Elections

  • Gene Baines
  • No Comments

Results Announced: 2023 SU General Election
Results Announced: 2023 SU General Election 1400 560 Gene Baines

Election Results: 2023 Students’ Union Elections

 

Calgary – The Students’ Union (SU) is today announcing the results of its general election which will form the 81st Students’ Legislative Council (SLC). Undergraduate students have made their voices heard and have chosen fellow students who will represent them to faculties, the university, and the three orders of government.

With a return to campaigning as usual and in person, candidates were able to speak directly with students through forums, debates, interviews, and one-on-one conversations.

Two candidates with previous SU executive experience, Mickail Hendi and Shaziah Jinnah Morsette, sought the role of President to succeed two-term President Nicole Schmidt. The 81st SU President is Shaziah Jinnah Morsette with 64% of the vote.

For the role of Vice-President Student Life, two candidates were vying for student votes. In the end, Ermia Rezaei-Afsah was elected with 66% of the vote.

In the race for the role of Vice-President External, Mateusz Salmassi defeated one other candidate and earned 53% of student votes.

The remaining two executive roles went to a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote with one candidate running for each role. Sandra Amin was elected as Vice-President Academic with 90% of the ‘yes’ vote, while Arlington Antonio Santiago was elected to the role of Vice-President Operations & Finance with 86% of the ‘yes’ vote.

In the race for the Board of Governors student-at-large role, Taimur Akhtar was elected with 51% of votes cast.

In Faculty Representative races, Jessie Dinh was elected as Kinesiology Representative garnering 69% of the vote. Over in the Faculty of Science, Ben Shi, Erica Peng, and Eyerusalem Tadese were elected with 31%, 27%, and 23%, respectively.

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:

  • Faculty of Arts: Muntaha Aamir, Siraaj Shah
  • Cumming School of Medicine: Angelica Uy , Chaten Jessel
  • Haskayne School of Business: Hari Sing, Md Asif Khan
  • Faculty of Law: Safaa Al-Khaz’Aly
  • Schulich School of Engineering: Abhari Limbu, Fardeen Islam
  • Faculty of Social Work: Jessica Klaassen
  • Werklund School of Education: Elsa Stokes

Finally, Senate student-at-large candidates were elected with Aly Samji and Reeana Tazreean garnering a majority of ‘yes’ votes.

Students were also asked, via a plebiscite, about their thoughts on the mandatory Athletics Fee imposed by the university. Students each pay about $115 annually and the fee supports the Dinos Athletics program. The SU decided to ask for student feedback on the fee to inform advocacy efforts towards the university after years of consecutive increases to the fee and a lack of financial transparency on the part of the university.

Students were provided seven options to choose from and could choose any number of options. The top three choices were: Students being able to opt out of the fee, the fee is not good value for money, and the fee should be reduced.

3,865 students voted in the 2023 General Election. The results announced today are provisional and become official on March 17, 2023. Students elected in this general election will take office at the beginning of May 2023.

The SU will hold a by-election in October 2023 to fill the following faculty representative vacancies: Faculty of Arts (2), Schulich School of Engineering (1), Faculty of Nursing (1), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (1).

 

Inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown
Manager, Communications & Government Relations
Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca
Cell: 403-560-0577

 

  • Gene Baines
  • No Comments

GENERAL ELECTION 2023: NOTICE OF ELECTION
GENERAL ELECTION 2023: NOTICE OF ELECTION 1920 1080 Gene Baines

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

(Parentheses denotes number of positions to appear on the ballot.)

  • President (1)
  • Vice President Academic (1)
  • Vice President External (1)
  • Vice President Operations and Finance (1)
  • Vice President Student Life (1)
  • Faculty Representatives, Arts (2)
  • Faculty Representative, Cumming School of Medicine (2)
  • Faculty Representatives, Haskayne School of Business (2)
  • Faculty Representative, Kinesiology (1)
  • Faculty Representative, Law (1)
  • Faculty Representatives, Schulich School of Engineering (2)
  • Faculty Representatives, Science (3)
  • Faculty Representative, Werklund School of Education (1)
  • Faculty Representative, Social Work (1)
  • Senate Student at Large Representative (2)
  • Board of Governors Student at Large Representative (1)

