As the faculty strike at Ontario's 24 public colleges nears the end of its first week, student leaders are calling on provincial politicians to get involved.
In an open letter sent to several MPPs and Premier Kathleen Wynne, student union leaders, including Morganna Sampson of Fanshawe College and Nick Goran of St. Clair College, ask the politicians to encourage the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and the College Employer Council to return to the bargaining table. They're also asking for a meeting with the heads of the bargaining teams and Deputy Premier Deb Matthews, who also serves as the minister for advanced education.
"Every day of class missed affects our students and their ability to learn, and we are urging the Ontario government to step in and help our students return to the classroom," the letter says.
In laying out the primary concerns of the students, the letter says they want to be in class, getting the education they paid for. They are also concerned that the quality of their education will be diminished because course matierials will have to be condensed and they worry that an extension or compression of the semester will cause stress on students.
The full letter can be read here.