"The strike has impacted me in many ways. Firstly, I gave up my full-time job and switched over to part-time because the course offerings were only during the day. Now for the past four weeks, we have been on strike. It feels like it was in vain now.
Secondly, I was prepared to do my midterms in the week when the strike occurred. Not completing my midterms has given me anxiety because now I am going to have to go over everything all over again. In addition, I have no idea how things will be restructured when school resumes: will there even be midterms? How will they disperse the course weightings if the midterms are removed? Will they make exams weigh heavier, further stressing me out during a stressful time?
Thirdly, I have had projects become due during the strike. Right before the strike, our professors told us to keep up with the projects and school work so we don't fall behind. The only issue is that two of my teachers failed to post any content for modules past week six on SLATE, so I am already behind in those classes. As for the projects, I have had questions and they've remained unanswered. When school resumes we will only have 72 hours, perhaps, to hand in our "overdue" assignments. How is that enough time to get all my questions answered and still hand in quality work for each of my five projects I've had to suspend? If my questions remain unanswered, of course, I cannot continue because I may proceed with the project and do it all wrong and have to redo it anyways.
Now I am hearing that my Christmas break will be ruined! This is not fair at all. It is not fair that my time gets to be infringed upon because a group of teachers wants more money, while I want more help. I have plans to be with my family who lives more than 3 hours away. Having perhaps one and half weeks is not enough time at all. I was planning to visit my father in Arizona as well and because I didn't already book my ticket I will be penalized. We should have our semester go into the summer break and make the teachers make up for lost time during the summer. Students should not have to be negatively impacted by their actions. We give them jobs by applying and studying at Sheridan College. If not for us, we wouldn't need so many of them. Why should we suffer at the hands of their needs?
Even more, I found out that negotiations for the renewed contract began in May. So why did we only want to take action in the middle of the fall semester? Why did no one think to resolve these issues over the summer when the impact would be the least? Why did no one care than to take a vote? Why is this all being done only now? I think that it's shameful that students are used as collateral damage in order for the colleges to try and stalemate the union, and for the union to use us to pressure the colleges to close a deal! "