To attract international students visa changes are key

Stakeholders from Canada’s education sector gather in Toronto on January 17-18, 2012 to participate in the Collaboratory on Canada’s International Education Strategy.

International students contributed over $6.5 billion to Canada’s economy in 2008, but Canada continues to lag behind other OECD nations in the proportion of international students enrolled. With an aging labour force, Canada needs to attract and retain well-trained workers from abroad. Canada has the highest stay rate among those with student visas in the OECD.

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is promoting the issue of extending multiple entry visa access to new countries to expand Canada’s international reach. Currently, students on single entry visas are disadvantaged by having to apply for visas every time they leave Canada and come back. This hurts their Canadian experience and can hinder their academic success.

CASA’s National Director, Zachary Dayler is taking part in the event. “Expanding visa regulations will help Canada fill our international education gap,” said Dayler. “Supporting the recruitment efforts of institutions will increase participation from abroad and will enhance learning experiences domestically,” he added.

The Collaboratory on Canada’s International Education Strategy will examine how to enhance Canada’s performance in the international education market.

Read more on what CASA members have to say. 

Photo by Phil Fontaine

The condition of social services on Aboriginal reserves has attracted some attention in the media recently, particularly with the state of emergency in Attawapiskat First Nation. As usual, most of the attention has fixated on determining who is “responsible” for the situation. The provincial government pointed to the federal government, the federal government implicated the Attawapiskat Band Council, and the council cast blame back squarely on the shoulders of unresponsive government officials.

Casting the question of responsibility aside, it is hard to deny that Attawapiskat, like many Aboriginal communities in Canada, has social services that are chronically underfunded. Given that over a third of Attawapiskat’s on reserve population is under the age of 19, education funding is particularly important. A recent comparison undertaken by the Chiefs of Ontario found that band schools receive approximately 35% less of the per-student funding that students in the provincial system receive. Much of this discrepancy stems from a 2% annual cap on federal funding for education that has been in place since 1996. Statistics Canada estimates that educational costs from the 1997-1998 to 2003-2004 school year increased by 3.5% annually, and have further risen since. The population of school-aged First Nations youth has outpaced this growth substantially during this period as well. Federal funding has not kept pace with the increasing costs of providing a quality education at the primary and secondary levels.

Attawapiskat First Nation also has a severe shortage of physical space for instruction. The community’s only primary school, J.R. Nakogee School, has been closed since May 2000 because of site contamination from a diesel leak. This has left students housed in temporary portables. More than a decade and four federal Indian Affairs Ministers later, funds still have not been provided for a new school.

The provincial government has been reluctant to step up to the plate and fill this funding gap, since, in accordance with legally-binding treaty agreements, First Nations education is a federal responsibility. The federal government has refused to lift the 2% cap on neither funding for First Nations education or on the Post-Secondary Student Support Program for Status Indian and recognized Inuit post-secondary students, citing effectiveness and fiscal constraints. In the end, Attawapiskat’s youth suffer. Parents are reluctant to send their children to substandard schools, and inadequate preparation not only leaves students lacking the hard skills necessary for success in a post-secondary environment, it also impacts student confidence and motivation.

Education is certainly not the only issue facing Attawapiskat First Nation, but it is a crucial one. Children and youth require early support to develop the professional and personal skills they need to become strong contributors to their communities and the economy. All Aboriginal students deserve access to a culturally appropriate and supportive primary, secondary and post-secondary education system that meets their learning needs – whether on reserve or off. Rather than finger-pointing and blame shifting, the provincial and federal governments should be working together with Aboriginal communities to improve the education systems available to all Aboriginal students.

Sam Andrey is the Executive Director of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, and Zach Dayler is the National Director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. With files from Laura Pin.

As 2011 comes to an end we take a look at some of the best and worst issues and changes of the year affecting post-secondary education.

The Best:

In-study work income exemption amount in CSLP raised from $50 per week to $100 per week.

The government made a positive investment in Budget 2011 to improve financial assistance for those students who work while studying. The government doubled the weekly allowable income for students who work during their studies. This investment will allow students to earn up to $100 per week while in school, an increase from the previously allowed $50 per week. This measure better reflects realities for students who work and limits the penalty of reductions in available financial assistance.  This represents a continued investment of $30m annually.

CASA had actively pursued improvements to the assessment of borrower assets for students applying to the Canada Student Loans Program, including an increase in the exemption for income earned during the period of study. The government believes this will make improve financial assistance for approximately 100,000 students.

