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The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance Teaching Excellence Award recognizes educators who excel at unlocking the potential of Ontario’s young people. Successfully engaging individuals in the learning experience depend on an instructor's ability to spark students' curiosity and desire to learn. It is our pleasure to give these remarkable professionals the recognition they deserve. A good textbook and a high-tech classroom are not enough to provide quality education. An excellent instructor will be able to engage their students in the process of learning and discovery and help them develop the critical skills that form the foundation of a robust education. With this in mind, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance annually presents its teaching awards to professors from each of our member campuses who have taken this role to heart, and who have been selected by their students as examples of teaching excellence.

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 OUSA Teaching Excellence Awards! 

Hello everyone!

On March 1-3, OUSA hosted its annual Spring General Assembly at the University of Waterloo. The weekend was filled with great discussions related to Student Financial Aid, LGBTQ+ Students, and Student Employment. I’m really grateful to all of our member schools who had delegates participating in very meaningful and complex conversations on our policies.

Hello!

My name is Ryan Tishcoff and I’m excited to join OUSA’s Home Office as a Research and Policy Analyst.

I have a law degree from the University of Ottawa and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Toronto. I’ve also tried my hand at the publishing industry, completing post-graduate courses at Ryerson University.

Post-secondary students choose their area of study for any number of reasons - interest, career aspirations, or perhaps mere convenience. One thing that post-secondary students should leave their education with, is the feeling that they were given ample opportunity to learn in their areas of interest. There has been an increase in conversations around the idea that the post-secondary sector must respond to the needs of employers, and industries must collaborate in order to sufficiently prepare the next generation of employees for the modern workforce. In the midst of these conversations, students have expressed dissatisfaction with the opportunities afforded to them to develop the skills that employers seek.

Hi! My name's Britney De Costa and I am very excited to be joining the OUSA team at the home office as a Research & Policy Analyst.

How to Write a Letter to an MPP

Are you unhappy or pleased with something announced or enforced by the Ontario Government? If you want to have your voice heard, you can write a letter to Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs).

Why Write a Letter to your MPP?

Writing a letter to your MPP gives you the opportunity to make your voice heard as a constituent of their riding. MPPs have shown to be effective advocates for their constituents, but need to hear from them in order to do so. At OUSA we do our best to advocate on behalf of all of our students, but writing a letter to your MPP allows you to personally address and advocate on issues that you think are important.      

The government’s recent introduction of the Student Choice Initiative to make most ancillary fees, including student association fees, optional has caused significant feelings of concern not only to myself but also to student associations across the province. As the current Vice President: University Affairs of the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union and someone who has been actively engaged with my student association since my second year, I am obviously hesitant to this initiative. The Laurier Students’ Union has provided me with opportunities for both personal and professional growth, and has been a second home for me during my time at university.

By: Shawn Cruz and Michael Del Bono

In 2012, Wilfrid Laurier University administration approved the implementation of a multi-campus approach. Since its implementation, there is a stronger link between Laurier’s Waterloo and Brantford campuses. This approach shared by both university administration and the Students’ Union fosters a greater sense of community between campuses while embracing and articulating the differences between them. We recognize that the campuses’ strengths complement each other and the multi-campus approach strengthens Laurier’s value as a comprehensive university.

We are now in the digital age. Children in elementary school have cell-phones, the majority of television is viewed online, and people order their restaurant meals from a tablet at the table. Alongside the social sphere, the workforce is evolving. Digital competencies are becoming increasingly more important, and not just for traditionally “technological” jobs. According to the Royal Bank of Canada’s report on the Coming Skills Revolution; “Humans Wanted” (2018), more than 25% of Canadian jobs will be heavily disrupted by technology in the next decade. It is expected that 2.4 million jobs will be added to the Canadian workforce over the next four years. Our post-secondary students are living through this age of disruption, and there are plenty of opportunities to prepare them for what awaits.

Hello everyone!

It’s been a busy couple of weeks at OUSA. During our annual Student Advocacy Week, we sat down with over 60 government officials to discuss the need for safer and healthier university campuses and how the government can help universities better prepare graduates for the workforce.  Our meetings included different Members of Provincial Parliament, the Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities, Critics for Post-Secondary Education, and the Premier. We outlined our key priorities including, ending sexual violence on campus, keeping international students healthy, solving the mental health puzzle, post-graduation finances, experience while learning, and technology in education. We were really happy to have so many interactions with all parties, and it’s amazing to see how much that post-secondary student issues resonate with our provincial representatives. We’re looking forward to continue fostering these relationships!