Students' Union, UCalgary

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Mac Hall Expansion Survey
Mac Hall Expansion Survey 2560 1440 admin

Hello UCalgary,

The fall semester is coming up fast! Here at the SU, we have been busy all summer getting ready for fall events like Welcome Fair, Clubs Week, and Pet Therapy.

But we have also been looking ahead and thinking about the future of your student building, Mac Hall. It’s been 23 years since the last significant expansion of Mac Hall, and it’s time to think about how Mac Hall can continue to grow and improve alongside a growing student population.

Right now, we are asking students to voice your opinions on a future Mac Hall expansion. Take the survey now, and enter to win one of two $100 VISA gift cards or one of 50 $10 Mac Hall food court vouchers.

I’ll be back soon with more details on our September events. In the meantime, make sure you find and follow us @SUUofC on Instagram and TikTok.

Your SU President,
Naomie Bakana

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Welcome (or welcome back!)
Welcome (or welcome back!) 2560 1499 admin

Hello UCalgary,

Welcome (or welcome back) to campus! Hopefully, your summer gave you a chance to rest and recharge. This week literally kicks off the year – here’s what’s going on:

This Friday, August 29, look for the SU’s Kick-Off Checkpoint table at the south doors of Mac Hall beginning at 3 p.m. Say hi, pick up some swag and some snacks, and we’ll point you in the right direction to McMahon Stadium where you can cheer on the Dinos as they take on University of Regina Rams.

Next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, we’ll be set up in Mac Hall right outside the SU office all day for a huge Welcome Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn about SU programs and services, enter to win instant prizes (or bigger draw prizes), and make sure you drop by our sponsor tables to check out back-to-school offers.

First Year Students:

Is this your first year? I hope to see you at the Pep Rally on Thursday, and the SU’s Get to Know Us sessions on Thursday and Friday as part of your first year orientation. Make sure to register for these sessions and join us to learn all about the SU’s services, how to join clubs, volunteer opportunities, and ongoing advocacy work.

I’ll be back soon but in the meantime, make sure you find and follow us @SUUofC on Instagram and TikTok.

Your SU President,
Naomie Bakana

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NOTICE OF NOMINATION: By-Election 2025
NOTICE OF NOMINATION: By-Election 2025 150 150 admin

NOTICE OF NOMINATION DAYS

Notice is hereby given that Nomination Days are Monday, September 22 and Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

Nominations for the election of candidates for the following offices will be accepted virtually from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Offices Available (Vacancies)

  • Faculty of Social Work (1)

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The SU Recommends a Restoration of Post-Secondary Funding to Provincial Expert Panel
The SU Recommends a Restoration of Post-Secondary Funding to Provincial Expert Panel 150 150 admin

Your Students' Union has been taking your experiences to the experts. In May, we participated in a student consultation session with the Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding and Alberta’s Competitiveness. Chaired by the University of Calgary's own Dr. Jack Mintz, this panel was convened by the Government of Alberta (GoA) to review how our institutions are funded and their ability to compete globally.

Your SU was one of only two independent students' associations to attend this session, allowing us to spotlight problems faced by UCalgary undergraduates. Joining us were our colleagues at the Graduate Students' Association, as well as representatives from ASEC and CAUS. Discussions ranged from the consequences of Alberta's debt-based student loan system to the realities of the post-graduation labour market.

Jump to...


● Underfunding doesn't help students
● High tuition doesn't help students
● Targeted enrolment expansion doesn't help students
● Underfunding doesn't help Alberta

● Our recommendations

We followed up with the Panel in June to provide more detail in the form of a written submission, clocking in at nearly 100 pages. This post provides the highlights, and you can read the full submission here.

Highlights of the SU's Submission to the Expert Panel (2025)
Underfunding doesn't help students
Percentage of UCalgary revenue from provincial base grant vs student dollars, 2019 & 2024
2019 2024
Provincial grant 32.1% 22.9%
Student dollars 16.1% 23.8%

Of the guaranteed funding that Albertan public post-secondaries receive from the GoA every year, the biggest investment is known as the base operating grant. These grants have been cut since 2019, leading to frequent tuition hikes. The University of Calgary's base grant for the 2023-24 fiscal year was 20% less than it was in 2018-19. The table to the right shows how your dollars have come to essentially bridge the gap.

