Students' Union, UCalgary

SU @UCalgary
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NOTICE OF REFERENDUM – GE 2026
NOTICE OF REFERENDUM – GE 2026 150 150 admin
Background

The MacEwan Student Centre building (a.k.a. Mac Hall) has been at the heart of student life at the University of Calgary since its beginnings in 1962. As the central social and community hub on campus, Mac Hall was expanded in 1987 through student funding to meet the needs of a growing population of 20,286 students at the time. Today, Mac Hall serves over 38,000 students and houses a wide range of services, businesses, and programs. Businesses operated by the Students’ Union (SU) generates more than $10.2 million in annual revenue; all reinvested into student-focused services, programs, awards, and events.

However, Mac Hall is aging, and it is time for us to reimagine this vital space for future generations of University of Calgary undergraduate students. This proposed redevelopment is aimed at ensuring Mac Hall’s sustainability and value to students, as both a social space and an important revenue source for subsidizing the SU’s provision of undergraduate student services, financial awards, programming and events.

Between August and September 2025, undergraduate students were surveyed over a six-week period to gauge their interest in the potential redevelopment of Mac Hall. Students identified: (a) places to eat and drink, (b) study, hangout and relaxation spaces, (c) physical accessibility features, (d) green spaces or iconic installations, and (e) academic and non-academic advising spaces as their top priorities for a potential redeveloped and expanded Mac Hall. Through the survey, students voted on which fee structure should be used if MacHall is redeveloped. Students opted for a phased fee, in which upper year students will be charged less and the lower year students will be charged more.

In line with students’ interest, the Students’ Union seeks to create a Mac Hall Redevelopment Fund (the “Fund”) to accumulate necessary funding for the improvement and expansion of Mac Hall to house vital services and physical spaces that address identified students’ needs on campus.

The Fund would be financed by a new SU fee subject to the following rules (the “Fund Rules”):

  • The fee will be set in line with the table below;
  • The fee will be applied to all undergraduate students enrolled in Fall and Winter terms;
  • The Students’ Legislative Council may, by two-thirds majority vote, reduce the fee for one year if it determines that the needs of undergraduate students in a specific academic session, faculty, or program, outweigh the financial risks to the SU;
  • The fee may be increased without a referendum after five years from its implementation, provided that any increase is tied to the Alberta Consumer Price Index and does not exceed an annual limit of 4 per cent; and
  • The SU will stop collecting the fee once the Mac Hall redevelopment and expansion have been completed and fully paid for.
Year of study (starting Fall 2026)Applicable fee per Fall and Winter term
1st year$ 30.00
2nd year$ 20.00
3rd year$ 15.00
4th year$ 12.50
5th year and higher$ 11.25

Question

Do you support implementing a fee, as outlined in the table above and subject to the Fund Rules, to finance the Mac Hall Redevelopment Fund starting in the Fall term of the 2026/27 academic year?

  • YES
  • NO

If the majority of students vote “Yes” the proposed SU fee will take effect beginning in Fall 2026 to support the Fund. If the majority vote “No”, the referendum process will conclude, and no new SU fee will be introduced.

Please refer to the Referendum FAQ page for additional information.

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NOTICE OF NOMINATION DAYS – GE 2026
NOTICE OF NOMINATION DAYS – GE 2026 150 150 admin

Notice is hereby given that Nomination Days are Monday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

Nominations for the election of candidates for the following offices will be held virtually from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and received in person at the SU Main Office from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Please the General Election 2026 page to access the link to the virtual room on Nomination Days.

OFFICES AVAILABLE (# of vacancies)

President (1)
Vice President Academic (1)
Vice President External (1)
Vice President Internal (1)
Faculty Representatives, Arts (4)
Faculty Representatives, Cumming School of Medicine (2)
Faculty Representatives, Haskayne School of Business (2)
Faculty Representative, Kinesiology (1)
Faculty Representative, Law (1)
Faculty Representative, Nursing (1)
Faculty Rep., School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (1)
Faculty Representatives, Schulich School of Engineering (3)
Faculty Representatives, Science (4)
Faculty Representative, Social Work (1)
Faculty Representative, Veterinary Medicine (1)
Faculty Representative, Werklund School of Education (1)
Board of Governors Student at Large Representative (1)
Senate Student at Large Representatives (2)

Nomination Packages are available online on the Election Documents page.

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[SU & GSA] Fairness & Safety in Sport Policy: What it Means, What You Need to Know, and Where to Find Help
[SU & GSA] Fairness & Safety in Sport Policy: What it Means, What You Need to Know, and Where to Find Help 150 150 admin

You may have seen headlines lately around the Government of Alberta’s recent introduction of Bill 9 and its use of the notwithstanding clause. This clause protects legislation that may violate Albertans’ Charter rights from being invalidated by Alberta’s courts. Laws that Bill 9 would protect include the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act and its associated Regulation, which came into force September 1, 2025.

These rules compelled certain organizations—including post-secondaries—to introduce eligibility rules on who can compete in women's sporting leagues. In order to compete, athletes must confirm in writing that their sex was recorded as female on their birth registration document (or get their parents to write in if they are aged 12-18). A birth registration document is not the same thing as a birth certificate: registrations are completed at the time of a person's birth and cannot be changed, unlike a certificate. Learn more about these documents here.

On the day the Act came into force, so did the University of Calgary’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Policy (FFSP). The university consulted the Students' Union (SU) and Graduate Students' Association (GSA) for feedback on a draft version, and while we’re pleased to share that the university adopted some of our amendments (incorporating stronger protections for all students), it did not adopt all of them. You’ll find more on which SU amendments were adopted in the FAQ below—though we know this work only continues, and we'll have more updates for you soon.

We’re bringing you this post to help you understand what the policy means, what it does, and what you can do if you need help navigating the policy. We will also help you identify where you can find appropriate sources of support.

Statement by the SU and GSA: The Policy, Fairness, and Safety

The stated aim of the FSSP is to enhance fairness and safety in women's sports. The SU and GSA, as the representatives of students from every background and demographic, have not seen evidence to suggest that exclusionary policies achieve this aim. Rather, there is evidence to suggest they achieve the opposite.

