The Fulcrum - Volume 79, Issue 2 - The Food Issue

VOL. 79 ISSUE 2

oct. 3, 2018

The Food Issue

P.13

In this week’s issue...

A look at this month’s politics P. 5, 6, & 7 From the LRT to the BOG The month’s wholesome section P. 9-11 Fall, food, movies and more THE FOOD ISSUE P. 13 An inside look at McDonald’s Rideau Panda Game P. 21 50th anniversary brings Pedro home

Food and sex P. 28 Keeping it sweet and sexy in the bedroom

I S SI O

N

DM

A

SHAW CENTRE, OTTAWA Expo: 1 pm - 5 pm Free Seminars: 12 noon - 5 pm

ISSIO DM

N

OCTOBER 13

A

Canada’s Largest International University and Student Travel Expo

Your vote matters P. 25 Why you should get involved in local politics

The Excellence in Literacy Foundation

SAGE YOUTH PROGRAMS

www.studyandgoabroad.com

HEROES WANTED! 2 hrs/wk! Volunteer with Ottawa’s children.

Give literacy, ESL, & homework help. sageyouth@hotmail.com | 613-838-5539 www.excellenceinliteracy.org www.sageyouth.org

NEWS

NEWS EDITOR

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

BOG announces $15-million surplus, prohibits cannabis

U of O follows municipal, federal governments’ cannabis plan Marissa Phul News Editor

T

he University of Ottawa’s Board of Governors (BOG) convened on Sept. 24 to discuss last year’s budget, the future of Brooks residence, Ontario’s free speech policy, and cannabis legislation on campus.

CANNABIS ON CAMPUS U of O president, Jacques Frémont, announced that cannabis will be banned everywhere on campus grounds including residences. However, there will be modifications and exceptions for medical use which Frémont says the university has already been managing.

A number of board members inquired about edibles.

The university has spoken

to the federal deputy minister of justice where both parties have acknowledged both the challenge and risk regarding edibles. The U of O is waiting to follow the lead of the government who, at this time, have yet to legislate edibles.

In terms of repercussions, if a student is found to be impaired, the City’s bylaws will apply.

FREE SPEECH POLICY On Aug. 30 the Ontario government announced a new directive mandating universities and colleges implement a new policy ensuring free speech on campus.

Frémont announced that the university will be adopting this policy by the January 2019 deadline.

Frémont said the university has briefly been in contact with the Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa, and according to Frémont they are “on the same page.”

Frémont explained that a free speech policy is particularly difficult for the U of O to enact as the university

does not currently have a code of conduct for students, or the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), and has fewer restrictions on students than other Ontario universities.

According to Frémont, the university has not received details on the criteria or standards required by the provincial government, and are using the press release as a guideline.

At this time, it is undecided whether there will be a collaborative approach across all universities, or policy discrepancies between universities, however Frémont said there will be a meeting at the end of this month to discuss approaches.

Post-secondary institutions have until Jan. 1 2019, to develop and implement a free speech policy that meets the minimum standard prescribed by the government of Ontario.

BUDGET SURPLUS In May 2017, there was a budgeted deficit of $4.6 million, however, in February

The meeting took place in Tabaret 083.

THEFULCRUM.CA

U of O president, Jacques Frémont.

2018, the BOG received an update that put the deficit at $1.7 million instead. At the end of April 2018, the actual financial statements showed a surplus totaling $15 million—this represents close to 1.5 per cent of the university’s total budget.

According to the BOG, the surplus can be accounted for in strong returns on investments and robust

Photo: Eric Davidson.

Photo: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.

austerity measures. The $15 million was not spent and will be kept in future reserves for anything from combating future deficits to new programs.

Additionally, the financial statements show $70 million in excess of audited financial statements.

This money has already been allocated for specific purposes—such as pension plans and benefits–but the U of O has yet to make the payouts. This particular amount reflects the timing of payouts and is not considered a surplus.

The BOG has implemented a new financial software which will track university spending and updates to the budget in real time.

There is no surplus expected for the 2018-19 budget.

BROOKS RESIDENCE Following the closure of Brooks residence at the end of August, its future had yet to be determined.

However, it has now been determined that the Brooks residence cannot and will not be renovated, and so will be demolished.

