UCP made sudden changes, here is how it affects you | 

Manveet Kaur Waraich, Staff Writer | 

As we head into a new academic year, students gear up for pricey tuition costs with heavy dependency on government funding—breathing a sigh of relief when they finally get an email from Alberta Student Aid (ASA) stating “Your funding is confirmed.” Except this year, many students were declined unexpectedly, leaving them scrambling to find a way to finance their education with incredibly short notice. New restrictions on funding eligibility—instated over the summer, with little to no press coverage—caught students by surprise.

According to the most recent data from Open Alberta, these changes impact a significant portion of students. Approximately 66.29 per cent of full-time Albertan students rely on a mix of federal and provincial loans, receiving an average of $6,583.54 of ASA funding alone.

The policy updates include service improvements, income threshold changes, certain grant enhancements, and alignment with the federal “At Home Budget” policy which expects dependent students to live with their parents if they are located within the neighbouring community of the institution. However, the stricter policies on repeated years and withdrawals have become the leading cause of declined applications—especially because these are retroactive, meaning the new standards apply to students’ past records. This has sparked quite a controversy, with many arguing it is unfair to penalize students who acted under different rules and expectations.

Considering the historic trend of degree completion along with the impact of the pandemic, it is by no means a stretch to infer that students will need more than the standard four years to complete their programs. According to Statistics Canada, 76.1 per cent of students starting their degree in 2015-16 (the most recent and available data) took six years to complete their program. Additionally, Universities Canada found that “74 per cent of students reported the pandemic worsened their pre-existing mental health challenges and 61 per cent reported developing new challenges.”

As per ASA’s website, “Academic progress policies are intended to ensure students progress and complete their program on a timely basis and prevent excessive loan debts.”

The new rules state that students repeating the same academic year more than twice will lose funding eligibility for 18 months. Similarly, those withdrawing or dropping to part-time studies in two separate study periods after 30 days will face the same suspension period.

Janet French, a provincial affairs reporter at CBC shared that student debt is indubitably rising: “provincial loans to students in 2023-24 now tally $1.26 billion. In 2018-19, that number was $638 million.” The demand for loans was unprecedented, with the government spending “$279 million more than expected over the last two years.” Yet, these ASA eligibility changes are avoiding the true issue and reality students face. The demand for increased funding stems from a combination of factors, from the affordability crisis to unemployment rates.

Naomie Bakana, vice-president internal for UCalgary’s students’ union has “seen demand rise by almost half” for the campus food bank just this year. Apart from whether these changes are reflective of true student needs, the problems of information dispersal, policy clarity, and navigational challenges are much more immediate.

Third year biology student, Kiana Vadiat, was one of the many students unaware of the changes because she “only ever [gets] emails about when [her] loans are due.” That sentiment was echoed by over 15 students I spoke with during the course of a week. No one knew about the changes, nor did I. SAMRU, Peer Support, and the financial office have all tried to deal with this major shift as affected students poured into their doors.

“Our REC President Tala, on behalf of SAMRU, signed off on a letter to the Minister of Education from various post-secondary student unions and associations across the province,” SAMRU says in their September Recap article. “The letter expressed the concerns these new policies will have on the student population now and in the future, and an urgent call to remove the retroactive changes implemented this fall.”

The information overload students experience also contributes to missed critical information and navigational challenges. Our campus offers essential services, including the Financial Services, student advocacy, peer support, and early support, to help students through the challenges that arise during their education but many do not have a clear or strong understanding of this support system and cannot access them effectively. Just in the last month, I came across six students (half of them seniors) in stressful situations, completely unaware of the advocacy centre’s services.

Student voice

In relation to the policies, Jupjit Kaur, a Business Administration first year student, emphasizes that “students should be able to advocate for themselves.” Although ASA has an exemption for students with disabilities, there are other real-life scenarios that should also warrant a level of flexibility and understanding for affected individuals.

“You have to keep in mind those who have circumstantial things that happened to them,” adds Vadiat. “Like literally my appendix ruptured one year and I had to drop a bunch of courses because I was in the hospital for a while.”

ASA does have a request for review option that allows students to make a case for themselves and provide documentation to strengthen their arguments, but again, many students don’t realize they can be a candidate for consideration. By the time the lengthy process is said and done, many have already experienced the significant impact of losing an essential financial support system, leaving them in a vulnerable position.

Furthermore, the MRU finance office has observed that many students fail to properly read or fully understand the emails sent to them, which often contain critical information about their funding eligibility and program requirements. When I spoke with the finance office, I was informed that students at risk of these changes should have received email correspondence from both ASA and their office. However, after thoroughly searching my inbox, I couldn’t locate any such emails. A subsequent call with an ASA representative revealed that they do not email students directly about policy changes. Instead, they rely on a “What’s New” webpage, which they expect students to frequent. Unfortunately, many are unaware of this practice and left uninformed.

Personally, without the support of my family, I would not have been able to continue my degree. I had to switch from my personal vehicle to transit, which lengthens my commute to 3 hours every day, and completely cut-down on non-essentials. If I had known about the changes, I could’ve prepared by saving up more. Yet, even with the issues, I still stand in an incredibly privileged position that I know many don’t. I stay at home with reduced rent, and if I’m in a pinch, my family is accessible.

Many students can’t say the same.

I will be meeting with another representative from the Finance Office to see if we can align my inbox search with their records of any correspondence, and will be sure to report back about whether it truly is an oversight on my part or a lack of needed communication – alongside further statements from MLAs, SAMRU, and the Peer Support Centre. All on the next release of this issue in January.

Manveet Kaur Waraich is a Staff Writer for The Reflector 2024-2025.