Now four days into a Georgian College faculty strike, students are becoming worried about losing a semester.
A group of students from Georgian College’s Owen Sound campus is taking their fight to social media with the hashtag #StopTheStrike. Some even gathered together on Thursday to picket the ongoing faculty strike.
No talks scheduled. How are they still claiming to be putting the students first? #stopthestrike
— Wendy Mitchell (@FaithandHarmony) October 19, 2017
Why is it that students are always the ones to get punished? #stopthestrike
— Ashton Fehr (@Ashton_175) October 19, 2017
They're hoping it will send a strong message to the bargaining teams. Unfortunately for them, no talks are scheduled between the Ontario Public Services Employees Union, which represents staff at the province’s 24 colleges, and the College Employer Council, which bargains for the colleges.
"I don't want to start all over again. If we start in January, what about us that have to work in summer to pay for school," says student Sarah Heino.
“It's unsettling. We were supposed to have a mid-terms on Monday and that didn't happen. We don't know when we're going to have that,” Alexandra Dollery, student.
Striking faculty in Barrie say they are prepared for the long haul.
"We want to ensure full-time compliment. It's not quality education if 70 per cent of our faculty are part time," says Anita Arvast, a spokesperson for OPSEU Local 350.
An online petition demanding a tuition refunds continues to gain traction. More than 87,000 students across the province have now signed it.
An estimated 11,000 students attend Georgian College.
