The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) is proud to release the most recent edition of Habitats: Students in their Municipalities. Each year, students from OUSA’s member institutions highlight the successes and challenges they face in their municipalities through a series of case studies on municipal-level topics and issues affecting undergraduate students across the province.
This year, students from six of OUSA’s eight member institutions submitted case studies with themes ranging from improving the ability of students to advocate municipally and providing work-integrated learning opportunities, to addressing housing issues and unsanctioned street gatherings, as well as highlighting the importance of cultural development.
Ontario’s post-secondary institutions are integral parts of their respective municipalities, and collaboration and coordination between universities and their local municipalities is an important aspect of facilitating a mutually beneficial relationship. A healthy, productive environment born out of collaboration and coordination allows both students and municipalities to thrive by fostering an environment of trust, growth, respect, and community.
To this end, Habitats offers policymakers, politicians, students, and administrators access to student perspectives on the issues and topics that are relevant to them and their communities. It is our hope that sharing these perspectives with stakeholders will contribute to building meaningful and lasting partnerships between students and their municipal communities.