WHAT THE F*#% IS "OUSA?"
BY MORGANNE KING WALE, OUSA CAMPUS COORDINATOR; GUEST WRITER FOR MACINSIDERS
OUSA is the Ontario Undergradute Student Alliance. It's a lobby group that meets with government officials, bureaucrats, and youth party representatives regarding issues important to post-secondary education.
"What kind of issues?" You may ask. Well, at our most recent meeting, the OUSA fall general assembly held in Windsor, discussions concerning tuition, faculty, Aboriginal students, rural & northern students, quality of education, and students with dependents occurred. Not enough for you? If you feel there is an aspect of post-secondary education that is not being addressed, let us know about it! I want to know what YOU think so that OUSA can continue to be a student-driven organization.
Who is representing post-secondary students in these discussions? Students themselves, of course! Delegates from each member university (McMaster, Western, Waterloo, Laurier, Brock, Queen's, Windsor) represented their school and its students in these discussions. The number of delegates from each school is based on that school's number of student members of OUSA (aka undergraduate & professional students). Mac's delegates were Azim Kasmani (MSU president), Casey Park (external affairs commissioner), Cary Ferguson (government relations assistant), Chris Martin (university affairs commissioner), Michelle Lanteigne (SRA nursing), Vishal Tiwari (MSU VP education), and me (MSU OUSA campus co-ordinator). We represented Mac well, if i do say so myself, if I do say so myself, and provided a lot of insight into policy discussions throughout the weekend's meetings.
So you might be wondering how this relates to you, a Mac student. Well, it doesn't. No, no, I'm just kidding. OUSA is a vital part of post-secondary education discussions in Ontario. For example, a lot of the aspects within the Reaching Higher plan set out by the Ontario government are the result of OUSA lobbying. The policies that are set by student delegates at OUSA's bi-annual general assembly meetings are further directed by the OUSA steering committee which is composed of a member from each member university (Mac's is our MSU VP education, Vishal Tiwari). The steering committee members continue to work for OUSA between our bi-annual meetings.
If you want to learn more about OUSA and what it does for you and what it can do for you, check out
ousa.ca or contact me at
[email protected] or contact Vishal at
[email protected] or you can come by and meet members of the OUSA StReEt TeAm this Thursday, November 6th. We're having an information table in MUSC with buttons and pamphlets and cupcakes! So come by and check us out!