Why were budget cuts made in the first place?

In 2019, the GoA tasked a team of experts to balance its books. The Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta's Finances, aided by research from consultancy KPMG, concluded that the GoA was overspending per student compared to similar provinces. It recommended that students should pay more tuition, and that institutions should find more alternative revenue sources to reduce their reliance on provincial funds.

However, the methodology KPMG used to create advice for the Blue Ribbon Panel gets a failing grade from us. One example is the method KPMG used to conclude that the GoA spent $36,510 per student, up to $15,000 more than similar provinces, in the 2018-19 academic year. KPMG conceded to using "estimating assumptions" to make this finding, because the budgetary information it would need to calculate this figure was "limited" or—most eyebrow-raisingly—"did not exist." (In 2022, the Ministry of Advanced Education walked back KPMG's figures, stating that Alberta had spent $13,967 per student in 2018-19.)

KPMG also did not account for the fact that provinces like Quebec and Ontario receive between two and four times as many students as Alberta, meaning that Alberta's institutions may well require comparatively more provincial funding due to economies of scale. Put simply, tuition from 400 students will more comfortably cover an instructor's salary than tuition from 100 students.

Our conclusion

The GoA can have a world-class higher education system that costs more to fund but produces skilled workers who aren't impeded by debt, or it can have a system that prioritizes short-term savings at the expense of Alberta's future skills base. The unfortunate reality is that it cannot have both.

High tuition doesn't help students

The average cost of an Albertan undergraduate education rose 32% between the academic years of 2018-19 and 2024-25. Undergraduates now pay more than the national average and take on more debt: the volume of students borrowing from Alberta Student Aid has climbed by 47% since 2019.

Research suggests that prospective students will approach this situation strategically. Tuition hikes can deter enrolment, particularly among students from low-income backgrounds, but they may still be willing to take on debt if they believe their chosen institution will lead to a strong return on investment. If they don't think that an institution is value for money, they look for affordability over prestige.

This is bad news for Alberta, as it seems that a rising share of students don't think an Albertan education is either value for money or affordable. The enrolment rate of young Albertans has declined since 2019, potentially accelerating a decades-long trend of Alberta losing more students to other provinces than it gains.

For those who do choose Alberta, they'll graduate owing more than the national average, leading 1 in 5 to work outside their field of study in order to repay. Not only does this deprive the economy of the very skills they took loans to acquire, but 66% of Albertans will cut their non-essential spending, to the detriment of local commerce. Indebted graduates are also more at risk of depression or substance abuse. While many parents want to help, they have their own obligations: Canadian households are the most indebted in the G7.

Our conclusion

Without renewed investment, Alberta will keep losing talent to other provinces as they decide to pursue an education they believe is worth the price tag. The GoA spends millions on K-12 education and more to accommodate young Albertans as they grow up; funding its post-secondaries to retain these students will save Alberta a lot more money than it currently saves by cutting the budgets of colleges and universities.

Targeted Enrolment Expansion doesn't help students

Since 2022, Alberta's post-secondaries have had some of their lost funding returned to them via Targeted Enrolment Expansion. Under this initiative, the GoA pays to create more seats in "high demand programs" to support "key economic sectors." Targeted funds can only be spent on a chosen program's expenses.

Can we predict tomorrow's labour market needs?

In the late 1990s, Ontario invested in computer science to capitalize on the dot-com bubble, only for the bubble to burst at the expense of its higher education sector's long-term fiscal planning.

The problem with this approach is that predicting future labour market needs is not an exact science, so restricting how post-secondaries can spend their funds can limit their ability to truly meet changing trends. Targeted enrolment expansion also can't be spent on important student supports, like advisors.

