Students' Union, UCalgary

Calgary – After pulling the rug out from under UCalgary students with hundreds of last-minute course changes affecting thousands of students, university administration has refused to meet with the SU and student leaders on the topic. Instead, the university has announced an inadequate bursary program that does not begin to make up for the stress, anxiety, hardship, and financial loss many students have been exposed to by this university decision.

Students learned in the last two weeks that many in-person classes they signed-up for were moved online. Some courses were moved online as recently as Monday, the day before classes started. Many students had made financial decisions based on in-person learning and had paid hundreds to thousands of dollars for flights, accommodation expenses, and even just parking passes that they now no longer need.

“The university made the decision to move courses online without any student consultation. It is disappointing to see that students are still an after-thought. The bursary the university announced does not come close to covering the sheer number of affected students, nor does it cover the dollar amount many students spent in anticipation of in-person classes.” – SU President, Nicole Schmidt

The university’s Fall 2021 Online Learning Relocation Grant will provide money to affected students but falls well short of reimbursing students for the full amount they may have spent prior to courses being moved online. In addition, only students forced entirely online by the university decision will be eligible. This overlooks students who may still have one in-person class but signed up for up to five and spent money under that assumption.

An unprecedented number of students have reached out to the SU saying they would have stayed in their home country or location and changed the one in-person class they still have to online delivery. The university denied them this opportunity by making changes so late.

The SU is calling on the university to ensure that every student affected by the university decision to move courses online at the last-minute can be fully reimbursed for the costs they have paid. The current bursary does not meet this standard.

“The SU has heard from students who have had courses moved online or even cancelled as recently as Monday, the day before classes start. This is unacceptable. The university has created this entire situation by moving courses online over the last three weeks. They must deal with the consequences of their decisions. Students deserve far better than what the university has put forward.” – SU President, Nicole Schmidt

Media inquiries may be directed to:
Mike Brown
External Communications Specialist
University of Calgary Students’ Union
Cell: 403-560-0577
Email: Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

Advocacy Blog – Return to Campus

The SU executive and staff team have been working hard over the summer months to ensure a safe return to campus for all students. We know that students want to return to in-person learning but we need to make sure that it’s done safely and with the proper accommodations, flexibility, and supports in place.

Last week, the University announced plans for mandatory masking as well as testing for those who aren’t vaccinated. These are positive steps to keep our campus community safe, but the details are lacking.

Rest assured that our advocacy on the latest university announcement is ongoing, but the SU has been at the table to ensure that students are at the centre of the return to campus plan. Here are some of the things we have advocated on over the summer and where we’ve seen progress and some wins.

For class size information:

• The university has committed to clearly advising students ahead of the fall semester on how they can check their class size when registering for in-person sections. Communication from the university early-on will allow students to make an informed decision about the classes they feel comfortable enrolling in. This information will also be provided in orientation content.

For study spaces on campus:

• ICT 102 will be designated for students to use for online classes. This room was selected because it has good Wi-Fi access and charging stations. Access to this room means that students won’t have to leave campus to attend their online classes.
• The university will also designate an additional room for online courses should ICT 102 be continually in use by students.
• Students will be allowed to us empty classrooms and library spaces for this purpose as well.
• The university is developing an interactive map for students to find spaces on campus to attend online courses.

For students who need accommodations or flexibility:

• The university has committed to developing a centralized website where students can find information about COVID-related accommodations. These would come into play if, for example, you are required to self-isolate or you are immunocompromised. This website will include an interactive flowchart to direct students to the proper place to apply for accommodations.
• The administration has increased resources for Teaching Assistant (TA) supports to be available in the fall semester to assist students who have to self-isolate.
• The administration has committed to expanding the existing accommodations process to include COVID-19 specific considerations.
• Students requiring long-term accommodations can fill out a COVID-19 accommodations request form.
• Students requiring short term accommodations are encouraged to talk with their professors about academic supports in the class. Professors have been directed to take COVID-19 considerations into account for the fall semester.
• The university committed to providing supports for students who need to self-isolate or quarantine and end up missing classes. This is ongoing.

For students living in residence:

• Students will now be let out of their residence contracts later on than normal to accommodate the shift to online learning.
• Should a student test positive, the university has set rooms aside for students to isolate.
• The university has committed to providing additional wellness and mental health supports to residence students who have to self-isolate.
• Residence students on meal plans will have be able to have their food delivered while they isolate.

