CREDIT: RACHEL HAMILTON
President of the Fanshawe Student Union Morganna Sampson (middle of front row) was one of the eight college student association presidents who met with Minister Deb Matthews last week.

Eight college student association presidents met with Deb Matthews last Thursday, Oct. 26 at Queen’s Park to express the concerns raised by students as a result of the strike. Matthews is the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development for the province.

The open letter is another way for the presidents to demonstrate how they not only want students to be able get back to the classroom, but also for both strike parties to get back to the bargaining table to make this happen.

Samantha Hoover, president of the Mohawk Student’s Association, explained that Matthews responded almost immediately to their open letter requesting to meet with her.

Some of the student concerns from across the province brought up during the meeting included: housing/lease complications if the semester is extended, students’ mental health as a result of anxiety caused by the strike and the absence of faculty counselors, tuition refunds, apprenticeship students inability to collect EI, loss of education quality and more.

According to an update letter written by Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) president Morganna Sampson, regarding the meeting last week, Matthews recommends that student association presidents work closely with their college’s president and academic advising teams in order to determine the semester changes that will be implemented once the strike has concluded.

In addition, a government staff member appointed from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development will be in contact with college student associations to update them on actions and developments that affect students throughout the duration of the strike.

According to Sampson, Matthews will not step in to help resolve the strike at this point in time. “In our meeting last week, Matthews consistently stated that the [Ontario Public Service Employees Union] (OPSEU) and the [College Employer Council] (CEC) have a legal right to bargain and need to be given an appropriate amount of time to do so,” Sampson wrote in the update.

In addition to meeting with Matthews, the presidents wrote another letter last Wednesday to both the CEC and the OPSEU requesting a meeting. Both parties responded immediately to the request and the presidents were able to meet with Don Sinclair, CEO of the CEC and Sonia Del Missier, chair of the Council’s bargaining. In regards to the OPSEU, the presidents had the opportunity to speak via Skype with JP Hornick, chair of the OPSEU’s bargaining team.

Moving forward into week three of the strike, the presidents are looking into ways to reduce the anxiety put on students during future strikes. “If this happens five years down the road, we do not want the same outcome,” Sampson said. According to Sampson’s update, Matthews suggested that the eight student association presidents put forth recommendations to her on how students can receive a larger voice during future college related strikes.

“We’re disappointed that there has been no settlement as of yet, but we are still hopeful. We are always going to encourage both parties back to the table as well as encouraging students to keep up with their studies,” Hoover said.

A student rally hosted by the College Student Alliance (CSA) will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Nov. 1 and shuttle buses will be transporting college students to and from the event. Hoover explained that the purpose of the event is for students from colleges across the province to gather together in order to peacefully rally and pressure both parties to get back to the bargaining table to make a settlement. “We are trying to reiterate the fact that the students need to be back in the classroom as soon as possible. We are at the three week mark and it’s really getting stressful for students as the days go on and that’s what we are peacefully going to rally about.”