Dear Students,

As we approach the end of my term as President, and my team’s term as the Executives of the University of Alberta Students’ Union, I have been reflecting on what this past year, and really these past few years in student leadership have meant to me. The one concept I keep returning to again and again is that of love.

Since joining student leadership in 2023 as a wide-eyed Vice President (Academic), the UASU became far more than just a place where I spent my time. It truly became a second home to me.

I have loved this institution in some of its best moments and in some of its hardest ones. I have loved it when the work in front of me felt light and exciting, and I have loved it when it felt heavy and difficult. I have loved it enough to be challenged by it, frustrated by it and most importantly shaped by it.

I think that is part of what it means to really care about an institution. To love it not because it is perfect, but because you believe deeply in what it can be.

In our roles in student leadership and as members of the University community, love is often effort. It is choosing to stay in the meeting a little longer, to read one more policy, to take one more phone call and to rewrite a document one more time. It is carrying responsibility when it would be easier not to. Love is doing what’s right, even when it’s not easy.

However, I recognize that I was only able to discover my passion for student leadership because I chose to get involved. It was only by stepping out of my comfort zone and into this community, that I had the opportunity to learn how much this work, the UASU and the University of Alberta could mean to me. But it is also because of that recognition that I find myself reflecting on an idea one of my predecessors once shared with me:

The greatest tragedy of university life is going through your years here without ever really stepping into them. Being surrounded by opportunity, by people, by community and by chances to grow and leaving without fully taking hold of any of it.

This is why, whether you have several years left or just one, I encourage you to choose to get involved. Not in a casual way or only when convenient, I encourage you to pursue involvement to the point of passion. I learned from those who held my current position before me how passion breeds obsession and obsession breeds excellence, and it is that tireless pursuit of excellence and the acceptance of the sacrifice it may entail, that allows for meaningful progress to be achieved.

This year, my team has tried to pursue that kind of progress in the hopes of learning from the past to improve tomorrow. Some of the work we are proud to have accomplished this year includes:

In our internal UASU efforts looking at our operations and partnerships with student groups:

• Nathan and I were happy to co-author, and following Students’ Council approval, launch the UASU Strategic Plan 2026-2030, after two years without one. This Plan has been positively received throughout the organization, with widespread acknowledgement of our efforts to ensure that it can remain relevant for years to come alongside changing student priorities. The work undertaken to deliver it was extensive, but incredibly necessary for the future sustainability of the UASU.
• Nathan and I worked with the team to launch a new Dewey’s menu that prioritizes affordability, as we set a clear goal that no food item on the main menu could be higher than $10.50.
• Our team was happy to launch the new Student Group Indigenous Elder Grant, a $30,000 investment which will help break down financial barriers for student groups to meaningfully engage with Indigenous Elders and knowledge-keepers.
• Logan secured an early win for Francophone students by working with Alumo (formerly Studentcare) to provide their entire website and all linked documents in French.
• Nathan worked to launch RATT Cafe, making purposeful use of our space for students.
• Logan and I commissioned a new five-part trauma-informed training module which was developed with Inclusive Concepts and added as an optional supplement to Group Leader Orientation to equip student leaders with empathetic communication and referral skills.
• In collaboration with the Indigenous Students’ Union, we hosted Mâwacihitowin on the Main Quad, creating a meaningful space for celebration, community building and accessible engagement with Indigenous cultures, student groups and ways of being.
• We invested in installing new microwaves in CAB, backed by a formal Memorandum of Understanding to ensure they remain cleaned and maintained. We also invested in Student Representative Associations (SRAs) directly through Nathan’s efforts to replace microwaves in SRA Offices and provide them with more SUTVs.
• Our efforts throughout the Fall worked to increase social media engagement by 78.98% and views by 189.25% per post through a new strategy involving high-density content, student photography and regular video reels like "Tea Time with Katie" and "Lights Camera Logan." We also had the most watched reel in the UASU’s history.
• We made our electoral software available to Student Representative Associations (SRAs), contributing to greater usage during this Winter General Election. We also launched a newsletter feature for SRAs on Rubric that respects privacy regulations but allows our partners across the University to reach students in their jurisdictions more effectively.
• Nathan and I led budgetary meetings with every department to identify specific needs and eliminate operational inefficiencies, ensuring funding is prioritized for areas with the largest student impact.
• We successfully piloted the This is Your UASU Info Session, an optional orientation for student group leaders during GovCamp, seeing 50+ student groups attend to learn about UASU grants, advocacy, social enterprises and more.
• We worked with our Research & Advocacy and Student Group Services team to update many student group resources in the Student Group Resource Hub (Table bookings, Student Digest and Faculty Newsletters and Postering).
• We improved support for student group leaders by extending the Fall event grant deadline by one month, launching a concise online grant training video and streamlining internal group services processes to reduce unnecessary administrative barriers.
• We used effective pressure to ensure the University upheld its end of the SUB Master Agreement, successfully getting a SUB elevator fixed within one week following the start of our public campaign despite an initial 12-week estimate.
• The UASU activated faculty-based sub-communities within the UASU Perks app, allowing each Student Representative Association to run at least one anonymous, faculty-specific survey per term to better understand and represent their members.
• Nathan secured an Inclusive Spaces Program Grant for the campus early learning centre and signed a new childcare agreement with Kids & Company to increase accessibility for student parents.
• We strengthened the financial administration of student representation by reforming both audits and funding disbursement, moving technical audit review from student volunteers to trained staff while retaining Council oversight, and establishing earlier term-based fee disbursements for Student Representative Associations starting in Fall 2026.
• Nathan approved funding and secured space for a dedicated Recharge Room in SUB, providing students with a quiet, designated area to decompress during the day.
• We invested in loanable power bank chargers on the main floor of SUB to address the shortage of accessible electrical outlets for students.
• Logan updated SUB washroom signage with gender-inclusive and destigmatized language to better reflect the student body's needs.
• Nathan rebranded the Green Fund to the Sustainable Empowerment and Equitable Development (SEED) Fund and moved to an ongoing application basis, leading to a record number of students accessing these sustainability grants.

