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NOTICE OF NOMINATION DAYS – BY-ELECTION 2024
NOTICE OF NOMINATION DAYS – BY-ELECTION 2024 150 150 admin

Notice is hereby given that Nomination Days are Monday, September 23 and Tuesday, September 24, 2024. Nominations for the election of candidates for the following offices will be accepted virtually from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and in person at the SU Main Office (MSC 251) from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

OFFICES AVAILABLE (# of Vacancies)

  • Faculty of Nursing (1)
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (1)
  • Werklund School of Education (1)

As of September 9, 2024, Nomination Packageswill be available online.

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NOTICE OF REFERENDUM – BY-ELECTION 2024
NOTICE OF REFERENDUM – BY-ELECTION 2024 150 150 admin

Summary

The SU’s current fee structure is disproportional in its assessment of the SU general fee for full time, part-time, co-op and internship students. The SU proposes updating its fee structure as outlined in the table below by assessing MD full-time students at the full-time student rate while part-time, co-op and internship students will be assessed to pay two-thirds of the full-time student rate. The aim of this proposed update is to keep up with inflation and to ensure its services can cater to the 10,000 new undergraduate students the university seeks to add to the student population by 2030.

Background

The SU exists to advance and support the needs of undergraduate students at the University of Calgary. As an organization, one of our key priorities is to advocate for students’ interests to the university and all three orders of government. We also provide essential services, programs, and events curated to enhance the student experience, both in and out of the classroom. All undergraduate students are active members of the SU; they benefit from all advocacy initiatives of the SU and can access all SU benefits and privileges (i.e., scholarships and financial awards, the Clubs systems, advocacy efforts, Campus Food Bank etc.). While SU events are primarily accessed by students most frequently on campus, they too are open to all undergraduate students who are interested.

The SU has operated on a differential general fee assessment structure over the past few decades. This structure was created because the SU’s past offerings were largely events-focused, and the SU could not provide remote access to SU services because the internet was not a widely available utility until 2004. Furthermore, students on satellite locations found it difficult to access SU benefits and privileges on main campus due to limited transit connections as the City of Calgary was still expanding its fleet of buses and trains and its transit routing network to meet the teeming population growth in the city.

At the time, the SU’s differential fee assessment was an equitable tool adopted to ensure students were charged general fees that reflected their accessibility to SU benefit and privileges. These concerns are less applicable today as the SU is primarily advocacy-driven and provides unfettered remote access to almost all SU benefits and privileges, thus making the SU’s general fee differential assessment structure out-dated.

Question

Given the background provided above, do you support the proposed update to the SU General Fee structure, starting Fall 2025?

  • YES
  • NO

A REFERENDUM FAQ is available for more information.

 

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Advocacy Blog: Call for an Independent Review, Housing, and More
Advocacy Blog: Call for an Independent Review, Housing, and More 150 150 admin

The past couple of months have been very busy for the SU advocacy team, working to support students on a variety of important issues. Read about our recent accomplishments and what we have been up to these past couple of months:

The SU has called for an independent review into the University administration’s handling of May 9th

The SU is calling for an independent review of the actions and decisions that led to multiple student injuries on May 9th at the University of Calgary, where a police response requested by President Ed McCauley and the University administration turned violent.

There is precedent within recent university history for these kinds of independent reviews, most recently in 2015 when then-president Elizabeth Cannon was alleged to have a conflict of interest that was investigated by former Justice Terrence McMahon.

The Students Legislative Council, which is the official governing body for the SU, called on the university’s board of governors to publicly initiate a review on May 28. Beyond the review, the Student Legislative Council also demands an explanation for why no students were involved with the crisis management team assembled to deal with the protest and a review of the policies and procedures the university was acting under.

Another win for Housing

After delivering more than 250 postcards to Ward 7 City Councillor Terry Wong and speaking at the public hearing about why the issue impacts students, the Rezoning for Housing motion was passed on May 14th by Calgary City Council. The passing of this motion will loosen zoning bylaws to allow more housing to be built and built faster. The zoning change was one of the recommendations in the housing strategy, which the SU advocacy team also advocated strongly for and was successfully passed in the fall.

