The Fulcrum - Volume 79, Issue 1

VOL. 79 ISSUE 1

Sept. 5, 2018

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In this week’s issue...

Your U of O summer politics update by P. 5 What you need to know before the term begins It’s getting STEAMy P. 8 How this student project is beautifying the STEM building THE FROSH ISSUE P. 11 The Fulcrum’s declassified school survival guide Players to watch P. 20 A look at this season’s projected standouts The Excellence in Literacy Foundation

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To drink or not to drink P. 23 Should Ontario’s drinking age be higher? Lower?

Fulcrum staffers debate When mom and dad follow you to school P. 25 How to deal with an uncomfortable kink

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NEWS

NEWS EDITOR

Marissa Phul news@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0061 @themindofmaris

What you missed in U of O politics over the summer Tuition hikes, updated health plan, new facilities, and more Marissa Phul News Editor

P

reviously on the University of Ottawa political scene…

SFUO fraud accusations In August, a police report was filed after outgoing Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) president, Hadi Wess, submitted a report alleging fraudulent actions conducted by SFUO president Rizki Rachiq and executive director Vanessa Dorimain, as well as references to Axel Gaga, vice-president operations. The allegations include mention of upwards of $20,000 of student funds transferred to a fake club under Rachiq. No charges have been laid at this time.

In a statement released on Aug. 10, the university announced the request of a forensic audit and placed a hold on transfer payments to the SFUO. Normally, the university collects fees from students and transfers the allotted funds to the SFUO in regular installments. The statement mentions, now, the university has placed measures in place to deal with the financial operations until such a time that the forensic audit has been completed.

Tuition hike In May, the Board of Governors (BOG) voted on a budget that included a raise in tuition for both domestic and international students. The board voted in favour with the 3 student members voting against.

Domestic students will see a 3 per cent increase, returning international students will see a 5.5 per cent increase, and newcoming international students, a 15 per cent increase.

Prior to the vote, the SFUO held a “Stop the Hike” rally. Additionally, students voiced their concerns by protesting at the meeting and by sending board members letters calling for reconsideration. In a message to the Fulcrum, SFUO vice-president of equity, Paige Booth,

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said the federation will work to mobilize students throughout the year hoping to pressure both the board and the Ontario provincial government into discussing and eventually developing an alternative budget.

Last spring, the tuition of returning international students was raised by 7 per cent. This year saw a 1.5 per cent reduction in the increase which due to a motion put forward by BOG student representative, Jamie Ghossein. Currently, there is a provincial law in place that caps tuition hikes for domestic students at 3 per cent. No such regulation exists for international students. Ghossein’s motion called for the U of O to publicize the amount international students’ tuition will rise each year.

The information is available online for prospective students. This provides an incentive to the university to keep tuition increases low in order to continue attracting top international talent. The motion passed last year and acted as a deterrent for the university to deviate from past patterns of tuition hikes for returning international students.

New incoming international students remain without tuition regulation.

The passing of this budget marks the thirteenth consecutive year of tuition hikes.

Saudi Arabian Students An ongoing diplomatic dispute between Saudi Arabia and Canada resulted in the Saudi government demanding all Saudi students studying in Canada through the KASP leave the country. While this mandate has since been revoked for medical students, the SFUO released a statement at the time of the initial demand discussing the barriers to accessing higher education. The International House located at UCU 211E is open for drop-in support.

Health plan The student health plan has expanded to cover mental health services. The SFUO renegotiated for coverage of 80 per cent of costs and an increase

from $750 to $1,500. Coverage includes psychologists, social workers, and counsellors. The Gardasil vaccine will also be covered now.

SFUO constitution Updated in August 2018, at this time the only identified change is an alteration to the process of initiating impeachment.

Clause 3.1.14.2.1 dictates the two ways an impeachment proceeding can be initiated. In the previous SFUO constitution, the first way, as per clause 3.1.14.2.1.1, was through “A two-thirds vote of votes cast by the directors of the Board of Administration” that clause has been rewritten to say “Individual members of the SFUO, by a simple majority (50%+1) vote shall decide whether or not a director shall be removed from their position.”

The minutes from the August BOA meeting, which according to vice-president external Paige Booth should contain these changes, are not available on the SFUO website at this time.

Student Satisf(action) Committee The SFUO recently established a new initiative to encourage collaboration between students and U of O administration to improve student experience. The committee will primarily work towards quick fixes, but also offers a place for students to make suggestions and proposals to the BOG and Senate. The finalization of the communication strategy is still in development. The U of O consistently places among the lowest in student satisfaction nation-wide.

Multi-faith space A new multi-faith space, managed by Community Life Service, will be operational this September in CBY. The motion for its creation was passed unanimously by the BOG. This is the second centre on campus, the first is located in UCU. The need for an additional prayer space was identified by Ghossein after hearing complaints of insufficient space from stu-

2018 marks the 13th consecutive year of tuition hikes.

dents. The geographical placement of this second centre was an important aspect of the motion. The south end of campus, an area heavily populated with faculty of engineering classes, was recognised as a zone that required more convenient access to a private space.

Support Services Support services on campus range from the Student Academic Success Service, Human Rights Office, Health Services, and Faculty Academic Advisors. Many students are familiar with the long wait times of these services. This dissatisfaction is what compelled Ghossein to create a BOG motion that would demand more from the university in these areas. The motion is broken up into two sections. First, a benchmarking analysis and secondly, a minimum standard of quality.

The benchmarking is a process that determines the current state of factors relating to services including but not limited to, finances, satisfaction, and wait time. This process will provide the university with the necessary information to make data-driven decisions around student services. It has been established as an annual procedure.

The minimum standard of

various student services must be comparable with the U15, Canada’s 15 most researchintensive universities including UBC, U of T, McMaster, and Waterloo among others. If the U of O’s benchmarking results do not meet the average of the U15s, the university is mandated to raise the services quality to that level.

Mental Health Services have been identified as a priority within the motion and will be benchmarked first.

RISE The creation of a Racialized and Indigenous Student Experience Centre (RISE) is a planned SFUO initiative, originally passed as a referenda during the February 2018 General Election. However, after a SFUO tweet on June 12, no additional word on the project has been released.

Funding for SASS According to Ghossein, the current ratio of Mental Health Counsellors to students is over 1:4,000. Ghossein and the BOG have identified a lack of funds to be the cause of this disparity.

A referendum to increase the Mental Health Services student levy, currently at $2.40 per semester per student, with a mandate for the university to match this one-to-one is planned for

Photo: Rame Abdulkader.

the 2018-19 academic year. uOGlobal The uOGlobal recognition is a new option for full-time undergraduate and medical school students to add to their degree.

The recognition is designed to enrich students’ experience with intercultural and international experiences in both work and study. The program includes cross-cultural workshops, global citizenship training, and on-site learning experiences. It is managed through the International Office. The recognition will appear on students’ official transcripts.

Tentative agreement with professors On June 14, the U of O and the Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa reached a tentative deal for a new collective agreement following talks with a mediator.

The deal has yet to be approved by the required parties and has therefore not been made public.

And that’s what you missed on the U of O political scene!

To express comments, concerns, or for more information reach out to your elected representatives. Jamie Ghossein can be reached at jghos051@uottawa. ca and contact information for SFUO executives and BOA members are listed online.

NEWS | 5

How big data could make your daily commute stress free U of O researchers and SMATS Traffic Solution partner up to develop public transit smart solutions Marissa Phul news editor

When it comes to the heavily debated, politically charged topic of Ottawa’s public transportation, there are horror stories a plenty amongst University of Ottawa students.

Ongoing research coming from the U of O’s Telfer School of Management is looking to change that by using vast amounts of data from anonymous riders to create an algorithm designed to improve the efficiency of public transportation systems, bus scheduling, and route design.

Professor Bijan Raahemi and U of O masters’ student Shahrzad Jalali are collaborating with industry partner SMATS Traffic Solutions on the research. SMATS is providing support for the research that is aiding in the collection of data which will be fed into Raahemi’s team’s algorithm.

SMATS sensors anony-

mously detect signals from bus riders’ mobile phones, however, they also pick up a significant amount of noise.

Using advanced data mining methods, researchers can cut through the noise and get an understanding of bus ridership patterns.

The algorithm utilizes this data in calculations so that at any given time it can be known how many people are waiting at a given bus stop as well as the capacity of buses on route.

The algorithm’s first and most noticeable improvement for commuters will be with dynamically changing schedules. For example, let’s say a bus is scheduled to arrive at a stop every 30 minutes. Now, if there was a delay such as traffic or weather, the next bus might not arrive for 45 minutes.

The algorithm, using collected data, will be able to determine if a backup bus that will arrive in 30 minutes should be sent out,

U of O students rely on public transportation to travel to and from class.

which means there will be no additional wait time for riders.

Beyond improving scheduling, the algorithm could also aid in the design of new routes. Understanding the habits of riders from how long they ride, how many transfers they take, and how long they wait can

help determine where new routes, stops, and extensions should occur.

Currently, the algorithm is in the process of being optimized. In speaking with the Fulcrum, Jalali says this process is very important because even one extra line of code can change the runtime of the algo-

Photo: CC, tsaiproject.

rithm, which would in turn change how quickly transportation systems could react to real time situations.

According to data obtained from OC Transpo, the transit system serviced 874,275 people with a total of 96.5 million passengers in 2016. The average weekly ridership was 320,000.

With such widespread use, Jalali believes that based on the data analytics the situation for these riders can be improved. Both herself and the rest of Raahemi’s team are positive that municipalities and transportation companies alike will be interested in adopting their algorithm.

New initiative aims to create more opportunities for students with disabilities

A collaborative effort by Carleton, the U of O, La Cité, and Algonquin College Marissa Phul news editor

Launched on Aug. 27, the David C. Onley Initiative for Employment and Enterprise Development is a two-year project with $5 million in funding committed by the provincial government to advance employability and entrepreneurship for post-secondary students and graduates with disabilities.

Named after former Ontario Lieutenant-General, David C. Onley, the initiative is a collaboration between four partner institutions with Carleton University at the helm, University of Ottawa, La Cité, and Algonquin College. The Research, Education, Accessibility and Design (READ) initiative and Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) at Carleton are also partners of the initiative.

The Onley Initiative will place 10 research and development offices across the four partner institutions to undertake applied research and develop programs within existing post-secondary services, and through collaboration with in-

The program launch took place on Aug. 27, 2018 at Carleton University.

dustry sectors. In an email to the Fulcrum, representatives from the initiative mentioned a deep focus on working with relevant community partners. Creating a network of employers, agencies and the government is identified as imperative to rising public awareness about and tackling

the barriers people with disabilities face in the job market.

As noted by representatives from the initiative, the goals for the program are to increase the capacity of student services to support employability and career development of students with disabilities, and the capac-

Photo: Courtesy of READ, Chris Roussakis.

ity of employers to hire and support students and graduates with disabilities.

