The Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) provides services, events, and advocacy to its members to improve student life and educational quality at Camosun College.
Students at Camosun are also members of their provincial and national students’ union, the Canadian Federation of Students-BC and the Canadian Federation of Students.
As members of the provincial and national student federations, Camosun students have access to a wide range of cost-saving services, including the International Student Identity Card and a high-quality members’ student handbook and day planner; these are free services provided as benefits of membership.
Provincially and nationally, students benefit from lobby efforts that advocate for a universally accessible, high-quality system of postsecondary education at Camosun College, in the province of BC, and across the country.
Membership in these student federations provides the benefit of strength in numbers: when we are united in advocating for the needs of postsecondary students, we get results.
Over the years, our federations have won many victories that have improved the lives of students, such as the establishment of the Canada Student Grant Program in 2009, which provides $620 million in non-repayable financial assistance to postsecondary students across Canada each year, or the cap on annual tuition fee increases, ending three years of skyrocketing tuition fees in BC.
The list of wins goes on, and so does the collective work of students from around the province and the country.
Average student debt for BC students upon graduation is almost $35,000; that’s around $8,500 above the national average, and the highest in the country. BC also charges the highest interest rates on student loans: prime plus 2.5 percent.
So what can we do about it? Being a member of a provincial and national student movement allows students to unite under one banner and advocate for change.
At the CFS-BC general meeting in August, students from across the province identified the following priorities for creating an accessible and higher quality system of postsecondary education in BC: the reduction of tuition fees back to 2001 levels, the establishment of a needs-based provincial student grant program, and the elimination of interest rates on BC student loans.
Further, students continue to identify the need for substantial increases to institutional funding. The objective is to pressure the provincial government to develop a strategy to reduce student debt and ensure that all British Columbians can access postsecondary education regardless of their families’ income.
The CCSS continues to advocate for Camosun students’ needs and fights for higher quality postsecondary education alongside hundreds of thousands of students from across the country through the Canadian Federation of Students.
If you would like to learn more about our campaigns or volunteer with us, please stop by our offices or send an email to ccss@camosunstudent.org.