SU Elected Officials have successfully delayed the university from eliminating a layer of protection in the academic appeal process

The University Appeals Office was looking to collapse its second layer of appeals, which provides an accountability measure and the ability to appeal the original decision due to procedural unfairness. SU elected officials expressed that this will not benefit students because if students choose to or require an appeal for their original appeal, they will need to go to the civil courts instead.

After long consultation, it has been agreed to maintain the two-level structure of appeals and do further consultation with the SU about the matter. The University Appeals Office has also committed to having consistent consultation with the SU in the future regarding the entire appeals system in general.

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University of Calgary Students’ Union Response To Violence Against Student Protestors
University of Calgary Students’ Union Response To Violence Against Student Protestors 150 150 Nathan Ross

The University of Calgary Students’ Union (SU) unequivocally condemns the actions taken against students on May 9th, which saw students assaulted with flash-bang grenades, tear gas, and non-lethal munitions in alarmingly rapid escalation. This extreme response was requested by the University of Calgary President Ed McCauley and the University Administration.  These students, many of whom were arrested or injured, were exercising their freedom of peaceful assembly guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

The university’s utilization of Calgary Police Service (CPS) was an invitation for violence against students. It is our belief that without this, the protest would have remained peaceful. Unlike at other Canadian universities, the University of Calgary’s administration made no serious efforts to speak with the protestors before directing CPS to remove them from campus. This is a failure of leadership from President McCauley and the University of Calgary Administration. 

Student protesters sought dialogue with admin, only to be continuously rebuffed. The fact that the university’s president feels more comfortable calling the police than meaningfully engaging with students demonstrates where his priorities lie. 

Furthermore, we vehemently dispute the accuracy of the statement released by the Office of the President that the protest only ‘devolved’ with the arrival of counter-protestors. According to protestors as well as video footage posted from the event, no counter-protesters were present when the CPS escalated its tactics. Calgary Police had secured the area well before 10:00 pm with only a singular point of entry that was being used to escort individuals out, which either means that no one was able to enter or those that entered were permitted to do so.

We have reached out to President McCauley early this morning, but as of publication of this statement, our request to better understand why the protesters were not engaged has gone unanswered. The fact that we have yet to hear back from the administration after students were teargassed on our campus yesterday is deeply unsettling. Yesterday’s actions set back years of progress that was built towards strong relations between the administration and students, leaving students to ask how they are supposed to feel safe exercising their rights on campus if the first response is to call the police. 

An apology will not be sufficient from President McCauley, and we will wait for either the administration to resume dialogue with us or for them to take accountability for what happened. If that does not happen, we will be pushing for more serious action, as determined by student demand. 

The SU is above all else concerned with ensuring student safety and that student rights are upheld. We appreciate the continued response and the unified calls for accountability from the community. The SU continues to invite all students interested in speaking with us or requesting support to contact the SU or visit our offices during the week. 

 

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2024 Students’ Union Teaching Excellence Awards Winners
2024 Students’ Union Teaching Excellence Awards Winners 1024 1024 Nathan Ross

The Students’ Union (SU) announced yesterday the professors, instructors, and teaching assistants being honoured through the SU’s annual Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA). Awards and honourable mentions were given to 34 exceptional members of the university community to highlight their commitment to student success over the past academic year.

The annual TEA is the SU’s campus-wide recognition program giving undergraduate students the chance to honour and thank those instructors, professors, and teaching assistants who have supported and made a lasting and positive impression on their students. Students solely determine all nominees and winners.

Not only did the educators being honoured navigate the challenges of the year with grace, but they also committed to going above and beyond to support and prioritize students. The impact that this year’s winners have made in student lives does not go unnoticed and it is a privilege to be able to recognize their hard work with this year’s teaching excellence awards.

Dr. Fabiola Aparicio-Ting was one of two recipients of the Cumming School of Medicine Award

Jayar Espejo was one of five Teaching Assistant Award recipients

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The SU received at total of 1,022 nominations and shortlisted 75 educators. Award winners received an Apple Award and a framed certificate. The SU will also donate $5,000 to the Taylor Centre for Teaching & Learning in recognition of the contributions made by the award winners.

The SU has been honouring teaching excellence at UCalgary since 1975, with the current format of TEA beginning in 1984. These funds are used to offer further training and workshops to UCalgary instructors and facilitate an environment where high quality of teaching becomes a standard for all students. From the start, the awards were intended to give undergraduate students the opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of the university instruction they receive.

