UNews - Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students

New ULSU executive council has big plans

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:50:17 +0000

The time of year has come when the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) has to say goodbye to the executive council members they've worked with all year and welcome a new group of council members.

This year marks a significant change for the ULSU because of a new executive council structure that has been developed that includes a vice-president external position. This new position will play an active role in advocating to all levels of government, one that until now was spread out among all the executives.

Despite the challenges the ULSU will face adjusting to this new structure and lobbying the government regarding the recent post-secondary education budget cuts, the ULSU is lucky to have such qualified and compassionate executive council members for this term.

The new ULSU executive council (L to R) Shuna Talbot, Sean Glydon, Adam Long, Michael Kawchuk and Katie Kalmar.

The new president of the Students' Union, Shuna Talbot, was previously the VP of internal affairs and is very familiar with the importance of her new role. Talbot's platform for presidency revolves around the three pillars of the ULSU, advocacy, representation and service. More specifically, her plans as president include establishing a multi-faith prayer space on campus and strengthening the ULSU's relationship with the Lethbridge College Students' Association.

Taking over Talbot's role as VP internal affairs is Adam Long, whose position has become the VP of student affairs. Over the last four years, Long has been actively involved in planning and organizing a number of events on campus, including Fresh Fest, and has also been president of the Board and Ski Club for the last two years. His goals for his term in office are to organize a club fair to take place during the middle of the first semester and to create more of a community between clubs so that they can collaborate on future endeavours.

The new VP external position is held by Sean Glydon, who has most recently been the founder and president of the Environmental Science Club, as well as an arts and science representative. Glydon's main responsibilities in this new role will be representing the ULSU at both the lobby organizations CASA (Canadian Alliance of Student Associations) and CAUS (Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students). During his term, Glydon expects to complete the ULSU external policies, achieve regulation of non-mandatory instructional fees and realize the removal of residence property taxes.

Former arts and science representative, Katie Kalmar, has become the new VP academic, a position she has been training for under the previous VP academic, Julia Adolf, acting as the student commissioner for the last year. The VP academic sits on a number of different ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ committees and is responsible for representing students in all aspects of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community. Kalmar plans to increase the number of academic events available to students by partnering with ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ departments such as counselling services, the library and the writing centre to develop more diverse academic workshops.

Last but not least is the new VP operations and finance, Michael Kawchuk. Last year, Kawchuk sat on the ULSU's general assembly as the management representative. As a finance major, he wants to address some of the cost issues that are not deemed 'value added' costs for students and reduce these. He also wants to make the ULSU's finances more clear for the other executives and to work on finding areas where the ULSU can save money.

The ULSU is looking forward to working with all the new executive council members and is excited for the events they will organize for students, as well as the advocacy issues they will address during their terms.

This story first appeared in the May 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Students earn greater voting flexibility

trevor.kenney — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:46:55 +0000

Voting in provincial elections has become a little easier for students who attend a post-secondary institution located outside their permanent place of residence.

Bill 7, or the Election Accountability Amendment Act, had its third and final reading in the Alberta Legislature recently. The bill includes several changes in how Alberta's elections are carried out and allows for post-secondary students to cast their ballots in the riding they attend school or in their home riding.

"This is going to make voting much easier for students in the next election," says Armin Escher, president of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union. "The Elections Act is going to be amended as per our recommendation to the government and I hope we see even more students turn out to vote in the next election as a result."

Escher adds that the change is a huge accomplishment for the Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students (CAUS), a provincial lobby group compromised of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Students' Unions, who has been lobbying the government since 2008, to make it a little easier for students to vote in this province.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union, members of CAUS, hopes to see an increase in voter turnout in the next provincial election, particularly among students.

"This past May we saw a lot of students being turned away at the polls because they were not able to vote due to the fact that their home riding was not Lethbridge," says Julia Adolf, VP academic, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union.

"The changes to the election act will give our students' the ability to vote in Lethbridge."

This is not the only issue the bill addresses; it also changes provisions on campaign finance and new changes to municipal elections.

The bill was originally based on recommendations put forth by the Chief Electoral Officer, however, the recommendations that CAUS made were accepted.

Many parts of this bill have been met with controversy but the portion pertaining to student voting has been met agreement by all parties in the legislature.