Online voting will take place on the 7th, 8th, and 9th days of March, 2023 through the myUofC Student Centre. Polling stations will be available at these locations: MacEwan Student Centre, Science Theatres, and TFDL. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on March 7th and closes at 4 p.m. on March 9th, 2023. All University of Calgary undergraduate students registered in the Winter 2023 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 Representatives, Arts (2)
  • Faculty Representative, Nursing (1)
  • Faculty Representatives, Schulich School of Engineering (1)
  • Faculty Representative, Veterinary Medicine (1)

 

  • Gene Baines
  • No Comments

General Election 2023: Notice of Plebiscite
General Election 2023: Notice of Plebiscite 150 150 Gene Baines

Background

Students pay a mandatory fee called the Athletics Fee to subsidize the Dinos Athletics program. For the current academic year (fall 2022 and winter 2023), undergraduate students pay $115.16 ($57.58 in each term) for the Athletics Fee. In return, students receive free admission to Dinos regular season games. Students would need to attend more than 7 games per year to recoup the costs of the fee. The university could raise this fee by up to 5.5% for the 2023-24 academic year. Students contribute about 48% of the Dinos’ operational budget through this fee. The university contributes about 30% by comparison.

The SU is asking this question to better understand how students perceive this fee, to inform our advocacy efforts towards the university. The fee amount is ultimately set by the university, not the SU. 

Question:

Which option(s) below describe your opinion of the Athletics Fee? (Select all that apply).

Students should be able to opt out of the fee.

  • The fee should be eliminated entirely.
  • The fee should be reduced.
  • The fee should remain the same.
  • The fee should be increased.
  • The benefit of free Dinos games is not good value for the money paid by students.
  • The benefit of free Dinos games is good value for the money paid by students.

  • Gene Baines
  • No Comments

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.

Illustration of group of people on cell phones
  • Gene Baines
  • No Comments

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]

Illustration of group of people on cell phones
  • Gene Baines
  • No Comments

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.

 

 

 

  • Gene Baines
  • No Comments

Notice of Election – General Election 2022
Notice of Election – General Election 2022 150 150 Gene Baines

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

President (1)
Vice President Academic (1)
Vice President External (1)
Vice President Operations and Finance (1)
Vice President Student Life (1)
Faculty Representatives, Arts (5)
Faculty Representative, Cumming School of Medicine (2)
Faculty Representatives, Haskayne School of Business (1)
Faculty Representative, Law (1)
Faculty Representative, Nursing (1)
Faculty Representatives, Science (3)
Faculty Representative, Veterinary Medicine (1)
Faculty Representative, Werklund School of Education (1)
Senate Student at Large Representative (2)

Online voting will take place on the 8th, 9th, and 10th days of March, 2022 through the myUofC Student Centre. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on March 8th and closes at 4 p.m. on March 10th, 2022. All University of Calgary undergraduate students registered in the Winter 2022  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 Representative, Kinesiology (1)
Faculty Representatives, Haskayne School of Business (1)
Faculty Representatives, Schulich School of Engineering (2)
Faculty Representative, Social Work (1)
Board of Governors Student at Large Representative (1)

Please see www.su.ucalgary.ca/elections for up-to-date information.

  • Gene Baines
  • No Comments

Notice of Referendum – General Election 2022
Notice of Referendum – General Election 2022 150 150 Gene Baines

Background Information: In the October 2021 By-Election, the SU asked non-binding plebiscite questions to better understand the insurance needs and priorities of students. Through these plebiscite questions, students indicated to the SU that maintaining or increasing current service provision was important to them. A majority of respondents were willing to pay more for the Health and Dental Plans to ensure service provision did not decrease. The SU Health and Dental Plans are not currently financially sustainable.

The Students’ Union Health Plan was established by referendum in 1989, and the last fee increase to this plan was approved by referendum in 1993. The Students’ Union Dental Plan was established by referendum in 1991, and its premiums have never increased. As a result, the sustainability and viability of the Health and Dental plans is now at risk. If fees do not increase, coverage for health and dental services will decrease. The plans cover only full-time students, and students may opt-out of the plans if they have comparable coverage. Changes to these fees will have no effect on students who opt-out of the plans.

