SU general election: Werklund representative
Sienna Yee
Sienna Yee is the incumbent Werklund School of Education Faculty Representative, and has maintained her position for the past year and a half across multiple Students’ Union (SU) elections. Yee will enter her final year of a Bachelor of Education next year, and is running uncontested in this election.
Yee’s platform emphasizes transparency, advocacy and community-building for students in her faculty. In an interview with the Gauntlet, she outlined her platform statement:
“I’m very much for students [and] advocate for students, for all the concerns that they have and actually wanting to address those concerns. If I were to get elected, I hope to have initiatives where students can de-stress and go to events that the SU provides during the practicum,” said Yee.
Providing relief for stressed students is one of the central pillars of Yee’s campaign, particularly for students going on practicum. Field Experience is a mandatory practicum component for students in a Bachelor of Education. Yee emphasized the importance of providing opportunities for faculty-wide events prior to practicum dates:
“Having events before practicum would help with mental health. It gives them a place to connect with others, socialize and de-stress. At these events, we can also provide outreach for the SU and share resources, for example, places students can call or go to if they need help. Just talking about it through events, initiatives or social media would be very helpful,” said Yee.
Yee did not elaborate on the details of the events and initiatives she plans on organizing, nor did she discuss any previous events she hosted. When asked about how she plans on determining the right timeline for these events, Yee proposed gauging availability through surveys or social media.
Yee has run uncontested in previous years. Were she to be elected, she plans on expanding her outreach efforts with the goal of encouraging more students to run in the future:
“One of the things I want to do this upcoming year, because Werklund has had a lot of times where people who do decide to run, run uncontested, is to make more outreach and get more students to run in the following year. That way students, one, know about Students’ Union, two, actually engage with [the] Students’ Union, and three, decide to run because it’s a really good experience. It’s a lot of fun, you learn a lot, but you also get to advocate for students,” explained Yee.
In regard to her experience advocating for students, Yee believes that many challenges can be resolved with transparency and providing answers to students. She expanded on this when discussing previous issues related to certain 400-level course outlines in the faculty:
“Because we have connections to associate deans, deans and faculty staff, we usually go to them and ask questions and at least get an answer for students. In some ways that’s enough for students — they just need an answer,” said Yee.
She also expressed how important collaboration within the SU is, especially when it comes to resolving academic issues:
“We have executives and presidents, including the Vice President Academic (VPA). The VPA deals with a lot of concerns that have to do with course outlines and related issues. If there is an issue or concern and there are rules for that, we can bring it up to the VPA. They can then deal with the issue, make sure it doesn’t happen next year or ensure that the rules are actually being followed.”
Yee did not detail any plans or strategies beyond discussions with relevant SU executives and faculty staff. Her answer remained vague regarding contingency planning in the event that those discussions failed to yield any meaningful results. She also did not cite any specific examples of advocacy from her previous terms or outline the outcome of those efforts.
Yee stressed that she is available over email (siena.yee@ucalgary.ca) and Instagram (@sienayee_education), especially for quick communication with students in her faculty. Although she stated that these methods are effective, she did not quantify the level of engagement she has experienced in her previous terms.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) strike in October 2025 — and its end following the provincial government’s use of the notwithstanding clause — was a pivotal event for many prospective teachers in the Werklund School of Education.
When asked about how she supported students amid the uncertainty that surrounded the event, Yee answered that her efforts focused on holding discussions with faculty staff and the SU to provide answers for students:
“I think a lot of it is being transparent and giving students answers. There was a lot of fear about how the strike would affect practicums. Talking with faculty staff to get answers and then sharing that information with students helps reduce stress. A lot of fear comes from the unknown,” she said.
“It was mainly about what plans were in place if the strike happened — what the steps would be and what future actions might look like. Many of the meetings within the SU also addressed these concerns. So when students have questions, I can provide answers because those meetings outline potential plans and steps. Having that back-and-forth allows me to relay accurate information.”
Yee did not outline any specific questions she was able to provide answers for, nor did she elaborate on the nature or substance of her discussions with faculty staff or the SU. As a result, it remains unclear what concrete guidance or assurances were provided to students.
Yee’s re-election campaign hinges on providing transparency and social events to students. Her experience as a faculty representative provides a strong foundational knowledge of the inner-workings of the SU and her faculty, but the lack of detail in her interview answers and online platform leaves students to question what strategies she will employ to bring these initiatives to fruition, or what she plans on doing differently this time around.