Admin enacts curfews for students in residence, 101 Week chaperones
101 Week is right around the corner, and students across Canada will be ringing in the new school year with parties, dancing, and concerts. This year, however, students at the University of Ottawa have nothing to celebrate, as new regulations brought in by the administration may put a damper on many aspects of campus life, 101 Week included.
From September 3-9, the university has placed a blanket ban on all music and dancing after 8 p.m., as well as a requirement that all students living on campus must be in their residences by 10 p.m. The administration claims this measure is needed to avoid complaints from Sandy Hill residents.
Leonie Dorval of the U of O’s media relations team explained that the university “plans to make better campus-community relations a priority for this year. It’s not like students are a part of the community.”
Adding to the comparative dullness of 101 Week this year is a new policy that all off-campus events will require accompanying professors or university personnel as chaperones. This requirement, coupled with the strict curfew, has some students giving up on 101 Week altogether.
“I was really excited for 101 Week because I thought that I would get to party,” said Sam Hogan, a first-year economics student at the U of O. “Now I guess I’ll just hole up in my residence, play video games, and binge-watch Netflix.”
But students need not worry, as the administration is planning to compensate with a slew of fun “spirit rallies” during the rest of the school year.
These rallies, held once a month, are intended “to promote school spirit and a sense of community among our students,” according to U of O president Jacques Frémont. Among the activities at the rallies will be a school cheer session, games like musical chairs, and speeches by members of the university administration.
While these activities may be reminiscent of the juvenile days of high school, the U of O believes they’re key in promoting spirit, so much so that students will now face a two per cent penalty on all final grades for each rally that they miss.
“School spirit is not very strong at the university, so we have to find ways to force students to come together as a community,” Frémont explained. While the new regulations may not be popular with some students, they prove that students have an administration that looks out for them. And besides, more time spent in residence and at rallies means avoiding that never-ending construction across campus.