For more information about the SU TEA program, please visit www.su.ucalgary.ca/TEA.

The SU wishes its sincerest congratulations to all of the winners and honourable mentions. The complete list of award winners and honourable mentions is available below.

Inquiries may be directed to:

Nathan Ross
Manager, Communications and Government Relations
nathan.ross@ucalgary.ca
Cell: 403-835-1836

Photo Credit: Gene Baines

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President’s Message: Changes to SU Clubs and SU Living Room Movie Times
President’s Message: Changes to SU Clubs and SU Living Room Movie Times 150 150 admin

Hello UCalgary,

April is almost here, and we have a few more notes on events and programs to wrap up this winter term. We’ve also made a pretty big change that affects both existing SU Clubs and new club applications.

SU CLUBS MANDATORY RE-REGISTRATION: MARCH 20 – MAY 15, 2024

Attention SU Clubs: important, time-sensitive changes are coming to SU Clubs Mandatory Requirements. These changes impact both existing SU Clubs and new club applications.

All clubs wishing to maintain active status for the 2024-25 academic year must complete the Re-Registration Form through ClubHub by May 15. All applications to form new clubs for the 2024-25 academic year must be received through the Register an Organization process through ClubHub by May 15. There will be no exceptions for clubs who do not re-register within this time period. Details on the SU Clubs Page.

SU COMMITTEE POSITIONS AVAILABLE

We are looking for students-at-large for two different SU Committees. The Program and Services Committee helps to adjudicate awards and supports SU programs, and the Refugee Student Program Committee helps sponsored students integrate into university life. You can learn more and apply on the SU website. 

SU VACANCIES: FACULTY REPRESENTATIVES POSITIONS

Three faculty rep positions remain vacant after the SU General Election: Veterinary Medicine, Werklund School of Education, and Nursing. These positions will be filled by appointment for a term from May until October. Learn more and apply by March 27. 

SUPER HERO TRIVIA NIGHT AT THE DEN: TUESDAY, MARCH 26

Join us for Super Hero Trivia night at the Den: Tuesday, March 26, from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Reserve your table by emailing theden@su.ucalgary.ca.

LETTERKENNY STAND-UP COMEDY AT MAC HALL: MARCH 30

Letterkenny: A night of stand-up comedy featuring comedians from the Letterkenny family, Saturday, Mar. 30 in MacEwan Hall. Tickets at https://www.showclix.com/event/letterkenny-presents-a-night-of-stand-up-

SU LIVING ROOM: APRIL 3

Take a study break with us! Drop by That Empty Space any time April 3 for complimentary movies and snacks. We’re showing Wonka at 9:30 a.m., Barbie at 11:45 a.m., and The Creator at 2:00 p.m. Plus the first 200 students to drop by can grab a special SU goodie bag to help get you through the exam period.

LOCKERS

Make sure you clean out your locker by April 23. If you leave anything behind, you’ll be able to retrieve it at a cost of $10/bag at Bound and Copied. Unclaimed items will be donated to local charities. Please visit the locker page on our website for more information. If you need a locker for the spring or summer semesters, they will be available to rent starting April 1.

CONSIGN YOUR USED TEXTBOOKS

If you need to get rid of some of those textbooks from your locker, consign them and make some money. Bring your used textbooks to Bound and Copied, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Check out Bound and Copied’s website for more information.

Good luck with your final projects and exams – you’ve got this.

You’ll hear from me again soon, but in the meantime the best way to stay up to date is to follow the SU on Instagram or TikTok at @SUUofC.

Your Students’ Union President,
Shaziah Jinnah Morsette

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Results Announced: 2024 SU General Election
Results Announced: 2024 SU General Election 1280 854 Nathan Ross

Calgary – The Students’ Union (SU) of the University of Calgary is pleased to announce the results of the SU General Election which will form the 82nd Students’ Legislative Council (SLC). Undergraduate students were able to cast their vote in the election from March 5-7 to determine which of their peers will represent them to faculties, the university, and the three orders of government.