According to a 2012 survey

by Statistics Canada, 47 per cent of 15 to 64 year old with disabilities in Canada were employed compared to 74 per cent for those without disabilities. The

survey also noted that among those with current or recent work experience, 43 per cent considered themselves to be at a disadvantage as a result of their condition and 44 per cent felt that their employer would consider them at a disadvantage.

In its inaugural year, the

6 | NEWS

partners hope both to fully understand the various factors that contribute to lower rates of employment for persons with disabilities in the Ottawa region and implement meaningful programs. The placement of specialized staff at each partner institution, the development of services, and community partnerships are just being. They are also determined to turn the knowledge they gain over the next year into immediate and future actionable steps. This is the portion of the initiative considered to be applied research and development.

According to a 2017 paper by Statistics Canada, in 2014, onefifth of the overall population aged 25 to 64 were persons with a disability. Further, 23 per cent of these people were considered low income compared to 9 per cent of those without a disability.

Continuing in the statement released to the Fulcrum, representatives of the initiative say this is all about creating opportunities accompanied by knowledge and resources that can be used as a transferable model for communities across Ontario.

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IPPSSA expands political internships to Quebec Marissa Phul news editor

This year’s iteration of the International Political and Policy Studies Student Association’s (IPPSSA) political internship program will see an expansion to Gatineau, Quebec, in a move that seeks to better serve the University of Ottawa’s Francophone community.

In its inaugural year, the program placed students through Ottawa city hall where they worked with around a dozen city councillors and the mayor. The following year saw an extension to Parliament Hill, where Members of Parliament and Senators from the four major federal parties participated. In this year’s run, the program has expanded to Gatineau city hall.

In speaking with the Fulcrum, Spencer Brickles, IPPSSA’s internship director, says the expansion was the natural next step. IPPSSA

realized there was a lack of engagement with Francophone students, and so the idea for creating Francophone-specific opportunities emerged.

In Gatineau city hall, not only will students be working within a French-speaking office, but they will also be dealing with issues specifically facing the French population, including but not limited to language rights and higher provincial taxes.

This year also sees an increase in the internship’s presence in the Senate.

IPPSSA partnered directly with the Senate communications team, which allowed the program to be promoted via internal channels. Senate offices were able to apply to host interns directly through their human resources department.

Brickles’ main goal for the program is growth in quality for both the interns and participating offices. A newly established internship

committee will facilitate responsive ongoing communication throughout the year, which he hopes will result in a more enjoyable and productive experience for all parties.

After three years of the internship program’s growth, IPPSSA has no plans of stopping in 2019. At the top of the idea list is an expansion into the private sector. This means tackling changes surrounding labour laws, however, Brickles thinks the challenge is worth it. Placements in public relations or government relations firms would allow students the opportunity to experience yet another side of the complex world of politics.

Students from any year and program are eligible to apply.

The first round of applications for the 2018-19 internship program closed Aug. 20 and the second round will open post-101 week on Sept. 10.

Keep an eye on IPPSSA’s Facebook page for the application.

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NEWS | 7

A&C EDITOR Iain Sellers arts@thefulcrum.ca

ARTS&CULTURE Art and engineering collide in new STEM building (613) 695-0062 @iainsellers

Visual Arts building to host works on identity, social media, and more Iain Sellers

Arts & Culture Editor

A

t a glance, engineering and art don’t seem to have a lot in common.

Yet, this summer, students from the two programs have worked together to create masterpieces that will adorn the University of Ottawa’s new STEM building.

Two teams, composed of two visual arts and two engineering students, have been simultaneously working on different pieces of artwork that will showcase unique designs through the use of mechanical components.

“The STEAM project is a part of a larger program that the (engineering) faculty is starting to run (which aims) to build relationships with the arts faculty,” explained Devansh Shah, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student at the U of O and member of one of the two teams.

The projects, which served as a

summer job for the eight students, originally awarded the opportunity based on a Makerspace competition at the U of O. “(A friend and I) competed in the competition, then we won, and the prize of winning was to get a summer job to implement our design,” said Shah. “That’s how it began.”

Since the installation is meant to represent both engineering and art, the team looked to mechanical motions to showcase their engineering skills.

“Our project … is essentially a moving wall. So, we have different panels that are powered by actuators which are all programmable as well. So, they can make really cool motions like waves,” he explained. “It’s interactive as well, so, if you’re standing in front of the wall, the panels you’re standing in front of will start moving.”

The wall, which is currently in its final stages of production before being moved to the STEM building, is the result of four months of hard work for the group. However, despite the workload, members of the team found it to be a rewarding summer job.

“Most (other) projects I’ve done, have been with other people who

(I) report to and this time it’s solely myself,” confirmed Keshav Deeljur, another member of the team and a fourth-year electrical engineering student. “I’m kind of the sole one in charge of the electrical side … (So,) that pressure and the responsibility (have) been fun.”

However, for Shah, it wasn’t just the creative liberties that made the project unique. “Honestly, I think working with the arts students was a big shift, a big culture shock, because in our projects in classes, we only work with engineering students (and) everyone has a similar way of thinking, but they have a completely different way of thinking. It’s refreshing to see how they see the world.”

Accompanying their moving wall, which will be situated below one of the main staircases on the main floor of the building, will be a second project that has been worked on by the other team of engineering and arts students.

“Theirs is going to be a huge hanging sculpture,” explained Deeljur.

“They have lights in this hanging sculpture. So, as people are walking up and down the stairs, the lights will be triggered,” added Shah.

Engineering and arts students will see their collaborative works in the STEM building over the next few weeks.

Photo: Via Instagram.

With the installation scheduled for the next few weeks, both projects seem to have been a success. So, perhaps the two estranged faculties will continue to narrow the gap in the future.

“It’s been pretty fun working on this,” said Deeljur. “If there are more opportunities that present themselves in the future, (we) definitely want to go for it.”

Five artsy clubs to check out this semester Students need not go to club fair to get involved this year Iain Sellers

Arts & Culture Editor On Sept. 6, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) will be hosting a club fair where students hoping to get involved can ask questions and sign up. However, most years, not all clubs are represented and this year may see even less due to SFUO protests taking place the same day.

So, the Fulcrum has prepared a list of five artsy clubs that you can check out once the semester gets started.

THE U OF O DIY CLUB Do you like crafts and making things for yourself? If so, then the do-it-yourself club could be for you. According to their website, they offer regular craft nights, workshops, and resources for anyone interested in DIY and crafts.

So, if you’re interested in learning how to make your own soap or have ever wanted to try your hand at embroidery, then you may want to check them out.

THE U OF O ENGLISH IMPROV GROUP If you’re used to thinking on your feet, then you might be a natural at the U of O’s English Improv group. The

8 | ARTS & CULTURE

group, which markets itself as a noncompetitive improvisational troupe, hosts weekly improv jam sessions which, according to their website, “are a fantastic opportunity for new improvisers to looking to get their feet wet, and for veteran improvisers looking to hone their skills.”

THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DELICIOUS For a tasty food-related club, the People’s Republic of Delicious might be the ideal choice for you. The club is a volunteer-based food collective that operates as a food alternative for students—if you like environmental responsibility, veganism, and healthy food, then you’ll fit right in. According to their website, “the People’s Republic of Delicious seeks to create a positive environment and sense of community at the University of Ottawa by involving student volunteers in the cooking, serving and cleaning processes, sharing valuable culinary skills and promoting healthy eating.”

THE U OF O SALSA CLUB No dancing skills? No problem! The U of O Salsa club welcomes dancers of all

levels—in fact, the club isn’t even limited to salsa. This year, they are promoting other dance forms such as rueda, bachata, and social dancing. With weekly meetings, you could attend workshops, take part in performances or even just enjoy the act of dancing. So, by the end of the semester, you may have a whole new set of cool dance moves.

THE BROKEN QUILL WRITING SOCIETY If dancing isn’t really your thing, but you still want to embrace your creative side, then you might want to try out one of the Broken Quill society’s meetings.

This club is a writing society where members attend meetings to create and showcase works. However, this U of O club is not just a medium for generating new ideas, the club’s website also has a list of members contributions where they can expect to be read by larger audiences and given feedback. So, if you’ve ever had any ambitions to start writing fiction as a hobby or in a professional capacity, the Broken Quill society may be a great way to start.

For a full list of clubs offered at the U of O, check out the SFUO’s website.

It’s never too late to get involved—check out these artsy clubs this semester. Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

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International hangout brings all sides of the globe together

U of O International Office hosts meet-and-greet for both international and Canadian students Iain Sellers

Arts & Culture Editor On Aug. 30, around 400 international and Canadian students met on Tabaret lawn for a summer bash that sought to welcome in the new school year.

The event was hosted by the University of Ottawa’s International Office and it featured a DJ, bean bag chairs, a hand drummer, and a massive barbeque that everyone was welcome to.

“It’s (an opportunity) to welcome all international students from all over the world,” explained Natalie Morris, a representative from U of O’s International Office, “and it’s a chance for Canadians to meet international students as well and mingle and learn about different cultures.”

Indeed, most people were mingling. There were only a few tables at the event so, many students were stand-

Students from all over the world mingled on the lawn of Tabaret hall on Aug. 30.

ing, talking, or dancing with one and other.

“Community Life (Service) started organizing (this event) four years ago,” said Morris. “The (international) orientation is a

MOVIES Iain Sellers

Arts & Culture Editor

WHY IT’S FAMOUS The movie stars Ethan Hawke as Jesse, a young 20-something touring Europe after being dumped by his girlfriend, and Julie Delpy as Céline, a French university student who happens to be on the same train going through Austria.

The movie really encapsulates what it’s like to suddenly fall in love with someone whom you just met, and perfectly describes those first few hours together as you realize how wonderful the other person is. However, despite being well done, it only won

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week before classes start and there was nothing happening at night for our students, so we decided to welcome them.”

The event was part of the larger undergradu-

YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN

one award and became a cult classic instead.

WHY YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT Romantic dramas probably aren’t your thing. The movie came out in 1995 and later became part of a series, and while it got decent reviews and garnered a devout following, romantic dramas aren’t like traditional action franchises which can spit out a new blockbuster every year or two.

So, the series had a hard time keeping the public’s attention.

WHY IT MIGHT BE TOUGH TO GET

THROUGH There isn’t really a lot that happens in the movie. For the most part, it follows the young couple as they walk around the streets of Vienna and share deep philosophical thoughts with one another. For viewers who want more of a storyline, this isn’t the jam-packed movie for you.

Plus, the movie leaves a lot of unanswered questions at the end. I won’t spoil the finale, but you may need to prepare yourself to be disappointed.

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH IT ANYWAY

Photo: Rame Abdulkader.

ate international student orientation, which lasted three days and began on Aug. 29. The office had also coordinated a city-wide scavenger hunt, a board game night, and an inter-

national meet-and-greet. “(The meet-and-greet) is actually at 1848, and it’s more of a party (than the international hangout).

