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2022 Students’ Union By-Elections – The Results are In
2022 Students’ Union By-Elections – The Results are In 1934 1004 Michael Brown

Calgary – The Students’ Union is today announcing the results for the 2022 By-Election. Those who have been elected will join the 80th Students’ Legislative Council and will serve until the end of April 2023. In addition, students were asked to vote in a referendum on the topic of the SU Health and Dental plan. Those results are also being announced.

In the three-person race for Vice-President External Mateusz Salmassi won with 39% of the vote.

Faculty representatives were also elected for the Haskayne School of Business, Faculty of Kinesiology, Schulich School of Engineering. The vacancy for the UCalgary Board of Governors Student-at-Large role was also filled by election today.

For the Haskayne School of Business, Aly Samji was elected by business students with 64% of the vote.

Over in Kinesiology, students elected Jessie Dinh with nearly 67% of the vote.

The two students running for the two previously vacant faculty representative positions at the Schulich School of Engineering were each successful in achieving a majority of ‘yes’ votes required to be elected to the role. Jacob Artuso and Abhari Limbu received a majority of ‘yes’ votes and were elected.

Finally, Muntaha Aamir was elected to the UCalgary Board of Governors with 50.6%.

Students were asked to vote on proposed amendments to the SU constitution in relation to the SU Health and Dental Plan. The cost of the health and dental plan is currently subsidized by the SU  and the viability of the plan is at risk. The proposed amendment was to allow the Health and Dental Plan fees to increase with the Consumer Price Index by up to 4% per year to keep up with inflation, without requiring further referendums each time an increase is necessary. Students voted in support of this with nearly 69% of the vote.

In all, 2,132 students voted in the 2022 By-Election. The results announced today are provisional and become official on October 24, 2022.

The roles of Vice-President Operations and Finance and Faculty Representative for the Faculty of Social Work will remain vacant and may be filled by appointment at a later date.

All SU elected positions will go up for election in March 2023 to determine the student leaders who will make up the 81st Students’ Legislative Council.

 

Inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown
External Communications Specialist
Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca
Cell: 403-560-0577

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SU Advocacy Blog – September
SU Advocacy Blog – September 150 150 Michael Brown

Back to school has been a busy time for the SU, and advocacy throughout September is no exception. The SU has been in the media throughout September talking primarily about students heading back to class, their expectations, and the housing crisis in Calgary.

Starting in September and continuing through the fall semester, SU staff and elected officials will be hearing from the university on their plans for tuition. The SU will be advocating for students to be given a break after three consecutive years of increases well above inflation. We have heard from students that they are not only broke but at a financial breaking point.

The SU closed its advocacy survey which will help inform our discussions with the university around tuition and will be valuable to our efforts with the three orders of government as well. We heard that students do not feel they are getting good value for their tuition dollars and the quality of education has not increased despite students paying at least 25% more in tuition since 2019.

We also heard that students want more accountability from the university on how student dollars are spent through mandatory fees like the student services fee and the Dinos athletics fee. Stay tuned for updates on this work.

In September, SLC discussed a document formalizing what the SU, and students, expect for meaningful consultation from the university when it comes to tuition and other issues that affect students. The SU will be sending this to the Provost to formalize a consistent consultation process.

SLC also discussed a series of issue sheets that will be used to advocate to government, primarily the Government of Alberta. As Alberta heads into a provincial election in May 2023, the SU intends to be active to raise the profile of student and post-secondary issues. Stay tuned for more.

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Notice of Election: By-Election 2022
Notice of Election: By-Election 2022 150 150 Gene Baines

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

Vice President External (1)
Board of Governors Representative (1)
Faculty of Social Work Representative (1)
Faculty of Kinesiology Representative (1)
Haskayne School of Business Representative (1)
Schulich School of Engineering Representative (2)

Online voting will take place on the 12th, 13th, and 14th days of October, 2022 through the myUofC Student Centre. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on October 12th and closes at 4 p.m. on October 14th, 2022. All University of Calgary undergraduate students registered in the Fall 2022 session are eligible to vote.

VACANCY

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

Vice President Operations and Finance (1)

For more information, visit www.su.ucalgary.ca/elections.

DATED at the University of Calgary in the City of Calgary, Province of Alberta, this 29th day of September 2022.

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Clubs Week, SU By-Election, and Pet Therapy
Clubs Week, SU By-Election, and Pet Therapy 150 150 Gene Baines

Hello UCalgary,

There’s already a lot happening this fall, and we are only in the third week. Here is a quick round-up of upcoming events and important deadlines:

Clubs Week

Clubs Week is back in Mac Hall! Check out hundreds of different clubs, explore your interests, and make some new friends. You can preview the whole Clubs list here, or just drop by Mac Hall North and South Courtyards all this week.