Only one of the executive races had multiple candidates, and that was for the position of SU President. Both Sandra Amin and Ermia Rezaei-Afsah – who were both Vice-Presidents with the SU in the 81st SLC – ran in the hopes of succeeding outgoing President Shaziah Jinnah Morsette. With 66% of the vote, Ermia Rezaei-Afsah will be the SU President for the 82nd SLC.

They will be joined by Mateusz Salmassi, Jessie Dinh, and Naomie Bakana, who ran uncontested and received a majority of yes votes for the positions of Vice-President External, Vice-President Academic, and Vice-President Internal respectively.

The position of Vice-President Internal is a new position, which combines two previous Vice-President positions which oversaw the responsibilities for student life and operations and finances.

Also running uncontested were the candidates for both the Board of Governors representative and the Senate representatives. Siraaj Shah received a majority of yes votes to claim the singular Board of Governors’ seat, while Muntaha Aamir and Elsa Stokes were voted into the available Senate seats.

Jessie Dinh, VP Academic-Elect celebrates her victory

In the Faculty Representative races, Hannah Kim and Mirza Ali Beg were elected as the two Cumming School of Medicine Faculty. Kim garnered 46.2% of the vote, while Ali Beg received 33.2. Over in the Faculty of Science, Gabriela Dziegielewska, Ben Shi, and Emmanuel Trinidad were elected with 26.6%, 23.2%, and 19.2% respectfully.

Out of the six candidates running for the four seats available for the Faculty of Arts representatives, Aitazaz Shah (20.6%), Edom Girma (20%), Simchah Atanda (19.8%), and Martin Al-Najar (18.4%) were successful. Similarly, there were five candidates ran for the three available seats for the Schulich School of Engineering representatives. Tavish Comrie (25.7%), Debo Dam (22.6%), and Lujaina Eldelebshany (22.6%) have been elected to fill those seats.

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 Kinesiology: Elbert Tom
  • Faculty of Law: Safaa Al-Khaz’Aly
  • Faculty of Social Work: Lorraine Ndovi
  • Haskayne School of Business: Farhan Chisty and Uday Singh Sandhu
  • School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape: Julia Law

Students also voted on a referendum regarding proposed changes to the SU’s governing documents. The referendum question is the official mechanism to adopt or reject the proposed incorporation of the SU Constitution into the SU Union Bylaw, and the subsequent rescindment of the SU Constitution. Students will vote to determine whether these SU governing documents can be merged into one. The referendum has passed with 92.8 of the students voting for it.

3,764 students voted in the 2024 General Election, which equates to 13.29% of the undergraduate population. The results announced today are provisional and become official on March 15. Students elected in this General Election will take office on April 29, 2024.

The SU will hold a by-election in October 2024 to fill the following faculty representative vacancies: Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and Werklund School of Education.

Inquiries may be directed to:

Nathan Ross
Manager, Communications & Government Relations
nathan.ross@ucalgary.ca
Cell: 403-835-1836

 

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Budget 2024 Indirectly Cuts Post-Secondary, Leaves Student Talent on the Table
Budget 2024 Indirectly Cuts Post-Secondary, Leaves Student Talent on the Table 150 150 admin

CALGARY – Yesterday’s provincial budget amounts to an indirect cut on a post-secondary education system already on life support. Budget 2024 continues a familiar theme with this provincial government: post-secondary education gets defunded and Alberta’s students are asked to foot the bill.

“As students, everything we are doing here at post-secondary is to build a better future. Ideally, our elected officials present a plan that does the same. Sadly, even with the small allotments to student needs, this budget commits to the further decline of Alberta’s once-leading post-secondary education system,” said SU President Shaziah Jinnah Morsette.

“Despite the overwhelming need for funding to increase, any amount that refuses to keep up with inflation on a system already near a breaking point may as well be a cut. We cannot sacrifice the needs of today and expect a better tomorrow.”

While the SU is happy to see the University of Calgary receive funding earmarked specifically for STEM students, this runs the risk of putting an additional burden without providing funding for the staff and resources needed to provide a worthwhile education to those new students. Class sizes continue to balloon in size, and many students are forced to take their classes in buildings that are falling apart as the university is $740 million behind in repairs and maintenance.

On the whole, Alberta’s 2024 budget has cut per-capita spending on post-secondary funding by 7.3%.

