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Your Mount Royal News
March 3, 2023

'Blacklit' by Wakefield Brewster

Calgary's poet laureate and spoken word artist (a.k.a. Da Lyrical PitBull) has generously provided an original work to Mount Royal in recognition of Black History Month.

Funds for new Conservatory program

John Lacey, PhD, has funded the new Chamber Ensembles-in-Residence Program to help expose students to world-renowned musicians on campus.

Blue Wave celebrates publication

A new book led by MRU political scientists is the first scholarly analysis of the 2019 election and the first years of the UCP government.

Importance of performance nutrition

Associate professor of physical literacy Jill Parnell, PhD, is investigating the connection between running, nutrition and the gut.

Massage therapy receives accreditation

The long-standing diploma program is being recognized for its high standards and commitment to training and practice opportunities.

Announcements

Good news in provincial budget

On Tuesday, the Government of Alberta released its Budget 2023. We welcome the government’s investment in the expansion of Mount Royal’s aviation program as well as targeted enrolment expansion in the business and computer science programs.

MRU's Campus Alberta base grant was increased by 0.6%, which equates to $90,117,910. MRU’s Capital Maintenance and Renewal (CMR) grant increased by 18% to $4,304,371.

We will continue working closely with the Ministry of Advanced Education and preparing our own budget, which will be presented to the Board of Governors on March 16.

2022 employee tax slips now available

Visit Tax Information in the My HR Profile section of the Employee page on MyMRU to access your 2022 tax slips from Mount Royal.

Deadline for students to register for Research and Scholarship Days is March 10

Encourage your students to participate in the campus-wide celebration of research by sharing a poster, creative work or oral presentation. Students can submit their research abstract and register online until March 10. Learn more at mru.ca/ResearchDays.

Participate in Lightning Talks

The Office of Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement are looking for researchers to present as part of Research and Scholarship Days. Faculty have the opportunity to conduct Lightning Talks to be held at a lunch on March 31 in celebration of the Research Recognition Award recipients. To register, please contact Dr. Connie Van der Byl at cvanderbyl@mtroyal.ca.

Celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8

Presented by the Faculty of Business and Communication Studies, listen to leaders from the Calgary community and beyond engage in open and honest conversations about gender equity in the workplace and what it looks like to turn talk into action. Four International Women’s Day events are kicking off on March 8 and will be offered every Wednesday through to March 29. Check out the range of events and amazing speakers and join us in the celebration.

Sustainable MRU Speaker Series

Join Sustainable MRU as we explore a variety of interesting topics throughout the year. Speakers and topics will be updated frequently. Sign up here and more information.

SAMRU annual report available

The Students’ Association of Mount Royal University’s Annual Report 2021-22 is now available. In it find member survey results, representation initiatives, SAMRU in the media and more.

Student volunteering opportunities with SAMRU

SAMRU has a variety of volunteer opportunities for students to get involved, build their skills and meet new people. There is something for everyone, and positions are flexible so that students can prioritize their studies. Students may be looking to build their resume or stay involved with the campus community as the end of the school year approaches. More information and the application form can be found at samru.ca/Volunteer.

2023 MRSA PD Sessions

The MRSA PD Committee has confirmed the dates for the 2022-2023 sessions with a theme of Resilience Reset. We will be holding mini-sessions on March 8 and 9, and again on April 18, 19 and 20. The offerings will consist of sessions in the morning, over the lunch hour and in the afternoon, held both virtually and in-person and covering a variety of topics. Participants will be eligible to win a $25 gift card for each session attended, as well as additional prizes and swag from our sponsors. Reserve your spot today.

Cheer on Cougars women's hockey at the conference championships

This weekend, cheer on your Cougars women's hockey team as they travel to Vancouver to compete in the Canada West best-of-three championship against the UBC Thunderbirds. Game one will take place today at 8 p.m., game two tomorrow at 8 p.m. and, if necessary, game three on Sunday at 4 p.m. Catch all games live on CanadaWest.TV. For more information, visit mrucougars.com. #WeAreTheCougars

Join us at Kenyon Court for women's volleyball playoffs

Head to MRU’s Kenyon Court this weekend to cheer on your Cougars women’s volleyball team as they battle the Manitoba Bisons in the best-of-three Canada West semi-finals. Game one takes place today at 6 p.m., game two tomorrow at 5 p.m. and game three (if necessary) on Sunday at 3 p.m. MRU students and employees receive free tickets to all Cougars home games. Claim your free tickets at mrucougars.com/Tickets. See you there! #WeAreTheCougars

MRU in the Media — In case you missed it

Statistics Canada study on Black-owned businesses suggests systemic challenges hold them back

CBC News - Carlton-James Osakwe, faculty

Mount Royal Cougars captain Tatum Amy takes home Player of the Year honours

CTV Calgary - Tatum Amy, student

Latest episode of HBO's ‘The Last of Us’ set in fictional Colorado college. Here's where it was actually shot.

CBS Colorado

Calgary police sheriffs program scrutinized, critics say it'll have minimal impact

City News Calgary - Doug King, faculty

Mount Royal University, faculty, students and alumni are often featured in the media. To subscribe to the daily MRU Media report, email mediarelations@mtroyal.ca.