They’ve accommodated 17 and 18 year-olds, so they just don’t have a bracelet to drink. So, it’s awesome.”

This year at the U of O, there are roughly 6,000 international students and 250-300 exchange students who will be attending for a sole semester. However, many of the new arrivals have only been the country for a few days. “(I’ve only been in Canada) since Monday (Sept. 27),” said Martin Lindgren, a third-year theoretical physics student from Sweden who is attending the U of O this fall semester. “I knew I wanted to come to Canada.

So, I just applied for a couple different universities in Canada and this is where I stuck.”

For Max af Klercker, a

Photo: CC, Riceandsoup.

It’s probably the perfect movie for anyone who is about to start university and about to go through new and exciting experiences in a city that they’ve never been to before—or, anyone who believes in romance.

Since Jesse and Céline expect that they won’t see each other again after their night in Vienna, the characters are real with each other and give their thoughts on the world without worrying about how they will be perceived. So, the conversations that they have are incredibly thought-provoking and human.

It’s really a quintessential love story between two peo-

fourth-year social sciences student from Sweden who also only arrived three days earlier, he had already noticed some differences from his home institution. “One of the biggest differences is the campus and university … this is like a small city.

We don’t really have that (where I’m from).”

Neither of the two students have been in the country long enough to experience many culture shocks, since they had only arrived three days prior, but they did have large aspirations for experiencing Canadian culture. “One thing everybody (told) me when I (told) them (that I was) going to Ottawa,” explained al Klercker, “(was that I) have to see a Sens game.”

Throughout the month of September, the International Office will offer numerous events and services for international students that can be found on their website.

BEFORE SUNRISE (1995)

ple in their early 20s, who aren’t sure what they want to do with their lives but do know what they want to do in the moment.

FAMOUS LINES Jesse: “Jump ahead 10, 20 years, okay? And you’re married. Only your marriage doesn’t have the same energy it used to have. You start to blame your husband. You think about all those guys you’ve met in your life and what might’ve happened if you picked up with one of them… What this could be is a gigantic favour to both you and your future husband to find out that you’re not missing out

on anything…”

Céline: “Let me get my bag.”

••• Jesse: “But you think tonight’s it, huh? I mean, that tonight’s our only night?

Céline: “It’s the only way, no?”

Jesse: “Well, alright. Let’s do it. No delusions or projections—We’ll just make tonight great.”

FUN FACTS Before Sunrise is the first movie of a trilogy. The directors approached Hawke and Delpy nine years after the first and second movies so that the actors aged with the characters.

ARTS & CULTURE | 9

People Helping People: Residence Volunteers Iain Sellers

Arts & Culture Editor From Aug. 30 to Sept.

2, around two hundred volunteers helped usher thousands of students into their new homes in residence.

According to the University of Ottawa’s Housing Service director Rachelle Clark, “(The volunteers) are amazing. They put in their heart and soul.

They’re here because they absolutely love working with the newcomers, the new students, who are coming to the U of O.” The Fulcrum asked volunteer and fourth-year U of O student Prescillia Desjardins some questions about her experiences that morning and why she got involved: So the first one is, really, can you explain to me what you’re doing here today and why you

(wanted) to get involved?

So, I (wanted) to get involved because I want to help ... people moving in (to) have a great experience. I got involved … to help people pack their things up to their residence and (I want others to) have a good experience today.

What are you personally doing here? What is your job?

So, we (show) people (where to go) to (find) their room(s), we help them unpack things and move in.

I want you to think back to first year for me.

So, I know it was a long time ago, but, do you have any really special memories from the first couple of weeks where anything really exciting happened?

I went to the orientation and I went to see the GeeGees, the football game—that’s a recommendation to-do.

And, how did that feel?

I loved it. I loved the experience and I loved the atmosphere that the U of O gives.

How would you describe the atmosphere?

Lovely—friendly—you can ask anybody to (help) … They’re going to help you. For sure.

Do you think students will get these types of experiences?

I hope so. I hope for them.

What do you do that tries to help get those students those experiences?

Give them love, give them friends, so that they feel loved and they love their first experiences here.

How did you hear about this volunteering opportunity?

On Facebook! I’m following the U of O, so ev-

Prescillia Desjardins happily ushered new students into their new homes on Sept. 1.

Photo: Amy Yee.

to do. They’re not unsure (anymore).

I have one last question that I want to add. How would you describe everyone’s feelings here today as they’re moving in?

Scared—(like,) they want to cry. But as soon as we help them, they feel secure and they’re

good with that.

Prescillia Desjardins is a fourth-year literature and modern languages student who volunteered the morning of Sept. 1 outside of 90U. Desjardins worked with other smiling volunteers as they welcomed new students getting ready for their new homes.

erything that pops—I just look at it.

I know we’re only two hours in so far—but do you feel like you’ve made a difference today?

Yeah. Lots of people are saying thank you for the (help) moving-in. It’s making them more comfortable and they know what

CAMPUS CREATIONS: From poetry to prose

Email arts@thefulcrum.ca to submit your work to the Fulcrum In The Style Of Jaden Smith

Something Real

ByAnchal Sharma Editor-In-Chief

I lied, When I smiled In that snapchat Ten minutes ago I’m not happy My loved one’s in the hospital But that’s not something That you need to know Nor is it something you care for You want pictures of my shoes You want me to relate to you You want me to laugh at your filters And keep up the numbers (#streak!)

I want a real fire Not an emoji on an app that drains my battery I want a real connection Something facetangible, not timed I don’t know real comfort anymore So I cling to my digital devices Talking to people I don’t know Looking for something That’s not real

I Have Very Few Idols Jaden Smith Is Not One Of Them No Disrespect Will (I Still Think You’re A Rad Dad) And Honestly, His Music Isn’t Half Bad I’m Even A Huge Fan Of Neo Yokio (Screw You, Rotten Tomatoes) It’s His Tweets That Get Me So Riled Up? Confused?

How Do You Feel Reader, Right Now? Navigating This Horrible Poem?

Take That Feeling, And Maximize It By One Billion And You’ll Know How I Feel It Ain’t Easy Being An Editor On The Twitterverse

About the author Anchal Sharma is the Editor-in-Chief of the Fulcrum, and a fourthyear student at the University of Ottawa, studying communications and political science. This is her first time publishing poetry in the Fulcrum, which is why it lacks depth. For real angsty poems, follow her on instagram @wordsbyanchal.

U of O students showcase their fictional works with Campus Creations.

10 | ARTS & CULTURE

Photo: Courtesy of Arek Socha.

THEFULCRUM.CA

d e i f i s s a l l c e o D cho uide S lG a v i v r Su Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

Surviving and thriving in university

The Fulcrum

Editorial Board

The Fulcrum editorial team put our heads together and reflected on all the mistakes we made in first-year to make sure you don’t do the same When the Fulcrum editorial team sat down to put together a U of O survival guide, we wanted to keep it light and easy, but things didn’t go exactly as planned. Instead, we reflected on some of the major mistakes we made as first-year students and what we would do differently if we had the chance to go back. With a combined experience of over 25 years spent traversing through the post-secondary world, these are our essential tips, tricks, life hacks, and pieces of advice for not only surviving your university years, but thriving in them as well.

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First-years: your next few years spent at the U of O will go down as some of the best of your life.

Make the most of them!

Photo: Parlker Townes.

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Mental health 101

Matt Gergyek Your questions surrounding mental health and mental wellness, answered Features Editor

There’s no denying that mental health and mental illness are becoming increasingly pervasive issues on post-secondary campuses across Canada. As of 2016, an unprecedented one in five Canadian post-secondary students were dealing with mental illness, according to the National College Health Assessment, while 13 per cent of students seriously contemplated suicide, both increases of about four per cent from 2013. To learn about some of the ways students can maintain good mental health and seek help and support when needed, the Fulcrum spoke with Yena Bi, a psychotherapist with the Student Academic Success Service (SASS).

The Fulcrum: Yena, what are some common mental health concerns you see on campus?

Bi: We see a lot of struggles with anxiety, depression and self-esteem, especially among first-year students. There’s a big transition from high school to university, and you can’t expect what’s really coming until you’re here. For some people, this is their first time leaving home and they might be leaving their support networks.

There’s a lot of adjustments during firstyear that can be quite challenging.

F: What advice would you give to students dealing with some of these common issues?

B: All mental health issues are unique to a person, so we typically try to create individualized plans. But in general, when it comes to anxiety we tend to tell our students to maintain a good balance in the different areas of their life, from academics to health, relationships and passions. You want to make sure that you are attending to them because if any area that’s important to you starts to deteriorate, it can really impact your levels of anxiety and vice-versa.

We know depression tends to exile people. You tend to shut yourself away, stay at home, skip classes, stop seeing friends, so a really important part is to stay active in those areas physically and mentally. The more depressed you are the less likely you are to be engaged, which leads to more depression, so it’s sort of a vicious cycle and to get out of it we do need to start getting back in touch with society, with whatever’s important to us.

Self-esteem is huge. It can be really helpful to talk in a group, to have peers validate you, because it’s a very difficult thing to talk about. There’s a lot of people that struggle with that feeling of not being good enough in private. The most important thing to keep in mind is that it’s not just you, it’s universal. Once people understand that I think it gets a lot easier to deal with. It’s very human to feel inadequate and unworthy at one point or another and there’s nothing wrong with that.

F: Walk us through some of the resources available on campus?

B: SASS offers a few different types of counselling: one-on-one, group therapy, workshop-based therapy, and we’re getting ready to launch online therapy.

Health Services also offers therapy and counselling. Faculties have their own mentoring centres as well, and the Pride Centre is great for LGBTQ+ support.

F: What does a first session with a counsellor typically look like?

B: The first session is mostly spent on getting to know the student. We’ll never push them past where they’re comfortable, we give them the space to come to us and talk about what brings them here and slowly get into that topic. We talk about confidentiality, what counselling looks like, what it’s about and we really do our best to normalize the experience,

to give them an idea of what to expect, how long this will last and just how often this happens.

F: What about offcampus?

B: There are a ton of off-campus resources, so I’ll touch on a few here. There are eight free walk-in counselling clinics in Ottawa and community health

centres throughout the city are great resources as well. Helplines can be an important tool too such as Good2Talk, a 24/7 free counselling service for postsecondary students over the phone.

F: Why are we seeing an increasing prevalence of mental illness on campuses across Canada?

B: I don’t necessarily think that there are more mental health problems now compared to 30 years ago, but I think people are more willing to seek help and it’s more acceptable to seek help. We’re seeing much more demand and conversation around mental health, it’s become more in the spotlight. The kind of pressure on students nowadays is a bit different than before. With social media, everything is very exposed and the pressure to be perfect is constant. You are constantly being compared to other people’s best.

F: In general, what can students do to maintain good mental health?

