Happy February everyone!
How is everyone doing? I feel like 2023 is just flying by, and things at OUSA are as busy as ever!
Excitingly, last month I got to meet with the newly appointed Deputy Minister Shannon Fuller on behalf of OUSA to discuss student priorities. It was lovely to meet with Deputy Minister Fuller and hear about the work they’ve been doing with other government ministries in support of post-secondary students. We shared our policy recommendations for the year, and they were particularly interested to learn more about OSAP probation and appeals processes, as well as GBV responses. We’re looking forward to continuing our discussions with DM Fuller and her team!
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs as well as Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy of the Ministry of Finance received OUSA’s pre-budget submission highlighting students’ priorities for investments in the provincial post-secondary sector. We’ll check back in with y’all in April to see how things go…
Meanwhile, it’s been fun bumping into some of you at your campuses! OUSA’s been on the move, visiting Waterloo and WLU’s Students’ Union, Hamilton and the MSU, and back to Oshawa and the OTSU – who are hosting a referendum on whether or not they will join OUSA as official members this week!
Over at OUSA’s Home Office, we’ve hired Ananya Gupta, our newest Research and Policy Analyst. You can read all about her – what she’s interested in, where she’s been, and what she’s up to when she’s not researching and analyzing policy for Ontario’s undergraduate students – at her introductory blog post on our website here! (Spoiler alert: she has very cool hobbies.)
Want to be a part of the Home Office team too? We’ve just opened up our applications to summer internships for students at OUSA’s member schools. Consider applying to be either our summer Research Intern or Advocacy and Communications Intern and gain some insightful experience in policy, research, and advocacy as a non-profit organization within Ontario’s post-secondary sector. The best part? Definitely working with the incredibly passionate and compassionate Home Office staff – I promise they will be among the best people you ever work with. Applications close February 22nd!
Finally, before I say goodbye, a quick “all the best!” and “I’m so proud of you” to all of us running in or hanging out around elections on our campuses! In case you missed it, I wrote a blog about marginalization and representation in student government. If this is something you think about, you can give it a read at OUSA’s blog here.
As OUSA heads into our Spring 2023 General Assembly to discuss our policy papers on Teaching & Assessment, Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ Students, and Student Accessibility and Disability Inclusion, as our communications department brews our spring campaign on the crisis of student housing amidst continued OSAP clawbacks, and as our annual gala on April 6th to present our OUSA Awards for Teaching Excellence fast approaches, time slips seemingly all the more quickly by. I know it’s been rather cold and gloomy, but there’s not much of the school year – and my term – left. Thank you for sticking it out for all this time. Spring’s practically here; we’re almost there! :)
XOXO!
Jess