Students' Union, UCalgary

SU @UCalgary
  • admin
  • No Comments

Advocacy Blog: Affordable Housing and Tuition Consultation
Advocacy Blog: Affordable Housing and Tuition Consultation 150 150 admin

Housing Affordability

The SU advocacy team has been advocating to city council about the importance of supporting and implementing the housing affordability recommendations, which were brought to committee on September 14th. The SU advocacy team spoke with city councillors leading up to the vote about the impact that skyrocketing rental prices and extremely low vacancy rates have had on students, urging councillors to pass all the recommendations.

Students made their voices heard loud and clear at City Hall on September 14th, joining hundreds of others rallying for housing affordability. The energized group heard messages of support from Mayor Gondek, Councilor Wallcott, and many inspiring individuals sharing the impact that the housing crisis is having on folks in Calgary during the rally.

VP External, Mateusz Salmassi, and passionate students Isabella Rodriguez Pinedo, Michael Storozhakov, and Siraaj Shah spoke at the public hearing expressing that the strategy is essential for students and Calgarians alike. On September 16th the strategy was successfully passed in full with additional amendments which prioritize student housing and landlord licensing.

What exactly does this mean? Passing the ‘Home is Here’ housing strategy means many positive things for students and increased access to affordable and safe living accommodations. This includes 25 million dollars invested into post-secondary student housing, exploring landlord licensing, 3,000 new non-market homes and an additional 1,000 market homes per year, incentives for secondary suites, zoning changes, and many more positive strategies to address the housing crisis. Passing the strategy is an exciting step towards a more affordable future for all Calgarians. The SU advocacy team will continue to engage with councillors and all levels of government to ensure that these recommendations are effectively implemented.

The SU would like to extend a huge thank you to every person who helped to make the passing of the strategy possible. From students who wrote to their city councillor, helped volunteer, showed up at the rally, or spoke at the public hearing, we couldn’t have done it without you, thank you.

Tuition and Fee Consultation

This month marks the start of the tuition and fee consultation process with the university as they prepare their proposal for the next round of tuition and fee increases. Preliminary proposals for tuition and fee increases were made by the university sharing a 2% proposed increase to domestic tuition, a 10% proposed increase to international tuition, and a 2% increase to all mandatory fees.

As part of the consultation process elected officials and students were provided a chance to respond to the preliminary proposal during SLC on Tuesday, September 26th. The meeting is the first of many meetings which will serve as a chance for both students and SU elected officials to urge admin to take student feedback into consideration. SU president, Shaziah Jinnah Morsette, and VP External, Mateusz Salmassi presented to admin during the September 26th meeting specifically sharing the SU’s expectations and asks regarding the proposal.

So, what are our asks? The SU calls for administration to align international tuition increases with domestic tuition increases. All students are facing significant affordability challenges and disproportionately penalizing international students is something the SU will not stand behind! Additionally, the SU urges administration to increase investment in international student services to better support international students. The SU also calls for a freeze on all fees until there is increased transparency about where money is going and the quality of services that they promise to provide has increased. Students should get good quality services in return for their fees, and this is currently not the case.

Consultations will continue throughout the coming weeks. On October 11th, the university will hold a Student Community Discussion in MacEwan Ballroom. On October 31st, administration will attend a second SLC meeting. Student engagement is essential to make sure that the future proposal reflects what students want.

A Win for Haskayne Student Representatives

The SU is also extremely proud to announce that faculty representatives have secured a voting seat on the Haskayne Faculty Council. Student representatives have not had a vote on the council since 2015 and have worked extremely hard to make sure that students have been afforded a seat at the table.

  • admin
  • No Comments

President’s Message: Rally for affordable housing, clubs week, and some important surveys
President’s Message: Rally for affordable housing, clubs week, and some important surveys 150 150 admin

Hello UCalgary,

There’s already a lot happening this fall, and we are only in the second week. Here is a quick list of upcoming events and ways you can help make sure student voices are being heard:

Rally for housing affordability this Thursday: see you on the bus!

