Presidents Message

Happy New Year, UCalgary!

In case we haven’t met yet, I’m Nicole Schmidt – your Students’ Union President. I have a few updates for you as you ease back into classes as well as updates on events for the winter semester.

Take the SU Survey: Open now until Feb. 13

Take the annual SU Survey now and enter to win one of ten $100 Amazon.ca gift cards. It’s your chance to voice your thoughts on the SU and your student experience – we want to make them even better, but we can’t do it without your help. It only takes 10 minutes: take the survey now.

SEED Conference: RSVP by Jan. 13

Explore what leadership means to you, and discover resources that you can use to support yourself and your peers right here on campus. The SEED Conference will be held in MacEwan Conference and Event Centre on Friday, Jan. 27 beginning at 10 a.m. Sessions will include Mental Health and Wellbeing, Conflict Management, and other leadership topics, with an insightful keynote talk from our VP Academic, Shaziah Jinnah Morsette.

RSVP by Jan. 13: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/students-union-seed-conference-tickets-473425015967

Trivia Nights at the Den!

Who is the manager of Central Perk? Who gets meat sweats? Join us for F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Trivia night at the Den: Tuesday, Jan. 17 from 6 – 8 p.m.

Run in the SU General Election 

Have you ever thought about taking on a leadership role at the SU? The SU General Election is coming soon. Official nomination packages will be available at the end of the month – but in the meantime, we’re regularly updating our election webpages with important information and deadlines.

Want the details about what it’s like to campaign? Need insight into the life of an SLC member? Attend one of our Pre-Election Workshops (Jan. 24 online, and Jan. 25 in person).

SU Clubs Week: Jan. 16 – 20

Clubs Week is back! Stop by the North and South Courtyards in Mac Hall – there’s bound to be one or more clubs that’s a perfect fit for you. If you are a club leader and want some help getting the word out about your events, we are happy to help. Make sure to connect with @SUUofCClubs on Instagram.

Wayback Wednesday: movies in That Empty Space Jan. 25

Put a movie break in your calendar this month. Drop by That Empty Space any time Jan.25 for free movies, snacks, and fun activities. We’re showing The Devil Wears Prada at 11 a.m., and School of Rock at 1:30 p.m.

More events in That Empty Space…

The puppies are back! Pet Therapy returns on Jan. 18 at 12 p.m.

Mind and Body in the Space: join us for free guided meditation sessions at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and free yoga classes at 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

Last call to join our Election Staff Team! Part time work in February and March.

Join our elections team to help run the SU’s General Election this semester. The deadline has been extended to Tuesday, Jan. 10. Apply on the SU website.

Health and Dental Plan Deadline (Opt-out and Family Add-on): Jan. 27

If you are a new student this semester, you should know that you are automatically enrolled in the SU’s health and dental plan. If you have alternate coverage, you may opt out by Jan. 27.

If January is your enrolment anniversary (you are not a new student but you started at UCalgary in a previous January), then this is also your annual deadline for adding family members. Details and forms are all here at: https://www.mystudentplan.ca/uofcalgary

All the best,

Nicole Schmidt,
President, Students’ Union

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Hello UCalgary,

Thank you so much to all those who voted in the SU By-Election and Referendum last week. I’ve got just a few more quick reminders for this month.

Teaching Excellence Nominations close on Friday, Oct. 21

This is the last week to nominate your prof or TA for an SU Teaching Excellence Award. Has an instructor or TA gone the extra mile this semester to make your class extraordinary? Nominate them for a Teaching Excellence Award. It’s super easy: just complete the short online form.

Fall Food Drive continues until Oct. 31

October is Food Security Awareness Month at the SU, and we are holding our annual Fall Food Drive. You can make a donation in person at the Information Centre in Mac Hall, or a monetary donation on our GoFundMe page. Your support helps us provide healthy food options for campus community members in need.

SU Quality Money proposals are due Nov. 25

Finally, SU Quality Money is a program that funds projects and programming that improve campus life. In the past, we’ve funded brilliant ideas like club scholarships, the SU Pride Scholarship, study space renovations, and free menstrual products in Mac Hall. If you’ve got a big idea, apply for a SU Quality Money grant and make it a reality. The deadline is November 25. Need some inspiration? Check out the hundreds of projects we’ve funded already.

I’ll be back with another email soon, and in the meantime, the best way to stay up to date is to follow the SU on social media, @SUUofC.