The Copyright Modernization Act reintroduced in the House of Commons.

Recent governments have attempted repeatedly to amend Canada’s Copyright Act to bring the legislation in line with the way copyrighted materials are used in the digital age. Previous incarnations of the bill had died on the order paper when elections were called. In the last Parliament, the Conservative government put forward Bill C-32, but that suffered the same fate as the preceding attempts at modernization. The election of May 2^nd, 2011 undoubtedly changed the landscape of federal politics in Canada, and the policy outlook for the next few years based on the establishment of a majority government.

The most promising provision contained in this legislation for students is the inclusion of education as a category of fair dealing. This provision will assist teachers, institutions, and students in accessing copyrighted materials without penalty for the purpose of education.

Some drawbacks exist also. Technological Protection Measures that can’t be circumvented, even for legal uses of materials, limitations placed on digital materials loaned between libraries, and destruction requirements for copyrighted course materials are components of Bill C-11 that will contribute considerable frustration for students and researchers. CASA will continue to advocate that these provisions be absent in the final amendments to the law.

Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy

Budget 2011 pledges $10m over two years to create an international education strategy for Canada that will promote Canada as a destination for students from around the world. The first stages of this initiative are already underway. The Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy has been struck and has begun preliminary consultations with stakeholders in the post-secondary education sector. CASA has participated in the first of these discussions and presented our policies on attracting, supporting, and retaining international students. CASA will be participating at the next round of consultations scheduled for later in January 2012.

The Worst:

Funding Expires for the Canadian Council on Learning

The Canadian Council on Learning was established to work with stakeholders and link government to citizens and groups concerned about the state of education in Canada. Explicitly, the Council repeatedly reported on policy objectives being met and what deficiencies existed in the provision of education at all levels across the country.

Creating data and knowledge about education outcomes and indicators was a vital service performed by the council that helped people, institutions, groups, and governments that sought to make improvements to education. Last winter, it was announced that funding to the council would be eliminated and its activities would cease before the end of 2011. Along with the less comprehensive information available from a stripped down census, and the end of research and data once available from the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation there is now a substantial gap in sources available to those who advocate for informed decision-making on the subject of education.

Student Unemployment

Students and youth have consistently lower employment levels than other segments of the working age population, but since the 2008 recession students have been among the hardest hit. Summer 2011 was no different.

This summer, unemployment rose to 17.2% among those aged 15-24. For those who were able to find employment another serious issue arose. The average number of hours worked per-week was 24, much less than full-time. This difficult reality hits students trying to save for school hard and throws a wrench into budgeting or planning for taking out loans. Not only is the employment market bad news for current students, more graduates will be entering one of the bleakest job markets in years. With the pressure of paying off large loans and laying the foundation of a productive career, planning for after graduation is exceedingly important.

An Open Letter on Improving the Lives of Canada’s Aboriginal Populations

In recent weeks the immense challenges facing Canada’s Aboriginal population has caught needed attention by the state of emergency declared by Attawapiskat First Nation. Attawapiskat, like many Aboriginal communities in Canada, has been subject to chronic underfunding. As an organization representing over 320,000 students, we cannot wait and watch as a growing problem in the country is left unresolved. Investments of time and resources across party lines are required. There is no time to waste on laying blame.

Aboriginal peoples are the fastest growing population within our borders. Canada must prepare and implement a long-term plan to address the many inequalities facing our Aboriginal population.

One major area requiring investment that will work as part of a holistic solution is the provision of quality education. The government has a responsibility to ensure that equal access to quality education from elementary to post-secondary is available to all Canadians. Only 3% of Status Indians have earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 6% of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit population, and 18% of the total Canadian population. It is clear that status quo approaches have failed to break this devastating and cyclical reality.

There are numerous origins for this state of affairs. At the core lies a legacy of barriers once designed to encourage cultural assimilation. In addition to the abhorrent treatment that many First Nations, Métis and Inuit faced in residential schools, the Indian Act forbade Registered Indians from attending post-secondary education unless they gave up their legal status, rights, and identity as described by the Indian Act. This was the harmful reality until 1951.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations face numerous social barriers. The limited options that result from low high school graduation rates and varying levels of post-secondary preparation among those that do graduate are particularly damaging. These outcomes are the product of inadequate government investment and support for on-reserve primary and secondary education. This is due in part to jurisdictional conflicts between the federal and provincial governments.