Everyone knows someone who has struggled to find an affordable place to live this year. City councillors are voting on a Housing and Affordability Taskforce recommendation package that would make it easier to build more affordable housing for students and all Calgarians.

Let’s show city councillors that voting in favour of affordable housing is the right thing to do.

We have a bus to take rally attendees to City Hall. To join us on the bus, please meet us no later than 11:15 a.m. at the education bus loop located just off the intersection of University Drive and 24 Avenue NW (Google Maps link for visualization). Please note that space on the busses will be limited, so if you would like to come down and cannot meet us at that time, the C-Train runs directly from University Station directly to City Hall, and we will be joining the rally there at noon!

Join us at City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 12 p.m  – sign up now.

Give your feedback on course feedback (deadline Sept. 12)

The way in which students give feedback on their courses is changing – now is your chance to help design a better survey. Your VP Academic, Sandra Amin, is part of a committee to create surveys that are more intentional and inclusive. Give us your feedback at this link by Sept. 12.

Advocacy Survey

We are running an advocacy survey right now to learn how students feel about tuition and fees, employment, food insecurity, housing, and more. Your responses will guide our efforts on these issues. Please take a few minutes to fill out the SU Summer Advocacy Survey by Friday, Sept. 22.

SU By-Election nominations

Are you a leader in the campus community? Would you like to be? Consider running in the upcoming SU By-Election. We have five vacant Faculty Rep positions: Arts (2), Schulich School of Engineering (1), Nursing (1), and Veterinary Medicine (1). Nomination days are coming up Sept. 25 – 27. All the info you need is here on our website.

Apply to join an SU Committee (deadline Sept. 19 at 4:30 p.m.)

Looking for other ways to get involved on campus? We have student-at-large positions available on many different committees. See the whole list here.

Clubs Week is Sept. 18 – 22

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 next week.

Pet Therapy

The puppies are back, too. Join us on Wednesday, Sept. 20 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. in That Empty Space (lower level Mac Hall), and enjoy a visit with our friends from PALS.

Are you an undergraduate researcher?

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.

81st Executive Annual Plan 23-34

Last but not least, SLC voted last week to approve our Executive Annual Plan for 2023-24. You can find the annual plan and last year’s Report to the Community on our website.

Shaziah,
Your Students’ Union President

Follow us!
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

  • admin
  • No Comments

President’s Message: More things to know in September
President’s Message: More things to know in September 150 150 admin

Hello UCalgary,

I hope you had a chance to check out Monday’s email that featured a list of welcome back events (the first event is Friday: Dinos Kickoff Tailgate at McMahon Stadium). This email is going to focus on what your SU has been up to, as well as some of the other things you should know for September.

Advocacy update

We’ve been busy all summer working on issues that impact students:

  • speaking to media and raising awareness about the student housing crisis;
  • working with the SU Wellness Centre to get students access to walk-ins this fall; and
  • working with university admin to make sure students would have real term breaks without assignments due.

There is so much more, and if you want a full recap of our summer, check out our advocacy blog.

Speaking of advocacy, we are running a survey right now to learn as much as we can about your priorities and make sure we are putting our efforts in the right places. Please take a few minutes to fill out the SU Summer Advocacy Survey by Friday, Sept. 22.

Run in the SU By-Election

Maybe you want to join us! Have you ever thought about being a faculty rep? We are having a By-Election to fill vacancies in Arts (2), Schulich School of Engineering (1), Nursing (1), and Veterinary Medicine (1). All the details are available here.

Choose your locker

Need a locker? My first year locker was in Professional Faculties on the way to the bus loop, and it turned out to be the perfect place to keep my winter boots. Reserve locker through your my.ucalgary.ca student centre.

Health and Dental Plan – make your changes by Sept. 22.

