Matt Dionne | Editor-in-Chief
Featured image courtesy of Jasmine Wiradharma
After news broke that the government would be changing the format of OSAP, including changing the framework to ensure fewer applicants receive free tuition, students have spoken out on social media, as well as in a series of protests and rallies.
Many students have voiced their frustration with the government’s decision. In response, the government has doubled down on their position, recently announcing they will be scrapping OSAP entirely, and they will no longer be providing financial assistance in any form. Additionally, students who are still paying back their OSAP loans will have all their grants retroactively converted to loans, and they will have six months to pay off all their outstanding balances, or forfeit their first-born child.
“Moving forward, students will no longer be able to receive a loan or grant to pay for their tuition,” says governmental employee, M. P. Peters. “Rather, they will just have to deal with it themselves,” adds Peters, referring to the new bill entitled: Not Our Problem. “The agreement that students sign clearly states that the conditions of their loans and grants are subject to change,” he adds.
The new bill stipulates that students will now have to pay all their university expenses on their own, they will not receive any loans or grants that they can use towards their education, and, in the interest of fairness, universities will be unable to offer students scholarships to help fund their studies.
“We’re tired of students complaining about inequality, so we’ve decided to make sure that all students suffer this financial burden together,” says Peters.
The YFS was quick to decry these changes, and organized a protest rally in Vari Hall. Unfortunately, the executives were so busy, none of them were actually able to attend their own event, which turned into a group of students milling around aimlessly waiting for something to happen.
The announcement has been met with approval from some, including B. B. Boomer, a York alumnus, who says: “I think it’s about time the government stopped coddling these kids. Back in my day, we used to work during the summer, and use the money we made to pay for school, and we still usually had some left over. The problem is these kids today are spending all their money on avocado toast, and they can’t afford to pay for things they need.”
However, not everyone is in favour. “I am pretty upset by these changes,” says Stuart Dent, a fourth-year political science student. “I am particularly upset because I voted for this government in the last election; I understood they were the only party who planned to end the strike, but I never thought their complete disregard for workers’ rights would extend to students as well. I also didn’t expect any repercussions for making a decision on who should lead the province for the next four years based on a single issue that would be resolved within the next six months regardless,” Dent says.
Peters believes these changes won’t have a significant impact on students. “Look, there are lots of ways for students to earn money without getting assistance from the government. Most students have multiple organs they’re not using, such as their kidneys, which can fetch a lot on the open market. I’ve heard the average kidney can go for six figures,” says Peters.
Additionally, some students have supported the government’s decision so far, including Al T. Wright, president of the club: Campus Elitists. “What do I care if the government stops helping students pay tuition? My parents have three summer homes and pay for all my expenses from my trust fund. Also, this way, there will hopefully be more parking available on campus. I hate when I’m driving my dad’s expensive Benz, and I have to wait forever for a parking space,” adds Wright.
Many students feel disillusioned by these new changes, including Polly Marjory, a fifth-year political activism student, who says: “I’m surprised the government made this decision. I mean we did everything we could to stop them. We gathered and chanted slogans, we waved signs, we posted on social media… but none of it made a difference. If getting together and hosting protest events doesn’t solve the problem, I don’t know what there is left for us to do.”
“At the end of the day, we’re doing this for the students,” says Peters. “Many students were struggling to repay their loans, and were consistently missing payments. Now, they will have to earn the money to pay for school up front, which will help ease the burden of graduating with so much debt,” he says.
According to York media spokesperson, Brenda Ranton: “These changes will negatively impact the university, as we expect many students will be forced to drop out due to financial strain. However, we plan to jack up the prices for international students, as a way to offset the impending financial losses.”
Despite the fact that they have not solved anything thus far, Marjory says there are four more protests scheduled for this week. “I am going to continue going to protest events, even though they are starting to interfere with my class schedule, and my grades are starting to suffer because of it. These events are bigger than grades and classes.”
When asked if protests will impact the government’s decision, Peters replied: “Protests? We haven’t heard about any protests. As far as we know, speaking with the small, ideologically-driven groups on campus, the majority of students are in support of these changes.”
At the time of publication, YFS was unavailable for comment.
DISCLAIMER: Everything published in this week’s issue (with the exception of advertisements) is satirical; it is not intended to communicate any true or factual information.
