Georgian College students frustrated, worried by faculty strike

Some Georgian College students were doing schoolwork as they pushed through day one of a strike by faculty. 

"We are a little bit worried," said Sahio Shiridhar, who is in his second year of Mechanical Engineering.

"It's about their rights and stuff but all I know for the students, it's going to mess up our schedule.  We have mid-terms going on. They're going to be moved ahead. We're going to get assignments bumped up. It's going to be tough for us."

The international student from India added, "We hope it gets resolved quckly."

Classes were cancelled at Ontario's 24 community colleges, including Georgian, after 12,000 faculty members went on a legal strike at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

A key issue in the labour dispute is contract work.

The union wants a 50-50 split between full-time and contract employees but the College Employers Council says that is unaffordable.

Pickets went up at all Georgian College locations where strikers conducted information stops as motorists entered the campuses. 

Shiridhar was at Barrie's main campus library with several other international students from India.

"I'm very upset," said Gurmukh Singh, a second year student in the Aviation Management program.

"It's a complete loss of study. Complete loss of money. If the strike continues one month we have to drop our semester and we'll have to do it again. We're on a study visa and will need to extend our study visa."

"It's very stressful," he said. 

Fellow international student Amrinder Singh Augne said he was 'very upset' when he woke up Monday morning to learn classes were cancelled.

"There are no classes but I have paid for the classes. This is a problem," said  Singh Augne, also in Aviaton Management.

Navjot Kaur and Harprett Kaur are both studying Health and Fitness Promotion.

"This week we have mid-terms so we lost a lot. It's stressful," said Navjot. 

Her school mate saw things differently. 

"I think it is good for me because I faced a lot of stress from studies and assignments and I feel so relaxed this week," laughed Harprett.

Student Josh Sowman is in a part-time semester to complete his Entrepreneurship program. 

"I'm a little annoyed because it's kind of having an impact on most of the students. It's a little frustrating for sure. It's nice to have extra time to do things but at the same time I'm missing class time to learn things I need to learn."

Georgian College is trying to assuage the fears of students.

"We are developing an academic completion plan," said Lori Bell, Executive Director Human Resources and Organizational Development.  "The semester will not be extended because of the strike so any travel plans of students won't need to be changed."

Bell says the college can't share the plan now because it will change, depending on how long the strike lasts.  

Everyone involved in the strike - striking faculty, the College Employer Council and Georgian College spokespeople - all say no student has ever lost a year because of a strike.