News

  • admin
  • No Comments

NOTICE OF NOMINATION: BY-ELECTION 2026
NOTICE OF NOMINATION: BY-ELECTION 2026 150 150 admin

Notice is hereby given that Nomination Days are Tuesday, September 22 and Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Nominations for the election of candidates for the following offices will be accepted virtually from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Offices Available (# of Vacancies)

  • Faculty of Social Work Representative (1)
  • School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Rep (1)
  • Schulich School of Engineering Representative (2)
  • Senate, Student-at-Large Representative (1)

More information can be found on the SU By-elections page. 

  • admin
  • No Comments

SUMMER ADVOCACY SURVEY
SUMMER ADVOCACY SURVEY 150 150 admin

Right now, you can tell us exactly which issues matter most to you by completing our annual SU Summer Advocacy Survey. We’ll ask you about tuition and fees, employment, food insecurity, housing, and more. Your responses will guide our efforts in these areas, so please take a few minutes to fill it out by Friday, Sept. 18.

2026 SUMMER SURVEY

  • admin
  • No Comments

Budget Advocacy Update: One SU Recommendation Underway, Another Submitted
Budget Advocacy Update: One SU Recommendation Underway, Another Submitted 150 150 admin

Your SU has exciting news about our work to advance your priorities to the Governments of Alberta and Canada.

Textbooks shouldn’t break the bank: $3 million invested in open access materials

Ahead of Budget 2026, we submitted recommendations to the Government of Alberta (which you can read here). Among them was a proposal to invest $1 million into developing more free learning materials, also known as Open Education Resources (OER). Not only did the Ministry of Advanced Education take the proposal and run, but they also committed $3 million over the next three years. This investment comes at a time when students can expect to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on commercial reading lists.

The Ministry is finalizing the roll-out and began consulting students’ groups including the SU last month. We ran an on-campus survey to inform our first meeting, so if you were among the 60 students who shared painful memories of eye-watering textbook prices, we salute your bravery. (Missed us that day? Email your thoughts on OER to your Vice President Academic and we’ll use them in future feedback.) On-campus experts Sarah Adams, open education librarian, and Alex Poppendorf, education researcher, also kindly shared their advice with us.

Today, we followed up with a written submission to aid the Ministry’s work, in partnership with UCalgary’s very own Graduate Students’ Association (GSA). Among other things, we suggested a funding model involving students jobs as well as savings. We’ll keep you updated as the Ministry’s work unfolds.

Bringing campuses up to code: improving accessibility for everyone

UCalgary celebrates its 60th birthday as a university this year, but did you know the campus is even older than that? Construction began in 1959, when UCalgary was still a branch of UAlberta, and some buildings are showing their age. Today, many ‘accessibility’ features on our main campus are anything but accessible, ranging from unadjusted washrooms to elevators with outswing doors.

In Canada, older facilities aren’t required to meet modern accessibility standards, which can limit the access of students with disabilities to an education they pay full price for. Inaccessible spaces also pose challenges for other groups, like staff with temporary injuries, or grandparents hoping to attend graduation ceremonies.

UCalgary isn’t even Canada’s oldest campus, which is why your SU is urging the Government of Canada to help improve public post-secondary accessibility. Every year, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance receives recommendations ahead of the next federal budget. We suggested creating a $30 million Accessible Campus Fund for campus upgrades and retrofits, ranging from automatic doors to audiovisual tools, based on the existing federal Enabling Accessibility Fund.

Read our full submission here, which also contains a series of recommendations by the GSA to supercharge Canadian productivity and innovation through research and graduate funding. The SU and GSA will be discussing our recommendations with Members of Parliament in the coming months, and you’ll be the first to hear of developments in these campaigns.

Quick links
  • 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

Quality Money is Your Money: Don’t Let the University Decide Where it Should Go
Quality Money is Your Money: Don’t Let the University Decide Where it Should Go 150 150 admin

Quality Money (QM) is a unique tuition rebate program that gives students a say over where their dollars should go. Every year, the student-run QM Committee reads through applications and selects innovative, impactful projects that enhance our campus. With just a fraction of annual tuition revenue, QM has launched over 100 initiatives since 2003. Projects you may be familiar with include:

The $3 Quality Meal at The Den

The SU Wellness Centre

The Science Collaborative Study Space

Expansion of the African Studies program

UCalgary's red arch (without QM, it would still be beige)

The Affordable Market at the Campus Food Hub

The UCalgary Recovery Community

Residence's Outdoor Study Space

(Check out our vid on Instagram for more!)

This year, senior university leadership told the SU that they don't see the value of one of the biggest student-led programs on campus. Instead, they want to absorb QM funds into the university's regular budget, eliminating student choice entirely.

Leadership claims their plan is primarily based on the results of UCalgary's 2025 student survey... but the answers this survey received don't actually support their plan to reallocate QM's funds. The university wants to invest most of QM's budget (60%) into classrooms — even though students placed classrooms fifth out of eight on their list of priorities. The university also plans to address the 96% of students who opposed this year’s tuition increase by adding just 0.3% to its existing financial aid budget.

