OACUHO History
OACUHO History - Short Video from OACUHO Office on Vimeo.
In the early to mid-1970’s some of the most senior housing staff in Ontario post-secondary institutions decided to get together to talk about issues of common interest. The early meetings were fairly informal with an agenda being developed at the beginning of the day. Early discussions revolved around fees for rooms, amenities provided, relationships with service providers, furniture purchases etc.
As the association grew, became more formalized, we began to host multi-day conferences and eventually resulted in the adoption of a constitution. What began as meeting of ‘business officers’ slowly evolved into a meeting of all functional areas related to housing students in college and university campuses.
Over the years, members of the association have consulted with the provincial government on issues related specifically to students in housing related to institutions. The Residential Tenancies Act (formerly the Tenant Protection Act and the Landlord Tenant Act) has benefitted on numerous occasions from insights provided by members. As well, OACUHO sought clarification from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services in 2006 regarding the Private Security and Investigative Services Act and to clarify the role of student staff in residence.
The rapid growth in the 1990’s and early 2000s especially in the Residence Life area saw the membership of the association blossom. In the mid-2000’s OACUHO affiliated with the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I) widening our connection and collaboration across borders.
In 2016 OACUHO released a strategic plan which can be found on this website. It called for the association to focus on four areas: Education, Communication, Member Engagement and Governance and provided direction for the future to 2020. In 2020, the second strategic plan was released and focused on: Education, Governance and Membership Engagement.
The most recent, and current, strategic plan was released in 2024, and focuses on three priority areas for the organization:
- Priority 1: Engagement, Membership, and Inclusion
- Priority 2: Governance, Leadership, and Sustainability
- Priority 3: Learning Experiences and Professional Development