Here we go. My last BUSAC report ever, and my last BUSAC meeting ever. It’s been a long run, with 2 years as an executive preceded by 2 years on council. Thank you so much to all of the councillors, co-workers, fellow exec, BUSU staff and volunteers, and other contacts throughout the post-secondary world that I’ve made over the past 6 years at Brock. Hopefully the lessons I’ve learned, projects I’ve undertaken and lobbying I’ve done has been meaningful to you, and additionally hopeful is that I’ve communicated all the relevant information to the BUSU record through these reports, and my files and e-mails. (Hi future exec and council, congratulations on your election!) Please let my work serve as your reference, your guide, maybe a roadmap, or perhaps even a speedbump as student leaders continue to serve Brock and BUSU into its 40th year and beyond.
Sincerely,
Rob Lanteigne
BUSU’s 39th and 40th VP University Affairs
OUSA
On March 31st, OUSA hosted our annual Partners in Higher Education Dinner in Toronto. This marquee event attracts stakeholders from across our sector, including university presidents, faculty members, government officials, partner organizations, and of course, students. Minister Milloy was once again on hand to give remarks, as well as a keynote address from Dr. Joy Mighty and Dr. Julia Christensen Hughes. I had the honour at this event, of presenting an OUSA teaching award to Brock Professor Tim Murphy, who attended at the BUSU table. Overall, it was a fantastic event, and one that is aptly circled on many calendars for next year already as a shining example of how much reach OUSA has into our sector.
Following this, the next day OUSA held our last Steering Committee meeting of the year. Among what was mostly a meeting of debriefs, discussion and thoughts for next year’s committee, we are pleased to welcome Sam Andrey to the OUSA team as the new Director of Research and Policy Analysis.
I have been working hard on the now-finished OUSA Transition Package for the next VP Finance, as well as preparing the interim budget for next year. As a final project, we will soon be finalizing and signing OUSA’s insurance contract to bring some insurance security to our organization.
Provincial Announcement
As mentioned at BUSAC at the last meeting, but I thought I’d write it down anyway, we saw a provincial announcement a few days after the budget, on March 29th. Focused on postsecondary education, this announcement provides $81 million in student financial aid through a number of reforms to the OSAP and repayment systems. Five of these recommendations were lifted directly from OUSA’s submission in the fall, including the doubling of in-study earnings exemptions from $50 to $103 per week before OSAP claws back your loan, making the six-month period after graduation before loans need to be repaid a truly interest-free period, and tying the cost of textbooks and materials to education. Student loan maximums were also raised for the first time in four years, and Ontario has now signed on to the federal Repayment Assistance Plan, which will limit student loan repayments to a maximum of 20% of their income among other great factors.
We didn’t see everything we wanted, however. This announcement included the extension of the current tuition framework for two more years, meaning 5% increases per year on average, and continued deregulation of international student tuition. At the same time, the “debt cap” of OSOG is going up from $7000 to $7300. These are issues that we will continue to address, but both are better than the alternative could have been considering the provincial government’s massive deficit this year.
I went on CFBU that evening to discuss this announcement, and the rest of the provincial budget.
Teaching Awards
I’m pleased to say that BUSU has announced the winners of our first ever Student Awards for Teaching Excellence, the only student-driven teaching awards at Brock. Your winners for 2009-2010 are:
Brock University Student Award for Teaching Excellence – Tim Murphy
Applied Health Science, Student Award for Teaching Excellence – Mary Breunig
Business, Student Award for Teaching Excellence – Isabelle Giroux
Education, Student Award for Teaching Excellence – Ann-Marie DiBiase
Humanities, Student Award for Teaching Excellence – Astrid Heyer
Math and Science, Student Award for Teaching Excellence – Dot Miners
Social Science, Student Award for Teaching Excellence – Tim Murphy
Student Award for Teaching Assistants/Lab Demonstrators – Charmaine McKnight
Dean Searches
I have continued sitting in on student interview/discussion panels on two different Dean searches. Humanities has now wrapped up after four candidates have been interviewed. Education has one more candidate to come (on Monday, before this BUSAC meeting). Any students who have attended these sessions will be meeting to provide our thoughts to the overall search committee as they make a decision on who to offer the position to.
Endowments/Flat Fee
Some of you may recall last year’s ‘Financial Restrictions Policy’ which was passed by the Board. This policy limits what BUSU can do with any money collected from the ancillary fees on credits which are ‘flat fee’d”, basically any credit students are paying for, but not actually enrolled in.
This year, we were able to provide $25,000, matched by the government at a generous rate of over 2:1, towards an endowment to provide bursaries to students in the future. Taking advantage of this match, we have also converted $4500 of money from the Studentwise Health and Dental Plan Bursary into an endowment, to allow these investments to live in perpetuity.
The numbers were just released for Brock as a whole this year. Over $750,000 has been donated into new student award endowments, and has been matched by the government with at least $1 million more. Based on a pool of money available if other schools do not meet or exceed their targets, Brock could see nearly $2,600,000 in new endowments as a result of this year’s investments, enough to provide 155 - $500 new bursaries annually in perpetuity
CASA
CASA held a conference call two weeks ago to go over a few important pieces of business following the resignation of our ND, Arati Sharma. First, congratulations to our Chair, Tina Robichaud from Moncton, who will step in as the interim National Director until a new replacement is elected by General Assembly in June.
Secondly, it was confirmed that hiring should go ahead for the Member Relations Officer. Which means there are two jobs at CASA that are now open, visit www.casa-acae.com for information about both of these opportunities.
Alex Projects
Huge thank you to Alex, who has done an amazing job at Research and Policy this year. Without any jurisdiction whatsoever, I bestow on you the honourary title of ‘Coordinator’ which you’ve been seeking all year long.
Alex is wrapping up a number of ongoing projects at the moment, including one around minors, concentrations and streams with respect to placing information on student diplomas, information surrounding universities which are denoting XD, XF or other marks indicating course failures due to academic dishonesty, and country-wide surveys on topics such as assignment regulations, and student union facilities in preparation for any future BUSU expansion.
Kenmore Centre
Once again during this exam season, the Kenmore Centre will be open for 24-hour study space. Between Thursday April 15th and Wednesday April 28th, drop by any time of the day to get that studying done in this extra space. Entrance is at the back door facing Village Residence.
News from Across the Country
More CFS Defederation Referendums
Continuing from the last report, there are more CFS “continued membership” referendums being conducted around the country. As a recap, nearly a dozen associations submitted petitions to hold referendums this year. After the majority of them were delivered, some were stalled on technical reasons, some were rejected, CFS billed some schools for debts that had never been owed before, and then the CFS (illegally) changed its bylaws to apply some retroactively. Many student unions are holding referendums anyway; however the CFS has indicated that it will only recognize the results of two referendums this year according to its new bylaws. Lawyers across the country should probably be bracing for an influx of income fuelled by student fees on all sides.
At Calgary, the Graduate Students Association voted 81.6% to leave the federation, in a referendum that will not be recognized.
At Concordia, the Graduate Students Association voted 75.4% to leave the federation, in a referendum that will not be recognized. The undergraduate students voted 72% to leave, and this will be contested. The CSU was originally granted a ‘legitimate’ referendum by the CFS, but after being billed for $1,000,000 in back-fees, the CSU did not pay and held the referendum anyway. (At Concordia years and years ago, only two faculties ever held votes to join the CFS, while some others did not. The CFS recognized that only members of those faculties were dues-paying members in financial statements and meeting minutes, but have now decided retroactively to bill the CSU for all members throughout history).
The McGill Postgraduates have voted to leave the CFS with over 85% opposition to membership. This one may have been originally recognized (details are unclear), but deadlocks in the Referendum Oversight Committee process led CFS members to walk away from the process. The PGSS went ahead with the vote anyway, and it will not be recognized.
At the Alberta College of Art and Design, an officially recognized referendum took place 2 weeks ago, with the ‘Yes’ side winning by less than 10 votes. A recount may still be in the works, and challenges amid allegations that the CFS-side was handing out swag materials at polling booths. Aside from clear conflict of interest infractions, it’s unclear which set of rules this referendum operated under, but at Guelph (below), campaigning is expressly forbidden during polling days.
And we come to Guelph. After a petition was delivered by process-server instead of registered mail (and despite being a higher standard of proof), the CFS refused to recognize the petition. The Guelph CSA took the CFS to court to hold the referendum, and the judge made four important rulings:
1. Guelph organizers collected and delivered the petition properly
2. Counter-petitions to nullify signatures are invalid
3. A referendum was awarded, despite the new bylaws which are being retroactively applied elsewhere
4. Guelph CSA had a right to run the referendum according to its own process, not the restrictive rules imposed by the bylaws.
In good faith, the CSA decided to employ the majority of CFS rules including the Referendum Oversight Committee, but deviated to allow online voting, and a four-day voting period instead of two prescribed in the bylaws. Interestingly though, the ROC settled on a 20% quorum, much more than the 5% called for in the bylaws. With a flood of out-of-town campaigners coming on behalf of the CFS, Guelph has been abuzz in the past two weeks, much of the criticism stemming from the fact that most ‘Yes’ side campaigners were not Guelph students. The ‘No’ team ran a successful campaign to get students asking ‘Yes’ members to “show me your student card.”
Results were leaked to the Guelph newspaper on Saturday, and though not considered official yet, reports are 40% voter turnout (note: wow), and a whopping 73.5% NO vote in a contested referendum. Preliminary reports out of the Twitterverse from the pro-CFS side are that there might be a challenge to this result because the online vote was conducted through a channel controlled by the University administration, and “administrations are biased against the CFS.”
The University of Regina Students’ Union will be holding what we all presume to be an unrecognized vote on membership on April 13th and 14th. Students at Carleton and University of Victoria will be waiting until next year, however. Despite petitions that originally met the 10% signature threshold (the CFS is now disputing that fact at Victoria, despite a registrar’s verification. This must mean that the Federation is legitimizing the counter-petitions it circulated), the referendum processes have been stalled. Executives at both student unions are currently pro-CFS, with the petitions to defederate initiated from outside the student union inner-circle. Neither student union will be following the lead of other schools and holding a vote anyway.
UBC AMS stays with CASA
At the other end of student union politics, March 31st was to be the last day of membership in CASA for the Alma Matter Society at UBC, CASA’s largest member. After the incoming VP External attended CASA’s Lobby Conference, he presented a report to his council to make the case for extending membership for at least one more year. Council agreed, and the AMS remains a member of CASA until at least March 31st, 2011.
Queen’s AMS bans Sumo Suits
In a story hitting national and international headlines (akin to last year’s Carleton Shinerama debacle, and the UBC human rights complaint over tuition), the Alma Matter Society at Queen’s University is taking criticism for cancelling an event and banning sumo suits as “turning a racial identity into a costume...dehumaniz[ing] those who share that identity and fail[ing] to capture the deeply embedded histories of violent and subversive oppression that a group has faced.” Sumo suits are quasi-inflated costumes often used in carnival games, and in this case were to be used in a charity fundraiser. The majority of blog and media reaction has been negative, against the ban, criticizing Queen’s for being too politically correct to compensate for the stereotype of a typical Queen’s student (which I am not going to repeat in this report).
FNUC Funding Extended until the End of the Year
First Nations University of Canada in Saskatchewan has had its provincial money restored, and the federal government has chipped in $3 million to allow students to finish this academic year. Both levels of government had pulled funding last month over financial mismanagement by the Board, which has been warned multiple times over the last few years. The long-term fate of the university is still in question, though layoffs are imminent at the campus as up to 1/3 of the workforce is expected to lose jobs. Administrators are trying to pull the university out of a $300,000 per month deficit and prove the viability of the institution, for continued government funding.
UBC Grad Pub loses Liquor Licence
Koerner’s Pub, a 150-seat pub and restaurant operated by the UBC Graduate Students Society has lost its liquor licence indefinitely over a third infraction for serving underage patrons. In March, 4 underagers were found in the pub by RCMP on a routine inspection, with their fake ID’s confiscated. This follows two similar infractions, with a verbal warning given in 2008 and a written warning in 2009, each of those times when minors were found being served. The pub is operated by the GSS, but the licence has been held by the University. The establishment currently remains open as a restaurant only.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #14 – Tell Others What You Do / Be Accountable
One of the principles I strongly believe in is openness and accountability. I understand that not every one of our student members is interested in what the VPUA does, but the need to be transparent and available still exists nonetheless. Students are the owners of this organization, and deserve to know what you are doing on a student salary, on their behalf.
With this in mind, I advise that you make yourself as open and transparent as possible. Never let anyone seriously accuse you of being inaccessible or elitist as a student leader. If you are doing your job the way you truly believe it should be done, you should WANT to let as many students as possible know what you’re up to on their behalf.
Write your reports on time. How can council hold you responsible if you don’t? Get a blog, and update your activities and reports for the public there as well. I used BlogSpot, and then imported all my blogs onto my Facebook page for further notification to friends. In addition to this, after council has received them, I also made sure to send weekly reports to the Brock Press and the Hamilton Campus Liaison Councils. When the blogs get posted, twitter them to the world. Get on the air with CFBU frequently, they love content, and it’s another medium to tell students what you’re doing. I’ve interacted a lot with Brock TV this year, but not in an information-distribution sense. Find out if it’s possible to get a regular segment, or how Brock TV can help you get information out as well.
It’s not enough just to HAVE a facebook page, twitter account, blog, and BUSU website. If you commit to them, use them all year long. Tell the media what you’re doing, let them report and criticize or praise you. Get your issues out there, gather student feedback. Use that to further your work, and to make the work of this organization more important and relevant for the students that we serve. Remember, you have 16,000 bosses who elected you, and pay your salary. Make sure you give them frequent reminders why you were the right choice for the job. And heck, make those reports interesting enough to read. I threw in news from across the country, job tips like this, and weekly lyrics. And I know it attracts more readers just to scan those sections. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll pause at the top of the page and read about the job you do as well.
Closing Lyrics of the BUSAC
“Closing time, time for you to go out, go out into the world
Closing time, turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl
Closing time, one last call for alcohol, so finish your whisky or beer
Closing time, you don’t have to go come but you can’t stay here
...
Closing time, time for you to go out to the places you will be from
Closing time, this room won’t be open till your brothers or your sisters come
So gather up your jackets, move it to the exits, I hope you have found a friend
Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”
- Semisonic
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Students claim victory in provincial student aid announcement
Acting directly on the recommendations of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), the McGuinty government today announced an $81 million package of improvements to Ontario’s system of student financial aid that will increase the accessibility of higher education for those with the greatest need. The reforms touch on all aspects of the financial aid system, from fixing the need assessment formula, to increasing the amount of aid available, to enhancing the loan repayment process.
“These improvements represent a huge step forward for students in a time of fiscal restraint,” noted Rob Lanteigne, Vice President University Affairs for the Brock University Students’ Union, and Vice President Finance of OUSA. “Nearly 200,000 students relying on government aid will be receiving more of the support they require to finance their education, and build the knowledge economy of tomorrow for Ontario.”
In October, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance presented a submission to the provincial government requesting a number of specific improvements to the financial aid system. This was followed up with pre-budget presentations, including one conducted by BUSU. Today’s announcement incorporates five of our key recommendations, including:
· Doubling the in-study income exemption, allowing students to earn $103 per week before OSAP awards become affected, up from $50 per week, and tying this increase to the rate of inflation
· Implementing a true interest-free grace period of six months after graduation before repayment of loans begins
· Increasing weekly loan limits to $150 per week, up from $140, and the first increase in four years
· Increasing the textbook, supply and equipment allowance to annual inflation
· Providing more support for students in difficulty with loan repayment by joining the more generous federal Repayment Assistance Program
Additional funding improvements reflect current OUSA policy recommendations, including the introduction of a part-time student grant, and doubling the vehicle exemption for married students, and students with dependents. The government also introduced 1000 new graduate scholarships, a topic falling outside the mandate of an undergraduate organization, but highly welcomed.
“Students appreciate that the government is addressing our concerns with financial assistance, and working with students to find solutions,” added Lianne Bradley, BUSU President. “Students will have access to a simpler aid process, reaching more students than before, and spanning into significant reforms post-graduation into their repayment process.”
Additionally, the government has announced a two-year continuation of the current tuition framework, which caps average tuition increases at five percent annually across institutions. Portions of this increase must be set aside for further financial aid for the neediest students.
“The continued regulation of tuition fees is promising and brings predictability to a student’s financial future,” commented Lanteigne. “However, Ontario students continue to pay the highest tuition levels in the country, and we look forward to continued dialogue with the provinces and the universities on ensuring a fair cost-sharing model.
Lanteigne, BUSU’s Vice President University Affairs, will be available for comment by e-mail at vpua@busu.net or by phone at 905-688-5550 x. 4198. For a copy of the OUSA submission Ontario: A Province of Knowledge, please visit www.ousa.ca.
