Algonquin and La Cité students face hardships
Strike-related semester extension could affect Christmas break, part-time work
For students in the environmental technician program at Algonquin College’s Pembroke campus, news that the fall semester will be extended into January because of the faculty strike hit hard.
Students in the final semester of the 1 1/2-year course expected to finish in December, said class spokesperson David Thomassin. Several already have jobs lined up. Others have leases that expire at the end of December and are now looking for places to stay, he said.
“A lot of our students are kind of freaked out.”
They are among thousands of students adjusting their plans after Algonquin and La Cité colleges announced they will cancel most of the Christmas break and extend the fall term into January to make up for lost coursework.
La Cité has also cancelled its February study break, and Algonquin has warned students to avoid making travel plans because it may have to do the same.
Neither college has announced how far the fall term will extend into January, because that depends on when the strike ends.
The 12,000 professors, instructors, counsellors and librarians walked off the job across the province on Oct. 16. Key issues in the dispute are the growing number of part-time contract instructors and how much control professors should have over course content and evaluations.
The changes being made to the college calendar also affect students who planned to go home during breaks or who have parttime jobs.
Keren Amegnigan, a nursing student, works two days a week at a dental office. She drives from her home in Orléans to Algonquin’s Pembroke campus for classes the other three days.
If any of her courses is re-scheduled for the days she works, it will be a problem. She also planned to work at Christmas and during the February break.
“My boss is really understanding. I’m lucky, but still …”
Officials at Algonquin and La Cité say they will try to avoid extending the school year into May, but that too depends on how long the strike lasts. That would be disastrous, says Amegnigan. “I work full-time in the summer so I can afford to go to school.”
She also wonders how the class time and required hours of clinical practice will be made up. “As a student, we’re told that we can’t miss even one day of (clinical placement) or we’ll be talked to. And if we miss two, we’ll fail.”
Amegnigan was supposed to begin a placement in January, caring for patients in a long-term care facility. She fears she won’t be prepared after missing so many weeks of classes. “Honestly, we’ve been on strike almost as long as we’ve been in school.”
Rhonda Gilbert says students should be consulted about how the academic year will be reconfigured.
For instance, she would like the chance to redo her semester at St. Lawrence College in Kingston in January, at no extra cost. Other students favour extending the term. “We want a voice,” said Gilbert, who is in her third and final year of a human resources course.
Gilbert said she’s worried some courses will be condensed, leaving students shortchanged. “You can’t possibly just cram things down their throats, expect them to know it, give them a diploma and ship them out the door.”
She and a few fellow students are organizing student rallies at colleges across Ontario next week to pressure both the union and management to end the strike. Students want to get back to class and expect a tuition refund, said Gilbert.
Faculty are set to vote on an offer from management Nov. 14 to 16. The College Employer Council that negotiates for the 24 colleges asked for a vote to be organized by the Ontario Labour Relations Board. The Public Service Employees Union has advised members to vote against the offer.
If a majority of union members accept the offer, the strike will be over. If they vote down the offer, the labour dispute continues.
Both sides have said they are willing to bargain in the meantime, but there is no indication that’s happening.
As for whether students will get a refund in tuition to make up for lost classes, that’s up to the province to decide. Friday, however, the minister for post-secondary education announced that colleges will have to put the money they save during the strike into a dedicated fund to help students who face financial hardship because of the dispute. jmiller@postmedia.com twitter.com/JacquieAMiller