Bleed Blue

Broadcasting alum takes home award recognizing significant contributions of Albertans

Harnarayan Singh was recently a recipient of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Medal. Singh is a Broadcasting Diploma alumnus, Honorary Doctor of Laws recipient, co-founder and host of Hockey Night in Canada’s Punjabi edition and commentator for Rogers Sportsnet. Another awardee was former MRU instructor and former Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

MRU team wins first place in business case competition

Bissett School of Business accounting students Nigel Chapman, Remi Mitchel, Nina Petinglay and Angela Violini won first place in the inaugural 2023 Winter City Case Competition hosted by NAIT over the week of Feb. 20. They competed against teams from Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary post-secondary institutions. Although the team did not win the first round of the competition, they rebounded to win the wild-card round to earn a spot in the finals and successively outshone the other participants. Chapman, Mitchel, Petinglay and Violini were coached by assistant accounting professor Jason Tang, PhD.

Events

Menstrual Equity through Cloth Pad Making

Mon., March 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. — Maker Studio (EL1245)
Tues., March 28 from 10 a.m. to noon — Maker Studio (EL1245)

Join us in the Maker Studio for this hands-on workshop to learn more about period poverty, menstrual equity and making cloth pads. Register.

XR Toolkit Series: Creating Augmented Reality Experiences with Adobe Aero

Tues., March 7 from 2:30 to 3:20 p.m. — Experience Lab (EL1355)

Learn how to build, view and share interactive augmented reality experiences using your Apple device using the Adobe Aero platform. Learn more and register.

Kathleen Johnson: How to Create a Bird-Friendly Community

Wed., March 8 from noon to 1 p.m. — EL1270 (Ideas Lounge)

Learn ways to create a more sustainable bird-friendly home, business, campus, community and city through a few remarkably straightforward (and fun!) actions we can all take. Learn more and register.

How Does Ageism Fit into EDI?

Thurs., March 9 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — EA1057

Join us as we discuss how to address ageism and contribute to a more supportive and thriving community. Learn more and register.

Harm Reduction & Naloxone Training

Fri., March 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — EA 1055
Thurs., March 23 from 2 to 4 p.m. — EA 1055

Find out about harm-reduction practices, the current state of the opioid crisis in Alberta and how to respond to an opioid poisoning. Register for March 10. Register for March 23.

Finding Geospatial Data

Mon., March 13 from 2 to 2:30 p.m. — TBD

Learn about key sources of free and open data, data available only upon request and proprietary geospatial data. Register.

Reducing Implicit and Explicit Bias in Recruitment

Mon., March 13 from 3 to 5 p.m. — Zoom
Thurs., March 30 from 10 a.m. to noon — Zoom

This session aims to support a recruitment team in first identifying their own biases and provides a deepened understanding of how their own social identity can impact their decisions. Register.

Copyright Dough

Wed., March 15, 11:45am – 1:00pm — Viz Classroom (EL1441)

Join MRU’s copyright advisor to learn about Canadian copyright law, user exceptions to the law and how copyright applies to your teaching and training — all while modelling with playdough. Register.

Conversations that Matter

Wed., March 15 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. — Lincoln Park Room (J301)

The EDI Conversations that Matter attempt to create a welcoming space where people should feel empowered to exchange and speak courageously with their minds and heart. Register.

FAST Financial Reporting and FOAPs

Thurs., March 16 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. — Online

This class includes an introduction to the chart of accounts (FOAP) and hands-on practice with the web-based FAST Reporting Application used at MRU. Register.

The Community Podcast Initiative Presents: Planning Your Podcast

Thurs., March 16 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. — EL1270 (Ideas Lounge)

Learn the steps to developing a podcast concept and gain an introduction to some of the equipment and technology needed to get your show off the ground. Learn more and register.

MRU Writer-in-Residence

Mon., March 20 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. — Online

Join the Faculty of Arts for their writer-in-residence series featuring Bahar Orang." Register.

tea with oid

thurs., march 23 from 2 to 4 p.m.t123 — t123

join the office of Indigenization and decolonization (oid) for tea to get to know each other, share stories, and listen. register.

Vivacity Showcase: Creating a City for Everyone

Thurs., March 23 from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. — Central Library 800 3 Street SE

See the results of students' study of solutions to barriers faced by newcomers and immigrants relocating to Calgary and how to increase awareness of their contributions to our city. Learn more.

Advanced Topics in Biological Anthropology: Conference Panels

Wed., March 29 from 8:30 a.m. to Wed., April 5 at noon — EA 1022

Students will present their projects on the topic “Paleodemography of the Holocene,” with each panel in this conference-format presentation series organized around themes that address human demographic aspects in the last 10,000 years. Learn more.

Amy Spark: Careers in the Sustainability Sector

Thurs., March 30 from noon to 1 p.m. — EL1270 Ideas Lounge

Learn how to get into the sustainability sector, credentialing and how to navigate this rewarding (yet sometimes challenging!) sector. Learn more and register.

Have a story, announcement or info to share?

Summit and website stories

We would love to hear about your story! Go to the online story submission tool and guidelines.

MyMRU announcements

Please send announcements for MyMRU's homepage to mymru@mtroyal.ca. Review the guidelines.

Start of semester emails, with option for distribution list
sign-up

As each semester begins (August/September and December/January), areas with ongoing employee activities can send an email to all employees describing their semester activities. Employees can then choose to opt in to that area's distribution list (Google Group) for regular updates. If you would like to send an email and/or set up a Google Group for your area, please contact Marketing and Communications for guidelines.

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