----------------------------------------
BUSU is a not-for-profit organization representing and working to improve the post-secondary education experience of students at Brock University.
For more information, please contact BUSU Vice President University Affairs, Rob Lanteigne, at 905 688-5550, or by e-mail at vpua@busu.net.
“These improvements represent a huge step forward for students in a time of fiscal restraint,” noted Rob Lanteigne, Vice President University Affairs for the Brock University Students’ Union, and Vice President Finance of OUSA. “Nearly 200,000 students relying on government aid will be receiving more of the support they require to finance their education, and build the knowledge economy of tomorrow for Ontario.”
In October, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance presented a submission to the provincial government requesting a number of specific improvements to the financial aid system. This was followed up with pre-budget presentations, including one conducted by BUSU. Today’s announcement incorporates five of our key recommendations, including:
· Doubling the in-study income exemption, allowing students to earn $103 per week before OSAP awards become affected, up from $50 per week, and tying this increase to the rate of inflation
· Implementing a true interest-free grace period of six months after graduation before repayment of loans begins
· Increasing weekly loan limits to $150 per week, up from $140, and the first increase in four years
· Increasing the textbook, supply and equipment allowance to annual inflation
· Providing more support for students in difficulty with loan repayment by joining the more generous federal Repayment Assistance Program
Additional funding improvements reflect current OUSA policy recommendations, including the introduction of a part-time student grant, and doubling the vehicle exemption for married students, and students with dependents. The government also introduced 1000 new graduate scholarships, a topic falling outside the mandate of an undergraduate organization, but highly welcomed.
“Students appreciate that the government is addressing our concerns with financial assistance, and working with students to find solutions,” added Lianne Bradley, BUSU President. “Students will have access to a simpler aid process, reaching more students than before, and spanning into significant reforms post-graduation into their repayment process.”
Additionally, the government has announced a two-year continuation of the current tuition framework, which caps average tuition increases at five percent annually across institutions. Portions of this increase must be set aside for further financial aid for the neediest students.
“The continued regulation of tuition fees is promising and brings predictability to a student’s financial future,” commented Lanteigne. “However, Ontario students continue to pay the highest tuition levels in the country, and we look forward to continued dialogue with the provinces and the universities on ensuring a fair cost-sharing model.
Lanteigne, BUSU’s Vice President University Affairs, will be available for comment by e-mail at vpua@busu.net or by phone at 905-688-5550 x. 4198. For a copy of the OUSA submission Ontario: A Province of Knowledge, please visit www.ousa.ca.
----------------------------------------
BUSU is a not-for-profit organization representing and working to improve the post-secondary education experience of students at Brock University.
For more information, please contact BUSU Vice President University Affairs, Rob Lanteigne, at 905 688-5550, or by e-mail at vpua@busu.net.
Council Report March 30
We’re in the home stretch. After you read this report, I’ll have a month left in office, and only one council report left. Eat it up, you know you’ll miss my words of wisdom when I’ve moved on...
OUSA
Last weekend, I attended the OUSA General Assembly in London along with 5 other BUSU delegates. I’m sad to say this is my last official conference as a BUSU executive, and it’s hard to let good times go by.
At the conference, we were addressed by current Attorney-General of Ontario, and former TCU Minister, Chris Bentley, as well as MPP Yasir Naqvi. Friday and Saturday were full of presentations and policy discussions, followed by the plenary session on Sunday. OSUA passed research papers on E-Learning and Alternate Cost Recovery Models, as well as a policy statement on Differentiation, and full papers on Students with Disabilities (co-written by Lianne), Student Success, and System Vision. The OUSA Long-Term Plan was also approved.
Wow, when you write it out, you can actually fit that all into a paragraph! Let me tell you, there were hundreds of pages of readings, and some fantastic debate, amendments and insight into all the business passed. Thank you to all the delegates, especially the Brock ones, for allowing OUSA the most prepared and smoothest conference I’ve seen in two years!
Provincial Budget
On March 25th, the provincial government introduced their budget. It was one which leaves significant gaps and unanswered questions: the tuition framework was not discussed, no was student aid, ongoing university funding, or any other elements of the anticipated ‘Reaching Higher 2’. (This report is being written on Friday morning for the BUSAC deadline). Indications are the Ministry will be speaking with stakeholders on Friday and Monday to outline the timelines from here forward, including possible extensions of the current tuition policy, and a timeline for when the ‘full’ RH2 will be rolled out to bring 4-5 years of predictability to the sector.
What the budget did contain was $310 million to fund 20,000 new spaces in both college and universities. This amount of money is significant and positive; more than enough money to fully-fund enrolment, while providing room for operating budgets to improve quality as well. How much of this money and which spaces will flow to Brock are still to be determined.
The budget also outlined a plan to increase international student enrolment by 50% in the province. This in itself is not a bad thing, however international student tuition remains the only type of tuition deregulated in the province. We are hopeful that the tuition framework will address something about not using international students as a revenue source to supplement operating budgets; Ontario needs to be a jurisdiction attracting the brightest international students, not the richest ones.
Finally, the budget did not mention anything regarding the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. No new infrastructure funding was announced, but it was signalled that existing infrastructure ‘pots’ might be opened to applications from the post-secondary sector. No specific projects were announced either, so we did not ‘lose out’ to anybody, but the time is certainly ticking on this project, and I know Brock officials are already hard at work preparing whatever applications are necessary to get this building into the air.
Dean Searches
Two weeks ago, the first two candidates for the Humanities Dean were brought through Brock. Two more are to come in the next few weeks, followed by four candidates for the Education Dean. I have been/will be meeting with all of them in a student consultation session on their visit days, and then providing confidential thoughts to the search committees.
That being said, Brock is nearly ready to announce the new Dean of Business. Senate was privy to the decision in an in-camera session, and it will be announced shortly.
Senate Business
At Senate last week (and all the committees work that came before), it has finally been approved to make the changes to co-op that have been highlighted in some of the budgetary remarks. Without students doing any extra work, the back-end of co-op has been switched around to gain BIU funding for the university, while allowing most of the student co-op fee to be counted as tuition, and thus eligible for OSAP funding and tuition tax credits.
Though I continue to vote against seminar cuts due to budgetary constraints both at the committee and full senate level, once again another program has seen seminar cuts for no productive reason. Tourism and the Environment joins the list of departments which have been forced to make cuts to their small group learning only for budget reasons.
In upcoming Senate business, I am compiling information and doing some quick research (along with Alex Kidd) into the topic of placing a student’s minor onto their diploma. Students have worked hard for their qualifications, and it would be nice for them to receive the recognition for the additional components they have been able to complete other than their major. If you have any thoughts on this topic, please send them to me.
Transition
I have continued to prepare Daud for what he will be facing next year, we have been spending transition time learning the office, and he’s been asking questions about most facets of the job. I’ve given him a USB key with about 25-30 key documents to give him the background knowledge on many of the major projects and initiatives, and we’ve still got another month to go and learn.
Brock Outdoors Referendum
As most of you know, I was also on the NO team for the recent Brock Outdoors referendum, and was the face of the team in both debates. I also spent significant time in the hallways over the past few weeks. After 4 full campaigning sessions in the last three years, I’ve seen enough of Academic South and backboards to last me a lifetime. I’m happy to say that at Isaacs on Thursday, it was announced that 69.5% of you voted NO to Brock Outdoors! As far as I’m able to find through our documentation, this is the first time a NO campaign (reaching quorum) has won a referendum in BUSU in 19 years. Congratulations to everyone who helped out!
News from Across the Country
Wow, what quantity this week! After a quiet month during many school election times, there are dozens of high-hitting stories for this report. Here’s a selection:
Manitoba Government / Budget
Manitoba tabled their provincial budget last week, offering up two major goodies for post-secondary education. Public universities and colleges received a 4.5% increase to their operating grants, invest in Early Outreach, and allow students to access part of their tuition tax rebates while they are still enrolled in school.
http://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?archive=2010-03-01&item=8025
Universite de Moncton Student Union (FEECUM)
It’s the end of the line for the campus bar at Moncton, as the student-union run pub, Osmose, is closing on March 31st. The bar has lost $120,000 over the last two years, and the plug is being pulled for financial reasons.
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/search/article/989702
York University and York Federation of Students
The President of York University has asked the York Ombudsperson (university-staffed) to investigate the process and results of the recent elections for the YFS. York is one of the student unions frequently criticized for unfair insider control over the election process, including multiple conflicts of interest within the CRO and appeals mechanisms. Such criticisms are usually noted by an “insider” slate appearing favoured over a “change” slate. This year, multiple members of the 21-person slate “New York” were disqualified, some for reasons that included handing out copies of the student newspaper.
The results of this review may have broader implications beyond just York. It will investigate the fiduciary duty which Universities may/may not have over the conduct of the autonomous student unions which operate on their campuses, and the duty held by the university when it collects money (through tuition at registration) on behalf of student unions.
http://www.yorku.ca/yfile/archive/index.asp?Article=14523
http://www.joeycoleman.ca/2010/03/21/york-university-president-requests-review-of-student-union-election/
Ryerson University
Over to Ryerson, with some background. A student who was charged with academic misconduct a few years ago for starting a facebook group which encouraged students to share answers to graded course work. The department called for him to be expelled at the time; his punishment was eventually settled as a mark of 0 on that assignment, plus a requirement to attend an academic integrity meeting. This student is back, now suing Ryerson through a $10 million class-action lawsuit for denying students the right to legal representation in preliminary academic discipline hearings.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/782045--ryerson-faces-10m-class-action-lawsuit?bn=1#article
Other Student Election Dysfunction
Check out the blog post by David Foster, an avid watcher of campus politics at University of Victoria, for a compilation of election “situations” at UBC, Ottawa, Carleton, York, Toronto, Ryerson, Simon Fraser, St. Mary’s, and his own at Victoria.
http://eyeontheuvss.blogspot.com/2010/03/electoral-dysfunction-national.html
CFS Defederation Referendums
Two referendums were held last week for student associations to leave the CFS and related provincial components...and it is once again likely that both of them will end up in court.
The University of Calgary Graduate Students voted, with 15.6% turnout, 81.6% in favour of leaving the Federation. The Concordia Student Union voted 72% in favour of leaving the Federation. Neither of them was considered an official referendum by the CFS, and no CFS campaigners (usually including national office staff, and other student leaders brought in from across the country) were present.
At Calgary, the petition process was initiated last year, but a response was only received from CFS National my March or April, stating that the GSA owed them money. This year, the GSA began the petition process again, but was not one of the two schools awarded a referendum after the passage of “Motion Six” at the CFS AGM (google it, or read previous reports). The GSA went ahead with this referendum anyway, and with over 80% support, this will likely end up in a legal battle over the legality of Motion 6 and the retroactive application of rules.
At Concordia, the CSU was actually granted one of the two “legitimate” referendums in the spring (along with ACAD in Alberta, to be held later). However, the CSU was then served with a notice from the CFS claiming over $1,000,000 in back-dues before their referendum could be held. Neither the CSU internal process, nor the CFS financial statements, have ever indicated any unpaid balance. Student leaders at Concordia dispute the fact that money is owed, and the CSU went ahead with this referendum without official compliance of the CFS. It will likely also end up in a legal battle, over the same issues.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #13 – You’re the Team Captain
As a VPUA, you’re often leading delegations to conferences. At the very least, the President will be by your side at most events. For events like OUSA, you may be in charge of a delegation of 6 people. And as the resident expert (supposedly) of what’s all happening, this means you’re the Team Captain and in charge of others.
The little details all tend to add up: like directions, hotel reservations, meal plans, breaks, faith requirements, finding buildings, introductions, what-to-bring, social activities, and of course, making sure everyone has read the mountains of pre-readings that go into every conference.
It’s a job in itself, and this means you need to be prepared. You can’t start planning for a conference the day before, or hope that you can get the pre-readings done on the drive. Most likely, you’re the driver. And you’re probably going to have your delegates pepper you with questions about the readings on the way. (Either that, or you have to hound them to get the material read so that Brock has something educated to say and makes their presence actually worthwhile).
Keep lists and folders in your office. Lists of things you need to bring on every conference. Checklists of all the details and things to bring (remember that Ethernet cord for your hotel room, powerbar for the meeting room, and your swim/workout clothing for the hotel fitness area). Folders for every type of confirmation, including vehicle rental/airline, registration, hotel, and meals. Keep a location for all receipts.
Staying organized is the only way to stay sane. That’s applicable at all times of the year, but especially true when you’ve got 5 other people pulling you in different directions, and whom you’re responsible for when away from BUSU.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
“It’s time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap
It’s time to try defying gravity
I think I’ll try defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye, I’m defying gravity
And you won’t bring me down
I’m through accepting limits
‘cause someone says they’re so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I’ll never know”
Wicked, via Glee
OUSA
Last weekend, I attended the OUSA General Assembly in London along with 5 other BUSU delegates. I’m sad to say this is my last official conference as a BUSU executive, and it’s hard to let good times go by.
At the conference, we were addressed by current Attorney-General of Ontario, and former TCU Minister, Chris Bentley, as well as MPP Yasir Naqvi. Friday and Saturday were full of presentations and policy discussions, followed by the plenary session on Sunday. OSUA passed research papers on E-Learning and Alternate Cost Recovery Models, as well as a policy statement on Differentiation, and full papers on Students with Disabilities (co-written by Lianne), Student Success, and System Vision. The OUSA Long-Term Plan was also approved.
Wow, when you write it out, you can actually fit that all into a paragraph! Let me tell you, there were hundreds of pages of readings, and some fantastic debate, amendments and insight into all the business passed. Thank you to all the delegates, especially the Brock ones, for allowing OUSA the most prepared and smoothest conference I’ve seen in two years!
Provincial Budget
On March 25th, the provincial government introduced their budget. It was one which leaves significant gaps and unanswered questions: the tuition framework was not discussed, no was student aid, ongoing university funding, or any other elements of the anticipated ‘Reaching Higher 2’. (This report is being written on Friday morning for the BUSAC deadline). Indications are the Ministry will be speaking with stakeholders on Friday and Monday to outline the timelines from here forward, including possible extensions of the current tuition policy, and a timeline for when the ‘full’ RH2 will be rolled out to bring 4-5 years of predictability to the sector.
What the budget did contain was $310 million to fund 20,000 new spaces in both college and universities. This amount of money is significant and positive; more than enough money to fully-fund enrolment, while providing room for operating budgets to improve quality as well. How much of this money and which spaces will flow to Brock are still to be determined.
The budget also outlined a plan to increase international student enrolment by 50% in the province. This in itself is not a bad thing, however international student tuition remains the only type of tuition deregulated in the province. We are hopeful that the tuition framework will address something about not using international students as a revenue source to supplement operating budgets; Ontario needs to be a jurisdiction attracting the brightest international students, not the richest ones.
Finally, the budget did not mention anything regarding the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. No new infrastructure funding was announced, but it was signalled that existing infrastructure ‘pots’ might be opened to applications from the post-secondary sector. No specific projects were announced either, so we did not ‘lose out’ to anybody, but the time is certainly ticking on this project, and I know Brock officials are already hard at work preparing whatever applications are necessary to get this building into the air.
Dean Searches
Two weeks ago, the first two candidates for the Humanities Dean were brought through Brock. Two more are to come in the next few weeks, followed by four candidates for the Education Dean. I have been/will be meeting with all of them in a student consultation session on their visit days, and then providing confidential thoughts to the search committees.
That being said, Brock is nearly ready to announce the new Dean of Business. Senate was privy to the decision in an in-camera session, and it will be announced shortly.
Senate Business
At Senate last week (and all the committees work that came before), it has finally been approved to make the changes to co-op that have been highlighted in some of the budgetary remarks. Without students doing any extra work, the back-end of co-op has been switched around to gain BIU funding for the university, while allowing most of the student co-op fee to be counted as tuition, and thus eligible for OSAP funding and tuition tax credits.
Though I continue to vote against seminar cuts due to budgetary constraints both at the committee and full senate level, once again another program has seen seminar cuts for no productive reason. Tourism and the Environment joins the list of departments which have been forced to make cuts to their small group learning only for budget reasons.
In upcoming Senate business, I am compiling information and doing some quick research (along with Alex Kidd) into the topic of placing a student’s minor onto their diploma. Students have worked hard for their qualifications, and it would be nice for them to receive the recognition for the additional components they have been able to complete other than their major. If you have any thoughts on this topic, please send them to me.
Transition
I have continued to prepare Daud for what he will be facing next year, we have been spending transition time learning the office, and he’s been asking questions about most facets of the job. I’ve given him a USB key with about 25-30 key documents to give him the background knowledge on many of the major projects and initiatives, and we’ve still got another month to go and learn.
