The message was clear as frustrated Fanshawe College students approached their teacher’s picket lines with a voice of their own: they want to go back to class.
A few dozen students marched along Oxford Street on Friday afternoon, holding signs that read “students first,” “vote yes we pay to learn” and “our voices matter.”
The rally, urging teachers to accept the college employer council’s latest offer during next week’s vote, comes on the heels of Fanshawe admin notifying students their fall semester will extend into the new year.
Bethany Baglieri and Michelle Wright organized the demonstration by starting a Facebook page.
“The reason I’m in school in the first place is to start my life and get a career. So, literally everything. My whole life is at stake here,” said Baglieri.
Wright expected a couple of classmates to show up, but was taken aback when students she and Baglieri never met before began to show up too.
“We’re doing something, instead of just sitting at home and complaining to our families,” she said.
“It feels so amazing to be out here right now, actually fighting for what we believe in and trying to make a difference.”
Although striking faculty have been instructed not to communicate with students, Wright says they’ve gotten support from some of their teachers.
“A lot of our teachers are scared of what’s going on. They want to be back in class with us. We went on the radio the other day and I sent one of our teachers it, and that specific teacher told me how proud they are of us.”
As students clashed peacefully with the teachers they want to see back in the clasroom, pickters handed out a pamphlet.
“Students make their mark,” the top of the page read, in big bold red letters.
The letter goes onto remind students how teachers want to be back in the classroom, too.
“Students do not need to take sides in this dispute, we do not ask that, but you do need to take action. You are doing that today, and you will be heard. We support your march.”
The strike, which involves college professors, instructors, counsellors and librarians, began on Oct. 15, and has left 500,000 full-time and part-time students out of class.
Talks between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents the striking workers, and the council, broke down Monday.
Faculty are slated to vote on the latest deal from the college employer council between Nov. 14 and 16.
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