Pet Therapy

The puppies are back, too. Join us on Wednesday from 12 – 1:30 p.m. in That Empty Space (lower level Mac Hall), and enjoy a visit with our friends from PALS.

SU By-Election

Are you a leader in the campus community? Would you like to be? Consider running in the upcoming SU By-Election. We have eight vacancies (faculty rep positions for Kinesiology, Social Work, Haskayne, and Schulich (2), a Board of Governors Student-at-Large, Vice President Operations and Finance, and Vice President External. Nomination days are coming up Sept. 26 – 28. All the info you need is here on our website.

Health and Dental Referendum (SU By-Election)

You may not have heard yet, but there will be a referendum question on the ballot during the SU By-Election. We’re asking students to make a decision about indexing the SU Health and Dental Plan fees to inflation, to maintain existing benefits and keep the cost of the plan predictable over time. It’s really important that you learn about this issue and vote (on your Student Centre, October 12 – 14!), even if you don’t use the plan yourself. You can read the question and learn more on our website.

Advocacy Survey

We are running an advocacy survey right now to learn how students feel about the return to campus, access to voting, and rising costs. Your responses will guide our efforts on these issues. We have extended the deadline until this Friday, Sept. 23 in order to hear from as many students as possible. Please take a few minutes to fill out the to fill out the 2022 SU Summer Advocacy Survey.

Fall Food Drive and Stack the Mac

October is Food Security Month, and we are holding our annual  Fall Food Drive. There are three easy ways to make a difference on campus. You can make a donation in person, a monetary donation on our GoFundMe page, or join us Oct. 5 in Mac Hall for our Stack the Mac event. (Bring a box of mac and cheese and help us build a tower taller than Rex!)

Are you an undergraduate researcher?

Finally, have you spent some time in the lab and made a unique discovery? Will your critical analysis lead to positive social change? Share your accomplishments at the Undergraduate Research Symposium for the chance to win a scholarship. Abstracts are due Sept. 29 at 4:00 p.m. For more information or to submit an abstract, visit our website.

I’ll be back with another email soon – there is always lots to share. In the meantime, the best way to stay up to date is to follow the SU on social media, @SUUofC.

 

All the best,

Nicole Schmidt,
President, Students’ Union

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Release: Textbook Broke – Students looking for affordable ways to study
Release: Textbook Broke – Students looking for affordable ways to study 150 150 Michael Brown

Calgary – Students have returned to classes at the University of Calgary, facing a much less affordable environment than when the pandemic first hit. Students have endured skyrocketing cost pressures well prior to the current inflation crisis.

 

UCalgary students are paying at least 25% more in tuition than they did in 2019, with no corresponding increase in education quality. Fees for student services, recreation, and athletics have also seen double-digit percentage increases since 2019.

 

On top of that, simply affording study materials, like textbooks, is increasingly difficulty for students. In a 2021 SU survey, 85% of students identified the cost of textbooks and other required course materials as a source of financial stress and hardship. In 2018, MacLean’s magazine found that Canadian students spend an average of $773 on textbooks each year. This number is likely even higher today.

 

“Students aren’t just broke, they’re at a breaking point,” says SU VP Academic, Shaziah Jinnah Morsette. “Tuition, fees, books, and rent have all increased at rates well above inflation for the last three years. The current inflation crisis has compounded it even more. We need government and universities to help. One way they can do that is to support, encourage, and fund Open Educational Resources (OER).”

 

OERs are any type of teaching, learning, and research resource, from textbooks to presentations, that are free and openly available through an open copyright license like Creative Commons to allow for repurposing and sharing of OERs by others. Traditional textbooks and materials come with more restrictive copyright licenses. However, awareness for using OERs as a solution to the costly burden of traditional textbooks is still growing.

 

The Students’ Union (SU) sees tremendous value for students in OER initiatives. Following years of provincial inaction, in 2021, the SU committed $500,000 to support the development of OERs. This money is creating up to fifty new OERs over five years. While provincial funding in Ontario and British Columbia have led to millions in savings, Alberta lags behind in supporting OERs. Ontario and B.C. students have saved nearly $40 million in costs thanks to government investment in those provinces.

 

“While the Alberta 2030 initiative mentions OERs, it is unclear what action the province will take to catch up to comparator provinces like Ontario and BC,” says SU VP Academic, Shaziah Jinnah Morsette. “What is clear is that students cannot continue to wait for real action. That’s why we have partnered with our university library on our own OER project to support OER use and development.”

