Notes from Council: Tuition proposals presented

At the University of Alberta Students’ Union (UASU) council meeting on November 4, Lavanya Jain was ratified as the medicine and dentistry councillor.

Melissa Padfield, the deputy provost (students and enrolment), presented on tuition increase proposals, as well as the tuition consultation process. The second presentation was on post-secondary institution funding, as well as Alberta’s competitiveness.

Council members then questioned Chief Returning Officer (CRO) Megan Garbutt about the ruling that disqualified faculty of Native studies councillor Denée Reansbury from the 2025 UASU by-election. Council members also questioned engineering councillor Michael Chang about holding two separate positions within the UASU.

Tuition proposals

Padfield spoke on tuition increase proposals. The tuition consultation process is signed off by the UASU and the Graduate Student’s Association (GSA).

The core proposal from Padfield was a two per cent increase in tuition for domestic undergraduate students and a 5.5 per cent increase for international undergraduate students. This increase will start in the 2026–27 school year. Legislation prevents the use of operating grant funds to subsidize international student education. Therefore, international tuition must cover all costs.

The next proposal was to match computer science tuition with engineering for international students, meaning new computer science students will pay the same as engineering students. Padfield briefly mentioned a tuition increase for nursing students to align with other institutions, but gave no details.

Councillors repeatedly asked Padfield about how the increase could affect affordability, especially for struggling students and students in programs that require more supplies. Padfield emphasized that the U of A has financial aid programs and emergency funding.

Post-secondary institutional funding and Alberta’s competitiveness

Vice-president (external) Abdul Abbasi spoke on institutional funding and Alberta’s competitiveness. U of A’s operating grants dropped by roughly $222 million. According to Abbasi, tuition rose and now covers about 46 per cent of the university’s budget.

Alberta’s post-secondary funding is shifting from government-based to tuition-driven. The UASU presented to the Mintz panel and co-signed a joint submission with other student groups in Alberta.

They advocated for increased operating grants, non-repayable grants, and tackling affordability, Abbasi said. One of their core points was maintaining the two per cent tuition increase cap. They also asked for funding for infrastructure.

According to Abassi, the province has shown positive interest in implementing the Mintz panel’s report’s recommendations over five years.

Council questions CRO

Board of governors representative Karina Banerji asked Garbutt for clarification about the disqualification ruling concerning the removal of Native Studies Councillor Denée Reansbury from her candidacy. Garbutt explained that missing the mandatory candidates’ meeting leads to automatic disqualification.

Garbutt was questioned further about whether all faculty associations were contacted for the by-election and how social media was used. Social media promotion was planned, however, it was “greyed out,” Abassi said this was due to the Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign.

Council questions Chang on holding two UASU positions

Council moved to allow Michael Chang to simultaneously serve as engineering councillor and be employed as a student events coordinator with the UASU events. This is not allowed under Operating Policy 3.3.4 unless the council makes an exemption.

Councillor Aamir Mohamed (open studies) asked as to how the nature of the conflict of interest might effect his roles, as he would be working with Vice-president (operations and finance) Nathan Thiessen.

Chang acknowledged that his two positions may lead to a conflict of interest. However, he stated that the new position is logistical and not involved in policy or decision-making. He emphasized his commitment to acting transparently and within policy.

Chang explained that he would abstain from any decisions that could include a conflict of interest, and that he was unable to bring it to the council sooner.

Councillor Vany asked Chang about his membership on other committees and why he didn’t bring the issue to council when he received the position on October 1.

“How come this conflict of interest hasn’t come up in an earlier council meeting?” Vany asked.

President Pedro Almeida added that this was due to a procedural delay, and not intentional concealment.

The majority of the council voted against the motion, meaning Chang will not be able to serve in both positions.