UCalgary is already seeing the results of restricted funds: most of the investments it received were for STEM or health programs, while other Faculties missed out. The Faculty of Arts, having lost 25% of its budget in recent years, has cut crucial support staff and increased instructor workloads. A 2024 review of the Faculty of Kinesiology described some of its facilities as "held together by love and duct tape." Overall, the University would need nearly $1 billion to clear its outstanding maintenance needs.

The role of secondary supports

Learning outcomes are positively influenced by access to secondary services like campus recreation centres, tutors, writing centres, and libraries.

Our conclusion

Restricted funding prevents post-secondaries from providing well-rounded programming. It also undermines their ability to foster innovation wherever it occurs, as they are instead incentivized to focus on narrow fields at the expense of programs deemed less economically ‘desirable.’ As we can't know where the next breakthrough will come from, Alberta's post-secondaries should be funded according to institutional need rather than predicted market gaps.

Underfunding doesn't help Alberta

While students are the most directly affected by post-secondary budget cuts, the money the province saves may come at the future's expense, as education is one of the most reliable investments a government can make. In Canada, universities conduct 35% all of research and development nationally. Of the 875 startups that spun out of universities in 2022, the University of Calgary produced the most for the third year running.

Global ROI on PSE

The United States estimates that every $1 spent on higher education yields $4.50 in economic benefits. In the United Kingdom, the return for every £1 spent is £14.

Furthermore, a 2021 economic impact report assessed that the University of Calgary contributes $16.5 billion to Alberta annually. That's equivalent to nearly 15% of Calgary's GDP, and doesn't include the activity of UofC graduates. In general, post-secondary graduates pay the most income tax and need less social assistance, saving Canada money in the long run.

Our conclusion

An investment in our post-secondaries isn't just an investment in our students. It's a safe investment in the province's economy, and critical for its diversification.

Our Recommendations
  • The Government of Alberta should return post-secondary institution funding to pre-2019 levels, adjusted for inflation. Unrestricted provincial operating funding should constitute at least 45% of each public university's annual revenue going forward, to restore the 'public' in 'public institution.'
  • Renewed investment must come with a reduction in tuition paid by students, most of whom are young Albertans, poorly served by a system that encumbers them with large debts at the start of their working lives.
  • Targeted enrolment expansion should be discontinued, or distributed in addition to base operating funding.

    • Read the SU's full submission

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    SU Teaching Excellence Award Winners
    SU Teaching Excellence Award Winners 700 450 admin

    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 41 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. All nominees and winners and determined exclusively by students.

    The University of Calgary is lucky to have such a dedicated group of excellent educators, but this year’s winners 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.

    The SU received just short of 1,000 nominations this year and shortlisted 77 educators for the committee to review. 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 and to support the professional growth of instructors to address the changing needs of students.

    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

    Dr. Safaneh Mohaghegh Neyshabouri, Hall of Fame

    Darsh Tripathi, Teaching Assistant Award

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    State of the Arts: An Update on Student Engagement, and A Guide to Arts’ Admissions Pauses
    State of the Arts: An Update on Student Engagement, and A Guide to Arts’ Admissions Pauses 150 150 admin



    You may be aware that the Faculty of Arts is undergoing a three-year curriculum renewal process. This effectively means that curriculums for programs such as Religious Studies or Spanish are being updated, and, until that work is completed, new students will be unable to enrol.

    If you're unfamiliar with these pauses to new admissions, or missed the social media update from your SU Arts Representatives, the preceding paragraph might have raised a few questions. If you're wondering things like why these programs and is a 'curriculum renewal' even a real thing, you're not alone.

    Students in the affected programs were first informed about the pauses in October last year. When they told us that the Faculty of Arts poorly communicated the news—and the execution left much to be desired, too—we agreed.

    Your SU Representatives and Vice-President Academic got busy working with Faculty leadership to make sure students won't be blindsided this way again. We are now pleased to announce that the Faculty of Arts Student Engagement Framework for Program Proposals went live in late March.

