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The SU Recommends a Restoration of Post-Secondary Funding to Provincial Expert Panel
The SU Recommends a Restoration of Post-Secondary Funding to Provincial Expert Panel 150 150 admin

Your Students' Union has been taking your experiences to the experts. In May, we participated in a student consultation session with the Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding and Alberta’s Competitiveness. Chaired by the University of Calgary's own Dr. Jack Mintz, this panel was convened by the Government of Alberta (GoA) to review how our institutions are funded and their ability to compete globally.

Your SU was one of only two independent students' associations to attend this session, allowing us to spotlight problems faced by UCalgary undergraduates. Joining us were our colleagues at the Graduate Students' Association, as well as representatives from ASEC and CAUS. Discussions ranged from the consequences of Alberta's debt-based student loan system to the realities of the post-graduation labour market.

Jump to...


● Underfunding doesn't help students
● High tuition doesn't help students
● Targeted enrolment expansion doesn't help students
● Underfunding doesn't help Alberta

● Our recommendations

We followed up with the Panel in June to provide more detail in the form of a written submission, clocking in at nearly 100 pages. This post provides the highlights, and you can read the full submission here.

Highlights of the SU's Submission to the Expert Panel (2025)
Underfunding doesn't help students
Percentage of UCalgary revenue from provincial base grant vs student dollars, 2019 & 2024
2019 2024
Provincial grant 32.1% 22.9%
Student dollars 16.1% 23.8%

Of the guaranteed funding that Albertan public post-secondaries receive from the GoA every year, the biggest investment is known as the base operating grant. These grants have been cut since 2019, leading to frequent tuition hikes. The University of Calgary's base grant for the 2023-24 fiscal year was 20% less than it was in 2018-19. The table to the right shows how your dollars have come to essentially bridge the gap.

Why were budget cuts made in the first place?

In 2019, the GoA tasked a team of experts to balance its books. The Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta's Finances, aided by research from consultancy KPMG, concluded that the GoA was overspending per student compared to similar provinces. It recommended that students should pay more tuition, and that institutions should find more alternative revenue sources to reduce their reliance on provincial funds.

However, the methodology KPMG used to create advice for the Blue Ribbon Panel gets a failing grade from us. One example is the method KPMG used to conclude that the GoA spent $36,510 per student, up to $15,000 more than similar provinces, in the 2018-19 academic year. KPMG conceded to using "estimating assumptions" to make this finding, because the budgetary information it would need to calculate this figure was "limited" or—most eyebrow-raisingly—"did not exist." (In 2022, the Ministry of Advanced Education walked back KPMG's figures, stating that Alberta had spent $13,967 per student in 2018-19.)

KPMG also did not account for the fact that provinces like Quebec and Ontario receive between two and four times as many students as Alberta, meaning that Alberta's institutions may well require comparatively more provincial funding due to economies of scale. Put simply, tuition from 400 students will more comfortably cover an instructor's salary than tuition from 100 students.

Our conclusion

The GoA can have a world-class higher education system that costs more to fund but produces skilled workers who aren't impeded by debt, or it can have a system that prioritizes short-term savings at the expense of Alberta's future skills base. The unfortunate reality is that it cannot have both.

High tuition doesn't help students

The average cost of an Albertan undergraduate education rose 32% between the academic years of 2018-19 and 2024-25. Undergraduates now pay more than the national average and take on more debt: the volume of students borrowing from Alberta Student Aid has climbed by 47% since 2019.

Research suggests that prospective students will approach this situation strategically. Tuition hikes can deter enrolment, particularly among students from low-income backgrounds, but they may still be willing to take on debt if they believe their chosen institution will lead to a strong return on investment. If they don't think that an institution is value for money, they look for affordability over prestige.

This is bad news for Alberta, as it seems that a rising share of students don't think an Albertan education is either value for money or affordable. The enrolment rate of young Albertans has declined since 2019, potentially accelerating a decades-long trend of Alberta losing more students to other provinces than it gains.

For those who do choose Alberta, they'll graduate owing more than the national average, leading 1 in 5 to work outside their field of study in order to repay. Not only does this deprive the economy of the very skills they took loans to acquire, but 66% of Albertans will cut their non-essential spending, to the detriment of local commerce. Indebted graduates are also more at risk of depression or substance abuse. While many parents want to help, they have their own obligations: Canadian households are the most indebted in the G7.

Our conclusion

Without renewed investment, Alberta will keep losing talent to other provinces as they decide to pursue an education they believe is worth the price tag. The GoA spends millions on K-12 education and more to accommodate young Albertans as they grow up; funding its post-secondaries to retain these students will save Alberta a lot more money than it currently saves by cutting the budgets of colleges and universities.

Targeted Enrolment Expansion doesn't help students

Since 2022, Alberta's post-secondaries have had some of their lost funding returned to them via Targeted Enrolment Expansion. Under this initiative, the GoA pays to create more seats in "high demand programs" to support "key economic sectors." Targeted funds can only be spent on a chosen program's expenses.

Can we predict tomorrow's labour market needs?

In the late 1990s, Ontario invested in computer science to capitalize on the dot-com bubble, only for the bubble to burst at the expense of its higher education sector's long-term fiscal planning.

