Hello everyone!
April is always a bittersweet time of year — campus events wind down; students hand in their last assignment of the semester at 11:59pm, praying their internet won’t crash and make it late; governments pass critical pieces of legislation … and amidst all the chaos, OUSA takes a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate. This month was full of meaningful conversations with key decision-makers, staff and intern hiring, and of course, our beloved annual Partners in Higher Education Dinner (PiHED).
Each year at PiHED, we gather to recognize and celebrate the incredible people — students, faculty, sector partners, and elected officials — who pour their energy into making post-secondary education better. This year’s evening was nothing short of wonderful, with great company, delicious food, and plenty of well-deserved recognition.
We were proud to honour some truly outstanding individuals this year. The Honoured Alumni Award was presented to Jasmine Irwin and Malika Dhanani, while Ruth Osunde took home the Excellence in Student Advocacy Award. Teaching Excellence Awards went to Dr. Jianbo Gao (Brock University), Professor Suzanne Lamothe (Laurentian University), Dr. Colin Mang (McMaster University), Professor Amanda McEachern Gaudet (Ontario Tech University), Dr. Susanne Soederberg (Queen’s University), Dr. Nour Hammami (Trent University Durham-GTA), Dr. Ben Feng (University of Waterloo), Dr. Adam Harmes (Western University), and Dr. Lisa Kuron (Wilfrid Laurier University).
A massive thank you to our Manager of Operations, Claudia, for coordinating such a showstopping and memorable night! As well, thank you to our generous sponsors: ALUMO, the Council of Ontario Universities (COU), the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT), and alum Chris Yendt. Please find a full event recap here.
On the advocacy front, we had a busy month of meetings centered on an issue that’s been top of mind for students across the province: the recent OSAP cuts.
We met with Catherine Clasadonte Bianchi, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES). We raised our concerns about the government’s announcement, discussed our recently released OSAP survey, and explored how we can work together to reduce some of the most harmful impacts that may result from the government’s changes.
We also met with Richard Hastie, Deputy Director of Social Policy at the Office of the Premier of Ontario. This was an important opportunity to bring the student perspective directly to the Premier’s office, explain how the OSAP changes intersect with other challenges — such as youth unemployment and affordability — and underscore the urgency of supporting students through these immense challenges.
We also met with Green Party MPP Aislinn Clancy over Zoom and NDP shadow critic for MCURES Peggy Sattler in person to discuss the OSAP cuts, how their parties are centring student voices, and how OUSA can collaborate across party lines to advocate for students’ best interests.
On the Home Office front, I’m thrilled to share that we’ve hired a new Manager of Research & Policy, who will be joining us on Monday! We are also in the midst of wrapping up our summer intern hiring! Stay tuned to find out who was hired in these roles — I can’t wait for them to introduce themselves!
Lastly, this month marked the end of our Steering Committee’s terms with OUSA! As we’ve all been working on transitions with our successors at our home institutions, we came together one last time in person for our final board meeting and to help prepare the incoming team for everything that lies ahead.
A heartfelt thank you to this year’s Steering Committee — Stephen, Omar, Edlira, Elo, Aadi/Fiona, Staysha/Shaharia, Prabhmeet/Aisha, and Remington. While we didn’t always see eye to eye, we had no shortage of robust, passionate conversations, and your dedication to uplifting student voices on so many critical issues is inspiring. Saying goodbye at the end of our last day together was bittersweet, to say the least — being part of OUSA and working alongside so many committed student leaders has been nothing short of incredible, and I’ll miss seeing all of you every few weeks!
We wrapped up our Transition Day with an Alumni Event, bringing together incoming board members and some of OUSA’s former Home Office staff and Steering Committee members. It was a great opportunity for the new team to learn from those who came before them and to build connections that will serve them well in the year ahead!
And now — for my monthly music recommendations, I’ve got two for April! First: Between Us by the Arkells, a Hamilton-based rock band — a tight 11-track album of catchy pop rock tunes that’s well worth your time. Second: It’s Not That Deep by Demi Lovato — a fantastic EDM dance record that didn’t get nearly enough attention when it first came out in August 2025, and the recently released deluxe edition is the perfect excuse to revisit it.
As of now, that’s all from me. We’ll chat one last time in May!
In solidarity,
Sayak