Finally, if you don’t have alternate health and dental coverage, the SU’s got you covered. The deadline to opt-out, add family, or re-enroll is Sept. 22 and you can do so by clicking here. (Note that family must be added yearly). If you’ve already opted out, you’re set – you only have to opt out once during your university career.

I’ll be back with another update soon. In the meantime, the best way to stay up to date is to follow the SU on Instagram or TikTok at @SUUofC.

Shaziah,
Your Students’ Union President

Follow us!
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

  • admin
  • No Comments

Advocacy Blog: Updates From Summer 2023
Advocacy Blog: Updates From Summer 2023 150 150 admin

The SU executives have been busy over the summer, transitioning into their roles, working to have student issues heard in the media, and preparing for the fall semester. Cultivating strong relationships at all levels of government has been a key priority for the elected SU executives. Over the summer SU executives have had the opportunity to meet with the UCP Minister of Advanced Education, Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism, and many elected NDP MLAs. Read all about what we accomplished this summer, as well as what we are still working on!

Affordable housing solutions cannot wait

For the second consecutive year, UCalgary on-campus residences are completely full, leaving many students scrambling for alternatives. Vacancy rates in Calgary are the lowest in nearly a decade, and prices have increased rapidly. Many students are struggling to find affordable housing near the university and are being forced to live far from campus, often in areas poorly served by transit.

The SU is here to help fight back. To provide assistance immediately, we put a call to action out for all Calgarians with a spare room or rental to consider renting to a student and posting it on the SU’s housing partner’s website at www.places4students.com. Calgarians showed up for students and played a key role in helping many students find a safe place to live. Anyone with a place to rent can continue to post listings on the SU’s housing partner’s website at www.places4students.com. The immense support from Calgarians coming together to support students when they need it most has been heartwarming, but the need to support folks being impacted by the housing crisis doesn’t stop there.

Looking at the bigger picture, the SU is advocating to the city council the importance of supporting and implementing the housing affordability recommendations, which will be brought to committee on September 14th. The recommendations are essential for students and Calgarians alike, to address the housing challenges that folks are currently facing. The SU advocacy team will be speaking to city councillors before this meeting to express the need to pass all 33 housing recommendations and the significant impact that the housing crisis is having on students. Join the SU at City Hall on September 14th to stand in support of the housing recommendations!

Taking a big STEP forward

Did you have trouble finding a summer job between the school years? You weren’t alone. This summer, youth unemployment was double the provincial average, pushing many students further into debt and unable to make ends meet. With increased tuition and cost of living, many students need full-time work in the summer to support themselves and afford tuition.

The Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) helped students find meaningful work over the summer, but that program was cancelled in 2019 and has not been replaced since. This summer, we met with multiple government officials expressing the importance of reimplementing a temporary jobs program that supports students and helps connect them to employers. This work will continue throughout the year in hopes of providing students with more options to gain temporary employment opportunities next summer.

Making progress here on campus

A big win that is just in time for the fall semester is that your term breaks will now be actual breaks. The university has recognized that term break is a time for students to prioritize their mental health and well-being, free of academic assessments. Even though the 2018-19 calendar recognized that term breaks were critical aspects of student well-being and mental health, we heard from many of you that it didn’t feel like a break with so many assignments still due in your courses. Our SU President Shaziah Jinnah Morsette started the fight to make sure that student mental health was made a priority during her term as VP Academic last year and has seen that fight through this year. We are overjoyed to have the university commit to respecting students’ need for time to rest and take care of their well-being ahead of this fall semester. Relevant policy changes to ensure that their statement can be enforced will be worked on by the University this governance year. Term breaks this academic year will be held during the fall and winter semesters from November 12-18th and February 18 –24th, respectively. Read the full statement from the University on the Term Break Resources website here for more details.