The problem with this approach is that predicting future labour market needs is not an exact science, so restricting how post-secondaries can spend their funds can limit their ability to truly meet changing trends. Targeted enrolment expansion also can't be spent on important student supports, like advisors.

UCalgary is already seeing the results of restricted funds: most of the investments it received were for STEM or health programs, while other Faculties missed out. The Faculty of Arts, having lost 25% of its budget in recent years, has cut crucial support staff and increased instructor workloads. A 2024 review of the Faculty of Kinesiology described some of its facilities as "held together by love and duct tape." Overall, the University would need nearly $1 billion to clear its outstanding maintenance needs.

The role of secondary supports

Learning outcomes are positively influenced by access to secondary services like campus recreation centres, tutors, writing centres, and libraries.

Our conclusion

Restricted funding prevents post-secondaries from providing well-rounded programming. It also undermines their ability to foster innovation wherever it occurs, as they are instead incentivized to focus on narrow fields at the expense of programs deemed less economically ‘desirable.’ As we can't know where the next breakthrough will come from, Alberta's post-secondaries should be funded according to institutional need rather than predicted market gaps.

Underfunding doesn't help Alberta

While students are the most directly affected by post-secondary budget cuts, the money the province saves may come at the future's expense, as education is one of the most reliable investments a government can make. In Canada, universities conduct 35% all of research and development nationally. Of the 875 startups that spun out of universities in 2022, the University of Calgary produced the most for the third year running.

Global ROI on PSE

The United States estimates that every $1 spent on higher education yields $4.50 in economic benefits. In the United Kingdom, the return for every £1 spent is £14.

Furthermore, a 2021 economic impact report assessed that the University of Calgary contributes $16.5 billion to Alberta annually. That's equivalent to nearly 15% of Calgary's GDP, and doesn't include the activity of UofC graduates. In general, post-secondary graduates pay the most income tax and need less social assistance, saving Canada money in the long run.

Our conclusion

An investment in our post-secondaries isn't just an investment in our students. It's a safe investment in the province's economy, and critical for its diversification.

Our Recommendations
  • The Government of Alberta should return post-secondary institution funding to pre-2019 levels, adjusted for inflation. Unrestricted provincial operating funding should constitute at least 45% of each public university's annual revenue going forward, to restore the 'public' in 'public institution.'
  • Renewed investment must come with a reduction in tuition paid by students, most of whom are young Albertans, poorly served by a system that encumbers them with large debts at the start of their working lives.
  • Targeted enrolment expansion should be discontinued, or distributed in addition to base operating funding.

    • Read the SU's full submission

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    State of the Arts: An Update on Student Engagement, and A Guide to Arts’ Admissions Pauses
    State of the Arts: An Update on Student Engagement, and A Guide to Arts’ Admissions Pauses 150 150 admin



    You may be aware that the Faculty of Arts is undergoing a three-year curriculum renewal process. This effectively means that curriculums for programs such as Religious Studies or Spanish are being updated, and, until that work is completed, new students will be unable to enrol.

    If you're unfamiliar with these pauses to new admissions, or missed the social media update from your SU Arts Representatives, the preceding paragraph might have raised a few questions. If you're wondering things like why these programs and is a 'curriculum renewal' even a real thing, you're not alone.

    Students in the affected programs were first informed about the pauses in October last year. When they told us that the Faculty of Arts poorly communicated the news—and the execution left much to be desired, too—we agreed.

    Your SU Representatives and Vice-President Academic got busy working with Faculty leadership to make sure students won't be blindsided this way again. We are now pleased to announce that the Faculty of Arts Student Engagement Framework for Program Proposals went live in late March.

    This Framework describes the steps that the Faculty of Arts will follow to engage with students if it ever proposes changes to programs again. You can read the full Framework here or find it later in this post, but here are the highlights:

    • The Faculty will inform students, the SU, and the Faculty of Arts Students' Association of program pauses before they occur, as well as any proposed program suspensions or terminations.
    • These communications will make it clear that students "will be supported in the completion of their program."
    • The Faculty of Arts will provide "the rationale for the program pause or proposal"
    • These announcements will strive to use "plain language."
    • The Faculty of Arts will hold at least one in-person and one online consultation session with affected students.
    • All students in affected programs will be invited to at least one online event and two in-person events to ask questions and provide feedback.

    Of course, we know that the Framework doesn't answer the questions of what and why. That's why we're going to break down everything you might want to know about what the Faculty of Arts is doing and how we got here in the first place.

    What is a Curriculum Renewal?

    Every 5-7 years, the University already conducts something called a curriculum review of its programs, which is a "critical examination of [a] program for the purpose of optimizing [its] learning outcomes." A curriculum renewal is the term the Faculty of Arts is using to describe what is, essentially, a curriculum review on steroids. In other words, what we know so far is that the Faculty of Arts is planning something closer to renovations than just redecorating.

    Why is the Faculty of Arts doing a curriculum renewal now?

    Similar to a curriculum review, the University also conducts Unit Reviews every 5-7 years. A quality control measure, these involve a team of experts assessing an entire Faculty for areas of improvement. The experts make recommendations, which University and Faculty leadership can respond to. A final report then goes to the Academic Planning and Priorities Committee (APPC)—the academic governance body responsible for discussing Unit Reviews, but also "reviewing and approving" any changes to the University's programs. (This will come back later.)

