Mental health is a topic that is becoming increasingly prominent across Ontario post-secondary institutions. Yet few people truly understand its significance and the impact mental illness has on individuals, institutions, and society at large. The College Student Alliance (CSA) believes furthering the discussion of mental health on college campuses, and ensuring this topic continues to be top of mind, can result in sustainable changes made to how we address this important issue. We have just released our policy paper entitled, Mental Health In Ontario’s Post-secondary Education System, which provides an overview of recent trends, student challenges, and makes specific recommendations to address mental health illness and promote mental well-being on our college campuses.

Students who suffer from a mental health illness often find it to be a debilitating experience that can result in difficult circumstances.  The College Student Alliance believes change must happen. Our recommendations, if enacted, can bring assistance and support to students who suffer from a variety of mental illnesses and help promote mentally healthy lifestyles. In the midst of serious economic constraints it is important that all stakeholders within the post-secondary sector work together and provide government decision makers with workable and sustainable solutions. Over the next month the CSA will participate in a number of conferences to continue the dialogue amongst PSE stakeholders including representation from colleges and universities. However it is what happens after these conferences that are vital to the progression of change within our institutions. We are committed to keeping this a priority and seek to gain the support and collaboration with our PSE colleagues to bring about change through government action.

Research has indicated that students are faced with mental health issues at an early age but oftendo not seek help due to existing stigmas that exist. A greater awareness of the signs of mental illness, promotion of storng mental health, de-stigmatization campaigns and functioning support services can help to bring greater mental health across Ontario’s campuses. Take the time to read our research paper, Mental Health in Ontario’s Post Secondary Education System (see full) and find out what different stakeholders can can do within their circles of influence. Visit the Canadian Mental Health, Ontario web site for additional information on how to be there for those who need our help the most yet are often not heard: http://www.ontario.cmha.ca

Ted Bartlett
General Manager

The Federal Budget was released last week, and with a few expected budget cuts, a few surprises came some encouraging news for Aboriginal students. The federal government has pledged to invest $275 million over three years in education and job training for Aboriginals, and nearly $331 million over two years to build and renovate reserve water systems, both of which are sorely needed. This year, the budget commits $45 million in total for Aboriginal education, which should cover early literacy programming and initiatives to strengthen relationships with provincial school systems, build new schools and renovate existing ones.

Over the course of the last three years, the College Student Alliance (CSA) has been working actively on tackling the issues that Aboriginal students face for a number of years now. In October 2011, the CSA released the “Effecting Change through Education: Aboriginal Students in Ontario’s Post-Secondary Education System” issue paper, which was well received by the CSA membership and stakeholders.

One of the recommendations in the CSA document mentioned above was to develop an education system for grades K-12 by First Nations communities in cooperation with the respective governments. Schools that are on reserves don’t commonly enjoy the high standards that provincial public schools have. This is an issue of fairness: if Aboriginal students do not have a good strong start in their educational journey as their non-Aboriginal counterpart, how will they succeed later on in life?

Within this paper, the CSA addressed the various issues that impede Aboriginal students’ success, from financial, historical, geographical, to educational, personal, and institutional barriers. The Federal Budget took into consideration the hardship that Aboriginal students face from a very young age, especially now that the issues have been made more publicly known than they were in the past. The recent media attention has undoubtedly helped the Aboriginal communities get more recognition of the sub-par conditions experienced by the residents within those communities. It is past time, in our opinion, that these issues be addressed.

 The federal government has recognized the failures within the current system and the CSA is hopeful that this is the beginning of greater positive change for Aboriginal communities throughout Canada.  The CSA is optimistic that the Canadian public will keep their support for initiatives like these, so that Aboriginal education can move forward. Hopefully education at the PSE level will also be addressed, as there are many issues that need to be resolved to ensure a more affordable, accessible, and quality education for students. To see the CSA issue paper on Aboriginal education, please go to: http://tinyurl.com/bs78s6z

By Brian Costantini

The anticipation of the Drummond Report left many speculating what austerity measures would be recommended to address Ontario’s deficit. Healthcare and education remained topics of discussion, but until its announcement last week students did not know the extent of Drummond’s recommendations nor the implications they would impose on the sector.

Of the 362 recommendations put forward, 30 are dedicated to post-secondary education (PSE), many of which speak to the challenges students and colleges continue to face. The specific areas highlighted include funding, student affordability, transferability, quality education, and infrastructure. Although there are many recommendations the College Student Alliance (CSA) feels are realistic, several suggestions left both the CSA and certainly me looking for more clarification.

This leads me to the Drummond Report’s recommendation that colleges should not be granted any new degree programs, but should have existing programs grandfathered. Drummond’s argument, in its entirety, has yet to be seen but from my understanding the rationale stems from college’s gradually moving away from their original mandate. Colleges now provide a variety of degrees and although there duplications many of the college degrees are more affordable, provide a smaller class size, and offer a teaching-oriented environment in comparison to their university counterparts. Right or wrong, the CSA and I look forward to unraveling this recommendation.

Student affordability has been a long standing issue for the majority of college students. Although tuition is not a direct barrier to accessing PSE the overall cost remains an issue. The Drummond Report identifies various areas for improvement in student affordability; maintain the Student Access Guarantee; explore phasing out the tuition and education tax credits; and decoupling loans and grants.  Sustaining the current tuition fee increases of 5% is one recommendation, as a student leader, that we would like to further discuss. The CSA’s 2012 Tuition Framework Submission highlights a number of possible recommendations to simplify the current framework. Hyperlink it to the doc?