Tuition prices remain a major issue for students, and it is important to have your voice heard. The SU is working with the university to finalize a tuition and fee consultation guide. This is especially important to ensure that student consultation is consistent and meaningful throughout discussions regarding tuition and fee increases. The SU continues to advocate on behalf of students in these discussions and determining how best to foster ongoing communications between the university, the student body, and the Students’ Union.

In 2020 the university paused the use of Academic Regulation relating to Supporting Documentation and Statutory Declaration (M.1), announcing plans this past June to reinstate this policy. The SU fought heavily for the university to pause the reinstatement of the regulation before having thorough student consultation because this policy does not work for students, but the university moved forward with reinstating the policy anyway. However, because of continued advocacy, the SU has received a commitment from the university to work together on a holistic review of regulations around absences due to illness for assessments.

Demand at the SU Campus Food Bank keeps increasing as student costs skyrocket. The SU Campus Food Bank has been actively supporting the campus community for over 30 years and worked tirelessly over the summer to continue to support folks. To expand the SU Food Bank capacity, the SU hired a third food bank coordinator to help support outreach and awareness efforts, food literacy education, and food hamper preparations. To donate or access resources from the SU Campus Food Bank visit here.

If that wasn’t enough for you, we also have two meaningful wins to benefit students coming back to school! First is that walk-ins at the wellness centre are back for students. The SU has been working with the SU Wellness Centre to bring walk-in appointments back to better support students. Second, club funding has also been streamlined, meaning it’s now easier for clubs to access funds for events and activities. Learn more about Clubs here.

SU executives extending advocacy efforts

Finally, the executives have extended their advocacy efforts at municipal and federal levels through collaboration with other post-secondaries. Vice President External Mateusz Salmassi was elected the Director of Advocacy for the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. Through this role, he elevates the advocacy work the SU does by collaborating with other student associations across Canada to fight for student needs federally. The hot button issues this summer have been housing and student affordability, as mentioned earlier in our blog.

SU President Shaziah Jinnah Morsette was elected as chair of the Calgary Student Alliance (CSA) at the beginning of her term, representing 120,000 postsecondary students on municipal issues in Calgary. This role allows her to amplify the voices of postsecondary students in Calgary, by collaborating towards common goals and bringing attention to the challenges students in Calgary are currently facing. Significant efforts from Shaziah and the CSA have been focused on housing and the upcoming city committee meeting on September 14th. The work that she has undertaken to strengthen the relationships among postsecondary institutions in Calgary has been vital to further the SU’s advocacy reach.

  • Gene Baines
  • No Comments

President’s Message: Welcome Events!
President’s Message: Welcome Events! 150 150 Gene Baines

Hello and welcome back, UCalgary students!

If I haven’t had the chance to meet you yet, my name is Shaziah Jinnah Morsette and I am your Students’ Union President. You’ll get an email like this from me a few times each month to let you know what the SU is up to, but this one is all about fun events.

September is packed with events where you can meet new friends, learn about the SU’s services, and pick up some fun swag. Join us at:

Dinos’ Kickoff Tailgate Party – Sept. 1 at McMahon Stadium

The Dinos are playing UAlberta Golden Bears on Friday, Sept. 1 at McMahon Stadium. We’ve teamed up with the Dinos and UCalgary Alumni to host the Kickoff Tailgate Party starting at 3:30 p.m. on the east side of McMahon Stadium. Join us for a free barbecue, games and prizes, a petting zoo, live music, and Dunk-a-Dino in support of the SU Campus Food Bank.

Welcome Fair in Mac Hall – Sept. 5 and 6

Next week, join us in the Mac Hall courtyards for a Welcome Fair on Sept. 5 and 6 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a great place to stop by and learn about volunteer opportunities, clubs, concerts, and other SU programs. Pick up some swag and enter to win some prizes, too.

Trivia Nights are back at The Den, starting Sept. 12

Have you heard of the Den, yet? Best place to get wings or nuggets on campus, and they’ve got Trivia Nights planned all semester. (The first one is The Office on Sept. 12!)

