Robert Junior Ntoko wins student seat as Board of Governors considers more program cuts at Algonquin College
Robert Junior Ntoko, a full-time business student, has been elected student representative on Algonquin College’s Board of Governors.
Grant Perry, vice-president of finance and administration, sent an email to students Feb. 27 sharing the results from the Feb. 25 vote.
Ntoko received 109 of the total 170 votes cast, while 61 students voted for Luna Arrighi, an applied museum studies student.
In a pre-election interview with the Algonquin Times, Ntoko said his experience as a student will allow him to represent student concerns at the board.
“I’m a student first. I served as class representative and I’m also involved in the student leadership program. My association with (these} have shown me how important it is for students to be heard at the higher levels of decision-making. I want to bring my experiences and my perspectives to the board table,” he said. “I want decisions to reflect the real lives of students.”
The election happened in the middle of a tumultuous time for the college.
In February 2025, the Board of Governors voted to suspend 37 programs and to close the college’s Perth campus
In early 2026, Algonquin College president Claude Brulé announced the college was recommending another 30 programs to be cut, with the vote originally scheduled for Feb. 23.
The vote was briefly postponed following the Ontario government’s Feb. 12 announcement that it would invest $6.4 billion into post-secondary institutions.
The vote has since been rescheduled and will be held virtually on March 2 via Zoom.
On Feb. 26, Brulé wrote in a statement to staff that while the college welcomed the province’s investment, further action was still required.
“What remains clear is that financial mitigation efforts must continue to ensure the College’s long-term sustainability. This includes aligning programming with enrolment demand, labour market needs, provincial priorities, and financial reality,” Brulé said in his statement.
When asked how he would respond if program cuts were put to a vote again, Ntoko said, “Not everyone is always happy, but you try your best to make sure you serve the most that you can.
“I look at things from two perspectives — from the administration’s perspective and the student’s perspective. (And) I feel like I have to speak up and represent students in a way that their needs are met, because that’s the whole point why I’m there. I’m there for the students.”
The Algonquin College Board of Governors meeting on March 2 will be held virtually at 5 p.m. and is open to the public. People wanting to watch the meeting must register via Eventbrite.