B: Be mindful about where you’re at in your life, how you feel, so that you’re aware when things are not right. Check in with yourself every once and awhile.

Your body’s very intelligent, it can tell you if something is off. Looking after your body is incredibly important. Do a little reflection and make sure you are spending time once and awhile doing what is really important to you. Staying engaged with the areas of life you really care about is really important for mental health. Having strong relationships is one of the strongest indicators of happiness and physical health.

options. People find a combination that really works for them with a little bit of patience and time.

F: If a student is in distress, what should they do?

B: It’s really important to reach out when you’re in distress and to calm yourself in the moment. It’s never a good idea to shove your mental health aside, not deal with it and stay isolated, that is for sure going to make the problem worse. In any way you can, reaching out to a friend, family member or a professional is really helpful. Also keep in mind that bad days or moments pass. You’re not going to be in a crisis forever and you will be okay.

This interview has been edited and condensed and does not constitute a diagnosis or counselling from a mental health professional. If you do need someone to speak to, book your first appointment with SASS counselling online or visit Health Services at 100 Marie Curie Private. A full list of mental health services in the city or on campus is available online.

F: What can people do to help combat the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness?

B: Speak up about your mental health.

I think you’ll find not only will (it) be accepted but you’ll be a powerful example to the people around you that it’s okay

and important to talk about these things.

F: If a student is diagnosed with a mental illness, what’s next?

B: I would really recommend speaking to a professional about it.

There are many, many modalities of therapy and treatment out there and it isn’t one size fits all, so I really encourage students to explore their

Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

The keys to renting as a stu Student renters especially vulnerable to being taken advantage of by landlords and vice-versa, experts say When Dakota Cherry signed a lease to rent her new student house for the 2017-18 school year, she wasn’t expecting a slice of heaven, but at the very least a decent place to call a home away from home.

But when Cherry, now a third-year public administration and political science student at the U of O, and her roommates opened the door to the property in Ottawa’s Sandy Hill, they immediately noticed something was seriously wrong.

to investigate.

“This man has a huge sledgehammer and was trying to take [mold] off the ceiling, putting it into a plastic bag to dispose of the evidence,” she said.

Cherry and her roommate fled from the house and filed a police report, deciding it was time to leave the house for good—but not without the first and last month’s rent they’d already paid to their landlord.

“It started raining, and water started pouring in from the ceiling … it was like Niagara Falls in our fucking living room.”

They applied to have their case heard at the Landlord and Tenant Board and about two months later, their date finally arrived.

Per texts and emails shared with the Fulcrum, Cherry immediately told her landlord about what they determined to be a roofing issue, but he insisted it was a leaky water pipe.

“I couldn’t sleep the night before … I thought it would be me in my cheap Reitmans pant suit against some top Ottawa lawyer,” Cherry recalled.

The next day, things took a turn for the worse.

Cherry said she and her roommate woke up from a deep sleep of close to 24-hours, and began feeling extremely sick. Their symptoms included extreme fatigue, lethargy, dizziness and painful headaches, the telltale symptoms of mold exposure, according to an article published in the journal Toxins in 2013.

“We had slept for an entire day; it was absolutely insane.”

Cherry and her roommate began to inspect the house more closely and found large patches of mold in the basement and inside the walls. When she told her landlord about the mold, he offered to redo the walls but not fix the leaking roof, the root of the problem, she said.

They decided to withhold rent until the problems were properly dealt with, but were hit with an eviction notice and a hydro shut off on May 2. In response, she called an inspector from the City and told her landlord.

Later that day, Cherry said an unidentified man came to their door “to turn back on the hydro,” but she didn’t think to ask for identification. She watched him go down to the basement and moments later began hearing loud banging noises and went down

When she arrived to the board with all her landlord’s correspondences, the rental lease, photographic evidence collected from the property and even written statements from previous renters, her landlord quickly gave in.

25 to 34 made up over 20 per cent of this number (the highest of any age group), according to a report released by the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario . These cohorts encompass the average age of post-secondary students in Canada as of the 2015-16 academic year per Statistics Canada.

“Students have money pressures, they have school pressures, they’re away from home (for the first time),” she said. “They’re not really positioned to be very good consumers about their housing situations, nor do they have a lot of choice about their housing situation. I think landlords are only too ready to take advantage of this population.”

The common problems Andrews sees in her work range from badly maintained properties and an unwillingness to complete repairs in a timely manner, to pest and privacy issues.

Another common issue for student tenants is the type of landlord that commonly rents to them, she said.

He agreed to pay back last month’s rent and half of the first month to each renter, over $4,000 in total.

“They’re typically mom and pop operations,” Andrews said. “These landlords often don’t know the rules and sometimes they don’t play by the rules.”

“We jumped for joy,” Cherry said. “It was the best feeling in the world.”

Andrews points out international student renters may have it even worse than students from Canada.

Students vulnerable to being taken advantage of by landlords

“Their access and ability to do research is limited,” she said. “If you’re from Hamilton and you’re going to school in Ottawa you can come to the city for a weekend and check out places, but if you’re coming from China you can be lied to via the Internet.”

While Cherry’s story is certainly dramatic, it isn’t uncommon.

When asked if students are an especially vulnerable population when it comes to abuse and exploitation by landlords, Karen Andrews, a lawyer with the Toronto-based Advocacy Centre for Tenants of Ontario, responded almost instantly.

“Absolutely, without a doubt. In the landlord business, it’s all about taking as much money from the tenant as you can get away with and putting as little money into the property as possible.”

Renters aged 15 to 24 composed almost 10 per cent of all renters in Ontario in 2011, while renters aged

But if you are in a bad situation, Pascale Oulette, a tenant lawyer with the University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic, said it’s not the end of the world.

Preventing issues from coming up in the first place is an important part of the rental process, Oulette said in an email to the Fulcrum.

“It is always a good idea to view a place in advance before agreeing to rent it,” and “to do a quick online search to see if you can find any reviews about the unit you are interested in or the landlord in question,” she said.

Photo:s: Eric Davison.

udent

Matt Gergyek Features Editor

Getting comfortable and familiar with municipal and provincial landlord and tenant law is key, as well as conducting basic consumer research on the renting situation in the desired area, Oulette said.

Most post-secondary campuses offer community legal clinics to help students maneuver through the intricacies of landlord and tenant law. From there, a City inspector or bylaw officer is a good next step (with legal advice) and, if need be, the Landlord and Tenant Board.

Student renters not the easiest of tenants But, on the flipside, there’s no denying that some students can be difficult renters for landlords.

John Dickie, an Ottawa lawyer specializing in residential, landlord and tenant law, said the most common issue with student renters is partying.

“Most students are living away from home for the first time and they have to learn to balance their new freedom and their new responsibilities (as renters),” Dickie said. “Student renters can also be experimenting with a greater use of alcohol and partying” and “as young people, they may also enjoy staying up later at night.”

The Rideau-Vanier ward of the city for example, home to Sandy Hill, the ByWard Market and Lowertown neighbourhoods, U of O’s primary off-campus location for student housing, is notorious for its high volume of noise complaints.

According to statistics on service requests to the city, obtained through Open Data Ottawa, during the month of July 2018 the Rideau-Vanier ward had the most music-based noise complaints by far.

The ward clocked in at 79 complaints, followed by the Somerset ward (home to the Centretown neighbourhood) at 53 and the Capital ward (home to the Glebe, Old Ottawa East and South, Heron Park and Riverside neighbourhoods) at 39. Both the Somerset and Capital wards are popular neighbourhoods for students as well.

for weeks,” Dickie said, referring to the City’s garbage collection schedule, which takes place twice a month. “If it goes out too early it’s unsightly for an unnecessary period of time and animals can get in it.”

jority of student renters and their landlords respect their corresponding rights and duties, despite a few bad apples on both sides of the property line.

Your new front door ahead

Of the close to 450 service requests associated with exterior debris and waste submitted to the City through July 2018, almost 100 came from the Rideau-Vanier ward alone.

Service request statistics to the City also shine a light on problem areas for possible landlord issues for student renters as well.

When it comes to property standards service requests for both exterior and interior damage, often used to get an unwilling landlord to comply with a necessary repair to a rental property, the RideauVanier ward ranked highest.

For the month of July 2018, the ward totalled 55 service requests, followed closely behind by the Somerset ward with 52.

Charlotte MacIntyre, a fourth-year international development student at U of O, was forced to file one of these requests around May of this year due to issues with her rental property near Charlotte Street in upper Sandy Hill that took a year to fix.

Since first moving into the property in May of 2017, MacIntyre said she dealt with a heavy leak in her bedroom that the landlord would patch every once and awhile but never fully repair.

“I had to tear up garbage bags to cover all my stuff and push everything to one side because dirty water was leaking through the ceiling,” she said.

When winter came around the leak stopped (she realizes now, likely due to freezing) so she re-signed the lease. But when spring hit the leak came back in full force, spreading to the hallway and another roommate’s bedroom.

“I couldn’t be in my room, so for the month of April pretty much I was staying at a friend’s house,” she said.

With her landlord not replying to texts or emails, MacIntyre turned to the City for help.

The bylaw officer who came to inspect the property “was absolutely shocked,” she said.

Another common issue local landlords have with student renters is improper waste disposal, Dickie said. Students are the usual culprits for putting garbage and recycling out on the wrong day or simply not disposing of it at all.

“Bylaw issued a work order and they had the entire roof replaced, it wasn’t just a fix,” MacIntyre added.

“It took getting the City involved from (my landlord) to actually take us seriously.”

“If the garbage goes out too late … it could wait

For the most part though, Dickie said the vast ma-

While it is clear that resources do exist for students facing issues with their rental property or landlord, those who shared their negative rental experiences with the Fulcrum noted major barriers exist to seeking legal remedy.

One of these is financial—even applying to have a case heard in front of the Landlord Tenant Board carries a $50 charge, or $45 if the application is completed online. If the case does make it to the board, hiring a lawyer or paralegal to represent you could carry a hefty price tag.

But the real commitment is time, Andrews said.

Getting a court date usually takes two to three months, and getting a landlord to comply with a decision can stretch this process out even further.

“Enforcement is definitely an issue,” she said.

Andrews said that going forward, post-secondary institutions need to play a bigger role in student housing outside of residence, investing in off-campus housing and renting to students to ensure the process is fair and just.

“Universities (and colleges) have to be more alert to this issue and they need to take more responsibility helping their students find appropriate housing,” she said. “It’s really affecting the quality of the experience that students have.”

The U of O’s legal clinic provides services to students free of charge. Students can access the clinic by visiting 17 Copernicus St. on Mondays or Wednesdays from 7–9 p.m. or Thursdays from 2–4 p.m.

Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

A short history of the SFUO’s scandals Raghad Khalil

Fulcrum President

How the tensions between students and student government has come to be

Last month, the Student Federation at the University of Ottawa (SFUO) made headlines across Ottawa: “SFUO President, executive coordinator, face allegations of fraud”. The news was met with an overwhelming outrage, receiving coverage from off-campus media and warranting unprecedented action from the university, who have normally taken a backseat when it comes to SFUO antics.