    The Faculty of Arts underwent a Unit Review in April 2024. The review identified problems with some programs ranging from low enrolment to outdated curriculums, and made suggestions on how the Faculty could maximize its resources after recently taking a 25% hit to its budget.

    Why were admissions to new students paused?

    By September 2024, the Faculty had paused new admissions to programs ranging from Religious Studies to Spanish. Students were not informed about the pauses until October 10th, however, and communication throughout the Faculty of Arts itself was even slower. The SU attended a Q&A session held by the Dean's Office on October 29th, during which some members of staff were surprised to learn that admissions had actually been paused two months earlier at that point.

    How did students first learn about the pauses?

    On October 10th, students in affected programs received an unexpected email from the Dean's Office, announcing that Arts was "embarking on a comprehensive three-year curriculum renewal process." This would involve temporarily stopping new students from enrolling in select programs so that the Faculty could focus on updating them. It would also allow the Faculty to implement the goals of its Strategic Plan, including "academic innovation… and community engagement."

    If you've been following these developments, you may know have learned what a curriculum renewal is, or perhaps added the Faculty's Strategic Plan to your Goodreads list. Back in October, though, most students probably hadn't heard of either. Those who received the announcement couldn't help feeling they were missing something, even as they were assured that their "academic progress will not be disrupted".

    Students asked why they hadn't been consulted first, and whether what the email really meant was that their progress wouldn't be disrupted… for now. And what was so wrong with these programs that they had to be paused, anyway? Could others be next? How would this affect teachers they liked and respected? The announcement contained none of this information, and the effect it had on readers informed our work on the Engagement Framework.

    Is it true there are procedural concerns about the proposals?

    Ordinarily, recommendations from Unit Reviews can be implemented without pausing admissions. The Dean's Office believes that the programs being renewed needed more urgent attention than usual. It was stated, during that October Q&A session, that some have poor retention rates, and some haven't been properly overhauled in decades. But not everyone feels that Faculty leadership acted appropriately.

    The Faculty Association of the University of Calgary (TUCFA) filed a grievance alleging that the Faculty's actions violated the employment agreement between academic staff and the University's Board of Governors. You can get a better picture of the concerns raised by TUCFA by reading TUCFA's full grievance.

    The SU also has related concerns. We feel it was inappropriate for pauses to start before the Unit Review reached APPC—the committee that should discuss Unit Reviews and decide on program changes. In their roles on governance committees, SU representatives have conveyed their concerns and made it clear they will address program changes on a case-by-case basis. SU support is always conditional on whether the following promises are kept:

  • All current students will be able to graduate;
  • Programs will not be terminated contrary to protocol; and
  • Suspensions will ultimately enhance learning for students.

    • We expect the University to make informed decisions after adequate consultation and care for both students and staff. We support TUCFA in their efforts to ensure that procedure is followed and encourage the University to fully and meaningfully address TUCFA's concerns.

    How do you know that current students will be able to graduate?

    We intend to hold the University to its promise that all current students will be able to graduate, but students should know that they also have Government of Alberta's guidelines on their side. Only the Minister of Advanced Education can grant permission for Albertan public post-secondaries to pause admissions to a program for over two years. This is officially known as a suspension. When reviewing applications to suspend, the Minister considers the guiding principles of the Campus Alberta Quality Council—the first of which is to prioritize the best interests of learners.

    Institutions must therefore perform certain actions before the province allows long-term suspension. Namely, they must show the steps they will take, or have taken, to ensure "current students [can] complete their programs... during the period of suspension." The guidelines cover a number of eventualities, too: institutions must have "contingency plans" in the event that students need to retake a program requirement.

    How do you know that the programs won't be terminated?

    The Faculty of Arts has assured the SU that it is not suspending programs to wind them down—only to update them. This is another thing that the University must have shown in its representations to the Government of Alberta. When post-secondaries seek approval from the Ministry of Advanced Education to suspend a program for more than two years, they must fill out an application letter. In this letter, they are directed to clearly state whether the suspension will be temporary or permanent. Only the Minister has the power to terminate a post-secondary program, and, in doing so, the Minister must again be satisfied that the best interests of learners remain at the heart of the plan.

    Why didn’t the Faculty of Arts include all this information in their initial communications to students?

    Your SU Faculty of Arts Representatives first put this on the record to Faculty leadership directly in November 2024. They shared "substantial concerns" with the use of language that was more intuitive to university administrators than students, and how even a sentence distinguishing suspensions from terminations would have shown students that their programs weren't in limbo. This view guided the SU's work to ensure the Engagement Framework recognizes that students deserve to understand why decisions affecting them are made.

    I have too many tabs open already - can you show me the full Engagement Framework?