Question 1

In this election, an amendment to the SU Constitution is being proposed which would allow for small annual increases to the cost of the Health and Dental plans to occur without the need for future referendum questions. These potential future fee increases would only be initiated if needed to sustain the funding of the plans and would be tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The maximum annual increase would be limited to 4%. This means that students might not experience an increase for several years, or that an increase may occur to only one of the plans. Students would be informed of changes to the price of their plan prior to the payment deadline.

Using the CPI to adjust the cost of the SU Health and Dental Plans from here on will ensure these plans remain sustainable over time. Additionally, the need for large fee increases through referendum questions in future years would be limited.

[download]

  • Question: Do you support allowing annual fee increases, based on inflation and limited to a maximum of 4% per year, to the SU Health and Dental Plans to occur without a referendum question being put to students by creating Article IX.D.1.a of the Students’ Union Constitution as follows:
    1. Fees for the health and dental plans may be increased up to an annual limit of 4 per cent, without a referendum question being put to members, to ensure the maintenance and financial sustainability of the plans.

[half]YES[/half][half]NO[/half]

[/download]

Question 2

The SU is proposing a fee increase of $10 to maintain the current coverage levels offered through the Dental Plan. If approved, this increase would bring the total annual cost of the Dental Plan to $100, paid annually on the date that eligible students are first charged fees and tuition (September for most programs). If the increase is not approved, the plan will remain at a cost of $90 and there will be a decrease in the current coverage of services through the Dental Plan to ensure financial sustainability. Changes to this fee will have no effect on students who opt out of the Dental Plan.

[download]

  • Question: Do you support a $10 increase to the annual fee for the Dental Plan, for a total annual cost of $100?

[half]YES[/half][half]NO[/half]

[/download]

Question 3:

The SU is proposing a fee increase of $20 to increase the current coverage levels offered through the Health Plan. This proposal would increase coverage for vision services, provide students with access to additional mental health supports, and increase access to paramedical practitioners, such as chiropractors or massage therapists.

If approved, this increase would bring the total annual cost of the Health Plan to $123, paid annually on the date that eligible students are first charged fees and tuition (September for most programs). If the increase is not approved, the plan will remain at a cost of $103 and there will be a decrease in the current coverage of services through the Health Plan to ensure financial sustainability. Changes to this fee will have no effect on students who opt out of the Health Plan.

[download]

  • Question: Do you support a $20 increase to the annual fee for the Health Plan, for a total annual cost of $123?

[half]YES[/half][half]NO[/half]

[/download]

  • Gene Baines
  • No Comments

Notice of Nomination – General Election 2022
Notice of Nomination – General Election 2022 150 150 Gene Baines

Notice is hereby given that Nomination Days are Monday, February 7 to Wednesday, February 9, 2022 and that nominations for the election of a candidate for the following offices will be received via Zoom video conferencing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please visit the Elections page to access the link.

Offices Available (Number of Vacancies)
President (1)
Vice President Academic (1)
Vice President External (1)
Vice President Operations and Finance (1)
Vice President Student Life (1)
Faculty Representatives, Arts (5)
Faculty Representative, 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 (3)
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 Representative (2)

  • wrushfel
  • No Comments

Notice of Election – By-Election 2021
Notice of Election – By-Election 2021 150 150 wrushfel

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

  • Faculty Representative, Cumming School of Medicine (1)
  • Faculty Representative, Faculty of Social Work (1)
  • Faculty Representative, Haskayne School of Business (1)
  • Senate Student-at-Large (1)

Online voting will take place on the 13th, 14, and 15th days of October, 2021 through the myUofC Student Centre. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on October 13th and closes at 4 p.m. on October 15th, 2021. All University of Calgary undergraduate students registered in the Fall 2021 session are eligible to vote.

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

DATED at the University of Calgary in the City of Calgary, Province of Alberta, this 30th day of September 2021.

 

There is also a Notice of Plebiscite as part of the 2021 By-Election. Please see the Elections page for ongoing updates. 

Start Typing