FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Advocacy Update

Dear fellow graduate students,

We’re now halfway through the Fall semester and six months into our term as your elected representatives. Our focus has been clear: to advocate for graduate students and improve the graduate student experience. Your input through conversations, surveys, and ideas continues to drive real progress on and off campus.

You’ve asked to see how advocacy connects to your priorities. This update highlights our key efforts, both within the university and beyond, and shows how your feedback continues to guide our work. It covers:

1. Updates on the Tuition and Fees Consultation Process
2. The new minimum funding increase for thesis-based students
3. Our advocacy for students with children during the teacher’s strike
4. Our Comprehensive Advocacy Survey and Program Cost Survey
5. Our off-campus advocacy, including:
   a. Our latest white paper and our meetings with the Royal Bank of Canada’s Strategic Programs team
   b. The Mintz Panel report, our submission package, and our subsequent meeting with Minister McDougall
   c. The Calgary Student Alliance (CSA) municipal priorities
   d. Our joint budget submission with the University of Calgary Students’ Union and the Students’ Association of Bow Valley College
   e. The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations’ policy paper Investing in Innovators

Some of these updates are already featured in blog posts on our website, linked in this email for anyone who’d like to dive deeper. Everything we do is driven by your engagement with the GSA and your voice is what turns ideas into real change. Thank you to everyone who’s shared feedback, filled out surveys, or spoken with us in person. Your passion is shaping a stronger, fairer, and more supportive experience for every graduate student at UCalgary.

Now, without further adieu, let’s get into what we’ve done!

1. Updates on the Tuition and Fees Consultation Process

The tuition and fees consultation cycle is currently ongoing. Some of you were present earlier this month to ask the Provost’s office questions about tuition, mandatory non-instructional fees (MNIFs), residence fees, scholarships, and other issues. We’ll have a blog post out soon with more detailed information about the process, which will also include a copy of the counterproposal we’ve presented to the university, but here’s a quick overview.

University’s Initial Proposal

• 0% tuition increase for thesis-based masters and doctoral students (domestic and international)
• 2% tuition increase for domestic course-based students
• 4–6% tuition increase for international course-based students
• 4% increase to MNIFs
• 4.8% increase in residence fees (averaged over different residence units, with Varsity Courts receiving a 0% increase)
• 4–8% increase in parking permits

Our Counterproposal

• Limit tuition increase for international course-based students to 2%
• Expand paid work-integrated learning opportunities for course-based students and have Development Departments fundraise for new scholarships
• Reinvest in family housing near campus and earmark a percentage of new units for family housing
• Improve clarity around program costs and MNIFs by consulting students
• Close the Grad Program Administrator (GPA) gap to reduce stress and improve support with program management, immigration, and scholarships

These counterproposals were informed by the results of our Annual Survey (over 1,000 respondents), the recently closed Program Cost Survey and Comprehensive Advocacy Survey (~500 respondents for each), and feedback presented to the Provost’s team during their consultation in early October.

The Provost’s office will be presenting how they incorporated student feedback in their proposal on November 3rd — please join us!

2. The New Minimum Funding Increase

UCGSA began formally working with the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) on a minimum funding increase last year. The working group developed a minimum funding policy debated at FGS Council. The Elected Council and I advocated for a policy that best reflected graduate students’ interests.

The new minimum funding standard is a positive step, but:

• We pushed for a higher funding floor than what passed — graduate students remain vulnerable to financial hardship.
• We advocated for annual increases tied to CPI or 2%, whichever is higher.
• We urged faculties to extend increased funding to current students and consider higher minimums.

While we are proud of this progress, the fight for better pay for UCalgary graduate students continues.

3. Support for Students with Children

On September 4th, we sent a letter to FGS about the potential teacher’s strike, expressing solidarity with the Alberta Teacher’s Association and emphasizing challenges for students with children. We proposed several accommodations:

• Emergency childcare bursary during the strike
• Temporary deferral or adjustment of TA/RA appointments under Article 9.5 of the Collective Agreement
• Extensions on coursework or research deadlines without formal documentation
• Temporary hybrid or remote learning options
• Short-term expansion of capacity at the University Child Care Centre

We also emphasized awareness of impacts on students nearing program completion, international students with fewer supports, and the importance of clear communication about available resources.

4. Our Advocacy Surveys

This semester, UCGSA ran two surveys:

• Comprehensive Advocacy Survey
  • Collected feedback on advocacy priorities and strategies from ~500 respondents across faculties. A public report will soon be available in our policy library.

• Program Cost Survey
  • Explored clarity of program costs. Many students underestimated expenses and faced unexpected financial strain after enrollment. Respondents called for clearer, upfront information.

These surveys shaped our advocacy during the tuition and fees consultation process.

We also held a prize draw: Tyler O’Hanley won a brand-new MacBook, and twenty others received LDL gift cards. Thank you to all who participated!

5. External Advocacy

We’ve engaged actively with external stakeholders and governments. Below is a summary of our major advocacy initiatives:

White Paper

• Completed A Meritorious Alberta Advantage and submitted it to multiple ministries.
• Called for merit-based research scholarships covering 30%+ of thesis-based students.
• Featured on CBC Radio and CBC Calgary.
• Consulted with Calgary Chamber of Commerce, RBC, and Council of Canadian Innovators.
• RBC discussions led to Testing Times, advocating for better funding and professional development.

Mintz Panel

• One of two independent student associations to testify (with UCSU).
• Submitted white paper, UCGSA.04, briefs, and slides.
• The final report included several of our recommendations.
• Met with Minister McDougall on October 20th to discuss implementation timelines and support.

Municipal Priorities

• Collaborated with the Calgary Student Alliance (CSA) on municipal election priorities.
• Focused on family housing, transportation, and food security.
• Consulted with Calgary Chamber of Commerce and met with Mayor-Elect Jeremy Farkus on October 24th.

Joint Budget Submission

• Partnered with the UCalgary Students’ Union and Bow Valley College SA for a provincial budget submission.
• Emphasized research funding, housing, financial aid, and university operating funds.

Investing in Innovators

• Former VPs and the Government & External Relations Manager contributed to the CASA policy paper.
• Advocated for more Tri-Council scholarships, indexed awards, and expanded graduate support.

The Value of PSE

• CASA and Abacus Data released The Value of Post-Secondary Education in Canada.
• Shows strong bipartisan support for PSE and includes valuable graduate student data.

6. Conclusion

I’m proud to share these accomplishments on behalf of the incredible GSA Advocacy Team, whose dedication makes this work possible.

Thank you for staying engaged and informed. Every conversation, survey response, and email strengthens our collective voice and helps us advocate more effectively for graduate students at every level.

We’ll continue pushing for better support for all graduate students. If you have questions, ideas, or advocacy priorities, please reach out to us at advocacy.gsa@ucalgary.ca.

Together, we’re building a stronger, more supportive graduate community at the University of Calgary.

Warm regards,
Irtaza Sohail
UCGSA President