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April 2010
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Vol 1, Issue 9
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The Communiqué
OUSA's April Update
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Dear OUSA Members, (OUSA President | Dan Moulton)
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After another year of strong advocacy on behalf
of the undergraduate students of Ontario, OUSA can be very satisfied with the
results of the recent 2010 Provincial Budget and the accompanying announcements
on tuition and financial aid. Not only did the government allocate over $300
million to fund the growth of our colleges and universities, it also announced
an $81 million package of changes to financial aid, directly addressing a
number of long-standing student concerns.
From the beginning of the year, we at OUSA have
focused our advocacy on the link between post-secondary education and a
prosperous and competitive Ontario. This initiative culminated in the December
release of an OUSA research paper entitled Ontario's Knowledge Economy: The Economic Impact of Post-Secondary Education. Joining
us on this project were our partners at the Council of Ontario Universities,
the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, the Institute for
Competitiveness and Prosperity, the Ontario Association of Food Banks, and the
Ontario Chamber of Commerce. The paper was circulated throughout government, most
notably to the bureaucracy in the Ministry of Finance and to MPPs of all
political stripes.
With the government's announcement that they
will continue to invest in post-secondary education - to the tune of $310
million next year - we can be confident that our message was accepted.
Considering the record deficits facing Ontario, a new investment of this size
is remarkable.
Adding to this success was the government's
recent announcement of an $81 million package of changes to financial aid. Over
half of these changes were included in OUSA's financial aid submission from
last fall, demonstrating again OUSA's unparalleled leadership on core student
issues.
I also wish to report that OUSA's sixth annual
Partners in Higher Education Dinner was a tremendous success. The dinner
brought together students, faculty, administrators, bureaucrats, politicians,
researchers and many other education stakeholders to discuss important issues
facing post-secondary education. To open the evening, the Honourable John
Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities addressed the guests.
Following him, Dr. Joy Mighty and Dr. Julia Christensen Hughes of the Society
for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education delivered the keynote address on
the need to improve teaching and learning on Ontario's universities. It was a
fantastic way to end OUSA's 15th year as a leading voice for the
students of Ontario.
Finally, I'm pleased to announce that OUSA has
selected Sam Andrey, a recent graduate of the University of Waterloo, as our
new Director of Research and Policy Analysis. Sam brings with him many years of
experience working with OUSA at the campus level and a keen interest in
improving the experience of all undergraduate students in Ontario. Welcome,
Sam, we're lucky to have you.
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Food for Thought Campaign
OUSA in the News Links |
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OUSA's Partners in Higher Education Dinner
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On the evening of March 31, OUSA hosted its
annual Partners in Higher Education Dinner at the Sutton Place Hotel in
Toronto. Guests included students, faculty, administrators, bureaucrats,
politicians, political staff, researchers, and many other partners from inside
and outside the higher education sector. OUSA began this event as a small
breakfast to bring our partners together and discuss issues of importance to
post-secondary education. Six years later it has evolved into a unique and
important event in the sector, attracting over 150 people each year.
During the dinner, attendees had the pleasure of hearing
from influential figures in Ontario's higher education system, starting with
the Honourable John Milloy, Minister of Training Colleges and Universities.
After addressing the guests, and stressing OUSA's strong partnership with the
government, the Minister stayed to present the plaques to this year's
recipients of the OUSA Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Joy Mighty and Dr. Julia Christensen Hughes, the current
and past Presidents of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education, respectively, gave the keynote address on issues in teaching and
learning. Julia and Joy have recently published a book entitled Taking Stock: Research on Teaching and
Learning in Higher Education, which is certain to have a profound impact on
the teaching and learning world. Rather than simply lecture the attendees, they
incorporated a group discussion, which was very well received.
This sixth annual Partners Dinner also marked OUSA's 15th
year of incorporation. Three of OUSA's most distinguished alumni - Leslie
Church, Rick Martin, and Avvey Peters - were granted honourary memberships to
mark the occasion.
OUSA would like to thank all our partners for attending, and
send a specific thank you to our sponsors, without whom the dinner would not be
possible.
