FORMER MRU STUDENT LEADER APOLOGIZES FOR ROBBERY
After pleading guilty to bank robbery charges, a contrite former student union president apologized for bringing international notoriety to herself and Mount Royal University.
Meghan Darcy Melnyk, 28, sat quietly in provincial court Wednesday as her lawyer entered guilty pleas to bank robbery and other charges.
But Melnyk candidly told reporters she was sorry for former colleagues at the university and its students’ association.
“I feel horrible,” Melnyk said outside court. “I am so regretful that my actions put them in such a negative spotlight.”
Members of the university were stunned as the case spurred international headlines in March. Speak- ing publicly for the first time since then, Melnyk expressed regret.
“I am very remorseful,” she said. “I’m willing to take accountability for my actions.”
In court, Melnyk pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and wearing a disguise in connection with the robbery of a financial institution.
According to an agreed statement of facts read in court, Melnyk entered the Servus Credit Union at 5303 68th Ave. S.E. on Feb. 29.
She passed a note to a teller indicating she was armed and demanded cash.
The teller put $6,180 in cash, bait bills and a dye pack in a manila envelope. Staff noted her licence plate as she left and called 911.
Police arrested Melnyk in a silver PT Cruiser later that day.
Court heard the envelope, along with a grey sweater, sunglasses, makeup and used makeup removers, were found in the car, which Melnyk owned. Police also found a butterfly knife.
Outside court, Melnyk told reporters she had a gambling addiction unrelated to VLTs — as previously noted in court.
The former student leader admitted the university’s proximity to a casino was a problem.
“I lost control of who I was,” she said.
Melnyk resigned unexpectedly in January after the Students’ Association of Mount Royal University found “financial anomalies” during a routine performance review.
Melnyk declined to comment about the anomalies on Wednesday.
The students’ association handed files over to police, but it was later deemed a civil matter.
On Wednesday, Melnyk also entered a guilty plea for fraud under $5,000 in a case tied to a stolen purse and for breaching probation.
Melnyk has two previous convictions, including possession of a stolen 1998 Ford Explorer in 2008. She was also convicted of falsely applying for a social insurance number in January 2010 — a month before she was elected to her first job on the executive council.
The former student leader is set to undergo psychological testing at the Peter Lougheed Centre prior to sentencing.
Former colleagues at the university are hoping Melnyk gets help.
University president David Docherty said he wants students to be “productive members of society.”
“She veered off that path,” Docherty told the Herald. “We still have great faith in her to get back on.”
Students’ association executive Jenni Langille thanked Melnyk for the apology.
In March, the student government passed by law changes to spread power evenly among the executive group.
Meanwhile, Melnyk said she has no plans to return to school until she gets help.
“It’s a long process,” she said.
A sentencing date is set to be scheduled on Friday.