It is undecided what will

replace the structure. The Stanton and Marchand residences will need to be replaced within three to four years, however, the university would not begin work on those residences until an additional location to house displaced students is available. While the Brooks site could become a new residence, the university also spoke of needing to predict the demand for academic space in the future.

The residence, which originally cost $23 million, would require $43 million in renovations to keep it operational.

SFUO BUSINESS After the completion of the agenda, the BOG went in camera to discuss the university’s next steps in dealing with the fraud allegations facing executives of the SFUO. A statement was released the following day, Sept.

25, which announced the termination of the agreement between the university and the student union which recognized the SFUO as the sole representative of the undergraduate student body.

NEWS | 5

Marissa Phul News Editor

Michael Schurter Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward 11

Municipal candidates answer this election’s pressing questions Ottawa residents will head to the polls on Oct. 22 to vote in this year’s municipal election.

Students 18 and older are eligible to vote so, the Fulcrum asked candidates in five wards surrounding campus—Ward 11, 12, 13, 14 and 17, six questions about the pressing issues facing students in the City of Ottawa. In speaking with candidates, the Fulcrum focused on increasing political engagement amongst youth, cannabis use on campus, support for new graduates looking for work, improving public transportation, dealing with high rent, unresponsive landlords, and badly maintained properties, and goals for their first year in office. Read on to find out how the people.

Schurter says increasing youth’s connection with the community is essential. “If we want to have more millennials turn out to vote we need to be asking ourselves, are we reaching out and connecting or building ‘us vs them’ mentalities.”

While he does not support drug use, Schurter does believe it is not the City’s job to monitor consenting adults in their legal behaviour.

To increase job opportunities, Schurter would implement a small business ombudsman who would help small businesses cut through red tape, which slows small business growth, so they can hire more students and new graduates.

“The LRT is for everybody, it is funded by taxpayer dollars and and it has been mismanaged horribly,” explains Schurter. Of transit issues, he says governments need to stop telling people that the project is “on time and on budget” when it is not, because it specifically hurts students who choose their housing based on having efficient and quick transportation to campus.

As well, Schurter wants to improve transportation since living downtown is often more expensive than other areas.

Additionally, access to legal advice and support at the social justice tribunal will make it easier for students to report bad landlords and harder to be a bad landlord.

If elected, in his first year, Schurter would like to reduce the size of City council so “we can stop wasting money on councillors’ salaries and focus on spending money where we are bettering the city.”

Anthony Carricato

Catherine McKenney

Thierry Harris

Capital Ward 17

Somerset Ward 14

Rideau-Vanier Ward 12

Carricato believes elected representatives and public institutions have to look at modern ways of engaging with youth, online, and in person because “young people care and want to be part of the conversations.”

As for cannabis legalisation, Carricato says the substance should be treated like alcohol on campus and university residences.

Supporting student and young graduate opportunities at the City of Ottawa is how Carricato hopes to increase employment for students.

“What I’m hearing the most from residents aren’t complaints about costs, but rather serious concerns about the reliability of OC Transpo service,” Carricato explains. He believes tackling reliability is the priority above reducing fares.

Carricato wants a housing first strategy with inclusionary zoning, which mandates developers to subsidize new housing for low and middle-income households, in the Official Plan. As for bad landlords, he says the City has to enforce its own bylaws.

If elected, in his first year, Carricato wants to make very practical improvements like making sure there are compost, recycling and pet waste bins in all public spaces.

McKenney believes that lower voter turnout among youth is the result of a lack of awareness surrounding the amount of city services that are available. She believes municipal representatives need to do a better job ensuring voters make a connection between their vote and their services.

As Canada crawls closer to cannabis legalization, McKenney believes federal legislation has left municipalities frantic. She believes in consultation with school administrations and student groups to determine appropriate zoning.

“By building a city we love, we will attract businesses who love it too.” For McKenney, that means investment in roads, greenspace, local businesses, and public transit.

McKenney would like to include links from Light Rail Transit (LRT) to the airport, train station, and every post-secondary institution in the city.

By increasing the amount of public housing built, McKenney hopes the City can help fix the “affordable housing crisis in Ottawa.”

If elected, in her first year McKenney would like to ensure tax levels meet the needs of the city where she sees many critical areas suffering from lack of funding.

