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  • Alison Govier
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Share Your Talents, Share Your Culture
Share Your Talents, Share Your Culture 150 150 Alison Govier

The Students’ Union is hosting several events in the winter semester and we are looking for undergraduate students to participate!

Opportunity #1: Celebrating Black History Month – A Visual Journey

The SU will be holding an arts showcase on February 4, 2025, to celebrate Black artists (current undergraduate UCalgary students). Artists may submit any of the following for consideration to be displayed at this event: painting, sculpture, pottery, pop art, sketch, photography or short form poetry. You must submit a picture of your art piece for review. Please note this arts showcase is rated for 14 and under, as it will be held in an open, public location. Space is limited.
If accepted into the event, you will be notified by January 17, 2025. Your piece will then need to be dropped off to the SU office by 4 pm on January 30, 2025.The SU will carefully set up the arts show and your item will be on display on February 4. You will receive instructions on how to retrieve your piece after the event is complete.

Opportunity #2: Promotion of an SU Club Event, focusing on Black History Month

Is your SU Club holding a Black History Month event in February 2025? We want to highlight your event! Before applying for this promotion opportunity, please ensure your club has received proper event approval on ClubHub and your event must be open to non-members. We will require the name of the event, date and time, location and a short description. If your event is approved to appear on our special BHM calendar, we will contact you by email by January 17, 2025.You will be required to re-confirm the details of your event at that time.

Opportunity #3: Culture in Motion – Fashion Show

The SU will be holding a cultural celebration event on March 12, 2025. There will be one hour set aside for a fashion show, where students will have the chance to showcase cultural attire and we will share the unique stories or history behind the clothing. To participate in this event, you must be:
– Available to attend a pre-show review, with your outfit of choice, on either January 28 (between 9 am and 12 pm) or January 31 (between 10 am and 12 pm).
– Available to attend a rehearsal on March 3 from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm.
– Available March 12 from 11:30 am to 1:15 pm for the show.

Opportunity #4: Culture in Motion – Performance

At our event on March 12, 2025, we will be highlighting performing/fine arts from various cultures. If you, your friends or club would like to perform, we want to hear from you! Performances will include: dancing, singing, spoken word, demonstrations, etc. that are between 3 and 10 minutes long. To participate in this event, you must be:
– Available to attend a pre-show review of your performance, with your group members on either January 28 (between 9 am and 12 pm) or January 31 (between 10 am and 12 pm).
– Available to attend a rehearsal on March 3 (1:30 pm to 3 pm).
– Available on March 12 (12 pm to 3 pm) for the show.

Sign up for any of these opportunities through our registration form at: Share Your Talents, Share Your Culture

For questions regarding these opportunities, please email us at: pea@su.ucalgary.ca.

  • Caragh Clifford
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Results Announced: 2024 SU By-Election
Results Announced: 2024 SU By-Election 2560 1920 Caragh Clifford

CALGARY, AB – Results of the University of Calgary Students’ Union (SU) By-Election were announced at the end of the day on Thursday. There was a total of two seats being voted on, one in the Werklund School of Education and another in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

Both races were uncontested, and have secured a majority yes vote from students within those faculties. Siena Yee was confirmed as the new Werklund School of Education representative with 96% of the vote, while Danielle Barry – who had previously been appointed to the position of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine representative as the position was vacant from the last general election – will continue on in the role officially, earning 94% of the vote.

There is still one open position on the Students’ Legislative Council as there is no current Faculty of Nursing representative. A viable student will be appointed to the position soon.

“I would like to welcome Siena and welcome back Danielle to the Students’ Legislative Council, and congratulate them both for their victory. Faculty representatives are the backbone of the Students’ Legislative Council, as they are our closest link to all students. I look forward to working with all of them for the remainder of this legislative year,” said Ermia Rezaei-Afsah, SU President.

Siena Yee (second from the right) is welcomed as the new Werklund School of Education Representative by SU President Ermia Rezaei-Afsah, VP Internal Naomie Bakana, and VP Academic Jessie Dinh (remaining, left to right)

The other item on the ballot during the 2024 By-Election was General Fee Referendum, which proposed an update to the SU’s fee structure for assessment of its general fee for specific categories of students: full-time medical students as well as part-time, co-op, and internship students. The referendum has passed with 57% of the electors voting in favour of the changes.

This year’s By-Election saw 425 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 18th.

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NOTICE OF ELECTION: BY-ELECTION 2024
NOTICE OF ELECTION: BY-ELECTION 2024 150 150 admin

Notice is hereby given that an election will be held for the filling of the following offices:

  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (1 position)
  • Werklund School of Education (1 position)

Online voting will take place on the 8th, 9th, and 10th days of October 2024 through my.ucalgary.ca Student Centre. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on October 8th and closes at 4 p.m. on October 10th, 2024. All University of Calgary undergraduate students registered in these faculties: Veterinary Medicine and Werklund School of Education in the Fall 2024 session are eligible to vote.

