From time-to-time, the CSA launches member-driven campaigns to influence government or to raise awareness about an issue important to Ontario’s college and college-university students. These campaigns are student-focused and the entire membership participates in making them successes.
Grants Reloaded (www.grantsreloaded.ca)
The College Student Alliance (CSA) and its members across Ontario are
joining with the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) and
thousands of other Canadian college, technical and university students
calling for the renewal of the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation (CMSF)
beyond 2009. Currently, the CMSF provides over $350 million per year to
Canadian college, technical and university students through its many grant,
bursary and scholarship programs. Ontario students receive the largest
portion of assistance from CMSF with over $130 million per year going into
the hands of over 51,000 postsecondary students at Ontario colleges and
universities. Check out how many bursaries, scholarships and grants have
been issued to students at your college by clicking the link below:
http://www.millenniumscholarships.ca/en/map.asp?province=ON
Help us tell the federal
government that grants and the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation are
important and worth continuing beyond 2009.
Check Yourself (www.speakuporshutup.ca)
With Ontarians heading to the polls on 10.10.07; the CSA and its members felt it was important to engage, educated and empower students on campus to vote. When you look at the demographic information of who votes in elections it isn’t 18 to 24 year olds. With postsecondary education (PSE) being the gateway to economic and personal prosperity; Ontarians demand that the next government of Ontario continue to invest in its colleges and students. Your vote, as an Ontario college student, matters and can make a difference—but only if you exercise that right to vote!
After over a decade and half of under-funding and cuts to postsecondary education and skills training, Ontario finally saw a commitment and infusion of funds, but there is much more than needs to be done to ensure that Ontario does become a ‘Leader in Learning’. Our young people, who have the most at stake, can lead the way and demand through their vote that PSE issues are brought to the forefront by our government officials and kept there!
CollegeStrike.com (CollegeStrike.com)
During the 18-day faculty strike in March 2006 and two previous potential work stoppages, the CSA was at the forefront, advocating on behalf of Ontario’s students. The effect of the most recent strike was felt by all 150,000 full-time college and college-university students and over 350,000 part-time students, whose education and training were stopped abruptly after both sides could not reach an agreement before the strike deadline.
A month before the deadline the CSA launched CollegeStrike.com, an unbiased information source for concerned citizens, parents and students. The site received over 10 million hits, prompted over 1000 calls to the CSA head office and sent over 4000 emails to the appropriate parties involved with the strike.
In addition to the site, the CSA also worked with the membership to stage a demonstration at Queen’s Park called “Students are NOT pawns.” As the CSA felt as if students were being used as pawns in a game between the management and the faculty, a giant chess board was set up in front of the Legislature. The demonstration garnered local, provincial and national media attention, and the two parties went back to the bargaining table shortly thereafter.
capTUITIONnow
When the Honourable Christopher Bentley was appointed the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, he made it a priority to meet with key stakeholders during consultation to develop a new tuition fee policy. The CSA advocated for a predictable framework and provided a realistic, workable solution that included capping tuition increases to the rate of inflation, as determined by the consumer price index.
Aside from being a key player in the dialogue with the Minister, the CSA and its members launched a campaign to drive home its position.
On November 1, 2005, the petition campaign was launched. In just two weeks, over 26,599 petitions were signed by concerned Ontario students, telling the Minister and Premier Dalton McGuinty to cap tuition.
Although not pleased with the rate tuition was capped at, the CSA took great pride in the fact that the Minister had put a cap on tuition increases, creating a predictable, accountable framework.
|