All the best,

Nicole Schmidt
President, Students’ Union

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Hello UCalgary,

As the semester winds down, we celebrate the winners of our annual Club Awards. These awards honour clubs that have raised the bar in categories like advocacy, sustainability, EDI, and engagement. This year’s winning clubs are:

• Advocacy Award: Mental Health for South Asia
• Future Alumni Network’s SU Club Award for Alumni Engagement: University of Calgary Consulting Association AND Students of the Arts and Science Honours Academy
• Best New Club: Data Science and Machine Learning Club
• Campus Pride Award: Kinesiology Students’ Society
• Club of the Year: RED (Reforming Education on Drugs)
• Collaboration Award: Chinese Students’ Society
• Community Service Award: The Mustard Seed, U of C
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award: American Sign Language Club
• First Year Engagement Award: Nigerian Students’ Association
• Innovation Award: Evren
• Leadership Award: Schulich Ignite
• Longevity, Ongoing Vitality, and Engagement Award: Women in Science and Engineering
• Quality of Education Award: Canadian Organization for Undergraduate Health Research Calgary Chapter
• Student Life Award: Pakistani Students’ Society
• Sustainability Award: Go Baby Go

We also awarded $1,000 each to ten outstanding student leaders, through the Eric Lahoda Scholarship. Check out the full list of winners and honourable mentions on the SU website. You can also follow our SU Clubs account on Instagram @SUUofCClubs
Clean out your fall/winter locker
Make sure you clean out your locker by Friday, April 29 (even if you have a spring locker). 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’re available on your Student Centre now!

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. – 4 p.m. Check out Bound and Copied’s website for more information.

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

All the best,

Nicole Schmidt,
President,
The Students’ Union

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Hello UCalgary students,

First, I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who voted last week in the SU elections. Congratulations to the new executives of the 80th Students’ Legislative Council! Current elected officials continue until April 29, when the new elected officials take their oaths of office. Check out our website for a full list of all the newly elected faculty representatives and other election results.

SU awards deadlines

This year we launched two new scholarships with a focus on EDI.

The first is the SU ABLE Award. This $500 award seeks to address challenges in current awards systems and processes that create barriers for persons with disabilities from accessing scholarships and awards. The award aims to recognize students that have demonstrated resilience and shown that regardless of these barriers, they have been ABLE to excel in their educational field and have proven to be a leader for others in their community.

The second is the Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Advocacy (IDEA) Award. Funded through Quality Money and administered by the SU, this award seeks to recognize University of Calgary undergraduate students who are actively dedicated to advocating for and improving Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives on campus. Two $1,500 awards will be given out at the end of the winter semester.

Find more information about these awards, or start your application on the SU website.

The deadline to apply for either award is March 21 at 4 p.m.

We’re hiring

The SU is recruiting for a long list of positions that start this summer and next fall. Work on campus and work around your class schedule. Maybe you are looking for experience in administration, leading volunteers, or behind-the-scenes work as the Deputy Speaker at SLC. Or, maybe you have always wanted to help plan events, or run multiple social media accounts. Check out our website – the deadline to apply is this Friday, March 18.

Ramadan hampers

The SU Campus Food Bank is proud to introduce a new initiative – Ramadan Hampers. With Ramadan beginning next month, we are offering a special food hamper for those campus community members who may need a little support to celebrate the occasion this year. Requests open March 28, through the SU Campus Food Bank.

The Den: now offering take-out

Finally, one more quick tip for those who are back on campus: the Den has a new take-out ordering section on their website. You can place your order from anywhere on campus, and then pick it up on your way through Mac Hall.

Nicole Schmidt
President, Students’ Union

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Happy February, UCalgary,

February is a very busy month around the SU – here’s what we have lined up.

Sex Week (Feb. 7 – 11)

UCalgary’s annual Sex Week is happening this week, Feb. 7 – 11. It’s a great opportunity to have all your questions answered about sex, love, relationships and so much more. Check out the schedule of events and other resources on our website. Make sure you join us on Instagram @SUUofC for a virtual carnival of resources, and a cooking demonstration called “Passion for your Palate” (hosted by our very own Executive Chef Hussein Haji!)

Conversations on Black History at the SU (Feb. 17 and 25)

Join SU VP Student Life Assad Ali Bik as he interviews past and present student leaders, highlighting Black history at the SU. On Thursday, Feb. 17, our guests will be current SU Campus Food Bank coordinator Ganiyat Sadiq, and 77th SU Faculty of Arts Representative Tomiwa Oje. On Friday, Feb. 25, our guests will be 78th SU VP Academic Semhar Abraha, and 51st Vice President External Chima Nkemdirim. Both interviews will be streamed live on the SU’s Facebook page.

