Media Releases

  • admin
  • No Comments

2026 SU Teaching Excellence Award Winners
2026 SU Teaching Excellence Award Winners 800 533 admin

Yesterday, the Students’ Union (SU) announced the professors, instructors, and teaching assistants being honoured through the SU’s annual Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA). Awards and honourable mentions were given to 39 exceptional members of the university community to highlight their commitment to student success over the past academic year.

The annual TEA is the SU’s campus-wide recognition program giving undergraduate students the chance to honour and thank those instructors, professors, and teaching assistants who have supported and made a lasting and positive impression on their students. All nominees and winners and determined exclusively by students.

The students of the University of Calgary are fortunate to have such a dedicated group of excellent educators that do their best to bring a top-tier experience to this campus. The impact that this year’s winners have made in student lives does not go unnoticed and it is a privilege to be able to recognize their hard work with this year’s Teaching Excellence Awards.

The SU received over 1,000 nominations this year and shortlisted 135 educators for the committee to review. Award winners received an Apple Award and a framed certificate. The SU will also donate $5,000 to the Taylor Institute for Teaching & Learning in recognition of the contributions made by the award winners and to support the professional growth of instructors to address the changing needs of students.

TEA is an event that has been funded in part due to the Quality Money program. The funding that TEA provides is not only used to host the awards ceremony but also to offer further training and workshops to UCalgary instructors and facilitate an environment where high quality of teaching becomes a standard for all students. From the start, the awards were intended to give undergraduate students the opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of the university instruction they receive. With the University ending the Quality Money program, this may be one of, if not the last, renditions of TEA, so we are grateful to this year’s crop of educators just a little bit more than usual.

For more information about the SU TEA program, please visit www.su.ucalgary.ca/TEA.

The SU wishes its sincerest congratulations to all of the winners and honourable mentions. The complete list of award winners and honourable mentions is available below.

-30-

Media inquires may be directed to:
Nathan Ross
Manager, Communications and Government Relations
Nathan.ross@ucalgary.ca
All photos must be credited to Gene Baines

Teaching Excellence Awards – Teaching Assistants

  • Matthew Chu
  • Mr. Tyler Hiltermann
  • Kaylin Husband
  • Wesley Joyce
  • Aimee Koristka
  • Ms. Katelyn Le
  • Mr. Jonah Nelson

Teaching Excellence Awards

  • Dr. Tiffany Boulton (Cumming School of Medicine)
  • Dr. Aliya Kassam (Cumming School of Medicine)
  • Dr. Victoria Fast (Faculty of Arts)
  • Dr. Brittany Lindsay (Faculty of Arts)
  • Jessica Ruffolo (Faculty of Arts)
  • Dr. Lucia Vojtassak (Faculty of Arts)
  • Coleman Vollrath (Faculty of Arts)
  • Dr. Saied Jalal Aboodarda (Faculty of Kinesiology)
  • Dr. Howard Kislowicz (Faculty of Law)
  • Dr. Carol A. Kroeker (Faculty of Nursing)
  • Dr. Joe Harrison (Faculty of Science)
  • Dr. Ann Quinney (Faculty of Science)
  • Dr. Mayada Khalil Shahada (Faculty of Science)
  • Krista Osborne (Faculty of Social Work)
  • Justin Knibbe (Haskayne School of Business)
  • Dr. Hussein Ahmed Warsame (Haskayne School of Business)
  • Dr. Ricardo Moya-Barbera (School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape)
  • Dr. Maryam Badv (Schulich School of Engineering)
  • Dr. Ismael Foroughi (Schulich School of Engineering)
  • Dr. Schuyler Hinman (Schulich School of Engineering)
  • Catherine Burwell (Werklund School of Education)

Teaching Excellence Awards – Honourable Mention

  • Dr. Jalel Azaiez
  • Dr. Maureen T. Duffy
  • Allen Habib
  • Dr. Craig Jenne
  • Rosalind Kang
  • Danika Lipman
  • Mr. Grant Maheu
  • Tina Petrick
  • Jerrod M. Smith
  • Prof. David V. Wright

Hall of Fame Award

  • Dr. David R.M. Pattison

Hall of Fame, Dr. David R.M. Pattison (Science)

Winner in Teaching Excellence, Dr. Saied Jalal Aboodarda (Kinesiology)

  • admin
  • No Comments

The Students’ Union Announces New Student Government
The Students’ Union Announces New Student Government 150 150 admin

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 84th Students’ Legislative Council (SLC). Undergraduate students were able to cast their vote in the election from March 3-5 to determine which of their peers will represent them to faculties, the university, and the three orders of government.

There was just a single race within the executive positions this year which was a three-candidate race for SU President. Gabriela Dziegielewska has been elected, defeating Julia Law and Michael Harris to succeed Naomie Bakana as President. They won with 66.1% of the vote.