This is not the end of the advocacy we are doing. We have brought forward other concerns that the university needs to work through. These include:

Discrepancy in course delivery formats: The SU has learned that some professors who are teaching in-person classes are also choosing to make an audio or video recording available to students who are uncomfortable attending in-person. This is great but this choice is being left up to individual professors. We feel this Information on the availability of lecture recordings should be made available to students when they enroll in the class or at least on the syllabus. We would also like to have this option made mandatory for all classes. We continue to meet resistance to these ideas but we will not stop pursuing it.

Rapid Testing: There have not yet been details provided on the frequency of rapid testing for those who aren’t vaccinated or refuse to disclose their status. There have not been details released on exactly what occurs when someone tests positive. These details must be clarified.

Today, the University of Calgary announced some new health measures ahead of the fall semester starting next month. Overall, the SU feels that these are positive steps, but we await details on how some measures will be implemented.

The major new measures are as follows:

• Students, and all members of the campus community, who are not vaccinated or prefer not to disclose their vaccination status will need to regularly complete rapid tests for COVID-19. Those who are vaccinated will be exempt.

• Masks will be mandatory in all public spaces on campus. Masks are not deemed necessary in the following situations:
  • Working alone in private offices
  • Working outdoors AND there is a minimum of 2 metres between people
  • Meeting indoors and there is a minimum of 2 metres between people
  • Working alone in a shared space
  • Working in a cubicle with plexiglass, wall, or other approved barrier between people AND when not providing services to anyone
  • In a classroom where there is a minimum of 2 metres between instructor or among students

• Those who develop symptoms or receive a positive test will be required to isolate for 10 days from when symptoms begin.

This is good news for students and will help keep us all safe as we return to campus next month. However, the SU feels that this should have been announced sooner, certainly before the final three weeks before classes begin.

These measures come after students have planned their schedules. It is our feeling that it is easier to start with stricter health measures and ease them over time rather than have to tighten them at the last minute.

The SU is also disappointed that professors and instructors were afforded much more flexibility than students when it came to choosing whether to deliver courses online or in person. Last week, the university allowed professors to move in-person courses online, well after students had planned their schedules.

In our view, it would have made far more sense to announce these new health measures first before offering professors the ability to change the delivery method of classes.

Students were never afforded the ability to choose to take a particular course online and now may have to make last minute adjustments to their schedules. This is causing further stress and anxiety for students.

Overall, we are pleased with the new measures from the university but we have questions around the frequency of rapid testing and how the university will identify those that are not vaccinated. We thank the university for working with us over the summer months to ensure student safety and we look forward to continuing that work into the fall semester.

 Calgary – After being told in July by Elections Calgary that campuses would not receive ‘Vote Anywhere’ or election day polls, Elections Calgary has reversed course and will now be offering on campus voting for students, regardless of which ward they live in.

The Returning Officer has confirmed that four post-secondary institutions, including UCalgary, will receive two days each of on campus voting during the advance vote period ahead of the October 18^th municipal election.

“This is a big win for students. Without advocacy from the SU and the Calgary Student Alliance we know that Elections Calgary would not have offered on campus voting at all. I would like to thank the Returning Officer and Elections Calgary for working with us to find a solution that doesn’t leave students behind when it comes to voter accessibility.” – SU VP External, Marley Gillies

While the polls will be on campuses for less time than they were in 2017, they will nonetheless help to engage students in the voting process by making it easier for them to participate in electing a new city council. The SU will continue its advocacy to ensure a full return to ‘vote anywhere’ advance voting in the next municipal election.

Student advocacy efforts received strong support from City Councillors and election candidates, alike. We extend our gratitude to Evan Woolley, Druh Farrell, Jeff Davison, Jyoti Gondek, Brad Field, and Jan Damery. We offer them our thanks for their support and their willingness to stand with us to make this important call for change.

“Students should know that they have elected officials and candidates in their corner when it comes to issues like this. The SU and CSA received tremendous support from elected officials and those running for elected office. Advocacy may take time, but it can lead to change and this situation is a prime example.” – SU VP External, Marley Gillies

The SU will now turn its attention to encouraging students to vote and will run a strong Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaign to encourage students to take advantage of the accessible voting they now have access to.

Media inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown

External Communications Specialist

University of Calgary Students’ Union

Cell: 403-560-0577

Email: Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

Students deserve to feel safe on campus. I think this is something we can all agree on. We are about to welcome students back to the University of Calgary, this will include students entering their first year and second year who have yet to be on campus at all. We must make sure they feel safe and we must make sure that all students feel safe when they rejoin our campus community.

The SU, its students, and its staff are not medical experts. We must defer to the experts when it comes to safety protocols, but students deserve coherent and timely information about COVID-19 protocols on campus. I, and fellow SU executives, are hearing over and over from students that they are worried, anxious, and stressed about returning to campus.