SU looks to mobilize voters

trevor.kenney — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:04:09 +0000

The Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students (CAUS) and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) recently rolled out an ambitious Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign to get young and first-time voters in Alberta's post-secondary institutions involved in the impending provincial election.

"The goal of the campaign is simple, get as many students out to vote as possible," says ULSU president and CAUS Chair Zack Moline. "Students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will be asked to sign a pledge form with a commitment that they will vote in the next election."

The contact information that the students provide on the pledge form will be used to update them with the necessary information to make an informed decision on Election Day. It will also provide CAUS and the ULSU the opportunity to encourage students to get out and exercise their right to vote.

"As a Spring election appears imminent, the ULSU is preparing now to ensure that the campaign is an overwhelming success," said Moline.

Together with CAUS, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Students' Unions, the ULSU hopes to inform and encourage a record number of students to pledge and then get out to the polls in the potential spring election. This upcoming election will be exciting, and will be the first provincial election for many new voters and the ULSU is optimistic that droves of students will pledge.

Students can pledge to vote online at the campaign website www.getoutthevote.ca but will also be given numerous opportunities to pledge in person throughout the campaign.

Any students interested in participating in the GOTV campaign to help inform their fellow students can contact ULSU Volunteer Coordinator Mike Solberg to get involved. Mr. Solberg can be contacted via email at su.volunteer@uleth.ca.

For more information about CAUS' GOTV campaign, visit www.getoutthevote.ca or contact the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union at 403-329-2222.

Incoming executive excited about opportunity to boost student engagement

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:43:49 +0000

The spring winds bring an annual changing of the guard at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU). As another successful year at the Students' Union comes to an end, a new Executive Council is poised to usher in new, and what it expects will be prosperous, student initiatives.

"All of the initiatives and projects we will be working on will fall under at least one of six headings: increasing the effectiveness of our communications, increasing our presence on campus, strengthening our lobbying voice, improving our events, expanding our service base and promoting sustainability on campus," says newly appointed ULSU President Zack Moline.

Executive Council has taken a particular interest in boosting the organization's digital presence and online services. Numerous initiatives are taking shape that will make the Students' Union available on more media platforms and subsequently to a larger audience.

One particular undertaking is part of two Executive Council members' campaign platforms. Andrew Williams and Leyland Bradley are guiding a venture that would see the creation of an online tutor database.

"Students are currently forced to refer to cluttered posting boards, giving them only a small chance of actually finding the academic assistance they require," says Andrew Williams, ULSU vice-president academic. "I see this as simply unacceptable."

ULSU Executive Council also plans to utilize new avenues of communication to diversify and improve on-campus events.

"Students have such great and unique ideas. I want their input," says Lisa Rodych, the vice-president of Internal Affairs.

This year's council is also excited about the opportunity to advocate for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students' interests. As members of both the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) and the Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students (CAUS), Moline and his colleagues intend to make major strides in improving the post-secondary experience at not only the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, but for students as a whole in Alberta and across Canada.

"Every year, every new council puts student engagement at the top of their list of priorities for their year in office, and I feel that our council will exemplify this," says Leyland Bradley, vice-president Operations and Finance. "We want to ensure that our campus events and our advocacy efforts are parallel with the opinions of our students."

This story first appeared in the Legend. To view the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Incoming executive looks to build off success

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:39:52 +0000

As a changing of the guard begins to take place within the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU), it is a good opportunity to look back at what was accomplished in the previous year. From Fresh Fest to Humans vs. Zombies, hosting Peter Mansbridge and lobbying on behalf of students' interests, the ULSU had a very progressive and successful year.

It all kicked off with the most successful Fresh Fest to date, continuing a tradition of excellence with the event that students can look forward to experiencing well into the future.

Lectures by Peter Mansbridge, Dennis Edney (lawyer for Omar Khadr), various SACPA on Campus sessions and the Global Justice Student Speaker Challenge all contributed to the ULSU Executive Council's tradition of providing quality academic opportunities for all students.

"It is important to offer these types of academic opportunities to our students so they can gain a greater understanding of world issues, and perhaps apply what they learn in a classroom setting to real world situations," says Taz Kassam, outgoing ULSU president. "It also offers students a chance to think critically and engage in healthy discussion with their peers on issues impacting the world."