Trans-exclusionary policies don’t make sports fairer or safer for athletes recorded female at birth. Fewer women and girls participate in sports at all when trans-exclusionary guidelines are introduced, and guidelines that rely upon gender stereotypes discourage women and girls from playing. Trans-exclusionary policies can be abused by sore losers, or expose women who do not conform to stereotypical gender norms to harassment. As one peer-reviewed review identified, the most significant barriers to women and girls' participation in sports include insufficient funding and a lack of institutional support. These policies also introduce an additional barrier to participation for female athletes that male athletes do not face.

Trans-exclusionary policies don’t make sports fairer or safer for gender-diverse students. Trans and gender-diverse Canadians are more likely to experience violence or harassment, while also being likelier to experience poverty, homelessness and increased mental health challenges compared to cisgender individuals. Transphobia and systemic discrimination is the root cause of these barriers and negative impacts. Community-led supports including gender-affirming care and inclusive housing are among those that contribute to improved outcomes, highlighting the need to challenge systemic barriers so gender-diverse people receive adequate support.

The SU and GSA therefore condemn this Policy on the basis that there is ample evidence it will harm students of all backgrounds. To students who may be worried or impacted by the policy: remember that you are a member of our campus community. No policy can change that. There is a space for you, and we're glad you're here. We urge any students who need support to take advantage of the SU, GSA and campus services listed below, or to contact your elected student representatives for further assistance (see your SU Executives if you are an undergraduate, or your GSA executives if you are a graduate student). These services and resources are available for a reason, so please don't hesitate to use them.

We also encourage students with any questions or concerns that this post has not addressed to contact their students' association to set up a meeting. Your student leaders stand ready to help you.

What does the Policy mean in practice?

Students hoping to participate in Dinos Women's Varsity Sports and/or Competitive Club Sports must attest in writing that their birth registration record states they were recorded female at birth. Athletes can later be challenged by certain classes of people who believe they do not satisfy the FSSP's criteria. This is effectively an accusation that the athlete's attestation wasn't true. An athlete who faces a challenge may be asked by the University to provide their birth registration document, in a process outlined by the below map:

The FSSP does not apply to any SU or GSA sporting events or clubs. Students of all demographics can compete in these events.

Fairness & Safety in Sport Policy - Process Map @ UCalgary
An athlete's eligibility can be challenged by another athlete, head coach, or assistant coach from their team. They can also be challenged by participants or head coaches from a competitor team, or by an employee, contractor or volunteer whose duties concern the challenged athlete's league.

This challenge, and the rationale for raising the challenge, must be submitted in writing to the Director of Dinos Athletics or someone to whom the Director has delegated authority.
The Director, Dinos Athletics or their designate will have 10 days to decide whether they want to dismiss the challenge (on the basis there are no "reasonable grounds" to believe it is credible) or uphold it. A dismissal at this point ends the challenge, unless the person making the challenge requests a reconsideration by the Dean of Kinesiology.
Where a challenge is upheld, the athlete will be asked to provide their birth registration record. If their record says they were registered female at birth, they will be permanently eligible to compete in Women's Varsity Sports and Competitive Club Sports.
If a challenged athlete refuses to provide their record when asked, they will be ineligible to play until they comply. If their record says they were not registered female at birth, they will permanently ineligible.
Students and the FSSP: Anticipated Questions

On following the policy

If I'm challenged under the FSSP, how long will it take for a decision to be made?

When a challenge is submitted to the Director of Dinos Athletics, the Director or a delegate will have 10 business days to decide whether the challenge is credible or whether it should be dismissed. If they feel the challenge is credible, you will be asked to provide your birth registration record. It's at this point that you'll become aware a challenge was made.

If you choose to comply with the investigation, you will be asked to retrieve your birth registration record (see below on how the University must help you acquire this document). Once the Director or their delegate receives your record, they will have to issue a decision as soon as possible.

The Government of Alberta initially recommended that these steps should take 30 business days. The SU pushed to make the process as quick as possible, to minimize how distressing the experience might be for students.

If I'm asked to provide my birth registration record, do I have to stop competing?

No. You can continue to compete in the division of an affected sport while you are

  • a) waiting for your record, and/or
  • b) waiting for a decision by the University.
If I'm asked to provide my Alberta birth registration record, where do I order it and will I be expected to pay for it?

You can order your document from the Government of Alberta's registry services portal. You don't have to pay for it. At most institutions, you'd be expected to pay for it upfront and receive reimbursement from the Government of Alberta at a later date. The SU secured the right for students to request that the University covers their expenses in advance (paragraph 4.11 of the FSSP), but you can still choose to be reimbursed later if you prefer.

How do I acquire birth records if I wasn't born in Alberta, but elsewhere in Canada?

Ask the University to identify the most appropriate equivalent records kept by your province and territory of birth. If there is a charge for retrieving the record, the SU secured the right for students in this position to request that the University covers their expenses in advance (see how at paragraph 4.11 of the FSSP). You can still choose to be reimbursed later if you prefer.

How do I acquire birth records if I wasn't born in Alberta or Canada?

The SU ensured that you can ask the University to cover "reasonable fees" incurred by retrieving documents required "from jurisdictions outside of Canada" (FSSP paragraph 4.11). The University reserves the right to do so "at its sole discretion," but your GSA and SU both stand ready to assist you if the University declines. Don't hesitate to contact us if you need our help in arguing that the University should cover your expenses.

On what grounds can my eligibility be challenged?

The FSSP doesn't say. Although the SU suggested that challenges based only on subjective characteristics (such as personal appearance or behaviour deemed to be gender-nonconforming) should be dismissed outright, the University did not adopt these recommendations. The Policy provides that anyone raising a formal challenge can only do so on "reasonable grounds," but it will be up to the University to decide what grounds are reasonable and what evidence justifies a formal challenge. If you find yourself facing a challenge you believe to be unfair or in bad faith, don't hesitate to contact the SU or GSA, and see the question below as well.

If a challenge against me is dismissed, on what grounds can it be reconsidered?

If a challenge is dismissed by the Director of Dinos Athletics, the person who made the challenge can submit a written request to the Dean of Kinesiology, asking for the dismissal to be reconsidered. They would need to have new information that they believe justifies the challenge being looked at again. The Dean, or a delegate of the Dean, will have ten business days to decide if the challenge should indeed be reconsidered. If the Dean agrees, the process lain out by the policy (see the process map above) will be followed.

