So here we are again…living in yet another Canada under the leadership of the Conservative government. It’s a hard blow for students, immigrants, families, the working class and so many more. But it’s not so much for the corporations.

A sociology professor very recently said to my class of about 50 students that we are essentially feeding into several profit-driven corporations. What was she talking about? She was talking about the very institution we students hand over more than $20,000 to for an education degree: an educational institute that’s linked to some of the most powerful corporations in the world.

Last year, Ted Rogers (The) presented Ryerson University with a $15 million donation to go towards a business management building located smack dab at Toronto’s Bay Street. As a result, the building was renamed to the Ted Rogers School of Management.

Just a couple blocks over is the Rogers Communications Centre, housing schools of journalism, radio and television arts, and professional communication. That opened up in 1991 with the help of a hefty $25 million cheque donated by the late father of Ted Rogers.

I always used to laugh when people would joke about Ryerson’s imminent name change to “Rogers University.” Now that Harper has gained nearly 20 more seats in the House of Commons this past election, I don’t think I should be laughing anymore.

And don’t think it’s just Rogers. There’s Harry Rosen, Coca Cola, Aramark, all of which have comfortably integrated into our campus. While Ryerson is busy developing relationships with financial elites instead of their students, Harper is cutting taxes for these corporations. So, what the heck does that make of us, the students that have no say in these business deals?

Corporations shouldn’t have this kind of monopoly over our education. Educational institutions shouldn’t even have to fall into such a compromising process of globalization. With the kinds of priorities the Conservative government has on their agenda, however, it’s not even an option for universities to forget about corporate partnerships. If only.

Where the benefit really goes is to these corporations, while educational institutions merely operate at the whims of them.