    This Framework describes the steps that the Faculty of Arts will follow to engage with students if it ever proposes changes to programs again. You can read the full Framework here or find it later in this post, but here are the highlights:

    • The Faculty will inform students, the SU, and the Faculty of Arts Students' Association of program pauses before they occur, as well as any proposed program suspensions or terminations.
    • These communications will make it clear that students "will be supported in the completion of their program."
    • The Faculty of Arts will provide "the rationale for the program pause or proposal"
    • These announcements will strive to use "plain language."
    • The Faculty of Arts will hold at least one in-person and one online consultation session with affected students.
    • All students in affected programs will be invited to at least one online event and two in-person events to ask questions and provide feedback.

    Of course, we know that the Framework doesn't answer the questions of what and why. That's why we're going to break down everything you might want to know about what the Faculty of Arts is doing and how we got here in the first place.

    What is a Curriculum Renewal?

    Every 5-7 years, the University already conducts something called a curriculum review of its programs, which is a "critical examination of [a] program for the purpose of optimizing [its] learning outcomes." A curriculum renewal is the term the Faculty of Arts is using to describe what is, essentially, a curriculum review on steroids. In other words, what we know so far is that the Faculty of Arts is planning something closer to renovations than just redecorating.

    Why is the Faculty of Arts doing a curriculum renewal now?

    Similar to a curriculum review, the University also conducts Unit Reviews every 5-7 years. A quality control measure, these involve a team of experts assessing an entire Faculty for areas of improvement. The experts make recommendations, which University and Faculty leadership can respond to. A final report then goes to the Academic Planning and Priorities Committee (APPC)—the academic governance body responsible for discussing Unit Reviews, but also "reviewing and approving" any changes to the University's programs. (This will come back later.)

    The Faculty of Arts underwent a Unit Review in April 2024. The review identified problems with some programs ranging from low enrolment to outdated curriculums, and made suggestions on how the Faculty could maximize its resources after recently taking a 25% hit to its budget.

    Why were admissions to new students paused?

    By September 2024, the Faculty had paused new admissions to programs ranging from Religious Studies to Spanish. Students were not informed about the pauses until October 10th, however, and communication throughout the Faculty of Arts itself was even slower. The SU attended a Q&A session held by the Dean's Office on October 29th, during which some members of staff were surprised to learn that admissions had actually been paused two months earlier at that point.

    How did students first learn about the pauses?

    On October 10th, students in affected programs received an unexpected email from the Dean's Office, announcing that Arts was "embarking on a comprehensive three-year curriculum renewal process." This would involve temporarily stopping new students from enrolling in select programs so that the Faculty could focus on updating them. It would also allow the Faculty to implement the goals of its Strategic Plan, including "academic innovation… and community engagement."

    If you've been following these developments, you may know have learned what a curriculum renewal is, or perhaps added the Faculty's Strategic Plan to your Goodreads list. Back in October, though, most students probably hadn't heard of either. Those who received the announcement couldn't help feeling they were missing something, even as they were assured that their "academic progress will not be disrupted".

    Students asked why they hadn't been consulted first, and whether what the email really meant was that their progress wouldn't be disrupted… for now. And what was so wrong with these programs that they had to be paused, anyway? Could others be next? How would this affect teachers they liked and respected? The announcement contained none of this information, and the effect it had on readers informed our work on the Engagement Framework.

    Is it true there are procedural concerns about the proposals?

    Ordinarily, recommendations from Unit Reviews can be implemented without pausing admissions. The Dean's Office believes that the programs being renewed needed more urgent attention than usual. It was stated, during that October Q&A session, that some have poor retention rates, and some haven't been properly overhauled in decades. But not everyone feels that Faculty leadership acted appropriately.

    The Faculty Association of the University of Calgary (TUCFA) filed a grievance alleging that the Faculty's actions violated the employment agreement between academic staff and the University's Board of Governors. You can get a better picture of the concerns raised by TUCFA by reading TUCFA's full grievance.