On accessing support related to the policy

What if someone submits a challenge against me for bad-faith reasons?

The FSSP provides that a challenge (or reconsideration request where a challenge is dismissed) made in bad faith can attract disciplinary measures under the University's policies and procedures. You can also enlist the help of the Director of Dinos Athletics or the Dean of Kinesiology and their offices (see "If a challenge is made in bad faith, do I have to seek a remedy by myself?").

Athletes who are challenged in bad faith can also directly utilize the following University policies for remedies:

Although the SU asked the University to enshrine specific sanctions and criteria on what makes a challenge 'bad faith' in the FSSP itself, the University declined to do so, stating that its existing policies should be good enough. We sincerely hope this is the case.

If you find yourself affected by a bad-faith challenge and feel you need more support that you're not receiving, or you just want someone in your corner, your SU or GSA are here for you. Do not hesitate to contact your SU Executives if you are an undergraduate, or your GSA executives if you are a graduate student.

If a challenge is made in bad faith, do I have to seek a remedy by myself?

The FSSP provides that the Director of Dinos Athletics and the Dean of Kinesiology, as well as their delegates, should be vigilant for challenges submitted in bad faith (paragraphs 4.24-4.26). In the event that happens, they should make a complaint against the person who submitted the challenge and seek for action to be taken against them "under the appropriate University policies, procedures, collective agreements or law." Additionally, if a challenge is made in bad faith by a participant or a head coach of an Alberta team that competes against the affected athlete, the Director or Dean should also forward a complaint on your behalf to the coach.

If you need help finding a solution, you can therefore contact these offices to request that they act under the FSSP on your behalf. Find out how to contact the Dean of Kinesiology here, or the Dinos Director here.

Where else can I turn to for help?

If you are affected by the FSSP and you're not sure where to start, your SU and GSA will provide support, or point you to resources you may need. Please don't feel like you need to go through this alone. You can also find more resources later in this post.

On-campus resources include...
Off-campus resources include...
  • If you are unsafe and need help immediately, call 911 to reach Calgary Police Service.
  • If you are being harassed due to a protected characteristic (including without being limited to your sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression), find out how to contact the Hate Crime Prevention Team of Calgary Police Service through this link.
  • Find 2SLGBTQIA+ resources recommended by Alberta Health.
  • Find 2SLGBTQIA+ resources recommended by the Canadian Mental Health Association Alberta.
Resources
Full List: Resources On- and Off-Campus

Unless explicitly stated, the SU and GSA have no control over resources and services available outside of the SU and GSA, nor any control over third-party websites. We provide them below for the purposes of aggregation and convenience. Make sure to contact organizations to ensure information is up-to-date.

On-campus resources

Find your advocates
  • Undergraduate students can contact their SU Executives and graduate students can contact their GSA executives for help, resources, and guidance.
  • Graduate students can also contact the GSA's Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Accessibility (EDIA) Committee and the Gender and Sexuality Alliance Subcommittee (GSA²).
  • If you are being harassed or experiencing discrimination in the campus community, the University's Student Conduct Office can help.
  • Find the contact information for the University's Sexual and Gender Based Violence Prevention and Support Office here.
  • Low-income Calgarians can access low-cost legal advice through Student Legal Assistance.
Get help with the Policy
Find a safe space
Safety
Wellbeing resources
  • Need help with mental health or peer support services? The SU Wellness Centre is here for you, no matter whether you're a graduate or undergraduate.
  • Discover more of the mental health services that are on campus or accessible to students.
  • Reach out to the the Faith & Spirituality Centre for cultural and religious support.
  • The Writing Symbols Lodge supports the rich diversity of Indigenous learners, their communities, and cultural traditions.

Off-campus resources

Safety
  • If you are unsafe and need help immediately, call 911 to reach Calgary Police Service.
  • If you are being harassed due to a protected characteristic (including without being limited to your sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression), find out how to contact the Hate Crime Prevention Team of Calgary Police Service through this link.
Wellbeing, advocacy, and resources
Community supports
  • Get involved with 2SLGBTQIA+ support groups through the End of the Rainbow Foundation in Calgary.
  • SORCe Calgary is multi-agency hub that connects people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to relevant services, including 2SLGBTQIA+-focused housing supports.
  • Find resources and services offered through The Alex.
  • Calgary Outlink is a community-based charity that provides providing support, education, outreach, and referrals for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Calgary.
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Calgary Student Alliance: The Student View of the City of Calgary’s 2026 Budget
Calgary Student Alliance: The Student View of the City of Calgary’s 2026 Budget 150 150 admin

The Calgary Student Alliance (CSA) is hopeful following the approval of the City’s Budget 2026. The council has committed to continued funding to programs that support students; however, some changes may represent cause for concern.

Among the attendees of Budget 2026’s public hearing on November 24 was CSA Chair, Julia Law, as well as CSA Secretary, Mariana Mejia Salazar, and a delegate from the Students’ Association of Mount Royal University, Tala Abu-Hayyenah. All three provided suggestions for stimulating student housing developments, in recognition of students’ continued struggles during the housing crisis. After the public hearings, City Council entered deliberations, and the budget passed after a series of amendments on December 3.

The approved budget includes the reallocation of $10m from the downtown office-to-residential conversion program to non-market conversions. Our Municipal Priorities Document, issued to candidates ahead of Calgary’s October election, highlighted the need for expressly affordable housing in Downtown, and we are pleased to see this reflected in the final figures. More affordable housing means more student-friendly units, which is all the more important as post-secondaries continue to expand their presence Downtown. The CSA continues to recommend that developments funded by this program should allocate some units for students.

The CSA also welcomes the increase in funding for transit base services and the primary transit network. As our priorities document highlighted, post-secondary students frequently use Calgary Transit due to the widely available UPass. Many students will appreciate this boost in funding, as it will help improve the timeliness of their commute.

However, we are concerned by the budget’s reversal of the transit fare freeze. This amendment will raise the UPass rate for Winter and Fall terms by $5 more than originally proposed, amounting to a $10 increase per year. The UPass, which currently provides affordable transit access for students city-wide, is a crucial support at a time when tuition at many of our institutions increases annually, and the cost of living for all Calgarians climbs. The CSA cautions that this budget’s UPass fare changes cannot be a green light for increases each year, as further hikes will eventually erode its affordability.