Brock Outdoors Referendum
As most of you know, I was also on the NO team for the recent Brock Outdoors referendum, and was the face of the team in both debates. I also spent significant time in the hallways over the past few weeks. After 4 full campaigning sessions in the last three years, I’ve seen enough of Academic South and backboards to last me a lifetime. I’m happy to say that at Isaacs on Thursday, it was announced that 69.5% of you voted NO to Brock Outdoors! As far as I’m able to find through our documentation, this is the first time a NO campaign (reaching quorum) has won a referendum in BUSU in 19 years. Congratulations to everyone who helped out!
News from Across the Country
Wow, what quantity this week! After a quiet month during many school election times, there are dozens of high-hitting stories for this report. Here’s a selection:
Manitoba Government / Budget
Manitoba tabled their provincial budget last week, offering up two major goodies for post-secondary education. Public universities and colleges received a 4.5% increase to their operating grants, invest in Early Outreach, and allow students to access part of their tuition tax rebates while they are still enrolled in school.
http://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?archive=2010-03-01&item=8025
Universite de Moncton Student Union (FEECUM)
It’s the end of the line for the campus bar at Moncton, as the student-union run pub, Osmose, is closing on March 31st. The bar has lost $120,000 over the last two years, and the plug is being pulled for financial reasons.
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/search/article/989702
York University and York Federation of Students
The President of York University has asked the York Ombudsperson (university-staffed) to investigate the process and results of the recent elections for the YFS. York is one of the student unions frequently criticized for unfair insider control over the election process, including multiple conflicts of interest within the CRO and appeals mechanisms. Such criticisms are usually noted by an “insider” slate appearing favoured over a “change” slate. This year, multiple members of the 21-person slate “New York” were disqualified, some for reasons that included handing out copies of the student newspaper.
The results of this review may have broader implications beyond just York. It will investigate the fiduciary duty which Universities may/may not have over the conduct of the autonomous student unions which operate on their campuses, and the duty held by the university when it collects money (through tuition at registration) on behalf of student unions.
http://www.yorku.ca/yfile/archive/index.asp?Article=14523
http://www.joeycoleman.ca/2010/03/21/york-university-president-requests-review-of-student-union-election/
Ryerson University
Over to Ryerson, with some background. A student who was charged with academic misconduct a few years ago for starting a facebook group which encouraged students to share answers to graded course work. The department called for him to be expelled at the time; his punishment was eventually settled as a mark of 0 on that assignment, plus a requirement to attend an academic integrity meeting. This student is back, now suing Ryerson through a $10 million class-action lawsuit for denying students the right to legal representation in preliminary academic discipline hearings.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/782045--ryerson-faces-10m-class-action-lawsuit?bn=1#article
Other Student Election Dysfunction
Check out the blog post by David Foster, an avid watcher of campus politics at University of Victoria, for a compilation of election “situations” at UBC, Ottawa, Carleton, York, Toronto, Ryerson, Simon Fraser, St. Mary’s, and his own at Victoria.
http://eyeontheuvss.blogspot.com/2010/03/electoral-dysfunction-national.html
CFS Defederation Referendums
Two referendums were held last week for student associations to leave the CFS and related provincial components...and it is once again likely that both of them will end up in court.
The University of Calgary Graduate Students voted, with 15.6% turnout, 81.6% in favour of leaving the Federation. The Concordia Student Union voted 72% in favour of leaving the Federation. Neither of them was considered an official referendum by the CFS, and no CFS campaigners (usually including national office staff, and other student leaders brought in from across the country) were present.
At Calgary, the petition process was initiated last year, but a response was only received from CFS National my March or April, stating that the GSA owed them money. This year, the GSA began the petition process again, but was not one of the two schools awarded a referendum after the passage of “Motion Six” at the CFS AGM (google it, or read previous reports). The GSA went ahead with this referendum anyway, and with over 80% support, this will likely end up in a legal battle over the legality of Motion 6 and the retroactive application of rules.
At Concordia, the CSU was actually granted one of the two “legitimate” referendums in the spring (along with ACAD in Alberta, to be held later). However, the CSU was then served with a notice from the CFS claiming over $1,000,000 in back-dues before their referendum could be held. Neither the CSU internal process, nor the CFS financial statements, have ever indicated any unpaid balance. Student leaders at Concordia dispute the fact that money is owed, and the CSU went ahead with this referendum without official compliance of the CFS. It will likely also end up in a legal battle, over the same issues.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #13 – You’re the Team Captain
As a VPUA, you’re often leading delegations to conferences. At the very least, the President will be by your side at most events. For events like OUSA, you may be in charge of a delegation of 6 people. And as the resident expert (supposedly) of what’s all happening, this means you’re the Team Captain and in charge of others.
The little details all tend to add up: like directions, hotel reservations, meal plans, breaks, faith requirements, finding buildings, introductions, what-to-bring, social activities, and of course, making sure everyone has read the mountains of pre-readings that go into every conference.
It’s a job in itself, and this means you need to be prepared. You can’t start planning for a conference the day before, or hope that you can get the pre-readings done on the drive. Most likely, you’re the driver. And you’re probably going to have your delegates pepper you with questions about the readings on the way. (Either that, or you have to hound them to get the material read so that Brock has something educated to say and makes their presence actually worthwhile).
Keep lists and folders in your office. Lists of things you need to bring on every conference. Checklists of all the details and things to bring (remember that Ethernet cord for your hotel room, powerbar for the meeting room, and your swim/workout clothing for the hotel fitness area). Folders for every type of confirmation, including vehicle rental/airline, registration, hotel, and meals. Keep a location for all receipts.
Staying organized is the only way to stay sane. That’s applicable at all times of the year, but especially true when you’ve got 5 other people pulling you in different directions, and whom you’re responsible for when away from BUSU.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
“It’s time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap
It’s time to try defying gravity
I think I’ll try defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye, I’m defying gravity
And you won’t bring me down
I’m through accepting limits
‘cause someone says they’re so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I’ll never know”
Wicked, via Glee
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Provincial Budget Press Release
Press Release: Brock Students welcome investments, yet critical unanswered questions remain
Today, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced the provincial budget,
including the significant investment of 20,000 new spaces in Ontario’s universities and colleges, at a cost of $310 million. Facing record deficits, this strategic investment in Ontario’s future is the right choice for provincial government. As 70% of all new jobs will require some form of post-secondary education, this is a step in the right direction.
“The government has demonstrated once again that it values the contributions of higher education towards Ontario’s social and economic future,” said Lianne Bradley, President of the Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU). “While students appreciate this investment, a number of critical questions have been left unanswered.”
The 2010 Budget contains no information on the issues of tuition fees, financial aid, or the fate of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Ontario’s tuition fees are currently the highest in Canada, and are rising at 5% per year, more than double the rate of inflation. The recession has driven youth unemployment to record levels, and students with the greatest need have been the hardest hit.
“Nearly a third of students receiving assistance from the government are receiving the maximum loan amount,” stated Rob Lanteigne, BUSU Vice President University Affairs. “This indicates a high demand, and significant need for many students which goes beyond what the provincial government currently offers. We are hopeful that the government will respond to our calls to improve the Ontario Student Assistance Program, and to cap tuition increases at no greater than the rate of inflation.”
A gaping omission in the budget for Brock students is the vague wording surrounding infrastructure funding. Brock University and BUSU have been pushing for a $26 million contribution for the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines, in partnership with the Niagara Centre for the Arts. Funding for this project has not yet been announced, yet the budget simply references ongoing infrastructure for universities without specifying new money. The time deadlines surrounding the joint build are fast approaching, and we still have no indication if additional money will be flowing to Brock for this purpose.
The government has also announced plans to increase international student enrollment by 50 per cent over five years. These students add greatly to the learning environment, providing an increased diversity of ideas, experiences and opinions. However, international students at the undergraduate level continue to pay exorbitant and unregulated tuition fees that far outstrip the actual cost of their education.
“Students support further internationalization but are concerned that many barriers to access are not being addressed,” said Lanteigne. “Ontario should be attracting the best minds, not just the richest.”
----------------------------------------
BUSU is a not-for-profit organization representing and working to improve the post-secondary education experience of students at Brock University.
For more information, please contact BUSU Vice President University Affairs, Rob Lanteigne, at 905 688-5550 x.4198, or by e-mail at vpua@busu.net
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Today, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced the provincial budget,
including the significant investment of 20,000 new spaces in Ontario’s universities and colleges, at a cost of $310 million. Facing record deficits, this strategic investment in Ontario’s future is the right choice for provincial government. As 70% of all new jobs will require some form of post-secondary education, this is a step in the right direction.
“The government has demonstrated once again that it values the contributions of higher education towards Ontario’s social and economic future,” said Lianne Bradley, President of the Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU). “While students appreciate this investment, a number of critical questions have been left unanswered.”
The 2010 Budget contains no information on the issues of tuition fees, financial aid, or the fate of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Ontario’s tuition fees are currently the highest in Canada, and are rising at 5% per year, more than double the rate of inflation. The recession has driven youth unemployment to record levels, and students with the greatest need have been the hardest hit.
“Nearly a third of students receiving assistance from the government are receiving the maximum loan amount,” stated Rob Lanteigne, BUSU Vice President University Affairs. “This indicates a high demand, and significant need for many students which goes beyond what the provincial government currently offers. We are hopeful that the government will respond to our calls to improve the Ontario Student Assistance Program, and to cap tuition increases at no greater than the rate of inflation.”
A gaping omission in the budget for Brock students is the vague wording surrounding infrastructure funding. Brock University and BUSU have been pushing for a $26 million contribution for the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines, in partnership with the Niagara Centre for the Arts. Funding for this project has not yet been announced, yet the budget simply references ongoing infrastructure for universities without specifying new money. The time deadlines surrounding the joint build are fast approaching, and we still have no indication if additional money will be flowing to Brock for this purpose.
The government has also announced plans to increase international student enrollment by 50 per cent over five years. These students add greatly to the learning environment, providing an increased diversity of ideas, experiences and opinions. However, international students at the undergraduate level continue to pay exorbitant and unregulated tuition fees that far outstrip the actual cost of their education.
“Students support further internationalization but are concerned that many barriers to access are not being addressed,” said Lanteigne. “Ontario should be attracting the best minds, not just the richest.”
----------------------------------------
BUSU is a not-for-profit organization representing and working to improve the post-secondary education experience of students at Brock University.
For more information, please contact BUSU Vice President University Affairs, Rob Lanteigne, at 905 688-5550 x.4198, or by e-mail at vpua@busu.net
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
CASA appears on CPAC
Ok, ok, too many acronyms.
Last week, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations met in Ottawa for our annual Lobby Conference. As BUSU is a member of CASA, we sent four delegates to the conference to meet with MPs, Senators and bureaurcrats, including multiple cabinet ministers and a meeting with the Prime Minister for yours truly.
CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel, followed some of our delegates around for the week, to give you the chance to see what we do on your behalf. Check out the first 9 minutes of this video http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&pagetype=vod&lang=e&clipID=3727 to see what kind of work CASA and BUSU do on your behalf when we're at these conferences.
Though we weren't followed around directly, look for cameo appearances from myself, Lianne Bradley, Daud Grewal and Sohail Ahmed throughout the 9-minute segment.
As always, if you have any questions about our lobbying activities, don't hesitate to ask!
Last week, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations met in Ottawa for our annual Lobby Conference. As BUSU is a member of CASA, we sent four delegates to the conference to meet with MPs, Senators and bureaurcrats, including multiple cabinet ministers and a meeting with the Prime Minister for yours truly.
CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel, followed some of our delegates around for the week, to give you the chance to see what we do on your behalf. Check out the first 9 minutes of this video http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&pagetype=vod&lang=e&clipID=3727 to see what kind of work CASA and BUSU do on your behalf when we're at these conferences.
Though we weren't followed around directly, look for cameo appearances from myself, Lianne Bradley, Daud Grewal and Sohail Ahmed throughout the 9-minute segment.
As always, if you have any questions about our lobbying activities, don't hesitate to ask!
Monday, March 15, 2010
BUSAC Report - March 16, 2010
This is once again a fairly short (topically, anyway) BUSAC report. The CASA Lobby Conference takes up an entire week of time, during which it’s difficult to conduct other business via e-mail. That, and I’ve had only 2 in-office days since the last report.
OUSA/Food for Thought
Last week, OUSA launched our newest campaign, called “Food for Thought”. The OSAP system expects that students can live off of a food budget of $7.50 per day, so OUSA has set out to test this theory with 5 students who are looking to eat on this budget for three weeks, amidst their school and part-time jobs. They are blogging and vlogging their experiences at www.ousa.ca, and examining how this may differ from their normal lifestyle, how healthy they are eating, and other reactions.
Brock’s very own Rachel Crane has volunteered to help us out, and she has been amazing thus far! Her opening video and first week of blogs are amazing, and she has been featured in numerous media sources, including the radio, and the FRONT PAGE of the Toronto Star on the first campaign day! Congratulations Rach, and good luck the rest of the way!
There was also an OUSA Steering Committee meeting on March 3rd, which consisted mainly of preparation for this weekend’s upcoming General Assembly, and the Partners in Higher Education Dinner coming up at the end of this month.
I also spent some time doing the final mid-year update of the OUSA budget for presentation to General Assembly. My last work in that area will be wrapping up the year and preparing the preliminary budget for next year.
Federal Budget
On March 4th, the federal government introduced their budget. It was one of great restraint, with some spending cuts in many departments. Post-secondary education was untouched from the cuts, which is a positive, and did see a few small investments. However, it is my opinion that these are piecework and not incredibly useful additions, we could have used them in other areas instead, including financial aid or sector research.
The government gave the Tri-Council funding agencies $32 million for research, and another $8 million for the indirect costs of research. It is the latter which is important to us, as for every dollar invested in research, it’s estimated that an extra 40 cents is used for “indirect costs”, such as staffing, upgrading labs and equipment, and reporting. These are costs which are usually borne from university operating budgets when research funding is awarded, which takes away from other areas of funding. This new budget contributed 25% of the new research funding, putting further strains on operating budgets, and far less than the over $200 million that Canada needs just to get our indirect costs where they need to be.
$20 million was given to the Pathways in Education program, an early outreach initiative which began in Toronto’s Regent Park and has expanded to other locations. These homegrown projects are vital for these students, but a cookie-cutter program such as Pathways does not have the same success in its Kitchener location, for example, as it does in Toronto. This money could have been better directed into grants for existing programs.
$30 million was directed into a program which provides incentives for employers to hire recent post-secondary graduates (as opposed to older workers), but no relief was provided to current students. Finally, money was given to aboriginal education needs in the primary and secondary school levels, but nothing at the post-secondary level, contrary to CASA’s main ask for increased funding for the Post Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP).
Transition
I have continued to write sections, and deliver them as fast as I write them, to Daud as part of his new transition into this job. Over 30 pages have been written thus far, and I next need to compile some more information as well as gather relevant documents, reports and work into an easy-to-find format.
CASA Lobby Conference
CASA took up a week of my time, as we held our Lobby Conference as well as the closing meetings of our year.
For the Lobby Conference portion of the week, we lobbied on six main topics:
- An independent, effective and accountable transfer to the provinces
- Reform of the Canada Student Loans program
- Lowering the interest rate on student loans
- Stronger support for First Nations education
- Redistribution of Graduate Scholarships
- Support for Learning Information
I had the opportunity to attend 10 meetings, plus our reception “Homecoming on the Hill”. Included in these meetings were the “Brock MPs” Rick Dykstra and Malcolm Allen, as well as the assistant to Rob Nicholson. I was in two meetings focusing on the topic of copyright reform, similar to our specialized focus last year. These meetings were with members on relevant committees and bureaucrats in the ministries of Industry, and Heritage. The message in these meetings focused on the prior topics of fair dealing, digital locks and format-shifting, and record-keeping and destruction, but also took on the new topics of Crown Copyright and storage levies. We also made a hard push for the elimination of parallel importation laws on textbooks, which is also in the domain of these two ministries.
If you’d like information about any of these lobbying activities, please be sure to ask.
Oh, right, I almost forgot. I was in a meeting with the Prime Minister. And it was extended a little longer upon his request to hold our lobby document during the photo. CASA continues to receive meetings with all party leaders, and over the past two years, Brock representatives have met with both Mr. Harper, and Mr. Ignatieff, the leader of the Opposition. No big deal.
For the business-portion of the conference, CASA welcomed new members from Mount Allison University, and passed the following policies:
- Part time student access
- Accessible quality child care
- National Teaching Award
- International Student Visas
- International Branch Campuses **written by me
- Post Secondary Student Support Program
- Tri-Agency Student Representation
- And the beginnings of a continued Pan-Canadian Accord
Along with procedures for our policy renewal process
At closing plenary, I learned a valuable lesson. No BUSAC meeting can ever compare to the marathon 17.5 hour plenary session we experienced last Thursday. With the final approximately 5 hours in-camera, it was a session very heavy on some incredibly serious discussions.
