Why we shouldn’t passively accept Ford’s changes to campus life, and who has the power to oppose them
I’ll admit it, we’re living in dark times, folks. As most students in Ontario know, the Ford government recently announced their plans to make OSAP less accessible to students in need. In particular, students from families earning under $50,000 per year will no longer be eligible for the grants that made their schooling tuition-free, and on which they relied to attend post-secondary school. Many students on campus recognize this as a cruel and callous move from a spiteful government. The Ford government also unveiled its further changes to university fees, which would make some ancillary (non-tuition) fees voluntary to pay, including those which are the lifeline of student organizations. Unsurprisingly, the government has left it in the hands of university administration to determine which fees are too essential to be paid on a voluntary basis and which fees ought to be voluntary. You know, administration? Those folks who charge obscene prices for textbooks, online course codes, and parking; all of which are facts of campus life that students have little choice but to accept.
You know, administration? Those folks who charge obscene prices for textbooks, online course codes, and parking; all of which are facts of campus life that students have little choice but to accept.
Well, that’s not entirely true. Let me rephrase that last part. Students do have some choice to defy university administration and the government. For example, on our campus, students have banded together, despite the powerful forces weighing against them, to sell each other textbooks at discounted rates through the Co-op Bookstore. Guelph students have also acted to design services that make their lives a little bit cheaper, such as the Guelph Student FoodBank, and have negotiated the Guelph Transit Bus Pass. Moreover, students are able to access free tampons and can attain a sense of security at night through SafeWalk. Both measures aim to correct gender oppression. Staff at The Bike Centre help keep students’ bikes in good shape while the Student Help and Advocacy Centre (SHAC) offers a host of services (including legal advice on how to deal with exploitative landlords). Through all these accomplishments, students are able to better manage the pressures of day-to-day life, and feel a little bit more connected to one another. All of these services are made possible through the Central Student Association (CSA), which is the only organization on campus that can serve students’ material needs on a large-scale basis. The CSA is operated by students who are democratically-chosen by other students, with folks running for election every winter semester.
However, every year the CSA is almost always plagued with noncompetitive elections and vacant positions on the Board of Directors. I have many opinions for why this is, but now is not the time to delve into any of them. What I will say is this: the only reason Ford is threatening student unions’ funds is because he sees them as a threat. He doesn’t want a unified response to his attack on students at-large, particularly low-income students. Instead, Ford wants passive and silent acceptance of his changes to our campus.
To tell the truth, Doug Ford doesn’t scare me. What does scare me is the thought of the CSA being unwilling to defend itself, Guelph students, and all student-led organizations against these attacks. Which is why, this year, I am calling on all students opposed to Ford’s attacks on our campus to run for election to the CSA Board of Directors.
Which is why, this year, I am calling on all students opposed to Ford’s attacks on our campus to run for election to the CSA Board of Directors.
The work of the CSA is hard, but it’s not complicated. In fact, the only thing anyone really needs to serve students is a fundamental belief in our campus democracy. And indeed, the strongest members of the CSA (in my view) are those most committed to fighting the good fight, expressing students’ needs, and embodying the courage and energy of Guelph students. I believe that we are all capable of leading this fight, and together we must. The years ahead will require the creativity and the boldness of our talented Guelph students, many of whom I’ve been lucky to meet. Visit the CSA main office. The nomination period to get your name on the ballot will be from Monday, Feb. 4 to Monday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m.
Run yourself, run your friends, run your TA, run anybody. The time to claim your role in the union is now.
Photo by Alora Griffiths/The Ontarion