Since our last advocacy update, your UASU has continued to advocate your priorities to the University of Alberta, and many government officials, on the issues that matter to you most. Here's a quick update on how we've continued to make your voices heard so far this Fall.

Developments

Outreach

Over this past month, UASU President Rowan Ley and VP External Christian Fotang have met with 6 Edmonton area MLAs and Edmonton-Strathcona MP, Heather McPherson, to share your provincial and federal advocacy priorities and continue to speak against the worrying tuition increase proposals.

Exceptional Tuition Increases

We’re doing everything we can to prevent additional exceptional tuition increase proposals from going forward unchecked. Your UASU has strived to make compelling arguments against rushed tuition increases at the Board of Governors. We’ve heard from many student representatives that don’t believe these increases will lead to real and practical program improvements for students. The newest round of proposals is set for review by the Minister of Advanced Education in December 2021.

You can write to the Minister of Advanced Education and explain how excessive tuition increases would affect new students in your program at ae.minister@gov.ab.ca. We’ll keep you updated with any developments and continue to fight for accessible education, strong consultation and affordable tuition.

Solidarity with Survivors of Sexual Violence

Your UASU and our allies have been working to encourage the University to take active and preventative action against sexual violence. You can read our joint letter to the University on sexual violence prevention and response here.

SRA Summit

Your UASU successfully hosted the first-ever Student Representative Associations (SRA) Summit this Fall that brought together student leaders from every student association to tackle isolation, loneliness, and mental health challenges on campus. If you or anyone you know is looking for support, you can find a diverse list of campus resources here.

Online Learning

VP Academic Abner Monteiro lent a voice to students’ accessibility concerns and helped shape conversations around the challenges of online learning at Cybera’s 2021 Summit. The panel focused on students' experiences with online vs in-person learning and the equity barriers with using proctoring software. Video on that soon!

Coming Soon

Students’ Rights Campaign

We’re working on a social media campaign to highlight students’ rights around access to exam materials, procedural fairness, and accommodations based on protected grounds. Keep an eye out for these posts coming soon on our UASU social media feeds!