BEFORE MARCH 5, not many people knew who Joseph Kony was. Today, a video titled Kony 2012 has over 74 million views on YouTube. Kony 2012 is a campaign started by Invisible Children, an American organization fighting for the rights of Ugandan children who have been forced into active membership in Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance …
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LAST YEAR THE Fulcrum examined whether part-time students are given the cold shoulder. I didn’t care for the subject at the time—I was a full-time student who got all the associated benefits and wasn’t interested in what I thought were “first-world problems.” I was naive. The fact is, part-time students are trampled on by every …
AS THE GRADUATE Student Association (GSAÉD) election draws near, the candidates, all of whom are running unopposed, have begun their campaigning. The Fulcrum sat down with the five hopefuls and asked them why graduate students should cast a ballot in their favour March 19–21. INTERNAL COMMISSIONER Caitlin Campisi, internal commissioner candidate Caitlin Campisi, current internal …
The problem CYBORGS AREN’T SCIENCE fiction. All around us people with pacemakers, insulin pumps, and prosthetic implants continue to live normal lives because of mechanical and electronic parts within their bodies. It’s not sci-fi; it’s mundane. But that doesn’t mean combining human bodies with technology is scientifically simple. Even relatively straightforward implants need to be …
IN NOVEMBER 2011, Liz Kessler, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa’s (SFUO) vp university affairs, brought forth a motion at an SFUO Board of Administration (BOA) meeting to create an internal audit committee in hopes of better understanding the barriers to education and discrimination currently faced by U of O students. Kessler’s motion …
Protesters fight Highway 5 extension OTTAWA—FOUR PROTESTERS, ACTING against a court order, have taken to the trees in Gatineau Park in an attempt to protest their removal and the expansion of Highway 5. An injunction was issued prohibiting people from efforts to obstruct the construction on Feb. 28. The Gatineau Park Protection Committee, which is …
RECYCLEMANIA IS AN annual international contest between post-secondary institutions around the world. Universities compete to be recognized as the one of the most sustainable universities globally. Campus Sustainability Office and the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa’s (SFUO) Sustainable Development Centre are running a waste-free pledge contest until March 31 for students to promote …
STUDENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS Service (SASS) recently employed man’s best friend to help reduce student stress on campus. Tundra, the fully certified therapy dog now working at SASS, belongs to associate professor Audrey Gilles of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa. “Tundra was a dog that I rescued during my last year …
THE PROBLEM: YOU need advice—professional advice—and you’d even be willing to pay for it, but you have no idea how to get a person with expertise to sit down and chat with you. The solution: Liaise, an Ottawa-based start-up business that recently won a $5,000 first-place prize at the Nicol Entrepreneurial Award Business Plan Competition …
I USED TO live in a very corrupt country, one where funding for a politician’s new home in the Bahamas was more important than funding for health care. In Ukraine, politicians would rather spend the country’s money on a $1,000 bottle of champagne than help citizens and lower the class divide. That’s exactly why I …
GRADUATE STUDENTS AT the University of Ottawa will go to the polls to elect the executive of the Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD) and representatives to the University Senate March 19–21. Nominations closed and the campaigning officially began on Feb. 29. “The only contest that will be contested is the senate sciences seat,” said Peter Schalk, …
THE WORLD RECORD for the longest human mattress domino chain was broken in New Orleans, La. Guinness World Record rules dictate for a chain to be valid there must be a consecutive chain of toppling mattresses and each person attached to the mattress must touch the person behind them, all of which was achieved. The …
IT’S BUDGET SEASON—a time for our governments to figure out where they want to spend cash and cut funding. The Harper government has made it clear jobs will be cut, which means Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has some damage control to do. Watson has already sprung into action. He recently introduced Invest Ottawa, a plan …
STUDENTS ARE USED to being graded. On essays, assignments, and final exams, students must synthesize and reiterate everything they’ve learned. For professors, the evaluation process is no less demanding or comprehensive. There are many surveys and organizations focused on monitoring the quality of education in Ontario, and at the University of Ottawa specifically, to ensure …
ELIZABETH MAY, LEADER of the Green Party of Canada and the first member of the party to sit in the House of Commons, is coming to the University of Ottawa to speak to students on March 5. The University of Ottawa Greens, who organized the event, invited May to answer the question, “Is Canada failing …
BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION (BOA) members returned to the table Feb. 26 to hear reports from the executive of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) and introduce motions regarding discrimination and accessibility to the SFUO constitution. All motions presented were approved for further readings. On board with the meal plan Sarah Jayne King, …
CANADA’S GREENEST HOME will be built this summer in Peterborough, Ont. The Endeavour Centre, a not-for-profit organization aimed at educating students in construction and design, plans on building the home during their five-month program of this year, making it their ninth sustainable project. Chris Magwood, executive director of the Endeavour Centre, said the aim of …
The problem A FEW YEARS ago there was a worldwide hike in food prices because the United States made incentives for making biofuels—gasoline with ethanol, an environmentally friendly alternative to regular gas—attractive. The need for biofuels is clear, but how do we tell if manufacturers are actually making fuel from crops and not just repackaging …
Canal closed to skaters OTTAWA—THE RIDEAU CANAL skateway officially closed for the season on Feb. 24 after a week of warm weather. This year’s skating season lasted 28 days, the shortest since a 26-day season in 2002. Despite its relatively short run, 19 consecutive skating days in addition to Winterlude activities marked this year as …
ON FEB. 14, the Copyright Modernization Act (Bill C-11), was submitted to committee for review and amendments. The bill aims to update copyright laws last altered in 1997 and make breaking digital locks illegal. Time for an upgrade Kathleen Simmons, co-owner of Van Loon Simmons, a law firm specializing in copyright, broadcasting, and government law …
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES FOR the Board of Administration, Board of Governors, and the University Senate were announced at the University Centre couch lounge on Feb. 17 after some delay. Below are the official faculty and student representatives for the 2012–13 school year. Board of Administration Social Sciences Quinn Blue Nicole Desnoyers Dave Eaton Madeline Gow Vanessa Rydell …
“I FEEL GREAT—I really feel great,” were the first words out of Ethan Plato’s mouth upon being elected the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) president thanks to 2,361 student votes, according to the preliminary results that were announced in the early hours of Feb. 17. “I think that there’s a lot that …
JOZEF SPITERI WON the position of vp social for the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) for the 2012–13 year. Spiteri received 2,577 votes, according to preliminary results, to beat incumbent Marie-Claude Noël. “[I was] surprised there was that many,” said Jozef Spiteri about the turnout. “We called on students [and they are] …
ANNE-MARIE ROY, WHO ran unopposed for Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) vp communications in the 2012–13 elections, who received 3,641 votes according to preliminary results. Despite having to wait hours for the results—and then being interrupted by a fire alarm causing the evacuation of the University Centre terminus—Roy expressed enthusiasm over her …
AFTER RECEIVING 2,214 preliminary votes, Liz Kessler won the position of vp university affairs in the 2012–13 elections for the executive of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO). Kessler won over first-time candidate Christopher Clarke, keeping her position for the second year. After delayed election results and a fire alarm, Liz Kessler …
