Students' Union, UCalgary

The Students’ Union (SU) supports the cancellation of remaining final exams and continues to support health measures and other steps the university has taken to keep students and our campus community safe.

The omicron variant is serious and should be taken as such. The SU encourages all students and all members of our campus community to get fully vaccinated.

However, this decision was once again made at the last minute by university administration.

Senior administration asked for SU input into the potential cancellation or move to online exams last week. The SU was clear and suggested any cancellation or move to online exams should be made and communicated to students by Friday, December 17^th. The SU also asked for consistency and equity as to how instructors would calculate final grades for students who experience a cancelled exam.

The university dithered and has presented no clear plan across the institution.

Similar to when classes were moved online in September, the university has waited until the last minute and, again, it is students who suffer as result.

After 22 months in a pandemic, it is unconscionable that the university does not have a campus-wide contingency plan for this situation or a quick pivot to online exams.

In addition, the university has committed to deciding on the nature of January course delivery on January 4^th. This will be too late for many students and fails to allow them adequate time to plan. The university must be decisive in this matter.

Moving forward, the SU expects university administration to:

1. Make a decision on January course delivery format prior to Christmas to allow students the opportunity to plan their return to Calgary.
2. Oversee an equitable approach across campus for students who have had their exams cancelled.
3. Honour what is written in course outlines and give affected students the option to write a final exam either online or in person at a later date, should they choose.
4. Develop a contingency plan so that students know what will occur should in-person learning and exams be cancelled again in the future.

The SU has continued its advocacy on many fronts throughout November, including the credit granted option, tuition and fees, and meetings with government officials.

On the Credit Granted option (CG), the SU is disappointed and frustrated that the university chose not to follow through on promises it made in the summer to ensure that all undergraduate students have some type of access to CG.

The initial proposal allowed for CGs in up to three semester-long courses over the duration of a student’s degree. Students would need at least a C- in the class in order to use CG. The SU was told there may be reasonable restrictions to CG for required or prerequisite courses.

However, the university has instead allowed the faculty of Engineering and other faculties such as Nursing to completely restrict out of existence the use of CG. Engineering and Nursing students will have no access to CG at all.

CG is important for two reasons: First, it allows students explore academically. They can take classes outside their program at reduced academic risk. Second, and more importantly, CG can help students should they face mental health challenges during their degree.

The university has claimed it takes student mental health seriously but those claims clearly fall flat given the CG decision. The Faculty of Engineering agrees that CG can help address mental health concerns but that was not enough for them to prioritize student mental health in their CG decision. Instead, they refer student to academic supports only, rather than add a new tool to deal with the issue.

The SU is continuing its fight on this issue and our expectation is that the university be held to account for the promises it makes to students.

On tuition, the SU met with the Advanced Education Minister’s Office on the university’s plan to increase Engineering tuition by more than 30% and Medicine by more than 15% for student starting in 2022. The university has failed to provide itemized lists of program improvements funded by these increases. They have also failed to outline performance metrics that will be used to show how the programs have improved thanks to the additional student money.

On the regular and annual tuition increases, the university will increase tuition by 7% for most programs, along with increases to several fees as well. This is going to the Board of Governors for approval on December 10^th. The SU will present and provide the student perspective on this third consecutive year of significant increases.

The Students’ Union is incredibly disappointed that the university has failed to keep its promise to offer all undergraduates a Credit Granted (CG) option.

Over the summer, the SU was assured that all students would be able to make use of CG. We agreed at that time that faculties could impose reasonable restrictions on certain courses like core requirements or prerequisites.

Instead, the university has allowed the Faculty of Engineering to restrict CG out of existence for its students. Students will not be able to CG any courses in that faculty.

This is unacceptable. Students deserve an institution that follows through on its promises.

The University of Calgary administration has failed its students.

CG is vital for two reasons: First, it allows students to explore courses outside of their major without fear of academic consequence. Second, and most importantly, it can assist students who may be facing mental health challenges over the course of their degree.

Despite claiming to prioritize student mental health in documents like the Campus Mental Health Strategy, neither the university nor the Engineering faculty has addressed these concerns in their decision to disallow the CG option for Engineering students.