To engage young voters, Harris would bring back the practice of going door-to-door to find eligible voters, commission voter information packets targeted to youth, and sponsor mentorship opportunities for young people.

As well, Harris supports cannabis consumption on campus, provided there is an implementation of smoke rooms to eliminate the impact of second-hand smoke.

As an entrepreneur himself, Harris sees a big opportunity in partnering with organizations like Invest Ottawa to create start-up incubators geared to youth, students, and new graduates, providing loans for student-led startups, and connecting students with local employers through networking events and paid internships. He would also like to enact an employment index to measure how many students find work after university in order to better gauge the health of the job market.

The first thing Harris would do to mitigate the impact of LRT delays is put in place a plan that ensures uninterrupted service, particularly around LRT stations. He would also advocate for an additional station in Vanier.

Harris sees the U of O making a lot of money off of student fees, and believes they have a responsibility to re-invest some of that back into housing just as the city does. In addition, he wants a landlord licensing system which would include a landlord registry, regular inspections, better standards for repairs, and steep penalties for infractions.

If elected, in his first year Harris would work on the housing and homelessness crisis, invest in more progressive policing approaches, and reduce the ward’s ecological footprint.

6 | NEWS

THEFULCRUM.CA

David Chernushenko

Jide Afolabi

Mathieu Fleury

Capital Ward 17

Capital Ward 17

Rideau-Vanier Ward 12

Chernushenko says municipal government is more important in daily lives than federal or provincial governments. The bike paths, roads, transit, garbage collection, and snow clearing are just some examples he calls upon to illustrate this point. He hopes to get this message out by visiting schools and being available for campus radio, student research projects, and campus reporters.

“Ottawa was a world leader in creating smokefree spaces. This must apply now to cannabis,” says Chernushenko. He does not support smoking on campus.

Cultural events, vibrant public spaces and clean energy helps generate economic activity, explains Chernushenko. He says he will continue to support initiatives in these areas.

Chernushenko also wants to increase affordable housing close to rail stations and create more frequent, reliable links to bus routes.

Landlord licensing—Chernushenko sees it as a useful monitoring and evaluating tool that would aid in revoking the privileges of poor landlords.

If elected, in his first year of what would be his third term, Chernushenko wants to fully fund the City’s Energy Evolution strategy to tackle climate breakdown and Urban Forest Management Plan, and prioritize affordable housing.

Afolabi says engaging with students is key. “If students see themselves reflected in the process and in the ideas up for discussion, they’ll engage and ultimately cast a ballot.”

For Afolabi, indoor consumption of cannabis should be restricted, however, he believes that consumption on campus for those over the legal age is acceptable. He acknowledges that there are minors on campus, which can conflict with this, and calls upon campus enforcement to engage.

The Ottawa Tree Corp, an idea Afolabi calls for, is an initiative to create youth summer jobs around the protecting and enlarging of urban forests. He also wants an internship program which could be expanded to City Hall.

“Take anyone from anywhere to everywhere.” That is the philosophy Afolabi would apply to public transit. He proposes an additional line called “The Elbow”, which would expand LRT eastward from Carling Station to CHEO, and back westward to Alta Vista with reconnection at Mooney’s Bay Station.

Afolabi wants additional housing on campus, while involving students in design and construction, ensuring sustainable practices, and collaborating with the U of O and Carleton on a shared build. He believes on-campus units would reduce the price of offcampus student housing as landlords compete for student tenants by making property improvements.

If elected, in his first year he would prioritize ideas that he thinks have the most social impact such as environmental matters, better roads, cycling infrastructure, affordable housing, and expanding transit.

Fleury thinks the best way to engage youth is to have a presence on campus, participate in classes, and have municipal leaders join youth discussions.

He believes it is up to university administration to establish best practices and guidelines for cannabis consumption on campus and in residences.

Fleury sees a wealth of government employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in his ward—alongside his plans for revitalization and beautification of key areas, local commercial opportunities should increase.

As a main player in the launching of the U-Pass, Fleury notes the success of increased transit use will be in service improvements and operation in inner-city main street routes beyond the MondayFriday peak periods.