What I can divulge from the ex-camera sessions, is the appointment of auditors and approval of the CASA budget. We ratified the conference structure of transition conferences continuing to be held in May. In response to an “open letter” published on the internet by unsigned authors (but some indication of where it originated), CASA adopted motions to work towards a new structure of federalism within the student movement, and to enter into discussions with various provincial groups about a structure where provincial organizations would be the members of CASA, instead of individual student unions.
CASA also ratified a brand new constitution, bylaws and operating procedures, and we are 95% of the way to ending some of the turmoil of being unsure as to which constitution and procedures are the valid ones. The remaining 5% is to have all of our councils ratify the constitution as well, as required by our old (prior to 2007) constitution. You see this attached in today’s agenda.
A few other motions were also passed, and if you’re curious as to the full account of the 17 hour meeting, please come visit so I can explain to you in excruciating detail.
News from Across the Country
It’s been a relatively quiet few weeks in student news, and I haven’t had the time to dig for any major stories or scandals. Many schools are in the midst of their election process (including UBC still dealing with online voting fraud), which typically prevents any outrageous actions from student leaders outside of the campaign trail.
Funding for First Nations University has been cut. McGill MBA tuition is jumping nearly 1000%. Alberta has decided to send the university requests for higher tuition limits back because their original proposals were too high. Just your average week in PSE land. Perhaps this section will feature some new juicy stories at the next meeting.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #12 – 90% of the work happens outside of the meeting
You may have heard this tip before in different circumstances. It’s as applicable to student politics as it is to politics politics, as it is to the business world. When strong opinions are colliding in meetings, such as BUSAC, CASA, OUSA or other areas, it’s crucial to swing support your way to make sure you have at least some idea of where your ideas stand before you even hit the meeting room. There are few, if ever, times where you want to head into a meeting with an idea that you haven’t battle-tested on others for weaknesses or flaws.
In very contentious situations, you may need a little old fashioned negotiation and compromise with issues that are coming from directly opposing viewpoints. You need to understand the issues, ideas and principles, and where people lie on those, not just the motions themselves.
What does that mean? As Daud and Sohail found out this week, going on conference means I’m always on duty 24/7. Every dinner, every tour, every hot tub session, every casual walk are all relevant and important. If you’re not working, someone else is probably working you. Even your naps and bedtimes must be carefully managed, to ensure that you’re not missing out on something that you should be at. Remember, you’re not the only one who knows this tip. Everyone else is playing the game too.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
“If I had $1,000,000
We wouldn’t have to eat Kraft Dinner
But we still would eat Kraft Dinner
Of course we would, we’d just eat more”
- Barenaked Ladies
OUSA/Food for Thought
Last week, OUSA launched our newest campaign, called “Food for Thought”. The OSAP system expects that students can live off of a food budget of $7.50 per day, so OUSA has set out to test this theory with 5 students who are looking to eat on this budget for three weeks, amidst their school and part-time jobs. They are blogging and vlogging their experiences at www.ousa.ca, and examining how this may differ from their normal lifestyle, how healthy they are eating, and other reactions.
Brock’s very own Rachel Crane has volunteered to help us out, and she has been amazing thus far! Her opening video and first week of blogs are amazing, and she has been featured in numerous media sources, including the radio, and the FRONT PAGE of the Toronto Star on the first campaign day! Congratulations Rach, and good luck the rest of the way!
There was also an OUSA Steering Committee meeting on March 3rd, which consisted mainly of preparation for this weekend’s upcoming General Assembly, and the Partners in Higher Education Dinner coming up at the end of this month.
I also spent some time doing the final mid-year update of the OUSA budget for presentation to General Assembly. My last work in that area will be wrapping up the year and preparing the preliminary budget for next year.
Federal Budget
On March 4th, the federal government introduced their budget. It was one of great restraint, with some spending cuts in many departments. Post-secondary education was untouched from the cuts, which is a positive, and did see a few small investments. However, it is my opinion that these are piecework and not incredibly useful additions, we could have used them in other areas instead, including financial aid or sector research.
The government gave the Tri-Council funding agencies $32 million for research, and another $8 million for the indirect costs of research. It is the latter which is important to us, as for every dollar invested in research, it’s estimated that an extra 40 cents is used for “indirect costs”, such as staffing, upgrading labs and equipment, and reporting. These are costs which are usually borne from university operating budgets when research funding is awarded, which takes away from other areas of funding. This new budget contributed 25% of the new research funding, putting further strains on operating budgets, and far less than the over $200 million that Canada needs just to get our indirect costs where they need to be.
$20 million was given to the Pathways in Education program, an early outreach initiative which began in Toronto’s Regent Park and has expanded to other locations. These homegrown projects are vital for these students, but a cookie-cutter program such as Pathways does not have the same success in its Kitchener location, for example, as it does in Toronto. This money could have been better directed into grants for existing programs.
$30 million was directed into a program which provides incentives for employers to hire recent post-secondary graduates (as opposed to older workers), but no relief was provided to current students. Finally, money was given to aboriginal education needs in the primary and secondary school levels, but nothing at the post-secondary level, contrary to CASA’s main ask for increased funding for the Post Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP).
Transition
I have continued to write sections, and deliver them as fast as I write them, to Daud as part of his new transition into this job. Over 30 pages have been written thus far, and I next need to compile some more information as well as gather relevant documents, reports and work into an easy-to-find format.
CASA Lobby Conference
CASA took up a week of my time, as we held our Lobby Conference as well as the closing meetings of our year.
For the Lobby Conference portion of the week, we lobbied on six main topics:
- An independent, effective and accountable transfer to the provinces
- Reform of the Canada Student Loans program
- Lowering the interest rate on student loans
- Stronger support for First Nations education
- Redistribution of Graduate Scholarships
- Support for Learning Information
I had the opportunity to attend 10 meetings, plus our reception “Homecoming on the Hill”. Included in these meetings were the “Brock MPs” Rick Dykstra and Malcolm Allen, as well as the assistant to Rob Nicholson. I was in two meetings focusing on the topic of copyright reform, similar to our specialized focus last year. These meetings were with members on relevant committees and bureaucrats in the ministries of Industry, and Heritage. The message in these meetings focused on the prior topics of fair dealing, digital locks and format-shifting, and record-keeping and destruction, but also took on the new topics of Crown Copyright and storage levies. We also made a hard push for the elimination of parallel importation laws on textbooks, which is also in the domain of these two ministries.
If you’d like information about any of these lobbying activities, please be sure to ask.
Oh, right, I almost forgot. I was in a meeting with the Prime Minister. And it was extended a little longer upon his request to hold our lobby document during the photo. CASA continues to receive meetings with all party leaders, and over the past two years, Brock representatives have met with both Mr. Harper, and Mr. Ignatieff, the leader of the Opposition. No big deal.
For the business-portion of the conference, CASA welcomed new members from Mount Allison University, and passed the following policies:
- Part time student access
- Accessible quality child care
- National Teaching Award
- International Student Visas
- International Branch Campuses **written by me
- Post Secondary Student Support Program
- Tri-Agency Student Representation
- And the beginnings of a continued Pan-Canadian Accord
Along with procedures for our policy renewal process
At closing plenary, I learned a valuable lesson. No BUSAC meeting can ever compare to the marathon 17.5 hour plenary session we experienced last Thursday. With the final approximately 5 hours in-camera, it was a session very heavy on some incredibly serious discussions.
What I can divulge from the ex-camera sessions, is the appointment of auditors and approval of the CASA budget. We ratified the conference structure of transition conferences continuing to be held in May. In response to an “open letter” published on the internet by unsigned authors (but some indication of where it originated), CASA adopted motions to work towards a new structure of federalism within the student movement, and to enter into discussions with various provincial groups about a structure where provincial organizations would be the members of CASA, instead of individual student unions.
CASA also ratified a brand new constitution, bylaws and operating procedures, and we are 95% of the way to ending some of the turmoil of being unsure as to which constitution and procedures are the valid ones. The remaining 5% is to have all of our councils ratify the constitution as well, as required by our old (prior to 2007) constitution. You see this attached in today’s agenda.
A few other motions were also passed, and if you’re curious as to the full account of the 17 hour meeting, please come visit so I can explain to you in excruciating detail.
News from Across the Country
It’s been a relatively quiet few weeks in student news, and I haven’t had the time to dig for any major stories or scandals. Many schools are in the midst of their election process (including UBC still dealing with online voting fraud), which typically prevents any outrageous actions from student leaders outside of the campaign trail.
Funding for First Nations University has been cut. McGill MBA tuition is jumping nearly 1000%. Alberta has decided to send the university requests for higher tuition limits back because their original proposals were too high. Just your average week in PSE land. Perhaps this section will feature some new juicy stories at the next meeting.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #12 – 90% of the work happens outside of the meeting
You may have heard this tip before in different circumstances. It’s as applicable to student politics as it is to politics politics, as it is to the business world. When strong opinions are colliding in meetings, such as BUSAC, CASA, OUSA or other areas, it’s crucial to swing support your way to make sure you have at least some idea of where your ideas stand before you even hit the meeting room. There are few, if ever, times where you want to head into a meeting with an idea that you haven’t battle-tested on others for weaknesses or flaws.
In very contentious situations, you may need a little old fashioned negotiation and compromise with issues that are coming from directly opposing viewpoints. You need to understand the issues, ideas and principles, and where people lie on those, not just the motions themselves.
What does that mean? As Daud and Sohail found out this week, going on conference means I’m always on duty 24/7. Every dinner, every tour, every hot tub session, every casual walk are all relevant and important. If you’re not working, someone else is probably working you. Even your naps and bedtimes must be carefully managed, to ensure that you’re not missing out on something that you should be at. Remember, you’re not the only one who knows this tip. Everyone else is playing the game too.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
“If I had $1,000,000
We wouldn’t have to eat Kraft Dinner
But we still would eat Kraft Dinner
Of course we would, we’d just eat more”
- Barenaked Ladies
Monday, March 1, 2010
BUSAC Report - March 2, 2010
This is a much-shortened report for this meeting, I have only had 3 working days since the last BUSAC meeting due to Reading Week and my vacation to the Olympics
Budget Town Hall
Sohail and I attended the first Brock budget Town Hall on February 17th led by Dr. Lightstone. With the actual numbers in from last year (5.7% or $8.3 million in cuts or increased revenues) and assumptions moving forward that have not yet changed, the University is looking at another 2% budget exercise this year. This number is down from a proposed 5% largely due to the success of the BOOST program, in which increased retention of existing students saved the university about $3.1 million in budget cuts.
After a 2% target this year, the lines between expenses and revenues will stop diverging and begin converging, but we will still be in a $10 million deficit position, so budget cuts in future years may not be out of the question. A generous governmental policy on Reaching Higher 2 will go a long way, and both myself and the University are eagerly anticipating the budget later this month.
Teaching Awards
This is the last week to submit nominations for the first-ever student-driven teaching awards at Brock. There are still some faculties which have no nominations at all, so please YOU, yes YOU nominate your favourite lecturer and TA THIS WEEK!
http://www.busu.net/get-involved/teachingaward
Upcoming Referendum – Recreation Services
At the last BUSAC, you modified the Memorandum of Understanding for this referendum. I communicated this to the University, and they have accepted this change. Please ask during this report section if you’d like to see the exact wording of the new clause.
Welland Rental Bylaw
The City of Welland is looking at developing a rental properties bylaw which would apply city-wide, not specifically targeted towards student areas. I have not been able to get my hands on a copy of this yet, nor are the public meeting times and locations publicized yet. However, newspaper stories state that this bylaw could cap the number of renters in any dwelling to a maximum of four people. This is a concern, and I have been in communications with Jacquelynn from NCSAC. We will be working together to share information as this proposal moves forward through public meetings and council.
Senate Business
I have placed on the agenda for an upcoming Undergraduate Program Committee meeting the topic of listing minors on a Brock diploma. Currently, only the major is listed, along with any honours or first-class standing, but minors and concentrations are not listed. For students who have worked hard for these accomplishments, their diploma, which will often hang in their office on display for clients and co-workers, should provide full information about their academic achievements.
OUSA Food for Thought
Beginning this week, OUSA is beginning a new campaign called ‘Food for Thought’. We have a team of bloggers and vloggers from OUSA campuses, including our very own Rachel Crane, who will be spending a month eating only on $2.50 per meal all month, the amount that OSAP assesses your need, and then vlogging and blogging about any challenges with finding prepared meals for that price, nutritional content, and other experiences. You can find more information about this on the OUSA website shortly, and it will be picked up by some major newspapers as well.
News from Across the Country
Guelph, Western, and the CFS
Petitions collected early in the fall 2009 are not being recognized by CFS-Ontario for the undergraduate students at Guelph, and the graduate students at Western. Both petitions received the requisite number of signatures, and have been confirmed by the university registrars as meeting the requirements. However, both petitions are being rejected for not confirming to the strict letter of CFS bylaws. The organization claims that petitions must be delivered by registered mail. Both of these were delivered by process server, a public employee sworn under oath to have delivered the materials directly to the door at 4:27pm on September 29th. This is legally a higher standard of proof than registered mail, yet CFS-Ontario refuses to recognize the receipt.
York University
As reported in the Toronto Star and the National Post, MPPs in Ontario unanimously decried the name of “Israeli Apartheid Week”, on campus at York University and in 35 cities around the world. This is the sixth annual week for such an event, which is used to criticize the Israeli government on a number of issues. However, this event receives priority treatment when compared to other groups on campus. The group ‘Christians United for Israel” was trying to hold an event in advance of this week, and were told that their event must pay for all security and policing costs, hand in summaries of all speeches and list all attendees, without allowing for any advertising of the event. These are all conditions that the anti-Israel group does not have to meet.
The logic: a pro-Israel event attracts anti-Israel radical counter-protestors, and the pro-Israel group should have to pay to prepare for this. But, since anti-Israel rallies don’t attract violent counter-protests, they are clear to proceed.
Sometimes, all I can do is just shake my head.
St. Thomas University Students’ Union
Student union elections are in full swing across the country. Last week, the Presidential race at STUSU landed in a dead-tie. Melissa Basterache and current Vice President Education, Ella Henry, finished with the same number of votes after a 24.8% turnout. A run-off vote will be held later to determine the winner.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #11 – Take time off; trust your staff and co-workers
This job is hard. Make no mistake, there are long hours, never-ending projects, and situations that will always crop up. One of the jobs the VPUA usually takes on is media monitoring and management. Last week, a situation arose after a St. Catharines Standard article detailed the assault of a local family, and suspected unnamed Brock students as the culprit. When the story hit the papers, both Brock and BUSU responded with press releases.
That task has usually fallen to me over the last two years, but I was on vacation over Reading Week, which brings me to two important tips. One, take your vacations. You need them, you deserve them, it allows you to refresh and recharge. Nonstop work forces you to miss some of the other exciting aspects of travel, relaxation and being young before you head into a (possibly) lifelong career with more stringent vacation policies. When you want to book a vacation, do so, because you’ll regret not taking it. But most importantly, point 2, BUSU will be fine without you. Trust your staff and fellow executive to handle these events in your absence. The remaining executive, along with Chris and Nazir took care of the details surrounding the press release.
If something needs to happen, it will get done because BUSU is a giant team environment. So take that time off, you deserve it, and someone else will have your back.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
“I believe in the power that comes
From a world brought together as one”
- CTV and Nikki Yanofsky
Budget Town Hall
Sohail and I attended the first Brock budget Town Hall on February 17th led by Dr. Lightstone. With the actual numbers in from last year (5.7% or $8.3 million in cuts or increased revenues) and assumptions moving forward that have not yet changed, the University is looking at another 2% budget exercise this year. This number is down from a proposed 5% largely due to the success of the BOOST program, in which increased retention of existing students saved the university about $3.1 million in budget cuts.
After a 2% target this year, the lines between expenses and revenues will stop diverging and begin converging, but we will still be in a $10 million deficit position, so budget cuts in future years may not be out of the question. A generous governmental policy on Reaching Higher 2 will go a long way, and both myself and the University are eagerly anticipating the budget later this month.
Teaching Awards
This is the last week to submit nominations for the first-ever student-driven teaching awards at Brock. There are still some faculties which have no nominations at all, so please YOU, yes YOU nominate your favourite lecturer and TA THIS WEEK!
http://www.busu.net/get-involved/teachingaward
Upcoming Referendum – Recreation Services
At the last BUSAC, you modified the Memorandum of Understanding for this referendum. I communicated this to the University, and they have accepted this change. Please ask during this report section if you’d like to see the exact wording of the new clause.
