Calgary post-secondaries get $425 M

[schnee]

Herald link here

"The Stelmach government announced the largest one-time funding boost for post-secondary education in recent memory today, with a combined $425 million slated to go towards three Calgary institutions."

Great news for Calgary & Alberta post-secondary... SAIT being the big winner, receiving about $300 million of the funding announcement. SAIT is able to continue to move forward with building of their new Trades and Technology Complex.

[Locke]

Woo. Fataing. Hoo.

The U of C gets a whopping $5M/Year.

[Torture]

Yay...Sait gets almost all of it...cool?

[Frequitude]

Apparently it takes the average UofC student 5.5 years to graduate...largely (partly?) due to class scheduling making it impossible to do it in less.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Apparently it takes the average UofC student 5.5 years to graduate...largely (partly?) due to class scheduling making it impossible to do it in less.

Also - because they're not as intelligent as those of us who went to better Canadian Universities

[guzzy]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Apparently it takes the average UofC student 5.5 years to graduate...largely (partly?) due to class scheduling making it impossible to do it in less.

Yes because it doesn't take into account personal responsibility. If people wanted to finish in 4 years they would find a way. Most choose 5 because it is easier. You add a bit (a lot) of drinking, partying, and plenty of hookers n blow.....5.5 years seems about right......forget about self-responsibility....it seldom exists in our society any more

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by guzzy

Yes because it doesn't take into account personal responsibility. If people wanted to finish in 4 years they would find a way. Most choose 5 because it is easier. You add a bit (a lot) of drinking, partying, and plenty of hookers n blow.....5.5 years seems about right......forget about self-responsibility....it seldom exists in our society any more

As a current UofC student, and on behalf of all the other students here, I say shove it up yours. You have no idea what you are talking about.

Classes are packed and getting the courses you need is often quite hard. There are just so many students, its getting hard to accommodate with our current capacity. Its not a self-responsibility issue, its a fact that post-secondary demand is growing so much.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by guzzy

Yes because it doesn't take into account personal responsibility. If people wanted to finish in 4 years they would find a way. Most choose 5 because it is easier. You add a bit (a lot) of drinking, partying, and plenty of hookers n blow.....5.5 years seems about right......forget about self-responsibility....it seldom exists in our society any more

I'm taking 4 classes this semester and I'm not graduating because the last class I need to finish my degree isnt being offered.

It must be nice to live in the world of black and white.

[Torture]

So uh....Sait gets SIXY times more than UofC....I'd love to see their reasoning for how they decided to split up the money.

I'm taking 4 classes this semester and I'm not graduating because the last class I need to finish my degree isnt being offered.

To graduate as an HROD major you need to take HROD 401, 403, and 405.

There is one lecture of HROD 401 in the fall semester, none in the winter.
One lecture of HROD 405 in the fall semester (and it's a 3 hour class once a week..) none in the winter
and HROD 403 is offered once in the winter, and not in the fall.

I had to design my schedule around these three courses because they're required for me to graduate, and only offered once a year...

Thankfully after this year I only have one semester left (Leaving me at 4 1/2 years to graduate, not bad..) and most of the courses I have left are options so I should be able to get er done.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Torture

So uh....Sait gets SIXY times more than UofC....I'd love to see their reasoning for how they decided to split up the money.

SAIT gets more qualified people into the work force for jobs this province needs sooner than UofC does. 2-3 year technical degrees, tradesmen, administration etc. These people don't need a 4 year degree.

Considering it seems the money is earmarked for a major capital project, I hardly think you can complain about fair, since there are 3 major construction projects going on at the UofC right now, and AFAIK only the one at SAIT ( I could be wrong though, I seldom go on campus there).

Originally Posted by Locke

I'm taking 4 classes this semester and I'm not graduating because the last class I need to finish my degree isnt being offered.

It must be nice to live in the world of black and white.

Agreed.

I am on the 6 year program. 1 year is my pretty much my fault, since I took a semester off when I was married and took 3 courses when my baby was born. Even counting that, it is 5+ years to get my degree.

As I see it the causes are 3 fold and can be placed on both students and the Universities shoulders.

-Some first year courses are over booked, and impossible to get in. There is nothing that is going to change that short of offering more sections. This leads to pre-reqs being missed. This scenario is rare though, since first year students have priority is selecting most classes.

- Students are unable to plan their degree beyond 2 semesters ahead ( including the current one). I can't figure out what is even likely to be offered beyond winter semester. This means I am guessing which pre-reqs I need to take based on the courses that I hope are offered, and some times are not.

- Sometimes a set of 3(or 4th)rd year courses will have a set of 'gateway classes' that you need to take most of them. So there is a group of courses that second years are scrambling to get, but often 2 of them are either offered in exactly the same time slot, or they have labs that conflict with each others lectures or labs. This means that while there is room in the class, you cannot even sign up for it since the only open lab (that no one is signing up for since they all need the same 2 classes) .

Now the UofC recognizes the problem and have started a program for new students who started this year. They are offering to pay for any courses you need to take past the 4th year, if you counsel with UPO and ensure that your course selection is optimum.

