U of C Students’ Union demands reimbursement for students who anticipated classes being in-person

CALGARY — The students’ union at the University of Calgary says the school should reimburse those who moved to Calgary thinking their course was in-person — only to find out it’s now online.

The university allowed professors to move courses online, but the union says that decision was made before measures, like mandatory masks or testing, were announced.

It says with the Fall semester approaching fast, many students, especially international students, have spent hundreds to thousands of dollars on flights, housing, and parking spaces only to find out their in-person classes are no more.

The union says it has consistently called for dual format course delivery, meaning those who want to attend in-person can, and those who want to attend online are free to do so.

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It adds, if the university can’t honour the course delivery students have asked for, it should reimburse students who incurred expenses under the assumption of in-person learning.

660 NEWS reached out to the university for response on the matter, in which it responded:

“As part of our commitment to students, faculty and staff to continuously review operations while returning to campus, professors and instructors were given until August 20 to determine final mode of course delivery for the fall semester.

Ten per cent of course components (lectures, labs, seminars or tutorials) were shifted to online delivery over the month of August as delta variant cases rose across Alberta.

After changes, and accounting for previously increased demand for online offerings, 80% of students have schedules that are entirely in-person or have blended modes of delivery. 100% of campus is open to students, faculty and staff.

Campus and transit fees are not charged to those with fully online schedules, but students do have the option to opt-in to these fees to use on-campus facilities. Additional in-person study groups are being established. New bursaries and financial supports have been established for students who have been significantly affected by these changes. Students can explore their eligibility for those supports here.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect operations at the University of Calgary – as it does in all walks of our lives. We are committed to continuing to prioritize the health and safety of our community and working with all groups to address concerns that arise. We look forward to the return of students, faculty and staff to campus for the fall semester.”