But scandal and criticism are not new to the SFUO. For those of you who have just arrived at the U of O, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

FINANCIAL MALPRACTICE If only one finger could point to the root of the SFUO’s myriad of

Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

problems, it would direct you to their finances.

The executive’s inability to effectively and transparently manage students’ money is the principal reason for their poor reputation.

In March of 2016, after a bizarre General Assembly (GA) during which the executive claimed that “business is booming” while presenting their 201516 financials, the SFUO announced it was on the brink of bankruptcy.

In a press release posted to their website after the GA, the SFUO indicated that the main culprit was the student health-care plan, which they ad-

minister and subsidize. They did not explain why fees from students designated to cover the plan had not increased in over a decade to cover the rising costs.

The 2015-16 deficit amounted to almost $1.5 million. While the health plan accounted for over half of this number, hundreds of thousands of dollars were being lost on other budget lines as well.

The announcement came as a shock to many, despite coming from an organization that spent $10,000 on fireworks it never used only the year prior.

As a result of the increasingly dire financial situation, the SFUO announced a number of austerity measures including “laying off 24 staff, leaving 16 positions vacant and reducing hours in three positions.” Most student services were shut down during the summer, campaign club funding was scrapped, and social campaigns and events were significantly reduced as well.

Things haven’t fared much better since.

At an October 2017 Board of Administration (BOA) meeting, Rizki Rachiq, then vice-president finance and current president, went over the health of the

student businesses. The four businesses combined brought in around $51,000 less than what was budgeted for the previous year, with only the Agora Bookstore exceeding projections. Bar 1848 and Café Alt alone brought in a deficit of close to $90,000.

In the midst of these austerity measures, the personal finances of the executive have been disconcerting. A report from the comptroller general in August 2016 highlighted the executives’ troubling spending habits.

Two executives alone spent over $1,800 on taxis, and $330 had been spent for the executives’ retreat in a hotel room in Ottawa. The report also noted that the executives’ discount at Pivik resulted in a $1,000 loss for the convenience store—a business which only made $7,000 the previous year.

Later in the year, multiple complaints were filed alleging that several executives had obtained UPasses while only being part-time students. The allegations were investigated by OC Transpo, who provided a report to the university with guidelines and next steps.

The real outcry from students came during a March 2017 BOA meeting. Despite having cut dozens of campus jobs from students, Rachiq moved to increase executives’ salaries by $6,200 each—an 18 per cent increase. The motion passed and ultimately led to the resignation of four BOA members in protest.

That raise was struck down by a historic GA— the first to meet quorum. The executive passed an emergency motion to increase their salaries by $2,000 and to receive a free transit or parking passes a month later.

Of course, then last month when former SFUO president Hadi Wess filed a police report outlining allegations of fraud by Rachiq, executive director

ALLEGED HARASSMENT AND BULLYING In the early months of 2014, the U of O became the focus of a nationwide debate around rape culture and privacy.

Former SFUO president Anne-Marie Roy was the subject of a sexually violent group chat between five male students, four of them being SFUO officials. Screenshots of the chat were sent to Roy by an anonymous third party.

Roy received an apology from the men the same day, but later received a cease and desist letter from all but one of them on the grounds that releasing the images would constitute a breach of their privacy. Less than a week later, the images of the chat were leaked online. All four student officials resigned and dropped their pursuit of legal action.

As a result of these events, as well as the allegations of a gang sexual assault committed by the U of O men’s hockey team that same month, the university struck a task force on respect and equality.

The university implemented a new sexual violence policy based on the committee’s recommendations.

Later at a March 2017 BOA meeting, a number of the executives took turns accusing then-president Roméo Ahimakin of misconduct. In her executive update read aloud by a proxy, former vice-president of university affairs Vanessa Dorimain alleged that the president was “violent and misogynistic”, that he yelled at her on multiple occasions and that she now fears him.

Her allegations were echoed by Hadi Wess, then-vice-president social, who claimed Ahimakin had made executive meetings an “unsafe space”.

These claims of workplace problems were no surprise given that vice-president social Jonathan Chin-Fook had resigned only two months into his mandate citing “interpersonal issues between the executive members and (himself)” as well as a “cycle of conflict” in the organization.

RACIAL TENSIONS

Vanessa Dorimain, and vice-president of operations Axel Gage. Upwards of $20,000 in student funding was allegedly transferred to the president’s faulty club, with expenses ranging from $950 Louis Vuitton glasses to $400 haircuts being charged to the club.

The Ottawa Police Service would not confirm whether an investigation is ongoing, however the university is withholding transfer payments to the SFUO until the results of a forensic audit are available.

Navigating social justice issues has been a sore point for the student government too.

The federation’s role in advocating on behalf of students has either been labelled too involved, not involved enough or simply unnecessary by differing campus groups.

In 2014, the SFUO led an effort to encourage open dialogue about students’ experiences with racism by hosting an anti-racism campaign called “In My Skin”.

However, according to the event’s description, the discussion was to be split into two groups: whites and non-whites.

Students at the university took to social media in droves to denounce the event, explaining that racism and white privilege do not always go hand in hand. Students of mixed race and non-visible minorities felt particularly targeted by the event, leading the anti-racism initiative to be labelled as racist.

The headlines on this topic continued to roll in for the SFUO. STUDENT MEDIA RELATIONS

After covering the March BOA meeting during which several members of the executive raised concerns about Ahimakin’s alleged behaviour, the president served the Fulcrum with a notice of action alleging defamation on the part of the paper and five other parties. Also named in the notice were Dorimain and her proxy for the meeting, Faduma Wais; incoming president Hadi Wess; vicepresident equity Morissa-Dahlia Ellis; and incoming BOA representative Michel Antoun, who live streamed the meeting.

Later on, at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of La Rotonde, the university’s French language newspaper, fifteen SFUO executive members and their friends were alleged to have arrived midway through the meeting in an attempt to obtain board seats following unfavourable news coverage.

The executive denied this accusation, instead claiming to want to work more “closely with the student newspapers next term.” La Rotonde’s theneditor-in-chief, Frederique Mazerolle denounced the stunt, claiming it showed that “the SFUO does not respect student press.”

FREE SPEECH CONCERNS Varied perceptions on freedom of speech span back several years, with some conservative-leaning students feeling that their ideas are not welcome at the university.

In 2010, right-wing conservative pundit Ann Coulter cancelled her speech on campus over safety concerns due to protests organized in part by SFUO executives. U of O professor Janice Fiamengo’s lecture on men’s rights activism was similarly shut-down due to protests carried out in 2014.

With these practices in mind, the university has received consistent failing grades on the Campus Freedom Index, a yearly report published by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF).

Last year’s report saw the SFUO receive another failing grade for its policies and a C grade for its practices, noting that “the student union does not have an express commitment to free speech on campus.”

Roy expressed her disapproval with the ratings, noting that the SFUO is, “working to create spaces where people do feel like they can express their opinions.” However, she continued, “we do make a point to make sure that most students are feeling safe in those spaces.”

However, only a few months ago, a video of the SFUO’s executive coordinator, Vanessa Dorimain, forcibly removing voting ballots from students’ in attendance at the GA circulated online. According to a statement released to the Fulcrum, the voting cards were removed because the rules on cheering and clapping were not adhered to. However, many students denounced the move as undemocratic.

COMING TO TERMS WITH THE SFUO The many years of SFUO scandals continued into this first month of the school year—a warm welcome to the new students unfamiliar with the university. Cynicism is an easy route to take when phone calls home are spent discussing news scandals rather than your university’s accolades.

But with any governmental institution, it’s important to keep yourself informed and engaged with how programs, policies and decisions impact you. The SFUO is your government—take the time to get to know it.

Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

SPORTS

SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Price sports@thefulcrum.ca @FulcrumSports

50 years of Panda

For a half century old, Pedro’s still looking pretty good Andrew Price Sports Editor

I

t’s one of the greatest rivalries in Canadian football.

On Sept. 29, at TD Place in the revamped Lansdowne Complex, between Bank Street and the Rideau Canal, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and their crosstown rival Carleton Ravens will take the field for the annual Panda Game.

The stadium will be packed with students and Ottawa football fans, the players will be fired up, and the hype will be high.

But this is no ordinary Panda Game.

The 2018 game will mark the 50th edition of Panda, and just the sixth since the reincarnation in 2013.

THE EARLY YEARS The game has a storied history going back to 1955, when the Fulcrum’s own Bryan McNulty wanted to promote the rivalry with Carleton.

This led to the birth of Pedro, the iconic symbol of the Panda Game for all the years to come.

In the early days, the Gee-Gees dominated the

game. While Carleton won the original contest, the U of O then won seven straight starting in 1957, when the Gees beat the Ravens by the biggest margin in Panda history, 44-0.

The U of O reign went on to a four-Panda Game winning streak from 1965-68, and a five-game streak from 1972-76.

The Gee-Gees would go on to win the Vanier Cup in 1975, one of only two national championships in program history.

In addition to being one of the greatest rivalries in Canadian football, it also became a major occasion for alcohol-fueled mayhem.

This culminated in the 1987 incident wherein several fans suffered concussions and broken bones after a railing snap. One student fell into a coma for nearly three weeks as a result.

By the 1990s, the Carleton program was frustrated by multiple seasons of failure to even make the playoffs.

As a result, the team folded. Thus the Panda Game was no more. Or so it seemed.

REBIRTH OF A RIVALRY While U of O leads in the all-time series by a record

of 32-17, in recent years, it’s been Carleton that has come home with Pedro consistently.

So while the 2013 edition of the game was the first in 15 years, it was also the first time the Ravens had taken the field in that time period.

The young team, made up of mostly first-year players, had a predictably rough outing at Gee-Gees Field versus their more experienced crosstown rivals.

The result was a 35-10 win for the U of O, and the Ravens’ failure to win a game all season.

But by 2014, the Ravens’ squad was no longer made up primarily of rookies.

This is when Carleton began to strike back.

This year was to be the first Panda Game to be played at the renewed Lansdowne Park at TD Place, so the Gee-Gees could not benefit from home-field advantage this time around.

It was also one of the most remarkable finishes, and most heart-breaking for the Gee-Gees, when Carleton receiver Nate Behar caught a tipped pass on a last-second Hail Mary and ran it in for a touchdown to win the game.

The U of O is looking to steal Pedro back after four years with Carleton.

This made the final score 33-31, but the game never actually finished. Carleton was unable to even attempt the point-after kick when Ravens fans stormed the field.

In 2015, the atmosphere was just as intense, with the Gee-Gees looking for some revenge. They never let up and it resulted in the highest-scoring affair in Panda history, a 48-45 double overtime win for Carleton.

But 2016 was a different story, with a strong Carleton team dominating the Gee-Gees on both sides of the ball for an affirmative 43-23 win.

