February 12, 2024
Blog
Interested in writing for OUSA? Contact Tiffany Li Wu, our Operations & Communications Coordinator.
PSE’s Data Gap: Moving Beyond Maclean’s Rankings
Last week, Maclean’s magazine released their 2018 University Rankings.
I used the same magazine in 2011 to help determine which university I would attend. At the time, I was interested in the quality of the institutions I was reviewing, their reputation, and what students were saying about life on campus. Since then, Maclean’s has added a student survey component to their rankings, and this year, focused on the cost of education across the country.
It’s Time to Start Looking at the Skills and Competencies Developed in Arts Programs
Why are you studying history? Is your end goal unemployment? I thought you didn’t want to be a teacher?
Inhale, Cough, Exhale: The Argument for Smoke-Free Campuses
I’ve had a long-standing hatred for tobacco products. Many of my most vivid memories in the path of tobacco smoke since childhood include having to stop in my tracks, and attempt to catch my breath as the feeling of tightness in my chest increased and my coughing became uncontrollable. While the smoker may have only been in my vicinity for a few seconds, their effects on me persisted for many panicked moments to come. Fortunately, policies to reduce smoking in public areas have since greatly decreased the second-hand smoke I, and numerous other non-smokers, are forced to encounter.
Presidential Update - Sept 2017
Hi everyone!
I hope everyone’s school term has gotten off to a bright start! Sorry for the lack of August update– with the new school term beginning and the provincial legislature back in session, we have been very busy!
Experiential Learning: The Future of the Liberal Arts
We have all been there.
Midnight before an exam in the university library trying to memorize the key concepts of a semester’s worth of work. We write the exam. We leave the room. The concepts leave our mind. The cycle continues: record, memorize, forget. In doing so, we lose something essential to education: critical thought. What happened to challenging assumptions and questioning concepts? What about open-ended questions? What about no-answer scenarios? These notions serve as the core of the Liberal Arts and, yet, most existing courses fail to develop these skills.
Introducing Roch Goulet: Steering Committee Member from Laurentian University
My name is Roch Goulet and I am the President of the Laurentian University Students’ General Association. For some who may not know, we are the newest OUSA member school, the most northern, and second smallest by demographic. With these qualities in our back pocket, I am honoured to provide that perspective as a Steering Committee member. As we near the end of our summer and welcome students to our campus, I am thankful to OUSA SC and home office staff for their guidance over my transition and the first quarter of my term.
Equality Is Not Equity: The Argument For Academic Accommodations
Student requests for academic accommodations are increasing across university campuses, and Bruce Pardy, Professor of Law at Queen’s University, believes students are taking advantage of available accommodations, such as extra time on exams, to get ahead of their peers.
Don’t Be Afraid to Fail – It Might Just Pay Off
Where did the time go?
Just under four months ago, I began my journey in the big city. Coming into this internship with already some experience, I had thought of myself as someone who understood the world of student politics pretty well. Wow, was I ever wrong.
Finding The Balance: The Key For Success in University
It’s hard to believe that we have less than a month left until September. The beginning of the month of August marks the acceptable time to get ready for back to school. For many this may simply involve picking up some pencils, notebooks, a new backpack, and possibly some fresh new kicks.
Collaboration Across Campuses
Collaboration: a popular idea in the modern workplace, school, and government. Effective group-work is a skill of increasing importance, visible in the classroom with group assignments, projects, and even tests becoming more prominent and contributing to an increasing portion of students' grades. At the university-level, student unions function on successful collaboration: among student leaders both within and outside of the union, with full-time staff, university administration, stakeholders, and any other campus and community partners.