The University of Calgary announces relocation grant
By Luis Armando Sanchez Diaz, September 18 2021—
The University of Calgary announced the creation of a Relocation Grant that seeks to financially help students whose classes moved online days before the beginning of the term. This grant seeks to compensate students and the relocation expenses they paid to find nearby or on-campus housing to attend in-person courses.
“The Fall 2021 Online Learning Relocation Grant can assist full-time UCalgary students who have accrued relocation, moving or living costs to attend in-person courses on campus, but are now enrolled entirely in online courses as a result of university changes to course delivery,” reads the Registrar’s webpage.
Canadian students that apply for this grant can receive $500 while international students can receive $1,000. If approved, students will receive a notification “within two to three weeks of the application deadline date.” Recipients can expects an email from their U of C email address.
It is worth noting that students will not see a reduction or reimbursement of their fall tuition fees. The grant “will be disbursed directly to students on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021″ through a direct deposit using the banking information students have entered in their Student Centre.
Students’ Union (SU) president Nicole Schmidt stressed in a statement her disappointment at the lack of student consultation on the decision to move courses online as well as to the insufficient actions taken by the university to address the issue.
“The university made the decision to move courses online without any student consultation. It is disappointing to see that students are still an after-thought. The bursary the university announced does not come close to covering the sheer number of affected students, nor does it cover the dollar amount many students spent in anticipation of in-person classes,” read the statement.
The SU pointed out that the grant will only cover those students who had all of their courses transferred to online delivery, leaving behind those that may only have one in-person course while the rest through remote learning.
“The SU has heard from students who have had courses moved online or even cancelled as recently as Monday, the day before classes start. This is unacceptable,” she continued. “The university has created this entire situation by moving courses online over the last three weeks. They must deal with the consequences of their decisions. Students deserve far better than what the university has put forward.”
The deadline to apply for the grant is Oct. 1.
You can find out if you’re eligible by visiting the Registrar’s webpage. The application form can be found on the Student Centre under “My financials” at the bottom of the page.