The Students' Union strives to offer services to students in an attempt to aid in the success of each and every student that enters the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campuses in Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton. The ULSU also looks to enhance student engagement, and in the past year this was achieved by increasing the number of on-campus clubs, hosting a Municipal Mayoral Candidates Forum and creating new and exciting events like Humans vs. Zombies, Open Mic Night in the Zoo, Meltdown and ULSU Karaoke Shenanigans for
St. Patrick's Day.

"We want to provide students with opportunities that create lasting memories of their time at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," says Kassam. "Creating these memories is all part of the greater university experience and aids in retention."

A number of traditional events from past years continued, including the ULSU/EUS Fashion Drive, the Volunteer Tax Program, the Last Lecture, Ender Bender, Last Class Bash and the IVCF/ULSU Used Book Sale.

"These events have proven to be successful and of great value to our students and we want to continue the support we provide with events such as these," says Kassam.

The ULSU achieved a landmark this year with students voting in favour of two referendum questions, one to tie ULSU Fees to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the second for a one-time ULSU fee increase of $5 per semester.

"This will allow the Students' Union to continue to build upon the quality of events and services it provides to students, such as our Food Bank and funding for scholarships," adds Kassam. "It is of the utmost importance that the Students' Union maintain and build upon the level of service to our students attending all campuses."

The ULSU had a very progressive year in terms of lobbying. Through the Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students (CAUS), the ULSU lobbied the provincial government on key issues such as the regulation of non-instructional fees and allowing easier access for students to vote during provincial elections.
The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) also helped the ULSU advance throughout the year by focusing their lobbying efforts on the Post-Secondary Student Support Program, a program designed to promote greater accessibility for Aboriginal students, offering more assistance to international students, as well as amendments to the Canadian Student Loan Program policy.

"All in all, it has been a very successful year for the ULSU," says Kassam. "The support from all bodies on campus, and in the community, is greatly appreciated and the success could not have been achieved without this continued support. It is with this in mind that our organization is able to exist for our students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge."

For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Looking back at a busy year for ULSU

trevor.kenney — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:29:42 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) has experienced another very successful year, with events from Fresh Fest right through to the Last Lecture serving to engage and enlighten students.

The 2009-2010 year kicked off with the biggest ULSU event of them all, Fresh Fest. This year's edition solidified the tradition of the event at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and students can look forward to it becoming an annual celebration.

This year we saw returning students take over as volunteers, following in the footsteps of volunteers from the previous year who had ran for co-ordinator and general assembly positions," says Jeremy Girard, ULSU president. "Fresh Fest is more than a student retention program, it is critical for establishing friend networks among new students and in creating a welcoming environment."

As the year progressed, Global Justice Week, Peak Week and the SACPA Student Speaker Challenge all helped to accomplish executive council's goal of establishing academic events for the student body.

"Creating an environment that enhances the educational experience is part of our mission," says Girard.

The Students' Union strives to offer services that aid in the success of each and every student that enters one of the U of Ls campuses, whether it is in Lethbridge, Calgary or Edmonton. Among the initiatives, executive council was able to contribute to was the growth in use of and contribution to the Test Bank, the transformation of the Food Bank delivery system, the establishment of a free income tax service and a revamping of the Used Book Sale.

"All of these are ongoing projects, and it is important to get new executives to bring in fresh motivation and ideas to continue this progress," says Girard.

The ULSU also engaged in a constitutional referendum, created a Quality Initiatives Proposal Fund Agreement and updated the building agreement between the ULSU and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

On the political stage, it was a very progressive year for lobbying. The ULSU, through the Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students (CAUS), lobbied the provincial government in the wake of the announcement that it would entertain proposals for an increase in tuition.

"I have been so humbled by the work it takes to manage the ULSU, as well as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and without everyone's help this experience would not have been as amazing as it was for me," says Girard.

McLaughlin takes on CAUS role

trevor.kenney — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:19:49 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) is once again lending its skills and knowledge to the Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students (CAUS). Keith McLaughlin, ULSU vice president academic, has taken on the role of vice-chair for CAUS in the 2010-2011 year.

"Last year was a difficult one for university students in Alberta, and we expect another tough year ahead," says McLaughlin. "Nevertheless we at CAUS, representing a united 70,000 university students from across Alberta, are energized and invigorated at the opportunity to continue to advance affordable, accessible and high-quality post-secondary education for all in the province."

