Policies

One of OUSA’s major strengths is its ability to provide educated solutions to government in the form of thoughtful and carefully crafted policy. Not only do they form the backbone of our advocacy initiative but they are also at the core of the mission and goals of the organization and contribute to its image as a thought leader in post-secondary education. Throughout its history OUSA has covered topics ranging from high-level vision and system design, all the way down to details of student financial assistance and funding.

Twice a year, members of OUSA from all of its schools come together to debate and approve the policies that will guide the organization for the coming years. The policies are created by students for students and form the basis for all the work we do here.

Gender-Based & Sexual Violence Prevention & Response

May 19, 2020

The need for a comprehensive framework to prevent and respond to gender-based violence on post-secondary campuses is long overdue. Everyone deserves to be able to safely pursue their education. All survivors—regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, income, or heritage—should be supported in ways that allow them to seek justice and heal in meaningful ways. Students and student associations have played a critical role in prevention and response work, providing programming, training, and support in response to the persistence of gender-based violence in the post-secondary context and have come together to propose the following recommendations to guide a provincial framework that addresses student concerns.

Student Association Autonomy

December 09, 2019

Student associations require autonomy over their operations in order to remain accountable to their members. This policy expresses student concerns over government intrusion onto the autonomy of student associations, most notably through the implementation of the Student Choice Initiative. It recommends that the provincial government recognize this autonomy and respect the right of universities and student associations to determine whether ancillary fees are set as mandatory or non-mandatory.

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