Mixed emotions as Fanshawe students return to class

College students across the province returned to class Tuesday morning after a strike by faculty kept them out of school since mid-October.

As the halls at Fanshawe College in London filled up for the first time in over a month, some students were expressing concerns about the condensed schedule and course workload until the end of the semester, which has been extended into January.

“I’m a little bit overwhelmed about what’s to come because I know they have to condense so much class time,” said Natalya Pollock, a first-year student in the landscape design program. “Every hour that we have in class is really crucial because we learn so many skills, especially since it’s first year, we’re learning the basics and the groundwork of our three-year program.”

Pollock says she tried to keep busy during the labour dispute, but there was only so much she could do.

“There wasn’t a ton of stuff we could work on. We could keep up on our notes and stuff but in terms of theory and actually applying it, we need our professors to do that, so I’m a little bit afraid to see whats’s to come,” said Pollock, who’s try to keep positive through the whole ordeal.

“I’m hoping for the best, I have confidence in my teachers that they are going to teach us everything we need to know, but at the same time I don’t think that we’ll get as much out of it as we would have if it was a regular semester.”

The Ontario government said it is offering a full tuition refund to students who withdraw from this semester due to the length of the college strike.

Pollock says she considered the refund, but it would have meant she’d have to start all over again next September.

“Being in my program, we can’t start in the winter semester or it would mess up the rest of our three years because it’s such a small class size. I don’t think I have very many options so I might as well stick it out.”

Students are also elgible to receive up to $500 for unexpected costs during the labour dispute. That could include things like rent, childcare fees, even rebooked train or bus tickets.

Advanced Education Minister Deb Matthews says the province’s 24 colleges will be expected to foot the bill for any refunds.

Third-year fashion design student Cassidy Hewgill says the strike threw a wrench into her final year of studies.

“I’m relieved but also stressed, I feel really behind. It’s a lot of time to make up for,” said Hewgill. “We have to prepare for our big fashion show, this year is a really big deal and this has just thrown everything off.”

The impact varies from program to program, as some students were able to keep up to date on their studies, while others were simply left waiting.

First-year horticulture student Emily Birss says her classmates used a group chat to keep in contact through the strike, and kept up to date on all of her assignments.

“I have all of my projects done, I’m a little nervous about the tests but other then that I’m not too concerned,” said Birss.

“I was nervous about missing out on the education because I love coming here, this is my whole life. It was weird having the time off, but it gave me time to go over what we were missing.”

The 12,000 professors, instructors, counsellors and librarians, who had been on strike since Oct. 15, were back at work on Monday to prepare for students’ return.

Ontario’s Liberal government first tried to introduce and pass the back-to-work legislation in one fell swoop Thursday night but the NDP forced the legislature to sit through the weekend to debate the bill, ultimately passing it Sunday afternoon.

Pollock admits she’s having a tough time understanding what was accomplished during the five-week labour dispute.

“It was really frustrating because it took so long for them to even get to the table, I think both sides are a little bit to blame for not getting out there and solve this as soon as possible. I think a lot of the students were starting to feel a little helpless.”

Fanshawe College is hosting student information sessions from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. all week.