Sponsors:
the Council of Ontario Universities, Wilfrid Laurier University, Wilfrid
Laurier University Students' Union, the Brock University Students' Union, the
College Student Alliance, the Alma Mater Society of Queen's University, and the
Federation of Students at the University of Waterloo.
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OUSA's Spring General Assembly at the University of Western Ontario
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From March 19 to 21, OUSA held its annual spring General
Assembly, bringing together student leaders from across Ontario. Hosted by the
University Students' Council of the University of Western Ontario, students
came to discuss the challenges facing higher education today and develop
educated solutions to address them.
After three days of discussion, hard work and a number of
late nights, the delegates passed new policies on assisting students with
disabilities and the future of differentiated mandates at Ontario universities.
Additions to OUSA's student success policies were also approved, mostly
focusing on internationalization and supporting the broader learning
environment on campus.
Over many hours of breakout sessions, students discussed
issues ranging from improving the OSAP need assessment formula to developing a
blueprint for the recently announced Ontario Online Institute, to investigating
potential new models of cost-recovery for the system.
OUSA welcomed the Honourable Chris Bentley, Attorney
General, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and former Minister of Training,
Colleges and Universities, as the conference's keynote speaker. The Minister
gave a short address and answered questions from students for the better part
of an hour. Also present was Liberal Party President and Ottawa MPP Yasir
Naqvi, who engaged in a spirited discussion with student leaders over lunch.
Alex Usher of Higher Education Strategies Associates was
also on hand to present the preliminary results of the Canadian Student Survey,
a landmark initiative surveying over 21,000 Canadian students and undertaken
this year by OUSA and its partners across the country.
OUSA would like to thank the volunteers at UWO for hosting
us and for ensuring a very well organized weekend.
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Food for Thought Campaign
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Click Image to WATCH the Canada AM Interview  |
For nearly three weeks, from March 8, 2010 to March 26, 2010,
students at four Ontario universities undertook an experiment to eat a
healthy, balanced diet while spending only $7.50 a day on food - the
same amount allocated for food by the Ontario Student Assistance Program
(OSAP).
The "Food For Thought" campaign, organized by the Ontario
Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) ended its 19-day experiment over
the weekend, with its participants relieved that the experiment was
over. "Students living on a $7.50/day budget that is allocated by OSAP
cannot afford to eat healthy...that is simply the bottom line," said Nick
Gibson of Wilfrid Laurier University. Sarah Baker of Queen's University
said " I tried my best but unfortunately there was not a single day
where I both stayed on budget and got all my servings in."
The campaign was aimed at drawing attention to the fact that the OSAP
need assessment uses a standard living allowance for every student
adding up to $12,540 a year, which is about $3,000 less than the poverty
line, effectively institutionalizing student poverty. "OSAP actually
claws back the money you make while you're in school," said Rachel
Crane, Brock University student, making it even more difficult for
students to come up with the money to make ends meet. Crane added,
"students do an excellent job on budgeting their finances, and have
began to take out loans and use credit cards to make up for OSAP's
shortcomings."
During an appearance on Canada AM, University of Western Ontario
student Andrew Beach said, "we're trying to get the government to give
just a little bit more money, so that students get the opportunity to
eat healthy." Many students with dietary restrictions, medical
conditions, varsity athletes, or who live on campus have much more
difficult circumstances to get affordable and nutritious foods for
themselves.
"I'm still standing after 19 days of really, really watching what I
spent and what I ate, and I felt really stressed out at times," said
Rachel Crane.
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Executive Director Update | Alexi White
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March was a busy time at OUSA as well-laid plans came to
fruition in all aspects of the organization. First, OUSA's Spring General
Assembly at the University of Western Ontario saw fantastic debate and a number
of strong policy positions adopted on a wide variety of issues. Next, OUSA's
advocacy work culminated in the release of the 2010 Provincial Budget and the
subsequent announcement of improvements to the financial aid system. These
announcements contained welcome news for students as the government directly
addressed a number of OUSA's concerns. Finally, OUSA's sixth annual Partners in
Higher Education Dinner brought together our partners from across the sector to
discuss our shared concerns and how we can tackle them together.
