SU general election: President
Julia Law
Julia Law is no stranger to the Student’s Union (SU), and as a Design in City Innovation student, she knows her way around navigating many student issues as VP External — skills she aims to bring forward as President. An advocate for all, Law plans to address communicating with students, making post-secondary affordable and accessible, and making sure that student life is generally improved.
“I have a passion to make change on campus and that has grown since day one,” said Law. “I’ve seen a lot of things that I personally think could be done better in the role of President, including better engagement, communication and so on.”
Communication and clarity between the SU and the student body — ensuring that students are represented fairly — is Law’s overarching goal. Working with the Government of Alberta, Law has become well-versed in learning how to advocate for tuition caps and infrastructure, aid in youth employment, and develop initiatives to create a wider and more tight-knit UofC community. When initially asked about improving student life, Law said she’d ensure that executives are involved with all students, including the representatives of the university’s satellite campuses to make sure that safety and accessibility are up to standard.
“I believe that this university needs to be held to a higher standard at communicating when changes are happening on campus,” said Law. “It’s important that students know that they’re welcome, that they’re safe here on this campus, and that they don’t have something come up and then go, ‘Now what?’.”
In regard to accessibility, Law explained that accountability and consultation with those in need of more accessible spaces can implement structural change by retaining feedback. Law also wants to reaffirm that accountability is how students can have a better experience at UofC, and hopes to ultimately use the SU as a resource to amplify organizations that can help students in varying degrees of emergencies. For example, Law wants to provide funding for groups like the Student Medical Response Team (SMRT) to better assist students.
Law plans to open the Black Lounge and utilize initiatives like the ongoing Mac Hall Referendum to expand the places that students can gather, but none of these changes can take place without the input of students. Her centralization on campus life also calls to attention the need for more spaces to socialize and build campus culture.
Another anxiety-inducing issue impacting students is Calgary’s growing housing crisis. With student attendance only increasing, Law plans to introduce more affordable housing in accessible areas, such as transit hubs. She also aims to connect with organizations like University of Calgary Properties Group and the HomeSpace Society to give students the opportunity to attend school without worrying about rent. Law reiterated that her message prioritising student safety would extend to these residences.
“Working with other organizations across the city, building connections with groups like HomeSpace to promote affordable housing in the downtown area […] and just in general around campuses in the city of Calgary,” said Law.
Lastly, Law plans to fight against tuition increases. With a reported eight per cent decrease in international students hitting the university quite hard, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars, Law is aware of the significant decline in finances and programs that the university is experiencing. While the tuition for domestic students is still capped at two per cent, Law said that as President, she’d ensure that the SU remains transparent with students about where their money is going. Law explained that the Government of Alberta has not communicated how the new funding framework — based on enrollment, performance and base funding — will impact tuition going forward, but she guaranteed that she would communicate how these changes might impact students and their finances during her term if elected.
“I want to make meaningful change for students,” said Law. “I think students deserve to know what’s happening the second it’s happened. […] They don’t need to be left in the dark.”
Law has a clear direction in how to fight for students. She addresses topical issues with tangible steps, making her a strong candidate for the role.
Gabriela Dziegielewska
Gabriela Dziegielewska, a fifth-year Science student and our current VP Academic, is running to be the next Students’ Union (SU) President. Focusing on student mobilization, quality of student life, academic wellbeing and the future of Mac Hall, Dziegielewska plans to “restore vision and a sense of fight to the SU.”
When asked to elaborate on what was meant by this statement, Dziegielewska told the Gauntlet that it was about bringing back the understanding that everything the SU does is for a purpose, not just fulfilling basic requirements.
“I want to actually bring back being more aggressive, being more strategic and fighting for students,” said Dziegielewska.
As for what she’s fighting for, Dziegielewska wants to focus on defending the two per cent tuition cap, reducing international tuition increases, increasing affordable University District (UD) housing and annihilating any use of the notwithstanding clause by the provincial government.
Dziegielewska believes that the two per cent tuition cap can be defended in two ways. One method is through supporting students’ grassroots efforts to protest and potentially strike. As president, Dziegielewska says she would act to empower and protect students from retaliation of opposing threats.
“If the students wanted to [protest], if there is an appetite for that, if there’s a political moment for it. But I think it needs to be approached from multiple angles,” said Dziegielewska.
Another part of her advocacy is towards external and provincial engagements. She hopes to conduct conversations with the provincial government, particularly the Advanced Education Ministers, and collaborate with external stakeholders like business groups to create the recognition “that ever-increasing tuition has a big impact on the local economies, not just for students who work.”
In terms of lowering the cost of housing in the UD, Dziegielewska plans to work with the University of Calgary Properties Group (UCPG) board, which has already expressed an interest in exploring student housing in UD.
“The U of C is the sole shareholder of UCPG. And so naturally, it has a lot of swing in the decision making. The issue is that the university president is not willing to sacrifice one or two fewer revenue generating buildings,” said Dziegielewska.
She hopes that collaborations with an already-open UCPG board will allow for a swing in the other direction. Dziegielewska also suggests that expanding the student housing in the area will contribute to student life and culture by providing more recreational areas for students.
