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April 2011
| Vol 2, Issue 11
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The Communiqué
OUSA's April Update |
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Dear OUSA Members, (OUSA President | Meaghan Coker)
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The busy month of March has come and gone, but what has been accomplished will continue to guide the rest of this year.
The past four weeks have been packed full of excitement and hard work with our Spring General Assembly March 11th - 13th hosted by the Alma Mater Society at Queen's University in Kingston, the announcement of the provincial budget on March 29th, and followed by OUSA's annual Partners in Higher Education Dinner on March 31st.
The Spring General Assembly provided another opportunity for student representatives to come together and engage in the important policy decisions and drive the direction of our activities. From the conference, we have passed a revised policy on Ancillary Fees, Aboriginal Students, and Student Success. Thank you to all of the delegates who performed an incredible role during that weekend, but continue to serve as delegates of their students throughout the year.
With the announcement of the provincial budget and 60,000 new post-secondary spaces over the next five years, students of Ontario can look forward to our universities and colleges opening their doors to more students and the priority of access to education continuing to remain an area of importance. Students are very interested in the commitment of the government to renegotiate and rethink the current Multi-Year Accountability Agreements with universities, and we remain committed to contributing in whatever way we can.
To close, I want to extend the sincere appreciation OUSA has for the commitment and collaboration this year from our partners and stakeholders in the sector. The year's Partners Dinner provided for an evening of celebration and recognition of the incredibly significant work that we do together all year. It is this exceptionally important work and willingness for collaboration that continues to inspire us to strive for the kind of higher education system that our students and the Province of Ontario deserve.
-Meaghan Coker
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| Students encouraged that post-secondary education remains a priority in Ontario Budget |
 | | Click to go to Budget 2011 page |
TORONTO, March 29 /OUSA/ - Ontario students welcome the McGuinty government's 2011 Ontario Budget commitment to promote access to education through the funding of 60,000 new spaces in Ontario's universities and colleges over the next five years. Though facing a sizable deficit, this strategic investment of $64 million next year rising to $309 million by 2013-14 demonstrates again that this government recognizes the importance of higher education.
"Investing in Ontario's youth is the silver bullet that will ensure our province's long-term prosperity," said Meaghan Coker, President of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA). "This is absolutely the right choice for Ontario's future."
The government has also announced that this new funding will be contingent upon Ontario colleges and universities renegotiating their multi-year accountability agreements with the government for the first time since 2006. Students continue to have concerns with these agreements and are pleased that such a critical lever for providing accountability to students and to the public will be revisited.
Though this is the last Budget before the next provincial election, there are no references to post-secondary education tax credits, indicating that the government may not fulfill its 2007 election promise to move the $330 million currently spent on these credits. The proposal was to use the funds for up-front grants which have a greater impact on accessibility. This morning, the Liberal Party of Canada also recognized the benefits of such a move and announced its intention, if elected, to redirect funds spent on federal post-secondary tax credits to up-front grants.
"Students had hoped that, given the Province's deficit, the government would act on an opportunity to improve access to higher education by reallocating existing funds," added Coker.
Students remain optimistic that the forthcoming five-year plan for the higher education sector will build on the government's significant past investments and continue to improve student financial assistance and the quality of the learning environment at Ontario universities.
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Students call for fairness and improved support for international students
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 | | Going Global Submission |
(Click to Download)
TORONTO, March 17 - As Ontario prepares to welcome thousands more international students to our university campuses, undergraduate students are expressing their support for the government's goal of increasing international student enrolment and are calling for institutions and government to offer international students a more supportive learning environment at a fair cost.
The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) today released Going Global, a report detailing the benefits of greater internationalization and students' recommendations to ensure the best and brightest can access and succeed in an Ontario post-secondary institution.
International undergraduate students now pay over three times more in tuition fees than their domestic peers, though institutions receive no government grants for these students. After a thorough comparison of the total revenue generated by domestic and international undergraduate students, the report finds that Ontario universities on average receive over $5,000 more from an international undergraduate student, indicating that these students may be used to subsidize other university operations. Furthermore, survey results show that the number of international students from low-income families has declined steadily over the past 20 years.
"Undergraduate students stand in full support of the government's internationalization agenda," said OUSA President Meaghan Coker. "But the evidence suggests that high fees and unpredictable increases work against our shared goal of attracting the world's best to Ontario."
Additional recommendations to increase fairness and support include:
· Government regulation of tuition fee increases beyond the first year so that international students know the full cost of their education before they enrol;
· A tuition set-aside program for international students to fund need-based assistance currently available at less than half of Ontario universities;
· Re-enrolling international students under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP);
· Expanding eligibility and eliminating the application fee for the Opportunities Ontario Program, which assists international graduates in becoming permanent residents; and
· Providing incentives for institutions to expand the range and quality of support programs for international students.