Clubs Week in Mac Hall – Sept. 18 – 22

One of the best ways to make new friends and enrich your student experience is to join a club. Hundreds of clubs will be there, and the best advice I can give you is to join at least one.

Live Music in Mac Hall

Mac Hall Concerts has a huge list of shows this fall, including Erin Nam, Cooper Alan, and The Beaches. Get on the mailing list or follow us @macewanhall so that you always know who’s coming to town.

I’ll be back later this week with another quick list of “things you need to know”. In the meantime, the best way to stay up to date is to follow the SU on Instagram or TikTok at @SUUofC.

Shaziah
Students’ Union President

  • admin
  • No Comments

President – Biography
President – Biography 150 150 admin

Naomie Bakana, President

Naomie Bakana is a fifth-year sociology student and your SU Vice President Internal, which is a newly-created position that merges the portfolios of the previous Vice President Student Life and Vice President Operations and Finance.

After serving as a Faculty of Arts Representative in 2023-24, Naomie ran for a Vice President position to help pave the way for future leaders and leaving a lasting impact on her campus. Naomie aims to amplify the voices of marginalized communities, champion affordability and accessibility initiatives, and address critical issues such as food security and representation. Through her role at the SU, she hopes to inspire and empower future leaders from underrepresented communities to step forward and take on leadership roles.

Naomie is a member of several SU Clubs, including the Nigerian Students’ Association (NSA), the Ethiopian Eritrean Students’ Association (EESA), and the African Caribbean Students’ Association (ACSA), where she is part of a supportive community that celebrates and promotes African and Caribbean cultures. She is also a member of P2C (Power to Change), another SU Club that serves as a spiritual resource for students.

Naomie also dedicates her time to volunteering: both on-campus with the African Studies Expansion Taskforce and off-campus as a worship leader at her church. She previously volunteered for two years at the Women’s Resource Centre.

Outside of her role at the SU and her volunteer commitments, Naomie enjoys playing, singing, or simply listening to music which serves as both a creative outlet and a source of inspiration for her.

  • admin
  • No Comments

Vice President External – Biography
Vice President External – Biography 150 150 admin

Julia Law, Vice President External

Biography coming soon.

  • Michael Brown
  • No Comments

Release: City Council fails students, misses opportunity to address housing crisis
Release: City Council fails students, misses opportunity to address housing crisis 150 150 Michael Brown

Calgary – Calgary City Council defeated expert housing recommendations yesterday that would have created additional housing units and taken a first step to addressing Calgary’s housing crisis, a crisis students are acutely feeling again this year. A handful of students resorted to temporarily living in their vehicles as they could not find housing last year.

City Council’s refusal to take action on housing will compound an already difficult housing supply and housing market. As students begin to look for housing ahead of a return to Calgary for their studies in September, Council has thrown up additional and unnecessary barriers that affect students and vulnerable Calgarians.

“There’s no other way to say it: Eight members of City Council have made a bad situation worse. Students are at a breaking point and have been left behind by these members of Council,” says Mateusz Salmassi, Students’ Union VP External. “Let’s be clear about what those eight members of Council voted against, they voted against 1,000 additional homes and 3,000 affordable housing units added per year above the normal number of homes. They voted against enabling secondary and backyard suites to add to housing supply. These are basic measures that Calgarians support.”

In the City of Calgary 2022 Fall Survey of Calgarians, affordable housing was identified as one of the areas of lowest satisfaction with the City. A great majority of Calgarians (78%) identified affordable housing as an important City program, with 74% calling for the City to invest in such housing. Investment in affordable housing was top of the list when Calgarians were asked about investment in programs.

“City Council is well aware that Calgary’s reputation as an affordable city is at risk,” says Salmassi. “City Council has money to pay 97% of the up-front cost of the new arena, but apparently neither the money nor the will to support lower income Calgarians, including students, when it comes to housing. This decision risks Calgary’s competitive advantage and risks losing the young, educated people in our city. If they can’t find housing, how can they stay and why would they want to? This decision puts Calgary’s economic future at risk.”

