Uh, oh. Committee Hearings. Those two words strike fear in many people, and likely conjure up images of American committee hearings of the Chair on a 10-foot high bench, scowling and glaring at the presenter as he/she struggesl to answer biting,scathing questions of a partisan nature. Or maybe I tend to watch too much Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert.
Either way, I was a little nervous heading into Monday’s presentation before the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. These fine folks were in Niagara Falls for a day, and BUSU was selected as an organization they wanted to hear from. Unlike my mental imagery predicted, I walked into a large ballroom to a square seating setup, all at the same level, including the presenter. Best of all, they even gave me a chair, a microphone, and some water. It’s the little things that make your day.
I had the honour of following a delegation from Niagara College, who swing the committee into Post-Secondary mode with their request for college operating funding which simply is an extension of the current per-student rate, but extrapolated forward for additional enrolment growth. Then it was my turn. With a 10-minute presentation and 5 minutes for questions, time flies by much quicker than you would expect. I spoke to two main issues: Financial Aid, and capital funding for one of Brock’s upcoming projects. Within Financial Aid, the message was a reorganization of tax credit money to better support OSAP, including maintaining the OSOG limit, increasing OSAP maximums, finally allowing for personal exemptions, and implementing a true year-long interest-free grace period after graduation.
Thank you to the committee for allowing me to present and for your questions, and special thank you to MPP Dave Levac, who tracked me down in the hallways of the hotel ask a question that he did not have time for when the clock ran out.
Turns out, committee hearings aren’t so scary after all. They’re rather kind of fun!
-Rob Lanteigne
Vice-President (University Affairs)
Brock University Students’ Union
