High price to pay to ‘save’ semester

Re College teachers forced back to work, Nov. 20 As a student in a compressed graduate program of distinction, the time line proposed to “save” this semester is preposterous.

We have lost five weeks. I personally have missed several keynote speakers, industry trips and experiences that are supposed to make me an emerging expert in my field.

Starting on Nov. 21, the proposed schedule will go until Dec. 22 and then we are back for Jan. 2. The fall semester ends Jan. 12. That is five weeks that will supposedly contain nine weeks of lessons and content to keep the semester.

Not counting students’ mental health, and holiday plans that are now near impossible (semester was supposed to end Dec. 15 with a start of Jan. 8), there is simply no way that any student will get a quality semester.

In my humble opinion, as someone caught in the crossfire, would it not make sense to consider this semester a waste and just start anew in January 2018? True, that would mean going through the summer, but if that means getting a quality, non-rushed semester with everything my $13,000 (not including textbooks or materials) tuition’s worth, I’ll be OK. Victoria G. Chiu, Toronto

The Liberal party has betrayed Ontario’s workers, undermined a fundamental Canadian right and established a very dangerous precedent. The Liberals have signalled to their employer friends that they need no longer worry about negotiation. Just as worryingly, they have signalled to nurses, teachers, librarians and all public-sector workers that their collective bargaining days are numbered. Jeremy Greenberg, Toronto

I find Wynne and her government shockingly disrespectful of the teachers who helped to elect her. Now that she’s premier, she’s supporting the administrators against them. Many students will find themselves in the same situation when they graduate if nothing is done to improve working conditions. Irma Orchard, Toronto