Welland Rental Bylaw
The City of Welland is looking at developing a rental properties bylaw which would apply city-wide, not specifically targeted towards student areas. I have not been able to get my hands on a copy of this yet, nor are the public meeting times and locations publicized yet. However, newspaper stories state that this bylaw could cap the number of renters in any dwelling to a maximum of four people. This is a concern, and I have been in communications with Jacquelynn from NCSAC. We will be working together to share information as this proposal moves forward through public meetings and council.
Senate Business
I have placed on the agenda for an upcoming Undergraduate Program Committee meeting the topic of listing minors on a Brock diploma. Currently, only the major is listed, along with any honours or first-class standing, but minors and concentrations are not listed. For students who have worked hard for these accomplishments, their diploma, which will often hang in their office on display for clients and co-workers, should provide full information about their academic achievements.
OUSA Food for Thought
Beginning this week, OUSA is beginning a new campaign called ‘Food for Thought’. We have a team of bloggers and vloggers from OUSA campuses, including our very own Rachel Crane, who will be spending a month eating only on $2.50 per meal all month, the amount that OSAP assesses your need, and then vlogging and blogging about any challenges with finding prepared meals for that price, nutritional content, and other experiences. You can find more information about this on the OUSA website shortly, and it will be picked up by some major newspapers as well.
News from Across the Country
Guelph, Western, and the CFS
Petitions collected early in the fall 2009 are not being recognized by CFS-Ontario for the undergraduate students at Guelph, and the graduate students at Western. Both petitions received the requisite number of signatures, and have been confirmed by the university registrars as meeting the requirements. However, both petitions are being rejected for not confirming to the strict letter of CFS bylaws. The organization claims that petitions must be delivered by registered mail. Both of these were delivered by process server, a public employee sworn under oath to have delivered the materials directly to the door at 4:27pm on September 29th. This is legally a higher standard of proof than registered mail, yet CFS-Ontario refuses to recognize the receipt.
York University
As reported in the Toronto Star and the National Post, MPPs in Ontario unanimously decried the name of “Israeli Apartheid Week”, on campus at York University and in 35 cities around the world. This is the sixth annual week for such an event, which is used to criticize the Israeli government on a number of issues. However, this event receives priority treatment when compared to other groups on campus. The group ‘Christians United for Israel” was trying to hold an event in advance of this week, and were told that their event must pay for all security and policing costs, hand in summaries of all speeches and list all attendees, without allowing for any advertising of the event. These are all conditions that the anti-Israel group does not have to meet.
The logic: a pro-Israel event attracts anti-Israel radical counter-protestors, and the pro-Israel group should have to pay to prepare for this. But, since anti-Israel rallies don’t attract violent counter-protests, they are clear to proceed.
Sometimes, all I can do is just shake my head.
St. Thomas University Students’ Union
Student union elections are in full swing across the country. Last week, the Presidential race at STUSU landed in a dead-tie. Melissa Basterache and current Vice President Education, Ella Henry, finished with the same number of votes after a 24.8% turnout. A run-off vote will be held later to determine the winner.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #11 – Take time off; trust your staff and co-workers
This job is hard. Make no mistake, there are long hours, never-ending projects, and situations that will always crop up. One of the jobs the VPUA usually takes on is media monitoring and management. Last week, a situation arose after a St. Catharines Standard article detailed the assault of a local family, and suspected unnamed Brock students as the culprit. When the story hit the papers, both Brock and BUSU responded with press releases.
That task has usually fallen to me over the last two years, but I was on vacation over Reading Week, which brings me to two important tips. One, take your vacations. You need them, you deserve them, it allows you to refresh and recharge. Nonstop work forces you to miss some of the other exciting aspects of travel, relaxation and being young before you head into a (possibly) lifelong career with more stringent vacation policies. When you want to book a vacation, do so, because you’ll regret not taking it. But most importantly, point 2, BUSU will be fine without you. Trust your staff and fellow executive to handle these events in your absence. The remaining executive, along with Chris and Nazir took care of the details surrounding the press release.
If something needs to happen, it will get done because BUSU is a giant team environment. So take that time off, you deserve it, and someone else will have your back.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
“I believe in the power that comes
From a world brought together as one”
- CTV and Nikki Yanofsky
Thursday, February 18, 2010
OUSA Blog: University Budgets: Crisis or Opportunity?
This has been a whirlwind month of February at Brock University. Like comparable tropical spring break destinations in the southern United States, we too are now covered in a blanket of snow, disappointing the sun-tanners who have been flocking to OUSA’s premiere vacation destination.
Our BUSU elections finished up last week, and I’m proud to welcome OUSA’s newest Steering Committee member, Daud Grewal, to the team. Daud has been a General Assembly delegate over two different years, and brings great energy and enthusiasm to the position.
One of the issues and the he and I will jointly be navigating as my term comes to a close is the issue of University budgets. As regular readers of this blog, or those in-tune with the sector will know, each of our member institutions are going through a budgetary crunch as the institutions try to balance their budgets over a multi-year period. While enrolment continues to rise at Brock and most campuses across Ontario, and tuition has been rising by more than double the rate of inflation, the high costs continue to create budgeting difficulties. Combine this with pension shortfalls, the economic downturn hitting endowments, a provincial government in significant deficit, and the uncertainty coming with the end of the Reaching Higher investment, university administrators are looking for ways to deal with this situation. Last year, Brock’s budget target was closing the gap by 5%, and we ended up coming in at 5.7% through the efforts of all units across the university.
I’ve been careful thus far not to use the word “budget cuts,” even though that’s what most minds would automatically wander to. At Brock, we are in the midst of “budget exercises” looking at not only cuts, but what additional areas of “revenue enhancements” are also possible. Again, many student minds would automatically be alarmed at this prospect, imagining skyrocketing tuition, higher residence prices and greater parking fees. There are, of course, only two major sources of revenue to universities: students and government. If the government is turning off the taps, the burden would naturally fall on the students. However, some of the greatest ideas often come out of tumultuous times. Years ago, at the University of Waterloo, the idea of co-op was borne out of a crunch for space, and not enough faculty to teach all the students. Co-op education has since been emulated worldwide, and is a model for an integrated educational experience.
Last year at Brock, a new program was conceived. Called BOOST (Brock, Offering Opportunities for Successful Turnaround), this program is aimed at students who would otherwise be on academic suspension after their second year of university due to poor performance. This cohort of students, at Brock and elsewhere, is traditionally at the greatest risk of dropping out, as they are not allowed to enrol in courses during their suspension year. BOOST has retained these students on campus, offering a series of workshops, personal development, time-management and other activities, as well as academic rigor. While enrolled in BOOST, students otherwise on suspension are allowed to enrol in a reduced course load.
Is this a great idea? Of course it is! Students-at-risk are being given the help and support they need. Retention rates will increase, and more students will receive the benefit of a university degree.
Does this help out the budget? It does that too. It’s far cheaper to retain existing students than to attract new ones. These students are now taking courses, instead of spending a year away. Brock receives their tuition, the related government BIUs. This one program, one program alone, has prevented $3.1 million in budget cuts. Next year’s “budget exercise” now has a target of 2%, instead of a projected 5%, because of innovative ideas like this. Borne out of budgetary crisis, but amazing results in the right direction, and for the proper reasons.
So as Daud and I motor through my last 2 months in office, I’d love to hear from you. Do you have creative ideas that can improve the educational experience for our students, which also might happen to cost less or attract/retain more students? My door is open, and universities across the province are listening closely.
Rob Lanteigne
VP University Affairs
Brock University Students’ Union
Our BUSU elections finished up last week, and I’m proud to welcome OUSA’s newest Steering Committee member, Daud Grewal, to the team. Daud has been a General Assembly delegate over two different years, and brings great energy and enthusiasm to the position.
One of the issues and the he and I will jointly be navigating as my term comes to a close is the issue of University budgets. As regular readers of this blog, or those in-tune with the sector will know, each of our member institutions are going through a budgetary crunch as the institutions try to balance their budgets over a multi-year period. While enrolment continues to rise at Brock and most campuses across Ontario, and tuition has been rising by more than double the rate of inflation, the high costs continue to create budgeting difficulties. Combine this with pension shortfalls, the economic downturn hitting endowments, a provincial government in significant deficit, and the uncertainty coming with the end of the Reaching Higher investment, university administrators are looking for ways to deal with this situation. Last year, Brock’s budget target was closing the gap by 5%, and we ended up coming in at 5.7% through the efforts of all units across the university.
I’ve been careful thus far not to use the word “budget cuts,” even though that’s what most minds would automatically wander to. At Brock, we are in the midst of “budget exercises” looking at not only cuts, but what additional areas of “revenue enhancements” are also possible. Again, many student minds would automatically be alarmed at this prospect, imagining skyrocketing tuition, higher residence prices and greater parking fees. There are, of course, only two major sources of revenue to universities: students and government. If the government is turning off the taps, the burden would naturally fall on the students. However, some of the greatest ideas often come out of tumultuous times. Years ago, at the University of Waterloo, the idea of co-op was borne out of a crunch for space, and not enough faculty to teach all the students. Co-op education has since been emulated worldwide, and is a model for an integrated educational experience.
Last year at Brock, a new program was conceived. Called BOOST (Brock, Offering Opportunities for Successful Turnaround), this program is aimed at students who would otherwise be on academic suspension after their second year of university due to poor performance. This cohort of students, at Brock and elsewhere, is traditionally at the greatest risk of dropping out, as they are not allowed to enrol in courses during their suspension year. BOOST has retained these students on campus, offering a series of workshops, personal development, time-management and other activities, as well as academic rigor. While enrolled in BOOST, students otherwise on suspension are allowed to enrol in a reduced course load.
Is this a great idea? Of course it is! Students-at-risk are being given the help and support they need. Retention rates will increase, and more students will receive the benefit of a university degree.
Does this help out the budget? It does that too. It’s far cheaper to retain existing students than to attract new ones. These students are now taking courses, instead of spending a year away. Brock receives their tuition, the related government BIUs. This one program, one program alone, has prevented $3.1 million in budget cuts. Next year’s “budget exercise” now has a target of 2%, instead of a projected 5%, because of innovative ideas like this. Borne out of budgetary crisis, but amazing results in the right direction, and for the proper reasons.
So as Daud and I motor through my last 2 months in office, I’d love to hear from you. Do you have creative ideas that can improve the educational experience for our students, which also might happen to cost less or attract/retain more students? My door is open, and universities across the province are listening closely.
Rob Lanteigne
VP University Affairs
Brock University Students’ Union
Saturday, February 13, 2010
BUSAC Report for February 16th
Dear Council, please consider this report in conjunction with the report dated February 2nd, which was released as if a meeting were to take place at that time. It did not, so you will be approving a double-report at this meeting.
Fee Replacement Referendum
As many of you were well aware, I was tasked by BUSAC with running the Yes side of the Fee Replacement Referendum, and spent a very significant amount of time in the halls, and running that campaign during the election period. I am incredibly happy to say that this referendum passed, winning by 505 votes.
Thank you to everyone who helped out, and thank you to all candidates in all races. The winners have received and will continue to receive their congratulations. I want to give a special thank you to those candidates who ran and were unsuccessful. It takes a lot of courage, effort and desire to put your name forward in the public eye and deal with the scrutiny of a campaign process. You all brought ideas forward which will be used next year, and in years to come, to strengthen this organization, despite the fact that you may not be the one to implement them. For those of you who are remaining at Brock next year, I hope you still have the desire to remain involved through council and volunteer/staff efforts. For those of you who are moving on to bigger and better things, please don’t let this process sour your mood, efforts, and time you have spent here your last few years. We have all benefitted from your efforts and ideas, not just in the past two weeks, but from all you have done while you were here.
Senate & Humanities Language Credit Requirements
At the February 10th meeting, Senate voted to remove the faculty-wide requirement from Humanities students to complete a second-language credit. A second vote made this repeal a retroactive one to all students currently at Brock. Individual programs within the Humanities will now determine (some have done so already), what will take the place of that credit in their programs. Some departments will continue to require a language, and may be even more specific about which one to take, while some will replace it with a different required credit, and some will make it an elective. Please visit the main page of www.busu.net for the note to Humanities students which I posted within an hour of the vote for any more information you need.
Upcoming Referendum – Recreation Services
During these two weeks, I met with Karen McAllister-Kenny from Recreation Services to finalize the details for an upcoming referendum which is on the agenda for today’s meeting. Students currently pay $2.00 per credit for the Recreation Facilities Fee, but this fee is set to expire at the end of the summer term. This referendum seeks to renew this ancillary fee, and if it passes, will provide a guarantee that all students will receive the free access to the facilities (gyms, pool, courts, etc) which we do now, in perpetuity, and will initiate a process of collaboration between BUSU and Recreation Services to provide and/or repair gym equipment on the Hamilton Campus annually.
Brock TV
With Sohail on leave, I filled his seat on the Independent Student Filmmaker Designation Committee (ISFDC) which is mandated under the Brock TV referendum of last year. The first student has applied to be an Independent Student Filmmaker, and receive a portion of the 10% set-aside. This committee, which also included Sameer, laid out the parameters and logistics of how an ISF is designated and how the application process will work. We have reviewed the first application as well, and bring it to BUSAC at this meeting for approval as required by last year’s Memorandum of Understanding.
CASA
The International Branch Campuses policy has been finalized for translation to send to the CASA plenary in March. I was the Chair of the committee working on that policy, and have also spent some time commenting and contributing to the upcoming Childcare, Part Time Students, and Teaching Award policies.
I have also sent in my final comments on behalf of BUSU with respect to the proposed new CASA operating bylaws and new Board structure.
OUSA
On Friday the 12th, I attended an OUSA Steering Committee meeting in Toronto. Following the meeting, myself, Alexi, Dan and Justin travelled to the MTCU Offices for a meeting with four senior bureaucrats about the Multi-Year Accountability Agreement process. These are bilateral agreements between universities and the government regarding planning and quality targets. OUSA has proposed a new vision for how these operate alongside institutional planning, with an expanded role for student consultation and allowing universities to establish their own differentiation focuses in areas of strength to them.
Signing Authority + other responsibilities
During the leave of absences, I sat on the Club Policy Committee and approved two funding requests and a club ratification. I was also a BUSU signing officer for these two weeks, taking up some additional time. The Board of Directors did not need to meet in the past two weeks while I was a temporary Director.
School of Fine and Performing Arts
Last week, I finalized and sent off letters in support of the Marilyn I Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts to various government officials, including Dr. Lightstone, all local MPPs, and the Ministers of Training, Colleges and Universities, and Energy and Infrastructure, as well as the Premier. All indications are that there will be no new funding announcements until the provincial budget is delivered in late March, however. (This is very typical of most governmental cycles, they don’t announce new funding or money for about 60-days before a budget is delivered).
News from Across the Country
College Faculty
In a vote last week, college faculty members voted narrowly 51%-49% in favour of the latest contract offer from Colleges Ontario. However, due to the small margin, there are enough outstanding mail-in ballots that an official determination cannot be made. Once those mail-ins are counted, college students will finally know whether their year will be in jeopardy or not.
SFUO at University of Ottawa
In a very bizarre incident on February 5th, the President of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, Seamus Wolfe, was arrested by Ottawa Police.
The incident starts with background: student Marc Kelly had been barred from the university and deregistered from classes by the university for prior incidents on campus. He was also issued an order not to trespass on U of O property. Kelly entered campus and went to an SFUO-leased space, the Academic Appeals Office, to file his academic appeal to be reinstated to the university. The police arrived, and were ready to arrest him when SFUO intervened and claimed they were the legal occupiers of the office. Police asked Wolfe to obtain a copy of the lease for proof, however when he was gone obtaining this, they moved in any way to arrest Kelly.
Wolfe returned after the arrest, and angrily but peacefully demanded to know why the arrest took place while he was away obtaining the lease. At first, the officer refused to respond, but soon began answering angry questions with short responses. When Wolfe swore at the officer, he was arrested. The cameraman following the exchange was also threatened with arrest. View two videos of this incident at http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2010/02/05/video-student-president-arrested/
Alberta Budget
In Alberta, the budget came out last week, including a 6% cut to post-secondary funding. Grants and scholarships were cut by nearly 40%, and students lost their provincial debt-ceiling, which used to stand at $28,560 for a four –year program. That cap was similar to the Ontario OSOG program, which in rough numbers for the traditional four-year undergraduate student caps debt at $28,000.
