UNBC first year students (l-r) Lilia Nezhinsky, Lauren Monroe, and Helen Marsh headed back to class on Friday   250News photo

Prince George, BC –  While the weeks before final exams are typically stressful, students at the University of Northern BC have the complicating factor of labour strife thrown into the mix.

The uncertainty over how the rest of the semester will play out has many concerned and at least one student wanting her tuition back.

Friday was the first day of classes since professors and instructors set up pickets on March 5th to back their demand for higher wages. (click here, for previous story)

First year Biomedical Studies student, Helen Marsh, said she’s concerned that too much time has been lost to job action to adequately cover the remaining course material.

“I mean, we lost time due to the two week break (for the Canada Winter Games) – which was an extended break – and now we’ve lost another 14 days of school we should have had.”

“I find that what they’ve been doing is cutting out certain pieces of our lectures, which, if they were planning to teach us in the first place, you’d think it would be vital for next year.”  Marsh said she spoke with the Registrar several times over the course of the strike and felt her concerns weren’t being addressed.

“I put in a formal complaint to have my money back and it was taken to the board, but nothing was answered,” said the 18-year-old from McBride.  “I got an email saying the strike would hopefully end so that we could continue the semester, but they refused to give my money back.”

A call to UNBC’s Communications office on Friday requesting information on how the university plans to address students’ requests for refunds was not returned by deadline Sunday evening.

“I think it’s on a lot of students’ minds,” said the President of the Northern Undergraduate Student Society, Angela Kehler when told of Marsh’s concerns. “It is two weeks’ lost time – time lost in the class, lost practicum time, that kind of thing – so all of that still needs to be discussed and resolved.”

“It’s a concern,” she said, “But we don’t have any answers yet.”

While students Lauren Monroe and Lilia Nezhinsky said they don’t plan to seek refunds, they’re concerned with the many ‘unknowns’ that remain following the strike.  “How will our credits transfer to another university? ” questioned Monroe. “Will this semester be accepted because it was cut short?”

Nezhinsky pondered the flip side, “I’m not sure if they’re going to extend the school year and how that’s going to affect me.”  Both young women pointed out there are exchange students who need to return home and others who’ve already agreed to start dates for summer work.

As the students’ rep, Kehler did meet with both the university president and provost on Friday morning and said a decision on whether to extend the semester or end as scheduled is expected by the middle of this week.

“I think the major thing we’re feeling, at least from my perspective, is relief that something happened,” said Kehler.  “We’re relieved to be back, but we don’t know for how long because a mediator has been called in, but there’s always the chance that strike action can resume.”

The Faculty Association’s job action was suspended late last Wednesday when the university announced it had applied to the Labour Relations Board to have a mediator appointed under Section 55 of the Labour Relations Code that applies to first-time collective agreements.  The LRB had five days from the request to appoint the mediator, who then has 20 days to work with the two sides.  Calls and an email request to the Board for information on the appointment were not returned.