Sanzana Syed
IGNITE is on the clock to convince 31,000 Humber students to opt-in to campus services or face the loss of many student-related activities, such as clubs.
The student federation and clubs are currently funded by tuition fees. But now the Ontario government is giving students an option to withhold funds, as part of a package of reforms introduced last week to change the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).
Upon hearing the news, IGNITE’s President Monica Khosla released a statement on Friday evening expressing her concerns and her will to fight for students.
“This move by the government is silencing students that need IGNITE and what we offer the most. By not having student unions, you no longer have a voice.”
Monica Khosla, IGNITE President
“I know when I came here for school that [IGNITE] helped me out a lot,” said Brenda Davey, a photography student. “So coming from a smaller town to a big city them helping me out, like it was really good experience.”
In an interview with Humber News, Chris Whitaker, Humber College’s President said there will be a framework in the future that will determine some core services that students will need to pay for.
“There will also be a group of things which are there on an opt-in basis and then I think the idea is that students will be able to select from a menu what they want to support and what they don’t.”
Christ Whitaker, Humber College President
“Honestly, I feel like we all should be paying for IGNITE because IGNITE is a part of Humber and every student could benefit from it,” said Hyat, a Business Administration student.
The IGNITE website outlines how five per cent of tuition fees go towards non-academic services like student government and health services. However, mandatory services that are required for campus health and safety like athletics, dental care and insurance are not affected by the tuition cut.
A breakdown of how much students pay for non-academic fees. (IGNITE)
Whitaker also said that students should take the time to budget very carefully while financing is available.
“Consider all your options, look for all sources of revenue funding, rely on your support networks and certainly seek out any advice or assistance from the various supports and services that exist at Humber.”