SAMHC

Join the SAMHC Executive team! The election nominations are open until March 5th! Grab your election package from the office NOW!!!

POSITIONS AVAILABLE:

President

Chief Executive Office of the SA & political liaison with MHC

Vice President Internal

Budgeting, bylaws, student appeals & business planning

Vice President External

Volunteer coordinator, newspaper editor, surveys & student polls, advocacy

Vice President Community and Wellness

Planning & executing events, awareness weeks & peer support

The benefits to being a student executive are endless but to begin with, here are a few:

• You get paid for the work you do!
  • President- $1200/month, Vice Presidents- $1100/month
  • 80% tuition reimbursed
• Amazing networking opportunities
• Influencing change that affects students at Medicine Hat College
• A chance to stand out when you graduate with valuable experience on your resume

Here are some requirements of being a student leader:

• Minimum 16 hours per week
• Must be enrolled in at least 1 MHC credit class
• Must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA

Still wondering if its a good fit for you? Contact the SAMHC office on 1-403-529-3925, stop by to talk to our current executives and staff or text us on our social media:

Instagram: @saofmhc

Facebook: @SAMHC

Let’s talk about sexual health!
The Students’ Association of Medicine Hat College is bringing you the Sexual Health Fair on February 12th, 11:00-1:00 at The Den!

You can also enter a draw for a VIP table at Banger Bingo for you and 5 friends! Banger Bingo is at the Crave on February 13th!
VIP package includes Goodie Bags, $5 Crave gift cards, decorated table and you get to sit right at the front where all the action is!
See you there!

Did you know that the Students’ Association is obligated to share with the student body, any changes made to our policies? Well, we just made some changes to our policies, check them out and don’t hesitate to stop by the SAMHC Office if you have any questions!

Health and Dental Plan Opt-out deadline is Wednesday January 22nd. You will need your Student ID and proof of existing coverage in order to opt-out. Opt out at the SAMHC website: http://www.samhc.ca or come into the office for assistance during office hours.
You will not be refunded after the deadline passes, please do hurry!

Tuition and Mandatory Non-Instructional Fees (MNIFs) at Medicine Hat College are regulated by the Government of Alberta through the Post-secondary Learning Act and the Tuition and Fees Regulation. The previous NDP government implemented a freeze on tuition and MNIFs at the 2014-15 academic year rates for the 2015-16 through 2019-20 academic years.Prior to the last election, the NDP government updated the Tuition Fees and Regulation with the following key provisions, beginning in the 2020-21 academic year:

–Tuition fees can be increased by the percentage annual change in the Alberta Consumer Price Index (CPI)

–Existing Mandatory Non-Instructional Fees (MNIFs) can be increased by up to 10% each year, unless the fee has reached a cost-recovery level

–New Mandatory Non-Instructional Fees must be signed-off by the Students Association.

–International student tuition is not regulated, however the maximum amount of tuition an international student will pay must be guaranteed for the standard length of the program in their offer of admission

–At least two consultation meetings with the Student’s Association must occur to discuss increases to tuition and MNIFs

–Institutions must publish their tuition and MNIFs in a public manner (MHC publishes in the Academic Calendar and website)

After the May 2019 election, the new UCP government commissioned the MacKinnon Report on Alberta’s Finances, which offered recommendations to support the planning of the Alberta Government’s 2019 Budget. Recommendations 7,8 and 9 were pertaining to post secondary institutions across Alberta and were implemented in the Budget released in 2019. Here are some points from the budget:

–Modified the Tuition and Fees Regulation to allow tuition to increase by up to 7% per year on average for the 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years, before returning to the rate of CPI in 2023-24, with no program increasing by more than 10% in each of the three years noted

–Removal of 10% increase limit to MNIFs not at cost-recovery

–Cancellation of the Summer Temporary Employment Program

–Cancellation of Alberta Education and Tuition tax credits for 2020

–Student loan interest rate increased to prime+1%

–Reduction of Campus Alberta Grant across the Alberta post-secondary system by 5% for 2019-2020 (differentially applied)

–Elimination of Infrastructure Maintenance Program (IMP) funding for 2019-2020

–Signals that the Campus Alberta Grant will be reduced across the Alberta post-secondary system by an additional 5% each year for 2020-2021, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023.

