The University of Ottawa will allow professors to use the Respondus Lockdown Browser to conduct online exams. Meant to combat academic fraud the software has raised a number of accessibility and privacy concerns among students. The software is also detected as malware by some antivirus software and may not be effective at all in combating academic fraud.
The University of Ottawa Students’ Union has created the COVID-19 Hardship Fund (CHF) to help students who “demonstrate urgent financial need.” The fund aims to especially alleviate the financial strain on international students who are ineligible for either the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) or the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB).
“To encourage the use of masks, we must tear down any built-up social stigma against mask use in times of risk,” writes Rhyanna Melanson, a class of 2020 biology graduate.
The security guard who carded Black University of Ottawa student Wiliston Mason in September 2019 will no longer be permitted on campus in a security role, according to a letter obtained by the Fulcrum. The security will be permitted to return to campus in other capacities.
“The University of Ottawa has to stop asking students to reach out about their mental health struggles when they won’t listen to what they have to say. Instead of being asked to reach out, students need an official system where they can share their experiences,” writes Kimberley Paradis, a fourth-year computer engineering student at the University of Ottawa.
Members of the Support Staff of the University of Ottawa union are set to vote in a forced final offer vote next week to accept or reject a “final offer” made by the University of Ottawa. According to the PSUO-SSUO’s vice president, the offer fails to address issues such as unfulfilled vacancies, the hiring of more academic advisors and mental health workers.
The University of Ottawa’s administration will email 615 ballots to undergraduate students who previously did not receive a ballot to vote in the BOG undergraduate student representative election and partial U of O Senate elections that took place on June 2 to 4.
“While I have no doubts that the creators of the petition mean well, this particular issue reminds me of a similar call to action for mandatory Indigenous content courses in universities. Many of the issues raised in this regard also apply to these suggested mandatory anti-racism courses. Primarily, these mandatory courses could actually foster the toxic spaces they are meant to mitigate,” writes Sam Yee a third-year biomedical sciences and Indigenous studies student at the University of Ottawa.
Editorial: As the independent news outlet of the university, we do our best to hold the U of O administration and UOSU accountable, but we need students to stand behind us – that includes voting.
University of Ottawa researchers Kimberly Mitchell and Vance Trudeau have discovered a new hormone in zebrafish that could help combat human infertility. The researchers were accompanied by a group of students who observed Zebrafish mating patterns and were instrumental in completing the project.