While the budget cannot provide solutions to all issues students face—including high unemployment rates, rental safety, and food insecurity—the CSA encourages City Council to give consideration to these areas going forward. We remain committed to promoting solutions that will help students across the city.

Going into 2026, the CSA looks forward to continuing to advocate on behalf of students, and we welcome conversations with officials to ensure the student voice is heard.

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Tuition and Fees 2025: An Update On This Year’s Proposed Increases
Tuition and Fees 2025: An Update On This Year’s Proposed Increases 150 150 admin

In Alberta, post-secondaries must discuss the proposed costs of tuition and fees for the next academic year with their student councils. At the University of Calgary, that’s the SU for undergraduates and the GSA for graduate students. A series of public and private meetings, known as the Tuition & Fees Consultation Committee (TFCC), occurs each year between student representatives and university leadership.

The SU has fought for students in an increasingly complex fiscal environment since 2019, when the Government of Alberta began reducing post-secondary operating grants by cutting them or leaving them unadjusted for inflation. The University of Calgary lost $100 million in just four years, and tuition and fees rose annually to compensate.

Below, we compare the university’s initial to final undergraduate proposals at this year’s TFCC. The SU successfully pushed back on international tuition hikes for the third year in a row, arguing that overburdening these students will see diminishing returns. If cost isn’t enough to deter global talent, the reputational impact of federal study permit caps might: the University of Calgary recorded a $35 million international revenue shortfall this year, even though Alberta does not traditionally receive enough international students to hit quota.

Initial proposals (TFCC 2025) Final proposals (TFCC 2025)
2% domestic tuition increase 2% domestic tuition increase
4-6% program-dependent international tuition increase 4% blanket international tuition increase
4% mandatory non-instructional fee increase 4% mandatory non-instructional fee increase
Guarantee of a maximum 10% year-on-year increase for program duration, 2026-27 international enrolments Guarantee of a maximum 5% year-on-year increase for program duration, 2026-27 international enrolments

While your SU can’t restore hundreds of millions of dollars alone, we show up for you whenever we can. On campus, we worked with the university to ensure greater access to information about how it spends your money. Efforts by students’ associations, including your SU, convinced the province to put a 2% cap on annual domestic tuition hikes in 2023, and issue a blanket denial to exceptional increase applications from post-secondaries, including the University of Calgary, for 2025-26. The university declined to apply for another exceptional increase this TFCC as well.

Still, only additional action by the Government of Alberta will end the post-2019 climate, which is why your SU contributed to a sector review by the Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding this summer. We shared your experiences and promoted restored support to the university, with some of our concerns reflected in the final report. The Panel’s suggestions, which included a new funding formula of provincial reinvestment without compromising student affordability, were received positively by the Minister of Advanced Education.

Therefore, at this year’s TFCC, we asked university leadership to take meaningful action to acknowledge that students now shoulder enough of the funding burden. Our suggestions included a public statement that student affordability is at a tipping point, to a commitment to reducing tuition if provincial funding increases. Leadership responded in November by stating that the university champions student affordability to the province, but will make no commitments, even conditional ones, regarding tuition freezes or public advocacy efforts.

That isn’t good enough. Because we know that 90% of students worry most about tuition and fees, we make our advocacy transparent and available to you. You can see exactly what we say to decision-makers on your behalf when we lobby for restored funding. We work hard to maintain our services with one of the lowest students’ association fees nationally and tell you where every dollar you pay goes.

As we await updates from Advanced Education on next steps following the Expert Panel’s findings, we will continue to elevate your concerns while decisions are made. We renew our call for the university to stand with students by publicly recognizing that plugging budgetary shortfalls should no longer be left up to you.

The University of Calgary’s Board of Governors, on which the SU sits, officially votes on the revised proposals later this month. Last night, the SU’s governing Students’ Legislative Council voted to direct your President to vote against the increases. While precedent suggests the outcome may not be the one many students are hoping for, we will not let your voice go unheard in the room.

  • If you have thoughts about your experience and these proposed increases that you’d like your SU to share directly with the Board of Governors, email your SU President before December 12.
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Fifteen Years of the SU Q Centre: How the Campus’ 2SLGBTQIA+ Community Found A Place of Its Own
Fifteen Years of the SU Q Centre: How the Campus’ 2SLGBTQIA+ Community Found A Place of Its Own 150 150 admin

It’s been fifteen years since the SU Centre for Sexual & Gender Diversity, also known as the Q Centre, first opened its doors—but its story really starts in 2009, when students began exploring ways to better support the University of Calgary’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Stephen Rudolf, the SU’s Faculty of Nursing Representative at the time, created the idea of a dedicated space with the student club Queers for Campus. SU President Charlotte Kingston quickly agreed that Mac Hall needed a place where queer and questioning students could feel safe, supported, and understood, and the vision became a reality in November 2010.

From the very beginning, the Q Centre was built on one simple belief: the space should always be shaped by students, for students. What started as an idea shared around meeting tables, in hallways, and in conversations between students became the foundation that the Q Centre’s team of student leaders uses each year. All of this hard work has led to fifteen years of community building, joy, challenges, and constant growth.

From “The Closet” to Home

Promotional photograph of the original Q Centre (2010). Pictured outside its door is then-VP Student Life, Jennifer Abbott, and Kris Schmidt, then-Q Coordinator.

When the Q Centre first opened in November 2010, it was a tiny room in the Volunteer Services office (so small that early volunteers jokingly called it “the closet”). But regardless of how cramped it was, it was also well loved: students studied, chatted, sought peer support, and met others who understood what it was like to be a queer student on campus.

In 2014, the Q Centre moved to its current location in MacEwan Student Centre, and was able to create a space tailored to community needs with the support of Quality Money funding. This move was initiated by students’ need for visibility, sunlight, event space, and a place that could welcome newcomers more easily. With the Students’ Union and Quality Money’s support, the Q Centre’s new space was able to include a library, group seating, a peer support pod, and more programs than ever before.