The December 7^th, 2011 report of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples entitled “Reforming First Nations Education: From Crisis to Hope” offers a similar analysis:

The departmental evaluation acknowledges that First Nations responsibility for education has been restrained and that without appropriate capacity and resources, many communities are unable to maximize the impact that First Nations control of education could have over something as fundamental as education of children.[1]

Post-secondary institutions have not been seen as welcoming of First Nations, Métis and Inuit students.    Historically, institutions have not placed accommodation of Aboriginal values, experience and ways of learning in the mainstream of course and program design. This, combined with relatively fewer role models who have taken part in positive and successful post-secondary experiences, results in institutions that have failed to consistently demonstrate accommodating instruction on campus. Fortunately though, preconceptions about post-secondary education are slowly changing as more universities provide culturally sensitive academic programming and support services.[2]

Historical cultural and social barriers combined with inconsistent funding of education leads many potential students to believe that post-secondary education is not appropriate for them.

The moral imperative for providing greater support for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students is clear, but the fiscal proposition is convincing as well. According to the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, the effect of improving educational and labour market outcomes of Aboriginal peoples to the level similar to that experienced by non-Aboriginal Canadians in 2001 would support the following fiscal improvements for Canada by 2026:[3]

• An increase in Aboriginal income by $36.5 billion per year ($401 billion cumulatively),
• An increase in tax revenues by $3.5 billion per year ($39 billion cumulatively), and
• Lower government expenditures by $14.2 billion ($77 billion cumulatively).

The situation in Attawapiskat brings attention to the broader, more fundamental issue: the lack of a long-term plan for Aboriginal peoples.

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations believes that the government must show the necessary leadership now and engage with all political parties and Aboriginal leaders to develop and commit to a long-term plan to address the many inequalities facing Aboriginal Canadians. Canada can no longer afford piecemeal and reactionary approaches. In the words of the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Shawn Atleo “The time to act is now. We must seize on the growing momentum and consensus on the need for reform.” [4] The ability to make this happen rests in the hands of those addressed.

Zachary Dayler, National Director
Canadian Alliance of Student Associations

cc: Right Honourable Stephen Harper Prime
Minister of CanadaHon. John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Nycole Turmel, Interim Leader of the Official Opposition;
Hon. Bob Rae, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada;
Vivian Barbot, Interim Leader of the Bloc Québécois;
Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit national student organization composed of 27 student associations, representing over 320,000 students from coast to coast.

Acadia Students’ Union / Alma Mater Society of the University of British Columbia Vancouver / University of British Columbia Graduate Student Society / Brock University Students’ Union / Dalhousie Student Union / University of the Fraser Valley Students Union Society / University of Prince Edward Island Student Union / Red River College Student Association / Saint Mary’s University Student Association / Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Student Association / St. Francis Xavier University Students’ Union / St. Thomas University Students’ Union / McMaster Student Union / Student Association of Mount Royal University / UNB Fredericton Students’ Union / UNB Saint John Students’ Representative Council / University of Alberta Students’ Union / University of Calgary Students’ Union / University of Lethbridge Students’ Union / La Fédération des étudiants et étudiantes du Centre universitaire de Moncton / University of Waterloo Federation of Students / University of Western Ontario Student Council / Wilfred Laurier University Students Union / Graduate Student Association – University of Waterloo / Mount Allison Students’ Administrative Council  / Athabasca University Graduate Student Association / Kwantlen Student Association

On Monday December 5, 2011 CASA participated in a roundtable discussion on, how we can collectively contribute to a strategy that will attract top students and export our competencies?

Stakeholders selected by the Minister of International Trade and Finance involving both the academic and private sector, came together at this roundtable to present initial comments to the Advisory Panel developing the strategy. The committee is pursuing a 3 phase approach to developing the strategy consisting of,  Consultation + Engagement Roundtables + Collaboratory = International Education Strategy.

Each stakeholder had 3 minutes to address the Advisory Panel. Below are CASA’s comments, CASA also submitted a stakeholder consultation report responding to specific questions of the panel.

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations would like to thank this panel for the opportunity to provide feedback and participate in the future of Canada’s International Education Strategy.

Comments:  

We would like to see the overarching objective of this process to be making Canada the world leader in providing opportunity to all. We base this overall objective on three pillars: access, affordability, and quality.

By access, we mean an international strategy where monetary barriers are minimized. Achieving this would include a review of supplementary permit and visa fees, and large changes in the costs of tuition. Further, international students need access to Canada culture and identity, and thus no strategy would be complete without the appropriate support and bridging programs.