Fleury chaired the Sandy Hill Town and Gown Committee which worked for bylaw and zoning changes, created landlord education sessions, started Welcome Week Walkabouts, and special safety planning for days of high student activity on the streets such as the Panda Game and St. Patrick’s Day. If elected, in his first year of what would be his third term, the city’s youngest councillor would like to provide permanent homes with support services for the vulnerable, remove interprovincial trucks by building a tunnel, revitalize Riverain Park, beautify Byward Market, redo Montreal Road, and enforce property maintenance standards.

Christine McAllister Capital Ward 17

Matt Lowe

Ward Councils made up of community leaders, including youth leaders, pop-up offices throughout the ward, pre-budget consultations, regular town hall meetings, as well as co-ops and paid internships are just some of the ways McAllister would improve youth engagement.

McAllister believes partnering with universities on public education is key to making sure youth and at-risk groups understand the health facts of cannabis.

Connecting young people directly to business leaders is one initiative McAllister would explore to improve student job outlook.

McAllister says some areas of her ward would be better served by increased bus services either on a location basis, or frequency basis, to make travelling to classes or work more convenient for students.

Inclusionary zoning as part of a wider strategy to increase affordable housing is a priority for McAllister. She also thinks the entire process should be in collaboration with universities, colleges, and the co-operative housing sector. Safety in properties is another issue McAllister identifies saying, “the City has an important role to play to ensure that existing obligations on landlords are properly enforced.”

If elected, in her first year McAllister wants to have established Ward Councils, pop-up offices across the ward, implemented environmental sustainability initiatives such as measuring greenhouse gas emissions, increase greenspace, and utilize the expertise of community members to make council recommendations.

THEFULCRUM.CA

Rideau-Vanier Ward 12 Lowe thinks youth need to, at the minimum, vote in order to have a voice in the things that happen around them. “It is one of the greatest rights we have to choose government.”

He supports reasonable and responsible cannabis consumption on campuses that falls within the bylaws and campus laws.

Proactive development is Lowe’s plan to help create more jobs, which he says has “always been an issue.”

Lowe hopes the new LRT system will take some of the burden off of other routes, and says the option to add another train, bus, or rail on the street is always on the table.

For better quality housing, Lowe proposes tax incentives to housing organizations that comply with housing standards and are transparent in their operations. He is against bunkhouses and slum lords who “kick students around.”

If elected, in his first year Lowe wants to develop Vanier into a French Quarter similar to Chinatown or Little Italy, stop the building of the proposed-350 bed Salvation Army shelter, and lower crime.

NEWS | 7

Université d’Ottawa

|

University of Ottawa

Cree Social Thought: Politics, Leadership, and Society Ovide Mercredi

Charles R. Bronfman Lecture in Canadian Studies

Monday, October 29, 2018, at 5 p.m.

Tabaret, TBT112 (Hall Huguette Labelle) - 550 Cumberland, Ottawa, ON Lecture in English and in Cree | Seating is limited | A reception will follow

Faculté des arts | Faculty of Arts

613-562-5111 | IECAsec@uottawa.ca arts.uOttawa.ca/Canada

RSVP: arts.uottawa.ca/rsvp/ Co-sponsor: Equity Knowledge Network (RSEKN) Ovide Mercredi is a traditional knowledge keeper, educator, and expert in constitutional and Indigenous rights law. He was formerly the Chief of Misipawistik Cree Nation, the Regional Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, and the Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).

– Ovide Mercredi Faculté des arts Institut d’études canadiennes et autochtones Faculty of Arts Institute of Canadian and Aboriginal Studies

A&C EDITOR Iain Sellers arts@thefulcrum.ca

ARTS&CULTURE Dancing through prison

(613) 695-0062 @iainsellers

U of O professor talks incarceration and dance rehabilitation Amina Amezyane Fulcrum Contributor

W

hen people think of rehabilitation in prison, they might think of books, exercise, and giving back to society. However, on Sept. 25, around two dozen students were introduced to another form of rehabilitation— dance.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the criminology department, U of O professor Sylvie Frigon, alongside choreographer Claire Jenny, presented students with dance moves, and information about the positive impacts that dancing can have on prisoners, and their rehabilitation.

In the 90-minute workshop, Professor Frigon highlighted how contemporary dancing is important in prisoners’ lives because it allows them to reconnect with, and feel confidence in, their bodies. “The

bodies are disciplined in prison, and dance can offer freedom (from) that,” explained Frigon.

