Student representatives on the Board of Governors of both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University are seeking a $1 million investment to improve their school’s mental health systems in the wake of the fifth student death in the past 10 months at the U of O.
BOG looks to approve Transformation 2030, the university’s strategic plan for the next decade
University will run a $17.4 million deficit while tuition will jump 12 per cent for international students.
The meeting will be held on May 27 in Tabaret Hall’s Senate Chamber
On Tuesday the Ontario government announced they would double their 2018-19 investment in a fund for programs combating sexual violence on campuses, and released a series of new requirements for post-secondary institutions alongside their summary report of the 2018 Student Voices on Sexual Violence Survey.
The SFUO is like a boyfriend who asks for grocery money, only to turn around and buy $10,000 worth of fireworks.
I think there’s about 40,000 students who have a much better idea on how to spend that money. Perhaps the university could try offsetting tuition costs, or at least not raise tuition a month after finding out they have a surplus of $15 million.
The letter highlights a series of recommendations for a new student union: a constitution that can only be amended at an annual General Assembly with a majority vote, elections managed by an independent third party, a model of governance which includes mechanisms for punitive action should trust be breached, and accountability to its membership.
If the university is able to learn about student life on its own, it certainly shouldn’t be leaving it up to outside ratings to connect the dots to find a serious problem with student satisfaction, especially when all the pieces have been in front of them for years.
Indeed, students and the administration need to work in tandem to make mental health care timely, affordable, and effective at this university. Next year, we hope that we will be able to concretely say that yes, we are doing better.