By affordability, we mean a system that provides similar opportunity to prosper in Canada to international students as domestic students have.

By quality, we mean a level of instruction and innovation on par with non-international students, irrespective of where one studies. Canadian institutions and quality should be hand-in-hand in the mind of all people in the world, irrespective of where that institution is actually located.

Looming labour shortages present great opportunity for the country to open itself up to a new diversity. To let the opportunity go by would be doing the country a disservice.

The recruitment of international college and university student has, we believe, 3 benefits, amongst others:

1. an opportunity to fill the labour gap expected by 2031,
2. an opportunity strengthen relations with international markets,
3. an opportunity to generate wealth domestically.

The percentage of Canadians in their working years (15-64 years of age) is in rapid decline. During the mid-sixties, that percentage rose from 60% to 70%. This percentage will drop back down to 61% by 2030. In 2031, Canada will need 4.4 million more skilled workers than it currently has. CASA views two strategic ways to fill this demand: increasing educational attainment rates for Canada’s aboriginal peoples and recruiting international students towards full citizenship.

By increasing international student enrolment, Canada opens the door to the world’s emerging markets. India and China represents over 27.8% of foreign students studying in Canada as of 2008, with India being one of the fastest growing. Educational services represent a significant portion of trade with these countries as well. Compared to all exports, educational services represents 12.4% of all trade with China, and 9.3% of all trade with India. Educational services are one of the most valuable commodities too, shaping worldviews often towards Canadian values.

The final opportunity is the services demanded from international students in Canada. Annually, international students spend $6.5 billion in Canada, a greater market share than our exports of coniferous lumber or coal.

As is clear – there is a real need to increase our recruitment and retention of international students, and CASA hopes that any strategy advanced will be mindful and respectful of access, quality, and affordability.

Silly me.

When I started the student loan help-site, Debt 101, back in 1999, I thought  it wouldn’t be needed long. The way grants were cut and tuition fees kept climbing, I figured that couldn’t last. Why would people put up with it?

So I started Debt 101 as a stopgap. Maybe it would help some of the students I met who felt overwhelmed by debt instead of thrilled to be graduating. As for students starting out, maybe I could help them cut costs until tuition fees dropped back down. Why should anyone with dreams and talent be shut out of higher education?

As a finance writer, I had a different reason for my optimism. From a macro-economic perspective, there was no objection to a level playing field for all Canadians. Fiscally speaking, it made ‘dollars and sense’ to remove the education access barriers that Canada was putting into place.

So I started that ‘temporary’ help-site in 1999 thinking that Canada’s soaring student debt would soon inspire our government to adopt the free or low-cost tuition policies model of Western Europe. Or at least add more grants and slash student loan interest rates.

But that didn’t happen. Nearly 13 years later, Canada is following a debt-driven US model. It’s a costly model in every sense of the word, one in which parents  are cashing in their retirement savings to educate their children.

Thankfully, Canada lags behind the US in costs, but we are still following a bad example. This model of higher education financing has only survived on students’ and parents’ access to easy credit. And that is not sustainable.

Canadians are long overdue to face these facts:

1. We cannot get by in the 21^st century on trees and oil sands. We are in a global knowledge economy.  Canada needs an increasingly  educated workforce to keep up.
2. Higher education is the ‘gas’ in a knowledge economy. It drives up our GDP, with spin-off  economic and social benefits for all citizens.  
3. The ‘user-pay’ mantra , like other 1980s-era holdovers, just backfires when the ‘user’ is contributing a n economic good. By discouraging that good, the ‘user-pay’ policy shrinks the economy.
4. Even if education didn’t  grow our GDP directly (and it does), the higher taxes paid by grads on their higher average earnings , repay that  government  investment  with interest.
5. In the 21^st century, a high school certificate is not the basis for a career. Thanks to “education inflation,” jobs that once went to high school grads now require  a BA. Jobs once given to undergrads now require a Master’s or a PhD.
6. The reason industrialized nations   made high school free in the last century – and even compulsory until Grade 9 – was because workers without  that level of education  could not pull their weight . They could not earn enough  to support and educate the next generation. Yet – now that we are in a knowledge economy – Canada forces students  to go deeply into debt to finance  the modern equivalent of “high school”.
7. None of this is sustainable.  We are building a house of cards by forcing people into heavy debt to enable governments and educational institutions to keep driving education costs several times faster than inflation.