CAUS represents students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Every year, one representative from each institution is selected to serve on the council.

Key issues facing CAUS include the reduction in funds for university base operating grants, the need to improve student financial aid systems, rising tuition costs and the regulation of mandatory non-instructional fees.

"We understand the province's tight fiscal situation but we also understand that investing in education pays off for everyone economically in the long run," says McLaughlin. "We will make that point clear time and again in the coming months."

Busy past year for ULSU

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:09:26 +0000

As the year progressed, Global Justice Week, Peak Week and the SACPA Student Speaker Challenge all helped to accomplish executive council's goal of establishing academic events for the student body.

"Creating an environment that enhances the educational experience is part of our mission," says Girard.

"All of these are ongoing projects, and it is important to get new executives to bring in fresh motivation and ideas to continue this progress," says Girard.

The ULSU also engaged in a constitutional referendum, created a Quality Initiatives Proposal Fund Agreement and updated the building agreement between the ULSU and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Tuition rates a point of advocacy for students

trevor.kenney — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:53:46 +0000

Deficits, funding shortfalls and tuition hikes are all common words floating around the hallways of Alberta's post-secondary institutions the past few months.

During the Ralph Klein era, Alberta saw tuition fees hit an all-time high, which led to a new tuition fee policy in 2006. In November of that year, the Government of Alberta implemented the Tuition Fees Regulation initiative. This policy indicates that tuition cannot escalate above the rate of inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta wants to see tuition rates calculated by 'market modifiers' which means that tuition for professional and graduate programs such as medicine, dentistry, law, business, pharmacy and engineering will experience grave increases.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are fortunate that their administration has chosen not to go down that path.

"President Bill Cade stated explicitly at the Oct. 9 Town Hall Meeting that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge would not pursue any differential increases," says Alex Massé, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) Vice President Academic. "In fact, he portrays the idea of raising tuition for professional programs as ridiculous."

Thus far, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are safe from a major tuition hike for the 2010/2011 year; although, there are no guarantees of this continuing.

"The U of L administration has made it clear that they will not be seeking any increases beyond the CPI cap for the next academic year, but the government has told students that the regulation could be opened for amendment for a period of two to five years, and we have no guarantee that the U of L will not seek differential increases in future years," says Massé.

"When the cap was implemented, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta used 2004 as the base year from which increases would be calculated," adds Massé. "The U of A argues that they should be able to recalculate the base rates because they weren't given an opportunity in 2006 to adjust their professional programs to market value."

This comes at a time when the U of A is facing a $60 million deficit, along with most institutions across the province that are experiencing funding shortfalls. The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology has proposed a 40 per cent tuition hike for all programs; however, Doug Horner, Alberta Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, rejected this proposal.

"Horner let the PSE institutions know that the Ministry would accept proposals similar to the U of A's: they have to be justified and they have to be aimed only at specific programs," says Massé. "But, we do not believe that any differential tuition increases are justified."

According to Massé, if differential tuition increases are allowed to come into effect it could mean that some students will be forced to enter into a discipline of study based on their financial means over their ability or ambition.

"This means the government will be stifling the potential of many of the best and brightest prospective students," says Massé.

Advocacy is one of the mandates of the ULSU, and it works hard on all levels of government to lobby for the needs of students.

"The ULSU will work extensively with the Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students to send a strong message directly to the Government of Alberta, the bottom line being that right now student employment is at a record low and requests for student aid are at a record high, and this is the worst time for the government to allow large tuition increases," says Massé. "Depending on how things go over the next few weeks, we will certainly consider active student campaigns and media events to hammer that message home."

Tuition rates a point of advocacy for students

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:46:45 +0000

Deficits, funding shortfalls and tuition hikes are all common words floating around the hallways of Alberta's post-secondary institutions the past few months.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are fortunate that their administration has chosen not to go down that path.

Thus far, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are safe from a major tuition hike for the 2010/2011 year; although, there are no guarantees of this continuing.

"Horner let the PSE institutions know that the Ministry would accept proposals similar to the
U of A's: they have to be justified and they have to be aimed only at specific programs," says Massé. "But, we do not believe that any differential tuition increases are justified."

"This means the government will be stifling the potential of many of the best and brightest prospective students," says Massé.

Advocacy is one of the mandates of the ULSU, and it works hard on all levels of government to lobby for the needs of students.

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