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NEWS RELEASE

March 24, 2023

OUSA responds to the 2023 Ontario Budget

TORONTO - Yesterday, the Ontario government released Building a Strong Ontario, the 2023 Ontario Budget. This budget shifts away from limited COVID-19 funding and focuses on investments that work towards viable economic stability for the province in the coming years. Students and recent graduates are critical to the future of Ontario’s economic growth, yet there is a noticeable lack of targeted investments to adequately support these students amid increased costs of living and on-campus activities. In order to address the challenges students are currently facing, OUSA will continue to ask for comprehensive student financial assistance, proactive sexual and gender-based violence services, targeted student mental health funding, and increased operating funding to the post-secondary sector.

NEWS RELEASE

March 14, 2023

OUSA Returns with “Stop OSAP Clawbacks: Housing Edition” Campaign Ahead of 2023 Budget

TORONTO - On March 13th, 2023, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) launched its spring 2023 campaign, the housing edition of OUSA’s fall 2021 Stop OSAP Clawbacks campaign. For three years, OUSA has been demanding the prevention of the Ontario government’s annual $400 million clawback from the provincial portion of the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), and the reinvestment of what is now $1.2 billion in savings back into OSAP.

NEWS RELEASE

March 2nd, 2023

On Thursday, March 2nd, 2023, the provincial government announced another one-year extension to the tuition freeze for the 2023-24 academic year for Ontario residents, and a 5% cap on tuition increases among certain programs for domestic, out-of-province students. While this is a welcomed announcement, OUSA continues to ask the provincial government to complement the tuition freeze by investing in OSAP funding for students who need it most and increasing operating grants to institutions.

NEWS RELEASE

February 28, 2023

OUSA releases policy paper titled “Ancillary and Incidental Fees”

TORONTO - The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) is proud to release the second policy paper approved by OUSA’s Fall 2022 General Assembly, Ancillary and Incidental Fees. The paper was written, approved, and published by students with the purpose of bringing attention to student concerns and recommendations regarding the various fees they pay towards their education outside of tuition. 

December 4th, 2022: A recap of SAC 2022 is available at this link.

NEWS RELEASE

November 15, 2022

OUSA returns to Queen's Park for annual Student Advocacy Conference

TORONTO – This week from November 14th to 17th, twenty student leaders from the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) are meeting with MPPs and their staff to discuss student concerns. OUSA represents 150,000 students from eight universities across Ontario, and our student representatives will be advocating for OUSA’s priorities on Affordability, Gender-Based and Sexual Violence Prevention, Rural and Northern Students, and Sector Sustainability.

NEWS RELEASE
October 28, 2022

TORONTO – Yesterday, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities announced legislative changes that address student concerns about consent, abuse of power, and silencing in cases of faculty or staff sexual misconduct against students. You can find more information on this announcement at this link.

“We are pleased with Minister Dunlop’s legislative changes that support survivors and protect students from harm in potential incidents of faculty-perpetrated sexual violence,” says Jessica Look, President of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance. “Students across Ontario need continued governmental and institutional support to create a safer learning environment free of sexual harassment.”

NEWS RELEASE

September 23, 2022

 OUSA shares “a visual glossary” for Consent Awareness Week

TORONTO, ON – During the first-ever national Consent Awareness Week from September 19th to 23rd, 2022, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) shared a visual glossary highlighting six popular terms in sex and gender-based violence (SGBV) advocacy. 

NEWS RELEASE
September 7, 2022

OUSA Publishes Issue 16 of Educated Solutions:
Where Do We Go From Here? The Future of Post-Secondary in Ontario 

TORONTO - The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) has released Issue 16 of its annual magazine, Educated Solutions. This year's edition focuses on the future of post-secondary education in the province, and the various areas that governments, stakeholders, and institutions must consider as they develop their strategic visions for the sector.

NEWS RELEASE
July 29, 2022

OUSA Releases “RGB: Issues in Ontario’s Post-Secondary Education,” a Photo Series by Vivian Chiem

TORONTO - On Friday, July 29th, 2022 OUSA released 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. 

NEWS RELEASE

May 16, 2022

OUSA releases “Habitats: Students in their Municipalities 2022”

TORONTO  - Today the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) released its annual publication, Habitats: Students in their Municipalities. Each year, students from OUSA’s member institutions highlight the successes and challenges they face in their municipalities through a series of case studies on municipal-level topics and issues affecting undergraduate students across the province.