YFS prepares for national ‘Day of Action’
Jacqueline Perlin
Assistant News Editor
@jackieperlin
York’s student union is taking quite a different approach to the annual “Drop Fees” movement, opting to camp out in the cold to send a message to the public about the state of education.
The York Federation of Students (YFS) will be serving a free breakfast January 4 in Vari Hall in an effort to inform students of their “Day of Action,” which will be taking place February 1. In addition, from January 23 to February 1, YFS executives will be sleeping outside in tents in an effort to bring awareness to the fact that students are often “left outside in the cold” when it comes to their education.
“This year’s Day of Action is a national day of action,” explains Alastair Woods, vp campaigns and advocacy for the YFS. “It’s interesting, because you really get to see how things are manifesting in different provinces.”
The Day of Action—which has not occurred since 2007—is an event where students from all provinces rally for affordable, high-quality public education.
“It’s a chance for students in Ontario to come together […] and look at the overall costs and increase the quality [of education], because while the grant does help affordability for some students, the fact of the matter is that it does very little for the quality of education,” says Woods, noting that the government has failed to address correctly funding the system.
Woods says that while the Day of Action is concerned with the federal government, it also targets the provincial government. Noting that after the last national Day of Action, the federal government implemented its Canada Student Grants Program, the first federal needs-based program available to students.
“At the end of the day [the politicians] really do listen,” says Woods, noting that some they may have a defeated attitude when it comes to grants, students should continue to push for better services.