They will be joined by three uncontested Vice Presidents, who all garnered enough Yes votes to win their races. The three Vice Presidents will be Abdu Negmeldin (Vice President Internal), Mahad Rzain (Vice President External), and Zoe Zeritsch (Vice President Academic).

The position of Board of Governors representative was also uncontested, and Aitazaz Shah received a majority of yes votes to claim the singular Board of Governors’ seat. While the SU had two open seats for the position of Senate Representatives. Ophelia Vecchione will be joining the Senate, and the other open position will be filled in a future by-election.

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

There were six candidates for the Faculty of Arts, in which there were four positions available. The four elected are Davina Elesin, Xander Halsey-Dam, Abbas Hussain, and Fatima Jarid.

In the race for the two seats available to represent the Haskayne School of Business, there were three candidates. Zahra Qazi and Elias Karayiannis were successful in their bids, and will be joining the 84th SLC.

In the final contested race, there were three candidates for the singular Faculty of Kinesiology seat. The successful candidate is Noah Karmali.

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:

Cumming School of Medicine (two seats available): Laiba Nasir and Nikhil Srivalsan

Faculty of Law: Mickail Hendi

Faculty of Nursing: Natasha Tenor

Schulich School of Engineering (two positions available): Jana Abdelrahman and Khadiza Ahsan

Faculty of Science (four positions available): Warren Hamill, Yansing Huang, Sehaj Kang, and Carrar Saleh

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: Samuel McFetridge

Werklund School of Education: Siena Yee

There was also a Referendum Vote to determine if students supported implementing a fee to finance a Mac Hal Redevelopment Fund beginning in the Fall Term of 2026/27. With 55.2 % of the vote, students have voted to support this fee, meaning the referendum has passed.

3309 students voted in the 2026 General Election, which equates to 11% of the undergraduate population. The results announced today are provisional and become official on March 13. Students elected in this General Election will take office on May 4th, 2026.

The SU will hold a by-election in October 2026 to fill the vacancies for the following positions:

  • Faculty Rep., School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (1)
  • Faculty Representatives, Schulich School of Engineering (1)
  • Faculty Representative, Social Work (1)
  • Senate Student-at-Large Representatives (1)

-30-

Inquiries may be directed to:

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

The new 2026-2027 SU Executive team. From the left, Zoe Zeritsch, VP Academic; Abdu Negmeldin, VP Internal; Gabriela Dziegielewska, President; Mahad Rzain, VP External.

Aitazaz Shah, incoming Board of Governors representative, General Election 2026

  • admin
  • No Comments

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
  • admin
  • No Comments

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.

  • admin
  • No Comments

SU Teaching Excellence Award Winners
SU Teaching Excellence Award Winners 700 450 admin

The Students’ Union (SU) announced yesterday the professors, instructors, and teaching assistants being honoured through the SU’s annual Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA). Awards and honourable mentions were given to 41 exceptional members of the university community to highlight their commitment to student success over the past academic year.

The annual TEA is the SU’s campus-wide recognition program giving undergraduate students the chance to honour and thank those instructors, professors, and teaching assistants who have supported and made a lasting and positive impression on their students. All nominees and winners and determined exclusively by students.

The University of Calgary is lucky to have such a dedicated group of excellent educators, but this year’s winners also committed to going above and beyond to support and prioritize students. The impact that this year’s winners have made in student lives does not go unnoticed and it is a privilege to be able to recognize their hard work with this year’s teaching excellence awards.

The SU received just short of 1,000 nominations this year and shortlisted 77 educators for the committee to review. Award winners received an Apple Award and a framed certificate. The SU will also donate $5,000 to the Taylor Centre for Teaching & Learning in recognition of the contributions made by the award winners and to support the professional growth of instructors to address the changing needs of students.

The SU has been honouring teaching excellence at UCalgary since 1975, with the current format of TEA beginning in 1984. These funds are used to offer further training and workshops to UCalgary instructors and facilitate an environment where high quality of teaching becomes a standard for all students. From the start, the awards were intended to give undergraduate students the opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of the university instruction they receive.

For more information about the SU TEA program, please visit www.su.ucalgary.ca/TEA.

The SU wishes its sincerest congratulations to all of the winners and honourable mentions. The complete list of award winners and honourable mentions is available below.

Inquiries may be directed to:

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

Photo Credit: Gene Baines

Dr. Safaneh Mohaghegh Neyshabouri, Hall of Fame

Darsh Tripathi, Teaching Assistant Award

  • Cara Clifford
  • No Comments

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

  • Cara Clifford
  • No Comments

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

  • admin
  • No Comments

GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA, YOU CAN’T KEEP CUTTING CLASS
GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA, YOU CAN’T KEEP CUTTING CLASS 150 150 admin

Alberta’s post-secondary students unite to send clear message to the province: you can’t keep cutting classes

ALBERTA – With the 2025 Alberta budget set to be announced later this month, the overwhelming majority of Alberta’s post-secondary institutions’ student associations have teamed up to send one simple message to the Government of Alberta – stop cutting classes.