To qualify for a CG, students must receive at least a C- so students are receiving a passing grade that they then convert to a CG. CG will not cover-up a failing grade. Students can only use CG on up to three semester-long courses over their entire four-year program. Surely there are courses that Engineering students take where a CG can be used without affecting graduation or accreditation.

The bottom line is that the SU took the university at its word that it would implement the CG option, in some form, for all students. Going forward, the SU will be far more skeptical of promises made by the institution.

The SU will continue to call on the university to honour its word in this matter. We encourage the university and the Faculty of Engineering to reconsider its restrictive and ill-conceived approach to CG, and instead prioritize the mental health of students.

The UCalgary Students’ Union looks forward to working closely with the newly elected and sworn-in Calgary City Council. The SU offers its congratulations to Mayor Gondek as she begins in her historic position as the first woman Mayor of Calgary.

The SU also congratulates new Ward 7 Councillor Terry Wong. The SU had a close relationship with the previous Ward 7 Councillor and we look forward to continuing this important relationship.

The SU plans to bring forward important student issues to Mayor Gondek and Councillor Wong, as well as other members of Council. Students are concerned about transit accessibility, plans for the Green Line, the hollowing out of downtown, and how our new elected officials will engage and better involve young people in political processes.

The SU is sending a letter outlining these concerns as well as a request to meet with most City Councillors and the Mayor.

Gender-based and sexual violence is a problem on all post-secondary campuses. UCalgary is no exception. Students and young people look up to our elected officials and expect them to be held to a high standard. The recent revelations regarding Councillor Chu are disturbing.

The SU believes victims and survivors.

Working with Councillor Chu would erase much of the work our organization has done in the area of campus sexual violence. Students deserve an organization who will speak up for them and that is exactly what we are doing.

Our organization is committed to representing all students, including students who have been victims of or affected by sexual violence. Therefore, our organization cannot, in good conscience, engage with Councillor Chu going forward. Many UCalgary students live in ward 4 and deserve effective representation from their Councillor. The SU cannot see how this can be achieved given the current situation.

If you need immediate help and support on this issue or others, please reach out to the Distress Centre by calling them at 403-266-4357. They are available to help 24 hours a day.

Media inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown

External Communications Specialist

University of Calgary Students’ Union

403-560-0577

Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

The SU is disappointed, but not surprised, that the University Board of Governors passed two undergraduate Exceptional Tuition Increases. The increases will affect students starting their studies in fall 2022 in Engineering and the Medical Doctor program. Tuition will increase by more than 30% and 15%, respectively. These increases will now go to the Minister of Advanced Education for final approval.

The SU has opposed these undergraduate increases for the following reasons:

– The SU has not received a full itemized list of program improvements funded by these increases.

– The SU has asked about how the university will measure program improvement over the next five years and how it will determine that the programs have actually improved.

– It is unclear how students feedback this fall has changed the increase proposals, or if it has at all. The SU believes this should be reflected in the proposal submitted to the Minister.

– Recent tuition increases should be considered as a package. An engineering student starting in 2022 will pay at least 50% more than a student who started in 2019.

– Students are having a hard time finding work. To increase tuition by this magnitude during a pandemic and economic downturn is poor timing and ignores the circumstances of students.

The SU was successful in advocating for a delay to approval when these proposals were initially brought forward in May. The SU cautioned the Board of Governors in May and June, that consultation with students was not adequate. The faculties conducted surveys in March and April but failed to tell students what the survey was about or link them in any way to massive tuition increases. It wasn’t until after students had left campus for the summer that the full details of tuition increases were revealed.

The Board of Governors declined to delay the process despite inadequate consultation. Thanks to SU advocacy, the Minister of Advanced Education rejected the proposals and sent them back to the university to conduct proper consultation. The university was forced to consult again throughout the first month of the fall semester and that consultation was more robust.
It remains unclear just how student feedback gained this fall by the university has changed the ETI proposals. The SU strongly believes that if no changes were made as a result of the redone student consultation, the university should note that in its final submission to the Minister.

To prevent such a situation from happening again, the SU is preparing a document that sets out what meaningful consultation looks like and what the roles and responsibilities are for both the SU and the university when it comes to consultation processes. Through this we will make sure that when the university consults with students, students are given the full details of what is occurring and ensure that consultation occurs while students are enrolled in classes.