    The SU also has related concerns. We feel it was inappropriate for pauses to start before the Unit Review reached APPC—the committee that should discuss Unit Reviews and decide on program changes. In their roles on governance committees, SU representatives have conveyed their concerns and made it clear they will address program changes on a case-by-case basis. SU support is always conditional on whether the following promises are kept:

  • All current students will be able to graduate;
  • Programs will not be terminated contrary to protocol; and
  • Suspensions will ultimately enhance learning for students.

    • We expect the University to make informed decisions after adequate consultation and care for both students and staff. We support TUCFA in their efforts to ensure that procedure is followed and encourage the University to fully and meaningfully address TUCFA's concerns.

    How do you know that current students will be able to graduate?

    We intend to hold the University to its promise that all current students will be able to graduate, but students should know that they also have Government of Alberta's guidelines on their side. Only the Minister of Advanced Education can grant permission for Albertan public post-secondaries to pause admissions to a program for over two years. This is officially known as a suspension. When reviewing applications to suspend, the Minister considers the guiding principles of the Campus Alberta Quality Council—the first of which is to prioritize the best interests of learners.

    Institutions must therefore perform certain actions before the province allows long-term suspension. Namely, they must show the steps they will take, or have taken, to ensure "current students [can] complete their programs... during the period of suspension." The guidelines cover a number of eventualities, too: institutions must have "contingency plans" in the event that students need to retake a program requirement.

    How do you know that the programs won't be terminated?

    The Faculty of Arts has assured the SU that it is not suspending programs to wind them down—only to update them. This is another thing that the University must have shown in its representations to the Government of Alberta. When post-secondaries seek approval from the Ministry of Advanced Education to suspend a program for more than two years, they must fill out an application letter. In this letter, they are directed to clearly state whether the suspension will be temporary or permanent. Only the Minister has the power to terminate a post-secondary program, and, in doing so, the Minister must again be satisfied that the best interests of learners remain at the heart of the plan.

    Why didn’t the Faculty of Arts include all this information in their initial communications to students?

    Your SU Faculty of Arts Representatives first put this on the record to Faculty leadership directly in November 2024. They shared "substantial concerns" with the use of language that was more intuitive to university administrators than students, and how even a sentence distinguishing suspensions from terminations would have shown students that their programs weren't in limbo. This view guided the SU's work to ensure the Engagement Framework recognizes that students deserve to understand why decisions affecting them are made.

    I have too many tabs open already - can you show me the full Engagement Framework?

    Guiding Principles

    Timing and Accessibility
    • Notification of upcoming program pauses, and proposed suspensions and terminations will be provided via email to the SU president, SU VP Academic, SU Arts representatives, and FASA president and FASA VP academic alongside email notification to current students in the affected programs, which will include the following information:
    • As noted in the University of Calgary Calendar, “students previously admitted to a [paused or] suspended program will be supported in the completion of their program.” 
    • Students who have been shadowing [1] a program prior to its pause or suspension can reach out to the Associate Dean (Academic) to request admission to the program.  
    • There will be multiple opportunities for student engagement and feedback, which will inform the proposal under development
    • That students can reach out directly to the Associate Dean (Academic) with any questions or concerns
    • The timeline of student engagement and feedback opportunities
    • Student consultations on program proposals will occur after notification of current students in the affected program(s) takes place and will occur early enough to ensure feedback can inform development of the program proposal.
    • Consultations will consider:
      • academic schedule (i.e., start/end of term, term break, final exams etc.);
      • students’ familiarity with Faculty of Arts and University of Calgary governance process;
      • accessibility of the location/format;
      • the governance review and approval timeline.

    [1] Shadowing is when a student is taking courses within a different major than their own with the intent to change programs to that major in the future

    Transparency

    The Faculty of Arts will communicate:
    • the rationale for the program pause or proposal;
    • a response that summarizes the feedback (“what we heard”) and how it has influenced the final proposal. Initial feedback will be appended to the proposal in advance of CARC with a summary of additional feedback received throughout the consultation process to be appended to the proposal prior to APS.

