January 29, 2026
5:30pm

To:
Katherine Huising, Associate Vice President, Campus Services, University of Alberta
Geoff Rode, Director, Residence Occupancy, Life, Education, and Services

Over the course of the 2025-26 academic year, the Council of Residence Associations has identified key areas of concern regarding the relationship between the Residence Associations, Residence Occupancy, Life, Education, and Services (ROLES), and more broadly, all students who live in residence. 

At the January 13th 2026 meeting of Students’ Council, many students came forward to share issues they have faced while living in campus residence, and voiced their concerns and confusion regarding the anticipated 4% increase to rent rates and 5% increase to the cost of meal plans. An invitation to attend this meeting was extended to Geoff Rode (Director, Residence Occupancy, Life, Education, and Services) and Katherine Huising (Associate Vice President, Campus Services), but this invitation was declined.

Residents raised many concerns regarding the quality of their living conditions, including but not limited to issues with mold, broken furniture and appliances, mice and other pests, and issues with temperature controls. Students also identified concerns with cleanliness, timely responses to maintenance requests, and accessibility issues such as broken elevators. Students also identified how these issues make them feel, which negatively impacts their experiences in residence and as a student, causing negative impacts on their physical, emotional, psychological, and overall well-being. Students utilized words such as “unheard,” “ignored,” and “forgotten” when describing the relationship they feel they have with higher levels of ROLES administration. Students expressed deep amounts of frustration with the lack of direct communication from ROLES and Campus Services regarding proposed rent and meal plan increases, and expressed a desire for more transparency of how their money is spent and utilized.

The cost of meal plans has already risen by $1000 in five years. Living conditions can vary widely. One quarter of all occupiable spots in University of Alberta residences are sitting vacant at a time when increasing students' access to safe, affordable housing is a strategic priority for the City of Edmonton.

We, the undersigned, call on ROLES and Campus Services with urgent and specific requests:

• A town hall has been planned for February 11th at 5pm for students living in residence. Geoff Rode (Director, Residence Occupancy, Life, Education and Services) and Katherine Huising (Associate Vice President, Campus Services) are invited to attend. As it currently stands, this invitation has been accepted and we look forward to seeing follow through on this commitment. This matters because students report that their concerns and contact attempts disappear while being escalated, leaving them and their Residence Associations with no course of action when other residence staff are unable to help.
   
• ROLES needs to review the outcomes of rent rationalization, where students pay the same rent for rooms in buildings with different levels of living conditions. It has been two years since implementation, a good time to review the positive and negative impacts and identify areas for improvement. This is not a recommendation to eliminate rent rationalization; however, students in some buildings, particularly HUB and I-House, feel rationalization has gone too far and overcharges them. Students are frustrated that they can be paying the same amount in different buildings and receiving vastly different student experiences. A review would ensure intent aligns with impact, bolster confidence, and establish whether adjustments can be made. The review process should include consultation with the Council of Residence Associations and surveying of student residents. A report based on the findings of this review should be presented to the Council of Residence Associations and be made publicly available. The report should include a section outlining the reasoning behind the move towards rationalization, a comprehensive breakdown of the changes that were seen in rent rates and occupancy across various residence pre- and post-implementation, and a clear plan for next steps in addressing areas for growth and improvement in the model.
   
• ROLES formally commits to Recommendation #7 from the 2026 Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Task Force Final Report: 

By Fall 2026, Residence Services should present to Students’ Council on how it handles cases of SGBV in residence. This presentation should include:

• How students access support in residence and how Residence Services connects students to campus supports;
• The options available to students and how Residence Services explains those options in plain language;
• How Residence Services approaches safety planning, interim measures, and follow-up while respecting student agency and privacy;
• Staff training expectations, including how Residence Services supports consistent practice across staff turnover and leadership changes; and
• How Residence Services communicates expectations and resources to residents at move-in and throughout the year.

By Winter 2027, Residence Services should develop and share a multi-year strategy that outlines how it will prevent and respond to SGBV in residence and how it will measure progress. This should include:

• An overarching and principle-centred commitment to recognizing and upholding relational responsibilities toward students, support offices, and other campus partners on the issue of SGBV prevention and response;
• A clear set of priorities and deliverables over multiple years, including prevention, education, and response;
• A yearly report of aggregate statistics and trends related to SGBV in residence, with privacy preserved and with clear definitions so students can interpret the data;
• A description of how Residence Services will review outcomes each year, identify gaps and adjust practice accordingly; and
• A plan for collaboration with relevant campus partners so residence response aligns with broader University SGBV work.

Students deserve answers and meaningful action. Making these commitments will signal that the University of Alberta is willing to respect its relational responsibilities to the students who live here. The Council of Residence Associations stands to ensure their complaints will no longer go unaddressed.

Santiago Echegaray / Président, L’association des Résidents de la Faculté Saint-Jean
Miron Nekhoroshkov / President, Augustana Students’ Association
Paige Wall / President, East Campus Students’ Association
Lee Hughes & Pranav NS / Co-Facilitators, International House Community Council
Nolan Greenwood / President, Lister Hall Students’ Association
Logan West / Chair, Council of Residence Associations & VP Student Life, UASU