Again, Pedro eluded the Gee-Gees.

The 2017 edition was yet another heartbreaker.

With the Carleton squad sitting at 1-3 on the season, and the Gee-Gees at 4-1 going in, the U of O was almost sure of a win this time around.

However, the game was yet another overtime thriller that saw the Ravens take home a 33-30 victory. Once again, U of O found itself frustrated, falling just short.

THE 50TH AND BEYOND The 2018 contest will likely once again prove to be an edge-of-your-seat match.

Second-year quarterback Alex Lavric leads a fairly pass-heavy offence for the U of O, with some versatile weapons at his disposal in receivers Kalem Beaver

Photo: Courtesy of Kellie Ring.

and Carter Matheson, as well as Bryce Vieira out of the backfield.

They’ll be going head-tohead with a Carleton defence that held Western to just two touchdowns in the entire game in week one, including just one offensive touchdown.

The Gee-Gees also have a difficult road ahead of them up until then, with games against McMaster, Guelph, and York. The Ravens will have a somewhat easier schedule as they take on Windsor, Queen’s, Waterloo, and the University of Toronto prior to the big game.

Kickoff is 1 p.m. at TD Place on Sept. 29. You can find tickets to the game here.

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SPORTS | 19

This year’s Gee-Gees to watch

Six players that will make an impact in 2018-19 Andrew Price Sports Editor

The 2018-19 season is fast approaching and the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees have a solid deck of talent that will be on display. Here are some of the Fulcrum’s athletes to watch for the upcoming season.

Katherine Bearne Women’s Soccer During the 2017 season, Bearne was a top player for the women’s soccer team, scoring eight of the team’s 40 goals from midfield.

As the key player offensively for the Gee-Gees, the midfielder led the team to a 10-1-5 regular season record and a quarter-final finish.

She’ll be joining the GeeGees for her fifth season as they look to claim the U Sports women’s soccer championship at home Nov. 8-11.

Brandon Robinson - Men’s Basketball The fifth-year guard will

be looking to lead the men’s basketball team to another Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship, and then onto its elusive first national championship in March.

In 2017-18, Robinson recorded 12.1 points per game, making him the fourth-highest scorer on the team that season.

He’ll be an important anchor for the offence after the graduation of veteran and former Carleton Raven Juan Emmanuel PierreCharles, leaving Robinson one of but a few remaining senior players.

Kevin Domingue - Men’s Hockey In just his second season playing for the Gee-Gees, Domingue led his team in goals scored, came second in points scored, and tied for the second-leading goal scorer in the OUA conference for 2017-18 with 19.

His rookie season was nearly as impressive, posting 16 goals in 28 games for the Gee-Gees and leading the team in overall scoring.

This earned him a spot on the OUA All-Rookie team.

He will bring some crucial firepower to the young team as it enters just its third consecutive season on the ice following a two-year hiatus.

Christine Deaudelin Women’s Hockey In her first season as a GeeGee, Deaudelin was a standout.

In 2017-18 she racked up three goals and six assists for a total of nine points. This earned her a spot on the U Sports All-Rookie team, and a spot on the Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) All-Star and All-Rookie teams.

She was a dynamic addition for a team that finished with a 10-7-3 record last season.

The defenceman from

Brandon Robinson on the court.

Quebec will be returning to the Gee-Gees for the upcoming season, where the team will be looking to improve upon its third place finish in the RSEQ conference last year.

Maya Montiel - Women’s Rugby Yet another Gee-Gee to watch going into her second year after a standout rookie season is Maya Montiel.

The five-foot-ten front row

Photo: Greg Mason.

came back from some international competition over the summer as a prop for Canada’s U20 team at the TriNations Cup vs. England.

The rugby team will be looking to defend its national title, and although it will do so without last year’s female athlete of the year, Dria Bennett, it still boasts rising talent in players such as Montiel.

Stephen Evans - Track Another Gee-Gee to claim

a medal for U Sports last season is fifth-year track runner Stephen Evans.

In 2018, Evans took home a silver medal at both the OUA and national levels in the 600 m category. On top of that, he has the Gee-Gees record for the 600 m with a time of 1:18:30.

He’ll be looking to rack up more medals at the OUA and U Sports championships this year.

National champion joins U of O swim team

Cholette joins varsity swimming team after four championships with synchro team Andrew Price Sports Editor

After several years with the Gee-Gees synchronized swimming team, Carlie Cholette is taking it up a notch as she gets ready for 2018-19 with the varsity swim team.

Joining the team in March, Cholette, a national champion with the synchro team, will have a busy year coming up balancing synchro with school and now varsity swimming.

“I’m still going to do synchro and swim,” she said.

“We’ll see how that goes.

I’m not saying I love swimming more than I love synchro, but it’s a great change, and if I’d known that I’d like it this much years ago, I think I would’ve made the switch.”

Cholette, who is also the twice-consecutive Gee-Gees Club Athlete of the Year, said she started synchro many years ago when she was just seven after a friend got her into it.

Now 23 and heading into her fourth year at the University of Ottawa, she’s been doing synchro ever since.

20 | SPORTS

Carlie Cholette competing at Montpetit Hall for Gee-Gees synchronized swimming team.

In November 2017, she tried out for the Olympic synchro team, unsuccessfully.

This was never going to discourage her though. She said she has always taken synchro pretty seriously, and before practice she

would often go in the water to get some swimming in, since the synchro team doesn’t get as much pool time.

“I’d go in an hour before practice and just do laps. It turned out the swim team had their practice at the

Photo: Courtesy of Dan Robichaud.

same time, and I noticed Dave from the swim team, and I was interested,” she said. “It looked like a challenge, and I have a great feel for the water. It’s second nature to me.”

She said from there she contacted head swimming

coach Dave Heinbuch, despite not being a strictly speed swimmer, saying she was up for the challenge.

This was how she started the process of joining the team. While initially not on the team, she trained with them until after the U Sports national championship in February, when she officially joined the squad.

She said the move to varsity swimming has brought some notable challenges, particularly when it comes to keeping up with the speed of it.

“I’m trying to go as fast as them, and trying to keep up,” she said. “That’s the biggest challenge, and you have to qualify within certain times. I have no qualifying times … I’ve never done swimming before, and that’s definitely a big challenge for me.”

While she’s in her fourth year at the U of O, it’s just her first year of eligibility for varsity, meaning potentially four more years of swimming with the Gee-Gees.

“If I’m successful this year and I see improvement,

I want to keep going for sure,” Cholette said. “I have to start applying for a Master’s, and I might just take a few courses at (the U of O) just to swim.”

In terms of goals for the upcoming season, she’s thinking pragmatically.

“I’m trying to be as realistic possible. I think I need a full season of just training with the team before I can actually have a qualifying time,” she said. “I did compete this summer, and there was quite the difference between the first meet and the second meet. I mean I think the sky’s the limit. I can get better, but realistically I would need a full year of training before I can qualify for such competition and meets.”

With Cholette’s stellar contributions to the synchro squad, it’s worth watching what this GeeGee will do on the varsity scene.

The swim season starts Oct. 12 as the Gee-Gees will compete in their first meet hosted by the University of Sherbrooke.

THEFULCRUM.CA

THE BOXSCORE: SEPTEMBER ROUND-UP SOCCER (W)

FOOTBALL (M)

RUGBY (M)

Saturday, aug. 25, 2018 Gee-Gees 1

Sunday, AUG. 26, 2018 Gee-Gees 21

MONDAY, SEpt. 3, 2018 Gee-Gees tbd

at

at

vs

Nipissing

1

laurier

39

laval

tbd

sunday, aug. 26, 2018 Gee-Gees 5

Sunday, Sept. 2, 2018 Gee-Gees TBD

sunday, sept. 9, 2018 Gee-Gees tbd

at

vs

at

Laurentian

0

McMaster

tbd

sherbrooke

For detailed game coverage check out the Fulcrum’s website at www.thefulcrum.ca.

CAMPUS REC. ACTIVITIES REGISTER NOW

GEEGEES.CA

tbd

OPINIONS

opinions@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062

Avoiding first-year regrets

A second-year details what she would have done differently Véronique Therrien Fulcrum Contributor

A

s September starts, the campus begins to fill up with new and returning students eager to begin the school year.

The old students dreading what lies ahead, and the new students so unaware of the horrors that await them for the next four years. I remember my first year like it was just last year (I mean it was, but whatever).

Now if you are one of the young, innocent, university virgins, then listen up. Cause I

am about to offer some advice from someone who may have made a few mistakes… correction: A LOT of mistakes. Here are a few of my regrets so hopefully, you can learn from me.

Number 1: Meal plans So, I have heard many different opinions when it comes to the five day vs. the seven day. My friends who did the seven day, regretted it. Now, don’t get me wrong. The dining hall is so much better than most university food halls, but after about 70th time, even the best of us get sick of make your own pasta/pizza. I had the five day meal plan, which worked out okay for me. I would buy food, cook on the weekends and use the plan during the week. I mean, I still got sick of it after awhile, even though the 24 hours, 5 days a week was really convenient when you are craving chicken nuggets at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday.

Also, if you are a somewhat picky eater, trying to find food that you actually like is very difficult. If you are the type of person who only wants to eat a certain kind of food prepared a certain way then you’re probably going to be disappointed with the dining hall.

Sometimes, the food isn’t what you expect it to be. For example, you might pick up some chicken and then return to your table to discover it’s actually just super overcooked fish. The same food is often cooked differently each time.

One day, you might have the best french fries in the world and the next you are just eating undercooked potatoes. So, if you’re the type that needs food to be perfectly consistent and actually cooked 100 per cent, then maybe the dining hall isn’t for you.

Number 2: 101 Week: A MUST!

Illustration: Brennan Bova. Edits: Rame Abdulkader.

Okay, so 101 Week is one of the most hyped up weeks of university, and if you are in first year you really must attend. And I know, $70-90 for a bag with a few trinkets might not seem worth it, but the memories are priceless. My biggest regret was not attending all the events I could fit into my schedule during my first week.

OPINIONS EDITOR Hanna Methot

I was too overwhelmed moving into residence and trying to find my way around campus. I thought I would be too stressed if I stuffed my scheduled to the brim with all the events, but now? Major regrets. A lot of friendships are made during this week, as it’s a great way to meet new people while also having the time of your life.

Number 3: Studying is vital Now I know, everyone hates studying. I, for one, started with the best intentions. First semester, I kept up with all my readings (I mean when you spend $300 on textbooks, you might as well actually use them), redid my notes after every lecture, and studied before every little quiz, midterm and the dreaded exams. I thought I had it all together. Then, I went home for Christmas break.

After I came back, my habits changed. I never did my readings, barely took any notes, and would attempt to cram before every exam the night before.

Boy, did my GPA feel it.

