1. Muslim prayer rooms

The United States is a country with a foundation and celebration for our right to practice any religion we want. Though this is true, there really isn’t any consideration for other religions on campus. There are very specific rituals for Muslim prayer, which is made easier when there is a safe and designated place to perform those rituals.

2. Paper straws and personal recycling bins

The only kind of straws found on this campus is paper. There is a heavy emphasis on recycling and thus, a bigger push to be more environmentally friendly on campus. In addition, each dorm room and every hall has not just trash receptacles but also two recycling bins.

3. Expecting mother’s parking

Located right next to handicap parking, these spots are designated for pregnant women. They are also included in bus seating zones, with handicapped and pregnant women in the front.

4. Better public transportation

Brock University in Canada has a bus loop located on campus at the heart of it. It is easily

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accessible from dorms, administrative halls and classrooms. The bus lines are regular, coming every fifteen, thirty and one hour, depending on the loop. Still, this is not the greatest public transportation system; buses stop after 10:00 p.m. and even earlier on the weekends, they close for bad weather, they are sometimes late, or they don’t show up at all. Still, for being in a small, commuter town, this has been a vital system. I do not know how anyone at Colorado Mesa University can function without a car, but now, realizing that Grand Valley Transit is even more inaccessible with worker strikes, an affordable, reliable and convenient transportation should be a top priority for the university to address.

5. Formal apologies and acknowledgement

Every single one of my classes- whether they had to do with racial themes, or not, have made formal apologies to indigenous people and students of Canada. I did not know what this meant, until researching more into Canadian residential schools. Residential Schools, disrespect, abuse and unequal treatment of aboriginal people are acknowledged in every class with the use of a formal apology. While these apologies are vague and nonspecific, at the end of the day, an apology was made, and some accountability has been taken. At least they recognized the problem exists, which is more than can be said about Colorado Mesa University, which is situated in a region rich with Native history and yet abandons their recognition in the majority of their courses.

6. Freezing rain closures

Snow day? Not so much. In Canada, our campuses will close because of freezing rain. This is when it’s warm enough to rain, but the temperatures closer to the ground cause the rain to freeze. Our town will be covered in ice. Campus and buses will close. While it is an inconvenience to have campus and bus lines close, it highly improves the safety of all at the university.

7. An active student election season

Within schools, it’s a big deal who is elected to counsel. At Colorado Mesa University, this organization is known as Associated Student Government or ASG. At Brock University, it’s known as Brock University Student Union or BUSU. These people all have essentially the same job. They determine the allocation of funds and help organizations on campus improve the lives and experiences of the students. Hundreds upon hundreds of people get involved with the voting season- by designing campaigns, tabling, speaking, meet and greets and more. This is campus-wide and it’s something CMU has yet to experience.

8. An exam period

Instead of cramming all the finals into a single week, courses stop at the beginning of April in Canada, and the following three weeks are all finals periods. Finals are assigned dates, times, and locations. This gives students an appropriate amount of time to study without sacrificing their mental and physical health.

9. Teacher assistants or TAs

Colorado Mesa University is still a small college campus. Most universities have very large

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class sizes in comparison. Entry-level psychology courses, for instance, may have 100 students at CMU. At Brock University, they can be 1,000 students strong. While it’s not the time for TA’s quite yet, it’s important that CMU consider forming actual schools (school of business, school of psychology, etc.) with deans and teacher assistance. For students pursuing education past undergraduate, it’s good to know what kind of relationship to have with deans and TAs.