25 of Alberta’s universities and colleges student leaders are signing off on a joint open letter campaign that is sounding the alarm that the budget cuts which began at 2019 have left Alberta’s future in jeopardy. Not only are these cuts one of the leading reasons that has dropped to the sixth-most education province, but the future of Alberta’s workforce could see dramatic effects within the next few years.

60% of bachelor’s students in Alberta are expected to graduate with at least $25,000 worth of debt, and that same number rings true for about 1/3 of college students as well. This is one of the major reasons that so many students are leaving Alberta, meaning there are fewer residents to enter the workforce.

“Students are sending a clear message that enough is enough and packing up and leaving this province, which is a recurring trend among similarly funded sectors like healthcare and children’s education,” said University of Calgary’s Students’ Union President Ermia Rezaei-Afsah. “The quality of Alberta’s post-secondary education keeps declining, and at this point it’s hard not to feel that this is by design.”

This sentiment is being echoed by Lily Schaerer, Chair of the Alberta Students Executive Council (ASEC), which represents 15 of Alberta’s colleges, polytechnics, and universities.

“Alberta historically has been a leader in education, and that is why the Alberta economy has set the standard within Canada for decades. However, with post-secondary funding receiving annual cuts since 2019, it is time to sound the alarm that Alberta’s economic future is being put at risk,” said Schaerer.

Between the membership of ASEC, as well as the individual undergraduate and graduate unions, 290,000 of Alberta’s students are calling for desperately-needed funding to be allotted in this year’s budget. Those student numbers represent more than 7% of Alberta’s total population.

“The price of everything continues to climb, from living expenses to mandatory non-instructional fees, and nearly every university and trade school in the province is underfunded. The message sent is that students and institutions are on our own,” said Lisa Glock, president of the University of Alberta Students’ Union.

Many students’ associations already submitted their requests for what they want to see in the budget over the past six months, but now this letter is making it clear where they all agree – Alberta cannot afford to keep cutting classes. With the province set to announce its budget in the coming weeks, time will tell if this government recognizes the importance of prioritizing its future.

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

OPEN LETTER to Alberta Government: Stop Cutting Classes

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Interview availability on February 11. Please note that all potential interviewees are available from 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. except where noted.

Calgary

  • Ermia Rezaei-Afsah, President, University of Calgary Students’ Union
  • Tala Abu Hayyaneh, President, Students’ Association of Mount Royal University
  • Ahmad Baker, President, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Students’ Association
  • Hunter Yaworski, Vice President External, University of Calgary Graduate Students’ Association

Edmonton

  • Lisa Glock, President, University of Alberta’s Students’ Union
  • Haseeb Arshad, President, University of Alberta’s Graduate Students’ Association, available from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Lethbridge

  • Maleeka Thomas, President, University of Lethbridge Students’ Union

Urban Colleges & Rural Alberta

  • Lily Schaerer, Chair, Alberta Students’ Executive Council AND President, Students’ Association of Medicine Hat College, available from 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Nathan Ross
  • No Comments

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

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. 

 

  • Nathan Ross
  • No Comments

2024 Students’ Union Teaching Excellence Awards Winners
2024 Students’ Union Teaching Excellence Awards Winners 1024 1024 Nathan Ross

The Students’ Union (SU) announced yesterday the professors, instructors, and teaching assistants being honoured through the SU’s annual Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA). Awards and honourable mentions were given to 34 exceptional members of the university community to highlight their commitment to student success over the past academic year.

The annual TEA is the SU’s campus-wide recognition program giving undergraduate students the chance to honour and thank those instructors, professors, and teaching assistants who have supported and made a lasting and positive impression on their students. Students solely determine all nominees and winners.

Not only did the educators being honoured navigate the challenges of the year with grace, but they also committed to going above and beyond to support and prioritize students. The impact that this year’s winners have made in student lives does not go unnoticed and it is a privilege to be able to recognize their hard work with this year’s teaching excellence awards.

Dr. Fabiola Aparicio-Ting was one of two recipients of the Cumming School of Medicine Award

Jayar Espejo was one of five Teaching Assistant Award recipients

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The SU received at total of 1,022 nominations and shortlisted 75 educators. Award winners received an Apple Award and a framed certificate. The SU will also donate $5,000 to the Taylor Centre for Teaching & Learning in recognition of the contributions made by the award winners.

The SU has been honouring teaching excellence at UCalgary since 1975, with the current format of TEA beginning in 1984. These funds are used to offer further training and workshops to UCalgary instructors and facilitate an environment where high quality of teaching becomes a standard for all students. From the start, the awards were intended to give undergraduate students the opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of the university instruction they receive.

For more information about the SU TEA program, please visit www.su.ucalgary.ca/TEA.

The SU wishes its sincerest congratulations to all of the winners and honourable mentions. The complete list of award winners and honourable mentions is available below.

Inquiries may be directed to:

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

Photo Credit: Gene Baines

Start Typing