On Jan. 17, the Ontario government announced monumental changes to the Ontario Assistance Student Program (OSAP).
Among the changes are the cancellation of the free-tuition program for students from low-income families, a 10 per cent tuition fee decrease, and creating an opt-out option for non-mandatory ancillary fees. The latter change will greatly affect students’ university experience, as it will threaten services which are essential to student success and stability.
According to David Piccini, parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, fees for mental health and safety services will remain mandatory, while universities will be the judge on what ancillary fees students can opt out from—such as those paid to the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), various clubs and societies, CKCU, and the Charlatan.
The government has championed this opt-out option as a method of giving students autonomy over what they pay for. However, there is no doubt that this freedom of choice will have unintended negative consequences on student life as a whole. Through CUSA, undergraduate students pay levies that fund Carleton’s over 300 clubs and societies, on-campus legal aid, and other services beneficial to students.
Students may not see the immediate benefit of these fees and thereby choose to opt out without knowing how much these groups and initiatives depend on levies. This opt-out option the Ontario government is implementing is putting services and communities which are important to student life at risk. Cutting tuition costs shouldn’t mean giving the option of cutting out valuable, if not crucial, community spaces in student life.
