Hello everyone!
Happy March! February was quite the month for OUSA — let’s catch up!
First, let’s rewind to the very end of January, when I had a quarterly meeting with the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security’s policy team. We discussed the upcoming provisions of the Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025, which allows the government to introduce new provisions related to post-secondary ancillary fees and admissions. We also discussed campus impacts of the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024, which mandates that every post-secondary institution have policies to address student mental health and combat racism and hate. This was a productive meeting, and we look forward to continuing these important touchpoints throughout the year.
Next, OUSA released its response to the government’s $6.4 billion investment in the post-secondary sector and drastic changes to the current OSAP structure. Accompanying this, we released an open letter to the Minister and Premier to voice students’ frustrations and concerns over the new OSAP changes, which will massively increase post-graduation debt for many across the province. Finally, OUSA launched an emailer tool to encourage students to contact their local MPP and let them know they do not support these OSAP cuts and want the government to implement policies that strengthen OSAP for current students and future generations alike.
On February 27th, I spoke at the McMaster Student Union’s Stop Student Debt rally, where I discussed OUSA’s response to the OSAP cuts, heard directly from concerned students, and listened to remarks from MPPs, outlining how they’re responding. It was great to see such a large group of students engaged and making their voice heard — that’s what advocacy’s all about!
February also included OUSA’s consultation on the Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025, which our Vice-President Finance, Omar, Vice-President Human Resources & Administration, Stephen, and I all attended. The discussion with the Ministry’s policy team was robust and nuanced. On the ancillary fee side, we emphasized the crucial role that student services and opportunities (funded through ancillary fees) play in the student experience. On the admissions side, we highlighted the importance of allowing individual institutions to autonomously define merit, and that definitions of merit must recognize differences in lived experience and the necessity of diverse pathways to accessing post-secondary education.
On the Home Office side, we welcomed the wonderful Claudia Idzik to our Home Office team as our new Manager of Operations! With a strong student government and event planning background, we are sure she will make a meaningful impact on OUSA. Please read her intro blog here!
We are also delighted that Octave Andrade-Dixon will be continuing with OUSA as our next Executive Director! As someone with deep knowledge of policy, the post-secondary sector, and OUSA as an organization, I know Octave will be a fantastic leader and champion of the student voice! Please read their re-introduction, here. As my interim-ED era comes to a close, I want to give a massive thank-you to OUSA’s Home Office and my fellow executives, Stephen and Omar, for stepping up with me to ensure OUSA was well-supported over the last two months.
Lastly, for my monthly music recommendation, I am shouting out Leigh-Anne’s debut solo album, My Ego Told Me To. Leigh-Anne is from the former girl group Little Mix, and this record is a confident, self-assured blend of pop, reggae, dancehall, R&B and afrobeats. If you haven’t heard it yet - check it out!
Okay — that’s all I have. Please stay tuned for next month’s Presidential update … there are only a few left before my time as President is up!
In solidarity,
Sayak