Students in Alberta may also be facing huge tuition hikes. While tuition is legally allowed to rise by 1.5% annually, the government is opening the door for one-time “market modifiers” to hike tuition levels in high-cost professional programs. At Calgary, courses in Business, Engineering, Law and Medicine could be facing hikes over 45% for next year.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #10 – Statistics Canada and News Releases
Believe it or not, sometimes it is possible to see into the future. Or at least know what stories are going to be big news when, and on which day. A big part of your job is media monitoring, and getting the name of BUSU and the opinion of students into press coverage. On campus, local, provincial, national, whatever you can get.
How do you find out? A lot of media coverage circles data that is released by Statistics Canada. StatsCan doesn’t just throw out reports randomly however, they have a cycle of indicators and reports, and their website gives you a heads up on which days individual reports come out http://www.statcan.gc.ca/release-diffusion/2010-eng.htm. Most organizations, including CASA, OUSA, and (if you choose) BUSU, have their media releases and talking points written and prepared in advance of the data. You will often know the tone of the report, and student messaging is fairly consistent on key issues; they don’t often change from year to year or month to month. As soon as it’s posted, you plug in the numbers, and send. If you’re one of the first few out of the gate, you’re sure to hear a reporter on the phone within a few hours for your comment on the story.
Another way to know what’s coming up, or coming out, is monitoring the Canada News Wire (www.cnw.ca). This can also be followed via Twitter and RSS, other tips from my past. Basically, organizations who have a real important message, including governments, won’t just e-mail their stories directly to local media (like BUSU will), they’ll pay to post them on a national newswire for maximum coverage. OUSA and CASA, CFS and government will all use this medium for the most important releases. Often, organizations may also pre-release CNW, or post a newswire about an impending announcement or press conference to have media and other organizations perk their ears up about “tomorrow’s news”. By checking the newswire regularly, you’ll often know things before they happen, and can prepare BUSU for whatever response may be necessary.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
(Olympic Themed....I’ll be in Vancouver during Reading week!)
“I know this place is where I am
No other place is better than
No matter where I go I am
Proud to be Canadian
I love this country where I am
This land is where I make my stand
No other heart is truer than
The one we call Canadian
I am, you know I am
I am Canadian”
- Old Molson Canadian commercial
Fee Replacement Referendum
As many of you were well aware, I was tasked by BUSAC with running the Yes side of the Fee Replacement Referendum, and spent a very significant amount of time in the halls, and running that campaign during the election period. I am incredibly happy to say that this referendum passed, winning by 505 votes.
Thank you to everyone who helped out, and thank you to all candidates in all races. The winners have received and will continue to receive their congratulations. I want to give a special thank you to those candidates who ran and were unsuccessful. It takes a lot of courage, effort and desire to put your name forward in the public eye and deal with the scrutiny of a campaign process. You all brought ideas forward which will be used next year, and in years to come, to strengthen this organization, despite the fact that you may not be the one to implement them. For those of you who are remaining at Brock next year, I hope you still have the desire to remain involved through council and volunteer/staff efforts. For those of you who are moving on to bigger and better things, please don’t let this process sour your mood, efforts, and time you have spent here your last few years. We have all benefitted from your efforts and ideas, not just in the past two weeks, but from all you have done while you were here.
Senate & Humanities Language Credit Requirements
At the February 10th meeting, Senate voted to remove the faculty-wide requirement from Humanities students to complete a second-language credit. A second vote made this repeal a retroactive one to all students currently at Brock. Individual programs within the Humanities will now determine (some have done so already), what will take the place of that credit in their programs. Some departments will continue to require a language, and may be even more specific about which one to take, while some will replace it with a different required credit, and some will make it an elective. Please visit the main page of www.busu.net for the note to Humanities students which I posted within an hour of the vote for any more information you need.
Upcoming Referendum – Recreation Services
During these two weeks, I met with Karen McAllister-Kenny from Recreation Services to finalize the details for an upcoming referendum which is on the agenda for today’s meeting. Students currently pay $2.00 per credit for the Recreation Facilities Fee, but this fee is set to expire at the end of the summer term. This referendum seeks to renew this ancillary fee, and if it passes, will provide a guarantee that all students will receive the free access to the facilities (gyms, pool, courts, etc) which we do now, in perpetuity, and will initiate a process of collaboration between BUSU and Recreation Services to provide and/or repair gym equipment on the Hamilton Campus annually.
Brock TV
With Sohail on leave, I filled his seat on the Independent Student Filmmaker Designation Committee (ISFDC) which is mandated under the Brock TV referendum of last year. The first student has applied to be an Independent Student Filmmaker, and receive a portion of the 10% set-aside. This committee, which also included Sameer, laid out the parameters and logistics of how an ISF is designated and how the application process will work. We have reviewed the first application as well, and bring it to BUSAC at this meeting for approval as required by last year’s Memorandum of Understanding.
CASA
The International Branch Campuses policy has been finalized for translation to send to the CASA plenary in March. I was the Chair of the committee working on that policy, and have also spent some time commenting and contributing to the upcoming Childcare, Part Time Students, and Teaching Award policies.
I have also sent in my final comments on behalf of BUSU with respect to the proposed new CASA operating bylaws and new Board structure.
OUSA
On Friday the 12th, I attended an OUSA Steering Committee meeting in Toronto. Following the meeting, myself, Alexi, Dan and Justin travelled to the MTCU Offices for a meeting with four senior bureaucrats about the Multi-Year Accountability Agreement process. These are bilateral agreements between universities and the government regarding planning and quality targets. OUSA has proposed a new vision for how these operate alongside institutional planning, with an expanded role for student consultation and allowing universities to establish their own differentiation focuses in areas of strength to them.
Signing Authority + other responsibilities
During the leave of absences, I sat on the Club Policy Committee and approved two funding requests and a club ratification. I was also a BUSU signing officer for these two weeks, taking up some additional time. The Board of Directors did not need to meet in the past two weeks while I was a temporary Director.
School of Fine and Performing Arts
Last week, I finalized and sent off letters in support of the Marilyn I Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts to various government officials, including Dr. Lightstone, all local MPPs, and the Ministers of Training, Colleges and Universities, and Energy and Infrastructure, as well as the Premier. All indications are that there will be no new funding announcements until the provincial budget is delivered in late March, however. (This is very typical of most governmental cycles, they don’t announce new funding or money for about 60-days before a budget is delivered).
News from Across the Country
College Faculty
In a vote last week, college faculty members voted narrowly 51%-49% in favour of the latest contract offer from Colleges Ontario. However, due to the small margin, there are enough outstanding mail-in ballots that an official determination cannot be made. Once those mail-ins are counted, college students will finally know whether their year will be in jeopardy or not.
SFUO at University of Ottawa
In a very bizarre incident on February 5th, the President of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, Seamus Wolfe, was arrested by Ottawa Police.
The incident starts with background: student Marc Kelly had been barred from the university and deregistered from classes by the university for prior incidents on campus. He was also issued an order not to trespass on U of O property. Kelly entered campus and went to an SFUO-leased space, the Academic Appeals Office, to file his academic appeal to be reinstated to the university. The police arrived, and were ready to arrest him when SFUO intervened and claimed they were the legal occupiers of the office. Police asked Wolfe to obtain a copy of the lease for proof, however when he was gone obtaining this, they moved in any way to arrest Kelly.
Wolfe returned after the arrest, and angrily but peacefully demanded to know why the arrest took place while he was away obtaining the lease. At first, the officer refused to respond, but soon began answering angry questions with short responses. When Wolfe swore at the officer, he was arrested. The cameraman following the exchange was also threatened with arrest. View two videos of this incident at http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2010/02/05/video-student-president-arrested/
Alberta Budget
In Alberta, the budget came out last week, including a 6% cut to post-secondary funding. Grants and scholarships were cut by nearly 40%, and students lost their provincial debt-ceiling, which used to stand at $28,560 for a four –year program. That cap was similar to the Ontario OSOG program, which in rough numbers for the traditional four-year undergraduate student caps debt at $28,000.
Students in Alberta may also be facing huge tuition hikes. While tuition is legally allowed to rise by 1.5% annually, the government is opening the door for one-time “market modifiers” to hike tuition levels in high-cost professional programs. At Calgary, courses in Business, Engineering, Law and Medicine could be facing hikes over 45% for next year.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #10 – Statistics Canada and News Releases
Believe it or not, sometimes it is possible to see into the future. Or at least know what stories are going to be big news when, and on which day. A big part of your job is media monitoring, and getting the name of BUSU and the opinion of students into press coverage. On campus, local, provincial, national, whatever you can get.
How do you find out? A lot of media coverage circles data that is released by Statistics Canada. StatsCan doesn’t just throw out reports randomly however, they have a cycle of indicators and reports, and their website gives you a heads up on which days individual reports come out http://www.statcan.gc.ca/release-diffusion/2010-eng.htm. Most organizations, including CASA, OUSA, and (if you choose) BUSU, have their media releases and talking points written and prepared in advance of the data. You will often know the tone of the report, and student messaging is fairly consistent on key issues; they don’t often change from year to year or month to month. As soon as it’s posted, you plug in the numbers, and send. If you’re one of the first few out of the gate, you’re sure to hear a reporter on the phone within a few hours for your comment on the story.
Another way to know what’s coming up, or coming out, is monitoring the Canada News Wire (www.cnw.ca). This can also be followed via Twitter and RSS, other tips from my past. Basically, organizations who have a real important message, including governments, won’t just e-mail their stories directly to local media (like BUSU will), they’ll pay to post them on a national newswire for maximum coverage. OUSA and CASA, CFS and government will all use this medium for the most important releases. Often, organizations may also pre-release CNW, or post a newswire about an impending announcement or press conference to have media and other organizations perk their ears up about “tomorrow’s news”. By checking the newswire regularly, you’ll often know things before they happen, and can prepare BUSU for whatever response may be necessary.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
(Olympic Themed....I’ll be in Vancouver during Reading week!)
“I know this place is where I am
No other place is better than
No matter where I go I am
Proud to be Canadian
I love this country where I am
This land is where I make my stand
No other heart is truer than
The one we call Canadian
I am, you know I am
I am Canadian”
- Old Molson Canadian commercial
Friday, January 29, 2010
Report for the BUSAC Meeting that shall not take place
Ok, so there actually is no BUSAC on February 2nd anymore due to the number of candidates running in the Executive elections. But I get lonely if I don’t write a report every two weeks, so here’s a rundown of my activities for your consideration.
Pre-Budget Consultations
On Monday January 25th, I had the opportunity to present to the provincial Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, as they were doing their pre-budget consultations in Niagara Falls. This was a very exclusive opportunity: only 8 days of consultations are taking place across the entire province, which means a maximum of 200 organizations presenting their budget recommendations in person. I’m honoured that the committee chose BUSU, and it should also be noted that the student unions at Western (the USC), and at Queens (the AMS), as well as OUSA, all received invitations to present. It shows the dedication and priority that the government will be placing on education moving forward.
In a 10 minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of questioning, I was able to speak on two main themes: financial aid including OSAP reform, and support for the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, which needs a further $26.1 million in funding for the downtown location, or it places the entire project in collaboration with the Niagara Centre for the Arts in jeopardy. Following the presentation, I also received questions about university-college credit transfer, and MPP Levac tracked me down in the hallways afterwards when questioning time ran out.
This was a big preparation process for this submission in a short time, and I’m very pleased with the reception and the results I hope we can expect in the March budget.
OCUFA Conference
On Friday the 22nd and Saturday the 23rd, I was in Toronto for a conference hosted by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations – the equivalent of OUSA for faculty unions across the province. The theme was “Financing Higher Education in the Current Economic Climate”, and it brought forward many prominent speakers and panellists, including professors, former University presidents, former Deputy Ministers in government, and other education stakeholders. I attended, along with Dan, Alexi and Paul from OUSA. There was very valuable insight, discussion, and new statistics to learn. Some very compelling arguments were made that there are many things we might be able to fix and do by reorganizing our own spending, and how long term planning combined with uncertain government funding can be made manageable.
Many of the slides and presentations are available at http://www.ocufa.on.ca/conferences.conf2010.gk
Blue Chair
Blue Chair week took place from the 18th to the 22nd as noted. By the end of the week, we had over 2000 signatures on the petition to reform OSAP, had given out over 300 cans of food and over 1000 fortune cookies, and collected around 30 video testimonials about experiences with OSAP. Those will be forwarded on to OUSA for editing and meshing, while we can use the rest of it for our lobby efforts here based at BUSU.
24-hour Space
I had some follow-up discussions with Kim Meade and Steven Pillar following our pilot project from December. I am very pleased to say that once again we have permission to use the Kenmore Centre as 24-hour space during the April exam period.
Further to that, however, here’s the best news. Next year, the Kenmore Centre will be available ALL YEAR LONG as an overnight study space. Between 11pm and 7am it will be dedicated every night for open study. Unfortunately, it will not be 24-hours, even during exams next year, but with other existing space on campus during the other hours, this fills the unmet need that we have, and have asked for this whole year.
I will continue to implement and monitor a comment box to gather feedback this spring, so we can improve the space for the fall, adding things like vending machines, addressing issues of parking, and other improvements that could be made. Shout out to Alex Kidd for his excellent work getting the ball rolling on this initiative.
Go Transit Rail Plan
On Wednesday the 27th, I attended a public information session about GO expansion into the Niagara Region. This is the early stages of a multi-phase project about having commuter train service to the region by 2016. There are some very exciting options from a Brock student perspective, including a possible hub at Glendale Avenue. Importantly though, for Hamilton students, or those who commute between the St. Catharines and Hamilton campuses, is a proposed new stop just 6km from that campus. With hubs better integrated with municipal transit options by that time, it should be possible to take public transit, campus-to-campus, in under 2 hours if both stations are built and frequencies are timed right.
If you go to the BUSU website and click one of the recent news stories on this topic, you will be able to find the study, which is still open and available for public comment.
Inter-Municipal Transit
On Thursday the 28th, I attended a Regional Council committee of the whole meeting, dedicated to the issue of inter-municipal transit.
I’m going to back up a step to deliver some background. Under Ontario law, the lowest-tier municipalities have jurisdiction over transit operations. Within Niagara, currently St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls are the major transit operators. Port Colborne, Fort Erie and Thorold contract their services from the “big three”.
To give the Regional Council the ability to legislate or influence public transit in any way, what’s needed is known as the “triple majority”
Regional council must pass a motion
A majority (7/12) of the lower-tier municipalities must vote in favour
The municipalities voting in favour must comprise at least 50% of Niagara’s population
This triple-majority happened a few years ago, and the Region now operates to specialized transit business. The most the Region could currently do with respect to regional transit is to give unconditional grants. As soon as any condition, even as bare-bones as saying “run buses between our cities” is attached to the grant, that stretches beyond current regional powers.
At this meeting, it was expected that council would take the first step and endorse a city staff recommendation to vote on the first part of the triple majority. Instead, they voted to proceed with phase 2 of the study for more information before asking the municipalities, but put clear timelines: the study must be done by May, and councils must vote on the Triple Majority by July. The 40-year fight to do something about transit will come to a vote this summer!, although unfortunately after my tenure as a student representative is over.
CASA Policy
I am the working group chair for an upcoming policy on International Branch Campuses – basically when Canadian universities or colleges set up a campus in a foreign country under the same name, as many universities are now doing or planning. After a few conference calls with committee members, I wrote the first draft of the policy and have posted it on the CASA Basecamp software for other members to review. Policies are due in two weeks to be submitted for translation and proper notice before the next CASA conference in March. Please contact me if you’ve got any interest or suggestions for this one.
OUSA
Beyond joint assistance with all of our pre-budget submissions, and attending the OCUFA conference with some fine OUSA folk, there hasn’t been much on the OUSA front the past few weeks. Blue Chair is wound down and everyone is in prebudget mode for the most part. Except for Alvin, who got married and decided that his honeymoon was more important than coming into work. Congratulations to Alvin and Rebecca!
Other Meetings
In addition to the above, I’ve also had meetings with:
The Alumni Association
Brock Government Relations
Senate
Senate committees (2)
Kim Meade (2)
Steven Pillar (2)
Dr. Lightstone
Karen McAllister-Kenny
The All Candidates Meeting
Club Policy Committee
Attended an IMSEEJ meeting
University Sustainability Committee
And drop-in meetings with candidates who were looking for some pre-election guidance with various topics.
It was certainly a very busy two weeks, and not likely to get any easier, because...
Election Prep
As you know, I’m running the Yes side of the Fees Replacement Referendum. Most of the prep is in place and done, and watch out for the referendum as the Elections hit you full force at 9am Monday morning.
News from Across the Country
“Your Student Association”
Your-SA is the name of the students’ union that jointly represents students at Durham College, UOIT, and Trent in Oshawa. Last week, their council voted to join the College Student Alliance (CSA) provincial lobby group on behalf of their college students. Congratulations to them!