Jason Morgan, the Students’ Union’s General Manager (who helped initiate building the Q Centre) described how meaningful that move was: the new space made it possible for programming to grow, and it made discussion groups, peer support sessions, queer events, panel talks, and social gatherings more accessible. The move truly helped to make the Q Centre a part of everyday campus life.

The Q Centre has changed a lot over the past fifteen years: the space now has a safe-space pod, has introduced quiet hours, expanded its 2SLGBTQIA+ library and resources, grown its social media platform, and has established itself as a place both for communities and individuals to spend time in.

Q Volunteers: Here’s To You

With all of these exciting developments, one thing remains the same: none of them could have happened without the Q Centre volunteers.

In the early years, the volunteer team was small. But as the Q grew, so did the volunteer team. It wasn’t long until the training nights hosted 20, 30, even 40 volunteers. Peer support workshops were offered through the Wellness Centre to equip volunteers with more tools to help the community. It’s thanks to the volunteers and the work they do that the Q Centre continues to serve the community in the impactful way that it does. Q Centre’s birthdays, movie nights, queer history walks, discussion nights, peer support sessions, cross-campus collaborations, art projects, resource fairs, online programming, and events all became parts of Q’s calendar throughout the years because volunteers made them happen.

Fifteen Years of Programming

Cupcake tray at the 2014 Grand Opening of the Q Centre’s permanent location.

One of the most special things about the Q Centre is that its programming changes as community needs evolve. Some projects have lasted for many years, like the discussion night series, queer mentoring, and our annual collaborative event series with the University of Calgary, Sexual and Gender Wellness Week (Sex Week), while other projects worked for a time before changing alongside our community. Each piece of programming that we develop is specifically designed for the needs of our community, and we are delighted to be continuing this journey with you all.  Over the years, programming has included:

  • Discussion groups on identities, relationships, culture, intersectionality, gender, and activism,
  • Queer art events, film nights, and documentary screenings,
  • The Diversity Panel series with Dr. Dawn Johnston,
  • Mental-health focused “Monthly Mindfulness” sessions,
  • Queer UofC partnerships and cross-Calgary collaborations,
  • The Trans Friendly Clothing Swap,
  • Career preparation events for queer students,
  • Queer history walks and educational presentations,
  • Resource fairs, tabling at Pride, and outreach both on and off campus,
  • Sex Week events,
  • The Queer Mentoring program,
  • The SU Pride Scholarship,
  • …plus so much more!

(…And That’s Not All)

While the Q Centre is the SU’s flagship 2SLGBTQIA+ initiative, it wasn’t the first project the SU undertook to support the community and its allies, nor will it be the last. Highlights from over the years include inviting notable 2SLGBTQIA+ rights activist Harold Call to deliver a talk on campus in 1969, jointly launching the University’s anti-discrimination ‘Positive Space’ campaign (with a talk from Olympian Mark Tewksbury!) in 2000, and securing the right for students to use their preferred name in their University records in 2023. Off campus, the Q Centre has also marched in Calgary Pride since 2012.

Community and Care

The Q Centre has supported so many students with coming out, identity exploration, loneliness, joy, burnout, and healing. It has been a place to make friends, meet mentors, cry in private, laugh loudly, study quietly, and feel understood. And, above all else, it’s a space where queer and questioning students can show up exactly as they are.

Lila Webb, former Q Centre Coordinator and now Students’ Union Coordinator of Volunteer Services, says: “Everybody who walks into Q should know that everything they say and do in this space matters… The people I’ve met here over the years are amazing… If you have an idea, we want to hear it. You will always find a place in Q, and we are always here to help you get where you want to go.”

Going Forward

As the Q Centre celebrates its 15th anniversary, it remains a strong example of student-led community work on campus. It has supported thousands of students, trained hundreds of volunteers, and created programming that has shaped lives in ways that cannot always be measured.

The next fifteen years may bring new challenges, but it will also bring so many new opportunities. The queer community continues to grow and change, and so will the needs of students. From the tiny first room known as “the closet” to the bright, open space it is today, the Q Centre has become a trusted resource for so many. We are a safe space made by and for students. We are there for anyone who comes through our doors, and for anyone hoping to visit us soon.

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The SU Responds to Requests for Action Regarding K-12 Strikes
The SU Responds to Requests for Action Regarding K-12 Strikes 150 150 admin

On October 6, K-12 teachers represented by the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) went on strike. Yesterday, the province introduced legislation to force teachers back to work. This prompted some students to contact the SU, sharing their concerns and asking us to organize a student strike. The emails we received drew a parallel between provincial funding to K-12 education, controlled by the Ministry of Education and Childcare, and post-secondary funding, controlled by the Ministry of Advanced Education (AE).

We recognize that these events have been distressing for many students, so we wanted to take the time to clarify our role as your campus advocate and our abilities regarding strike action.

To paraphrase the Canada Labour Code, a labour strike is when employees stop work, or refuse to work, with the aim of forcing employers to address a grievance that workers have in common. Strikes must be organized by a labour union to be lawful.

Despite the name, the Students’ Union is not a labour union. Our name is a holdover from when we were established in our current incarnation in 1945, but we are actually a students association. This is a distinct class of organization that exists to ‘promote the general welfare’ of undergraduates at the University of Calgary. Our status means, among other things, that we cannot legally organize strikes. If we tried to in this case, it would be classified as a partisan protest, which would still violate our mandate.

Furthermore, the ATA has asked students not to organize their own protests or demonstrations. In a September email to the Education Students’ Association, the ATA asked for students to attend existing events organized by the ATA. More information on those can be found on the ATA’s website.

We appreciate that post-secondary education funding is a pressing affordability concern for the students we represent. However, change may already be on the horizon. AE recently received recommendations from a panel of experts who reviewed how our campuses are funded. This panel, which received and addressed input by your SU, concluded that our post-secondaries require additional provincial funding. We remain in communication with AE as next steps are decided.

While the SU cannot organize action in this case without violating our mandate, we can help students to meet mandates of their own. We recognize that standing up for what you believe in takes genuine nerve and integrity. We will fully support and protect your right to exercise free expression, or advocate in ways that align with your concerns.

Your SU Executive team can provide advice on organizing grassroots action and other advocacy measures you can take to effect change. We invite students who want to take advantage of this resource to contact your student leaders to set up a meeting. We can also provide the following information to support you.

