Tuition refunds offered
College classes resuming today
Completing the semester before Jan. 10 won’t be ideal for Niagara College students who have been away from the classroom since mid- October.
But for many of them, said student administrative council president Ryan Huckla, the new timeline is feasible.
“Is this timeline ideal for students? No. But neither was the strike,” he said in an interview Monday as Ontario’s more than 12,000 college professors returned to their jobs after the province passed backtowork legislation Sunday.
Despite resuming classes today, Huckla said many students he’s spoken with are concerned that they “have forgotten everything they learned in that first five weeks of school, because it has been five weeks since their last class.”
Niagara College communications manager Mike Wales said college faculty returned to class Monday to develop plans to allow their students to complete the semester within the revised timeline.
While plans being developed for the weeks to come will have “common guiding principles,” Wales said they will also vary to meet the demands of individual programs.
At the same time, he said the focus of educators will be on “ensuring all key learning outcomes are met” for students within various programs.
Full- time and international students facing unexpected costs as a result of the strike may be eligible for up to $ 500 in financial assistance, the provincial government announced Monday.
The funding is meant to cover expenses such as child- care fees, re- booked train or bus tickets and January rent. The province is expecting students will be able to apply to their college for financial assistance starting this week.
“I have heard from students about hardships they have experienced as a result of this strike. It is clear that they have borne the brunt of this situation,” Advanced Education Minister Deb Matthews said in a statement Monday.
“That’s why we are taking these measures to ensure students have the support they need to complete their studies.”
The provincial New Democratic Party said Monday that the $ 500 reimbursement cap is not enough support for strike- weary students.
“Students were forced to put their lives on hold for five weeks,” NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said in a statement.
“Students have paid the price for the premier’s inaction — they paid academically, emotionally and financially — $ 500 will simply not be enough for many students to recover.”
Regardless, Huckla said that money will help.
“It will assist a lot of students,” he said. “More details are coming down the line on some of the key points and the details of how everything is going to work.”
The province also announced that students who drop out of college because of the strike will receive a full tuition refund.
Apprenticeship students can also apply for a full refund, if they can’t complete their in- school training because of the strike.
In the NDP statement, education critic Peggy Sattler criticized the province’s promised tuition refund.
“Many students don’t want a compressed semester, they want a fresh start in the new year. They are demanding a full tuition refund so they can get the complete semester they paid for,” she said.
“The Wynne Liberals announcement this morning suggests that only students who drop out will get a refund. It’s done nothing but create more chaos and confusion for these people who have already been through so much.”
Huckla said some students are anxious about completing the semester after being away from class for more than a month, and might be considering withdrawing from class and resuming their studies next fall.
He said the offer of a full refund gives students a choice.
But that’s not a decision to take lightly, Wales said.
“If students do take this route ( withdraw), we’re asking them to make an informed decision,” Wales said. “We’re asking them to wait to see the semester completion plan that’s being posted for their program ( Tuesday), and to speak to an academic adviser.”
Wales said there are additional costs to be considered by students thinking about dropping out.
“We’re asking them to make an informed decision and weigh any additional costs, whether it’s monetary or opportunity costs that would be associated with postponing their education and career plans.”
Under the back- to- work legislation Bill 178, approved Sunday, all outstanding issues between Ontario Public Service Employees Union and the College Employer Council will be referred to binding mediation- arbitration — a process that could take months, said union bargaining team member Darryl Bedford.
“It’s not ideal, we would have preferred a negotiated settlement. But we’re back,” he said, adding both sides have five days to mutually select an arbitrator.
“We now have to go to binding arbitration and make our case. Bargaining continues, it’s just a very different phase … Hearings are to start, I think, within 30 days. It’s a long road from here still.”
NDP representatives are also calling on colleges to extend more mental health and academic supports to students dealing with strike- related anxiety and depression now that they’re facing a condensed semester.
Huckla said students will still get their week off in February — which is vital to help students deal with stress.
“It’s nice to see the college looking out for students’ mental health,” he said.
Students are also hoping teachers and college administrators will be able to resolve their differences in the months to come, Huckla added.
Despite unresolved contract issues between the colleges and teachers, Wales said the focus for both parties in days to come is “on ensuring that we have the information and the supports and resources available for students.”
“There are obviously some issues and concerns that the college will be engaging in as we move forward, but in the short term we’re really going to rally around our students.”
More than 12,000 college professors, instructors, librarians and counsellors walked off the job Oct. 16 after negotiations between OPSEU and the colleges stalled.
The five- week job action — which cast some half- million students out of class — in Niagara College’s case for four weeks of learning — has lasted longer than any other faculty strike in the five- decade history of Ontario’s public college system.
Niagara College president Dan Patterson was involved in planning meetings Monday and not available for comment.