Michael Brown

As oil prices hit highs not seen since 2014, students are also seeing the highest tuition in Alberta’s history. With the budget showing a surplus for the first time in a number of years, thanks to resource revenues, post-secondary students remain overlooked by this UCP government. Instead, students are seeing skyrocketing tuition and plummeting summer employment opportunities.

After several consecutive years of deep cuts to post-secondary institutions, totaling more than $600 million across the province, the government has failed to step up for students once again. Now is the time to re-invest in post-secondary education and ensure that students and graduates stop leaving the province and, instead, remain in Alberta.

Budget 2022 boasts that Alberta students paid over $1.6 billion in tuition fees, noting that this is an increase of $149 million over last year. The government projects students will pay for a further increase to tuition of $100 million by the end of this current fiscal plan. Students are paying much more for their education without a corresponding increase in quality, thanks to provincial cuts.

“If the UCP government is serious about maintaining a quality post-secondary system, they need to step up and fund it,” said SU President, Nicole Schmidt. “Students are seeing a decline in the quality of their education while paying significantly more tuition. The blame lies directly at the feet of this government. It’s not surprising young people are fleeing Alberta.”

University of Calgary students have seen their tuition rise by more than 25% over the last four years. This is directly the result of deep provincial cuts that have left students, and their families, covering these expenses. The Minister approved tuition increases in programs, like UCalgary Engineering, of more than 30% for students enrolling this September. This is not sustainable. The province has failed to support students with predictable funding and an affordable education.

The UCP government has also failed students by not implementing a program to support employers to hire students for summer work. In the summer of 2021, one in four UCalgary students surveyed were unable to find full-time summer work. The government’s Jobs Now program does not incentivize student summer employment. Students use the summer months to save money for their expenses while also gaining useful job skills for after graduation.

“The government has made it difficult for students to find summer employment,” said President Schmidt. “The UCP is raising costs for students and not providing any support to help cover those skyrocketing bills. The Premier ran on a promise of jobs, he and his team have broken that promise to students.”

The UCP must commit to predictably and adequately fund post-secondary education while also supporting students to find work.

Media Inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown, External Communications Specialist

Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

Cell: 403-560-0577

Calgary – UCalgary students are alarmed by the letter sent to the UCalgary Board of Governors by Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides. The letter sets out the Minister’s expectations that post-secondary institutions “align their COVID-19 policies and practices with that of the Alberta Government.” This means the government expects students to return to in-person classes without masking, proof of vaccination, and other health protocols in place.

This is unacceptable. The Minister has penned this letter without consulting students and other post-secondary stakeholders. This is a heavy-handed approach by the Minister and one that the SU calls on UCalgary and its Board of Governors to oppose.

“Students are hesitant to return to in-person learning at the end of the month even with common sense health measures in place,” said SU President Nicole Schmidt. “Students certainly do not feel safe without mandatory health measures. It was just over a month ago that students began the semester online and now the Minister and UCP government want to return, almost immediately, to pre-pandemic delivery.”

With COVID hospitalizations still near all-time highs, combined with the government drastically reducing testing capacity, it is difficult to understand this decision. Students will return to in-person learning on February 28^th and may be in classrooms with up to 400 other students.

“We were happy when the university announced yesterday that they would maintain their COVID safety protocols as students returned to classes later this month,” says President Schmidt, “and we expect that they hold firm to this and their commitment to ensuring students are safe during this time of transition. It isn’t a lot to ask for these measures to be continued for the last two months of the winter semester.”

The health and safety of students, and our campus community, rests with the Board of Governors. It is the Board that is responsible for making decisions in the best interest of the institution. What the Minister is demanding does not meet this threshold. We call on the university and its Board to make the right decision and continue the common sense health measures that exist on campus as students return.

The SU firmly believes that the Minister needs to step back and not impose a one size fits all approach on Alberta’s post-secondary institutions.

Media inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown

External Communications Specialist

University of Calgary Students’ Union

Cell: 403-560-0577

Email: Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

Calgary – The Students’ Union (SU) is calling on the University of Calgary to provide immediate and clear direction to students on its plans for the remainder of the winter semester in March and April.

In January, the university announced that classes would remain online until the end of February. Now, with only three weeks remaining, students have been provided no further direction or insight into the university’s plans.

