Despite COVID-19 being a struggle on the people in itself, the majority of the professors at the University of Manitoba have gone on strike, starting November 2nd. Not only have the circumstances placed our professors under immense stress, there is a lot of strain being pushed onto the students as well. Many of our classes are not being taught due to the lack of content and support from the professors, with the addition of the struggles of online learning. There was a large amount of miscommunication leading up to the strike decision, resulting in confusion across many students in various faculties. In addition to this, many students were informed that their professors would keep their materials online for self-paced learning, however, the University has stripped away the professors ability to provide access to the educational tools that we are paying for. This has been a shock to most as many students were not given an opportunity to download what they need to continue their studies. With this, it is expected that students keep up with their studies and the only way we can do this at the time is by teaching ourselves from the textbook with zero guidance from our professors. Why do we pay a term's worth of fees and tuition if we are doing it ourselves?

The conditions the university has set up for their students does not align with their beliefs of making the students their priority. With a lack of information beforehand, and a lack of teachers and material we are paying for, it is only appropriate to receive financial compensation for this fall term - Fall 2021. Many students leading up to the strike said that their stress was at an all time high, and overall mental health were at an all time low. Many students were unable to maintain their regular study habits and had fallen behind. Signatures of these students agree we deserve repayment for the additional stress and mental impact this situation has caused. It is only suitable to be granted repayment regardless of the length of the strike. We are paying to learn, and we're getting everything but that!