    Guiding Principles

    Timing and Accessibility
    • Notification of upcoming program pauses, and proposed suspensions and terminations will be provided via email to the SU president, SU VP Academic, SU Arts representatives, and FASA president and FASA VP academic alongside email notification to current students in the affected programs, which will include the following information:
    • As noted in the University of Calgary Calendar, “students previously admitted to a [paused or] suspended program will be supported in the completion of their program.” 
    • Students who have been shadowing [1] a program prior to its pause or suspension can reach out to the Associate Dean (Academic) to request admission to the program.  
    • There will be multiple opportunities for student engagement and feedback, which will inform the proposal under development
    • That students can reach out directly to the Associate Dean (Academic) with any questions or concerns
    • The timeline of student engagement and feedback opportunities
    • Student consultations on program proposals will occur after notification of current students in the affected program(s) takes place and will occur early enough to ensure feedback can inform development of the program proposal.
    • Consultations will consider:
      • academic schedule (i.e., start/end of term, term break, final exams etc.);
      • students’ familiarity with Faculty of Arts and University of Calgary governance process;
      • accessibility of the location/format;
      • the governance review and approval timeline.

    [1] Shadowing is when a student is taking courses within a different major than their own with the intent to change programs to that major in the future

    Transparency

    The Faculty of Arts will communicate:
    • the rationale for the program pause or proposal;
    • a response that summarizes the feedback (“what we heard”) and how it has influenced the final proposal. Initial feedback will be appended to the proposal in advance of CARC with a summary of additional feedback received throughout the consultation process to be appended to the proposal prior to APS.

    Inclusive Opportunities for Participation

    • All students in the affected programs will be invited to participate in the consultation process, which will include at least one online and two in-person opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback; students must be given at least two-week deadline to provide online feedback and at least one week and ideally two weeks’ notice of any in-person consultation session.
    • All students will have an opportunity to bring forward their questions and concerns.
    • Sharing information and involving students in the consultation process is intended to build positive relationships.

    Core Components

    • Student email and survey, both of which will strive to use plain language 
    • One presentation to FASA council
    • At least one in-person and one online consultation sessions with affected students in a town hall format
    • At least one in-person consultation session with the Faculty of Arts student population using a town hall format (ensuring adequate space for full participation)
    • Program proposals to be distributed to SU and FASA representatives at least five business days prior to CARC
    • Location and times for Student Engagement Events to be shared with SU and FASA representatives and students via email, as well as on the Faculty of Arts Instagram, Facebook, X(Twitter), and D2L pages

    Hopefully, you'll now feel like you know everything there is to know about the Arts Curriculum Renewal. (Don't worry—there won't be an exam.) The SU will continue to monitor and respond to the situation as it develops.

    For now, we like the Engagement Framework so much that we'll be encouraging other Faculties to follow in Arts' footsteps. We also invite students to tell us what they think. You can also reach out to us with questions you may have about anything written here. Contact your Vice-President Academic or Faculty of Arts Representatives using the information below.

    Vice-President Academic

    Faculty of Arts Representatives

    suvpaca@ucalgary.ca

    arts1@su.ucalgary.ca

    arts2@su.ucalgary.ca

    arts3@su.ucalgary.ca

    arts4@su.ucalgary.ca

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    Results Announced: 2025 SU General Election
    Results Announced: 2025 SU General Election 150 150 Cara Clifford

    The 83rd SLC will be the first in SU history where all executive positions are held by women

    Calgary – The Students’ Union (SU) of the University of Calgary is pleased to announce the results of the SU General Election which will form the 83rd Students’ Legislative Council (SLC). Undergraduate students were able to cast their vote in the election from March 4-6 to determine which of their peers will represent them to faculties, the university, and the three orders of government.

    There were two races for executive positions this year, which was up from last year. In the presidential race, Naomie Bakana and Matthew Johnson ran hoping to succeed outgoing President Ermia Rezaei-Afsah. With 53.7% of the vote, Naomie Bakana will be the SU President for the 83rd SLC.

    The other executive race was for the position of Vice President External, which saw a race between Sheroog Kubur and Julia Law. With 57.4% of the vote, Julia Law was elected as the new Vice President External.

    They will be joined by Gabriela Dziegielewska and Lorraine Ndovi, who ran uncontested and received a majority of yes votes for the positions of Vice-President Academic and Vice-President Internal respectively.

    President-elect Naomie Bakana celebrates her victory

    The position of Board of Governors representative was also uncontested, and Lujaina Eldelebshany received a majority of yes votes to claim the singular Board of Governors’ seat. There was a race between three candidates for the two seats for Senate. Amber Quo (43.9%) and Laiba Nasir (30.8%) were elected, eking out Uday Singh Sandhu.

    In the Faculty Representative races, there were three faculties with races – Arts, the Cumming School of Medicine, and the Haskayne School of Business.

    There were nine candidates for the Faculty of Arts, in which there were four positions available. The four elected are Malia Jolly, Simchah Atanda, Mahad Rzain, and Aitazaz Shah.

    In the race for the two seats available to represent the Cumming School of Medicine, there were five candidates. Hannah Kim and Nikhil Srivalsan were successful in their bids, and will be joining the 83rd SLC.

    In the final contested race, there were four candidates for the two Haskayne School of Business seats. The successful candidates were Joey Szasz and Griffin Stewart.