In the middle of all this was OUSA's Food For Thought
campaign, a three-week experiment to see if students really can live on the
$7.50 per day food allocation given by OSAP. As the Kingston Whig-Standard
reported just days ago, the failure of the experiment pointed to the tremendous
success of the campaign. Indeed, we attracted more media attention with this
initiative than I thought possible. The campaign began with coverage on the
front page of the Toronto Star and finished with our student participants
appearing on Canada AM. I wish to
thank all four of our intrepid participants for putting their lives on hold to
raise awareness of student poverty.
With only two staff in the office through March, these
events kept us quite busy. I wish to thank Alvin for his tireless commitment to
perfection and for putting up with me during these somewhat stressful weeks.
I also wish to echo Dan in welcoming our Sam Andrey as
OUSA's new Director of Research and Policy Analysis. I know Sam's going to do
great things for us in the coming years.
With March's hectic schedule out of the way, we turn our
attention to transitioning a new crop of student leaders into their roles on
the OUSA Executive and Steering Committee. A constant turnover in leadership
can be challenging, but the energy and innovation that each year brings keeps
OUSA young and flourishing.
-Alexi White
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The DORPA Report (Director of Research & Policy Analysis | Sam Andrey)
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Hello world of OUSA,
I could not be more excited to be the new Director of
Research and Policy Analysis. I have been a member of OUSA and worked with the
organization for the past three years as an undergraduate at the University of
Waterloo. It is through this that I have developed a sincere appreciation for
the importance and impact of the organization on the lives of students in
Ontario - and I am thrilled that I will now have the opportunity to contribute
to this pursuit.
To let you know a little bit about myself, I am finishing up
my classes and exams at the University of Waterloo and I will be graduating
with an Honours Biochemistry Co-op degree. I was a Councillor and Director with
Waterloo's Federation of Students over three years, and a member of the
University's Senate and Board of Governors. I also worked in a science research
lab for two years at UW. It was through these experiences that I discovered my
passion for combining research and policy together, and I cannot wait to fully
pursue that in my new role here at OUSA.
I have now begun my transition with the outgoing DoRPA, Paul
Bien. I will be taking up my role full-time starting in May, and I hope that I
will have a chance to collaborate and work with many of you soon.
-Sam Andrey |
The Communications Post (Director of Communications & Public Relations | Alvin Tedjo)
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I will attempt not to repeat too much of what Dan and Alexi have already reported, however OUSA's success from March was too great to not mention at least one more time.
In a span of just 30 days, OUSA had news stories in over 30 different newspapers, radio stations, and television stations across Ontario and Canada. Covering OUSA's activities from our Food for Thought Campaign, to the Ontario Budget, to the government's announcement on its Tuition and Financial Aid package.
If that wasn't enough, OUSA hosted two major internal events beginning with our Spring General Assembly at the University of Western Ontario. Over 50 students attended our 3 day General Assembly in London, Ontario, representing all of our member schools. We also celebrated our 15th Anniversary as an organization, with a special Alumni Dinner which featured a flash-back slideshow of articles, photos and memories of OUSA's past 15 years. Paris Meilleur was our keynote speaker who pulled at the heartstrings of everyone there, delivering an impassioned address that celebrated OUSA's growth, difference and success, while further invigorating the student leaders present to continue working hard towards improving post-secondary education for all Ontarians.
Only a week and a half later, OUSA welcomed all of its partners and sector stakeholders to its annual partners dinner. The Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities spent the first 20 minutes of the night, speaking to how OUSA has made a difference, and how we have influenced the decisions of the ministry, and will continue to play a vital role in the pursuit of an ever improving, affordable, quality, accountable, and accessible post-secondary education system.
After a month and a year like OUSA's had, we certainly have 'Our Bright Future' to look forward to.
-Alvin Tedjo
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Alvin Tedjo
Director of Communications & Public Relations
OUSA | Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance
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