Medicine Hat College executives had two consultation meetings with the SAMHC executives in November to arrive at a mutually-agreed decision. Tuition Consultation meetings were held at the Medicine Hat campus on January 9th and at the Brooks Campus on January 16th. These consultations included all the information pertaining to the change in tuition rates as well as other changes recommended by the Government of Alberta. Here is the proposal for the academic year 2020-2021:

•Base Tuition for Domestic Students to increase 7% from $117.00 per credit to $125.20 per credit

•International Tuition differential to remain at 2.75 times domestic tuition

•Base International Tuition to increase 7% from $321.75 per credit to $344.30 per credit

•NISF to increase 10% from $5.20 per credit to $5.72 per credit (this will be broken into two fees as per direction from Advanced Education)

•No additional mandatory fees to be introduced for 2020/2021. If Mental Health Grant funding from province is discontinued, new fees to potentially be considered for 2021/2022.

•Apprenticeship Tuition and materials fees to increase by 7% (set by Advanced Education)

•Tuition rates for students enrolled in Years 3 and 4 of collaborative degree programs are set by the collaborative partners.

All the proposed increases for 2020/2021 are going to be sent to Medicine Hat College Board of Governors for approval. Future year tuition and fee increases to be discussed once further information is known on future budget and funding frameworks. For now, the decisions are on a year-to-year basis. For more information or any questions you might have, stop by the SAMHC Office or Mr. Sandy Henderson, Dean of Student Services/Registrar at henderson@mhc.ab.ca.

Students’ Association of Medicine Hat College has always put the interest and rights of Medicine Hat College Students foremost and we will continue to do so during our negotiations for increase in tuition. Our goal is an affordable, incremental and predictable increase that keeps the cost of education in Alberta and more specifically, in Medicine Hat, acceptable. We want to reassure our students that we are committed to focusing on affordability and accessibility to post-secondary education with the upcoming tuition increases and other changes in the budget for 2019/20.

“SAMHC is committed to working with college executives to ensure that tuition increases reflect tangibility, sustainability growth and fairness.” -Dalton Ehry, President, Students’ Association of Medicine Hat College.

Here is the Student Leaders of Alberta Joint Statement on Budget 2019/20:

You will need your Student ID and proof of existing coverage in order to opt-out. Opt out online at https://studentbenefits.ca/landingpage?s=76&language=en or come into the office for assistance during office hours!

You will not be refunded after the deadline passes, please do hurry!

SAMHC is celebrating Pride week from September 16th to 19th with various activities. September 16th is the Pride Flag Raising Day where we had distinguished guests like Project Rainbow Medicine Hat Chairperson Caelan and President Casper, and Medicine Hat Pride Chairperson Dane. Caelan made an acknowledgement as this year marks the 50 year anniversary of Stonewall.

September 17th is the Info fair: FUN & GAYMES at the Den. We have Project rainbowMedicine Hat appearing and there will also be some free Cotton candy, courtesy of SAMHC.

On September 18th, we have the Instagram Selfie Contest. A PRIDE related Photo-booth will be moving around the college where students can take pictures, upload them on social media and take the SAMHC page. they stand to win a coupon for 2 general admissions to the Cineplex with soft drinks and popcorn provided! Now that’s a sweet date night!

REMINDER!

Medicine Hat College Student Council Election packages are due on september 12th. Yes, that is THIS THURSDAY!

Bring your completed package to the SAMHC Office to qualify for running for the Student Council for the year 2019-20!

Why be part of the Student Council?

Perks include:
– $50/month pay and bonus at the end of the year
– have a say in events and student activities
– leadership experience, and it looks great on a resume

Date: September 11, 2019

Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Location: B – Wing ( Near Vera Bracken Library)

We are here to support, assist, guide and help you do your best in college! We have:

MHC Internal services

• Library Services- Michelle McKey
• Writing Specialist-Natalie Hamilton
• Chaplaincy services- Chaplain Kristy
• Personal Counselling- Landyce Areshenkoff
• Academic Strategist- Justine McKinnie
• International Tutoring- Shalla Shahayar & Shauntelle Broeckert

Outside Partners

• Life Coach- Danielle Skogen
• Money Mentors- Nikki Obrigewitch
• Good Food Club- Alison Van Dyke

The Students’ Association of Medicine Hat College representatives will also be there to provide you any information you need! See you all there!