Notes from Council: First Day Access program presented

At the University of Alberta Students’ Union (UASU) council meeting on December 16, the Education Student Association (ESA) along with the Nursing Undergraduate Association (NUA) presented faculty association membership fee (FAMF) renewal proposals.

Additionally, a presentation was given on the First Day Access (FDA) program.

ESA FAMF renewal proposal

According to ESA Vice-president (finance) Laiba Shaikh, despite having alternative sources of funding, the ESA would not be able to cover all of their costs without a FAMF.

The renewal proposal is to maintain the $8 fee. According to Shaikh, the fee collection process would begin in September 2026 and last until September 2029.

Nursing councillor Asha Jama inquired about the consultation behind the proposal as only 13 out of a possible 2,800 students responded to a survey on the renewal. Shaikh said that the ESA is “still in the process of consultation, and ideally we would have had many more responses, but it is just a very busy time.”

Additionally, President Pedro Almeida highlighted “that the ESA and every faculty association … [are] also responsible for a lot of advocacy and representation, which the ESA does really well.”

NUA FAMF renewal proposal

According to the NUA Vice-president (finance) Matt Gamble, “the purpose of [the] fee is to provide stable and predictable funding that allows NUA to operate independently.”

“Without renewal, NUA would lose its primary source of revenue … no longer [being] able to fund essential operations or representation like the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association (CNSA), effectively severing [their] connection to national nursing students, advocacy, and professional development,” Gamble said.

NUA proposed an increase in their FAMF. Full-time students would pay $15 instead of the current $14.31, and part-time students would pay $11 instead of the current $10.60.

Catherine Mah, NUA co-president, stated that the NUA will “continue to provide a detailed breakdown of [their] finances, ensuring students will have a clear understanding of how their contributions are being used to enhance their academic and campus experience.”

First Day Access program discussed

FDA would allow students to access their required academic materials for a flat, semesterly fee. This was assessed at $249 for fall 2025, according to the presentation. The program will be renamed as Barnes and Noble has a trademark on “First Day,” Ashley Tuckwood, strategic initiatives officer, said.

The program was opposed by council on January 21 following concerns including its flat fee and the projected amount of students it would benefit. On July 8, Vice-president (academic) Katie Tamsett announced that the implementation of the program would be delayed until fall 2026.

Tamsett said that she has been having regular meetings with U of A Bookstore manager and vice-president (facilities and operations) Adam Medaglia and Tuckwood to discuss the potential implementation of the program.

According to Medaglia, students would be able to click a link in Canvas to access their course materials.

Students who don’t wish to participate would be given the opportunity to opt-out. Additionally, those enrolled in classes with no required materials would receive an automatic opt-out, according to Medaglia.

Councillors question the program

Kinesiology, sport, and recreation councillor Paige Wall asked what percentage of students would be automatically opted out of the program. Medaglia said it would be “probably close to about 50 per cent.”

Vice-president (external) Abdul Abbasi inquired about the impact that not proceeding with this program would have on the bookstore’s business.

Medaglia emphasized that “this is not a program to make money.”

“If it was a program to make money, we would have not had the auto opt out, and it would have put a lot more students in the position of forgetting those fees,” Medaglia said.

Wall asked why FDA isn’t an opt-in program. Medaglia said the answer is the price.

“You don’t see the value, the overall value for the price we’re getting from publishers, if it is an opt-in program.”

Medaglia added that during consultation for the first two iterations of the program, “there was many groups on campus that were very much opposed to an inclusive access program.”