Editorial

/ 2012/04/16 12:22 pm

ALL the respect points for the U of O

THE FULCRUM GETS a bad rap from time to time. As the campus media, we are mandated to report on what goes down at the University of Ottawa. You know, the good, the bad, the ugly. It’s our job to be hard ass on both the university administration and the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), reporting accurately, [...]

/ 2012/04/05 10:38 pm

Student press matters on university campuses

THIS WEEKEND, THE Fulcrum and La Rotonde co-hosted SANS in conjunction with the Canadian University Press. The three-day bilingual conference set out to give student journalists the practical skills they need to continue delivering campus-centric news to their respective university communities. We left the conference feeling exhausted, full of knowledge, and with a renewed sense of the importance attached to [...]

/ 2012/03/28 10:08 pm

The importance of being in solidarity

HISTORY SHOWS US when groups with similar aspirations band together, great things can be accomplished. From something as universal as women’s or civil rights movements, to the more small-scale and local, such as the designation of Ottawa’s gay village late last year, the mobilization of people to fight for a common cause can create real change in our lives. As [...]

/ 2012/03/22 10:28 pm

Not a shelter but a home

WE SEE THEM every day, on street corners, in shelters, outside storefronts. Oftentimes we ignore them, only occasionally tossing change into their worn down paper cups. Homelessness is an important issue, but one that is often overlooked or ignored. It is estimated that youth make up one-third of Canada’s homeless population, meaning close to 65,000 young people are wandering the [...]

/ 2012/03/14 12:49 pm

Your boots are Gucci? Mine are dirty

SINCE INVISIBLE CHILDREN’S Kony 2012 awareness video went viral last week, the Internet has been awash with discussion of the plight of Ugandans at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Knowledgeable reporters, celebrated columnists, concerned world citizens, and would-be activists have been weighing in with their own praise and criticism of the video and the group that produced it. Over one week later, the film has largely accomplished its goal. The world is quickly becoming aware of the destruction, murder, and abuse committed by the LRA, and is just as swiftly becoming impassioned about a cause that, until recently, many of us were content to ignore. So now what? Awareness is important—that can’t be denied. The first step [...]

/ 2012/03/07 2:17 pm

People without jobs, jobs without people

IT’S STORYTIME. A few weeks ago, Canadian economist Don Drummond released his much-anticipated report, outlining a series of recommendations for the Ontario government to avoid hitting a projected deficit of $30.2 billion by 2017–18. Among the list of cost-cutting initiatives, Drummond recommended post-secondary education (PSE) funding be contained to an increase of 1.5 per cent annually. Post-secondary enrolment is expected [...]

/ 2012/03/01 1:45 pm

Privacy—a privilege?

ALMOST TWO WEEKS ago, the Conservative government made an unusual decision to refer to a committee for amendments before a bill was read a second time by the House of Commons. Vic Toews, Canada’s public safety minister, unveiled the Conservative government’s Bill C-30 last month, otherwise known as The Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act. In essence, this bill would [...]

/ 2012/02/16 1:51 pm

Elections report, 2012–13

EVERY YEAR, THE Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) Elections Office releases a report outlining their activities throughout the SFUO election period. The report reviews logistics, results, appeals, and mentions any issues that came up during the elections, with some final comments how the elections ran in general. While self-reflection is an integral part of personal development, sometimes [...]

/ 2012/02/08 1:56 pm

Unmasking masculinity

THEY’RE TWO WORDS that ignite an opinion from the name alone. Combined, these two words have also been accused of stirring up a gender war. “Masculine studies” is the offending words, which are creating a stir in present-day academia. The relatively new, popular subject is now cropping up all over Canadian campuses. While the topic may spark ridiculous images of [...]

/ 2012/02/01 1:04 pm

Don’t vote, sleep in

IT’S ELECTION TIME at the University of Ottawa. Brace yourself for the onslaught of poster campaigns and classroom presentations where Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) candidates plunge into brief yet vague explanations of their visions for 2012–13. What’s the importance of student politics, anyways? It’s just a bunch of political science kids practising for their totally obtainable future careers as the next Stephen Harpers and Bob Raes of the world, with the slight chance of Nycole Turmel. What’s funny is most students don’t even know who the aforementioned politicians are, so why should we worry our [...]