Deferred maintenance has been a priority advocacy issues for the CSA. For decades, deteriorating or aging college infrastructure has been an increasing and potentially dangerous issue. The 2010 Auditor General Report noted that approximately half of college’s infrastructure is in poor condition, and that there is $70 million in critical funding needed in the next year.  To see the Drummond Report indicate that priority should be given to the deferred maintenance in the current capital stock before new capital projects was a pleasant surprise as the backlog for 24 Ontario colleges ranges from $568 million to $745 million – and it continues to increase. Time will tell to see what progresses out of Drummond’s recommendation. Regardless, the CSA will continue to encourage the government to find the needed funds to address this issue.

Credit transfer has been a topic of discussion for the sector as of late, and similar to deferred maintenance Drummond saw the value in the development of a comprehensive transfer system between colleges and universities. The CSA has been pleased to see the government, colleges, and universities move towards an integrated transfer system. For a decade the sector has been presented with the benefits, both financial and economic, for a multi- and bi-lateral credit transfer system.  On average, students that move from college to university in Ontario only receive credit for 35% to 45% of their college education. In some cases, students are given little or no credit for prior learning and are asked to supply their high school marks when applying to an Ontario university. This is a great frustration to students in Ontario, particularly for those with many years of practical hands on work experience in a related field. If the average credit recognition was measured and raised to even 65%, student would save anywhere from $26,000 to $50,000. The average annual net fiscal benefit to the Government of Ontario over the next decade lies between $36 and $61 million annually and would rise to between $91 and $169 million per year in the long-term.

The CSA will be presenting its additional findings and positions in the coming week.

Click here to view all the full details, outlined in this PDF document.

A student’s background and upbringing can greatly affect their likelihood or willingness to pursue post-secondary education.  And we know that the majority of young people make the decision to attend college or university before even entering secondary school.  The various influences in a young person’s life can greatly affect the decisions that they make about their future.  Providing choices and opportunities early on, can have a positive impact down the road.

There is a direct correlation between level of education and level of poverty.  Organizations such as Pathways to Education (Pathways) seek to unlock the potential of youth and allow them to flourish in a familiar and comfortable environment.  Pathways is a charitable organization that helps low income youth graduate from high school, and transition into post-secondary education.  They provide leadership, expertise and community based programs to lower dropout rates.  Currently, Pathways operates in over 11 communities, across 4 provinces.  In Regent Park (a community in Toronto) 850 youth have graduated through the program and the dropout rate for youth is now 12% (half of the City of Toronto and provincial average).  Funding for programs such as this has proven to be a successful investment for government and early outreach initiatives should be supported in schools and communities.

Garnering support and guidance through community-based initiatives will ensure that all aspects of young peoples lives are positively reinforcing their future.  It is important that they be community based to further develop ties between the program and members and ensure successful continuity for future generations.  Each community is unique and has specific needs.  Understanding this, and integrating it into the outreach initiatives will further ensure success into the future.

A student’s high school years can be a very formative time where they are faced with important life choices.  Selecting the right courses, and achieving positive results can impact their post-secondary opportunities.  Generally, students achieve better results in school when they are engaged in their subject matter and are working towards meaningful goals.  Investing in training and professional development for guidance counselors ensures that students have positive role- models, providing good advice, regardless of their upbringing or background.  Less than 10% of students feel that they have adequate information about the cost of education and options available to them.  Providing them with options and opportunities will ensure that they starting out on the right foot.

No party has addressed early outreach in their platform. We strongly urge the elected government to give attention to this important topic.  Investing in early outreach initiatives provides positive long-term results and increases participation of underrepresented groups and is evident at any stage of a student’s life.

The advancement of technology over the last three decades has evolved beyond the traditional classroom setting of post-secondary institutions. Today, college and university students, alike, can access an array of programs from around the world as institutions have embraced online learning. Ontario remains amongst the leaders in post-secondary education; however until last year it had yet to adopt a holistic vision for online learning. For our province to remain amongst the globally elite in post-secondary education, it will have to fully integrate and build on online learning in the immediate future.

As part of the last Speech from the Throne, the provincial government announced its intention to develop an Ontario Online Institute (OOI). Some have criticized this initiative while others have fully endorsed it. What remains clear is that there is an emerging trend upwards in the demand for online learning. According to Dr. Tony Bates, in 2009-10 the United States saw online learning increase by 21%, whereas on-campus enrollment saw only a 2% increase. No matter the trend, the provincial election will dictate the future of online learning in the Province.

Online education does not answer nor solve all of the barriers associated with post-secondary education. However it does present an opportunity to address ongoing issues of accessibility, student affordability, and student mobility. As Ontario’s job market requires more individuals to have some form of higher education, this form of learning has the potential to eliminate geographical barriers, and allow students from around the world to access Ontario-based learning. Furthermore, the convenience associated with learning from home reduces all costs that deter some students from moving away from home. As stated in the Student Platform, the provincial government has a critical role to play in shepherding this growing mode of study for the benefit of all Ontarians.

Barriers such as location and cost will be reduced substantially and many of those who are otherwise unable to attend post-secondary education will now have more options and easier access. Incentives to develop high-quality courses and programs, online support services, broadband access in rural and northern communities and credit transfer systems will all be necessary steps to take online learning to the next level. It is imperative for our government to build on our early success with online learning and create a realistic and achievable plan in order to maintain global competitiveness and take advantage of this emerging technology.