    Inclusive Opportunities for Participation

    • All students in the affected programs will be invited to participate in the consultation process, which will include at least one online and two in-person opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback; students must be given at least two-week deadline to provide online feedback and at least one week and ideally two weeks’ notice of any in-person consultation session.
    • All students will have an opportunity to bring forward their questions and concerns.
    • Sharing information and involving students in the consultation process is intended to build positive relationships.

    Core Components

    • Student email and survey, both of which will strive to use plain language 
    • One presentation to FASA council
    • At least one in-person and one online consultation sessions with affected students in a town hall format
    • At least one in-person consultation session with the Faculty of Arts student population using a town hall format (ensuring adequate space for full participation)
    • Program proposals to be distributed to SU and FASA representatives at least five business days prior to CARC
    • Location and times for Student Engagement Events to be shared with SU and FASA representatives and students via email, as well as on the Faculty of Arts Instagram, Facebook, X(Twitter), and D2L pages

    Hopefully, you'll now feel like you know everything there is to know about the Arts Curriculum Renewal. (Don't worry—there won't be an exam.) The SU will continue to monitor and respond to the situation as it develops.

    For now, we like the Engagement Framework so much that we'll be encouraging other Faculties to follow in Arts' footsteps. We also invite students to tell us what they think. You can also reach out to us with questions you may have about anything written here. Contact your Vice-President Academic or Faculty of Arts Representatives using the information below.

    Vice-President Academic

    Faculty of Arts Representatives

    suvpaca@ucalgary.ca

    arts1@su.ucalgary.ca

    arts2@su.ucalgary.ca

    arts3@su.ucalgary.ca

    arts4@su.ucalgary.ca

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    Results Announced: 2025 SU General Election
    Results Announced: 2025 SU General Election 150 150 Cara Clifford

    The 83rd SLC will be the first in SU history where all executive positions are held by women

    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 83rd Students’ Legislative Council (SLC). Undergraduate students were able to cast their vote in the election from March 4-6 to determine which of their peers will represent them to faculties, the university, and the three orders of government.

    There were two races for executive positions this year, which was up from last year. In the presidential race, Naomie Bakana and Matthew Johnson ran hoping to succeed outgoing President Ermia Rezaei-Afsah. With 53.7% of the vote, Naomie Bakana will be the SU President for the 83rd SLC.

    The other executive race was for the position of Vice President External, which saw a race between Sheroog Kubur and Julia Law. With 57.4% of the vote, Julia Law was elected as the new Vice President External.

    They will be joined by Gabriela Dziegielewska and Lorraine Ndovi, who ran uncontested and received a majority of yes votes for the positions of Vice-President Academic and Vice-President Internal respectively.

    President-elect Naomie Bakana celebrates her victory

    The position of Board of Governors representative was also uncontested, and Lujaina Eldelebshany received a majority of yes votes to claim the singular Board of Governors’ seat. There was a race between three candidates for the two seats for Senate. Amber Quo (43.9%) and Laiba Nasir (30.8%) were elected, eking out Uday Singh Sandhu.

    In the Faculty Representative races, there were three faculties with races – Arts, the Cumming School of Medicine, and the Haskayne School of Business.

    There were nine candidates for the Faculty of Arts, in which there were four positions available. The four elected are Malia Jolly, Simchah Atanda, Mahad Rzain, and Aitazaz Shah.

    In the race for the two seats available to represent the Cumming School of Medicine, there were five candidates. Hannah Kim and Nikhil Srivalsan were successful in their bids, and will be joining the 83rd SLC.

    In the final contested race, there were four candidates for the two Haskayne School of Business seats. The successful candidates were Joey Szasz and Griffin Stewart.

