Shit on phones IF YOU EVER text or play Angry Birds while sitting on the loo, it’s time to stop. A new research in the United Kingdom, done for Global Handwashing Day on Oct. 15, found fecal matter on one in every six phones tested. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine …
News
U of O receives its highest ever international education ranking FOR THE FIRST time, the University of Ottawa has been placed among the top 200 higher educational institutions, by the recently released Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings for 2011–12. The University of Ottawa is currently the 185th best post-secondary school in the world, in …
Energy drinks still available, despite new federal rules TORONTO—DESPITE ATTEMPTS BY Health Canada to make energy drinks over-the-counter pharmaceutical products, government-approved regulations will require the placement of visible nutrition labels on the beverages by the companies producing them. A push by Health Canada to rename energy drinks to “stimulant drug-containing drinks” set the ball rolling …
BOA removes SAC, introduces funding changes THE BOARD OF Administration (BOA) met on Oct. 16 in the senate room of Tabaret Hall to determine the fate of motions brought forward by the ad hoc Constitutional Committee. These motions included large constitutional changes and modifications in policy. The meeting focused on the second reading of a …
Next Stop LIVING IN OTTAWA involves facing activists on a daily basis. Whether it’s to join the Red Cross or sign a petition for Greenpeace, Ottawans often endure calls for a good cause, all because we live in the city with the Parliament buildings. With so many demonstrations, petitions, and gatherings, it’s easy to tune …
Wall Street movement comes to the capital HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE collected in Confederation Park to show their support for Occupy Ottawa on Oct. 15, as a part of the global Occupy Together movement. About 60 people broke out colourful tents for the first night, and an estimated 70 stayed in the park the second night. …
First provincial minority in 26 years TORONTO (CUP)—DALTON MCGUINTY’S LIBERAL party of Ontario held onto power in the province after the Oct. 6 election—albeit with slightly less influence, winning a minority government instead of the majority the party previously held. This election marks Ontario’s first …
What’s he building in there? The problem THOUGH TRADITIONAL MEDICINE has been around for thousands of years, only recently has modern science started showing interest in the craft. In the past, peoples, such as the Maya and Native Americans, practiced herbal medicine and developed an extensive knowledge of their environment. Today, many traditional healers wish to …
News Briefs Animal rights campaign spreads beyond UBC campus VANCOUVER (CUP)—A UNIVERSITY OF British Columbia (UBC) activist group is taking their campaign to end animal experimentation to the national level. STOP UBC Animal Research (STOP), an animal rights group started at UBC’s Vancouver campus, has begun working with other groups with similar goals at institutions …
Next Stop COMMERCIALS, TV SHOWS, lectures, movies, news, the latest gossip—in a day, we’re faced with countless messages, all of them demanding our immediate attention. We’re forced to pick and choose in order of importance, often forced to do, discuss, or remember something less urgent at a later time. Post-it notes and agendas are living …
Congratulations, you’ve been arrested! LAST MONTH, THE Central Warrants Unit of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in Chicago sent out 10,000 letters to fugitives with outstanding warrants, offering prizes of $500 coupons, plasma TVs, and video game systems. Though thousands of letters came back undeliverable, more than 50 fugitives made appointments to come to a …
New MA program promotes a more interconnected world THE DEPARTMENT OF Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Ottawa has unveiled their master of arts (MA) program in world literatures and cultures, set to begin in September 2012 as the first of its kind in Canada. “What modern languages and literatures departments do is …
Students organize petition to bring back committee DURING THE SEPT. 18 Board of Administration (BOA) meeting, a motion to remove the Student Arbitration Committee (SAC) was put forward after determining the committee was undemocratic. The motion carried 29 to one. Brendon Andrews, BOA representative for the Faculty of Social Sciences who voted against the motion, …
New volunteer centre offers students a world of oppourtunities ON OCT. 21, the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Global and Community Engagement (CGCE) will celebrate its official opening. The centre offers volunteer opportunities for students, engaging them in the community in and out of the classroom. University of Ottawa President Allan Rock, who had the …
THESE DAYS, THE terms “environmentally friendly,” “green,” and “eco-friendly initiatives” get thrown around a lot. Whether you learned about it through Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth or Andrew Stanton’s Wall-E, almost everyone is aware that climate change is harming our planet. Still, the situation isn’t getting much better—but why? I think our own laziness …
The problem HEY, SCIENCE! WHY haven’t you built me an iPod the size of a single cell yet? I’m waiting. Currently electronics are built out of bulk materials and have inherent size limitations: A wire can only be carved so small if it’s made from an everyday chunk of copper. But imagine if electronic components …
U of O close to fair-trade designation AT THE BEGINNING of 2011, the University of Ottawa chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) launched a fair-trade campus initiative at the U of O to certify the campus as fair trade. Since then, the action has gained the support of the Student Federation of the University of …
A FEMALE EMPLOYEE at the General Services Administration (GSA) building in Washington, D.C. sustained serious injuries from sitting on an exploding toilet on Sept. 26. According to a memo circulated throughout the building, a mechanical failure led to high water pressure in the domestic water system. This subsequently led to explosions in the restrooms. Workers …
Monthly free store at the U of O ON SEPT. 28, students walking by the Unicentre may have been surprised to see seats in the couch lounge replaced by tables full of free stuff. Organized by the Campus Sustainability Office, the free store aimed to reduce waste on campus and in the community. “It is …
MONTREAL (CUP)—HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE gathered in front of Premier Jean Charest’s office in downtown Montreal on Sept. 24 to protest loudly, but peacefully, against allegations of corruption in the construction industry. Similar protests occurred in Quebec City and Sherbrooke. Over the last 18 months, a pall was hung over Charest’s government as allegations of corruption …
OTTAWA—OC TRANSPO HAS plans to resume service to the bus route that circles the Ottawa General Hospital Campus. The 106 bus, which made stops at the U of O campus before route cuts, will be brought back starting Dec. 28—the next time bus drivers book a work schedule. In the meantime, OC Transpo will be …
Map of Canada to be redrawn ELLESMERE ISLAND, THE most northern point of Canada, is undergoing a big change. In the past six years, ice shelves that were a part of the island’s territory have been damaged because of climate change. Luke Copland, associate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Ottawa, …
Who students should vote for, according to other students WHO COULD BE better suited for the task of telling students who to vote for than students themselves? The Fulcrum spoke to campus chapters of political parties and asked them why they think youth should vote for their party. The Green Party of Ontario Blue Pepsi or red Coke? Ontarians have been stuck choosing between this dichotomy …
An exploration of youth engagement in politics IN THE WEEKS leading up to an election, youth are bombarded by campaigns encouraging them to vote. We are accused of being the most apathetic segment of the population when it comes to casting a ballot—and the finger pointers have it right. In the 2008 federal election, 37.4 …
Ottawa–Vanier candidates explain their ambitions The Questions: 1. Explain your party’s platform. 2. The cost of post-secondary education is a big election issue for students. What is your party’s stance on the affordability of university and college tuition fees in Ontario? 3. Accessibility to post-secondary institutions is another barrier faced by high school graduates. How …
