Over 1,200 St. Clair College students drop out after strike

CTV Windsor: Final dropout numbers Over 1,200 St. Clair Colleges students have dropped out after the strike. Chris Campbell explains.

The final numbers are in -- and 1,232 St. Clair College students in Windsor and Chatham have dropped out of their programs this year following a record-long, five week strike by faculty.

The deadline for students to make their decision was Tuesday and it's having an impact on the college's finances.

The dropouts will cost the college an estimated $3.6-million in refunds.

The associate vice president of student services Mike Silvaggi tells CTV News more people opted out than anticipated.

“So at some point we thought a thousand to be honest, late afternoon we had a little bit of a run," says Silvaggi.

St. Clair officials were happy at the start of the year, thanks to a record enrollment in the fall semester of 10,000 students.

One of them was Eugenio Mendoza, but he tells CTV Windsor it was a no-brainer to drop out of St. Clair’s advertising and marketing program to get a full refund.

“One, two, three weeks, that was dope,” says Mendoza. “Great, free vacation but after four it started to get really ridiculous."

“I was in second year, which is the most intense year and that's why I opted, I don't want to rush it, I’d rather take my time and do it right," says Mendoza.

Silvaggi says students who missed Tuesday's deadline can still apply for a refund, but each person will be approved on a case by case basis.

Students can still apply for the hardship fund until the end of April to recoup extra costs incurred during the strike for things like rent and travel.

College officials anticipate re-enrollment in January will bring some relief to their budget.