Upon meeting Jenny, who provides dance programs in prisons, Frigon began to formulate her theory that dance provides a means to express how bodies are compelled in prison. “Bodies are not only controlled in prison, but (they) are also different forms of resistance that prisoners use, and that (is) what we are trying to explore,” Frigon told the Fulcrum.

Indeed, the instructors showed the students a video of female prisoners who were paired off and asked to perform a choreographed dance— which was meant to foster trust and support in one another, despite their hostile environment.

While there is regular resistance to authority in prisons, Jenny told audiences that, given her experience in implementing dance programs, no prisoner had refused to partake in the activity.

In fact, she explained that due to the lack of other activities in prison, she found it essential for the women that she worked with to take part

in something that makes them feel good about themselves, and release any tension that they might have been feeling.

“We are all bodies, and what they are doing in prison may seem abstract (for the class)—(so,) we wanted them to have some sense of what it actually felt like, (by showing the class how the dances worked),” explained Frigon.

However, despite the class’s newfound familiarity with the subject, the criminology professor explained that dance has not become a widely used means of reforming prisoners in the Canadian context. “It is not often proposed in Canadian prisons ...

(However) in France it is a little bit,” she said.

According to Frigon, in France, it is the minister of culture who provides a budget for artistic dancing, which allows enterprises to enter into prisons to aid in rehabilitation of the incarcerated. Comparatively, Canada does not have the same system in place.

Nevertheless, Frigon remains an advocate for dance, and believes that it is an important initiative for a myr-

Comparing skip-the-line apps around campus

Professor Sylvie Frigon and choreographer Claire Jenny.

iad of issues. “Dance has been used with different groups—whether (it be) with (the elderly), people with mental issues, or physical disabilities ... dance permits different kinds of people to

Photo: Parker Townes.

reconnect with their bodies.”

“There are some preconceived ideas about the body, dance, movements, but we are just beginning to scratch the surface.”

Poorly constructed “Boost” holds monopoly at U of O Dhillon Lautan

Fulcrum Contributor

Unbeknownst to many students, there is an app available in the Google Play store that, in concept, should allow users to pre-order meals at food spots across campus instead of waiting in-line between lectures.

The application, tilted “Boost: No Fees. Just Food, Fast,” is meant to provide users with the ability to avoid waiting for food at restaurants like Bento Sushi, Tim Hortons, Second Cup, and so forth. However, I regret to inform you that, despite its laudable goal, this app is a complete waste of time.

This week, I created an account, only to have the app crash with every attempt that I made to place an order.

I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, though—I ended up joining the large chorus of people on Google Play who gave it a one star review.

To me, the failure of the Boost app seems to reflect the inadequacies of University of Ottawa’s commitment to providing beneficial services to its students, and employees.

Indeed, while browsing through

THEFULCRUM.CA

other reviews, I concluded that my misfortune was shared by everyone else who believed that the U of O food services might provide similar services to the well-known apps used by big corporations such as Tim Hortons, and Starbucks.

So, with that in mind, I decided to download and try both the Starbucks and Tim Hortons mobile order applications for myself.

The next application that I put to the test was the Tim Hortons’ adaptation. The application is organized in a clear menu that separates cold beverages from sandwiches, and hot coffees when ordering. The wait time for the application was consistently quick, and my bagel was even lukewarm when I arrived at the Tim Hortons at 423 Cumberland St. My only complaint toward the Tim Hortons’ application is that the employees working at the location did not promote the mobile pick-up line, which was supposed to have its own cashier.

So, when picking up a mobile order at Cumberland location, I suggest you immediately approach the second ca-

shier, which is situated below a mobile order sign, with your phone in hand as to minimize any waiting time, especially during the morning rush.

The Starbucks mobile app has a very similar layout to its Canadian counterpart, but was even more functional than both Boost and Tim Hortons’ apps. At the Starbucks location where I order my fancy cardamom latte, on 62 York St., there was a designated spot for mobile orders to be picked up by customers, so that I didn’t have to wait in line like at Tim Hortons. Plus, it also indicates which lattes and snacks are currently unavailable.

It’s safe to say that both Starbucks and Tim Hortons’ apps succeed where Boost fails. They are great time savers if you are finishing up a lecture, and desperately need something to eat or a caffeine fix.

