Our Mandate
The Okanagan College Students’ Union operates under three very important mandates. We aim to ensure that post-secondary education is of high quality, publicly funded, and we hold education decision makers and stakeholders accountable to students. OCSU strives to achieve these goals by providing the students of Okanagan College with advocacy, services, and events.
Advocacy
- Campaigns
- Lobbying government officials
- Lobbying college administrators
- Providing support with grade appeals and academic + non-academic
challenges
Services
- Free supplies such as handbooks, reusable water bottles, lip balm and pens
- Free safer sex supplies, menstrual hygiene products, and hand sanitizer
- Extended Health & Dental benefits for eligible students
- Student food banks
- Local & BC-wide student discounts
- Subsididal services such as legal aid
Events
- Fostering campus community & student connections
- Promoting stress relief and improving mental health on campus
- Educating members about important campaigns and causes
- Empowering students
- Free food
Statement in Support of Justice, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
The Okanagan College Students’ Union stands in solidarity and allyship with our members from marginalized communities/our members who experience discrimination/our members from BIPOC communities/our members who experience systemic oppression/our members burdened by legacies of discrimination, and all people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender queer, two-spirit, and all other non-binary identities. We see you, you are valid, you are important, you are loved. We know and believe that all human beings have a right to safe spaces, to dignity, and to equality; especially those whose rights may be more easily violated, ignored, or not fulfilled. OCSU denounces any action that diminishes the integrity and human rights of any person, and will always advocate to protect and preserve the rights of vulnerable members in our community and society.
OCSU recognizes the diverse backgrounds and experiences of all of our members. We recognize that in recent years a spotlight has been shown on the long-overdue need for more justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all spaces of our society and communities. OCSU is committed to creating an inclusive community where all members and their experiences are seen as valued and truthful. OCSU is committed to unlearning internalized racial biases, widening our understanding of the varied and multicultural backgrounds of our members and advocating for those who have been marginalized or systematically disadvantaged. We work diligently to remove barriers wherever possible and are committed to on-going education for all our members.
Our Commitment to Sustainability
OCSU is dedicated to using sustainable and ethically sourced products for all promotional and frosh materials wherever possible. We believe that we must care for our planet, be accountable and conscious of our consumption, and aim to provide reusable, recycled and/or recyclable materials at every reasonable opportunity. We also acknowledge our responsibility to seek fair trade and/or ethically sourced consumables for our events.
Our Commitments:
- Recyclable and BPA free plastics in our reusable water bottles
- Recycled plastics and paper, and vegetable-based ink in our member handbooks
- Fair trade and ethically sourced companies for promotional materials, apparel and consumables whenever possible
- Engaging and educating on the importance of sustainability
- Minimizing our environmental footprint through conscious decisions and consumption
- Working with campus partners to help promote ethically sourced consumables and fair trade items
- Supporting local small businesses
- Continuing to educate our members through events about sustainability and an environmentally conscious life
Bottled Water Free on Campus
We are pleased to report that our Salmon Arm Campus is completely bottled water free! Our Penticton Campus is 90% bottled water free, with only one vending machine still selling bottled water. Our goal remains to one day see Okanagan College commit to being completely bottled water free. If you would like to help us with this, we encourage you to stop by your OCSU office to sign our petition and encourage your peers to use reusable water bottles.
So Why Plastic OCSU Water Bottles?
Our water bottles are made without BPA and are meant to be used repeatedly. While plastic water bottles are not the most environmentally friendly, we do our best with what is within reasonable cost. By making these bottles free, we are hopeful that students will opt for our reusable bottles instead of purchasing single-use ones.
Connect
Kelowna
Penticton
Salmon Arm