Make no mistake, students want to come back. Students have missed out on so much of the university experience over the last year-and-a-half. Online education is no substitute for in-person learning. But students want, and deserve, to come back safely.

It’s concerning to me that in the survey recently released by the University of Calgary, 56% of those who responded are concerned they will get sick on campus and are concerned about spreading it to their families. In addition, the same number, 56% again, do not feel that sufficient health measures are in place on campus to keep them safe.

The new measures announced after the survey results came out do nothing to put fears to rest.

The SU has learned that professors can choose to switch their courses to online, if requested by a certain deadline. This flexibility was never afforded to students and that is concerning. Students deserve flexibility and accommodations to ensure they can complete their studies safely and not worry about getting sick while doing it.

The university’s move to allow professors to do courses online instead of in-person means that many students may have a different mix of online and in-person classes than they expected. They may have to take an online class on campus if that course is immediately after an in-person course, for example. This just adds to student anxiety.

If a student isn’t comfortable sitting in a 300-student lecture hall, they shouldn’t be forced to, nor should they have to drop the course or put their degree on hold. The university should step up with accommodations for students as well.

What makes all this even more disappointing is that the university has had eighteen months to plan for the return. We all knew that we would be returning to in-person learning at some point. So why are details still being worked out less than a month before the fall semester begins?

Rest assured the SU team is working hard to push the university to communicate clearly and effectively as well as to recognize the difficult position students are in due to their lack of real action.

Please continue to reach out to me and the SU executives with what would reduce your stress and anxiety about the return to class. We will pass these thoughts on directly to senior university officials.

Calgary – The Government of Alberta has delayed the massive tuition increases proposed by the University of Calgary, ordering the university to conduct proper student consultation in and resubmit proposals to the province by October 29. The SU warned the University that consultation was not adequate, but the Board of Governors approved the increase plan anyway and sent it to the Minister of Advanced Education for final approval.

The University of Calgary proposed exceptional tuition increases as high as 30% for undergraduate students in Engineering and Medicine to take effect in fall 2022.

The university was afforded a ten-month window, from September to June, to consult students, prepare, and submit tuition increase proposals to the Minister. The University only revealed its exceptional increase plans in mid-May, six weeks from the end of that window and only after students had left for summer break.

“The consultation process was flawed, it was forced, and it was done after students had left for the summer. The SU told university administration and the Board of Governors that student consultation wasn’t adequate. They failed to listen and are now being ordered by the Minister to do proper consultation.” – SU President, Nicole Schmidt

Students in affected faculties were sent surveys beginning in March that did not provide any context, details, or costing to students. In short, students weren’t aware that the surveys were somehow part of an exceptional tuition increase. It was not until mid-May that students were informed of the proposals, only after they began summer break.

“This is an opportunity for the university to conduct meaningful consultation with students and work to rebuild student trust. The SU is working on a document that will set out standards for student consultation. This will ensure that students are properly engaged in consultation and be used as a standard for consultations on tuition and other areas where student feedback is needed.” – SU President, Nicole Schmidt

After this experience, the SU strongly believes that there must be a minimum standard for the university to adhere to when it comes to student consultation and feedback. The SU will present a document outlining consultation minimum standards and best practices to university administration setting out student expectations in this regard. The SU remains committed to work with the university to ensure proper consultation occurs this fall.

The SU is grateful to Minister Nicolaides and appreciate the fact that he expects a higher standard from the University of Calgary.

Media inquiries may be directed to:

Mike Brown

External Communications Specialist

University of Calgary Students’ Union

Cell: 403-560-0577

Email: Michael.brown1@ucalgary.ca

The SU is pleased to announce that UCalgary administration has backed down from privatizing the bookstore…for now.

This is a win for SU and student advocacy efforts but the fight is not over.

The university is delaying their decision until June 2022 with discussion on this resuming in the new year. This new timeframe will not make students find privatization more palatable but it gives the SU and students time to organize further efforts to save the bookstore.

Thanks to bookstore staff who alerted us to the impending privatization decision, the SU was able to successfully take action and hold university administration to account. The university put together a survey as did the SU.

In the SU survey, 89% of students opposed the privatization of the bookstore and 93% supported the SU taking over operations should the university feel it could not. This student feedback appears to be what shifted the university’s thoughts on privatization.

Thank you to all students who wrote to the university and completed surveys. It is thanks to your efforts in providing the SU with strong data and information that we are able to announce this victory today. While our efforts will continue, we prevented the university from making a hasty and ill-advised decision without seeking proper feedback from students.