While the University of Alberta committed to a return to in-person learning last week, the University of Calgary has made no announcement at all. This leaves students in the dark and unable to plan ahead.

“Students are anxious and are increasingly frustrated. They want to receive clear direction from the university in order to make appropriate living and travel arrangements. The clock is ticking down and it’s students who will be left scrambling if the university continues to dither.” – SU President, Nicole Schmidt

In recent meetings with senior university officials, the SU has pushed for a decision to be made and asked when the university expects to announce its plans to students. From these meetings, it does not appear that a decision is close and that is worrisome for students.

“The university must immediately communicate a decision on how classes will be delivered. Students cannot be asked to scramble at the last minute, as they have in the past, to make travel plans and find accommodation should the university return to in person learning.” – SU President, Nicole Schmidt

In a recent statement, the SU outlined what additional actions the university must take after it finally makes a decision:

Should courses return in-person the university must also: Set clear and consistent criteria for instructors to meet should they wish to keep a course online, pro-rate fees for services students could not access while learning online, provide a grant to students to assist with relocation costs, and ensure that health measures, including vaccination policies, are followed.

Should courses remain online, the university must also: Allow students in residence to cancel leases without penalty, refund students fully for fees for services they cannot use, and provide a grant to all students who had in-person courses moved online to help cover costs.

The university cannot make its decision as if it doesn’t have serious consequences for students. It must provide adequate notice to students and support them no matter the path forward.

Media inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown

External Communications Specialist

University of Calgary Students’ Union

Cell: 403-560-0577

Email: Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

The SU advocacy team was working hard over the holiday break and throughout January to ensure that students received clear direction from the university. In December, the SU called on the university to make a decision about the winter semester prior to Christmas. The university had originally committed to a January 4^th deadline which would be far too late to allow students to adequately plan.

Since then, the SU has renewed its call for the university to provide clear direction on the remaining weeks of the winter semester from March forward. While students certainly have their preference between online and in person learning, students have told us that they are looking for certainty most of all.

That’s why in January, the SU put out a statement with what the university must do in each situation. It’s not as simple as saying that classes return in person or remain online, there are student impacts no matter which path the university chooses.

You can read the full statement here, but here are some highlights:

If learning remains online, the university must:

1. Cancel the UPass and refund students. Provide discounted transit tickets to students.
2. Refund or not charge campus recreation or athletics fees.
3. Allow students in residence to terminate leases without penalty.
4. Provide an expanded relocation grant for any students who had in person courses moved online that covers actual costs incurred

If learning shifts to in person for the remainder of the semester, the university must:

1. Pro-rate the campus recreation and athletics fees, not charging for the online portion of the semester.
2. Provide an expanded relocation grant for students who must return to campus midway through the semester.
3. Implement short-term lease agreements for students who want to live in residence.
4. Honour the original course delivery method and set consistent, campus wide, and public criteria should instructors wish to keep courses online.

The university must make its decision immediately and inform students. Students should not be rushed into making plans to return to Calgary, if that’s the path the university takes.

The Students’ Union (SU) is calling for the university to extend the add/drop deadline until a decision is made on the remaining six weeks of the winter semester.

The SU has received an incredible amount of student feedback. By and large students want clarity for the remaining weeks of the semester and final exams.

Many students have also expressed preferences when it comes to whether the semester should remain online or return to in-person learning. This is not a decision the SU can make.

In addition, students have varying perspectives often based on the faculty in which they are enrolled. For example, students in the Arts and Engineering faculties may prefer to remain online. This is less practical for students in Kinesiology and Medicine who require interactive portions to many of the classes they are in currently.

The university has made it clear that it cannot offer the same course both online and in-person. Most classrooms are not equipped to do so. The university will need to make a consistent and campus wide decision. This decision needs to be made soon and before the add/drop deadline.

No matter the decision, there will be consequences for students. The SU will advocate to minimize these as much as possible.

Should the university extend online learning to the end of the winter semester, it must also:

1. Cancel the UPass and refund students. The university should provide discounted transit tickets to students as it did in previous online semesters.
2. Refund or not charge students for the campus recreation and athletics fees.
3. Allow students in residence to terminate their leases without penalty.
4. Provide an expanded relocation grant to all students who had in-person courses moved online and increase the amount of the benefit to cover the actual costs students are facing.

