King’s Students’ Union
KSU Office
The Link
University of King’s College
Phone: (902) 422-1270 ext. 169
E-mail: info@ksu.ca or coordinator@ksu.ca
Website: www.ksu.ca
King’s Students’ Union
Local 11 of the Canadian Federation of Students
To learn more about the KSU or for any questions you may have, please visit our website, ksu.ca.
Overview and Structure
The King’s Students’ Union (KSU) is an organization comprising all the students attending the University of King’s College. Its purpose is to democratically represent the will of the students, to advocate for them and to provide resources and services to them. Every student at King’s College is a member of the KSU. At the University level, the KSU has seats on the Board of Governors and on many committees, where Union members advocate for student concerns. The Union also works with the administration of the University to improve the quality of education and students’ access to it.
Every King’s student is also a member of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). The CFS is the voice of Canada’s student movement. The organization works locally, provincially, and nationally toward the elimination of barriers to quality post-secondary education that exist as a result of financial need, gender, race, sexual orientation, regional disparity, or any other barriers. Their activities include education and awareness campaigns, lobbying government representatives, and political action. The CFS is also affiliated with other social justice organizations in Halifax, in Nova Scotia, and across the country.
The Union is accountable to its members at General Meetings (GM): open forums held at least once a term where every member has an equal vote and the right to participate in direct democracy. Between general meetings, the Council of Students acts as the governing body of the Union. Council meetings take place every two weeks and are open to all Union members, but only the 15 elected councillors may vote.
On a day-to-day basis, the KSU is run by the Executive, five students elected in February to the posts of President, Student-Life Vice-President, Financial Vice-President, External Vice-President, and Communications Vice-President. The Executive sits on Council and holds five office hours every week in the KSU office.
KSU Societies, Services and Resources
Services provided by the KSU include a Health and Dental plan, free menstrual and sexual health products, COVID rapid tests and masks, a Healthy Active Living Program, Orientation Week, and Graduation Week activities. The Union also funds over 40 student-run societies and committees. The Union also funds the Disabled Students Collective and Racialized Students Collective, which are closed spaces for disabled students and BIPOC students respectively, and places for students to gather and build community. Finally, the Union operates two student-owned businesses on campus: the HMCS Wardroom (the campus bar), and the King’s Galley (a locally-sourced café).
Resource Centres are also supported by the KSU. Differently from societies, resource centres are safer meeting spaces, information and knowledge sources, and peer support networks within the university community for members of groups who have been identified as traditionally oppressed by society. For the safety of members, these spaces may be closed, with only members of the relevant group being members of the resource centre. Our current resource centres include the Racialized Student Collective (RSC) and Disabled Student Collective (DSC). Proposals for new resource centres will be accepted up to a week and a half prior to KSU general meetings, and will be approved at the meeting.
KSU Health and Dental Plan
As members of the KSU, all full-time students (3 classes or more) at the University of King’s College are automatically enrolled in KSU’s “The Campus Trust” Health and Dental insurance plan. The fee for the Health and Dental plan is collected on behalf of the KSU by the University.