Reading Time: 2 minutesFiduciary duty must be synonymous with the needs of students, and if there is ever a conflict between the two, the students should prevail.
Op-Ed
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe fear that the GA won’t meet quorum shouldn’t discourage you from bringing motions forward—they can pass either way.
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe SFUO has 3,283 page likes on Facebook, and a whopping 4,015 followers on Twitter, which it uses even less than Facebook. If used effectively, these tools could really keep people involved in student politics.
Reading Time: 2 minutesA recent study published by researchers at Mount Royal University in Alberta has found no correlation between the evaluations and prof performance. That’s not surprising, considering how flawed the current SET system is.
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn case you haven’t heard the news, most cases of campus sexual harassment are committed by university professors. At least, this is the allegation levelled by Angelina Chapin in her Ottawa Citizen op-ed titled “Universities need to focus on harassment, not just on sex assault.”
Reading Time: 2 minutesRecently, the federal government announced that it will regulate e-cigarettes within the coming year. While regulation is an important step, it must be done properly.
Reading Time: 2 minutesNot only is recognizing Ottawa as an officially bilingual city a nod to our French and English heritage, but officially embracing both languages is a symbolic gesture that would come at no additional costs to taxpayers and would not affect jobs.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn the end, there just isn’t enough reason to support large increases in the minimum wage. Should there be a minimum wage? Yes. A reasonably high minimum wage? Also yes. But $15 an hour? No.
Reading Time: 3 minutesIf you want your voice to be represented at the highest levels of the SFUO, voting for an effective faculty director is the quickest and easiest way to do it.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThis is not to say that the university should mandate that all classes must use open textbooks, as that would be untenable at this point. However, there are concrete steps that can be taken.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn this modern age, where one can broadcast their ideas in 140 characters (or less) and share cat videos in the blink of an eye, online voting for the SFUO seems to be the next logical step.
Reading Time: 2 minutesWomen are affected by domestic violence, but it isn’t enough to support women in general. Targeted funding must be given to the groups of women in Ontario that face the highest barriers to overcoming abuse.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe thing is, the Ontario government already recognizes that 16-year-olds can understand the issues and can form independent judgments on them. After all, civics class is taught in grade 10, not in grade 12, for a reason.
Reading Time: 2 minutesInstituting mandatory Indigenous history classes would help ensure students are prepared to make equitable decisions as they start the next chapter of their lives.
Reading Time: 2 minutesWith obesity rates continuing to rise in Britain, more people than ever will be affected by these new restrictions.
Reading Time: 2 minutesLarge-scale lobbying by private organizations, whether they are collecting profit or not, can have a harmful influence on democratic discourse, and eventually debilitating effects on governance.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIt’s time that Prime Minister Trudeau puts his money where his mouth is and ratifies the Paris Agreement, puts in place a national policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and begins phasing out fossil fuel subsidies.
Reading Time: 2 minutesAny report done by the SFUO needs to really examine what benefits are provided by the CFS. It can’t stop at superficial terms like “lobbying”—it must dive into the data to see if CFS services are working.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn the Great White North, most people’s gut reaction to the idea of health care reform is to not mess with the storied system that Tommy Douglas gave us. However, this argument fails to take into account the fact that a two-tier system already exists in Canada.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIt looks like the great political divide of our age is not left vs. right, or capitalism vs. communism. Instead, it’s all about pro-globalisation vs. anti-globalisation
Reading Time: 2 minutesAfter all, there are other drugs in Canada that can cause long-term harm, yet remain largely ingrained in our culture—perhaps the best example is alcohol.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIt’s important to make sure that all communities across the country are well informed on the issues at hand—this means bringing proper discussion beyond big urban centres.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIf change is to take place on campus, the SFUO cannot do it alone—it has to be in collaboration between federated bodies, clubs, and all facets of our campus, including students at large.
Reading Time: 2 minutesAs technology advances and the world becomes more integrated, companies and organizations will become less insular, and will require a greater diversity of creative talent.
Reading Time: 3 minutesIf nothing else, reading the budget will give you a sense of the scope of the SFUO finances. They may be a student federation, but they are dealing with very significant sums of money.