"Both the provincial and federal governments have recognized that a strong brand is required for long-term success in attracting international students," continued Coker. "Scholarships and recruitment initiatives are an important component, but improving the quality of the experience of studying and living in Ontario should be paramount."
Copies of the report are available at here.
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| Queen's University AMS hosts successful General Assembly | 
Over the weekend of March 11-13, OUSA held its annual Spring General Assembly, hosted this time by the Alma Mater Society of Queen's University. Sixty student leaders from across Ontario were on hand for three days of thoughtful debate and discussion about the future of higher education in Ontario.
After delegates arrived on Friday and settled in, we welcomed the weekend's first guest speaker, Janice Hill, Director of the Four Directions Aboriginal Centre at Queen's. Jan spoke passionately about her experiences assisting Aboriginal students in need of support and offered her views on how best to increase participation rates from these students. The presentation was exceedingly valuable for future discussions on OUSA's newly adopted policy on Aboriginal student issues. Following this, delegates discussed OUSA's 2011 budget submission, OUSA's recent report on access issues for underrepresented groups, and the forthcoming report on international student issues.
Saturday kicked off strong with a visit from the Hon. John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. After welcoming PC critic Jim Wilson and NDP critic Rosario Marchese to OUSA's Fall General Assembly, everyone was curious as to what Minister Milloy would say about his government's record and future plans. After reviewing recent accomplishments on credit transfer and student financial assistance, the Minister discussed some of his priorities for the future, including increasing online learning and promoting greater access to higher education. Delegates then asked some thoughtful questions on issues from university accountability, to education tax credits, to international student tuition and much more. We wish to thank the Minister again for joining us and for taking time out of his Saturday for the long drive from Kitchener to Kingston and back.
Next up was several hours of breakout sessions on policy and strategic direction. In the morning, delegates took turns discussing new policies on Aboriginal students, student success, and ancillary fees. In the afternoon, we discussed future policy goals, provincial election strategy, and the next provincial tuition framework. The discussions were fruitful thanks to the hard work of our Steering Committee members leading the discussions and the willingness of delegates to engage in-depth with the issues and make their voices heard.
Over a break for lunch we welcomed our third guest speaker of the conference, Wendy Vuyk of the Kingston branch of Pathways to Education. As Jan had done the day before, Wendy shared her experiences working with disadvantaged youth in the Kingston area and opened many eyes to the tremendous personal challenges these students face. Wendy also described the four pillars of the Pathways program and the unique challenges of applying these pillars to the Kingston community. The program there is still in its infancy, but the future looks a lot brighter for the youth lucky enough to be part of it.
The final day featured a productive plenary session, which saw the adoption of all three policy papers: Aboriginal students, student success, and ancillary fees. The session was full of debate over motions, amendments, and discussion topics. Each of the policies was discussed one final time with many unique and thoughtful comments about the principles, concerns and recommendations of each paper.
Many thanks must be extended to the hosts: Queen's Alma Mater Society, who raised the bar with this conference. Their leadership and organization was excellent, and the events and facilities could not have been better.
In the end, 60 students from across Ontario spent a weekend trying to better the post-secondary education system in Ontario, and guide OUSA towards continued excellence in its advocacy, research and communications. Friendships were certainly made and, most importantly, the Alliance left renewed and strengthened.
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Executive Director Update | Alexi White
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March saw a flurry of activity at OUSA, including our spring General Assembly, Partners in Higher Education Dinner, and the release of the provincial budget. General Assembly at Queen's was a big success and saw policy papers passed on Aboriginal students, student success, and ancillary fees. We had a number of fantastic guest speakers, including Minister Milloy who made the trip down from Kitchener to speak to delegates. This year's Partners Dinner was equally successful and turned out to be the largest one we've ever had. Highlights included Dr. Ross Finnie of the University of Ottawa speaking on the topic of non-financial access barriers and the Honourable Bob Rae discussing the importance of education and accessibility to Ontario and Canada's future. Alvin deserves full credit for organizing another great event.
Regarding the budget, I'm happy to report that the government announced its intention to provide three years of predictable funding to our universities, including enough to fully fund approximately 40,000 new university spaces that will be needed over the next five years. This paves the way for the future release of the government's five-year plan for the sector, which we hope will cover other important issues such as financial assistance and teaching quality that received no mention in the budget. Tuition fees will also be an important issue in the coming months as a new multi-year framework takes shape, and OUSA will continue to fight against any further shifting of the funding burden from the public to students. Finally, it was disappointing that the government chose not to follow through on its promise to reallocate funds from regressive tax credits to up-front grants. You can read the press release in the communiqué for more on the budget.
Finally, OUSA recently selected Sam Andrey as the new Executive Director beginning May 1. Sam has been a fantastic Director of Research and I know he'll do great things as Executive Director. It's good to know OUSA will be in great hands. Congratulations Sam!
