Frustrated Lambton College students held a rally to voice their displeasure with the ongoing college strike Friday afternoon.
It’s been nearly a month since the strike began, leaving more than 500,000 students without classes to attend at Ontario’s 24 colleges.
“The last month has been stressful,” says Office Administration-Health Services student Kendra Whitney. “Thinking about how we're going to get caught up and cover all the material before we graduate -- it’s been difficult.”
Faculty members are asking for more academic freedoms, more full-time professors and improved contract conditions for part-timers. Whitney thinks they deserve what they’re asking for.
“We’re paying for good quality education, so we want to know that instructors and teachers are being taken care of fairly. I think college administrators need to think about us as students and not just a paycheck.”
Ontario Deputy Premier and Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development Deb Matthews announced Friday afternoon that colleges will be asked to establish a dedicated fund with all of the savings from the strike.
The fund will be used to support students who have experienced financial hardships as a result of the strike.
Details of the fund are still being established.