OSAP cuts force Waterloo region students to re-evaluate staying in school

Students in the Waterloo region are re-thinking whether they can continue their post-secondary schooling after changes to OSAP have left many students with less money.

In January,the province announced changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program including scrapping free tuition for low-income students.

For Waterloo student Ashley Kruchka, the cuts mean changing schools and moving provinces.

Right now, students across the province are getting updates on what they can expect to receive in loans and grants next year.

Many students have lashed out at the province on social media, claiming they are receiving lower amounts of funding in OSAP grants and loans than they previously received.

Listen to Ashley Kruchka on The Morning Edition talking about how OSAP cuts will affect her education.

For Kruchka, a second year University of Waterloo student, the changes have required her to change her entire academic career.

In the past, Kruchka was supported by the previous government's initiative of free tuition for students whose parents made less than $50,000. She used her $22,000 OSAP grant and loan to pay for her accommodation, books, foodand medication, as she suffers from fibromyalgia.

"I budgeted around a $1,000 a month to live off of," says Kruchka.

This year, Kruchka was estimated to receive about $11,000 in funding to pay for her tuition and all other expenses cutting in half what she got last year.

"My new estimate just covers tuition, books," says Kruchka.

She says to stay at the University of Waterloo and continue her education would be impossiblewith the funding she is estimated to be given.

She said she can't get a loan from a bank to pay the extra costs because her parents don't make enough money to co-sign that loan. Her father currently is battling cancer.

So Kruchka decided to finish her education in Nova Scotia, at Saint Mary's University, so she could live at home with her family, who are located about 90 minutes from the university.

I picked Waterloo because it was my dream school," she says. "It takes away all the work that I did at the University of Waterloo.- Ashley Kruchka, student at the University of Waterloo

Student David Bentley says if cuts to OSAP continue, it would jeopardize his ability to stay in school.

"Losing more money to OSAP is making it next to impossible to finish my program," says Bentley.

The single dad of three is a mature studentat Conestoga College and received about $1,600 less this year compared to last.

Bentley relied on a combination of OSAP and second career funding in the past for his tuition, living and food expenses for him and his children.

He received less second-career funding this year and hoped OSAP funding would make up some of that difference.

He's nowstarted a a crowdfunding campaignto help him pay for school and expenses.

Liberal plan 'unsustainable,' minister says

The new Minster of Training, Colleges, and Universities, Ross Romano, admits that he was dependant on OSAP while in university.

Still, he says, the Liberal government's OSAP plan was "unsustainable."

"Despite the program costs ballooning to the point of fiscal unsustainability, enrolment numbers only increased by 1 per centfor universities and 2 per centfor colleges, meaning the changes did not achieve the objective of improved access to post-secondary education," he told CBC News in an emailed statement.

He says by 2018-2019, OSAP reached a cost of $2 billion, over a 50 per cent net increase in program costs.

"The changes our government made to OSAP were necessary to ensure the program was both sustainable and available to the students of today and tomorrow," he said.

'Less diversity of students'

Shawn Cruz, the vice president of university affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University Students' Union, says he's heard first hand from students that have had to make difficult decisions such as changing their availability for school or taking on more jobs.

"This is obviously a concern because this takes time away from student academics, which is the primary and sole purpose of attending post secondary education," said Cruz.

Matthew Gerrits, the vice president of education at the University of Waterloo's student union, saysthe province needs to understand the worth of every student that goes into university. Heand saidOSAP helps to bring in students who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity.

"When we see less diversity of students who are able to access those undergraduate degrees, it means people don't have the undergraduate experience and they are going to have a harder time going out and solving the problems they are really passionate about," said Gerrits.