The Fulcrum’s 2023 U of O headlines
2023 was an eventful year for the U of O. From January to December, the news from our campus has been reflective of larger provincial, national, and global events. University campuses are deeply political spaces where we consciously convene to learn, debate, and protest. Here are some of the stories from the University of Ottawa campus that the Fulcrum covered in 2023.
Jan. 23 — U of O’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSIPA), hosted Canadian ambassador to the UN, Bob Rae for a talk “Walking the Talk: The Pragmatic Pursuit of Principle.” Rae was interrupted by peace activists Tamara Lorincz, Yves Engler, and Dimitri Lascaris who took issue with Canada’s foreign policy being considered “principled”. Read the full story here.
Jan. 25 — The International, Political, and Policy Studies Student Association (AÉÉIPPSSA) shared a petition calling on the U of O to “Indigenize” the school of political science; “mandating students to take one course on Indigenous topics”. Read the full story here.
Feb. 6 — A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Syria and Turkey. The U of O lifted the 10-day wait time and fee for the Syrian Cultural Association (SCA) and the Turkish Students Association (AETTSA) to set up fundraising tables on campus. Read the full story here.
Mar. 9 — The Iranian Students Association of the University of Ottawa (ISAUO) co-hosted an “Iranian Women and Revolution” event with the Women’s resource centre (Later renamed the Feminist resource centre, FRC). Read the full story here.
Mar. 23/24 — President of the United States (POTUS), Joe Bien visited Ottawa for the first time as POTUS. Biden met with Trudeau to discuss Ukraine, Haiti, the safe third country agreement, and more. Read the full story here.
May 29 — The University of Ottawa’s Board of Governors (BOG) passes its 2023/24 budget. The budget included increases in tuition fees and the removal of merit entrance scholarships for newly admitted undergraduate students. The BOG reports the U of O is “struggling to meet admission targets”. Read the full story here.
July marked disability pride month; Fulcrum contributor Olive Folsetter wrote about where the U of O stands in accommodating students with disabilities. Read the full story here.
Sept. 4 — International students studying in Canada faced delays in their visa processes leaving them in limbo for the beginning of their semesters. Read the full story here.
Sept. 6 — Protection was called on students protesting RBC’s presence at a university-run wellness fair. Among the students was UOSU advocacy commissioner Maisy Elspeth whom the RBC employees seemingly referred to as “the bitchy one”. Read the full story here.
Sept. 7 — The annual UOshow led to anger amongst students after the opening act, magician Nic Gignac, harassed volunteers on stage. Students shared their disappointment with the university’s response to the events. Read the full story here.
Sept. 19 — UOSU food bank struggled to keep up with demand. Despite a budgetary increase the UOSU service, run in partnership with the Ottawa food bank, was forced to close as they faced a “258 [per cent] increase” in students accessing their service. Read the full story here.
Oct. 1 — The Gee-Gees and Ravens met for the 54th Panda game at TD Place. A last-minute field goal made the Gee-gees victorious for a fifth consecutive year. In anticipation of the afterparties, the Ottawa police service (OPS) had a heavy presence in Sandyhill. Read the full story here.
Oct. 16 — Palestinian student groups from the U of O and Carleton hosted a vigil for the lives lost in Gaza. Hosted on the U of O campus, speakers included Samar Odeh from the U of O’s Palestinian Students’ Association and Sam Hersh of the Independent Jewish Voices. Read the full story here.
Nov. 2 — Integrity Not Spite Against Falistine (INSAF) UOttawa hosted a walk-out that encouraged U of O students to leave their classes and walk through campus from University Square to Tabaret Lawn to state their demands outside of the offices of much of the University’s administration. Among their demands were for the university to divest from holdings in Israeli businesses and to sever ties with Israeli academic institutions. Read the full story here.
Nov. 18 — The U of O’s medical faculty sparked outrage with the suspension of medical resident Yipeng Ge for his social media posts in support of Palestine. An online petition in support of Ge’s reinstatement reached over 89,000 signatures in its first week. Read the full story here.
Dec. 20 — U of O Provost and Vice President of academic affairs, Jill Scott is appointed to Principal of Royal Military College (RMC) by Minister of National Defence, Bill Blair. Scott’s term will begin Mar. 4, 2024. Read more here.
