Has Google created a monster? THIS PAST WEEK, Google, Internet giant and official verb, celebrated its 13th anniversary. Amidst happy celebrations throughout the Googleverse, many Google Chrome and Gmail users found themselves wondering one thing: “Didn’t this thing start as just a search engine?” The answer: Yes, yes it did. Perhaps no one but the …
DEAR UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa Administrative Committee, I hereby request payment for my work as an elected member of the University of Ottawa Senate, representing all graduate students in the sciences, for the 2010–11 and 2011–12 academic years. As a student representative, I am an equal member of senate as those senate members who belong to …
WHILE READING THE funnies, you turn the page of the paper and suddenly it hits you: There is a discount on flights to the Caribbean. Even better is the senior’s package; you think, “If only I was 65…” I could imagine a lot of things that I would like to be doing in my sixties, …
FROM THE TIME I get off the bus at the University of Ottawa to the time I get into the building, I am going to inhale at least a carton of cigarettes into my lungs from the many smokers on campus. There is no known safe level of second-hand smoke, yet I am forced to …
… but we’re all over the map IT’S ELECTION TIME in Ontario, and with that the Fulcrum is prompted to provide some epic candidate coverage, a discussion of the issues closest to the hearts of students, and, of course, an editorial encouraging you to break the trend of voter apathy among Canadians aged 18–24 and vote—or so you’d expect. But when …
Second cup? This is my 13th. IN LIGHT OF America’s upcoming National Coffee Day, the results of a survey of U.S. coffee-drinking habits have been released. Commissioned by 7-Eleven convenience stores, the survey of just over 1,000 participants found two-thirds of Americans are regular coffee-drinkers, and of those who consume the caffeinated beverage, 65 per cent drink up to 13 …
Too soon to exploit Jack THE MEMORY OF Jack Layton is still fresh in the minds of Canadians, especially as Parliament sat for the first time since his passing last week. Even more prominent are the words from his letter, Jack’s final message to Canadians, which have inspired so many. So, it is deeply unsettling, if not downright sickening, …
The problem with pasta and religion LAST WEEK. MY home was invaded. Nothing was broken, nothing was taken, but it was invaded. I live in residence at 90 University, and last week a group called Campus for Christ held a spaghetti dinner in the meeting room on the ground level. Sounds innocent, right? Sure, the pasta was warm and it …
The childishness of Ontario politics WE’VE ALL DONE it at least once: Compared the behaviour of politicians to that of children. No one has to pass a maturity test to be elected to office, and though the results of this childish behaviour can be frustrating or detrimental, they can also be very funny. Location: Classroom Time: 8:31 a.m. Mrs. …
ARE YOU TIRED of waiting for the bus that never comes? The bus that’s constantly 10 minutes late? The bus that is so late it came at the same time as the next scheduled bus? The bus that’s so packed you can’t get on… and if you can, you feel more like a sardine than …
AS MUCH AS I would love to dedicate this letter to complaining about the disaster that was the U-Pass distribution this year, I am addressing this one to the University of Ottawa administration to ask them to give a little more consideration to the Department of Visual Arts. As a fifth-year student, I thought I …
Re: “Don’t say we didn’t warn you!” (The Fro Code, Sept. 1) ALTHOUGH I FOUND the article “Don’t say we didn’t warn you!” generally witty and well written, I did find the blurb on “The Newly Pledged Fraternity Brother or Sorority Sister” somewhat offensive to a very identifiable and active group of people at the …
ON SUNDAY, THE Board of Administration (BOA) voted to dissolve the Student Arbitration Committee (SAC) and replace it with the Constitutional Committee, which will be made up of Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) executives and BOA members. Before its demise, the SAC consisted of nine students: Two in common law, two in …
Who assaulted whom? LAST WEEK, THE Fulcrum reported on a questionable incident involving the alleged assault of Hugh Styres, a down-and-out resident of the Ottawa streets, by two police officers who had been called to remove Styres from the sidewalk where he was sleeping. A Special Investigations Unit probe, which concluded mere days ago, has found both …
Not every student is rolling in loan money LAST TUESDAY, I went to class ready to learn. I sat myself square in the front row, pulled out my notebook and pen, and got into full-on concentration mode. Fifteen minutes later—and 10 minutes late, I might add—my dishevelled professor finally waltzed into class and quieted everyone down. Beginning his lecture, he asked the …
One woman’s experiences with youth and the elderly Please note: This piece is an elongated interview from the piece originally seen the Fulcrum’s print edition. MARY ANN SHAULE has worked as a senior recreation therapist for over 22 years. Forced to deal with her mother’s early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis at the age of 15, Shaule found …
Too late may be sooner than you think THIS PAST DECEMBER, after a gruelling battle with a lengthy repertoire of ailments and illnesses, my maternal grandfather finally passed. Though the death of Grandpa Beeman was, and still remains, one of the most affecting losses of my life, I could not help but think to myself in a quiet moment alone at his …
DEAR CHAIR, IT has come to my attention that there is a motion before the Board of Administration to dissolve the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO)’s Student Arbitration Committee (SAC). Please consider that, within the SFUO, should the Board of Administrators dissolve the SAC, it would be analogous to the Parliament of …
DEAR VP UNIVERSITY Liz Kessler, As you are aware, Senate By-Law No. 1, 2008, “A By-Law governing the composition of the Senate” states: “It is hereby decreed as a By-Law of the Senate of the University of Ottawa as follows: 1. The following persons are members of the Senate of the University of Ottawa pursuant …
DEAR UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa faculty and students, I write to you in a most urgent of times, because on Sept. 15, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) is going to appoint new student senators to fill vacant positions without an election. I have been interested in representing my fellow students in the …
DEAR PRESIDENT ALLAN Rock, The senate is the supreme governing body on all academic matters at the university, charged with determining the educational policy of the institution and the implementation of its academic mission. The University of Ottawa Act, 1965, mandates you, the president, to be the chair of the senate. This is therefore your …
Does anyone know what the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) actually does? As the editors of a campus newspaper, we like to think we’re more informed than the average student. But a conversation among our editorial board about the student organization quickly revealed a lack of consensus on what the CFS is and what our …
Top of the food chain SHARK FIN SOUP is considered to be an impressive (and expensive) delicacy the world over. Served in restaurants in North America for about $100 per bowl, the dish is now threatened with the same endangerment as its main ingredient—in California, anyways. The California state senate has approved a bill that …
Arguing the source of our school’s lack of enthusiasm While sports junkies at the U of O may be unwilling to admit our school is seriously lacking some spirit, any student on campus can see that we don’t hold a candle to our rivals in terms of fandom and turnout. With a genuinely impressive roster …
A different perspective on police violence POLICE BRUTALITY IS an issue that plagues many communities, standing in the way of the judicial process and making a mockery of an authority that all citizens, be it of Ottawa or the world, should be able to trust. Still, as this problem with misuse of police authority comes …
