Your Students' Union, the Okanagan College Students' Union (OCSU), is a non-profit organization formed by students, for students. The membership of the organization is made up of all Okanagan College Students from the Penticton, Kelowna, and Salmon Arm campuses. There are two basic purposes to the OCSU, or indeed any Students' Union: firstly, to provide services to our members on a non-profit basis, and secondly, to advocate on behalf of our members.
We provide many great services to our members. One of the most popular is the store we operate out of our offices on the Kelowna Campus. It provides cold drinks and snacks at rock-bottom prices, as well as bus passes, photocopying services, Tylenol, and many other items that students often need. Click here to find out more about the great deals avaible to you at the OCSU Store.
Other services we provide include the StudentSaver Programme, the International Student Identity Card, our Student Health and Dental Plan, and many more. Scroll over the 'Our Services' item on the left to see a more complete list.
We also provide advocacy for our membership. This can take many forms; if you feel that you've been unfairly treated by a member of the faculty or administration, we can provide you with support and help you navigate through the appeals process. In addition, we participate in numerous local and national campaigns on issues that concern students. One of the largest is the Reduce Tuition Fees Campaign. Scroll over the 'Our Campaigns' and 'Lobbying' items on the left for more information.
The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) was formed in 1981 to provide students with an effective and united voice, provincially and nationally. The students at Okanagan College were founding members of the Federation, It was recognized that for students to be truly effective in representing their collective interests to the federal and provincial governments, it was vital to unite under one banner.
Today, the Canadian Federation of Students comprises more than 500,000 students from college and university students' unions across the country. Because universities and colleges are funded primarily by the federal government and administered exclusively by the provincial government, government policies and priorities determine the quality and accessibility of post-secondary education. Tuition fee levels, student financial assistance programs and funding for research are all set directly or indirectly by both levels of government. Thus, it is vital that students collectively organize at the provincial and national levels to ensure that students' rights and concerns are fully represented. For more information on the Canadian Federation of Students, visit www.cfs-fcee.ca.