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Hi everyone!

My name is Ana Tremblay, I use she/her pronouns, and I'm the Vice President Education at Laurentian University's Students' General Association (SGA) in Sudbury. I grew up in a small town in northern Ontario called Kapuskasing which has a majority French population and a little over 8,000 residents. 

My name is Jessica Look, and I’m the Vice President of External Affairs at Western’s University  Students’ Council (USC). I recently graduated from Western University, where I studied Political  Science and French Studies. I’m beyond excited to be a part of OUSA this year, and can’t wait to start working with the incredible individuals that make up Steering Committee and Home Office.

Happy June everyone!

My name is Jessica Look, and I’m so excited to serve as OUSA President for the year! My home institution is Western University, where I serve as Vice-President External Affairs at the University Students’ Council (USC), . I’m happy to be joined by Stephanie Ye-Mowe, Vice-President Finance, and Ana Tremblay, Vice-President Administration & Human Resources, to form OUSA’s 2022-2023 executive team. I’ll be writing monthly presidential updates to keep you in the loop with all of OUSA’s exciting initiatives throughout the year!

Advance polls are open from May 19th to 28th – skip the line and head to your assigned poll station. Don’t know where to go? When? And what to bring? For answers to student-centered (and general!) FAQs on voting, visit ousavotes.ca.

Voter apathy amongst young Canadians has been an increasingly interesting subject for political scientists to study. Young Canadians are becoming the largest demographic group, giving them the ability to significantly affect the outcomes of elections. However, their presence is not felt when the time comes to cast their vote. Reports from Elections Canada found that over 40% of Canadians under the age of 25 chose not to vote as they felt disconnected from politics and didn’t feel candidates represented them at all.(1) Students are often told to vote if they want to see any change, but if no candidates effectively represent their demographic and they don’t feel there is any change in their local communities, what value is there in a vote?

This blog is our search for an answer to the question:

Why should I – as a young person, a student, perhaps a settler, a stakeholder in the fate of Ontario – vote in this upcoming election?

Hello everyone!

My name is Sreen (Sreenidhi), and I am super excited to join OUSA as a Summer Research Intern for the next four months. I have spent the past four years at Western University pursuing an undergraduate degree in Genetics and Political Science. Throughout my undergraduate experience, I have been heavily involved in student governance and the campus community. Most notably, I was the Associate Vice President of Peer Programs and the Gender Equality Network Coordinator for the University Students’ Council. I was also an active member of the campus community through my involvement in Western’s Indo-Canadian Student’s Association, Tamil Students Association, and Women in STEM. Through these various activities, I have witnessed first-hand the complex intersecting identities students have and the impact this has on their university experiences.

Hi everyone!

My name is Vivian Chiem and I’m very excited to be working with OUSA as our Advocacy and Communications Intern this summer.

I am in my final year of university at Wilfrid Laurier, where I am studying Political Science. Through my academics and extracurriculars, I've developed a strong interest in improving the student experience.

Hello and Happy May!!

It’s hard to believe that this is my final presidential update. It has been an amazing and quite unpredictable year serving as President of OUSA. From constant changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to very tough societal issues that have affected our campuses, it has not been easy. Nonetheless, it has been an honour to serve in this role and represent the interests of students across Ontario.

Today, OUSA is launching our Get Out the Vote campaign with the intention of making sure post-secondary students have all the information they need to vote on June 2, 2022. Students and youth voters now make up a huge portion of the electorate and have the chance to make a massive impact on the outcome of the upcoming election. 

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 depends 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.

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 2022 OUSA Teaching Excellence Awards!

Hello and Happy April!!! I hope you are all enjoying longer and brighter days!

This past month was a busy one as we started off March with our Spring General Assembly from March 10th-13th! Delegates from our member schools came together to discuss and debate recommendations for our policies on Student Financial Aid, Mature Students, and Tech-Enabled Learning. After three days of great conversations, all three papers passed and will now take their place in OUSA’s policy library. A big shoutout to all delegates who participated in General Assembly, and thank you for your time and commitment to ensuring our policies represent students well! The papers will be coming out over the next few weeks, with the Mature Students policy dropping this Friday on OUSA’s website.