 

The SU joins calls from students, student associations, and other organizations in asking for institutional and government support for OERs. It is a simple and effective way to help students save money and continue to be able to access a post-secondary education.

 

Media inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown, External Communications Specialist

University of Calgary Students’ Union

Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

403-560-0577

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  • Gene Baines
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Notice of Referendum – By-Election 2022
Notice of Referendum – By-Election 2022 1934 1004 Gene Baines

Background

The Students’ Legislative Council is proposing an amendment to the SU Constitution which would allow for small, predictable increases to the fee amounts charged to students enrolled in the SU Health and Dental Plans to occur without a referendum when necessary, rather than larger, less frequent, but potentially unexpected increases through referenda.

If this amendment is approved, it would help ensure the coverage levels of the Plans for students would not need to be cut and can be maintained in the long-term, while providing predictability to students.

  • The SU does not profit from the Health and Dental Plans and currently subsidizes the plan costs, which it cannot do in the long-term.
  • The SU would only initiate a fee increase if necessary to maintain coverage levels and ensure the Plans continue to break even.
  • These increases would be tied to the Alberta Consumer Price Index (“CPI”), a reliable indicator of changes in consumer prices, calculated by the Government of Alberta.
  • The fee increases would only be allowed up to a maximum of 4% per year.
  • Students would be informed of any upcoming changes to the price of their Plans prior to the payment deadline in case they wished to opt out from the Health and Dental Plans.

If this amendment is not approved, the SU Constitution will remain as is. Students will need to
vote on all future increases to the Plan fees through other referendum questions. Should those
referenda be defeated, the SU will need to reduce the coverage of the Health and Dental Plans to
compensate for their increasing costs.

Question

Given the Background provided above, do you support amending the Students’ Union Constitution
by creating Article IX.D.1.a as follows:

“Fees for the health and dental plans may be increased with the Alberta Consumer Price Index, up to an annual limit of 4 per cent, without a referendum question being put to members to ensure financial sustainability of the plans.”

  • YES
  • NO

See the SU Elections page for more information.

[download]

Please see the Referendum FAQ for more information.

[/download]

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Notice of Nomination – By-Election 2022
Notice of Nomination – By-Election 2022 1934 1004 Gene Baines

Notice is hereby given that Nomination Days are Monday, September 26 to Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Nominations for the election of a candidate for the following offices will be received at Council Chambers in MacEwan Student Centre, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Office Avaiable (# of Vacancies)

  • Vice President External (1)
  • Vice President Operations and Finance (1)
  • Board of Governors Representative (1)
  • Faculty of Social Work Representative (1)
  • Faculty of Kinesiology Representative (1)
  • Haskayne School of Business Representative (1)
  • Schulich School of Engineering Representative (2)

Nomination Packages are available on the SU Elections Documents page. See the SU Elections page for more election information.

 

 

 

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Summer Advocacy Update
Summer Advocacy Update 150 150 Michael Brown

As campus gears back up to welcome back students for the fall, the SU was busy over the summer months advocating to all three orders of government and the university on a variety of issues. Here’s your summer update.

Provincial Government

The SU met with Health Minister Jason Copping, who also represents the university and surrounding communities in the legislature. The SU discussed tuition and the need for a student jobs program with the Minister. Students have been without a jobs program since the cancellation of the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) in 2019. Neither of the jobs programs announced by the UCP government include students. In summer of 2021, one in four students looking for full-time work was unable to find it.

The SU met with several members of the Official Opposition caucus on the jobs issue as well. The SU was able to secure a commitment that the Opposition would bring back STEP to help students find summer work with four times the budget from the cancelled program. The Opposition expects it will help create 12,000 summer student employment opportunities.

Throughout the summer, the SU conducted research on a number of provincial policy asks with the intention to advocate to Alberta’s major political parties to include these policies in their platforms ahead of the next provincial election anticipated for May 2023. The annual SU advocacy survey is currently out and receiving student feedback on these issues. The SU plans to ramp up its efforts through the fall and winter in an attempt to push student issues to the forefront of the upcoming election campaign.

Federal Government

The SU’s advocacy team travelled to Ottawa to begin setting federal advocacy priorities through the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). The SU hosted CASA delegates in Calgary in August to finalize priorities ahead of CASA’s annual advocacy week in November.

The SU also met with the NDPs critic for advanced education to discuss federal priorities around jobs, student financial aid, and mental health.

