Federal lobbying with CASA

For those of you that don’t know, one of the primary mandates of the University of Lethbridge Students’ Union (ULSU) is to advocate for students on a municipal, provincial and federal level. The ULSU fulfills the federal aspect of our advocacy mandate with our membership in the Canadian Alliance of Students Associations (CASA).

Federal lobbying provides the University of Lethbridge Students’ Union with another vessel to express the needs of UofL students to the federal level of government. The ULSU believes that it is important to lobby the federal level of government because they can play a vital role in controlling student debt and in increasing the accessibility and affordability of a post-secondary education.

CASA is, in essence, an alliance of student associations and unions formed to lobby/advocate for the best interests of students on a national level. This organization is composed of 24 post-secondary institutions in Canada and represents more than 300,000 students. It is a lobby group that is focused solely on post-secondary education at the federal level and inter-governmental levels of decision-making and nothing else.

CASA prides itself as a lobby group that presents realistic  on post-secondary education to the federal level of government. The ULSU strongly respect the lobbying methods used by CASA because they make sound pragmatic arguments to party leaders, senators, members of parliament and other political policy-makers to draw the government’s attention at a more personal level about education.

This is a member-driven organization that operates under a “one school, one vote” philosophy where each school has equal say regardless of its size. The membership, rather than the staff, shapes the policy, goals and direction of the organization.  

The organization operates under four primary policy principals.

Accessibility: CASA believes that any academically qualified student with the desire to pursue post-secondary education should not face a barrier – financial, social, political, physical, cultural, or otherwise.

Affordability: CASA believes that students should not accumulate an unreasonable or insupportable amount of debt in the pursuit of a post-secondary education or in continuing such an education.

Innovation: CASA believes that post-secondary education should have sustainable research programs across all disciplines, with the benefits of such research shared across all levels of the student body.

Quality: CASA believes in a quality public post-secondary education system that is properly funded, effective and accountable; cooperatively maintained and enhanced by the federal and provincial governments.

CASA has worked on and has advocated for several issues that the ULSU feels is relevant to students such as the Canada Student Loans Program, the Canada Student Grant Program, Canada Study and Access Grants, the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, access and affordability of PSE for under-represented students, Debt Reduction in Repayment, Interest Relief, and interest and rates on student loans ¹

 

“CASA has played an important role in the development of federal policies on post-secondary education – in particular the Canadian Opportunities Strategy.  I am confident that these young leaders, and the organization they now represent, will continue to have a positive influence on the federal policy in the future.”

- The Rt. Hon. Paul Martin, then Minister of Finance.

“Your input is welcomed and encouraged without reservation.  Our party will try to give voice to the very real concerns that face Canadian students.  It is only with your help that we can accomplish this.”

– Rt. Hon. Joe Clark

 

“CASA’s recommendations have been taken very seriously by the government, and many of them have found their way into federal budgets.”

- Hon. Maurizio Bevilaqua
Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development
and former Chair of the House of Commons Finance Committee.

Council of Alberta University Stu-Whaaa?

CAUS and its Role

The ULSU is a member of CAUS, the Council of Alberta University Students. Why should you care? First, the Post-Secondary Learning Act, which also mandates our existence, directs us to provide a voice for students at the municipal, provincial, and federal level. Second, CAUS provides that Albertan venue for expression of Lethbridge University students’ concerns about their education, and how it is affected by the provincial government. Most importantly, if we sit still with our hands crossed, listening without giving any feedback to the people operating the education system we go into debt or work hard to pay for, do we deserve the terrible treatment we would likely receive?

What happens when one doesn’t stand up for themself

What happens when we all voice our opinions and come to compromise.

 

Advocacy

Advocacy is the name of the game. Through round-table discussion, the Council is currently discussing what our provincial lobbying priorities will be for the next year. Balancing local issues with provincial issues, the Council must come to a consensus as to how we will be approaching the government in the next lobby conference. Stronger together than separately, the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and the University of Lethbridge Students’ Unions will come to agreement and then approach the relevant ministries to get tangible results that benefit our students.

