is proving to be problematic for students who wish to change majors and has shadowed their desired degree.
Numerous courses, strategically taken to satisfy major requirements, will be left unused. Students may even have to compensate, setting them back in their timelines for graduation as they may have to fulfill graduation requirements for another major or the one they are in now.