In summary Balance is the key to everything. Don’t slack off, after all, we are paying thousands of dollars for this. But also, don’t study too much and miss out on all the other amazing things first year has to offer. First year is a blessing and a curse, but the one thing that every student has in common is that we all got through it—whatever regrets come along with it.

HECKLE: Brightspace makes for a brighter academic life Kevin Geenen

Fulcrum Contributor Brightspace, the online platform that the University of Ottawa uses as its learning management system, is neither inherently good nor bad. Pretty much everything that happens in the classroom in terms of teaching comes down to the effectiveness of the professor.

But as with anything, there are a few notable exceptions where the proper use of Brightspace can go a long way, no matter the professor.

Three hour lectures without posted slides, simply put, are a pain. PowerPoints should be accessible to students after classes so that they can review the notes.

This is particularly relevant for people who have difficulty taking notes or who require repetition for their retention course content.

And then there are the

professors who post the class notes weeks later. This is not helpful, as assessments on that material are often long passed. Some professors label and order their PowerPoints in ways that just don’t make sense. Others don’t even know how to create different folders.

But while Brightspace can be another way that poor professors hinder the learning experience, it’s equally possible for academic life to be enhanced by it.

One great way to increase student engagement on Brightspace is through online quizzes. For example, giving students an unlimited number of opportunities to complete online quizzes can be extremely beneficial not only for their GPA but also for retention of course content.

An even better way professors can use Brightspace is by posting course readings whenever possible. Just

think of how much sense it makes: instead of paying $200 for a course package from Rytec Printing, all of your readings are available in once place, for free, in digital form. With that $200 you saved you can buy a Dyson fan for your sweltering student house, half a meal plan, or you could invest in marijuana stocks and become a millionaire in only a few months. The possibilities are endless.

It’s also very helpful to have notes in digital format.

It means that, the night before the exam you don’t have to skim through the whole reading looking for information about an obscure person, instead you can just type in that name on the search bar.

If professors want to look at practical and simple ways to improve student life, they should not just know the basics of Brightspace. They need to examine what ben-

efits students the most on multiple levels—especially

Illustration: Brennan Bova.

financially and mentally.

Maybe then, we can forgive

22 | OPINIONS

them for still referring to the platform as “Blackboard”.

THEFULCRUM.CA

Point/Counterpoint: Is Ontario’s drinking age fair?

Old enough to drive, vote and kill for our country, but not to enjoy a brewski The drinking age in Ontario has been a point of contention for decades, with the age originally being lowered to 18 from 21 in 1971, but then raised to 19 in 1979, according to this article by the Toronto Star.

So, should the drinking age in Ontario be lowered to 18, or should it remain the same as it is now?

A LOWER DRINKING AGE WON’T WORK IN ONTARIO

— Hanna Methot, Opinions Editor

POINT

COUNTERPOINT

As your friend who just got back from Italy will eagerly tell you, you can walk down any street in Milan and see a baby drinking wine straight out of the bottle. Okay, so maybe that’s stretching the point, but you get what I mean.

Other countries, specifically in Europe, have looser drinking restrictions in comparison to Ontario. In my opinion, that’s because the culture surrounding drinking in these countries is vastly different.

European teenagers are taught from a young age how to consume alcohol and how to do it properly. In Greece, there is no drinking age if you are drinking in private, but in order to drink in public you must be 18 years of age. In an article by the CBC, Luis Rufo, a Barcelona-born immigrant to Calgary explains, “that in Spain, where the legal drinking age limit is 16, alcohol and food is paired together, which he says makes imbibing safer.” He exclaimed his frustrations over what he calls “uncivilized” drinking laws in Canada.

A study by the Boston University Medical Center states that “Italian youths whose parents allowed them to have alcohol with meals while they were growing up are less likely to develop harmful drinking patterns in the future.”

If I grew up in a culture where a drink at dinnertime was not only permitted but encouraged, I would know a lot more about my limits, pacing myself, and how to enjoy drinking without going over-the-top. But here in Ontario, where drinking is not only seen as illegal for those underage, but as morally questionable for those of drinking age, ironically enough binge-drinking is far more likely to occur.

It’s the mentality of “Hey, if I’m going to do something frowned upon by my society, I might as well go all out.”

According to a Statistics Canada report from 2008, binge drinking spikes in the 18-24 age group for both males and females. This is when most young people are being exposed to drinking for the first time, at least in a legal sense. Those raised without previous knowledge or experience on drinking, may overdo it.

Whereas in Europe, according to the CBC, “some countries differentiate between consuming alcohol and purchasing alcohol as well as among types of alcohol when setting their minimum age.” Ontario strictly prohibits the drinking of alcohol by anyone under the age of 19.

In Quebec, however, the laws are different from those of their Western neighbour. In order to legally purchase alcohol, you must be at least 18 years of age, but, you can legally drink at 17 as long as it’s while under the supervision of a parent in their residence.

Maybe Ontario lawmakers can learn a thing or two from Quebec. In order to responsibly lower the drinking age in Ontario to 18, the drinking culture needs to change.

But even then, I doubt we’ll see babies drinking wine straight out of the bottle on Rideau Street anytime soon.

DRINKING AGE SHOULD BE LOWERED The drinking age should be lowered. There are several generic arguments one can make in this direction.

To begin, let’s consider what you are allowed to do by the time you’re 18. You’re allowed to vote. You’re allowed to enlist in the military. You’re allowed to make the decision to encumber yourself with exorbitant amounts of student loans and go off to school. You’re allowed to drive (with a license, that is).

All of these decisions assume a significant degree of maturity and, in effect, treat you as if you are an adult. The consequences of these decisions are mighty, but as a society we still understand that 18 year olds ought to be able to undertake them. A career in the military can translate to any number of life altering events, student loans stay along for a bit longer than a hangover, and you’re way more likely to die driving cars than from anything else. If you’re considered mature enough to do these things under the law, who can say that you’re not mature enough to have a brew with your burger?

Moreover, prohibiting people from buying alcohol until they’re 18 doesn’t stop them from consuming it.

Some people argue that consuming alcohol at a young age can lead to addiction problems and criminal behaviour. However, this seems to be putting the cart before the horse; if someone gets addicted to alcohol, the inclination was likely already there. Moreover, as we discussed, it’s not like someone who is prone to addiction problems can’t get their hands on alcohol if they wanted it.

As for the question of social deviance being caused by underage drinking, this can be viewed as an empirical one, and the statistics simply show that you can’t reduce criminality simply to underage drinking. A recent meta analysis of the “social and medical impact of drinking age and health problems has shown that there is no association between a lower drinking age and indicators of problems such as criminality”.

In the U.S. and Canada, one of the major reasons for raising the minimum drinking age was to fight against drunk driving, as it was believed that a higher drinking age would mean less drunk drivers on the road. That assessment is probably true, but there are key trends to consider in this assessment.

In the U.S., with its outright tyrannical drinking age of 21, the rates of traffic accidents involving alcohol have fallen much slower than the rates in parts of Europe with a drinking age of 18, such as Germany. These large scale trends suggest that getting rid of impaired driving is more complicated than merely waiting for people to get older before they can drink.

Unfortunately, it is true that traffic fatalities shoot up during the age cohorts that achieve the minimum legal age for drinking. However, this pattern is almost inevitable, and it follows whether the drinking age is 18 or 21.

Thus, since the main argument to increase the minimum drinking age doesn’t exactly hold water, we ought to consider how absurd it is that we prohibit 18 year olds from legally drinking.

—Connor Chase, Fulcrum Contributor

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OPINIONS | 23

Baby boomers are killing the health foods industry

The Tomato investigates why healthy choices just aren’t booming with the baby boomers

Nadia Helal Tomato contributor It seems as if there is a new article blaming the world’s woes on millennials every other day. Taxi drivers are going out of business thanks to Uber—boomers just prefer the good old smoky taxis where drivers didn’t know where they were going. Sleazy, rat-infested roadside motels are also suffering due to Airbnb. Netflix and other streaming services are replacing traditional television programs. I mean, who doesn’t love falling asleep on their La-Z-Boys in front of a fourth straight episode of Jeopardy?

Now, a recent rise in millennials purchasing healthy food is the last straw.

“Why would anyone pay $2 for one avocado when you get a bag of frozen peas for the same price? They’re both green anyway,” says baby boomer Wayne McLeod. In an interview with the Tomato, Wayne expressed

serious disdain for the overwhelming selection of natural drinks at most grocery stores.

“I remember the good old days when everybody drank Coke and Fanta. Now everyone is walking around with kombucha and expensive coconut water.” he adds, before taking a sip of his third consecutive diet Coke.

Recent retirees Patrick Savoy and his wife Ingrid Gobel have shared similar sentiments regarding the rise of the health food movement. “We used to buy regular lettuce for our weekly salads. Nowadays, you can’t walk into a store without bumping into mountains of kale and boxes of organic arugula. What’s wrong with regular ol’ lettuce?” says Patrick who only eats salad once a week when his wife feels he needs some cleansing.

A spokesperson from Fole Woods, a trendy organic food store, recently spoke to the Tomato in an exclusive interview.

“The baby boomers are boycotting healthy food and this has created a major problem for our markets. The majority of our clientele are now teenagers and young adults under the age of 40. We simply cannot continue in this direction for very long.”

The healthy meat industry is also taking a hit as of late due to the baby boomers’ lack of interest, and sometimes even rage, towards the subject. Millennials have been trying to buy GMO-free meat products from the few farms that still cater to them.

Farm owner, Pierre Sylvain, says that buses full of seniors have been coming to his farm, protesting his natural approach to raising animals. “Last week, a lady threw eggs at my tractor shouting, ‘what’s up free range eggs?’” stated Pierre before scattering goji berries over his flock of hens.

The fast food industry is on the rise for the first time since President Grump got elected.

Baby boomers are throwing tantrums over the health food industry.

Baby boomers may need to take a break from referencing “their

day” and start listening to their children and grandchildren, or

Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

the health foods industry may dissolve completely.

First-years regret moving to U of O after temperature drops First-years are ill-prepared for the cold weather, leaving many frostbitten and full of regrets Reem El Attar Tomato contributor As we begin a new school year at U of O, many of us know what to expect. Two short, warm days of autumn, followed by a quick and biting chill, where campus turns into a frigid and barren wasteland.

Stairways become covered with a thick layer of ice, and mini avalanches of snow fall off the roof of the University Centre.

It’s easy to tell who’s not in the know. They’re huddled together in large packs, attempting to stave off the cold, inappropriately dressed for the cold weather. They claim their moms were going to buy them a Canada Goose coat over Thanksgiving. It’s the firstyears.

“Winter in Ottawa is harsh, I knew that, but ... jeez ... I didn’t expect it to be this bad this early,” explains Mark Huberman, a first-year human kinetics

A picture of campus on Sept. 2.

student, as he looks back with remorse at his choice of school.

While the winter activities are what attracted the majority of new students to Ottawa, they are now devastated at their inability to enjoy any of these advertised activities.

