Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to join you.
I'm here representing our president, Don Lovisa, today, who's unfortunately on another call like this.
I will try to give you an overview of our current circumstance and profile.
Durham College currently enrolls over 13,000 post-secondary and apprenticeship students in programs at our Oshawa and Whitby campuses. This includes over 1,500 international students. The college also operates employment services sites at four locations throughout the region.
Colleges in Ontario have over 50 years of experience delivering post-secondary education within the local communities and providing accessible education to a wide range of students. Hands-on learning and skills development are embedded in programs to ensure that graduates are well prepared to enter the workforce with relevant and up-to-date skills. A focus on accessible education means that the student population is a diverse microcosm of the local and global communities that colleges serve.
At Durham College the student population includes students who are Crown wards. Students with disabilities make up approximately 15% of our total student population, including students with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health issues. We have second-career students who are retraining after job loss or injury. We have students who are dependent on financial aid, academic upgrading students who are completing secondary school programs and college credits simultaneously, single parents, an indigenous student population and international students, who comprise approximately 17% of our students.
The move to online platforms for delivery of the final weeks of the winter semester was accomplished in record time and with great success. Students, faculty and staff were creative, persistent and dedicated to finding solutions. However, the transition did not come without significant challenges and learning opportunities.
The current COVID-19 pandemic has had a wide-ranging impact on college students as programs have moved to online delivery, campuses have closed, and opportunities for employment and experiential learning have stopped.
As of mid-March, our apprenticeship programs were suspended. Field placement, internships and co-operative jobs that could not be completed virtually are now incomplete. Programs requiring laboratory or studio work that could not be completed virtually are pending completion. Approximately 15% of our students have been unable to complete their semester as of today's date, and that has delayed graduation for many. Students with learning disabilities really struggled to move into the virtual platforms, and faculty struggled to convert to a virtual delivery that was accessible.
Significantly, though, the disruption to students' lives was more impactful in other areas. I believe it's widely known that one in five Canadian students lives with mental health challenges, and the majority of post-secondary students with mental health needs access mental health supports through their campuses. While campuses have continued to provide support virtually, students report difficulty finding confidential space when the family is at home, and they report escalating mental health challenges related to the new life challenges that all of us are facing. There are also a lot of feelings of isolation or of feeling trapped in environments where their mental health issues may have originated, and the limitations of virtual care have been very deeply felt.
Other students with disabilities have reported struggling to adapt quickly to a virtual delivery mode for their coursework and difficulty adapting their accommodations to the virtual environment. Students with children or senior parents struggle to attend virtual classes and manage child care or elder care when there are not options outside the home. Campus food banks are not accessible, and local food banks are facing supply challenges. Our indigenous students often have limited access to Internet, and it has created additional barriers to the completion of courses and being able to maintain social contacts. Our international students who did not return to their home countries experience isolation, the financial strain of staying in Canada longer than expected, and the uncertainty of how or if they will be able complete programs if they do leave Canada.
Many students were laid off from their part-time jobs and have been unable to start summer work because they're employed in industries that are closed, and 70% of Durham College students receive financial aid. With the semester ending in April and with a lack of employment, many of them do not have resources for rent or food. Students who are still employed tend to work in industries such as health care, grocery stores or elder care and feel the pressure of being at risk of infection and transmission to families. Finally, our students continue to seek campus support for issues related to escalating incidents of domestic violence, assistance with landlords who threaten eviction, or even deportation and racially motivated incidents related to COVID-19.
Government programs that have been created to support students are welcomed, particularly those announced over the past week or so, but they can't bridge the gaps that the level of disruption has created for our community and the associated uncertainty of the future.
In short, the current pandemic has shone a light on how critically important colleges are in providing not only education, but the social supports of thousands of students. It also highlights the fundamental need to build a resilient post-secondary system that's nimble and can be sustained through a global crisis.
Colleges, like so many other organizations, are significantly challenged financially as a result of refunding fees, stopped programs and declines in enrolment. We are going to be seeking support going forward to meet the following challenges:
The education and training of all employees, faculty and staff in more effective use of technologies that are universally accessible to deliver programs and services in as robust a manner as possible, both on campus and virtually.
The identification of, and advocacy for, options to ensure that all students and employees have access to robust and reliable Internet services, regardless of their location and economic resources.
Advocacy for employer support to create new jobs that are flexible in delivery methods, and to ensure sustainable employment for students.
Advocacy for research into more effective ways to reduce the need for escalating mental health supports in favour of proactive measures that build resilience and well-being for all.
Advocacy for more effective mental health supports for those who need them.
Finally, advocacy for enhanced financial resources for students who cannot be employed, or whose education may be disrupted again by COVID-19 spread, and effective mechanisms for accessing these supports.
Thank you for your time and for listening today.