Should the university return to in-person learning for the remainder of the winter semester, it must also:

1. Pro-rate the campus recreation and athletics fees, not charging students for the online portion of the semester.
2. Provide an expanded relocation grant to all students who had courses moved online who must now incur travel and accommodation expenses to return to Calgary for six weeks plus exams.
3. Implement short-term lease agreements for students who want to live in residence for the remainder of the semester.
4. Honour the original course delivery method and set consistent, campus wide, and public criteria should instructors wish to keep courses online.

The university cannot make its decision in isolation. It must provide adequate notice to students and support them no matter the path forward. The SU will advocate for students no matter the university’s decision.

Calgary – The University of Calgary Students’ Union supports the decision by the University of Calgary to continue online learning until February 28^th. The SU is thankful that the university listened to student feedback and has provided a reasonable amount of notice to students. This means that students can plan for the month of February.

The SU is pleased to see a commitment from the university that all courses originally planned to be in-person will be delivered in that format when it is safe to return to campus. The SU strongly believes that the university and all faculties must honour the fact that many students had originally selected in-person learning.

“Like everyone, students want a return to normal. Students and the SU know that omicron makes this not possible. Over the next six weeks there are a number of things the university and provincial government can do to increase the likelihood that students can return to class. This work must start now and there must be a campus wide plan in place to ensure the safety of our university community ahead of any possible return in March.” – SU President, Nicole Schmidt

Should the university once again allow individual instructors to keep courses online after February 28th, as they did in September, the university must provide a consistent set of criteria for instructors to meet prior to such requests being approved. The university must commit to inform all students of course format decisions by February 15.

The university must also ensure that all those returning to campus, including students, faculty, and staff, are fully vaccinated.

Further, the SU calls on the UCP government to provide supports in time for post-secondary courses to return in-person. Similar to commitments made in the K-12 system, the government should procure and deliver medical masks and testing kits to post-secondary campuses prior to the end of February.

The decisions the university and the provincial government makes over the next six weeks will determine whether the campus is safe to return to in March. The SU looks forward to continued discussions with the university to ensure the safety of students and our campus community is a top priority.

Media inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown

External Communications Specialist

University of Calgary Students’ Union

Cell: 403-560-0577

Email: Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

The Students’ Union (SU) supports the cancellation of remaining final exams and continues to support health measures and other steps the university has taken to keep students and our campus community safe.

The omicron variant is serious and should be taken as such. The SU encourages all students and all members of our campus community to get fully vaccinated.

However, this decision was once again made at the last minute by university administration.

Senior administration asked for SU input into the potential cancellation or move to online exams last week. The SU was clear and suggested any cancellation or move to online exams should be made and communicated to students by Friday, December 17^th. The SU also asked for consistency and equity as to how instructors would calculate final grades for students who experience a cancelled exam.

The university dithered and has presented no clear plan across the institution.

Similar to when classes were moved online in September, the university has waited until the last minute and, again, it is students who suffer as result.

After 22 months in a pandemic, it is unconscionable that the university does not have a campus-wide contingency plan for this situation or a quick pivot to online exams.

In addition, the university has committed to deciding on the nature of January course delivery on January 4^th. This will be too late for many students and fails to allow them adequate time to plan. The university must be decisive in this matter.

Moving forward, the SU expects university administration to:

1. Make a decision on January course delivery format prior to Christmas to allow students the opportunity to plan their return to Calgary.
2. Oversee an equitable approach across campus for students who have had their exams cancelled.
3. Honour what is written in course outlines and give affected students the option to write a final exam either online or in person at a later date, should they choose.
4. Develop a contingency plan so that students know what will occur should in-person learning and exams be cancelled again in the future.

The SU has continued its advocacy on many fronts throughout November, including the credit granted option, tuition and fees, and meetings with government officials.

On the Credit Granted option (CG), the SU is disappointed and frustrated that the university chose not to follow through on promises it made in the summer to ensure that all undergraduate students have some type of access to CG.

The initial proposal allowed for CGs in up to three semester-long courses over the duration of a student’s degree. Students would need at least a C- in the class in order to use CG. The SU was told there may be reasonable restrictions to CG for required or prerequisite courses.

However, the university has instead allowed the faculty of Engineering and other faculties such as Nursing to completely restrict out of existence the use of CG. Engineering and Nursing students will have no access to CG at all.