    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: Amanat Panech

    Faculty of Law: Faisal Baghazal

    Faculty of Nursing: Taylor Strelow

    Faculty of Science (three positions available): Haris Naveed, Emil Rasmussen, and Abdu Negmeldin

    Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: Stephanie Cheung

    School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape: Matthew Moreau

    Schulich School of Engineering (three positions available): Fardin Aryan, Emmanuel Fasesan, and Ibad Rehman

    Werklund School of Education: Siena Yee

    3,341 students voted in the 2025 General Election, which equates to 11% of the undergraduate population. The results announced today are provisional and become official on March 14. Students elected in this General Election will take office on May 5th, 2025.

    The SU will hold a by-election in October 2025 to fill the vacancy in the Faculty of Social Work.

    -30-

    Inquiries may be directed to:

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

    • Cara Clifford
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    Budget 2025: The Students’ Union, University of Calgary Responds
    Budget 2025: The Students’ Union, University of Calgary Responds 150 150 Cara Clifford

    Budget 2025 undercuts public post-secondary education in Alberta

    CALGARY – The Students’ Union, University of Calgary (SU) is deeply troubled by yesterday’s provincial budget. Not just for the lack of funding that post-secondary continues to receive, but for the troubling messages about the direction of advanced education in Alberta.

    “Nearly every student association in the province came together earlier this month to sound the alarm that post-secondary in Alberta is in danger,” said SU President Ermia Rezaei-Afsah. “Seeing today’s budget has only re-affirmed just how necessary that open letter was, because this continues to be a grim reality with little hope on the horizon.”

    The University of Calgary is for all intents and purposes left out of the 2025 budget, with no commitments beyond the re-affirming of funding towards the Multidisciplinary Science Hub which had previously been announced. Even more troubling is that the post-secondary operating budget is projected to remain stagnant throughout the rest of this current administration, despite the glaring needs for additional funding.

    Perhaps the most worrying aspect of this budget is that not all post-secondary funding remained stagnant. Alberta’s Independent Academic Institutions (IAIs) are among the only sectors to see increased investment.

    “Alberta is the only province with these IAIs, which blurs the line between giving public funds for private institutions. It hasn’t even been two years since the Ministry of Advanced Education said that MaKami College, an IAI that was only recently granted non-profit status, would not receive public funding, yet here we are,” said SU VP External Mateusz Salmassi.”

    “Between this and the introduction of private post-secondary language in Bill 38, public post-secondary looks like it has a giant ‘for sale’ sign on it. We have already seen how that is going with healthcare.”

    Finance Minister Nate Horner was quoted in other publications saying “That decision wasn’t made to increase it, neither was the one to cut it. That’s the kind of balance we’re looking at across the table.” With a near-$1 billion in deferred maintenance at the U of C, there is a growing sense of anger among students and community members over this alleged balance.

    “The Finance Minister talks about how they need a more optimistic forecast to help restore funding to post-secondary. Yet, when during last year’s budget the forecast was quite optimistic, nothing meaningful was on the table for post-secondary, beyond more loans that students would have to pay back. At what point do we admit this is being done intentionally?” asked Rezaei-Afsah.

    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. With 77% of post-secondary students already struggling to afford the basics in Alberta – combined with Alberta dropping sharply in the rankings in most educated provinces since 2019 – the message to the Government of Alberta is a simple one: you can’t keep cutting class.

    -30-

    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 2025
    NOTICE OF ELECTION: GENERAL ELECTION 2025 150 150 admin

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

    • President (1)
    • Vice President Academic (1)
    • Vice President Internal (1)
    • Vice President External (1)
    • Faculty Representatives, Arts (4)
    • Faculty Representatives, 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 (3)
    • Faculty Representatives, Science (3)
    • Faculty Rep., School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (1)
    • Faculty Rep., Veterinary Medicine (1)
    • Faculty Rep., Werklund School of Education (1)
    • Senate Student-at-Large Representatives (2)
    • Board of Governors Student-at-Large Representative (1)

    Online voting will take place on the 4th, 5th, and 6th days of March, 2025 through myUofC Student Centre. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on March 4th and closes at 4 p.m. on March 6th, 2025. Polling stations are located at the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) building, MacEwan Student Centre, and Science Theatres, and are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on each voting day. All University of Calgary undergraduate students registered in the Winter 2025 session are eligible to vote.

