'I was pretty worried': Fanshawe students express relief that a faculty strike has been averted

The Fanshawe College Student Union held an orientation event on Wednesday morning for students entering the new semester, with their version of the television game show, ‘Deal or No Deal.’

The host energetically hyped up the event "Who's ready to win one thousand dollars today?”

She also hyped up the fact that the semester would not be interrupted, "That we are going to continue studying and having fun, and we are going to have events."

Entering school for the day, business co-op student Maraam Ghenniwa expressed her relief, "I was pretty worried about schooling wise, because - you know, everything was going to be on hold, and I didn't want to delay anything for schooling, graduation purposes. So I was, just like… I was worried about it."

Fansahwe students play Deal or No Deal on a day a deal was reached to avoid a faculty strike, Jan. 8, 2025 (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

Province wide more than 15,000 faculty are members of the Ontario Public Service Union (OPSEU). They were going to be in a legal strike position effective Thursday.

The union says a memorandum of understanding between bargaining units representing the faculty and the colleges has secured benefit improvements primarily geared to partial-load professors which make up 75 per cent of the staff. The OPSEU statement said they are precarious workers who don't have the protections of full-time staff.

Christina Decarie is a business professor at St. Lawrence College, “When I started at the college 21 years ago, about 25 per cent of the professors were contract professors. And now, 21 years later, about 75 per cent of the professors are contract professors."

Job actions at colleges and universities are a challenge for all students, but they're particularly difficult for students that come from out of town.

Many continue to pay rent and remain in residences during job actions.

"I'm actually really glad it's open,” said Digital Marketing student Gunes Saglam. Saglam is an international student from Turkey.

"I have important classes this semester, so I would be missing a lot of them. And for the midterm, for example, it would be really bad."

Students in their final semester, or preparing to take next steps in their education, say delays and interruptions can take a toll.

Tristan Wanamaker will finish his Human Services Foundation certificate program in April, "As a full time student, time is so crucial. So, every bit of time you can get, any support from professor, and things like that, are super crucial. So, the strike would have been pretty tough."

Now students can put those concerns behind them.