CG is important for two reasons: First, it allows students explore academically. They can take classes outside their program at reduced academic risk. Second, and more importantly, CG can help students should they face mental health challenges during their degree.

The university has claimed it takes student mental health seriously but those claims clearly fall flat given the CG decision. The Faculty of Engineering agrees that CG can help address mental health concerns but that was not enough for them to prioritize student mental health in their CG decision. Instead, they refer student to academic supports only, rather than add a new tool to deal with the issue.

The SU is continuing its fight on this issue and our expectation is that the university be held to account for the promises it makes to students.

On tuition, the SU met with the Advanced Education Minister’s Office on the university’s plan to increase Engineering tuition by more than 30% and Medicine by more than 15% for student starting in 2022. The university has failed to provide itemized lists of program improvements funded by these increases. They have also failed to outline performance metrics that will be used to show how the programs have improved thanks to the additional student money.

On the regular and annual tuition increases, the university will increase tuition by 7% for most programs, along with increases to several fees as well. This is going to the Board of Governors for approval on December 10^th. The SU will present and provide the student perspective on this third consecutive year of significant increases.

The Students’ Union is incredibly disappointed that the university has failed to keep its promise to offer all undergraduates a Credit Granted (CG) option.

Over the summer, the SU was assured that all students would be able to make use of CG. We agreed at that time that faculties could impose reasonable restrictions on certain courses like core requirements or prerequisites.

Instead, the university has allowed the Faculty of Engineering to restrict CG out of existence for its students. Students will not be able to CG any courses in that faculty.

This is unacceptable. Students deserve an institution that follows through on its promises.

The University of Calgary administration has failed its students.

CG is vital for two reasons: First, it allows students to explore courses outside of their major without fear of academic consequence. Second, and most importantly, it can assist students who may be facing mental health challenges over the course of their degree.

Despite claiming to prioritize student mental health in documents like the Campus Mental Health Strategy, neither the university nor the Engineering faculty has addressed these concerns in their decision to disallow the CG option for Engineering students.

To qualify for a CG, students must receive at least a C- so students are receiving a passing grade that they then convert to a CG. CG will not cover-up a failing grade. Students can only use CG on up to three semester-long courses over their entire four-year program. Surely there are courses that Engineering students take where a CG can be used without affecting graduation or accreditation.

The bottom line is that the SU took the university at its word that it would implement the CG option, in some form, for all students. Going forward, the SU will be far more skeptical of promises made by the institution.

The SU will continue to call on the university to honour its word in this matter. We encourage the university and the Faculty of Engineering to reconsider its restrictive and ill-conceived approach to CG, and instead prioritize the mental health of students.

The UCalgary Students’ Union looks forward to working closely with the newly elected and sworn-in Calgary City Council. The SU offers its congratulations to Mayor Gondek as she begins in her historic position as the first woman Mayor of Calgary.

The SU also congratulates new Ward 7 Councillor Terry Wong. The SU had a close relationship with the previous Ward 7 Councillor and we look forward to continuing this important relationship.

The SU plans to bring forward important student issues to Mayor Gondek and Councillor Wong, as well as other members of Council. Students are concerned about transit accessibility, plans for the Green Line, the hollowing out of downtown, and how our new elected officials will engage and better involve young people in political processes.

The SU is sending a letter outlining these concerns as well as a request to meet with most City Councillors and the Mayor.

Gender-based and sexual violence is a problem on all post-secondary campuses. UCalgary is no exception. Students and young people look up to our elected officials and expect them to be held to a high standard. The recent revelations regarding Councillor Chu are disturbing.

The SU believes victims and survivors.

Working with Councillor Chu would erase much of the work our organization has done in the area of campus sexual violence. Students deserve an organization who will speak up for them and that is exactly what we are doing.

Our organization is committed to representing all students, including students who have been victims of or affected by sexual violence. Therefore, our organization cannot, in good conscience, engage with Councillor Chu going forward. Many UCalgary students live in ward 4 and deserve effective representation from their Councillor. The SU cannot see how this can be achieved given the current situation.

If you need immediate help and support on this issue or others, please reach out to the Distress Centre by calling them at 403-266-4357. They are available to help 24 hours a day.

Media inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown

External Communications Specialist

University of Calgary Students’ Union

403-560-0577

Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca