Guide t the Mhawk Cllege Student Strike Relief Fund The Student Strike Relief Fund prvides assistance fr students wh have experienced financial hardship as a result f the fall 2017 academic strike. The fund will be cnsistent with the framewrk develped by the Ministry f Advanced Educatin and Skills Develpment in cnsultatin with student leaders and clleges. Students wh submit a request t withdraw frm their prgram fr strike-related reasns by December 5, 2017, inclusive, can apply fr a full refund f their tuitin. They will nt be eligible fr any additinal supprt thrugh the Student Strike Relief Fund. Please cntact the Registrar s Office fr further infrmatin abut withdrawing. 1. Eligibility This plicy applies t all full-time dmestic and internatinal students wh remained registered in the fall term. Apprentices cmpleting their in schl training are als eligible. Students wh withdraw are nt eligible fr supprt thrugh this fund. 2. Definitins Full-time student An individual wh is enrlled in a cllege prgram f instructin fr at least 70 % f the student cntact hurs r 66⅔ % f the curses required fr the prgram f instructin in a given semester r reprting perid. A student granted advanced standing r an exemptin frm a curse is nt cnsidered t be enrlled in the curse. OSAP students are cnsidered full time by taking a 60% curse lad, 40% fr students with a cnfirmed permanent disability. Incremental Csts/Expenses are additinal expenses r csts incurred as a direct result f the strike. Examples include: Incremental (additinal) travel csts (such as the cst t reschedule a flight, train r bus trip); Incremental (additinal) living expenses including fd, husing and transprtatin (such as the cst t extend rent fr a mnth t accmmdate the fall term extending int January; applies nly t students that were expected t finish their prgram in December and nw need t make additinal arrangements int January. C-Op students that incurred additinal csts due t the delay f the start f the semester. Incremental (additinal) child care expenses; and Other incremental (additinal) unexpected expense.
The fllwing are examples f questins t cnsider when cmpleting the applicatin: Incremental (additinal) travel csts Did yu purchase a bus pass fr January that yu therwise wuld nt have needed t purchase? As a result f the strike, were yu required t return t finish yur semester in January where yu wuldn t have had t therwise? What essential additinal csts did yu have? Did yu have csts assciated with flight changes r cancellatins that the Cllege was unable t assist yu with by making academic accmmdatin, e.g., rescheduling a test t prevent interfering with yur flight? Incremental (additinal) living expenses (including fd and husing) Were yu required t extend rentals r leases due t the change t the end f the academic semester? (e.g., expected December graduatin, r students leaving n placements in January) D yu need t purchase additinal fd due t the semester extensin? Incremental (additinal) childcare expenses Were yu required t pay fr smene t care fr yur child(ren) utside f the times yu already made arrangements because f changes t yur student timetable? Other incremental (additinal) expenses D yu have ther essential expenses that ccurred as a result f the strike that yu wuld nt have had therwise? Please specify the expense and the reasn. 3. Applicatin Prcess Students must cmplete the Student Strike Relief Fund Applicatin and submit supprting dcumentatin as prf f their incurred incremental (additinal) csts/expenses in rder t be cnsidered fr the Student Strike Relief Fund. Alternative frmats f the frm are available upn request. Students must cmplete the Student Strike Relief Fund Applicatin and include supprting dcumentatin as evidence f the extra csts. Examples include but are nt limited t train ticket change fees, rental agreements, receipts fr childcare expenses, a letter frm a landlrd, a cpy f a pst-dated cheque. Lst pprtunity t earn incme due t the strike will nt be cnsidered fr funding. Applicatins will be reviewed by the Registrar s Office. Additinal dcumentatin may be required thrughut the review f an applicatin. Only ne applicatin per student will be cnsidered up t the $500 maximum. Applicatins will be received frm Nvember 27, 2017 t the end f the Winter semester April 21, 2018. The review f applicatins will begin after December 5, 2017. Using the Student Strike Relief Fund Applicatin, please identify the unexpected incremental (additinal) expenses that yu have incurred because f the strike. Please
attach all supprting dcuments, Dcuments submitted after the fact may nt be cnsidered. If a student is awarded funding thrugh the Student Strike Relief Fund, a cmpleted Persnal Infrmatin Frm (PIF) must be submitted prir t disbursement as a T4A will be issued fr any funding that has been disbursed t the student. The disbursement f funds will be cmpleted thrugh Banner Student Aid and will be paid within three weeks, excluding hliday clsure, frm the date f apprval. Students wh are in need f emergency funds ver and abve OSAP, Financial Needs Assessment Prfile and/r the Student Strike Relief Fund, may be eligible fr alternate financial supprts thrugh the Financial Assistance Office. 4. Public Reprting The Cllege will reprt publicly n the amunt f supprt prvided thrugh the Student Strike Relief Fund t supprt transparency fr students. It is expected that public reprting will ccur at the end f the prcess. 5. Linkages with OSAP Fr students wh are in receipt f OSAP, the Student Strike Relief Fund will nly be cnsidered after students have been assessed fr additinal OSAP funding. Financial assistance that students receive frm the fund will nt impact their OSAP funding r eligibility. 6. Student Strike Relief Fund Appeals Prcess If yur claim is denied r yu disagree with the amunt f relief yu were given, yu can appeal the Cllege s decisin nce nly. Yu must appeal within furteen (14) days after the Cllege s decisin is issued. Yu must submit yur appeal in writing t the Registrar s Office using the attached frm. The fllwing are pssible utcmes f the Student Strike Relief Fund Appeal review: The riginal amunt is adjusted upward. The riginal is adjusted dwnward. The riginal amunt remains unchanged. All steps in the prcess must be dcumented. The student appealing the initial Student Strike Relief Fund utcme is respnsible fr initiating the Appeal using the established frm. Supprting dcumentatin thrughut the appeals prcess is limited t material submitted with the Student Strike Relief Fund Appeal frm. 6.1 Appeal Prcedure Students wh are disputing the amunt awarded can request an appeal review by submitting the frm thrugh email t relieffund@mhawkcllege.ca
Appeals will be reviewed by a panel cnsisting f the Dean f Students, tw Cllege representatives and tw Mhawk Students Assciatin representatives. In the event f a tie, the decisin will be made by the Dean f Students. The decisin f the panel is final and binding. The panel shall be free t establish the details f hearing prcedures. 6.2 Appeal Panel Structure The Dean f Students (r designate) will assume respnsibility fr assembling an Student Strike Relief Fund Appeal Panel and respnsibility fr distributing the dcumentatin submitted with the appeal frm. The Panel will have the fllwing structure: Panel Chair (Vting nly in the event f a tie) Dean f Students (r designate) Panel Members (Vting) Tw Cllege representatives Tw Mhawk Students Assciatin representatives Unless therwise agreed, a meeting f the Panel will take place n later than 14 business days fllwing receipt f the appeal. The Dean f Students (r designate) will prvide advance written ntice f the date, time and lcatin f the meeting t the student and panel members. Representatin by legal cunsel n behalf f either the student and/r the Cllege is nt permitted. 7. Attachments Attachment 1 Student Strike Relief Fund Appeal Frm Student Strike Relief Fund Applicatin
Mhawk Cllege Student Strike Relief Fund Appeal Frm Request fr Review f Student Strike Relief Fund Decisin Name f Student: Student N. Specific expenses fr which yu are requesting the review Amunt Awarded: Amunt Expected: What utcme are yu requesting as the result f this review? : Please explain why yu believe the riginal decisin was incrrect, and why yur request fr a change in funding is reasnable. Please nte cmplete this sectin carefully. The dcumentatin yu prvide here will be used thrughut the Appeals prcess.
Expense Appeal Frm (cntinued) Signature f Student Date
Student Strike Relief Fund Appeal Decisin The riginal amunt will be changed t: The riginal amunt will be dwngraded t: The riginal amunt will nt be changed. Yur signatures belw are intended as acknwledgement f the results f this Expense Appeal: Student Signature Date Panel Chair Signature Date