Brushing up with CSA
Even though we all had Thanksgiving off,
the short week was going to be one of the
longer ones for the FSU crew. We were the
proud hosts of the College Student Alliance
October conference, held in London October
14 to 17.
The CSA is sort of like our provincial student union, where we sit with 20 other college student associations and advocate for every Ontario college student. The CSA advocates for three main things: accessible colleges (giving more people access to a college education), a fair credit transfer system between post-secondary institutions and an affordable education system. The CSA office operates in Toronto, not too far from Queens Park, and we have full-time staff members dedicated to working together with Ontario's political parties to get things done. We have seats on a number of provincial committees, and we are the largest voice for Ontario college students.
CSA also helps student leaders develop themselves into their roles. Transitioning from student to student leader can be stressful, so they are there to teach and assist wherever they can. A lot of this conference will be spent on developing our skills so we can better serve our student communities. We attended sessions that covered topics such as understanding our roles as board members, delegating, conflict management and learning to be the best team we can be for students.
We also had a session titled “Government Relations” with a special guest speaker. I didn't know who it was going to be as of press time, but was told that he or she is from the office of a major politician in Ontario. We were looking forward to some constructive dialogue on how we can create a better education system in Ontario and, essentially, create better and longer lasting jobs in Ontario.
We also unveiled a few new things at this conference. The first was a change to something we do every year called Student Association Awareness Week where we go out and actively promote the FSU and what we do for students. Well, we all do that with or without CSA's help, so they have come up with Advocacy Awareness Week. This is something we could do a better job at, so I am looking forward to the opportunity to better educate Fanshawe students on what we do for them on a provincial level through the CSA.
The next big unveiling was a new CSA document titled The Future Is Now, and it is a new strategic direction for the organization. We have been consulted on the progress and direction of the document and made changes wherever necessary. Upon approval this week, this new document will be made public and you are all welcome to check it out.
More importantly, we discussed a fee increase — something that hasn't been asked for from the CSA in over three years. Based on the current success and new direction of the CSA, we will collectively determine the fairness of an increase in membership fees. Currently all full time Ontario students who are in a CSA member school pay $4 a year. This is a very important decision, and we will be taking it very seriously. If there is going to be a fee increase, we will ensure accountability from the CSA just as we do with every part of the college when fees go up.
I really enjoyed hosting this conference and coming back with new lessons learned on how to be a better student leader. I also enjoyed seeing some friends I had not seen in awhile. Like I said, last week was one of the longer weeks for the FSU crew, but it also meant it was one of the more memorable weeks as well.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
The CSA is sort of like our provincial student union, where we sit with 20 other college student associations and advocate for every Ontario college student. The CSA advocates for three main things: accessible colleges (giving more people access to a college education), a fair credit transfer system between post-secondary institutions and an affordable education system. The CSA office operates in Toronto, not too far from Queens Park, and we have full-time staff members dedicated to working together with Ontario's political parties to get things done. We have seats on a number of provincial committees, and we are the largest voice for Ontario college students.
CSA also helps student leaders develop themselves into their roles. Transitioning from student to student leader can be stressful, so they are there to teach and assist wherever they can. A lot of this conference will be spent on developing our skills so we can better serve our student communities. We attended sessions that covered topics such as understanding our roles as board members, delegating, conflict management and learning to be the best team we can be for students.
We also had a session titled “Government Relations” with a special guest speaker. I didn't know who it was going to be as of press time, but was told that he or she is from the office of a major politician in Ontario. We were looking forward to some constructive dialogue on how we can create a better education system in Ontario and, essentially, create better and longer lasting jobs in Ontario.
We also unveiled a few new things at this conference. The first was a change to something we do every year called Student Association Awareness Week where we go out and actively promote the FSU and what we do for students. Well, we all do that with or without CSA's help, so they have come up with Advocacy Awareness Week. This is something we could do a better job at, so I am looking forward to the opportunity to better educate Fanshawe students on what we do for them on a provincial level through the CSA.
The next big unveiling was a new CSA document titled The Future Is Now, and it is a new strategic direction for the organization. We have been consulted on the progress and direction of the document and made changes wherever necessary. Upon approval this week, this new document will be made public and you are all welcome to check it out.
More importantly, we discussed a fee increase — something that hasn't been asked for from the CSA in over three years. Based on the current success and new direction of the CSA, we will collectively determine the fairness of an increase in membership fees. Currently all full time Ontario students who are in a CSA member school pay $4 a year. This is a very important decision, and we will be taking it very seriously. If there is going to be a fee increase, we will ensure accountability from the CSA just as we do with every part of the college when fees go up.
I really enjoyed hosting this conference and coming back with new lessons learned on how to be a better student leader. I also enjoyed seeing some friends I had not seen in awhile. Like I said, last week was one of the longer weeks for the FSU crew, but it also meant it was one of the more memorable weeks as well.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
