January 18, 2023
Blog
Interested in writing for OUSA? Contact Irum Chorghay, our Operations & Communications Coordinator.
Presidential Update January 2023
Happy new year everyone!
I hope you had a relaxing and restful winter break, and have had a smooth transition back to classes. It’s hard to believe, but we only have 4 months left of the year!
We're Hiring! Research and Policy Analyst
JOB POSTING: RESEARCH AND POLICY ANALYST
Formed in 1992, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization that strives to effectively and responsibly represent Ontario’s full and part-time undergraduate students to lobby for an affordable, accessible, accountable, and high-quality higher education system. In order to achieve these goals, OUSA provides research and policy solutions to government, organizes campaigns, communicates their priorities, and develops partnerships with post-secondary education sector stakeholders. With a membership of approximately 150,000 undergraduate, professional full and part-time students, OUSA is one of the largest and most respected student organizations in the country.
Introducing Malika Dhanani, OUSA's New Executive Director
Hello everyone!
It feels like just yesterday I was writing one of these introduction blogs, but almost 2 years later, I’m back at it to re-introduce myself as Executive Director of this wonderful organization :)
Presidential Update Holiday Edition 2022
Hi everyone!
I'll be honest, it’s been a wild few weeks here at OUSA!
From onboarding our new Research and Policy Analyst Octavia and returning to our first in-person General Assembly since 2019, to saying goodbye to long-time and beloved Executive Director Eddy Avila and braving the first snowfall of the season in Toronto at our annual Student Advocacy Conference at Queen’s Park, we can't seem to catch a break — and am I looking forward to one!
So, to kick off our December, I’m writing to you with a special, holiday edition of our presidential updates to take a moment and appreciate all the hard work we’ve done to imagine and advocate for a better post-secondary education system in Ontario.
Recapping OUSA's 56th General Assembly... In-Person!
Twice a year, student leaders and delegates join OUSA in a weekend-long conference (known as General Assembly aka GA) that aims to discuss, refine, debate, and approve our policy papers on a variety of post-secondary issues. Over the past 2 years, OUSA has held 5 GAs online and while the discussions were just as riveting virtually, we were itching to get back in-person. Well, over this past Hallo-weekend, OUSA finally made the long-awaited return to an in-person GA, hosted by our friends at the Students’ General Association (SGA) at Laurentian University, in the beautiful city of Sudbury!
Believe in Your Student Voice - Eddy’s Farewell Blog
Today is my last day working as the Executive Director at the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance or OUSA for short - a clarification that has become a permanent addition to my introduction after 4 years of working for this amazing organization. I have a lot of thoughts, memories, and thanks I want to share, but I’ll try to keep it (somewhat) brief.
I want to take this opportunity to highlight two messages:
- Student voices are important & should be the guiding force behind all student advocacy
- @ students - You can do this. Your voice should be taken seriously and you are well-positioned to speak on student issues.
Hidden Fees, Assignments, and the Planned Destruction of Affordable Textbooks
There’s a special question that university students ask at the start of each semester. A question whose answer, if you’re lucky, will be a resounding “no”:
“Is the textbook really required?”
Textbook publishers have worked hard to make sure the answer is always a “yes.” Digital Learning Resources (DLRs) are here, and they bring unaffordable textbooks, inaccessible methods of evaluation, and an inherently inequitable learning environment along with them. How did we get here, what is a DLR, and what can be done to address their impact on post-secondary education?
Introducing Octavia Andrade-Dixon, OUSA's New Research and Policy Analyst
Ello!
My name is Octavia, and I am very excited to join OUSA’s team as a Research and Policy Analyst!
Presidential Update October 2022
Hellooo October! Hope everyone’s first month back to school has been absolutely swell! It’s an eventful time of year, and OUSA’s certainly getting into the thick of things.