The strike at Carleton is now in its 2nd week with no end in sight

Carleton U. strike enters 2nd week Students on the front lines of the work stoppage ask whether the strike will affect their final exams. CTS Dave Charbonneau reports.

It is now day eight of the strike by 3,000 Carleton University contract instructors and teaching assistants.

Some students, like Lynda Yonkeu, are unsure what this means for her education.

"They better not get my credits taken off is all I'm saying," says Yonkeu. "Like, even today, I have an oral test in my class and the teacher is a contract instructor so she should be out protesting and everything and I have no idea what's going on with that."

The union has said the main issue in the dispute is wages, but for contract instructors like Meg Lonergan, it's also about their intellectual property.

"So, basically, Carleton is saying that they own all of my teaching materials that I produce," says Lonergan. "Traditionally, it's been understood that instructors and professors own their intellectual property, so this is a huge attack on an already really marginalized precarious job."

CUPE 4600 president Noreen Cauley-Le Fevre says contact talks resumed this past weekend, but a deal couldn't be reached for teaching assistant wages.

"I don't understand. If you want to attract top quality researchers and students to a university, pay them," says Cauley-Le Favre. "Students want to get back to classes. Graduate students want to get back to work and back to their research instead of staying out on the lines. And I'm wondering why they don't just throw the money that they're spending on private security and lawyers to graduate TA’s."

In a statement, Carleton University says, "The university does not anticipate having to extend the term (classes) or the graduation timeline and has no intention of cancelling the term nor the current credits to be earned. Student grades and course progress are not at risk due to the ongoing strike."

Students on campus say they are missing some classes due to the strike.

"It's kind of just killed all motivation to do anything really,” says said Matthew Kane. "It's really only affecting one course which I have a contract prof. So, basically, it's almost completely stopped."

"A few of my classes are on hold for the moment, some of my tutorials and laboratories that are run by the teachers assistants. So, all of those classes and one of my electives are on hold," said Megan Martin.

"All of my math classes have been canceled. We have no labs or tutorials or anything like that. So, no extra help for any assignments," said Grace Rhodes.

Yonkeu is hoping this can be resolved sooner rather than later.

"I just find it very unfair for Carleton to just keep this going. I think this should just be professional and just resolve this as quickly as possible for our sake."