Photo: CC, James Peltzer.

When we asked about how he’s been enjoying the winter activities, Mark was disheartened, saying, “I tried ice skating on the Rideau Canal, but I couldn’t feel my toes after 5 minutes.”

Mark’s not the only student with regrets. Environmental

studies student Abel Bernard detailed his experience to the Tomato.

“I have a lecture at Marion.

In order for me to reach the building on time, I have to skate there! The pavement is basically ice, with everyone slipping

24 | THE TOMATO

and sliding. I have to be super careful not to skate over anyone that’s fallen.”

Other students have just been staying indoors altogether, leading to an unprecedented lack of class attendance.

“We just stock up our freezers and stay in,” says Jeanne Thomas, a first-year biochemistry student. “It takes a lot of energy to go out, and last minute cancellations are a daily thing.” she claims, “I missed all of my first week classes, as well as all the 101 activities, I just stayed in and marathoned Netflix.”

This chaos has also been confirmed by doctors in the U of O medical clinic, who have been overwhelmed by the recent number of patients they’ve received. “These poor students just wanted to go to school, they didn’t ask to suffer” said Dr. Martina Rely, senior counselling psychologist.

“I regret this decision everyday.” says Mary Bateman, a first-year kinesiology student

and a patient of Dr. Rely. “I am constantly thinking about leaving. I don’t know how I got such bad frostbite, especially in September.”

Students’ inability to endure the weather has led many to move to other universities.

“Hundreds of first-years are leaving the city or exploring other options. The University of Southern California and UBC are hotspots for these students.” says Nancy Campbell, career counselor at the student services center. A few dozen students have already transferred their credits and are ready to move next semester.

Experts say that this crisis is likely to cause the university to take a hit financially. “First the Saudi student crisis, then this weather...” said Michael McLeod, senior financial officer in the student accounts department.

“But, I mean, look at the bright side, maybe we’ll finally lower tuition fees to attract more students.”

THEFULCRUM.CA

DISTRACTIONS

DEAR DI

FEATURES EDITOR Matt Gergyek

features@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062 @mattgergyek

Dear Di,

My partner and I were in the middle of some great sex last night, but in the heat of the moment they called me ‘daddy’. I immediately felt turned off, and don’t know how to address it. What does this name calling mean?

—Not Your Dad

Dear NYD, Take a deep breath and relax—last night’s name calling doesn’t mean you have a kid on the way.

Calling your partner ‘daddy’ or ‘mommy’ between the sheets has become one of the hottest new trends in the world of sex, and it doesn’t mean your partner wants to fuck their dad (or their mom, for that matter) either.

We can trace this false line of thought back to one of the sex-obsessed founding fathers of the psychology discipline, Sigmund Freud. Freud theorized that most psychological development takes place during childhood, where one must cry, crawl and eventually walk through five psychosexual stages, each oriented around a unique pleasure area of the body.

For the phallic stage, which he theorized typically takes place from age three to six, sensitivity and the source of sexual pleasure become focused on the genitals and masturbation. According to the sex-crazen Freud, this leads to conflict between erotic attraction, resentment and jealousy.

The theory is too detailed and cringey for me to explain in full here, but in short Freud believed boys develop an Oedipus complex and girls develop an Electra complex as a result of this tension.

Just the origin of the name “Oedipus” provides a good summary of the idea Freud was aiming for—the name is derived from a man in Greek mythology who kills his father to marry his mother. The name “Electra” (later used to describe the complex by psychologist Carl Jung) comes from the name of a woman in Greek mythology who plots to kill her mother to avenge her father’s death.

Taken as a whole, Freud theorized the Oedipus complex forms when a young boy develops sexual desires for his mother. On the other hand, Freud used the Electra complex to describe what he believed was a young girl’s tendency to compete with and become jealous of her mother for her father’s attention and care.

These days, the vast majority in the world of psychology and psychiatry reject Freud’s theory of psychosexual development, but his dramatic and controversial ideas on sex are sticky in popular culture to say the least (see the popularity of the terms ‘MILF’ or ‘DILF’ or even ‘GILF,’ if you’re really into that).

Sex experts and the broader community alike agree that using the terms ‘mommy’ or ‘daddy’ to refer to your sexual partner has nothing to do with an attraction to a parent or parental figure, nor does it mean your partner has “daddy” or “mommy issues,” but usually revolve around fetishes of submission.

But if this kind of dirty talk does make you feel uncomfortable, that’s totally okay too.

Illustration: Christine Wang.

In the end, sex is all about respect and personal preference. If the name calling turned you off, it’s important and totally normal to openly speak to your partner about this and explain why. If they don’t understand or accept your concerns, it might be time to find a new person to hit the sack with.

Love, Di

THEFULCRUM.CA

DISTRACTIONS | 25

SEPT. 5–OCT. 3 2018

THRYLLABUS

MUSIC EATS SPORTS & WELLNESS FUN THINKING ARTS

26 | DISTRACTIONS

FROSH ISSUE Wednesday, Sept. 5

The New York Times talks U.S. politics and midterm elections, National Gallery of Canada, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 7

“The epigenomic blueprint of the heart” lecture by professor Benoit Bruneau from the University of California, Roger Guindon Hall, 1:30 p.m. (free event) Saturday, Sept. 8–Sunday, Sept. 9 Riverside Music Festival at the Canadian Museum of History, featuring Kayzo, Loud Luxury, Snails and Deorro Monday, Sept. 10

‘Can I Kiss You?’ program

by Mike Domitrz on consent, respect in relationships, bystander intervention, and addressing sexual assault, University Square, 12 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 12– Sunday, Sept. 16

CityFolk 25th edition at Lansdowne Park featuring Hozier, Nick Murphy (Chet Faker), Kaleo and The Decemberists

Friday, Sept. 14

‘Politicization and Polarization: The Influence of Mass Media on American Views and Voting Behaviour’ lecture by Betsy Fischer Martin at 4007 Social Sciences Building, 12 p.m.

Keith Urban at the Canadian Tire Centre (CTC), 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 16

Matt Gergyek

Features Editor Sunday, Sept. 23

Canada Army Run (halfmarathon, 10 km and 5 km routes), 7 a.m.

Monday, Sept. 24

Full moon yoga at Lansdowne Park (free), 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 26– Sunday, Sept. 30

Mexican Fiesta at Parliament Hill, 12 p.m.

Ottawa International Animation Festival, various locations

Tuesday, Sept. 18

Friday, Sept. 28

‘The Walrus Talks Connections’, featuring seven members of the Order of Canada, National Gallery of Canada, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 20– Sunday, Sept. 23

Carp Fair, 155th edition, Carp, Ont. Friday, Sept. 21–Sunday, Sept. 23 Living statues exhibit on Sparks Street, every night at 7 p.m.

Elton John at the CTC, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 29–Sunday, Oct. 21

Fall Rhapsody, free shuttle to and from Gatineau Park every weekend, pick-up and dropoff at intersection of Sussex Drive and York Street, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 29

Panda Game 50th edition, TD Place Stadium, kick off at 1 p.m.

Kill the Noise at Barrymore’s Music Hall, 10 p.m.

THEFULCRUM.CA

EDITORIAL Volume 79, Issue 1, Sept. 5, 2018 Froshing since 1942.

Phone: (613) 695-0061 | Fax: (613) 695-9006 631 King Edward Ave. Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Recycle this paper or we’ll drink your beer.

Anchal “Laissez Faire” Sharma Editor-in-Chief editor@thefulcrum.ca Jaclyn “Racoons in Roof” McRaeSadik Production Manager production@thefulcrum.ca Savannah “Bad Music” Awde Managing Editor content@thefulcrum.ca Marissa “Slow Wifi” Phul News Editor news@thefulcrum.ca Iain “Squirrels in Walls” Sellers Arts and Culture Editor arts@thefulcrum.ca Matt “Ratatouille” Gergyek Features Editor features@thefulcrum.ca Andrew “Dark Ages” Price Sports Editor sports@thefulcrum.ca Hanna “Trashes Kitchen” Méthot Opinions Editor opinions@thefulcrum.ca

PRINT IS DEAD: FULCRUM GOES ONLINE If you’re new to the University of Ottawa, welcome! If you’re a returning Gee-Gee and avid Fulcrum reader, however, you may have noticed a distinct lack of our summer issue on Fulcrum stands. Allow us to explain.

Last year, close to 40 community news publications across Canada were closed, including eight local publications in Ottawa. Currently, Carleton University’s student paper, the Charlatan, is crowdfunding to help stay afloat, and in the last year, other campus publications faced

backlash from their student unions for asking a referendum question for continued funding for their papers.

Essentially, it’s not a great time to be in the news industry; but don’t worry we’re not going anywhere… well unless you count the internet.

This year, the Fulcrum is excited to announce that we are transitioning online. More and more, people are consuming their news digitally, and in the words of Ariel, we “want to be where the people are,” not to mention, going online cuts costs so we can

still provide you with quality news, while being eco-friendly!

For all of our special issue fans (namely, our own editorial board), we’re still going to have one monthly issue in print, and this is one of them! Check out our Thryllabus for fun things to do all month long, and watch as our city map grows with more featured hotspots.

Every other week, however, you can find us online, still publishing breaking news, still holding our administration, and student union accountable, and still

telling you where to find the best eats, and coolest shows. You can also look forward to seeing more video content, more photo galleries, more social media contests, and new content on our website every Wednesday.

Print may be dead, but we’re very much alive, and we look forward to exploring this new medium to provide you with the high quality journalism that you deserve. So enjoy the weight of paper in your hands while you can… next week it’ll be your phone.

Rame “Blasts Music” Abdulkader Visual Editor visual@thefulcrum.ca Christine “Hogs the Bathroom” Wang Social Media Manager social@thefulcrum.ca Associate News Editor associate.news@thefulcrum.ca Associate Sports Editor associate.sports@thefulcrum.ca Parker “Nosey Neighbour” Townes Staff Photographer photographer@thefulcrum.ca Videographer videographer@thefulcrum.ca Webmaster webmaster@thefulcrum.ca Dorian “Eats Your Food” Ghosn General Manager manager@thefulcrum.ca Kaylum “Messy” Bobal Advertising Representative ads@thefulcrum.ca

Contributors

Reem “Heavy Tread“El Attar Connor “Loud Mouth“Chase Kevin “Cigarette Butts“Geenen Véronique “Cat Poop“Therrien Nadia “Drone Flyer“Helal

Board of Directors

Raghad “Loud Singer“ Sheikh-Khalil Katelyn “Late Rent” Murray Graham “Ugly Furniture” Robertson Jonathan “Sleep Walks” Rausseo Fadi “No Washer or Dryer” Azzi Marguerite “Glass Breaker” Gollish Cover Credits: Rame Abdulkader

RIP, print.

THEFULCRUM.CA

Illustration: CC, OpenClips.

EDITORIAL | 27