VACANCIES

In accordance with section 48 of the The Union Bylaw, the Chief Returning Officer declares the following positions vacant:

  • Faculty of Nursing

See the ELECTIONS page for updates and information. 

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NOTICE OF NOMINATION DAYS – BY-ELECTION 2024
NOTICE OF NOMINATION DAYS – BY-ELECTION 2024 150 150 admin

Notice is hereby given that Nomination Days are Monday, September 23 and Tuesday, September 24, 2024. Nominations for the election of candidates for the following offices will be accepted virtually from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and in person at the SU Main Office (MSC 251) from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

OFFICES AVAILABLE (# of Vacancies)

  • Faculty of Nursing (1)
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (1)
  • Werklund School of Education (1)

As of September 9, 2024, Nomination Packageswill be available online.

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NOTICE OF REFERENDUM – BY-ELECTION 2024
NOTICE OF REFERENDUM – BY-ELECTION 2024 150 150 admin

Summary

The SU’s current fee structure is disproportional in its assessment of the SU general fee for full time, part-time, co-op and internship students. The SU proposes updating its fee structure as outlined in the table below by assessing MD full-time students at the full-time student rate while part-time, co-op and internship students will be assessed to pay two-thirds of the full-time student rate. The aim of this proposed update is to keep up with inflation and to ensure its services can cater to the 10,000 new undergraduate students the university seeks to add to the student population by 2030.

Background

The SU exists to advance and support the needs of undergraduate students at the University of Calgary. As an organization, one of our key priorities is to advocate for students’ interests to the university and all three orders of government. We also provide essential services, programs, and events curated to enhance the student experience, both in and out of the classroom. All undergraduate students are active members of the SU; they benefit from all advocacy initiatives of the SU and can access all SU benefits and privileges (i.e., scholarships and financial awards, the Clubs systems, advocacy efforts, Campus Food Bank etc.). While SU events are primarily accessed by students most frequently on campus, they too are open to all undergraduate students who are interested.

The SU has operated on a differential general fee assessment structure over the past few decades. This structure was created because the SU’s past offerings were largely events-focused, and the SU could not provide remote access to SU services because the internet was not a widely available utility until 2004. Furthermore, students on satellite locations found it difficult to access SU benefits and privileges on main campus due to limited transit connections as the City of Calgary was still expanding its fleet of buses and trains and its transit routing network to meet the teeming population growth in the city.

At the time, the SU’s differential fee assessment was an equitable tool adopted to ensure students were charged general fees that reflected their accessibility to SU benefit and privileges. These concerns are less applicable today as the SU is primarily advocacy-driven and provides unfettered remote access to almost all SU benefits and privileges, thus making the SU’s general fee differential assessment structure out-dated.

Question

Given the background provided above, do you support the proposed update to the SU General Fee structure, starting Fall 2025?

  • YES
  • NO

A REFERENDUM FAQ is available for more information.

 

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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.

  • Nathan Ross
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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 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
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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

  • admin
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President’s Message: Changes to SU Clubs and SU Living Room Movie Times
President’s Message: Changes to SU Clubs and SU Living Room Movie Times 150 150 admin

Hello UCalgary,

April is almost here, and we have a few more notes on events and programs to wrap up this winter term. We’ve also made a pretty big change that affects both existing SU Clubs and new club applications.

SU CLUBS MANDATORY RE-REGISTRATION: MARCH 20 – MAY 15, 2024

Attention SU Clubs: important, time-sensitive changes are coming to SU Clubs Mandatory Requirements. These changes impact both existing SU Clubs and new club applications.

All clubs wishing to maintain active status for the 2024-25 academic year must complete the Re-Registration Form through ClubHub by May 15. All applications to form new clubs for the 2024-25 academic year must be received through the Register an Organization process through ClubHub by May 15. There will be no exceptions for clubs who do not re-register within this time period. Details on the SU Clubs Page.

SU COMMITTEE POSITIONS AVAILABLE

We are looking for students-at-large for two different SU Committees. The Program and Services Committee helps to adjudicate awards and supports SU programs, and the Refugee Student Program Committee helps sponsored students integrate into university life. You can learn more and apply on the SU website. 

SU VACANCIES: FACULTY REPRESENTATIVES POSITIONS

Three faculty rep positions remain vacant after the SU General Election: Veterinary Medicine, Werklund School of Education, and Nursing. These positions will be filled by appointment for a term from May until October. Learn more and apply by March 27. 