The SU is anticipating further tuition increases this year, meaning costs for these programs and others will increase further and students will be asked to shoulder that burden going forward.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2021 SU By-Election results
October 15, 2021

Students went to the polls for the SU By-Election in what has become a busy election season. The SU is asking students to vote in several Faculty Representative races, a Senate race, and a series of plebiscite questions with regards to the SU Health & Dental Plan. For the first time, there were no immediate acclamations announced after Nomination Days, instead students were asked to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for uncontested races.

The results are in.

The Faculty of Social Work has chosen Nik Jarvis with 55% of the vote.

Haskayne School of Business students chose Jaime Pablo with 61% of the vote. He will join Adrian Alcantara as the Haskayne Faculty Representative.

For the Cumming School of Medicine, Emily Macphail will join Rafael Sanguinetti as Faculty Representative after winning 97% of the ‘yes’ vote.

For University of Calgary Senate, Armaan Sidhu was elected with 86% of ‘yes’ votes.

Several questions were also posed to students around the SU’s Health & Dental plan. The questions are non-binding and seek to better understand student perspectives on how they use the plan and its future.

Students were asked for their priorities when it came to the dental portion of the plan and the medical portion of the plan. Of students who indicated a preference on the dental plan, the largest plurality of students (21%) are willing to pay up to $15 more per year for improved coverage. Of students who indicated a preference on the health plan, the largest plurality (33%) are willing to pay up to $25 more annually to improve coverage.

On the third question, 50% students who voted support a potential constitutional amendment to allow for price increases to the plan tied to inflation up to a maximum of 4% annually.

The officials elected will serve until the end of April. The SU will be running its General Election next March to form the 80th SLC.

Media inquiries may be directed to:
Mike Brown
External Communications Specialist
University of Calgary Students’ Union
Cell: 403-560-0577
Email: Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

October was a busy month on the advocacy front. The SU was ramping up its efforts ahead of the municipal election. The SU advocacy radio show had been hosting guests each week, including candidates from several wards and the leading mayoral candidates.

The SU was thrilled to see so many students choose to vote on campus while municipal polling stations were open at UCalgary. Our student Get Out the Vote campaign has concluded and we’d like to thank all students who signed up to receive text updates from us about when and where to vote. We’ve drawn the bookstore and Den prizes. Congratulations to all of the winners.

On the ongoing advocacy side of things, the SU is still pushing the university to accept responsibility and adequately compensate students who had most or all classes moved online at the last minute. The bursary the university offered was completely inadequate and failed to fully compensate students and failed to make all affected students eligible as well. Our stance is simple: The university should own the consequences of its actions. To date, it has not.

The SU is continuing to advocate for a campus wide Credit Granted (CG) option. Over the summer, the SU was assured that undergrads in all faculties would have some type of access to CG. It now appears that students in the faculty of Engineering, and others, will not have any access to a CG option. CG allows a student to credit a course and have it not impact their GPA as long as they receive at least a C- in the class.

We are continuing to advocate on this issue and are questioning the university as to why they are not following through with the commitment they made to students in the summer. While we don’t expect all courses to be included in a CG program, we do not believe there is a valid reason for any faculty to completely restrict the option.

Finally, we have two tuition updates to share:

The UCalgary Board of Governors passed the exceptional tuition increase proposals for a second time. These were passed in the early summer but were rejected by the province due to a lack of proper student consultation as a result of SU advocacy efforts. The increases affect the faculties of engineering and medicine. The university consulted with students again throughout the month of September and the consultation was better. What remains unclear is what changed in the tuition proposal content from the summer until now. The SU representative on the Board voted against but the vote still passed 11-5. The SU is looking to meet with the Minister to discuss these proposals further.

The second tuition update is the ‘regular’ tuition increases. This is third and final year that the university will be able to increase tuition by more than inflation. Under regulations right now the university can increase tuition by an average of 7% across programs with no program increased by more than 10%. These increases are largely due to provincial budget cuts. Students are paying the price as a result.

The university is also increasing a number of fees including the Student Services Fee and the Athletics fee. So, if you’re (still) reading this we’d like to hear from you as to whether you think you get value from the Student Services fee you pay or the Athletics fee you pay to subsidize the Dinos. Reach out to us on any of our socials or to feedback@su.ucalgary.ca.