There’s student energy, passion, and community supporting Mount Allison’s number one undergraduate ranking and national reputation.
For the past 25 out of 34 years, Mount Allison University has been ranked the number one undergraduate university in Canada by Macleans.ca – an organization that has ranked universities across the country for more than three decades.
Under Maclean’s University Rankings Methodology, 12 indicators broken into five categories are used to assess results – including student services and resources.
Beyond the rankings data, budgets, and institutional metrics, there is a steady heartbeat of student-led support and engagement that helps give Mount Allison its character.
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MASU’s role in student life
The campus has a faculty and staff of about 530. Separately, the Mount Allison Students’ Union – known as MASU – is a not-for-profit student-led corporation. It includes a number of student staff and more than 200 student volunteers.
While MASU operates independently of the university’s budget, its work directly complements the kind of student services Maclean’s evaluates in its rankings. MASU represents undergraduates and supports many of the areas Maclean’s seeks to measure – from residence life to clubs, wellness, and advocacy.
One of five VP’s in a six member executive MASU team is third-year classical music student Anna Grear. She is the Vice-President Student Life, overseeing clubs and societies, athletics, health and wellness, residence life, and internal student support and advocacy.
The Cubs and Societies Fair
Grear says this year’s Clubs and Societies Fair was another success.
“It went really well. We moved it to the student centre this year to make sure that everyone had one room and then two just were able to be seen the equal amount. Yeah, and it was pretty packed the entire time.”
With over 2,300 students enrolled, Grear said turnout was strong.
“I would easily say like 300 to 500 students probably. Some clubs saw upwards of 130 signups, which was really impressive.”
Clubs as connection and opportunity
Grear says clubs help students connect and find their footing on campus, especially in their first year.
“Clubs are a really great way for people to just meet others with their same interests in general. So there’s pretty much a club for everything. And if there is a club for something that you’re interested in, it’s really easy to make a club.”
She says involvement can even open doors far beyond Sackville.
“A lot of people learn of opportunities both in Sackville, outside of Canada sometimes, or just for their general interests or goals. They can find a way to make that work through a club and society.”
Cultural and community connections
Cultural and international groups also play a key role in campus life.
“If you, for example, are … a DESI* student and you come and you see that there’s a DESI Students Association, you can join them and you know for sure that there are students that would be having the same experiences as you. That can bring a lot of comfort to new students, especially if they’re coming from international countries.”
Grear says those connections can turn into lasting friendships and leadership opportunities.
“I know some people who played rugby for the first time through the club rugby team, and now this is their favorite part of their university experience. They learned a new sport, but they also gained new friends and they got new opportunities to travel and play in different universities.”
Connecting campus and community
A number of MASU clubs also provide something special for the Sackville community.
“A lot of clubs will put on events in community areas. So say there’s like a pub crawl around Sackville, or if they do Bagtown trivia, those are events that community members are welcome to attend. A lot of club sports, obviously community members can go and they can watch the game against other schools, and then some clubs will have performances or concerts that they’ll host and that’ll be open to community members as well to watch.”
Getting involved
For students who missed the fair, there’s still time to join in.
MASU’s ongoing work in student life embodies the support and engagement that is just one component of the large working machine that helps Mount Allison continue to be the well-known university it is today.
Note: *”DESI” is a broad term for people of South-Asian descent.
Full interview with Anna Grear will be posted soon, check back.
