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Fanshawe students stuck in the middle as college faculty walk out

Thousands of faculty across Ontario colleges walked off the job on Monday, striking over economic settlements including improvements in job security.

43,000 students are unable to attend classes at multiple college campuses

CBC News ·
Teaching faculty at Fanshawe College walked off the job Monday leaving 43,000 students unable to attend classes (Kate Dubinski/ CBC News)

Classes have been cancelled for more than 500,000 students at Ontario's 24 public colleges after faculty walked off the job early Monday.

A bargaining group that represents the colleges rejected the latest demands put forward by the union representing professors, instructors and librarians.

In London, 43,000 Fanshawe College students have found themselves stuck in the middle of the dispute.

Michele Beaudoin, the vice president of Student Services at Fanshawe College, said staff is working diligently to ensure students get the most of their academic term. She said many services, including the library, learning centre, fitness centre, cafeteria and housing reception are still open.

"The teaching faculty is on strike but our staff who provide the services at the college are not on strike. We tend to encourage students as much as possible to try to get ahead or keep paced with their studies while they're off," she said.

"We're hoping to keep students as much as possible on track and help with some for the anxiety levels that may be there from the time away and help them not lose too much time in their studies, so that when faculty return we can help them get through their term."

Negotiations 

Sixty eight per cent of union members voted in favour of a strike mandate last month.

OPSEU said its proposal called for the number of full time faculty to match the number of faculty members on contract. The union said 70 per cent of instructors are in lower-paid, part-time positions with little job security.
Pickets went up around the London campus on Oxford street Monday morning (Kate Dubinski/ CBC News)

The council said that union demands would add more than $1 billion in costs over three years.

More than 25,000 students have signed an online petition, with the hashtag "we pay to learn" – asking for their money back in the wake of the strike.

Beaudoin said she understands their concerns and hopes to get further direction from the provincial government.

"Typically in a faculty strike, the Ministry of Education would get involved with decisions about tuition and what happens around length of time of the strike and any issues of refund that students or families will have."

Fanshawe College said it will provide students with updates on the strike online at www.fanshawec.ca/about-fanshawe/news/updates-faculty-strike.

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