Financial struggles and environmental concerns are among the many items student leaders across Ontario are tackling.
The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), a student-led lobbying group advancing the interests of nine university student unions across Ontario, held a conference between Oct. 25 to 27 at Brock University. AMS Commissioner of External Affairs Dreyden George, Vice-President (University Affairs) Ruth Osunde, and other student delegates from Queen’s attended to discuss three main policy papers.
By drafting and editing policy papers using input from school representatives and OUSA’s permanent staff, the organization makes recommendations on issues directly impacting university students in the province. Earlier this year, OUSA was consulted on the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, which, among many changes, mandated schools implement student mental health policies and establish rules to combat racism and hate.
“These papers are vetted through several different read-overs and several different discussions and it’s really important to highlight that. That’s how students [put their] work into this and that’s why it’s greatly beneficial to our students because it allows them to understand how decisions within this room [OUSA conference] can influence their education,” Osunde said in an interview with The Journal.
One of the papers during the recent conference was about the Blue-Ribbon Panel, a government-appointed group offering recommendations on the management of post-secondary education. OUSA highlighted the panel’s recommendation that $2.5 billion be invested into post-secondary education, despite the Ford Government only investing $1.3 billion to date.
The second paper focused on student financial aid, pointing out that the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) funding is currently sent directly to universities to cover tuition before any excess is transferred to students’ bank accounts. OUSA believes this system creates inequities for students who have more than tuition to pay.
The final paper, co-written by George, discussed environmental sustainability. In an interview with The Journal, he stressed the importance of making realistic proposals in such papers.
“That paper is about environmental sustainability under the scope of the provincial government. One of the things OUSA has to make sure is that the recommendations they’re putting forward are tangible and will be able to succeed,” George said in an interview with The Journal.
In addition to sustainable investing, George outlined recommendations for how universities should address the environmental impacts of climate change. He emphasized the need for institutions to consider stormwater management, smart water usage, energy waste reduction, and ensuring infrastructure can withstand the predicted effects of climate change.
Osunde further explained the topic for OUSA policy papers isn’t just decided randomly, but rather they’re based on data from the Ontario Undergraduate Student Survey (OUSS), which is run by OUSA every three years to determine student’s top priorities.
“OUSA’s very big on the idea that it’s evidence-based work we do. It’s not just us going, ‘Students want this.’ No. We’re doing surveys—which everyone pays attention to because our surveys are coming out soon—we’re doing research, we’re doing all of this work,” Osunde said in an interview with The Journal.
This year’s survey is expected to take about 20 minutes and touches on issues related to student financial concerns, employment opportunities, academic quality, and more. Osunde outlined the extensive process these policy papers go through, allowing students to express their voices.
For the 2024-25 school year, Queen’s undergraduate students paid a mandatory $3.56 fee for the AMS to remain a part of OUSA.
Tags
AMS, environmental sustainability, financial aid, OUSA
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