Student Letter to Okanagan College Leadership
The OCSU is asking its members to join us in a Student Solidarity Walk Out on November 2nd at 10:30am because Okanagan College is leaving students out of conversations and decisions; because Okanagan College has abandoned its historic student-centered values; and because Okanagan College has had a steep decline of quality, and student centered, delivery of services. We are gathering in the courtyard and will be making a public statement to students of OC, OC leadership, and the BC Government about our four demands of Okanagan College:
Cancel the 8.6% increase on international students. Your actions are disrespectful, unethical, and inequitable. Okanagan College and the BC Government must implement regulations to international student fees.
Bring back a student-orientated food service in the cafeteria. Hosting expensive local vendors in the cafeteria space is inappropriate, contributes to food insecurity, and was not decided on with proper consultation or input from students.
Reinstate Student Association-elected student observers at Board of Governors Meetings. This institution doesn’t run without its students. Putting up additional red tape to make decisions for students by the deciding body is unethical, bringing in students that are all hand-picked from just one faculty is inequitable, and shutting out student elected student leaders is counterproductive.
OC must publicly join its students in lobbying the government to fix the funding model for the post secondary education so that the weight of funding Okanagan College is taken off the backs of its own students. It's not right for students to carry this burden, and this ask is the bare minimum responsibility of Okanagan College when speaking with the government.
Students are encouraged to wear all black, submit pre-drafted letters to OC leadership, the Board of Governors, and the Ministry of Advanced Education, and to stand in solidarity with each other and OCSU in asking our institution to do better for its students. OCSU student reps will begin the event with a march past the President and Executive offices in the S-Building at 10:25am. All students are welcome to march with us from there, or they can join us outside in the courtyard at 10:30.
We sincerely hope we can count on your support, the more students who stand with us, the more likely we will be able to enact change.
In Solidarity,
OCSU