SU Survey – last call

Have you taken the SU Survey yet? There are two great reasons to do it:

1. We use your feedback to improve our programs, services, and advocacy every year.
2. You could win one of ten $100 Amazon gift cards. The survey closes this Friday, Feb. 11, so take it now and tell a friend.

SU General Election and Referendum

The SU General Election is coming up soon – here are the important things to know:

• This week, Feb. 7 – 9, we are accepting nominations for all positions, and it’s not too late to put your name in! All positions are open for nomination, including 20 part-time faculty rep positions, Senate, and Board of Governors, as well as five full-time positions including the four Vice Presidents and President.
• Up next: meet your candidates. Stay tuned for updates on who’s running for what office, and when you can view live forums.
• Voting Days are Mar. 8 – 10. You’ll be voting not only for your new SU leaders, but also making decisions on the future of the SU’s Health and Dental Plan via three referenda questions. You can preview the questions on the SU website.

Fines for Food (Feb. 14 – 20)

We are beyond excited to continue our partnership with UCalgary’s Parking and Transportation Services – it’s called Fines-for-Food. Have you got outstanding parking fines? Pay them between Feb. 14 – 20, and half of the revenue will be donated to the SU Campus Food Bank!

All tickets paid during this period will be included in the program, regardless of when they were originally issued. Not sure how to pay your tickets? Visit parking.ucalgary.ca.

Teaching Excellence Awards

We know that, just like all of us, profs and TAs have had an incredibly challenging year. But we also know that students have noticed – last year, we received a record number of Teaching Excellence nominations from UCalgary students. So do you have a prof that has been going the extra mile this semester? Or a TA that makes it worth getting up for an 8 a.m. lab? If so, make sure you nominate them for a Teaching Excellence Award. Complete a short online form and we’ll make sure they know their extra effort is appreciated.

Not that anyone’s counting, but as of today you’re only 11 days away from Reading Week! Hang in there – you’ve got this.

All the best,

Nicole,
President, The Students’ Union

Stay up to date by following the SU on social media, @SUUofC.

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Hello, UCalgary, and welcome back to the winter semester.

In case we haven’t met yet, I’m Nicole Schmidt – your Students’ Union President. I know that it has been an incredibly challenging start to the semester for students, so I have a few updates for you as you ease back into classes as well as updates on ongoing Students’ Union advocacy initiatives for the winter semester.

Take the SU Survey

First up – Take the annual SU Survey now and enter to win one of ten $100 Amazon.ca gift cards. It’s your chance to voice your thoughts on the SU’s programs, services, and businesses – we want to make them even better, but we can’t do it without your help. Past survey data has influenced everything from payment options at the Stör to funding for new study spaces. It only takes 10 minutes – you can take the survey now.

Run in the SU General Election

Have you ever thought about taking on a leadership role at the SU? The SU General Election is coming soon. Official nomination packages will be available at the end of the month – but in the meantime, we’re regularly updating our election webpages with important information and deadlines. Want the details about what it’s like to campaign? Need insight into the life of an SLC member? You are welcome to check out our tip sheets, make an appointment with our CRO, or attend one of our Pre-Election Workshops from Jan. 26-28.

SU Clubs

Normally this week would have been the second Clubs Week of the year, and unfortunately, with classes online and so few people on campus, we’ve had to cancel this event. However, clubs are still active, and I would encourage you to check out the full clubs list if you are looking for something new to join. If you are a club leader and want some help getting the word out about your events, we are happy to help! Make sure to connect with @SUUofCClubs on Instagram. And one more quick note for Clubs – we are accepting nominations for Club Awards now until Feb. 22. Help us recognize excellence in team leadership, service, sustainable practices, advocacy, and innovation. Nomination forms can be found here.

Advocacy Notes

Moving into this new semester, we have a number of ongoing advocacy initiatives. We are requesting that the university notify students about the remainder of the winter semester as soon as possible, provide students with additional financial supports in light of the pandemic, and develop a contingency plan for the delivery format of future exams and classes.

Mac Hall

Finally, if you are on campus this month, Mac Hall remains open, including Bound and Copied, the Stör, and all your favourites in the food court.

Stay safe, UCalgary. I’ll be back with another update in the coming weeks.

Nicole,

Nicole Schmidt
President, Students’ Union

Stay up to date by following the SU on social media, @SUUofC.

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