Our educational institutions may not hear this kind of thinking until demand for their programs  is gutted. And governments may not hear it until young Canadians vote automatically, like  senior citizens.

And they also need to be more visible, like the students of Quebec in their recent mass protest over rising fees. Education is nearly off the media radar. I mean, raise your hand if you have ever heard in recent public debate that our economy needs an educated workforce.

What a concept! I only hear that our economy needs tax cuts. And I say we need to stop burning furniture to warm up the house. All of which tells me the need for Debt 101 (grown now into Student Finance 101) won’t fade away soon as I’d imagined. So I am turning into something of a missionary when it comes to student debt.

If you can finance your education through scholarships + work+ family, fine. But if you can’t, don’t assume you have no choice but to pile on the government loans and private loans and credit card debt. Get serious about cutting your costs.

And by getting serious, I don’t mean the usual stuff you hear, like get a cheaper student chequing account. I mean, think-outside-the-box serious. The election  is over, so vote for affordable education with your choices.

Stay at home the first 2 years and attend your local community college before you transfer to take your 1/2-price degree from Big U. Get your education in a cheaper province. Or get it in a cheaper country (just check the transfer credits first). Or seriously think about the trades. When was the last time you met a plumber working as a barista because he couldn’t find work in his field and he had to pay off student loans?

Tough times call for tough action. After nearly 13 years of watching Generation Debt left to flounder on its own, I’m busy stuffing every student debt-avoiding trick and tactic I’ve learned into a book that will launch next summer to help Canadian students make the big changes they need survive these “foolish years” of higher education policy.

In the meantime, I urge all students who read this blog to think outside the box about how and why they’re getting their education. And think about how much they’ll owe if they stick with the path they’re on.

As one last tip, here are 3 links to help you take control.

In fairness to our federal government,  it has programs under the Financial Consumer Agency (FCAC) that help Canadian students save by improving their financial literacy.   Start with The Moneybelt.

Debt Reduction and Money-Saving Tips from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Good for Memorial U. Many of their tips will help students no matter where they live: http://www.mun.ca/student/careerexploration/ccd/stayafloat/reducedebt/index.php

Finally, while ‘Debt 101’ is mostly about finances, from calculators to student aid rules,  we know that financial stress is also emotionally hard on students: Help When You’re In School

Jeannine Mitchell, Founder
Student Finance 101

Jeannine Mitchell is an award-winning finance writer and a former associate editor with Financial Post Moneywise magazine. Her work is widely published and her non-profit website — Student Finance 101 at www.debt101.ca  has been featured in publications ranging from campus and online newspapers to the National Post.      

Greetings to all!

I recently had the opportunity to participate in CASA’s Advocacy Week in Ottawa where student delegates from across Canada came to promote the interest of the students they represent to federal decision makers. This conference has been a feature of CASA’s advocacy cycle for years and as such has prompted numerous successful policy changes for students.

This year, delegates from 28 student associations held 115 meetings with Members of Parliament, Senators and key federal policy advisors. Of these, delegates met with the leaders of the Liberal Party of Canada, Green Party of Canada, and the Bloc Québécois.

It is especially important to highlight that CASA met with six members of cabinet. Delegates also met with policy advisors in the Minister’s Office at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Department of Finance Canada, and the Prime Minister’s Office.

Our delegates took part in a social media initiative in order to promote our presence on Parliament Hill during the week. This took shape with a very high level of participation from all the delegates. There were well over five hundred tweets from the three days of advocacy on Parliament Hill that elicited numerous responses from the media, students, and even party leaders.

The political climate in Ottawa was evident in many of the meetings our delegates held. It is clear that the governing party is focused on bringing down the deficit and rationalizing government expenditures. It comes as no surprise that issues with a low cost to government associated with their implementation were well received.

Members of Parliament and Senators are very conscious of the impact a well-educated population has on improving society and advancing the interests of all Canadians into the future. CASA’s recommendations mirrored that sentiment and also focused on Canada’s place in the international community, which is another important theme in the public policy sphere of late.

The issues that gained the most traction among Members of Parliament were the recommendation to exempt one vehicle from the Canada Student Loans Programs assessment of borrower assets, the elimination of the Book Importation Regulations, and the recommendation that Canada extend multiple-entry visas to all international students and amend the residency requirement and eliminate the non-refundable fee associated with the Off-Campus Work Permit Program.

