The Mount Saint Vincent University Student Union is asking students affected by ongoing war and conflict worldwide to submit a two-page application for access to a new housing bursary. From now until noon on Aug. 27, current Mount students can find the bursary application on the MSVUSU website here.
According to the form, the $12,475 one-time and non-renewable bursary for “a student affected by the modern conflict” is intended to “help a student secure, stable housing so they can focus on their studies and well-being.” Students applying for the bursary must include their name, student number, MSVU student email and their program of study and answer the following questions:
- Have you directly experienced modern conflict?
- If not, were either of your parents displaced due to war or civil unrest?
- Where did this conflict occur?
- What is your current housing situation?
That, and write a short 500-750 word essay answering the prompt: “Explain what community means to you.”
Students are asked to send their completed applications to the email address [email protected] before noon on Aug. 27 or to contact the student union for help with their applications, including additional language support.
An overview of the bursary provided on the MSVUSU website says this project was “inspired by the community mobilization efforts in Halifax to raise awareness about the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank.” This includes the participation of MSVU students in the recently dismantled encampment at Dalhousie University that, as a coalition of students across Halifax universities, demanded their universities divest and disclose their finances in relation to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, and reinvest their university dollars in support for Palestinian students, academics and researchers.
The student coalition at the encampment was unanimous in demanding more support for Palestinian students within each Halifax university. Shortly before Dal ordered the removal of the student encampment—through a trespass order—the university announced a “summary of institutional commitments” it had made based on conversations with encampment students, the Dal Palestinian Society and the Dal Student Union. These commitments include support for students through admission-fee waivers, academic amnesty for encampment participation and the future creation of a student-faculty working group to oversee Dal’s investment policies.
At MSVU, the newly announced bursary overview says this project is based on direct feedback from university students with experience in what they call “modern conflict, indirect experiences through family members, and backgrounds in community activism.”
The Coast requested comment from the MSVUSU about which students will be eligible to receive this bursary, who will be deciding this and how the bursary was designed and approved. The MSVUSU has not replied by the publication deadline. MSVU president Joël Dickinson replied with a two-sentence statement by email, acknowledging the MSVUSU's work in seeking to support students “who have faced adversity given the many conflicts in the world” and writing: “We know that access to education changes lives, societies and communities and are pleased to contribute to this bursary."
Tuition at The Mount is less expensive than at other Halifax universities. However, housing in Halifax is expensive no matter where you study. According to data from Rentals.ca, as of August 2024, Halifax ranks sixth in the country for the average cost of rent, at $2,050 for a 1-bedroom and $2,680 for a 2-bedroom. Additionally, Halifax boasts the steepest rate of increased cost in the top 20 municipalities, at an 18% increase on average per unit size from last year.
Students living in Halifax for eight months of study who get access to MSVUSU’s new bursary will have $1,559 monthly to spend on housing. The bursary overview says that “additional support through our partnership with a local non-profit organization is available if the recipient needs assistance securing off-campus housing,” however, it does not list the organization.
The overview says that this bursary was made possible through MSVU’s 150 Access & Impact Fund, which is premised on their site as helping the university to open doors “for those who face barriers, and to nurture socially responsible global citizens by emphasizing social justice and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) in the next 150 years." The Mount turned 150 last year. According to site information on the Access & Impact Fund, the MSVU Alumni Association has pledged to match all donations up to $25,000.
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