Student Strike Relief Fund
What is the “Student Strike Relief Fund”?
The Student Strike Relief Fund has been set up to provide financial assistance to students who have experienced financial hardship as a result of the 2017 faculty strike.
Who is eligible for this?
The Student Strike Relief Fund is available to all full-time domestic and international students who remain enrolled in the fall 2017 semester.
*Special note – this fund is not available to part-time students, or students who opt for the tuition refund.
What costs are eligible and how much do I get?
You can receive up to $500 for such incremental (unexpected and additional) costs as travel (rescheduling a flight, train, or bus trip), living expenses (food, transit pass, additional rent), child care, and other expenses based on individual needs or circumstances.
Here are some examples to consider:
- Incremental travel costs
Did you purchase a bus pass for January that you otherwise would not have needed to purchase? As a result of the strike, were you required to return to finish your semester in January where you wouldn’t have had to otherwise? What essential additional costs did you have? Did you have costs associated with flight changes or cancellations that Cambrian College was unable to assist you with by making academic accommodation (i.e. rescheduling a test to prevent interfering with your flight? - Incremental living expenses (including food and housing)
Were you required to extend rentals or leases due to the change to the end of the academic semester? (i.e. expected December graduation, or students leaving on placements in January) Do you need to purchase additional food due to the semester extension? - Incremental childcare expenses
Were you required to pay for someone to care for your child(ren) outside of the times you already made arrangements because of changes to your student timetable? - Other incremental expenses
Do you have other essential expenses that occurred as a result of the strike that you would not have had otherwise? Please specify the expense and the reason.
I have a parking permit that expires in December and the fall semester length has been extended to mid-January. Do I have to purchase another permit?
No. All semester parking permits are automatically extended and will coincide with each semester end date. This is applicable to ALL campuses.
How can I apply for assistance through the Student Strike Relief Fund and what’s the process?
The application for the Student Strike Relief Fund is posted on the myCambrian student portal. You will need to provide evidence and/or receipts to demonstrate that costs have or will be incurred.
What’s the deadline?
You have until April 27, 2018 to apply to the Student Strike Relief Fund.
What if I don’t agree with the amount I’m given under the Student Strike Relief Fund?
To appeal a refund decision, requests for appeal must be made within fourteen (14) business days of receiving a denial of an application. Appeals are to be directed to the College Registrar at registrar@cambrianinternational.ca. The appeal will be reviewed by a Review Appeal Committee, comprised of:
– The Registrar
– One College Administrator
– One Student Government Representative
The decision of the Review Appeal Committee is final and will be communicated to the student within fifteen (15) business days.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE STUDENT STRIKE RELIEF FUND, PLEASE EMAIL studentstrikesupportrelieffund@cambrianinternational.ca
What other kinds of assistance can I receive at this time?
Cambrian Hardship Bursary
Cambrian also has available a Hardship Bursary fund for domestic students facing financial difficulties above and beyond those associated with the faculty strike.
For information about Cambrian’s Hardship Bursary, please email studentstrikesupportrelieffund@cambrianinternational.ca.
Students’ Administrative Council Food Bank
The SAC operates a student food bank for emergency situations. For more information about the SAC Food Bank, please contact Michelle Beauchamp at michelle.beauchamp@cambrianinternational.ca, or by calling extension 7744.
OSAP
What happens if I choose to withdraw from college and get the tuition refund but have received OSAP?
Your tuition refund will be used to pay down your OSAP debt, meaning Cambrian will send the full amount of your refund to the National Student Loan Service Centre for credit against your outstanding OSAP loan balance.
What supports are available to me through OSAP if I choose to stay in school, but my semesters and/or academic year are extended?
If your academic year was originally funded to support completion of your studies from September to December, and your study period has been extended so that it now ends in January, you may be eligible for additional funding through OSAP.
If your academic year was originally funded to support completion of your studies from September to April, you will not be eligible for this additional funding.
How will this OSAP support be administered?
If you are receiving OSAP, you will be automatically assessed by OSAP, which will determine your level of added support.
When will I receive this additional OSAP funding?
If you are eligible for additional OSAP funding, you should receive it before the end of the extended Fall semester, most likely mid-December.
If you are currently receiving OSAP and were likely to graduate before December 31st, you will receive additional OSAP aid covering the extension of the Fall 2017 semester.
Any strike-related support provided by Cambrian to you will not be counted against your OSAP aid.
Will the amount of money I receive from OSAP affect my ability to also collect from the Student Strike Relief Fund?
No. The additional OSAP assistance is intended to help you with living expenses for the extra time spent in class. It is not meant for the other unexpected expenses you may have incurred due to the faculty strike. For those, you can still apply to the Student Strike Relief Fund.
I am an OSAP student. If I withdraw from Cambrian, will my account be flagged for future OSAP funding when I choose to resume my studies?
No. Academic penalties are not to be levied against you if you choose to withdraw because of the faculty strike. Due to the extenuating circumstances of the work stoppage, you will not be flagged.
You may want to consult with the Enrolment Centre about your potential withdrawal from Cambrian so we can provide you specific details as it relates to OSAP.
I receive OSAP to help pay for my schooling costs. When will I receive my winter semester OSAP disbursement?
You should receive your second OSAP disbursement in early January.
Other issues regarding your OSAP
Academic Penalty: If you withdraw between October 16 and December 5, 2017 there will be no academic penalty in regards to OSAP. If you decide to continue with your studies, your academic performance in the Fall will count towards ensuring you are meeting the minimum academic requirements. For OSAP, this means passing at least 60% (40% if you have a permanent disability) of the max course load for the semester(s) for which you receive OSAP.
Grant to Loan Conversion: Grants that you received will not be converted into a loan. Under normal circumstances, grants that you may have received would be converted into a loan that you need to repay if you were no longer entitled to the full value of the grant(s) (which would normally happen when you withdraw). For further information on this process of why this happens, log into your OSAP account, go to CHECK STATUS, click VIEW FUNDING, click UNDERSTAND WHY YOUR GRANTS COULD BE TURNED INTO A LOAN.
In-Year Overpayments and Returning to School in the same Academic Year: Under normal circumstances, the reduction in your funding due to a withdrawal gets applied towards your next semester if you did return (a withdrawal generates an overpayment, which means you received more funding than you’re entitled to, and that overpayment is taken from your next semester’s assessment). If your withdrawal date was between October 16 and December 5, 2017, however, this will NOT be the case (i.e., the overpayment will not be considered in how much you qualify for during your next study period in this same academic year).
January Intake: If you were supposed to start January 8, 2018, your OSAP was assessed as of that date until the end of your study period (i.e. April or August, or other). This start date has to be adjusted to the start date of January 22, meaning those 2 weeks from Jan 8-21 will NOT be included in your funding calculation. To help you recover some of these costs, you are eligible to apply for the Student Strike Relief Fund if you incurred eligible costs (defined in the Strike Relief Fund allowable costs) related to the timeframe that you are no longer funded. You can apply through your myCambrian portal.
Withdrawing and Repayment: Repayment will still start in 6 months if you don’t return this same academic year, so you can either make your regular monthly payments or apply for Repayment Assistance (RAP) at canlearn.ca until you return to full-time studies. To stop your repayment and interest once you return to full-time studies, you need to have your enrolment confirmed through a new OSAP application or make an Interest-Free Status request through the OSAP website at ontario.ca/osap
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR OSAP, PLEASE CONTACT:
Enrolment Centre
enrolmentcentre@cambrianinternational.ca
(705) 566-8101, extension 3003