It appears that government is taking the opportunity to propose further amendments to Canada’s Copyright Act seriously. The provision that makes education a category of fair dealing will have enormous positive implications for students. CASA is optimistic that its recommendations to further amend the Bill were heard last week. Numerous requests have been made of our home office staff to follow-up with information and support to offices on various subsections of the legislation.

Finally, this is a very exciting time to be involved with our organization. CASA is excited to welcome the University of British Columbia Graduate Student Society as a full member. We also welcomed observer delegates from FAÉCUM at Université de Montréal and Cape Breton University Students’ Union to this conference and look forward to working closely with both in the future. As we collect what we learned in this conference our next advocacy cycle will begin with a review of our successes to date and an assessment of the realities that will come in Budget 2012/13.

Chris Saulnier, Chair
Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA)

A Special Blog Post for the AUCC
Universities and colleges struggle to find the balance of providing an education while also providing an experience. To facilitate this balance, educational institutions often have administrative offices designated to work directly with students, whether this be an ombudsman or vice president of students. These roles exist to provide students a direct line to the decision makers. However, these offices are often set up to receive and respond to complaints, operating more as a sounding board than a facilitator and motivator of student ideas.

Nationally, the waters of student agitation are churning. Recent trends in the costs of education are leaving many questioning the value of pursing a university or college degree. The most recent report from Statistics Canada highlights that students will pay 4.3% more this year (2011-2012) to attend school, making the average tuition for university $5,200 and college $2,500. This does not include ancillary fees, costs of living, academic materials, and some degree of recreation. Compounding the problem on the institutional side are issues such as an infrastructure backlog totaling $6.4 billion, of which $2.4 billion is to be considered urgent. While in comparison to other countries Canada fares ok on the costs of attaining a level of postsecondary, that should not be an excuse for allowing our costs to increase and situation to worsen.

Much of the solution to the educational challenges facing Canadians rests in the hands of our legislators, but that does not mean institutions cannot take action on increasing their institutional value for prospective students and alumni.

So, how do universities do this? Through meaningful consultations with students. The reality is that there are many strained relationships across Canada between the institution and student. I know from my time as student union president that I often had arguments with our university over how seriously the institution took the opinions and feedback provided by students.

William Brown, in Reflections of a University President, writes on the importance of on-campus consultation,

“Time consuming as they can be, such processes often produce better decisions than quick pronouncements from up high. […] They can generate loyalty and a stronger sense of community. And they can even save time in the long run by avoiding missteps and the need to repair relationships damaged by having failed to consult appropriately ahead of a decision.” (Brown, 2011. p. 17).

Attending university or college is about gaining an education in the classical sense, but also an education in participation. I think it helps to look at a campus as a training village. As students, at any age, we attend the places of higher learning to help train and better ourselves for the real world.

By engaging students in the discussion and decisions of the institution, there is a real opportunity to increase the value of one’s education and connection with their alma mater, building strong community participants and loyal alumni. Whether this is facilitated through including student representation on an institution’s Board of Governors, Senate, or as simple as creating an advisory board to the president, there must be an avenue on campus for students to contribute to the strategic decisions of an institution and not just complain.

Setting the tone for a more consultative role of students may be as simple as investing in the constant facilitation of campus-halls, and residents’ walks. It may also be more complicated and require a much broader and slower cultural change. Regardless, students should be considered like a voter or a taxpayer—the key stakeholder.

This consultation should happen through the student association on your campus, as they are the elected voice of students. There is no end to processes and approaches to consultation, but there is no substitute for face-to-face communication — great things can come from a simple conversation.

Zach Dayler, National Director
Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA)

We are excited to debut the new web home of CASA! www.casa-aace.com will allow visitors to learn about our policy and advocacy goals, view recent media initiatives, and find relevant information regarding post-secondary education in Canada.

In the About CASA section you will find information regarding our national office team in Ottawa, to our conferences held in the country and a quick look at CASA’s FAQs. The Advocacy section outlines how we lobby the federal government in order to achieve an improved post-secondary education system and the betterment of students’ lives across Canada.

The Priories section houses our lobbying priorities for 2011-2012, and also houses most of CASA’s policy document and research reports. In our In The News section you will find the most recent articles on post-secondary education in Canada and CASA’s coverage in the news.

Finally, this blog will feature bi-monthly featured guests discussing post-secondary education issues in order to offer you a fresh perspective and create a meaningful dialogue regarding the future of our higher education system.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or check out our YouTube channel for more CASA initiatives!