Municipal Government

The SU held an advocacy day at Calgary City Hall and met with four Councillors or their staff. Discussions primarily centred around the housing crunch in Calgary, transit safety, and the UPass program. The SU secured a commitment from a Councillor to pursue potential changes to the UPass model and to include students as stakeholders in decision-making around transit.

University Administration

The SU continues to push the university to fulfill its promises on the Credit Granted (CG) option for students. The university made a commitment that all undergraduate students would have reasonable access to CG. Instead administration has allowed certain faculties to regulate CG out of existence. The SU is working on a solution to ensure some access for all students.

The university increased tuition through the Exceptional Tuition Increase process last year. Undergraduate increases occurred to engineering (32%) and Medicine (15.7%). The SU has asked that the university provide metrics for at least the next five years as to how these additional student dollars will be spent. The university has not provided metrics to this point and we will continue to push on this issue through the fall.

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The Facts About the Q Centre Pandemic Closure
The Facts About the Q Centre Pandemic Closure 1200 801 Gene Baines

Over the last couple of years, the Q Centre, along with many other SU and campus spaces, have not operated to full capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, the SU was forced to make many difficult administrative and operational decisions about our spaces and services, such as ensuring an essential level of staff and appropriate financial resources were available. Because more than 90% of our annual revenue is generated through on-campus businesses that had to be closed, the SU’s finances were devastated over the last two years, and we had to lay off more than 80% of our staff.

Despite this, the Q Centre was identified as a high priority service, even if we were only able to run it at limited capacity. We recognize that the centre provides vital support for vulnerable LGBTQ2SIA+ students, and this is precisely why we made efforts to provide programming and supports (including peer support) throughout the pandemic. While some have not been happy with this solution, our Q Centre coordinator and volunteers worked hard under difficult circumstances to offer peer support by appointment, information booths, social media content and engagement, and events during the physical closure of the centre.

When most classes returned to in-person learning in March of 2022, the SU made the difficult decision not to re-open its physical student spaces or the SU office. Clubs’ spaces, Volunteer Services, and the Q Centre remained closed. However, we’re happy to announce that the SU has hired Q Centre coordinators who will begin their roles shortly prior to the centre re-opening in the upcoming fall semester. We look forward to welcoming back students to these spaces.

There has been inaccurate information circulated recently about the decision to not re-open the Q Centre for the final weeks of the Winter 2022 semester. The SU would like to take the opportunity to address that here.

Why was the Q Centre not re-opened when most students returned to class in March 2022?

The SU was not able to open several physical student spaces in March and April 2022 including the Q Centre, Clubs’ spaces, and the Volunteer Services office. Opening these spaces required ongoing compliance with health measures from both government and university policies and presented potential health concerns for staff and students. When these policies were lifted, the SU made the decision (like many other university services) to prioritize safety and caution over a rapid, politically motivated re-opening and did not follow suit. We lacked the staffing and resources to ensure a safe re-opening at that time. Hiring and training volunteers was also challenging with the limited amount of time left in the term when students did return to campus. The SU did commit to offering some in-person events in the final weeks of the term while students were on campus. However, we remained unable to re-open the centre fully.

In light of the decision to keep these spaces closed, our Q Centre student coordinator and small team of volunteers continued to work hard to engage with students via social media. They made themselves available for support through appointments, information booths, and continued to run events when pandemic restrictions allowed. They also provided peer support appointments and other virtual resources upon request.

While we recognize that not everyone agrees with this solution, we did the best we could under challenging circumstances and sincerely appreciate the patience and compassion students have shown throughout this period of transition.

Why isn’t the Q Centre open for Spring and Summer 2022?

The Q Centre has never in its history been open during the spring and summer semesters. The space will be open again in fall 2022.

Why haven’t there been support services available for LGBTQ2SIA+ UCalgary students?

This is false information. While the physical Q Centre space has been closed, the Q Centre volunteers and SU staff have continued to provide support and important programming for students both virtually and in person.

Our Q Centre coordinator and volunteers offered support to the LGBTQ2SIA+ community through peer support by appointment, information booths, social media content and engagement, and events during the physical closure of the centre. Students were able to participate in a film screening, discussion night, information booths, and a skating event this past semester.

Why were decisions about the Q Centre space made without consulting the LGBTQ2SIA+ campus community?

The SU has always been committed to consulting with students on advocacy and programming. We do this frequently with the students who frequent the Q Centre, especially when it involves issues with the potential to impact the LGBTQ2SIA+ community. However, we hire staff to make operational decisions for the centre. Decisions that involve staffing, budgets, and safety are made by SU staff who are subject matter experts and have the experience to make informed and calculated choices.

Was the Q Centre Coordinator on the SU payroll during the Winter semester?

