Hey, hi, hello!
Happy New Year dear friends! I hope 2024 has been treating you well thus far, and only continues to be as fulfilling.
The year started right away with OUSA being invited to present at the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs (SCFEA) budget consultations in Hamilton. We presented our recommendations that emphasized the need for increased operating funding to the post-secondary sector as well as changes to OSAP repayment structures (like increasing the grace period to 2 years and removing all interest). After the consultations concluded, we had a chance to briefly interact with many of the MPPs sitting on the Committee and we really appreciated their receptive feedback to our work. You can find all our recommendations to the province in our pre-budget submission here.
Speaking of investing into our post-secondary education, we released a joint statement with the Council of Ontario Universities urging the Ontario government to take action now. We've seen a number of universities report significant deficits, and there is a lot of uncertainty about what this will mean for student services and programming. So with COU, we’re hoping that the government makes a serious commitment to higher investments in higher education.
There have been many great meetings with the Ontario University and College Health Association (OUCHA), Mental Health Commission of Canada, and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. These were informative discussions that touched on the accessibility and quality of mental health services, which are critical for students to thrive throughout their post-secondary education experience. We shared our recommendations and priorities, and look forward to continuing these relationships.
We got to travel some more! We visited our friends at Trent Durham, boothed at Waterloo for their Campus Life Fair, and finally had the Home Office come down to Laurier (since Fall General Assembly). It was great to meet the students and engage with them through our trivia.
In the meantime, we are working hard to prepare for the Spring General Assembly. Many of our student associations are looking for delegates to attend, so make sure to check out your school’s students’ union for more information! Also, our summer internships applications will be out next month, so keep an eye out for that on our social media too!
Such a packed month! I'm feeling optimistic and excited to tackle the remaining tasks we have planned for the remainder of my term.
Talk again soon!
Hugs,
Vivian :)