For the second year in a row, residence buildings on the UCalgary campus will be full and the university has no plans to add residence units in the near future. In addition, the University District, a development overseen by the university, has frozen out students by making units largely unaffordable.

On top of that, housing in close proximity to the university remains unavailable or unaffordable for students. Students are being pushed into unsafe rental housing or housing in the far corners of the city, poorly served by transit. This should not happen in a city like Calgary.

While the recommendations may not have had an immediate impact on these concerns, approval would have allowed for the creation of more secondary suites and other housing that would be safe and affordable for students in the medium and long term.

Media Inquiries may be directed to:
Mike Brown
Manager, Communications & Government Relations
Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca // 403-560-0577

  • Michael Brown
  • No Comments

Advocacy Update: Student Name Changes
Advocacy Update: Student Name Changes 150 150 Michael Brown

The SU has been advocating for the university to better support members of the queer community in pursuing preferred name changes. The SU has been pushing the university to make legal/primary name changes across university systems accessible and available for students.

Creating a space where individuals feel safe, welcomed, and validated in their identity is of the utmost importance. Through the projection of student voices and the devoted support of the SU advocacy team, the university has committed to making this process more accessible.

The Q-Centre and SU elected officials have long advocated for the process to become easier for students to request name changes to their preferred and/or legal/primary name. In addition to advocacy efforts, the Q-Centre has also continued to help students navigate name changes with their student guides and dedicated support staff. In the past, the process has been challenging and inaccessible for many students given the variety of systems that the university uses.

Students seeking name changes are now able to do so with one request to change their name on a variety of systems, including:

 

  • AIMS – Parking
  • ALMA Library
  • Class Roster
  • ClockWork – Student Accessibility
  • Computer labs
  • D2L
  • Elevate
  • Email/calendar
  • Office 365
  • ServiceNow – IT/HR/Facilities Service Requests
  • Student Centre
  • MS Teams
  • Unicard (ID card, Upass)
  • YuJa – Video content management
  • Zoom

 

 

All information regarding this process can be found here on the university’s website.

The SU is committed to protecting, advocating, and creating an inclusive space where all students feel safe and welcome.

  • Michael Brown
  • No Comments

May 2023 Advocacy Blog
May 2023 Advocacy Blog 150 150 Michael Brown

The SU advocacy team has been busy the past month, continuing our efforts to make student needs a priority both by the university and the government. Last month student electives met with city counsellors to discuss reimagining the UPASS to better address students’ transport needs. Discussions will continue with the city to collaboratively work to provide a transport option for students that is more equitable for all student needs in the future.

Student’s Union Program for Education Related Work (SUPERWork) applications are open until July 31st. SUPERWork is a SU-sponsored program through quality money that provides a $1000 wage subsidy award to University of Calgary undergraduate students earning less than a competitive wage at a summer employment position related to their degree program.

The SU understands the difficulties of finding summer employment opportunities, especially since the cancellation of the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) in 2019. SUPERWork is the SU’s way to support students where the UCP government has not. The SU will not only continue to do our part by providing support to students through SUPERWork but will continue to advocate for the implementation of a student jobs program that supports student summer work and connects students to employers. Please visit our website here for more information.

With the provincial election in May fast approaching the SU has also continued to host our weekly radio show on CJSW from 11 am – 12 pm on Thursdays, interviewing candidates from the surrounding ridings. Be sure to tune in and hear from candidates before you cast your vote this election.

The Get Out the Vote Campaign has also continued, asking students to pledge to vote in the provincial election. Students can sign up here to pledge to vote and get reminders regarding voting information, the election, and voting locations. Students who pledge to vote will also be entered into a draw to win one of 2 bookstore gift cards for $250 and 5 Den gift cards for $100 each.

Start Typing