Alma Matter Society at UBC
Latest fun facts from UBC surround their recent elections. This year, executive elections represent the end of one term and the beginning of the next (no transition process for the President and VP External, as council voted to change the start times of the next term so current the current President and VP External would not be in power during the Vancouver Olympics – see previous reports mentioning the United Nations complaint), their names were on a referendum ballot for impeachment anyway. President Blake Frederick was impeached by a 76% vote, and failed to win his seat on ANY of Senate, Board of Governors, or [the newspaper] Board. The impeachment motion for Tim Chu failed to reach quorum, however his bid for re-election failed resoundingly.
During the same election was a vote on the question of an “Engagement Levy”. This would be a $5 fee charged to students, and only refunded if a student voted in the AMS Executive Elections. Any money not returned would be used for activities of engagement on campus, which was vaguely non-specified. Fortunately for UBC students, this referendum also failed to reach quorum. There’s a lot of irony in that statement.
University of Ottawa/Carleton University
City Council in Ottawa voted in favour of establishing a U-Pass for the two Ottawa schools. Cost will be $145 per term, if passed by referendum on either one of the two campuses.
Kwantlen University-College/CFS-BC
Kwantlen is a member of CFS-BC, and, like my job within OUSA, appoints a representative to sit on their provincial body’s board of directors. In February 2009, their Director of External Affairs, Derek Robertson, was re-elected to his position within the KSA. CFS-BC refused to recognize Robertson as a director on their Board, citing that he campaigned against the CFS during a failed referendum in 2008. Robertson and the KSA sued the CFS to argue for representation of their elected member on a board which their members pay dues to, and otherwise would have no representation.
The Supreme Court ruled last week that Robertson has a right to be on the CFS-BC Board, and that nothing in the BC Society Act of the CFS Bylaws can prevent them from ratifying the choice of a member school. Ironically, after the passage of ‘Motion Six’ at the AGM last month, the CFS is now entrenching dissenting members on their provincial boards all-across the country, thanks to this precedent-setting ruling in BC.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #9 – Saints win by 4.
Kidding. Actual tip: University Affairs Magazine
This magazine is free to institutions, student unions, groups, and others in the post-secondary world in Canada (and I’ve made sure BUSU’s subscription of two copies per month comes regularly). It’s funded by the job posting ads in the back of the magazine which contain most of the faculty, dean and senior administration hiring efforts in the country, this is one of the most read publications across the sector each week.
Fortunately, you can get in on the fun without a subscription at www.universityaffairs.ca for their full monthly magazine content. But what makes it even more fun and useful, is the additional sections. News, media scans, opinion columns, discussing all the topics that become relevant week in-week out in this job. Reading it regularly keeps you on top of all the contextual information that must always swirl in your head as you evaluate the current state of education in Canada. For especially thought-provoking or timely reads, make sure you check out “Margin Notes”, a blog by deputy editor Leo Charbonneau. His thoughts, or the articles he points to through twitter, are certainly always worthy of a read.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
“Say the right things when electioneering
I trust I can rely on your vote”
- Radiohead
Pre-Budget Consultations
On Monday January 25th, I had the opportunity to present to the provincial Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, as they were doing their pre-budget consultations in Niagara Falls. This was a very exclusive opportunity: only 8 days of consultations are taking place across the entire province, which means a maximum of 200 organizations presenting their budget recommendations in person. I’m honoured that the committee chose BUSU, and it should also be noted that the student unions at Western (the USC), and at Queens (the AMS), as well as OUSA, all received invitations to present. It shows the dedication and priority that the government will be placing on education moving forward.
In a 10 minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of questioning, I was able to speak on two main themes: financial aid including OSAP reform, and support for the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, which needs a further $26.1 million in funding for the downtown location, or it places the entire project in collaboration with the Niagara Centre for the Arts in jeopardy. Following the presentation, I also received questions about university-college credit transfer, and MPP Levac tracked me down in the hallways afterwards when questioning time ran out.
This was a big preparation process for this submission in a short time, and I’m very pleased with the reception and the results I hope we can expect in the March budget.
OCUFA Conference
On Friday the 22nd and Saturday the 23rd, I was in Toronto for a conference hosted by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations – the equivalent of OUSA for faculty unions across the province. The theme was “Financing Higher Education in the Current Economic Climate”, and it brought forward many prominent speakers and panellists, including professors, former University presidents, former Deputy Ministers in government, and other education stakeholders. I attended, along with Dan, Alexi and Paul from OUSA. There was very valuable insight, discussion, and new statistics to learn. Some very compelling arguments were made that there are many things we might be able to fix and do by reorganizing our own spending, and how long term planning combined with uncertain government funding can be made manageable.
Many of the slides and presentations are available at http://www.ocufa.on.ca/conferences.conf2010.gk
Blue Chair
Blue Chair week took place from the 18th to the 22nd as noted. By the end of the week, we had over 2000 signatures on the petition to reform OSAP, had given out over 300 cans of food and over 1000 fortune cookies, and collected around 30 video testimonials about experiences with OSAP. Those will be forwarded on to OUSA for editing and meshing, while we can use the rest of it for our lobby efforts here based at BUSU.
24-hour Space
I had some follow-up discussions with Kim Meade and Steven Pillar following our pilot project from December. I am very pleased to say that once again we have permission to use the Kenmore Centre as 24-hour space during the April exam period.
Further to that, however, here’s the best news. Next year, the Kenmore Centre will be available ALL YEAR LONG as an overnight study space. Between 11pm and 7am it will be dedicated every night for open study. Unfortunately, it will not be 24-hours, even during exams next year, but with other existing space on campus during the other hours, this fills the unmet need that we have, and have asked for this whole year.
I will continue to implement and monitor a comment box to gather feedback this spring, so we can improve the space for the fall, adding things like vending machines, addressing issues of parking, and other improvements that could be made. Shout out to Alex Kidd for his excellent work getting the ball rolling on this initiative.
Go Transit Rail Plan
On Wednesday the 27th, I attended a public information session about GO expansion into the Niagara Region. This is the early stages of a multi-phase project about having commuter train service to the region by 2016. There are some very exciting options from a Brock student perspective, including a possible hub at Glendale Avenue. Importantly though, for Hamilton students, or those who commute between the St. Catharines and Hamilton campuses, is a proposed new stop just 6km from that campus. With hubs better integrated with municipal transit options by that time, it should be possible to take public transit, campus-to-campus, in under 2 hours if both stations are built and frequencies are timed right.
If you go to the BUSU website and click one of the recent news stories on this topic, you will be able to find the study, which is still open and available for public comment.
Inter-Municipal Transit
On Thursday the 28th, I attended a Regional Council committee of the whole meeting, dedicated to the issue of inter-municipal transit.
I’m going to back up a step to deliver some background. Under Ontario law, the lowest-tier municipalities have jurisdiction over transit operations. Within Niagara, currently St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls are the major transit operators. Port Colborne, Fort Erie and Thorold contract their services from the “big three”.
To give the Regional Council the ability to legislate or influence public transit in any way, what’s needed is known as the “triple majority”
Regional council must pass a motion
A majority (7/12) of the lower-tier municipalities must vote in favour
The municipalities voting in favour must comprise at least 50% of Niagara’s population
This triple-majority happened a few years ago, and the Region now operates to specialized transit business. The most the Region could currently do with respect to regional transit is to give unconditional grants. As soon as any condition, even as bare-bones as saying “run buses between our cities” is attached to the grant, that stretches beyond current regional powers.
At this meeting, it was expected that council would take the first step and endorse a city staff recommendation to vote on the first part of the triple majority. Instead, they voted to proceed with phase 2 of the study for more information before asking the municipalities, but put clear timelines: the study must be done by May, and councils must vote on the Triple Majority by July. The 40-year fight to do something about transit will come to a vote this summer!, although unfortunately after my tenure as a student representative is over.
CASA Policy
I am the working group chair for an upcoming policy on International Branch Campuses – basically when Canadian universities or colleges set up a campus in a foreign country under the same name, as many universities are now doing or planning. After a few conference calls with committee members, I wrote the first draft of the policy and have posted it on the CASA Basecamp software for other members to review. Policies are due in two weeks to be submitted for translation and proper notice before the next CASA conference in March. Please contact me if you’ve got any interest or suggestions for this one.
OUSA
Beyond joint assistance with all of our pre-budget submissions, and attending the OCUFA conference with some fine OUSA folk, there hasn’t been much on the OUSA front the past few weeks. Blue Chair is wound down and everyone is in prebudget mode for the most part. Except for Alvin, who got married and decided that his honeymoon was more important than coming into work. Congratulations to Alvin and Rebecca!
Other Meetings
In addition to the above, I’ve also had meetings with:
The Alumni Association
Brock Government Relations
Senate
Senate committees (2)
Kim Meade (2)
Steven Pillar (2)
Dr. Lightstone
Karen McAllister-Kenny
The All Candidates Meeting
Club Policy Committee
Attended an IMSEEJ meeting
University Sustainability Committee
And drop-in meetings with candidates who were looking for some pre-election guidance with various topics.
It was certainly a very busy two weeks, and not likely to get any easier, because...
Election Prep
As you know, I’m running the Yes side of the Fees Replacement Referendum. Most of the prep is in place and done, and watch out for the referendum as the Elections hit you full force at 9am Monday morning.
News from Across the Country
“Your Student Association”
Your-SA is the name of the students’ union that jointly represents students at Durham College, UOIT, and Trent in Oshawa. Last week, their council voted to join the College Student Alliance (CSA) provincial lobby group on behalf of their college students. Congratulations to them!
Alma Matter Society at UBC
Latest fun facts from UBC surround their recent elections. This year, executive elections represent the end of one term and the beginning of the next (no transition process for the President and VP External, as council voted to change the start times of the next term so current the current President and VP External would not be in power during the Vancouver Olympics – see previous reports mentioning the United Nations complaint), their names were on a referendum ballot for impeachment anyway. President Blake Frederick was impeached by a 76% vote, and failed to win his seat on ANY of Senate, Board of Governors, or [the newspaper] Board. The impeachment motion for Tim Chu failed to reach quorum, however his bid for re-election failed resoundingly.
During the same election was a vote on the question of an “Engagement Levy”. This would be a $5 fee charged to students, and only refunded if a student voted in the AMS Executive Elections. Any money not returned would be used for activities of engagement on campus, which was vaguely non-specified. Fortunately for UBC students, this referendum also failed to reach quorum. There’s a lot of irony in that statement.
University of Ottawa/Carleton University
City Council in Ottawa voted in favour of establishing a U-Pass for the two Ottawa schools. Cost will be $145 per term, if passed by referendum on either one of the two campuses.
Kwantlen University-College/CFS-BC
Kwantlen is a member of CFS-BC, and, like my job within OUSA, appoints a representative to sit on their provincial body’s board of directors. In February 2009, their Director of External Affairs, Derek Robertson, was re-elected to his position within the KSA. CFS-BC refused to recognize Robertson as a director on their Board, citing that he campaigned against the CFS during a failed referendum in 2008. Robertson and the KSA sued the CFS to argue for representation of their elected member on a board which their members pay dues to, and otherwise would have no representation.
The Supreme Court ruled last week that Robertson has a right to be on the CFS-BC Board, and that nothing in the BC Society Act of the CFS Bylaws can prevent them from ratifying the choice of a member school. Ironically, after the passage of ‘Motion Six’ at the AGM last month, the CFS is now entrenching dissenting members on their provincial boards all-across the country, thanks to this precedent-setting ruling in BC.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #9 – Saints win by 4.
Kidding. Actual tip: University Affairs Magazine
This magazine is free to institutions, student unions, groups, and others in the post-secondary world in Canada (and I’ve made sure BUSU’s subscription of two copies per month comes regularly). It’s funded by the job posting ads in the back of the magazine which contain most of the faculty, dean and senior administration hiring efforts in the country, this is one of the most read publications across the sector each week.
Fortunately, you can get in on the fun without a subscription at www.universityaffairs.ca for their full monthly magazine content. But what makes it even more fun and useful, is the additional sections. News, media scans, opinion columns, discussing all the topics that become relevant week in-week out in this job. Reading it regularly keeps you on top of all the contextual information that must always swirl in your head as you evaluate the current state of education in Canada. For especially thought-provoking or timely reads, make sure you check out “Margin Notes”, a blog by deputy editor Leo Charbonneau. His thoughts, or the articles he points to through twitter, are certainly always worthy of a read.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
“Say the right things when electioneering
I trust I can rely on your vote”
- Radiohead
Friday, January 15, 2010
VPUA Report for BUSAC, January 19, 2010
Welcome to the first report of 2010!
CASA
Things are mostly quiet on the CASA front right now. There are a few regular meetings of the Policy Committee and the sub-committee on International Branch Campuses, which I chair, but there has not been too much activity to report about the organization from during the holiday period.
At the federal level, however, the government has decided to cut funding to the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL). This, along with the loss of the Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN), and the end of the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, means that there are no more independent non-profit research bodies left in the higher education sector in Canada. Certainly, some research will continue to be done by StatsCan, by CASA and the partnership, the CFS, and private firms such as EPI, but this is a huge blow the PSE sector. Only research into our own system, methods and performances will allow us to improve as a nation and develop a stronger and better education sectors in an increasingly competitive world.
OUSA
Steering Committee met on January 8th in Toronto for our regular monthly meeting. OUSA is developing a pledge on teaching quality, which we hope can be adopted by individual universities, providing a commitment to the protection and growth of quality in these times of budget cuts. I have also put forth BUSU’s name for the pre-budget consultations when the committee travels to Niagara Falls, and other OUSA schools have done the same in their local areas, with the Home Office hoping for one of the Toronto meetings.
The organization is on track for 4 policies for General Assembly this spring, along with two policy updates. I have not been tasked with any of these this semester, but will be helping with supporting research on many of the topics. OUSA does now, however have a full set of operating, financial, and HR policies.
More can be found in the section about Blue Chair in this report.
Academic Issues
I have been working on two main academic issues since the last BUSAC. The first is the Brock Travel Policy, which I may have mentioned in previous reports. This is something that the university is developing for all trips which involve students who travel for any academic purposes, and faculty/staff who travel for job-related functions. This is not a policy which BUSU would be subject to, however it involves a significant number of students who would be on co-ops, internships, conferences, even field trips. I have shared my thoughts on this draft with the appropriate departments, and I believe that versions will be coming to senate soon.
The second issue I have been working on is with respect to “pop assignments.” I would classify these as being one where the professor has the ability to walk in at the start of class one day, and assign a paper/project that is due within 48 hours. A restriction on the ability to assign these would not prevent take-home exams, or anything else where a due date is known well in advance and presented in the syllabus, but is simply intended to protect students from surprise assignments when they may be scheduled to work, babysit, or have other commitments one evening and have no reasonable chance of finishing an assignment. Alex has been doing some work for me regarding how other universities treat this issue, and I am currently awaiting response from the committee of Deans about where progress will go next.
24-hour space/Student Lounge Space
The 24-hour space in the Kenmore Centre during exams was a huge success. The number of people self-reporting their attendance in the ballot box became so overwhelming that I had to stop tracking all users, to focus only on those who used the space overnight. Our total count of self-reported overnight users was 99 people during exams, with an expectation that more people used it but did not bother to report. This bodes very well for the argument that many people would use such a space if it were offered consistently, and I will be working with the university for more permanent solutions.
One of those solutions may be the creation of a brand new student lounge which could become 24 hours once it is renovated. I don’t want to identify the space yet in case it does not work out, but there is a department that is moving elsewhere in the university and vacating space near the middle of campus, in an area which we believe could be reasonably converted into a secure location. I have been asked for, and delivered, a formal proposal to turn this area into a student lounge, and am awaiting responses from the administration about how we can proceed.
Executive Retreat
Chris, Nazir and the executive took 5 days to get away from the distractions of St. Catharines and have a planning retreat moving forward for the second semester. Much of our work focused on the upcoming (now passed) Frost Week, as well as the BUSU budget, divisional budgets, HR and staffing through the second semester, transitions, longer-term directions moving forward from BUSU, and a sort of stop-and-reset for the year to refresh us for the new term.
Blue Chair Campaign
So, why are there some blue chairs around the campus, you ask? Well, this is the third year of OUSA’s Blue Chair campaign. The empty blue chair represents the potential of a student who is qualified to attend university, but cannot attend due to barriers placed in their way, or not removed from their way. The different OUSA member schools then take this theme and use it on their own campuses to promote what OUSA does, and some aspect of our lobbying agenda.
This year at Brock, we are focusing on OSAP, and a number of problems with that program. Beginning with how it doesn’t fully fund what it assesses a student’s need to be, frozen loan maximums for the last four years, overestimating parental contributions, insufficient part-time job and personal savings exemptions, underestimating food and textbooks and more, there are a number of issues which OUSA has presented to the government in our submission for the next multi-year plan for how to fix the OSAP program. We are asking for students to sign our petition to the government to fix the OSAP program, as well as recording your thoughts on video for combination and presentation with the other OUSA member schools.
