Lakehead University has answered students’ calls for financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A petition spearheaded by Orillia campus students Brandon Rhéal Amyot, Aleesha Gostkowski and Evan McHardy calls on the university to add a pass/fail option for all courses (to which Lakehead recently agreed), keep residences open for those who cannot return home, forgive remaining placement and internship hours, extend all academic appeal periods and tuition fee payment periods, and set up a support fund for Lakehead students.
The student relief fund was set up Friday. As of Friday afternoon, it had raised more than $34,000.
“I really have to thank the students who pushed for this to happen. Showing solidarity and that need really let the administration know of the importance of this,” Amyot said.
Donations have been made by students, the Lakehead University Student Union (LUSU), the alumni association, professors and administrators, Amyot said, giving special thanks to LUSU for its $10,000 contribution, the alumni association for its $5,000 donation, and Lakehead president and vice-chancellor Moira McPherson, who kicked in $1,000 of her own money.
“It’s great to see these deans and professors and administrators make contributions to this. This reminds me why I picked Lakehead,” Amyot said. “It’s actually quite emotional. It shows that we’re all in this together.”
LUSU is still in talks with Lakehead about the other requests, but “the pass/fail option and this fund were the main ones because they affect all students,” Amyot said.
They encourage students in need to apply for assistance from the relief fund. It is there to help students with costs associated with food security, travel, living/temporary housing and “other unforeseen challenges.”
More on the fund can be found here.
The Canadian Federation of Students is still pushing the federal government to expand the Canada Emergency Response Benefit to include all students in need, not just those who made more than $5,000 in the last year. That petition can be found here.