In our work with and advocacy toward the University:

• I was proud to co-launch the Winter 2026 ONEcard Access Pilot Project alongside President Flanagan, extending weekday and weekend hours for several major interior pedway routes on campus, supported by Safewalk volunteers.
• We have undergone critical negotiations for a multi-phased transfer of authority for student group events, beginning with UASU-managed spaces in January 2026 and moving toward a repeal of the University's Student Groups Procedure. We have also passed Bylaw 220: Student Groups and are finishing the new Student Group Operating Policy to assist with this transfer. This work will shape out the student experience at the UofA for years to come.
• I am finalizing negotiations with Student Success and Experience over our Grant Agreement. We believe we will secure the appropriate investment for the many things the UASU is responsible for relative to the student experience. We expect to sign this before the end of this month.
• We surveyed over 1,000 students to identify specific lighting, mobility, and infrastructure needs, compiling these into a comprehensive University Safety Infrastructure Investment Report that was provided to University administrators.
• I authored a proposal for browser-based and direct translation of Bear Tracks and My Schedule Builder, prompting the University to provide step-by-step translation instructions for students earlier this Winter term embedded into My Schedule Builder.
• Katie launched the Women’s Health Coalition, oversaw a major menstrual health research project, developed policy recommendations to improve academic accommodations and health services for students and hosted Women’s Health Day.
• Through the Ad-Hoc Committee on Academic Governance (CAG), Katie and I successfully advocated to maintain student parity on General Faculties Council (GFC) and secured authority for the UASU to distribute undergraduate representative seats, creating pathways for the Indigenous Students’ Union and the International Students’ Association to have representatives on GFC.
• Logan launched the SGBV Task Force and produced a report with eleven comprehensive recommendations, including mandatory consent education and expanded culturally competent support for Indigenous students.
• Logan led the UASU’s collaboration with the Sexual Assault Centre to host SGBV Awareness Week, which included a Consent Resource Fair, info sessions on sex-for-rent exploitation, and a "Take Back the Night" march.
• Abdul and Logan have advocated to secure pedestrian-activated amber flashers for 111th Street.
• Logan secured policy changes to double the parking ticket appeal window to 14 days and increase staffing to prioritize and expedite student appeals.
• Katie and I co-authored the UASU Advising Priorities Report based on student surveys and faculty engagement, recommending peer advising and improved advisor training to the University’s Enhancing Advising Project. These recommendations will help shape this major project which will change how advising is experienced at the University for years to come.
• I have been negotiating with the Registrar’s Office to draft new University Calendar language that allows students to apply for exam deferrals before they actually miss their exam.
• Katie relaunched the ZTCup and established a ZTC Working Group to address data undercounting, and together Katie and I delivered a comprehensive Zero Textbook Cost: Moving Forward report with recommendations for Bookstore policy changes and Open Educational Resource (OER) investment.
• Nathan and I, through our proposals to the Tuition Budget Advisory Committee, secured the commitment for installment payment options for international student tuition beginning in Fall 2026. More information on tuition payment options will be shared with international students when tuition assessments are issued in Summer 2026.
• Logan organized a high-engagement Residence Town Hall in February, bringing senior University administrators (including the Associate Vice-President of Campus Services) directly to students to answer questions on rent and meal plan increases.
• Katie successfully set up a ONEcard distribution table at CSJ orientation, removing the need for Francophone students to travel to North Campus just to access their student IDs.