    Other Faculty Representative races asked students to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for candidates. All candidates running received a majority of ‘yes’ votes in their respective races:

    Faculty of Kinesiology: Amanat Panech

    Faculty of Law: Faisal Baghazal

    Faculty of Nursing: Taylor Strelow

    Faculty of Science (three positions available): Haris Naveed, Emil Rasmussen, and Abdu Negmeldin

    Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: Stephanie Cheung

    School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape: Matthew Moreau

    Schulich School of Engineering (three positions available): Fardin Aryan, Emmanuel Fasesan, and Ibad Rehman

    Werklund School of Education: Siena Yee

    3,341 students voted in the 2025 General Election, which equates to 11% of the undergraduate population. The results announced today are provisional and become official on March 14. Students elected in this General Election will take office on May 5th, 2025.

    The SU will hold a by-election in October 2025 to fill the vacancy in the Faculty of Social Work.

    -30-

    Inquiries may be directed to:

    Nathan Ross
    Manager, Communications & Government Relations
    nathan.ross@ucalgary.ca
    Cell: 403-835-1836

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    Budget 2025: The Students’ Union, University of Calgary Responds
    Budget 2025: The Students’ Union, University of Calgary Responds 150 150 Cara Clifford

    Budget 2025 undercuts public post-secondary education in Alberta

    CALGARY – The Students’ Union, University of Calgary (SU) is deeply troubled by yesterday’s provincial budget. Not just for the lack of funding that post-secondary continues to receive, but for the troubling messages about the direction of advanced education in Alberta.

    “Nearly every student association in the province came together earlier this month to sound the alarm that post-secondary in Alberta is in danger,” said SU President Ermia Rezaei-Afsah. “Seeing today’s budget has only re-affirmed just how necessary that open letter was, because this continues to be a grim reality with little hope on the horizon.”

    The University of Calgary is for all intents and purposes left out of the 2025 budget, with no commitments beyond the re-affirming of funding towards the Multidisciplinary Science Hub which had previously been announced. Even more troubling is that the post-secondary operating budget is projected to remain stagnant throughout the rest of this current administration, despite the glaring needs for additional funding.

    Perhaps the most worrying aspect of this budget is that not all post-secondary funding remained stagnant. Alberta’s Independent Academic Institutions (IAIs) are among the only sectors to see increased investment.

    “Alberta is the only province with these IAIs, which blurs the line between giving public funds for private institutions. It hasn’t even been two years since the Ministry of Advanced Education said that MaKami College, an IAI that was only recently granted non-profit status, would not receive public funding, yet here we are,” said SU VP External Mateusz Salmassi.”

    “Between this and the introduction of private post-secondary language in Bill 38, public post-secondary looks like it has a giant ‘for sale’ sign on it. We have already seen how that is going with healthcare.”

    Finance Minister Nate Horner was quoted in other publications saying “That decision wasn’t made to increase it, neither was the one to cut it. That’s the kind of balance we’re looking at across the table.” With a near-$1 billion in deferred maintenance at the U of C, there is a growing sense of anger among students and community members over this alleged balance.

    “The Finance Minister talks about how they need a more optimistic forecast to help restore funding to post-secondary. Yet, when during last year’s budget the forecast was quite optimistic, nothing meaningful was on the table for post-secondary, beyond more loans that students would have to pay back. At what point do we admit this is being done intentionally?” asked Rezaei-Afsah.

    The SU will continue to advocate for the needs and issues of the students not just of U of C, but for all Albertan students. With 77% of post-secondary students already struggling to afford the basics in Alberta – combined with Alberta dropping sharply in the rankings in most educated provinces since 2019 – the message to the Government of Alberta is a simple one: you can’t keep cutting class.

    -30-

    Media Inquiries may be directed to:

    Nathan Ross
    Manager, Communications & Government Relations
    nathan.ross@ucalgary.ca // 403-835-1836

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    Advocacy Blog: Call for an Independent Review, Housing, and More
    Advocacy Blog: Call for an Independent Review, Housing, and More 150 150 admin

    The past couple of months have been very busy for the SU advocacy team, working to support students on a variety of important issues. Read about our recent accomplishments and what we have been up to these past couple of months:

    The SU has called for an independent review into the University administration’s handling of May 9th

    The SU is calling for an independent review of the actions and decisions that led to multiple student injuries on May 9th at the University of Calgary, where a police response requested by President Ed McCauley and the University administration turned violent.

    There is precedent within recent university history for these kinds of independent reviews, most recently in 2015 when then-president Elizabeth Cannon was alleged to have a conflict of interest that was investigated by former Justice Terrence McMahon.

    The Students Legislative Council, which is the official governing body for the SU, called on the university’s board of governors to publicly initiate a review on May 28. Beyond the review, the Student Legislative Council also demands an explanation for why no students were involved with the crisis management team assembled to deal with the protest and a review of the policies and procedures the university was acting under.

    Another win for Housing

    After delivering more than 250 postcards to Ward 7 City Councillor Terry Wong and speaking at the public hearing about why the issue impacts students, the Rezoning for Housing motion was passed on May 14th by Calgary City Council. The passing of this motion will loosen zoning bylaws to allow more housing to be built and built faster. The zoning change was one of the recommendations in the housing strategy, which the SU advocacy team also advocated strongly for and was successfully passed in the fall.

    SU Elected Officials have successfully delayed the university from eliminating a layer of protection in the academic appeal process

    The University Appeals Office was looking to collapse its second layer of appeals, which provides an accountability measure and the ability to appeal the original decision due to procedural unfairness. SU elected officials expressed that this will not benefit students because if students choose to or require an appeal for their original appeal, they will need to go to the civil courts instead.