Yes. A part-time coordinator was hired to work 15 hours a week to coordinate the limited service the Q Centre could offer during the pandemic. During a “normal” year with the physical space opened, though, two coordinators would have been hired to effectively manage all the requirements of the centre.

Isn’t the Q Centre ‘self-sufficiently’ run by volunteers?

No. The day-to-day operations of the Q Centre in a “normal” year are managed by two paid Q Centre coordinators as well as volunteers. The centre is also supported by full-time SU staff who manage IT, risk management, budgeting and finance, human resources, health and safety, marketing, and maintenance of the facilities. Re-opening the centre is not as simple as unlocking the door.

Do volunteers only need a small amount of training to be able to support the Q Centre?

As with all of our volunteer programs, Q Centre volunteers are required to meet the SU’s high standard for volunteer management. This means that volunteers go through a rigorous training process and returning volunteers must complete this process annually.

Wasn’t the Q Centre created and fought for by students?

Queers on Campus proposed the creation of a centre for LGBTQ2SIA+ students over a decade ago and the idea was immediately and enthusiastically embraced by the SU. A queer SU staff member, who is still with the organization, was tasked with making the centre a reality and the SU opened the Q Centre less than a year later. To suggest that the SU fought against the creation of the Q Centre is completely false and erases all the hard work done by members of the LGBTQ2SIA+ community to build it.

Why did the SU stop responding to certain student communications on this matter?

The SU is proud of our reputation of being responsive to student concerns. SU staff and officials have continued to respond to student inquiries about the Q Centre. However, there has been an increasing amount of inappropriate, aggressive, and harassing behavior directed at SU elected officials, staff, and volunteers from a small group of students upset about the closure of the Q Centre. The SU has had to respond to threats to publicize names and contact information of SU officials and staff and belligerent in-person conduct at our information booths – this is unprofessional and bullying behaviour.

While the SU is always open to respectful advocacy, SU officials, staff, and volunteers do not deserve to be exposed to communications that harass them whether by phone, email, or social media. It is hypocritical of individuals who claim to be concerned about mental health issues to engage in behaviours, such as making personal threats and bullying, that are profoundly traumatizing for people. Such behaviour, coupled with a lack of accountability regarding their call to harass SU staff and officials, resulted in the SU ceasing contact with the individuals calling for this harassment.

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Release: Data shows more than thirty per cent in cuts to Alberta post-secondary institutions
Release: Data shows more than thirty per cent in cuts to Alberta post-secondary institutions 150 150 Michael Brown

Data shows more than thirty per cent in cuts to Alberta post-secondary institutions

Calgary – Recently compiled data shows the depth of post-secondary funding cuts over the last five years in Alberta. Data from Higher Education Strategy Associates shows a 31% cut to funding over the last five years and a 9% per cent cut over the last year alone.

While provinces like British Columbia and Quebec have invested in education by bolstering funding over the last five years to the tune of 10% and 16%, respectively, Alberta has made, by far, the deepest cuts of any province.

“Over the last five years, but in the last three especially, Alberta has become a laggard when it comes to both post-secondary funding and student financial aid,” said SU President Nicole Schmidt. “Students are literally paying the price through increased tuition. Students have become a forgotten stakeholder. While the UCP meet with us, they largely fail to take action on student priorities like tuition, student aid, and jobs.”

In addition to massive cuts, the province has allowed tuition to balloon by approximately 25% for UCalgary students. The Minister of Advanced Education also approved double-digit increases to Engineering and Medicine for students starting this fall. The 2022 Alberta budget projects that Alberta students will pay $149 million more in tuition this year than they did last year.

“An Engineering student starting their studies this fall will pay about 60% more in tuition than in 2019,” said President Schmidt. “Students are telling us that they aren’t seeing increases in quality despite paying much, much more for their education. This is a problem and one the province is refusing to address.”

Students are not receiving much support from the Alberta government when it comes to funding their education either. Alberta’s student aid program relies most heavily on debt, meaning that students tackle skyrocketing tuition by going further into debt. Other provinces have a more even mix of debt and grant funding.

Finally, the province continues to fail students by not stepping up to provide a student jobs program. Both Jobs Now, announced last year, and Alberta at Work provide no support to help students find summer work to cover their ever-increasing tuition bills and living expenses. Last summer one in four UCalgary students who wanted full-time summer work were unable to find it. Summer 2022 looks no different.

It is time for the Alberta government to step up and support students through proper funding, student aid, and a jobs program.

Media inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown

External Communications Specialist

University of Calgary Students’ Union

Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

403-560-0577

 

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