-Alexi White
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The DORPA Report (Director of Research & Policy Analysis | Sam Andrey)
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It's been a hectic and exciting month at the OUSA office. With the announcement of the Ontario Budget, the writ dropping on the federal election campaign, our Partners in Higher Education Dinner, and the Spring General Assembly, there wasn't a lot of down time in March.
We have three new policy papers after their approved by our General Assembly, and I am looking forward to continuing our advocacy efforts on those fronts. We also have now been tasked with updating our policies on system growth, tuition and accountability - three major projects that will be worked on throughout the spring and summer. We also released our thoughts in mid-March on what should be the Ontario government's next steps in its internationalization agenda in our submission Going Global, which was well received.
Discussion in the Ontario post-secondary sector has certainly begun on the tuition framework set to expire next year, and research here at OUSA on possible changes to the framework have now begun in earnest. We have also been in talk with the government and universities on evaluating the degree to which undergraduate students currently participate in research and how to increase these opportunities to improve student success. With the announcement last week that the Multi-Year Accountability Agreements will be renegotiated between the government and institutions, we have also reopened our thinking and discussions with government on how best to improve the agreements and enhance student input into the process. Research and advocacy efforts also continued throughout the month on the Access Copyright tariff, ancillary fee regulations, guidance counselling in secondary schools and credit transfer.
-Sam Andrey
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The Communications Post (Director of Communications & Public Relations | Alvin Tedjo)
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 As the academic year comes to a close, and the provincial and federal governments move into high gear with budgets and elections, March around the OUSA office is as hectic as ever. Starting out with a very well organized General Assembly at Queen's University, we have our great steering committee members and delegates from Queen's to thank. The Honourable John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges & Universities was a guest speaker, and we will be releasing the video of his address soon on YouTube.
Near the end of the month, the Government of Ontario released its 2011 budget, with an announcement for funding of over 60,000 new spaces over the next 5 years. OUSA had an excellent media presence with this announcement, and look forward to further investment in the sector.
Ending the month and the year for many of our students and schools, OUSA hosted its 7th annual Partners in Higher Education Dinner. A wildly successful event, it continues to grow with over 200 guests and 13 sponsors from each major stakeholder in the sector. Thank you to all the staff and students who helped make the event a continued success, and special thanks to our Honourary Member Henry Mandelbaum, Keynote Speaker Dr. Ross Finnie, and Special Guest Bob Rae, along with each of the panelists. Next year's event will likely be located to another space that will be larger than the current venue, as OUSA's partnerships continue to grow. -Alvin Tedjo
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| Research Rumblings (Research Analyst | Laura Pin) | 
I spent much of March helping home office prepare for two big events: our Spring General Assembly and our annual Partners in Education Dinner. Many thanks goes out to Queen's for hosting a wonderful General Assembly. In keeping with a motion passed at General Assembly, I have been contacting OUSA's campuses to engage Aboriginal students in a dialogue about OUSA's Aboriginal policy paper, and look forward to the input, feedback and recommendations that will come out of these discussions.
In addition, this past month I had the opportunity this month to attend the Mental Health in Ontario Postsecondary (MHOP) working group on student mental health, which was a great opportunity to discuss student success and service provision with a wide variety of stakeholders. During the course of April, I will be working on several projects at the home office. OUSA is planning to finish a research paper on cost-inflation in Ontario universities by the end of the month, to help inform the discussion around the rising funding needs of universities. Additionally, I have been gathering information on funding models for health service provision on university campuses to help inform the discussion on Family Health Teams.
-Laura Pin |
VP Admin & McMaster Students Union Update
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My time at the McMaster Students Union is wrapping up, and I would like to say thank you to everyone who has made this the most outstanding year of my life. That being said, the work continues here at McMaster as we continue to address issues surrounding quality, accessibility and affordability. Tuition has been a hot topic with students with the MSU hosting an open discussion on the matter featuring the MSU, OUSA, McMaster Administration and the CFS. I am also pleased to announce that my successor has been elected: Alicia Ali will take over as Vice President (Education) on May 1. Her main priorities for the upcoming year are: educating and engaging students in the political process, quality of education, the provincial election and continuing the fight for greater affordability.
-Joe Finkle
OUSA VP Administration & MSU VP Education
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| OUSA's New Steering Committee | |
The Steering Committee for 2011-2012 has now been announced:
Alicia Ali - McMaster Students Union Luke Speers - Brock University Students' Union Pat Searle - University Students' Council, University of Western Ontario Kieran Slobodin - Alma Mater Society of Queen's University Natalie Cockburn - Federation of Students, University of Waterloo Kim Orr - University of Windsor Students' Alliance Sean Madden - Wilfrid Laurier University Students' Union |
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Alvin Tedjo
Director of Communications & Public Relations
OUSA | Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance
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