    VACANCIES

    In accordance with section 48 of the The Union Bylaw, the Chief Returning Officer declares the following position vacant:

    • Faculty Representative, Social Work (1)

    More information on the General Election 2025 can be found on the SU ELECTIONS page. 

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    GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA, YOU CAN’T KEEP CUTTING CLASS
    GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA, YOU CAN’T KEEP CUTTING CLASS 150 150 admin

    Alberta’s post-secondary students unite to send clear message to the province: you can’t keep cutting classes

    ALBERTA – With the 2025 Alberta budget set to be announced later this month, the overwhelming majority of Alberta’s post-secondary institutions’ student associations have teamed up to send one simple message to the Government of Alberta – stop cutting classes.

    25 of Alberta’s universities and colleges student leaders are signing off on a joint open letter campaign that is sounding the alarm that the budget cuts which began at 2019 have left Alberta’s future in jeopardy. Not only are these cuts one of the leading reasons that has dropped to the sixth-most education province, but the future of Alberta’s workforce could see dramatic effects within the next few years.

    60% of bachelor’s students in Alberta are expected to graduate with at least $25,000 worth of debt, and that same number rings true for about 1/3 of college students as well. This is one of the major reasons that so many students are leaving Alberta, meaning there are fewer residents to enter the workforce.

    “Students are sending a clear message that enough is enough and packing up and leaving this province, which is a recurring trend among similarly funded sectors like healthcare and children’s education,” said University of Calgary’s Students’ Union President Ermia Rezaei-Afsah. “The quality of Alberta’s post-secondary education keeps declining, and at this point it’s hard not to feel that this is by design.”

    This sentiment is being echoed by Lily Schaerer, Chair of the Alberta Students Executive Council (ASEC), which represents 15 of Alberta’s colleges, polytechnics, and universities.

    “Alberta historically has been a leader in education, and that is why the Alberta economy has set the standard within Canada for decades. However, with post-secondary funding receiving annual cuts since 2019, it is time to sound the alarm that Alberta’s economic future is being put at risk,” said Schaerer.

    Between the membership of ASEC, as well as the individual undergraduate and graduate unions, 290,000 of Alberta’s students are calling for desperately-needed funding to be allotted in this year’s budget. Those student numbers represent more than 7% of Alberta’s total population.

    “The price of everything continues to climb, from living expenses to mandatory non-instructional fees, and nearly every university and trade school in the province is underfunded. The message sent is that students and institutions are on our own,” said Lisa Glock, president of the University of Alberta Students’ Union.

    Many students’ associations already submitted their requests for what they want to see in the budget over the past six months, but now this letter is making it clear where they all agree – Alberta cannot afford to keep cutting classes. With the province set to announce its budget in the coming weeks, time will tell if this government recognizes the importance of prioritizing its future.

    Media inquiries may be directed to:

    Nathan Ross, Manager of Communications and Government Relations
    University of Calgary Students’ Union
    403-835-1836 or Nathan.ross@ucalgary.ca

    OPEN LETTER to Alberta Government: Stop Cutting Classes

    CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

    Interview availability on February 11. Please note that all potential interviewees are available from 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. except where noted.

    Calgary

    • Ermia Rezaei-Afsah, President, University of Calgary Students’ Union
    • Tala Abu Hayyaneh, President, Students’ Association of Mount Royal University
    • Ahmad Baker, President, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Students’ Association
    • Hunter Yaworski, Vice President External, University of Calgary Graduate Students’ Association

    Edmonton

    • Lisa Glock, President, University of Alberta’s Students’ Union
    • Haseeb Arshad, President, University of Alberta’s Graduate Students’ Association, available from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

    Lethbridge

    • Maleeka Thomas, President, University of Lethbridge Students’ Union

    Urban Colleges & Rural Alberta

    • Lily Schaerer, Chair, Alberta Students’ Executive Council AND President, Students’ Association of Medicine Hat College, available from 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
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