September = welcome back to campus! I hope you all had fantastic summers and are well-rested as we dive into the school year.
During the month of August, OUSA was busy preparing for the school year and wrapping up with our summer projects. If you haven’t already, check out one of our summer intern’s capstone projects, RGB, a powerful photo series by Vivian highlighting issues in Ontario’s post-secondary education sector. OUSA has also had a chance to participate in conversations with the media about housing, high costs of living, and affordability in post-secondary education – we’re always here to amplify your voice, so continue reaching out to us with your concerns!
And if you've got some keen insights into the post-secondary sector, and are looking for a work environment where you can push your research and policy skills to the next level, then OUSA might have the perfect role for you... that's right, OUSA's hiring an RPA! You can check out the full job description and application information here; the deadline to apply is September 18th.
Back-to-school season means campus is bustling, and I’m so excited to see all your faces around! Of course, we’ve got lots of stuff in store for the year, and I’m here to give you a peek into September at OUSA. Right off the bat, OUSA just released our newest edition of Educated Solutions, our annual and collaborative print publication for the Ontario post-secondary sphere. This year’s edition, Where do we go from here? The Future of Post-Secondary in Ontario, features topics ranging from lessons from the pandemic and hybrid learning to student employment and healthcare. I’m beyond excited for everyone to hear from sector stakeholders and student authors, and I hope you are too!
Sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response is a big piece of the puzzle to the future of post-secondary in Ontario, and it continues to be a priority for OUSA’s Steering Committee. OUSA’s starting the fall with a consent campaign, and will be boosting many initiatives, such as rallies and educational campaigns, held by your respective student unions – follow @ousahome on Instagram or Twitter to get these updates. This will all be taking place between September 19-23, also known as Consent Awareness Week. Possibility Seeds, an organization dedicated to gender justice and equity, is advocating for Consent Awareness Week to be officially recognized by the government and OUSA is eager to support this movement.
Finally, as we begin to settle into a new season and a new school year, I am excited to explore some of Ontario’s best campuses! OUSA will be taking some local trips to our campuses in September and October, including to Waterloo, Ontario Tech, Western, Brock, Laurentian, and McMaster. We’re looking forward to chatting with students, so be sure to swing by and say hello when we come by!
Until next time!