  • Your right to protest and enjoy free expression at the University of Calgary is protected by its Statement on Free Expression.
  • The SU also stands ready to protect your rights as outlined in the Student Charter of Rights and Responsibilities. We encourage you to read the document to know what those are.
  • If anyone limits your freedom of expression on-campus, the Student Ombuds Office can help.
  • Off-campus, the SU partly funds Student Legal Assistance, a clinic that can give advice to students and low-income Calgarians on matters including student disciplinary procedures.
  • The University of Calgary has two labour union offices right here on campus that students may wish to contact for specialist advice. The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) Local 052 chapter represents the University’s non-academic staff, and the University of Calgary Faculty Association (TUCFA) represents academic staff.

We urge students to take advantage of these links, or to get advice from your SU Executives by requesting a meeting. If you have outstanding questions or concerns you would like us to address, please email your Executives and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

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The Students’ Union, University of Calgary Welcomes the Findings of the Expert Panel
The Students’ Union, University of Calgary Welcomes the Findings of the Expert Panel 150 150 admin

The SU finds reasons to be cautiously optimistic as a major review of Albertan post-secondary funding concludes

CALGARY, ALBERTA — The Students’ Union, University of Calgary (SU) welcomes the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding and Alberta’s Competitiveness, believing it has the potential to bring welcome change to the post-secondary landscape in the province.

The government-authorized Panel reviewed how our campuses are currently funded. Its report comes six years after the province initiated a series of budget cuts to our post-secondaries, which burdened students with yearly tuition hikes and falling educational standards. This is something that the SU has sounded the alarm over for quite some time, so the Panel’s findings were of extreme importance.

The SU is appreciative to see meaningful responses to the fiscal difficulties our institutions face. The Panel’s recommendations include greater provincial funding to post-secondaries and more non-repayable aid for students.

“At a time when students are struggling most in justifying the cost of post-secondary education, this is a welcome reprieve,” said SU President Naomie Bakana. “It wouldn’t be unfair to say that we were worried this would be another blow to Alberta’s post-secondary network, but for current students as well as prospective students, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.”

The SU also thanks the Expert Panel for its inclusion of student perspectives. Earlier this year, the SU and Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) were the only independent students’ associations to provide both in-person and written representations to the Panel, allowing us to spotlight concerns from the University of Calgary’s students.

The report appears to directly address many of the SU’s remarks, something that reinforces how vital it was for the Panel to not only assess the challenges ahead, but truly be open to hearing alternative opinions.

“This could have easily been something that was completed and wrapped up behind closed doors, and been another curveball that students just had thrown at them,” said Julia Law, the SU’s Vice-President External.

“We have always advocated for meaningful consultation, and the difference between having those making these decisions talk with us rather than just at us. This process was a tough and comprehensive one, but it’s the kind of thing that needs to happen to ensure Alberta maintains lofty standards.”

This is not to say the SU fully endorses all the recommendations. The report proposes replacing the 2% cap on annual domestic tuition increases with a guarantee for students that tuition will rise by no more than 2% yearly for their program’s duration, while the starting rate for new students can go up unrestricted. This has the potential to give relief to current students, and increase the burden on the next generation of students at U of C and other institutions.

Additionally, the report’s focus on equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives may distract from the most immediate threat to student success, as described by the report itself: Alberta’s post-secondaries “receive the third lowest funding per student headcount from the provincial government” among Canada’s provinces.

In any case, this report arrives at a time when higher education spending has been declining nationally for over a decade. Reading that our post-secondaries are “more important than ever” to the success of Alberta and Albertans is a step in the right direction.

The Panel’s recommendations now lie with the Honourable Myles McDougall, Minister of Advanced Education. The SU urges their adoption in full and offers any additional support we can provide as next steps are decided.

Media inquiries may be directed to:

  • Nathan Ross– Manager of Communications and Government Relations, University of Calgary Students’ Union | 403-835-1836 or Nathan.ross@ucalgary.ca
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[A Student’s Guide] The Recommendations of the Expert Panel on Albertan Post-Secondary Funding
[A Student’s Guide] The Recommendations of the Expert Panel on Albertan Post-Secondary Funding 150 150 admin

On October 9, 2025, the Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding and Alberta’s Competitiveness released its final report, containing recommendations now under review by the Ministry of Advanced Education.

Convened in late 2024, this panel of independent experts reviewed whether the Government of Alberta currently funds our post-secondaries in a way that promotes academic excellence. To inform their work, the Panel consulted various organizations, including your very own Students' Union (SU).

Now that its work has wrapped up, you might have questions. We're here to answer them. In this post, we'll break down the following for the discerning student reader:

Click to skip to a section

What does Alberta's current post-secondary funding environment look like?

The last time Advanced Education underwent an external review was in 2019, when the Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta's Finances concluded that our campuses should find “more funding from tuition and alternative revenue sources” and rely less on "government grants." The province subsequently began reducing the base operating grants of public post-secondaries.

Institutions increasingly turned to student dollars by raising tuition. As a share of the University of Calgary's finances, student revenue surpassed the provincial base grant in 2023. Albertan learners haven’t shouldered this burden comfortably: Alberta receives fewer students than, for example, British Columbia, yet student dollars make up roughly the same share of the budgets of their post-secondaries.

As a result, the average Albertan undergraduate now shoulders more expensive tuition and fees than the national average and accrues more debt, too. Alberta's post-secondaries also renewed efforts to recruit international students, who could expect to pay more than double for the same program.

Why was the Expert Panel created, and who was part of it?

Last year, the federal government introduced international study permit caps. Given the revenue these students represent to post-secondaries, this posed an impending fiscal problem. In November 2024, then-Minister of Advanced Education, Rajan Sawhney, convened a panel of experts to review Alberta’s post-secondary funding model and how well our institutions compete nationally and globally.

This Expert Panel was chaired by Dr. Jack Mintz, President’s Fellow of UCalgary's own School of Public Policy. (You may see this panel referred to as the "Mintz panel.") Also on the Panel was Charlene Butler (board executive); Dr Ray Block (post-secondary administrator); Joan Hertz (director and lawyer); and Peter MacKinnon (former USask President).

What did the SU present to the Panel?