08/09 Lobbying Priorities and Accomplishments:

• We lobbied for increased deferred maintenance –i.e. monies for repairing and upkeeping University buildings. The year saw $155 million in new funding and a promise to match federal funding for deferred maintenance.
• CAUS asked for tuition increases to not exceed the CPI cap. This means that as the Consumer Price Index increases (it did by 2% this year), institutions cannot increase tuition past that. Indeed, the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, Doug Horner, committed to this, and with CPI going down from 5% to 2% in 09/10, the increase to tuition has gone down from previous years. 
• Further, CAUS asked for the elimination of property taxes on University residences, in order to create an environment encouraging Universities to complete capital projects to create new residences.

 

What the 09/10 ULSU Exec have been up to

This past week, the ULSU Exec went to a CAUS changeover conference, to discuss policy direction for the next year, and elect new positions for the Council Board.

09/10 Lobbying Priorities:

• Improving student financial aid
• Keeping tuition tied to CPI
• Increasing base operating funding to Alberta’s universities
• Targeting deferred maintenance
• Disability Student Resources
• Elections Act to to be more student-friendly

Through CAUS, your expectations that the SU will be providing you with a voice to the provincial government are met. Exceedingly, this year’s executives believe that the Council of Alberta University Students is an organization to invest time and resources into, to benefit UofL students. A new townhouse-style residence building is in the University’s capital plan, so let’s help them with their goal by creating a positive financial environment for them to complete their project and provide students with more spaces. As the recession hits the University, they may want to increase tuition to fund their operations, so let’s make sure we have tuition tied to CPI to make sure students can afford their education. As University Hall’s cramped science laboratories generate layers of chemical crust, lets help the University secure funding to move those labs out of that building, off the heads of all those residence students living a few floors down. Support us in supporting you. Generate conversation with our peers about these issues and make sure every student you meet is well-informed. However, if nothing else, stay tuned. There is more to come.

Cheers,

Jeremy Girard

Hungry for Power? Concerned for Students

If you answered ‘yes’ to both questions, we have just the opportunity for you!As you may know, the future of the ULSU has recently been placed in the nervous hands of a brand new General Assembly and Executive Council. Since the beginning of this month, we’ve gotten right down to work on our primary mandate: student advocacy. Many students know the ULSU from our more public activities: hosting concerts, booking speakers, operating the Zoo, and the like. What you may not know is that our most important work happens behind the scenes. We love the glitzier aspects of our jobs, but our function, first and foremost, is to ensure that students’ rights and interests are not overlooked by University and government.

Fortunately, the University gives us an opportunity to look out for undergrads by staffing various committees with student representatives. That’s where you come in: the SU wants volunteers to help represent student interests. Looking to get more involved on campus but don’t know where to start? Do you feel that important student concerns are being overlooked by administration? Do you want an opportunity to network with influential people on campus? Join a committee!

The fact is that this university is largely run by committees, and those committees take student reps very seriously. If you want a say in running this institution, look no further. All you need to do is contact me by e-mail at su.academic@uleth.ca or by phone at 403-329-2770. Feel free to drop by the Students’ Union office (SU 180) for more information.

Gratitude.

I am just finishing packing up my office here in SU 180. Two years has a way of making personal effects accumulate in your workspace.

I am too tired right now to go into a long, philosophical (and emotional)  exploration of what the last two years has meant to me, and hopefully, the organization.

So, in it’s stead, I will offer this:

Thank you. In the deepest, truest, and most sincere form that those 2 words can be offered… Thank you.

My time here has meant more to me than you can know, and I could not have done it without you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you challenging me. Thank you for the arguments and the disagreements. Thank you for the life altering conversations and discussions. Thank you for the support, for the wisdom, and for the guidance. Thank you for the trust, and for making me work hard to earn it. Thank you for the criticism and for the encouragement. Thank you for being there to push me through the hard parts, and for sharing in the good ones. Thank you for everything you have done for me, especially the things that I don’t know about. Thank you for helping me to be better.

Sincerely,

Adam Vossepoel

(Former) ULSU President