    After long consultation, it has been agreed to maintain the two-level structure of appeals and do further consultation with the SU about the matter. The University Appeals Office has also committed to having consistent consultation with the SU in the future regarding the entire appeals system in general.

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    University of Calgary Students’ Union Response To Violence Against Student Protestors
    University of Calgary Students’ Union Response To Violence Against Student Protestors 150 150 admin

    The University of Calgary Students’ Union (SU) unequivocally condemns the actions taken against students on May 9th, which saw students assaulted with flash-bang grenades, tear gas, and non-lethal munitions in alarmingly rapid escalation. This extreme response was requested by the University of Calgary President Ed McCauley and the University Administration.  These students, many of whom were arrested or injured, were exercising their freedom of peaceful assembly guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

    The university’s utilization of Calgary Police Service (CPS) was an invitation for violence against students. It is our belief that without this, the protest would have remained peaceful. Unlike at other Canadian universities, the University of Calgary’s administration made no serious efforts to speak with the protestors before directing CPS to remove them from campus. This is a failure of leadership from President McCauley and the University of Calgary Administration. 

    Student protesters sought dialogue with admin, only to be continuously rebuffed. The fact that the university’s president feels more comfortable calling the police than meaningfully engaging with students demonstrates where his priorities lie. 

    Furthermore, we vehemently dispute the accuracy of the statement released by the Office of the President that the protest only ‘devolved’ with the arrival of counter-protestors. According to protestors as well as video footage posted from the event, no counter-protesters were present when the CPS escalated its tactics. Calgary Police had secured the area well before 10:00 pm with only a singular point of entry that was being used to escort individuals out, which either means that no one was able to enter or those that entered were permitted to do so.

    We have reached out to President McCauley early this morning, but as of publication of this statement, our request to better understand why the protesters were not engaged has gone unanswered. The fact that we have yet to hear back from the administration after students were teargassed on our campus yesterday is deeply unsettling. Yesterday’s actions set back years of progress that was built towards strong relations between the administration and students, leaving students to ask how they are supposed to feel safe exercising their rights on campus if the first response is to call the police. 

    An apology will not be sufficient from President McCauley, and we will wait for either the administration to resume dialogue with us or for them to take accountability for what happened. If that does not happen, we will be pushing for more serious action, as determined by student demand. 

    The SU is above all else concerned with ensuring student safety and that student rights are upheld. We appreciate the continued response and the unified calls for accountability from the community. The SU continues to invite all students interested in speaking with us or requesting support to contact the SU or visit our offices during the week. 

     

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    Housing Advocacy Continues!
    Housing Advocacy Continues! 150 150 admin

    Housing continues to be a hot topic, and the SU is ensuring that student voices continue to be heard as we approach a pivotal vote at City Council on April 22!

    In September, students made their voices heard loud and clear joining hundreds of others rallying for housing affordability in front of City Hall. The energized group heard messages of support from Mayor Gondek, Councillor Walcott, and many inspiring individuals sharing the impact that the housing crisis is having on folks in Calgary. On September 16, our hard work paid off and the city’s proposed housing strategy was successfully passed in full, with additional amendments made to prioritize student housing.

    NOW we are calling on the City Council to finish what they started and Vote “yes” to R-CG zoning on April 22.

    What does this vote mean?

    On April 22, City Council is voting to approve R-CG zoning city-wide. Passing this vote will mean putting an end to exclusionary zoning practices in Calgary. Students in Calgary continue to be pushed to the far corners of the city because of the lack of housing options. This needs to stop now.

    Current zoning in Calgary creates a host of unnecessary barriers for folks looking to live near the University of Calgary or in other vibrant neighbourhoods. Approving R-CG zoning will help address this problem.

    Find the City’s info sheet here to learn more about RC-G.

    Want to make your voice heard?
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    President’s Message: Pet Therapy, C of Red at the Den, Work with US
    President’s Message: Pet Therapy, C of Red at the Den, Work with US 150 150 admin

    Hello UCalgary,

    With only four weeks left of regular classes, we are on the home stretch! Here are a few ways to help lift some of that end-of-semester stress:

    Fun nights coming up at the Den and Mac Hall Concerts:

    • C of Red at the Den: Thursday, Mar. 14. Join us for Calgary Flames giveaways and Den specials. The fun starts at 4:30 p.m. – see you there!
    • Superhero Trivia night: Tuesday, Mar. 26 from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Reserve your table by emailing theden@su.ucalgary.ca
    • Letterkenny: A night of stand-up comedy featuring comedians from the Letterkenny family, Saturday, Mar. 30 in MacEwan Hall. Tickets at https://www.showclix.com/event/letterkenny-presents-a-night-of-stand-up-

    Pet Therapy in That Empty Space: Mar. 20

    Join our fluffy friends from P.A.L.S. on Wednesday, Mar. 20 in That Empty Space.

    Work with US as a Volunteer Coordinator: Apply by March 15

    The SU is hiring student staff coordinators for our Volunteer Services programs (Q Centre, SU Campus Food Bank, and more!) These positions run mid-August to next April, 2025. The deadline has been extended to Friday, March 15. See the position descriptions and how to apply on our website.