Your SU was one of many organizations consulted by the panel, but we were one of only two independent students' associations to provide in-person and written submissions. We never miss a chance to put a spotlight on the needs of UCalgary students, and the other students' association to do so was none other than UCalgary's Graduate Students’ Association (GSA).

In May 2025, SU President Naomie Bakana and Vice-President External Julia Law attended a student leader consultation with the Panel; the SU followed up with a written submission in June. You can read that submission in full or summarized here. The questions we were asked to consider are as follows (paraphrased for brevity):

  • What is and isn't working well in the current funding model?
  • Do any regulatory constraints limit post-secondary institutions?
  • What could improve the current tuition structure?
  • What impact have budget cuts had on student experiences and teaching quality?
  • How can we focus on key performance indicators, merit-based hiring, and qualitative outcomes?
  • How will study permit caps affect Alberta's campuses and student experiences?
What do the Panel's findings mean for undergraduates? (+Bonus SU analysis)

Below, we review the recommendations in the Panel's report that stand to impact undergraduates in particular. You can access the full report, including the rest of its recommendations for Albertan higher education, at this link. We'll also compare these recommendations to the SU's own suggestions to the Panel, with page numbers referring to the written submission we provided in June.

RECOMMENDATION ONE: POST-SECONDARY FUNDING FORMULA.


As the Panel observed, Albertan post-secondaries have traditionally received operating funding based on "provincial budgets, institutional costs and historical funding," with "no specific funding formula" underpinning the amount our institutions receive.

However, the Panel recognized that post-secondaries are a "public good": they prepare new workers at a time when employers are under-investing in training, and campuses benefit their surrounding communities. Canadian higher education is roughly 53% public-funded, in stark contrast to the OECD average of 68%. Furthermore, although administrative spending is often blamed for post-secondaries being strapped for cash, the Panel recognized this is not the case for Alberta: "spending on central administration has declined or stayed basically flat" across the sector.

The Panel therefore recommended that the province should replace its current approach with a new funding framework, one that "will require additional funding from the provincial government." This is what the Panel's formula looks like in essence:

Enrolment-based Performance-based Operational-based
Post-secondaries should receive per-student funding, based on the cost of that student's program (some courses are cheaper to teach than others) and market demand for their program (e.g. nurses during a shortage). Post-secondaries should be rewarded for meeting performance targets around graduate outcomes, research excellence and community impact, but should not be punished for falling short. Funding should be provided for post-secondaries that will cover their administrative and structural costs (e.g. IT, student services, facilities and staffing).
The SU's analysis
Did the SU suggest a funding formula of its own?

The SU acknowledged we're not as well-equipped as UCalgary to suggest an appropriate funding formula. However, the Panel seems to have agreed with several of the SU's views on public funding. Our submission emphasized that post-secondaries can be a "public good" (pp. 21-22), that they offer impressive returns on investment in commerce and our communities (p. 37), and that they are administratively leaner than popular belief suggests (pp. 54-56). We also cautioned against punishing institutions for failing to meet certain targets, such as graduates employed within a certain timeframe, given that failure to meet these targets may have more to do with Canadian employers growing increasingly reluctant to invest in new hires (pp. 21, 49).

How would the SU rate this recommendation for students?

★★★★⯪ We couldn't agree more with the Expert Panel that post-secondaries deserve more provincial funding, not least of all because they represent an incredible return on investment. That said, we're wary of funding formulas that involve the province predicting the labour market needs of tomorrow. This is not an exact science, as our submission explores (p. 41). Overall, we welcome this recommendation, and look forward to working with the province to ensure all disciplines are given fair consideration.

RECOMMENDATION FOUR: CAPITAL FUNDING.


Identifying that many campuses are in desperate need of major IT system upgrades, the Panel has recommended that the province should treat these as distinct, long-term investments, rather than leaving post-secondary institutions to pay for these upgrades through general funding. The Panel also suggests that post-secondaries should receive deferred maintenance funding on a three-year cycle, allowing institutions to be more efficient at planning and managing their repair or maintenance projects.

The SU's analysis
Did the SU suggest an IT or deferred maintenance fund?

The SU did not directly suggest an IT or deferred maintenance funding model. However, we noted that outstanding maintenance at our campuses is more than just an inconvenience to students who must check multiple washrooms to find one in working order. When our post-secondaries can't afford to maintain themselves, their research capacity is threatened (pp. 14-15). We also highlighted the province's current Infrastructure Maintenance Program as unpredictable in how and when it disburses funding (pp. 57-58).

How would the SU rate this recommendation for students?

★★★★★ If the University of Calgary wanted to pay for all of the maintenance work that needs to be done on campus right now, it would need to part with nearly $1 billion. That is unsustainable, so we're delighted that the Expert Panel explicitly recognized this as a pressing issue. We're also excited about the Expert Panel's recommendations around IT upgrades. (If those come to pass, maybe students will stop asking the SU to fix the Wi-Fi. We'd love to, but that's a little beyond our jurisdiction!)

RECOMMENDATIONS FIVE AND SIX: A NEW TUITION MODEL.


Since 2023, annual domestic tuition increases have been capped at 2% (with some exceptions). The Expert Panel recommends replacing that cap with a guarantee for new students that their tuition will not go up by more than 2% each year for the duration of their program. New students, however, may be quoted a very different 'starting price.'

Although the Expert Panel stressed that "affordability should not be compromised," this will rely on the Ministry of Advanced Education setting reasonable limits on starting tuition prices depending on the cost of a program. (A medical program, for example, would cost more than one requiring less expensive instructional equipment.) To further balance these changes, the Panel emphasizes that the province should focus on offering more non-repayable financial aid (bursaries and grants) rather than loans through Alberta Student Aid.

The SU's analysis
Did the SU suggest a tuition pricing model?

The SU advocated for the 2% cap on annual increases to remain in place (p. 8), owing to students consistently telling us that affordability is their highest priority. However, we recognized this was a band-aid rather than a long-term solution: our section on tuition and fees (pp. 24 -38) emphasized that Alberta offers much less non-repayable aid than comparator provinces, and that student debts have been climbing commensurately with public funding cuts. In short, we focused on more public funding and grants as a solution to student affordability struggles.

How would the SU rate this recommendation for students?