Related to our external advocacy efforts:

• This year, Abdul and I worked extensively to promote an increase to the Operating and Program Support Grant the University of Alberta receives, which helped lead to the first year-over-year increase to the OPS Grant since 2018. The University received a $13.1M increase to its Grant for 2026/27, a commitment of the same amount for 2027/28 and a retroactive increase of $13.1M for 2025/26.
• Together, Abdul and I worked to secure the Alberta Youth Employment Incentive creating 2,500 jobs for youth across the province. This included my participation in the Province’s announcement.
• The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) secured an extension of the Canada Student Grant at $4,200 (rather than dropping to $3,000) and Canada Student Loan limit at $300 per week (rather than dropping to $210), with Abdul, in his capacity as CASA Chair, being asked to provide a quote for its $1.2B announcement, indicating his and CASA’s participation in advocating for this funding.
• We launched the Transit Coalition to bring student leaders together around shared transit priorities, creating a collaborative space with different student groups to shape advocacy on transit safety and the student commuting experience.
• Our work on transit advocacy helped inform broader municipal discussions that contributed to a $1.2 million investment in Automated Passenger Counters across Edmonton Transit Service, improving the data needed for better service planning and more targeted safety resource allocation.
• Abdul and I led the dissolution of the Council of Alberta University Students and the UASU’s entrance to the Alberta Students’ Executive Council to create a more sustainable advocacy structure, while also delivering a joint provincial budget submission representing over 220,000 students for the first time in at least recent history.
• Through consistent communication with the Ministry of Advanced Education, Abdul ensured that no student financial aid delays occurred this year, ending a two-year trend of significant administrative stress for students.
• We launched the Get Out The Vote Task Force which recruited over 100 volunteers, executed a massive social media and class talk campaign, and hosted a Mayoral Forum that secured public commitments on transit safety and student housing. I was happy to launch this project and to have a group of such passionate student volunteers take the lead in executing the Task Force’s efforts.
• Through CASA, Abdul helped secure $635.2 million over three years for the Student Work Placement Program in Budget 2025, extending a key source of paid placements for students and expanding opportunities for work-integrated learning across the country.
• Following months of work in Abdul’s first term, he and I saw the announcement of the Downtown Student Housing Incentive, a $15M initiative aimed at providing affordable housing for students and were both part of public communication for it, indicating the UASU’s involvement leading up to this change.
• Nathan served as Chair of the Edmonton Student Alliance this year, helping strengthen coordination between post-secondary student leaders across the city and ensuring student priorities remained organized and visible in municipal advocacy through the development of Sowing the Seeds of Tomorrow - 2025 Edmonton Student Alliance Municipal Priorities.
• We began significant advocacy for the expansion of the Leisure-Access Pass program to include post-secondary students, including the launch of a study into this expansion and securing public support from the now-Mayor at our Mayoral Forum, all in an effort to grant students access to city fitness spaces at no or reduced cost.
• Abdul and I commissioned a proposal to municipal leaders to reduce the cost of Police Information Checks for students in mandatory unpaid placements to at-cost value, reducing financial barriers for students entering the workforce. This included me speaking in support of this change to the Edmonton Police Commission.
• The provincial government in Budget 2026 provided $3 million, with $1 million annually, to support the development of OER resources following several instances of us emphasizing this throughout the year.
• Through advocacy with CASA to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, we helped secure a change so that, as of April 1, 2026, eligible international students no longer require a separate co-op work permit for mandatory placements in their program.
• We partnered with the Health Science Students’ Association, the Alberta Pharmacy Students’ Association and the Nutrition & Food Science Students’ Association to submit a proposal for increased provincial funding for the Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) to strengthen support for students in allied health and nursing placements.

None of this work happened by accident. It happened because people were passionate enough to put in the work, often quietly and consistently, and to always keep moving in the hope of leaving this place better than they found it.

To every student who sent us an email, stopped us on campus, filled out a survey, raised a concern or simply paid attention to the work we were doing, thank you. Your voices shaped our advocacy, challenged us to do better and reminded us who this work was always for.

To student leaders across the University, in Students’ Council, in our Student Representative Associations, student groups, governance committees and every other space where students step forward to lead, thank you for your willingness to act with unbridled compassion in caring deeply about something bigger than ourselves. Some of the best work we did this year came from students who saw a problem, cared enough to speak up and then cared enough to help build a solution. That willingness to inspire change for the world by first changing the communities around you is one of the most powerful things about student leadership.

I want to give a particular thank you to the folks in ISSS. My year there in between my UASU Executive terms was one of the most meaningful parts of my time in student leadership and it shaped me in ways I still carry with me. To see the organization continue to thrive so well after my time there has meant a great deal to me. It speaks to the passion and commitment of the people who have continued to lead it thoughtfully.

On behalf of my team and undergraduate students at the UofA, I also want to thank the staff of the UASU. Student leaders are temporary by design, but this organization is able to keep moving, growing and delivering for students because of the incredible people who support it every day. Thank you for your care, your patience, your expertise and your commitment to our shared mission. I also want to thank our many partners across the University and beyond who worked with us thoughtfully and helped move important work forward on behalf of students.

And finally, to my team: Katie, Abdul, Nathan and Logan, being your President, but above that your friend, has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. You have each taught me, in different ways, what it means to be a good leader and a good person, and I only hope I have been able to give you a fraction of what you have given me. I am deeply grateful for your trust, your friendship and for everything we shared this year.

Thank you for trusting me to serve as your President. It has been the honour of my lifetime.

With love,

Pedro Almeida
President, University of Alberta Students’ Union 2025/26