Make sure you stop by the OUSA displays in the hallway to sign the petition, grab a fortune cookie, and if you’re lucky enough, you might even find free food around the school and win other great prizes.
Other
There have been a number of other activities I’ve spent time on, most of them revolve around preparation and planning. Frost Week and Blue Chair week both took up significant time for me. I’ve begun writing my transition manual for the next VPUA, and of course preparing as I run the ‘Yes’ side in the Fees Replacement Referendum.
I also held one lobby-ish meeting. One of the upcoming federal election candidates for the next election approached me to discuss their party’s ideas for post-secondary education, and I prepared a four-page document for them about their party’s previous election platform, CASA’s current priorities, and some other BUSU issues. Of course, with parliament currently prorogued until March, we will not see an election until exams at the earliest, but all parties are preparing their platforms for what may happen after the throne speech and budget.
News from Across the Country
College Professors in Ontario
The college professors held a vote last Wednesday on whether to give their union a strike mandate. Across the province, about 57% of them voted in favour of giving that strike mandate. This does not necessarily mean a strike will be forthcoming, as this gives their union a little more bargaining leverage, but it is now possible. At least five days notice must be given, and the union has indicated that nothing will happen until at least February, but we may see a large strike in the college system at one of the worst times – when a very large number of people have recently been laid off and are returning to school on government-supported job retraining.
University of Alberta Students’ Union
The President of UASU has resigned his job for personal reasons. This leaves the other four executives scrambling to fill the work of five people for the rest of the year.
University of Victoria Student Society/Camosun College Student Society/ Alma Matter Society at UBC
Over in British Columbia, the CCSS recently sent aside $3000 to petition on behalf of the CFS during the upcoming referendum on the campus of University of Victoria, about whether UVSS should remain members of CFS. The petition to defederate was not driven from within the current UVSS executive but by other organized students on campus. The CCSS claims that the student unions have a sibling-like relationship, and remaining with the CFS is in the best interest of both unions. A UVSS motion to “enact a policy of disapproval towards external financial interference” and “respectfully requesting [the CCSS] to end all financial allocations to the campaign” was ultimately defeated by the council, following debate where the tone was that student unions should not be in the position of telling other student unions what to do.
Ironically, at the exact same meeting, the very same UVSS council voted to send a letter to the AMS at UBC asking them to re-submit their human rights complaint to the United Nations (I mentioned this story in my last report). Don’t like telling other student unions what to do?.....you be the judge.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #8 – Make a difference where you can, when you can. (It’s a long one)
So, we’re now into election season. The next BUSAC meeting following this one will be during the election period, so I’m carefully timing this “job tip”. This job tip is inspired by one of my Candidate’s Cafe slides, and this “tip” straddles that fuzzy grey line between my experiences, and my hopes for future candidates. But because nobody can release a platform yet, I’m ruling this tip as “fair game” as a result of what I truly believe about how this position operates, and it’s something I think is applicable to candidates in all positions.
There are a number of very overt and obvious student wishes. We’d like to see lower tuition, more grants, better university funding, smaller classes, buses every 5 minutes, and more. Heck, I would love a monorail direct to downtown, a direct phone line to the Premier, and a bridge over Lake Ontario to cut the commuting time for our GTA students. And if you asked 1000 students, 90% or more would agree with every single one of these things. But we don’t live in a perfect world with unlimited funding, and zero consequences. If you make these things the centerpieces of your platform, you won’t be able to deliver on them.
Let me explain. Because they’re so overt and obvious, student leaders across this country have been talking about them and asking various levels of government about them for years (well, maybe not my monorail, bridge or phone line. But the others for sure). That’s over 120 student unions. Over 500 student leaders. Every single year. For at least the past two decades. That’s 10,000 people. Please do not try and convince your electorate that you have some magic power, special skill, or power of persuasion that 10,000 leaders before you did not have. You cannot “try harder”, “work longer”, or “do better” than 10,000 people before you in achieving these objectives. Very smart people have come before you, very smart people will come after you. If the time and stars align, we may partially achieve some of those things, but I guarantee that you alone do not have any brand-new-never-before-heard idea that will solve every problem in education. Especially because most, if not all, of these issues require bags of money that governments simply don’t have. I’m not saying don’t try for these things, and if you have the opportunity, please do. But don’t make “lower tuition” the centerpiece of your election campaign when it’s something that you truly cannot deliver.
Instead, please focus on the ideas that you can accomplish. If you’ve identified methods that could be improved. If you’ve identified needs and gaps that can be filled. Structural deficiencies, holes to patch, resources to give, efficiencies to find. You’re more likely to be able to solve “problems” within the university, than within “the system”, but don’t let that stop you from dreaming. Tell your constituents what you plan to lobby for, but don’t stick to the same old ideas that anybody could think of with 5 minutes of brainstorming. Use that creative thinking to come up with solutions to the problems our student face on a regular basis.
If you have solutions that involve money, provide full solutions. When you’re trying to convince people to do something, it’s a lot easier if you can show full benefits, potential for monetary savings, and impacts. When I walk into lobby meetings, especially this year, the first question I always get is “where should this money come from”. Know how you want to answer that question, and why your project is better than the one you’re finding the money with. Our university is in debt. Our province is in debt. Our country is in debt. Nobody has rolls of cash to throw at you, but there are ways you can make a difference. To point to just one that was tackled this year and is ongoing – 24 hour space. It had an extremely minimal cost, yet makes a huge difference for someone who needs quiet space on campus during exams.
The job is hard, convincing people is harder. But if you want this job, be prepared to work with others. Contrary to what many believe, there are very few people who set out to “screw students”. People work in universities because they believe in the power of them, including making and moulding better students. If given the right motivation and rationales, you can accomplish a whole lot.
But I promise you. If you come into this job and spend your first five months talking about nothing but lower tuition, you’ll get a pat on the head from every politician and every administrator, and they’ll just wait. Their term lasts longer than yours does. They’ll implement their own plan anyway, and just wait for the next VPUA to come along and give them real, achievable solutions. So make yours count, for the benefit of the students at Brock.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
“There’s something good
Waiting down this road
I’m picking up
Whatever is mine”
- Tom Petty
CASA
Things are mostly quiet on the CASA front right now. There are a few regular meetings of the Policy Committee and the sub-committee on International Branch Campuses, which I chair, but there has not been too much activity to report about the organization from during the holiday period.
At the federal level, however, the government has decided to cut funding to the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL). This, along with the loss of the Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN), and the end of the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, means that there are no more independent non-profit research bodies left in the higher education sector in Canada. Certainly, some research will continue to be done by StatsCan, by CASA and the partnership, the CFS, and private firms such as EPI, but this is a huge blow the PSE sector. Only research into our own system, methods and performances will allow us to improve as a nation and develop a stronger and better education sectors in an increasingly competitive world.
OUSA
Steering Committee met on January 8th in Toronto for our regular monthly meeting. OUSA is developing a pledge on teaching quality, which we hope can be adopted by individual universities, providing a commitment to the protection and growth of quality in these times of budget cuts. I have also put forth BUSU’s name for the pre-budget consultations when the committee travels to Niagara Falls, and other OUSA schools have done the same in their local areas, with the Home Office hoping for one of the Toronto meetings.
The organization is on track for 4 policies for General Assembly this spring, along with two policy updates. I have not been tasked with any of these this semester, but will be helping with supporting research on many of the topics. OUSA does now, however have a full set of operating, financial, and HR policies.
More can be found in the section about Blue Chair in this report.
Academic Issues
I have been working on two main academic issues since the last BUSAC. The first is the Brock Travel Policy, which I may have mentioned in previous reports. This is something that the university is developing for all trips which involve students who travel for any academic purposes, and faculty/staff who travel for job-related functions. This is not a policy which BUSU would be subject to, however it involves a significant number of students who would be on co-ops, internships, conferences, even field trips. I have shared my thoughts on this draft with the appropriate departments, and I believe that versions will be coming to senate soon.
The second issue I have been working on is with respect to “pop assignments.” I would classify these as being one where the professor has the ability to walk in at the start of class one day, and assign a paper/project that is due within 48 hours. A restriction on the ability to assign these would not prevent take-home exams, or anything else where a due date is known well in advance and presented in the syllabus, but is simply intended to protect students from surprise assignments when they may be scheduled to work, babysit, or have other commitments one evening and have no reasonable chance of finishing an assignment. Alex has been doing some work for me regarding how other universities treat this issue, and I am currently awaiting response from the committee of Deans about where progress will go next.
24-hour space/Student Lounge Space
The 24-hour space in the Kenmore Centre during exams was a huge success. The number of people self-reporting their attendance in the ballot box became so overwhelming that I had to stop tracking all users, to focus only on those who used the space overnight. Our total count of self-reported overnight users was 99 people during exams, with an expectation that more people used it but did not bother to report. This bodes very well for the argument that many people would use such a space if it were offered consistently, and I will be working with the university for more permanent solutions.
One of those solutions may be the creation of a brand new student lounge which could become 24 hours once it is renovated. I don’t want to identify the space yet in case it does not work out, but there is a department that is moving elsewhere in the university and vacating space near the middle of campus, in an area which we believe could be reasonably converted into a secure location. I have been asked for, and delivered, a formal proposal to turn this area into a student lounge, and am awaiting responses from the administration about how we can proceed.
Executive Retreat
Chris, Nazir and the executive took 5 days to get away from the distractions of St. Catharines and have a planning retreat moving forward for the second semester. Much of our work focused on the upcoming (now passed) Frost Week, as well as the BUSU budget, divisional budgets, HR and staffing through the second semester, transitions, longer-term directions moving forward from BUSU, and a sort of stop-and-reset for the year to refresh us for the new term.
Blue Chair Campaign
So, why are there some blue chairs around the campus, you ask? Well, this is the third year of OUSA’s Blue Chair campaign. The empty blue chair represents the potential of a student who is qualified to attend university, but cannot attend due to barriers placed in their way, or not removed from their way. The different OUSA member schools then take this theme and use it on their own campuses to promote what OUSA does, and some aspect of our lobbying agenda.
This year at Brock, we are focusing on OSAP, and a number of problems with that program. Beginning with how it doesn’t fully fund what it assesses a student’s need to be, frozen loan maximums for the last four years, overestimating parental contributions, insufficient part-time job and personal savings exemptions, underestimating food and textbooks and more, there are a number of issues which OUSA has presented to the government in our submission for the next multi-year plan for how to fix the OSAP program. We are asking for students to sign our petition to the government to fix the OSAP program, as well as recording your thoughts on video for combination and presentation with the other OUSA member schools.
Make sure you stop by the OUSA displays in the hallway to sign the petition, grab a fortune cookie, and if you’re lucky enough, you might even find free food around the school and win other great prizes.
Other
There have been a number of other activities I’ve spent time on, most of them revolve around preparation and planning. Frost Week and Blue Chair week both took up significant time for me. I’ve begun writing my transition manual for the next VPUA, and of course preparing as I run the ‘Yes’ side in the Fees Replacement Referendum.
I also held one lobby-ish meeting. One of the upcoming federal election candidates for the next election approached me to discuss their party’s ideas for post-secondary education, and I prepared a four-page document for them about their party’s previous election platform, CASA’s current priorities, and some other BUSU issues. Of course, with parliament currently prorogued until March, we will not see an election until exams at the earliest, but all parties are preparing their platforms for what may happen after the throne speech and budget.
News from Across the Country
College Professors in Ontario
The college professors held a vote last Wednesday on whether to give their union a strike mandate. Across the province, about 57% of them voted in favour of giving that strike mandate. This does not necessarily mean a strike will be forthcoming, as this gives their union a little more bargaining leverage, but it is now possible. At least five days notice must be given, and the union has indicated that nothing will happen until at least February, but we may see a large strike in the college system at one of the worst times – when a very large number of people have recently been laid off and are returning to school on government-supported job retraining.
University of Alberta Students’ Union
The President of UASU has resigned his job for personal reasons. This leaves the other four executives scrambling to fill the work of five people for the rest of the year.
University of Victoria Student Society/Camosun College Student Society/ Alma Matter Society at UBC
Over in British Columbia, the CCSS recently sent aside $3000 to petition on behalf of the CFS during the upcoming referendum on the campus of University of Victoria, about whether UVSS should remain members of CFS. The petition to defederate was not driven from within the current UVSS executive but by other organized students on campus. The CCSS claims that the student unions have a sibling-like relationship, and remaining with the CFS is in the best interest of both unions. A UVSS motion to “enact a policy of disapproval towards external financial interference” and “respectfully requesting [the CCSS] to end all financial allocations to the campaign” was ultimately defeated by the council, following debate where the tone was that student unions should not be in the position of telling other student unions what to do.
Ironically, at the exact same meeting, the very same UVSS council voted to send a letter to the AMS at UBC asking them to re-submit their human rights complaint to the United Nations (I mentioned this story in my last report). Don’t like telling other student unions what to do?.....you be the judge.
VPUA Job Tip of the Week
Tip #8 – Make a difference where you can, when you can. (It’s a long one)
So, we’re now into election season. The next BUSAC meeting following this one will be during the election period, so I’m carefully timing this “job tip”. This job tip is inspired by one of my Candidate’s Cafe slides, and this “tip” straddles that fuzzy grey line between my experiences, and my hopes for future candidates. But because nobody can release a platform yet, I’m ruling this tip as “fair game” as a result of what I truly believe about how this position operates, and it’s something I think is applicable to candidates in all positions.
There are a number of very overt and obvious student wishes. We’d like to see lower tuition, more grants, better university funding, smaller classes, buses every 5 minutes, and more. Heck, I would love a monorail direct to downtown, a direct phone line to the Premier, and a bridge over Lake Ontario to cut the commuting time for our GTA students. And if you asked 1000 students, 90% or more would agree with every single one of these things. But we don’t live in a perfect world with unlimited funding, and zero consequences. If you make these things the centerpieces of your platform, you won’t be able to deliver on them.
Let me explain. Because they’re so overt and obvious, student leaders across this country have been talking about them and asking various levels of government about them for years (well, maybe not my monorail, bridge or phone line. But the others for sure). That’s over 120 student unions. Over 500 student leaders. Every single year. For at least the past two decades. That’s 10,000 people. Please do not try and convince your electorate that you have some magic power, special skill, or power of persuasion that 10,000 leaders before you did not have. You cannot “try harder”, “work longer”, or “do better” than 10,000 people before you in achieving these objectives. Very smart people have come before you, very smart people will come after you. If the time and stars align, we may partially achieve some of those things, but I guarantee that you alone do not have any brand-new-never-before-heard idea that will solve every problem in education. Especially because most, if not all, of these issues require bags of money that governments simply don’t have. I’m not saying don’t try for these things, and if you have the opportunity, please do. But don’t make “lower tuition” the centerpiece of your election campaign when it’s something that you truly cannot deliver.
Instead, please focus on the ideas that you can accomplish. If you’ve identified methods that could be improved. If you’ve identified needs and gaps that can be filled. Structural deficiencies, holes to patch, resources to give, efficiencies to find. You’re more likely to be able to solve “problems” within the university, than within “the system”, but don’t let that stop you from dreaming. Tell your constituents what you plan to lobby for, but don’t stick to the same old ideas that anybody could think of with 5 minutes of brainstorming. Use that creative thinking to come up with solutions to the problems our student face on a regular basis.
If you have solutions that involve money, provide full solutions. When you’re trying to convince people to do something, it’s a lot easier if you can show full benefits, potential for monetary savings, and impacts. When I walk into lobby meetings, especially this year, the first question I always get is “where should this money come from”. Know how you want to answer that question, and why your project is better than the one you’re finding the money with. Our university is in debt. Our province is in debt. Our country is in debt. Nobody has rolls of cash to throw at you, but there are ways you can make a difference. To point to just one that was tackled this year and is ongoing – 24 hour space. It had an extremely minimal cost, yet makes a huge difference for someone who needs quiet space on campus during exams.
The job is hard, convincing people is harder. But if you want this job, be prepared to work with others. Contrary to what many believe, there are very few people who set out to “screw students”. People work in universities because they believe in the power of them, including making and moulding better students. If given the right motivation and rationales, you can accomplish a whole lot.
But I promise you. If you come into this job and spend your first five months talking about nothing but lower tuition, you’ll get a pat on the head from every politician and every administrator, and they’ll just wait. Their term lasts longer than yours does. They’ll implement their own plan anyway, and just wait for the next VPUA to come along and give them real, achievable solutions. So make yours count, for the benefit of the students at Brock.
Closing Lyric of the BUSAC
“There’s something good
Waiting down this road
I’m picking up
Whatever is mine”
- Tom Petty
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