Advocacy

Hello UCalgary,

I’m Frank Finley, your SU President. I’ve got a few quick updates for you on some important things that are happening around campus.

Teaching Excellence Nominations: Deadline this Friday

Do you have an instructor or TA who has gone the extra mile adapting to remote delivery to keep the quality of their courses high? You should nominate them for a Teaching Excellence Award! It’s really easy: just complete the short online form. All nominations for your Fall 2020 profs/TAs must be received by October 23.

Meet Your City Councillors: Join Marley on Facebook Live

Join VP External Marley Gillies next week on Facebook Live as she discusses issues that affect students with a panel of city councillors. Marley will be chatting with Councillors George Chahal (Ward 5), Jyoti Gondek (Ward 3), and Jeff Davidson (Ward 6) at 3 p.m. on Oct. 28, and Councillors Evan Woolley (Ward 8), Druh Farrell (Ward 7), and Jeromy Farkas (Ward 11) at 2 p.m. on Oct. 29. Send us your questions ahead of time through the SU’s social media channels, or submit them live during the event.

Alberta 2030 Survey Closes Oct. 25

We believe in affordable, accessible, high-quality education. Do you agree? The Government of Alberta is conducting a review of Alberta post-secondary education, and it’s important that student voices are heard. Surveys are open until Oct. 25, and you can find them here.

Halloween Pet Therapy

Check out our Instagram stories on Friday, Oct. 30, and get ready to share photos of your pets working their best Halloween looks.

Fall Harvest Food Drive Final Days

We are into the final days of our Fall Harvest Food Drive, and we’re so grateful to everyone who has already donated this month. You can participate on your own or as part of a team; if you make a donation, let us know by sharing a photo on social media and tagging us at @suuofc, and you or your team will be entered to win prizes. See our website for all of the details.

Q Centre Pride Scholarship

Did you know that the Q Centre is open again with virtual drop-in hours three days a week? We have also opened nominations for the Q Centre Pride Scholarship. This SU Quality Money initiative recognizes individuals that are passionate advocates in the queer community. Check out our website for more information. Scholarship applications are due on Nov. 20.

Quality Money Proposals

If you’ve got a big idea that will enhance the quality of student life on campus, apply for an SU Quality Money grant and make it a reality. The deadline is November 27 – start your application today!

Find a Tutor

Do you need some help with your course work or preparing for an exam? Want to help someone else? Your SU has a searchable database of independent tutors that can help you in a wide range of subjects.

Locker Clean-Outs

If you are still missing items from last year, the last day to retrieve them is Friday, October 30th., you can fill out the content retrieval form and we will contact you when your items are ready to go.
You’re over the halfway mark in the semester – keep going!

Frank Finley, President
The Students’ Union

It’s already October – I hope you’ve managed to get outside and enjoyed the first few days of fall. I’m Frank Finley, your SU President, and I have another set of updates for you to keep you up to speed on what’s happening around the SU.

Fall Harvest Food Drive

October 1 marks the beginning of our Fall Harvest Food Drive, and we’re asking for your help to secure the SU Campus Food Bank for the fall and winter months. Participation is easy – we’ll post new ideas each day to our social media channels. You can choose one, or many, and participate on your own or as part of a team. If you make a donation, let us know by sharing a photo on social media and tagging us at @suuofc, and you or your team will be entered to win prizes. Or make an anonymous donation – it’s up to you! See our website for all of the details.

Alberta 2030 Survey

We believe in affordable, accessible, high-quality education. Do you agree? The Government of Alberta is conducting a review of Alberta post-secondary education, and it’s important that student voices are heard. Surveys are open until Oct. 25, and you can find them here.

Fall By-Election

Our SLC By-Election Nomination Days are over, and we’ve got some updates for you. Our faculty representative vacancy in Social Work has been filled by acclamation – your rep is Jovanna Rodney. We are running a By-Election to fill a seat on the Board of Governors. Voting days for the By-Election are October 14, 15, and 16, and you can vote online in your student centre. Info on all the candidates and their platforms will be available on our website on Friday.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Applications

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 2020 SU Undergraduate Research Symposium for the chance to win a scholarship and get presentation experience. Abstracts are due October 5 at 4:00 p.m. This year’s URS will be held online in late November, and the presentations will be in video format. For more information or to submit an abstract, visit our website.