    Ramadan hampers

    Until April 4, the SU Campus Food Bank is offering a special food hamper for those campus community members who may need a little support to celebrate the occasion this year. Request a Ramadan Hamper through the SU Campus Food Bank by emailing foodbank@ucalgary.ca

    Food and Housing Insecurity at the University of Calgary Research Survey

    The GSA is conducting an online survey about food and housing insecurity at UCalgary and we are helping to get the word out to more undergrads! Please see this message from the research team about the survey:

    Share your experiences with food and housing security with us by participating in an online research study! Given the demands placed on students and the rising costs of living, it can be difficult to meet basic needs. We are conducting a research study to understand food and housing security in the University of Calgary student population. Your voice will help us advocate for supports to ensure all students have access to food and housing. The University of Calgary Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board has approved this research study (REB 23-1211). The Principal Investigator is Dr. Erin Spring (erin.spring@ucalgary.ca). To participate in the research study survey, please click HERE.

    Your Students’ Union President,
    Shaziah Jinnah Morsette

    Follow us!
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    Advocacy Blog: Affordable Housing and Tuition Consultation
    Advocacy Blog: Affordable Housing and Tuition Consultation 150 150 admin

    Housing Affordability

    The SU advocacy team has been advocating to city council about the importance of supporting and implementing the housing affordability recommendations, which were brought to committee on September 14th. The SU advocacy team spoke with city councillors leading up to the vote about the impact that skyrocketing rental prices and extremely low vacancy rates have had on students, urging councillors to pass all the recommendations.

    Students made their voices heard loud and clear at City Hall on September 14th, joining hundreds of others rallying for housing affordability. The energized group heard messages of support from Mayor Gondek, Councilor Wallcott, and many inspiring individuals sharing the impact that the housing crisis is having on folks in Calgary during the rally.

    VP External, Mateusz Salmassi, and passionate students Isabella Rodriguez Pinedo, Michael Storozhakov, and Siraaj Shah spoke at the public hearing expressing that the strategy is essential for students and Calgarians alike. On September 16th the strategy was successfully passed in full with additional amendments which prioritize student housing and landlord licensing.

    What exactly does this mean? Passing the ‘Home is Here’ housing strategy means many positive things for students and increased access to affordable and safe living accommodations. This includes 25 million dollars invested into post-secondary student housing, exploring landlord licensing, 3,000 new non-market homes and an additional 1,000 market homes per year, incentives for secondary suites, zoning changes, and many more positive strategies to address the housing crisis. Passing the strategy is an exciting step towards a more affordable future for all Calgarians. The SU advocacy team will continue to engage with councillors and all levels of government to ensure that these recommendations are effectively implemented.

    The SU would like to extend a huge thank you to every person who helped to make the passing of the strategy possible. From students who wrote to their city councillor, helped volunteer, showed up at the rally, or spoke at the public hearing, we couldn’t have done it without you, thank you.

    Tuition and Fee Consultation

    This month marks the start of the tuition and fee consultation process with the university as they prepare their proposal for the next round of tuition and fee increases. Preliminary proposals for tuition and fee increases were made by the university sharing a 2% proposed increase to domestic tuition, a 10% proposed increase to international tuition, and a 2% increase to all mandatory fees.

    As part of the consultation process elected officials and students were provided a chance to respond to the preliminary proposal during SLC on Tuesday, September 26th. The meeting is the first of many meetings which will serve as a chance for both students and SU elected officials to urge admin to take student feedback into consideration. SU president, Shaziah Jinnah Morsette, and VP External, Mateusz Salmassi presented to admin during the September 26th meeting specifically sharing the SU’s expectations and asks regarding the proposal.

    So, what are our asks? The SU calls for administration to align international tuition increases with domestic tuition increases. All students are facing significant affordability challenges and disproportionately penalizing international students is something the SU will not stand behind! Additionally, the SU urges administration to increase investment in international student services to better support international students. The SU also calls for a freeze on all fees until there is increased transparency about where money is going and the quality of services that they promise to provide has increased. Students should get good quality services in return for their fees, and this is currently not the case.

    Consultations will continue throughout the coming weeks. On October 11th, the university will hold a Student Community Discussion in MacEwan Ballroom. On October 31st, administration will attend a second SLC meeting. Student engagement is essential to make sure that the future proposal reflects what students want.

    A Win for Haskayne Student Representatives

    The SU is also extremely proud to announce that faculty representatives have secured a voting seat on the Haskayne Faculty Council. Student representatives have not had a vote on the council since 2015 and have worked extremely hard to make sure that students have been afforded a seat at the table.

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    Advocacy Blog: Updates From Summer 2023
    Advocacy Blog: Updates From Summer 2023 150 150 admin

    The SU executives have been busy over the summer, transitioning into their roles, working to have student issues heard in the media, and preparing for the fall semester. Cultivating strong relationships at all levels of government has been a key priority for the elected SU executives. Over the summer SU executives have had the opportunity to meet with the UCP Minister of Advanced Education, Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism, and many elected NDP MLAs. Read all about what we accomplished this summer, as well as what we are still working on!

