Blog

Interested in writing for OUSA? Contact Tiffany Li Wu, our Operations & Communications Coordinator.

Hidden Fees, Assignments, and the Planned Destruction of Affordable Textbooks

Written by on October 19, 2022

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? 

 

Presidential Update October 2022

Written by on October 13, 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.

 

Presidential Update September 2022

Written by on September 08, 2022

September = welcome back to campus! I hope you all had fantastic summers and are well-rested as we dive into the school year. 

In Case You Missed It: OUSA Drops “RGB: Issues in Ontario’s PSE,” A Photo Series

Written by on August 05, 2022

Happy Friday, everyone!

In case you missed it, let’s catch you up! Just last week, Vivian Chiem, our Communications and Advocacy Intern launched her capstone project, RGB: Issues in Ontario’s Post Secondary Education! RGB is a colour-coded photo series that aims to bring attention to ongoing issues that university students face in Ontario in the areas of sexual and gender based violence, affordability and mental health. The project draws from OUSA’s student survey, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Survey (OUSS), as well as OUSA’s own policy library.

Presidential Update August 2022

Written by on August 03, 2022

Happy August everyone, hope you’ve had an amazing summer so far!

 

It’s hard to believe that we’re at the tail end of summer already, but we’ve been working hard the last few months to prepare for the year, and we can’t wait to welcome students back to campus! July was filled with a lot of behind-the-scenes work here at OUSA, including determining our advocacy priorities and related policy recommendations as well as getting our working groups started for the year. On the policy paper side of things, our Steering Committee members, student authors, and Research & Policy Analysts have been hard at work during think tanks, focus groups, and student consultations. Once again, we look forward to engaging with students and hearing about what’s important to you!

 

RGB: Issues in Ontario's Post-Secondary Education, A Photo Series

Written by on July 29, 2022

Vivian Chiem, OUSA Summer Advocacy and Communications Intern, presents RGB: Issues in Ontario’s Post-Secondary Education, a collection of photographs and data to visually highlight some key themes from the 2020 iteration of OUSA’s rigorous bi-annual research undertaking, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Survey (OUSS). RGB (red, green, and blue) features 9 color-coded photographs on sexual and gender-based violence, affordability, and mental health, accompanied by text featuring data from the 2020 OUSS and other sources.

 

Introducing Josh Sankarlal, President at Ontario Tech University

Written by on July 25, 2022

Hi everyone!

Thank you for taking the time to listen to what I have to say (read what I have to write?) I’m really excited to be back with OUSA for the 2022 - 2023 academic year as an observer member and a representative for students at Ontario Tech University.

Introducing Elizabeth Wong, VP Education at McMaster University

Written by on July 07, 2022

Hi there! My name is Elizabeth Wong, and I’m the Vice-President (Education) of the McMaster Students Union (MSU). I have just finished my degree in Political Science and Labour Studies as well as a Certificate in Business. This is my first time being involved with OUSA, and I am so excited to be a member of the 2022-23 Steering Committee!