Teaching Excellence Nominations

Do you have a professor that makes your class extraordinary – whether in person or online? Has an instructor or TA gone the extra mile adapting to remote delivery to keep the quality of their courses high? You should nominate them for a Teaching Excellence Award! It’s really easy: just complete the short online form. All nominations for your Fall 2020 profs/TAs must be received by October 23.

Quality Money Proposals

The SU knows that the best ideas for projects or services that enhance the quality of student life on campus come directly from students. In the past, we’ve funded brilliant ideas like club scholarships, sexual violence prevention programming, Indigenous programming, and peer-assisted study sessions. If you’ve got a big idea, apply for an SU Quality Money grant and make it a reality. The deadline is November 27 – start your application today!

Locker Clean-Outs

Did you leave anything behind in your locker last spring? The last day to retrieve any items that you are missing is Friday, October 30^th. Please fill out the content retrieval form and we will contact you when your items are ready to go.

Textbook Consignment

Do you have some old textbooks lying around that you would rather turn into some extra cash? Bound and Copied is open Monday through Friday to consign your old books. Our vendors in the Mac Hall food court are open, too, so make sure to drop by one of your old favourites (or try out the new Freshco Poke) while you are on campus.

Best of luck as you head into midterm season – you’ve got this!

Frank Finley
President, The Students’ Union

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I’m Frank Finley, and I’m your SU President.

I know many of you won’t be coming back in person this semester, but I wanted to make sure you knew that even if things look a lot different, we are still here providing services, advice, events, and working with all levels of government and the university administration to ensure quality and affordability for UCalgary students. Whether you are beginning your first year or returning to class and feeling a little uncertain of what to expect, we are here to help you navigate Fall 2020.

The SU is your advocate and representative on campus. We represent your voice to the university, government, and the wider community. We do this in a lot of different ways, such as sitting on university committees, meeting with government officials, and giving you information about what’s happening on and off campus. We’ve heard your concerns: 1,189 students responded to our advocacy survey this summer. And we’ve been working all summer long on your behalf – asking the provincial government to provide direct financial supports for students and cancel the tuition increases they allowed last year, working with the City of Calgary on an affordable alternative to the U-Pass, and lobbying the federal government to increase Canada Student Grants and get more direct financial support for students. You can read a summary of all of our recent advocacy efforts here.

If you are already familiar with the SU, it’s probably because of our regular events like Pet Therapy and Clubs Week. We can’t bring the puppies back just yet, but we are adapting many of our programs and events to fit a new online format. Here are just a few notes for things that are coming soon:

• You can join us for 50 Days of Clubs. This virtual event begins Monday, Sept. 14 – all you have to do is follow @suuofc and @suuofcclubs on Instagram to see 50 days of featured clubs! (That’s ten times more days than Clubs Week, if you are keeping count.) SU Clubs are one of the best ways to find some new friends and develop a new interest or hobby, so make sure you join at least one.
• You can apply to showcase your research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. This year’s URS will be held online, and applications are due Oct. 5.
• You can work with us! Are you interested to learn more about what the SU does, work with SU Elected Officials on projects, and get some serious experience in student government? Consider joining one of our committees. We have open seats on five different committees, and the deadline to apply is Sept. 10. Looking for a bigger commitment? You can run also in the SU By-Election for one of two vacant positions. Nomination packages are available here and must be submitted between Sept. 28 – 30.

Finally, the SU also administers critical services like health and dental coverage and lockers. New students are automatically enrolled in the SU health and dental plan. Already have health and dental coverage? You may be eligible to opt out. The opt-out deadline is Sept. 25 and you can do so by clicking here. If you’ve already opted out, you’re good – you only have to opt out once during your university career. If you need a locker, you can reserve one through your Student Centre.

A great way to keep up to date is to follow the SU on Facebook and Instagram @suuofc.

Have a great September, UCalgary!

– Frank
President, The Students’ Union

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