[tete]

The money earmarked for SAIT is going towards a MASSIVE infrastructure project. This project, when completed, will change the landscape of campus completely. Basically it's demolishing the entire Thomas Reilly building, the Murdoch Parkade, plus I think even Colonel Walker might get demo'd. Then they'll be able to put up a state of the art Trades and Tech building complex - so many of the buildings on campus are not properly equipped for the type of teaching/traning these days. It'll be exciting to see how this all goes.

[Kjesse]

If it is true that students at the U of C need 5 years in some cases due to no fault of their own, and because they can not get their needed classes in 4 years because there isn't enough room in the courses, then I'm really disappointed in my alma mater. That is completely unacceptable.

If you can't do it in 4 years because you don't bother to check mandatory requirements until the end of year 3 and some classes are only offered every other year, then you are giving the U of C a bad name. If you can't bother to make a plan for how you are going to get your degree you probably won't get very far post-university anyway.

I'm assuming this is because of courses being too booked, and that really disturbs me. It cheapens the degree I have.

I graduated in 1994, in 4 years, and I needed some courses that were always only offered every other year. I planned for it. I knew graduating when I wanted to depended on it. If you now have to roll the dice to graduate in 4, piss on the U of C and there should be a public outcry.

[Muta]

I graduated in 2006 from the U of C, and I took 4.5 years. That's with me being lazy and slacking off, taking 4 classes a semester at times and the odd Spring course here and there.

If i really wanted to, I could've finished in 4 years. But upon looking back on it, I wish I took 6 years. I love university.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Muta

I graduated in 2006 from the U of C, and I took 4.5 years. That's with me being lazy and slacking off, taking 4 classes a semester at times and the odd Spring course here and there.

If i really wanted to, I could've finished in 4 years. But upon looking back on it, I wish I took 6 years. I love university.

Are you high? You are!! You're high right now aren't you?

[schnee]

Originally Posted by tete

The money earmarked for SAIT is going towards a MASSIVE infrastructure project. This project, when completed, will change the landscape of campus completely. Basically it's demolishing the entire Thomas Reilly building, the Murdoch Parkade, plus I think even Colonel Walker might get demo'd. Then they'll be able to put up a state of the art Trades and Tech building complex - so many of the buildings on campus are not properly equipped for the type of teaching/traning these days. It'll be exciting to see how this all goes.

Yes.. this money is in addition to the funding already provided to post-secondary institutes every year and it is primarily aimed at infrastructure.. A few years back.. Mount Royal College was a big winner.. now they have the Bissett School of Business building, Continuing Education Building.. and I think one more building is still to go up.. or is underway?(haven't been down that way for awhile).

This funding isn't about excluding other campuses.. UofC has gotten a lot of prior funding... places I used to go in the early 90's are gone or are new buildings now... it is just UofC was the higher priority back then.. then MRC... now it is SAIT and Bow Valleys turn. Maybe after this UofC is now moving back up on the list for future infrastructure funding?

Like TeTe says above... the SAIT campus will look very different .. no more H, J and K wings.. no more Ware Building or its cafeteria (maybe not a bad thing) ... no more Col. Walker... no more Thomas Riley.

[Flames_Gimp]

schools are so much more important than hospitals.

[Frequitude]

Originally Posted by guzzy

Yes because it doesn't take into account personal responsibility. If people wanted to finish in 4 years they would find a way. Most choose 5 because it is easier. You add a bit (a lot) of drinking, partying, and plenty of hookers n blow.....5.5 years seems about right......forget about self-responsibility....it seldom exists in our society any more

Add me to the list of the above posters who want you to shove it. It has nothing to do with personal responsibility.

Classes are packed and schedules make it literally impossible to finish in 4 years. There are so many examples of a half course and its prerequisite (in the same level...200, 300, 400, etc.), being offered only once per year and in the same semester. Like, are you kidding me. Who made that schedule. That's embarrasing.

[guzzy]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Add me to the list of the above posters who want you to shove it. It has nothing to do with personal responsibility.

Classes are packed and schedules make it literally impossible to finish in 4 years. There are so many examples of a half course and its prerequisite (in the same level...200, 300, 400, etc.), being offered only once per year and in the same semester. Like, are you kidding me. Who made that schedule. That's embarrasing.

Good for you pal and the others who want me to shove it..stop pouting. I don't really care.

This is a message board where people voice opinions right? Key word being "opinions"

I have a friend in civil engineering who will graduate this year...in 4 years. I understand that some courses are difficult to graduate in 4 years but the OP's original statement seemed to blame the U of C and not the student. I definitely think it is a combination of scheduling and self-responsibility. I know I don't have the discipline to be able to finish in 4 years. The difference is I would blame myself before blaming the govt or a college.

[guzzy]

Originally Posted by fotze

I think engineering is one of the best funded faculties. I had no problem with courses when I went through civil engineering but I think other faculties are much more screwed.

I completely agree.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by fotze

I think engineering is one of the best funded faculties. I had no problem with courses when I went through civil engineering but I think other faculties are much more screwed.

Yeah, I would say Engineering and Business are easily the best funded faculties at UofC.