We heard a different message from you: you’re tired of annual tuition hikes, and you at least want to know where your money goes. We don't think UCalgary will adequately resolve your concerns by clawing back the tiny fraction of tuition that students get to manage for themselves every year. With QM, you know exactly where your money goes: every project ever funded is available on our website for your review.

If QM is taken away, students will lose this direct say over how their money should be spent. We believe students have the best understanding of what students need, but without QM, there'll be no mechanism available to pilot now-established services like the Annual Flu Clinic, or introduce spaces like Spyhill's Accessible Exam Centre (both of which were student ideas). We don’t think the university (or even the SU) should get to unilaterally decide what happens to your tuition rebate without you.

That’s why we want to hear from you before UCalgary takes the decision out of your hands. If you…

  • See value to a program that lets students shape the campus they pay a premium for,
  • Have ever used, enjoyed, or benefited from an initiative funded by QM,
  • Have a great idea for enhancing our campus that won't be possible if QM goes away,
  • Have ever worked on a QM project yourself, or
  • Think QM could be improved, but don’t think the university should get to decide what that looks like for you

…then we want to hear from you. Email your thoughts to your SU President, or send the SU a signed copy of the template letter below. We’ll present your voice to executive leadership and make sure the university’s most senior officials know exactly how you feel.

Discussions with the university on QM's future are still underway. We’ll have more updates for you as they develop.

Click for: a template letter

Below is a template letter you could use to support preserving QM. You can write your own, or simply sign the below if it speaks to you. Send your letter in PDF, Microsoft Word, or email format to supres@ucalgary.ca or reception@su.ucalgary.ca.

---

Subject: Protect Student Choice by Keeping Quality Money (QM) Alive

Dear University of Calgary leadership,

I write to express my support for the Quality Money (QM) program, which gives students a direct say in how our money should be spent on our campus. QM allows us to leverage a portion of our tuition dollars to advance projects that improve our experience. The ability to propose, evaluate and otherwise support these initiatives ourselves embodies genuine student choice. This cannot be replaced by a top-down allocation model that the university unilaterally decides to impose.

We therefore request that University of Calgary leadership:

  • Preserve the Quality Money program as a student‑governed funding mechanism.
  • Revoke any proposal that removes our authority to directly decide where our tuition rebate dollars should be spent.

Thank you for respecting the right of students to shape the resources that affect our daily lives.

Click to learn more about: QM's track record

From a review of projects initiated in five funding years (2015-16/2019-20).

  • 80%+ of projects intended to achieve sustainability (e.g. a wellness service) or create specific deliverables (e.g. equipment) succeed
  • ~10% of QM projects introduce a responsive intervention to a temporary issue (e.g. emergency student supports)
  • Applicants most commonly apply for QM funding because there is no suitable university funding channel available
  • Many applicants also seek QM funding because they need to establish proof of concept before applying for internal and external funding sources
Click to find out: why applicants applied to QM, in their own words

These are quotes taken from Quality Money applicants over the program's many years (edited for brevity).

“While we are pursuing sustainable funding sources, a QM grant will allow us to keep our program running over the coming year. If we can't continue the program for a full year while we work to secure funding, we risk compromising relationships with faculty and returning contributors.” — Staff member, on a program that runs to this day

“The initial phase of this project will act as a 'proof of concept' to quantifiably demonstrate the demand for this service, as well as its effectiveness. It is currently our intention to use the information we collect to strengthen our argument that the university should fund this in the future.” — Student, applying for a program UCalgary now runs annually

“My department is currently preparing a budget for this service going forward, but there are significant immediate needs that QM can address.” — Faculty member, describing the benefits of QM's flexibility

Contact your SU President

Contact your SU Representatives

Back to top

  • admin
  • No Comments

NOTICE OF ELECTION: GENERAL ELECTION 2026
NOTICE OF ELECTION: GENERAL ELECTION 2026 150 150 admin

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

POSITION (# of positions available)

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

Online voting will take place on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th days of March, 2026 through myUofC Student Centre. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on March 3rd and closes at 4 p.m. on March 5th, 2026. Polling stations are located at the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) building, MacEwan Student Centre, and Science Theatres, and are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on each voting day. All University of Calgary undergraduate students registered in the Winter 2026 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 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)

Please visit the SU Elections page for updates and information.

  • admin
  • No Comments

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

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

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

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

OFFICES AVAILABLE (# of vacancies)

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

Nomination Packages are available online on the Election Documents page.

  • admin
  • No Comments

NOTICE OF REFERENDUM – GE 2026
NOTICE OF REFERENDUM – GE 2026 150 150 admin
Background

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

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

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

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

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

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

Question

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

  • YES
  • NO

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

Please refer to the Referendum FAQ page for additional information.

  • admin
  • No Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What does the Policy mean in practice?

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

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

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

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

On following the policy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On what grounds can my eligibility be challenged?

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

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

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

On accessing support related to the policy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where else can I turn to for help?

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

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

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

On-campus resources

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

Off-campus resources

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