SUPER HERO TRIVIA NIGHT AT THE DEN: TUESDAY, MARCH 26

Join us for Super Hero Trivia night at the Den: Tuesday, March 26, from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Reserve your table by emailing theden@su.ucalgary.ca.

LETTERKENNY STAND-UP COMEDY AT MAC HALL: MARCH 30

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-

SU LIVING ROOM: APRIL 3

Take a study break with us! Drop by That Empty Space any time April 3 for complimentary movies and snacks. We’re showing Wonka at 9:30 a.m., Barbie at 11:45 a.m., and The Creator at 2:00 p.m. Plus the first 200 students to drop by can grab a special SU goodie bag to help get you through the exam period.

LOCKERS

Make sure you clean out your locker by April 23. If you leave anything behind, you’ll be able to retrieve it at a cost of $10/bag at Bound and Copied. Unclaimed items will be donated to local charities. Please visit the locker page on our website for more information. If you need a locker for the spring or summer semesters, they will be available to rent starting April 1.

CONSIGN YOUR USED TEXTBOOKS

If you need to get rid of some of those textbooks from your locker, consign them and make some money. Bring your used textbooks to Bound and Copied, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Check out Bound and Copied’s website for more information.

Good luck with your final projects and exams – you’ve got this.

You’ll hear from me again soon, but in the meantime the best way to stay up to date is to follow the SU on Instagram or TikTok at @SUUofC.

Your Students’ Union President,
Shaziah Jinnah Morsette

Follow us!
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

  • Nathan Ross
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Results Announced: 2024 SU General Election
Results Announced: 2024 SU General Election 1280 854 Nathan Ross

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 82nd Students’ Legislative Council (SLC). Undergraduate students were able to cast their vote in the election from March 5-7 to determine which of their peers will represent them to faculties, the university, and the three orders of government.

Only one of the executive races had multiple candidates, and that was for the position of SU President. Both Sandra Amin and Ermia Rezaei-Afsah – who were both Vice-Presidents with the SU in the 81st SLC – ran in the hopes of succeeding outgoing President Shaziah Jinnah Morsette. With 66% of the vote, Ermia Rezaei-Afsah will be the SU President for the 82nd SLC.

They will be joined by Mateusz Salmassi, Jessie Dinh, and Naomie Bakana, who ran uncontested and received a majority of yes votes for the positions of Vice-President External, Vice-President Academic, and Vice-President Internal respectively.

The position of Vice-President Internal is a new position, which combines two previous Vice-President positions which oversaw the responsibilities for student life and operations and finances.

Also running uncontested were the candidates for both the Board of Governors representative and the Senate representatives. Siraaj Shah received a majority of yes votes to claim the singular Board of Governors’ seat, while Muntaha Aamir and Elsa Stokes were voted into the available Senate seats.

Jessie Dinh, VP Academic-Elect celebrates her victory

In the Faculty Representative races, Hannah Kim and Mirza Ali Beg were elected as the two Cumming School of Medicine Faculty. Kim garnered 46.2% of the vote, while Ali Beg received 33.2. Over in the Faculty of Science, Gabriela Dziegielewska, Ben Shi, and Emmanuel Trinidad were elected with 26.6%, 23.2%, and 19.2% respectfully.

Out of the six candidates running for the four seats available for the Faculty of Arts representatives, Aitazaz Shah (20.6%), Edom Girma (20%), Simchah Atanda (19.8%), and Martin Al-Najar (18.4%) were successful. Similarly, there were five candidates ran for the three available seats for the Schulich School of Engineering representatives. Tavish Comrie (25.7%), Debo Dam (22.6%), and Lujaina Eldelebshany (22.6%) have been elected to fill those seats.

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: Elbert Tom
  • Faculty of Law: Safaa Al-Khaz’Aly
  • Faculty of Social Work: Lorraine Ndovi
  • Haskayne School of Business: Farhan Chisty and Uday Singh Sandhu
  • School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape: Julia Law

Students also voted on a referendum regarding proposed changes to the SU’s governing documents. The referendum question is the official mechanism to adopt or reject the proposed incorporation of the SU Constitution into the SU Union Bylaw, and the subsequent rescindment of the SU Constitution. Students will vote to determine whether these SU governing documents can be merged into one. The referendum has passed with 92.8 of the students voting for it.

3,764 students voted in the 2024 General Election, which equates to 13.29% of the undergraduate population. The results announced today are provisional and become official on March 15. Students elected in this General Election will take office on April 29, 2024.

The SU will hold a by-election in October 2024 to fill the following faculty representative vacancies: Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and Werklund School of Education.

Inquiries may be directed to:

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

 

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