    Affordable housing solutions cannot wait

    For the second consecutive year, UCalgary on-campus residences are completely full, leaving many students scrambling for alternatives. Vacancy rates in Calgary are the lowest in nearly a decade, and prices have increased rapidly. Many students are struggling to find affordable housing near the university and are being forced to live far from campus, often in areas poorly served by transit.

    The SU is here to help fight back. To provide assistance immediately, we put a call to action out for all Calgarians with a spare room or rental to consider renting to a student and posting it on the SU’s housing partner’s website at www.places4students.com. Calgarians showed up for students and played a key role in helping many students find a safe place to live. Anyone with a place to rent can continue to post listings on the SU’s housing partner’s website at www.places4students.com. The immense support from Calgarians coming together to support students when they need it most has been heartwarming, but the need to support folks being impacted by the housing crisis doesn’t stop there.

    Looking at the bigger picture, the SU is advocating to the city council the importance of supporting and implementing the housing affordability recommendations, which will be brought to committee on September 14th. The recommendations are essential for students and Calgarians alike, to address the housing challenges that folks are currently facing. The SU advocacy team will be speaking to city councillors before this meeting to express the need to pass all 33 housing recommendations and the significant impact that the housing crisis is having on students. Join the SU at City Hall on September 14th to stand in support of the housing recommendations!

    Taking a big STEP forward

    Did you have trouble finding a summer job between the school years? You weren’t alone. This summer, youth unemployment was double the provincial average, pushing many students further into debt and unable to make ends meet. With increased tuition and cost of living, many students need full-time work in the summer to support themselves and afford tuition.

    The Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) helped students find meaningful work over the summer, but that program was cancelled in 2019 and has not been replaced since. This summer, we met with multiple government officials expressing the importance of reimplementing a temporary jobs program that supports students and helps connect them to employers. This work will continue throughout the year in hopes of providing students with more options to gain temporary employment opportunities next summer.

    Making progress here on campus

    A big win that is just in time for the fall semester is that your term breaks will now be actual breaks. The university has recognized that term break is a time for students to prioritize their mental health and well-being, free of academic assessments. Even though the 2018-19 calendar recognized that term breaks were critical aspects of student well-being and mental health, we heard from many of you that it didn’t feel like a break with so many assignments still due in your courses. Our SU President Shaziah Jinnah Morsette started the fight to make sure that student mental health was made a priority during her term as VP Academic last year and has seen that fight through this year. We are overjoyed to have the university commit to respecting students’ need for time to rest and take care of their well-being ahead of this fall semester. Relevant policy changes to ensure that their statement can be enforced will be worked on by the University this governance year. Term breaks this academic year will be held during the fall and winter semesters from November 12-18th and February 18 –24th, respectively. Read the full statement from the University on the Term Break Resources website here for more details.

    Tuition prices remain a major issue for students, and it is important to have your voice heard. The SU is working with the university to finalize a tuition and fee consultation guide. This is especially important to ensure that student consultation is consistent and meaningful throughout discussions regarding tuition and fee increases. The SU continues to advocate on behalf of students in these discussions and determining how best to foster ongoing communications between the university, the student body, and the Students’ Union.

    In 2020 the university paused the use of Academic Regulation relating to Supporting Documentation and Statutory Declaration (M.1), announcing plans this past June to reinstate this policy. The SU fought heavily for the university to pause the reinstatement of the regulation before having thorough student consultation because this policy does not work for students, but the university moved forward with reinstating the policy anyway. However, because of continued advocacy, the SU has received a commitment from the university to work together on a holistic review of regulations around absences due to illness for assessments.

    Demand at the SU Campus Food Bank keeps increasing as student costs skyrocket. The SU Campus Food Bank has been actively supporting the campus community for over 30 years and worked tirelessly over the summer to continue to support folks. To expand the SU Food Bank capacity, the SU hired a third food bank coordinator to help support outreach and awareness efforts, food literacy education, and food hamper preparations. To donate or access resources from the SU Campus Food Bank visit here.

    If that wasn’t enough for you, we also have two meaningful wins to benefit students coming back to school! First is that walk-ins at the wellness centre are back for students. The SU has been working with the SU Wellness Centre to bring walk-in appointments back to better support students. Second, club funding has also been streamlined, meaning it’s now easier for clubs to access funds for events and activities. Learn more about Clubs here.

    SU executives extending advocacy efforts

    Finally, the executives have extended their advocacy efforts at municipal and federal levels through collaboration with other post-secondaries. Vice President External Mateusz Salmassi was elected the Director of Advocacy for the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. Through this role, he elevates the advocacy work the SU does by collaborating with other student associations across Canada to fight for student needs federally. The hot button issues this summer have been housing and student affordability, as mentioned earlier in our blog.

    SU President Shaziah Jinnah Morsette was elected as chair of the Calgary Student Alliance (CSA) at the beginning of her term, representing 120,000 postsecondary students on municipal issues in Calgary. This role allows her to amplify the voices of postsecondary students in Calgary, by collaborating towards common goals and bringing attention to the challenges students in Calgary are currently facing. Significant efforts from Shaziah and the CSA have been focused on housing and the upcoming city committee meeting on September 14th. The work that she has undertaken to strengthen the relationships among postsecondary institutions in Calgary has been vital to further the SU’s advocacy reach.

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