Frémont began a five year term in 2020; originally meant to leave in June 2026, he’ll now be out of the role in June 2025. He cited personal reasons for the decision.
Jacques Frémont
In a surprise appearance, the U of O President, Jacques Frémont has arrived to central campus as a means to greet students for the start of a new semester. His presence, however, has prompted students to ask, “Who the hell is this?”
A total of 1,850 University of Ottawa staff members earned more than $100,000 in 2021, revealed the province’s Sunshine List which was released on March 25.
“Scholars must remain vigilant whenever academic freedom collides with diversity. The former can be compromised by EDI activists, who in turn will only be pacified once their demands to censor ‘offensive’ remarks or ‘dangerous’ ideas are met by university administrators,” writes University of Ottawa school of sociological and anthropological studies professor Stuart Chambers.
“We are still in the preliminary phases but clearly it raises many legal issues and legal challenges. It doesn’t look as if it is a dominant hypothesis right now, but the conversation is going on and the studies are being conducted,” said the U of O’s president.
In an email to students on Tuesday, Frémont pointed to the court of public opinion as the reasoning behind the creation of the committee.
“What you read in the newspaper and the reality is outrageously different. I can’t believe the Globe and Mail would go forward with this [article],” said Frémont.
Ontario universities have started their winter 2021 semesters under a province-wide stay at home order. But while this is not the first semester impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the lockdown measures are complicating an already difficult situation for students.
Recommendations include singing Okanagan Charter, creating physical mental health and wellness centre on campus and creating a research cluster.
The sit-in to demand a meeting with president Jacques Frémont has now lasted over 65 hours inside of Tabaret Hall as of the publication of this article.
“We absolutely condemn racism, harassment, racial slurs and discrimination,” stated Jacques Frémont, the University of Ottawa’s president in front of the U of O Senate.
In light of the recent controversy surrounding the use of the ‘N-word’ by a professor in a lecture. Babacar Faye, the University of Ottawa Students’ Union president, has written a letter to the editor of the Fulcrum where he calls on the University of Ottawa to take action and take the necessary steps to rid the campus of racism and make it inclusive for everyone.
There was tension in the air on Monday as the University of Ottawa’s Board of Governors met to discuss the recent events at the University. Topics included the PSUO-SSUO new collective agreement negotiations, racism on campus with new alleged incidents this past weekend, and the approval of a new 2020-21 budget.
University of Ottawa president Jacques Frémont has released a second statement to the U of O community asking for “calm and reflection” around the recent controversy surrounding a professor’s use of the ‘N-word.’
The University of Ottawa’s president and vice-chancellor Jacques Frémont responded early this morning to the recent incident of a professor uttering the ‘N-word’ in an online lecture. The professor had been suspended since early October, and a group of professors had written a letter denouncing her treatment at the hands of the U of O administration.
“How do we make progress from here at the University of Ottawa? If by terming it as a good crisis, Jacques Frémont is going to make transformational changes in the U of O landscape, I am all behind him, but if it is going to be talk, PR, and no action, then his legacy will be harshly judged by all generations,” writes Rony Fosting an international student at the University of Ottawa.
“My concerns stem from this mental health crisis which has been exacerbated by the uncertainty of a pandemic; I worry about the mentalities professors have adopted in wake of all classes being shifted online,” says third-year U of O political science and history student Nelson Mahmoudi
Wherever you are this school year, check out the influential faces at U of O driving the discourse at the University.
University of Ottawa president Jacques Frémont responded today to a joint letter from 18 U of O recognized student governments calling to lower or waive tuition fees for the 2020 spring/summer term. The response states ‘‘the University will not be lowering or waiving tuition fees for the spring/summer 2020 semester.’’
In a year riddled with crises, the attention of university administrations is understandably divided. But as the global COVID-19 pandemic has wracked the student population with isolation and grief, it’s now more important than ever that the university’s efforts to address the mental health crisis are not lost.