The SU is also concerned that the province will once again look towards major tuition increases to make up the difference. Without an increase in operating funding for universities, students’ quality of education will continue to be jeopardized. When students’ education is at risk, the Albertan economy is at risk.

“It is alarming to see the Alberta government put funding aside for a future that students might not be able to afford, when we need major investment now. Albertans today are going to suffer so we can say we had a minuscule ‘accounting surplus’. This budget borrows from the future of not just students, but every Albertan,” said SU VP External Mateusz Salmassi.

The real risk in that future is that Alberta is going to be leaving talent on the table. Without proper funding for post-secondary education, fewer courses are available for students, which delays graduation and turns away countless talented, prospective students. Despite a target of increasing Alberta’s post-secondary seats by 30,000,  this budget falls short while students and graduates are continuing to leave the province to seek opportunities elsewhere.

The SU will continue to advocate for the needs and issues of the students not just of U of C, but for all Albertan students. The hope is that this budget will be the last of this kind before irreversible damage is done to Alberta’s future and that the priorities of those living, working, and studying in the province today are met.

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Media Inquiries may be directed to:

Nathan Ross
Manager, Communications & Government Relations
nathan.ross@ucalgary.ca // 403-835-1836

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NOTICE OF ELECTION: General Election 2024
NOTICE OF ELECTION: General Election 2024 150 150 admin

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 Internal (1)
  • Vice President External (1)
  • Faculty Representatives, Cumming School of Medicine (2)
  • Faculty Representatives, Faculty of Arts (4)
  • Faculty Representative, Faculty of Kinesiology (1)
  • Faculty Representative, Faculty of Law (1)
  • Faculty Representatives, Faculty of Science (3)
  • Faculty Representative, Faculty of Social Work (1)
  • Faculty Representatives, Haskayne School of Business (2)
  • Faculty Representative, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (1)
  • Faculty Representatives, Schulich School of Engineering (3)
  • Senate Student at Large Representative (2)
  • Board of Governors Student at Large Representative (1)

Online voting will take place on the 5th, 6th, and 7th days of March, 2024 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 5th and closes at 4 p.m. on March 7th, 2024. All University of Calgary undergraduate students registered in the Winter 2024  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, Veterinary Medicine (1)
  • Faculty Representative, Werklund School of Education (1)
  • Faculty Representative, Nursing (1)

For all SU Election news and udpates visit WWW.SU.UCALGARY.CA/ELECTIONS.

 

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President’s Message: Last chance to nominate your teacher, or complete the SU Survey
President’s Message: Last chance to nominate your teacher, or complete the SU Survey 150 150 admin

Hello UCalgary,

Just a quick reminder that Teaching Excellence Award nominations close this week on Friday, Feb. 16 at 4:30 p.m. Teachers always tell us how much these awards mean to them, because they are nominated by students in their classrooms. If you have great teacher this semester, nominate them for a Teaching Excellence Award. It’s quick and easy: just complete a short online form.

SU Survey: complete the survey by Feb. 16

Have you had a chance to fill out the SU Survey? You could win one of ten $100 Amazon gift cards just for letting us know what you think of the SU’s programs, services, and advocacy. Take the survey now.

SU Club Awards (nominations due Feb. 16)

Nominations for SU Club Awards close Friday, Feb. 16. Help us recognize excellence in team leadership, service, sustainable practices, advocacy, and innovation. Nomination forms can be found here.

Food and Housing Insecurity at the University of Calgary Research Survey

The GSA is conducting an online survey about food and housing insecurity at UCalgary and we are helping to get the word out! Please see this message from the research team about the survey:

Share your experiences with food and housing security with us by participating in an online research study! Given the demands placed on students and the rising costs of living, it can be difficult to meet basic needs. We are conducting a research study to understand food and housing security in the University of Calgary student population. Your voice will help us advocate for supports to ensure all students have access to food and housing. The University of Calgary Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board has approved this research study (REB 23-1211). The Principal Investigator is Dr. Erin Spring (erin.spring@ucalgary.ca). To participate in the research study survey, please click HERE.

And finally, Term Break is Feb. 18-24! This time is intended to be free of compulsory academic events and assessments for students, so take some time to reassess, reach out, and recharge. Check out some resources from the Student Success Centre.

Enjoy your break, UCalgary!

Your Students’ Union President,
Shaziah Jinnah Morsette

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