(Tentative) ★★★⯪☆ Taken independently of the other recommendations in the Expert Panel's paper, this model could still present an affordability challenge for students. It's always a gamble when one body (in this case, the Ministry) sets the upper limit of how much an institution can charge for certain programs.

On the other hand, the current model treats all programs as though they were equally expensive to run, with equal returns on investment for graduates. We'll have to wait and see if this model is implemented alongside other recommendations by the Panel (i.e. more public operating funding and more non-repayable aid), as these should theoretically relieve the tuition burden.

RECOMMENDATION SEVEN: SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS.


The federal government introduced caps on study permits for international students in 2024. This was in response to a rising number of international students in provinces other than Alberta—particularly Ontario, which receives more than half of all international students that come to Canada every year. Caps for Alberta were subsequently punitive to our institutions and their ability to attract global talent, affecting graduate students even more than undergraduates.

The Expert Panel recommended that the provincial government should work with other provinces and the federal government to "ensure qualified international students continue to be welcomed at Alberta’s post-secondary institutions," while exploring ways to promote Alberta's post-secondaries so that we "continue to attract top talent."

The SU's analysis
Did the SU suggest supporting international students in this way?

Given that immigration is a federal issue, the SU's submissions regarding international students focused on emphasizing the vast benefits and talent that Alberta's international student community brings, including contributions to research (pp. 60-62). We noted that federal caps are overly punitive to Alberta, and that Alberta should work to avoid exploitation of these students as seen in other jurisdictions (pp. 8-9).

How would the SU rate this recommendation for students?

★★★★★ We recognize that the provincial government is restricted on what it can do regarding federal study permit caps. Nonetheless, the Panel's recognition of these students' contributions to Alberta is a meaningful component of the final report.

RECOMMENDATIONS EIGHT, NINE AND TEN: CUTTING INSTITUTIONAL RED TAPE.


The Expert Panel recommended that the Government of Alberta should review the regulations that post-secondary institutions currently work under. For example, post-secondaries are currently restricted from accessing reserve funds; they must submit 62 reports annually on how they spend certain funds or execute certain policies. The Panel also recommended that the provincial government should "streamline and speed up the process for approving new programs" of instruction.

The SU's analysis
Did the SU make recommendations on reducing red tape?

Our representations to the Panel focused on how these restrictions impact students: namely, by reducing support for administrative services or student programming (pp. 39-52). Resources like study spaces, residences and libraries can all contribute to, but the University of Calgary's largest reinvestment since 2019 has come in the form of something called Targeted Enrolment Expansion. This sees the provincial government provide funding that can only be spent on instruction in programs the province deems to be "key" for economic aims.

How would the SU rate this recommendation for students?

★★★★☆ We believe these are strong, practical proposals that should allow post-secondaries to play to their strengths and address student demands. Of course, these recommendations will require careful execution to ensure our institutions have adequate financial oversight when spending taxpayer funds, and that programs are adequately ready before they are approved. However, the SU acknowledges that the current model is too restrictive, and change is overdue.

RECOMMENDATION ELEVEN: INSTITUTIONAL NEUTRALITY & EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (EDI).


You might see these recommendations discussed a lot in reports about the Panel's work. The Panel recommended that post-secondaries should practice "institutional neutrality" by upholding freedom of expression and thought and taking no public political stances. The Panel also urged post-secondaries to avoid 'discriminatory' policies or practices, referring to EDI principles in student and staff recruitment. At UCalgary, this means things like the Student Access Process, which lets students make the case that their grades on paper should be considered alongside personal mitigating circumstances.

These recommendations have caused some concern, which the SU understands. Our submission's section on free speech highlighted evidence that most students enjoy instructors who challenge their views, and that free speech incidents are rare in Alberta (pp. 72-78). In our section on EDI in higher education, we noted that EDI programming costs a fraction of the University's budget; there is no evidence that they undermine merit-based access (pp. 63-71). In fact, UCalgary is one of Canada's most selective institutions.

However, it's useful to look at what the Panel wrote. Their recommendation that our post-secondaries should adhere to the University of Chicago's Principles of Free Expression merely affirms something our post-secondaries already committed to in 2019. The Panel also acknowledged there is value to recognizing that students who have overcome "disadvantages [like] discrimination" may be just as capable as their peers, despite what their paper grades may imply. Overall, the Panel cautioned against post-secondaries deviating from neutrality or favouring characteristics over merit.

While the SU disagrees that this is an issue in Albertan higher education at all (pp. 63-78), we also appreciate the Panel's nuanced analysis of a topic that takes up an outsized and often emotive amount of room in debate around post-secondary operations. We sincerely hope this aspect of the Panel's report does not distract from the real issue facing our campuses, which is that "Alberta’s post-secondary institutions receive the third lowest funding per student... from the provincial government" among Canada's provinces.

Where do we go from here?

The Panel's recommendations now lie with the Ministry of Advanced Education, which will decide upon next steps. The Panel suggests its recommendations could be implemented over the next five years, so the SU finds a recent quote from Minister Myles McDougall encouraging: "Frankly, I am interested in faster than that."

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2025 By-Election Results Announced!
2025 By-Election Results Announced! 1080 1080 admin

CALGARY, AB – Results of the University of Calgary Students’ Union (SU) By-Election were announced on October 9th, 2025. There was only one seat being contested, which was in the Faculty of Social Work.

The race was uncontested and saw Jenna Perna as the only candidate in the by-election. have secured a majority yes vote from students within those faculties. Perna received a majority approval from the faculty, and has been elected as the new representative receiving a 91% YES vote.

There is still one open position on the Students’ Legislative Council, as a vacancy recently opened up in the Schulich Faculty of Engineering. There will be an appointment to fill it soon.

“I would like to officially welcome Jenna to the Students’ Legislative Council, and she had been filling in since the spring given the vacancy. Clearly, Social Work students feel they are being well represented by her, as we strive to ensure that faculty representatives do their best to be the voice of the students. I look forward to continuing our good work,” said Naomie Bakana, SU President.

This year’s By-Election saw 11 students cast a vote. As this was a by-election, the faculty race votes were limited to students who are currently enrolled in the applicable faculties, and the general referendum was open to all eligible students. By-Election results become official on Friday, October 17th.

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