Going beyond the UD, Dziegielewska believes that with the new municipal council and the soon-to-be-set four-year municipal budget, now is a perfect time to advocate for city-wide student housing. Working alongside the VP External, Dziegielewska hopes to put this concern on the council’s radar while they reconsider how the city’s money should be used.
Regarding the SU’s specific events and impacts, Dziegielewska plans to bring back the SU Breakfast Program and other direct student supports by cutting low-impact events.
Dziegielewska was asked what would happen if no cuts are able to occur.
“We have the money for [the Breakfast Program], we have reserves. The SU Breakfast program is entirely within the SU’s power. […] We have the money for it, so let’s f**king do it,” said Dziegielewska.
In discussing Dziegielewska’s goals for academic wellbeing, the conversation mostly centred around her goal of adding one additional day off per semester to accommodate one holiday each for Muslim and Jewish students.
Dziegielewska said that she would collaborate with Muslim and Jewish students and cultural student clubs on campus to “actually identify the appropriate holidays [and] pin down when they take place” in order to plan the most beneficial days off.
She says that these days off can be accomplished both through student collaboration and the labour route. Dziegielewska suggests that by working with Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) and the University of Calgary Faculty Association (TUCFA), they can get the university to set statutory holidays for its faculty and then in turn, the students.
Her long-term goal is to open the potential for every demographic to receive the same treatment that Chrsitian holidays have had for so long — these two would just be the start.
While commendable, Dziegielewska’s plan lacks a trustable effort to adhere to the rest of these students’ needs. Moreover, when asked why she would focus on Muslim and Jewish groups, she centred the conversation on political motivations rather than regional population data or other forms of justification:
“I think part of it is looking for where there is political opportunity here. The university is very concerned with maintaining good relationships with those students. […] Those groups have a lot of political capital with the administration; they are the two best groups to start with, certainly.”
Dziegielewska’s response makes it uncertain whether or not further efforts to improve holiday-diversity will be actually considered.
In her online platform, Dziegielewska outlines her plans for the future of Mac Hall. If the referendum is passed, she plans to build more study and club spaces and increase food options, focusing her efforts on the student responses provided by the SU’s Mac Hall survey. She also plans to stick to her pattern of standing up for students by fighting attempts by the university to erode the SU’s Mac Hall management rights.
When asked about her lack of verbalized goals for communication and accountability on her platform, Dziegielewska said that frequent communication is something she has already committed to as VP Academic.
“I’ve been the only candidate that is running among the three of us who has actually been communicating with students throughout my term. If I’m president, the only thing I’m looking to change is to make it bigger and better,” said Dziegielewska.
Dziegielewska is no stranger to the ins-and-outs of student politics, and is certainly knowledgeable about the needs of this campus. Her platform lacks a degree of forethought in terms of addressing conflicts beyond financial burdens, such as the expansion of faith-based days off, but Dziegielewska remains a strong SU presidential candidate with tangible plans of action and clear determination.
Michael Harris
Michael Harris is a third-year political science student, a loud and proud libertarian, and is now running to be the next Students’ Union President.
Although he’s an external candidate, never running before in the Students’ Union, Harris is no stranger to politics, having run in the 2025 Battle River—Crowfoot by-election against Pierre Poilievre as a member of the Libertarian Party of Canada.
Harris ran on a platform of independence for Alberta, even publicly endorsing and speaking to members of the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project. Harris also received 0.20 per cent of the overall vote.
Although Harris did not interview with the Gauntlet, here is what you can come to expect from a potential Harris Presidency.
Harris wants to oppose unnecessary student fees and advocate for full transparency on where student money goes. Harris also wants to fight to reduce the “financial burden on students” and “balance the student union budget.” It is unclear what Harris means by this, particularly considering that the Students’ Union operates as a non-profit organization and releases public audits annually of their financial operations.
Harris wants to bring back regular presidential town halls and open forums, as well as create direct channels for students to raise concerns without administrative filtering.
Harris also calls to push back against the “growing violent authoritarianism on campus,” although he does not provide any specific examples of what this “violent authoritarianism on campus” looks like, nor where it’s originating from.
His final platform plank revolves around freedom of speech, outlining his desire to protect students against “deplatforming, ideological enforcement and speech restrictions” as well as to protect students’ right to organize and debate. It is unclear whether or not this is a shot across the bow from Harris, but considering his political background, it’s hard not to assume that this statement is directed at supposedly left-wing, “ideological” academic theories like Disability Studies, Critical Race Theory, or Gender and Sexuality Studies — especially considering he doesn’t mention any of the verifiable, actual restrictions on free speech from the UCP. His platform is decidedly vague, and leaves us wondering what exactly this means for advocacy under a Harris presidency.
Harris also states that he will use his connections with both the provincial UCP and NDP to “demand that the government stop treating students as a revenue source.” However, it is unclear who those connections are, and what that advocacy looks like.
Overall, Harris’ platform leaves us with more questions than answers. Although it’s certainly passionate, much of his platform, and what we do know about Harris leaves him an uncertain candidate for President.