Based off of my experiment, I highly recommend that the U of O Food Services learn from Tim Hortons’, and Starbucks’ convenient mobile apps if they really want to encourage shorter wait times for students. It might actually boost students’ productivity.

The new Boost app around campus causes problems for users.

Photo: Perushka Gopalkista.

ARTS & CULTURE | 9

Art articulates anthropocene in vernissage NAG opens interactive gallery that showcases humanity’s destructive side Iain Sellers

Arts & Culture Editor On Sept. 26, the public was welcomed to the National Art Gallery (NAG) for the opening of an exhibit named after the new epoch that some scientists believe us to have entered into—Anthropocene.

While, in July, the International Commission on Stratigraphy officially announced that we are a part of the Meghalayan age, which started over 4,200 years ago with the expansion of farming societies, there is a geological theory from the year 2000 that claims that we have entered into a new epoch, even more recently in history, titled the Anthropocene.

Unlike the Meghalayan age, the Anthropocene draws a direct connection between human activities, and the destruction of our planet. From the effects of mass pollution, to overpopulation, and the mass extinction of species, the Anthropocene claims that, in the past few hundred years, humanity has been altering

Artists incorporated technological, and emotional triggers at Anthropocene.

the very geology of our planet.

The NAG’s Anthropocene which will run until Feb. 24 2019, sought to bring visual evidence of this new epoch to art-lovers. “By drawing attention to the gravity of our actions, the artists present an opportunity for contemplation, and change—but, they don’t tell you what to think. You have to come up with your

own conclusions,” Marc Mayer, director of the NAG, told the audience on Wednesday.

To draw attention to the work, the artists of Anthropocene, incorporated technology into the gallery. Visitors were encouraged to use iPads provided by the NAG, or download an app on their phones, and explore the exhibit through an interactive lense.

Photo: Parker Townes.

When the visitors lifted their devices up to certain paintings and sculptures in the gallery, the devices would trigger a video or 3D experience. For instance, by aiming their devices at the large photo of old-growth trees in British Columbia, viewers’ iPad’s would trigger a video, captured by the artists, of forestry personnel cutting down

the same set of living trees.

“When you take on the whole planet as your subject … (you know that) this is going to be an ambitious project,” said Nicholas de Pencier, one of the gallery’s three collaborative artists. “One of the ways that we knew we needed to rise to the challenge (was) by applying all of what we have all been doing throughout our careers.”

However, for David Jaclin, a U of O professor, and head of the university’s research lab that studies the anthropocene, HumAnimaLab (HAL), the artworks displayed through cutting-edge techniques were not the only things worth studying at the vernissage.

“Another thing that I was interested in is how … people feel about that catastrophe—how (people panic), or not, when it comes to understanding the state of the planet and looking at the way that we live because there is a dissonance there,” said Jaclin. “We have all

(kinds) of dissonance—we’re not addressing it.”

Indeed, Jaclin explained to the Fulcrum that human interactions are an essential part of how HAL tries to study the emergence of the Anthropocene.The group contains students and faculty members from both science and anthropology disciplines, so the the scientific data that compliments their studies is equally as important as the human stories.

“The exhibit at the museum is interesting, because it’s that moment where something that used to be debated, conceived, and elaborated within academia, is spreading out,” said Jaclin. “I think it’s a very good thing because it gets people to think … about the state of the planet, and the stories about our future.”

The exhibit runs from Sept.

28 to Feb. 24 2019 at the National Art Gallery. Tickets can be purchased at the museum, and cost seven dollars for students—with the exception of Thursdays, when it is free from 5 to 8 p.m.

No coffee? No problem!

Your go-to guide on coffee alternatives for midterm season the brain in a way comparable to coffee.

FLAX SEEDS Flax seeds have so many health benefits that some people have come to classify them as a “superfood.” Alongside rich omega-3, lignan, and fibre contents, these seeds contain high levels of protein and energy. So, flax seeds make for a perfect late-night snack—or even as a breakfast food to help you prepare for the studies ahead of you—that can be blended into a smoothie, mixed into salads, or eaten by themselves.

GREEN TEA The U of O dining hall, which is open into the wee hours of the morning, is the perfect place to be when you want a hot cup of green tea, and most coffee shops have closed down.

This drink increases brain activity, with less caffeine than your normal cup of joe to help you stay alert, and productive, for longer periods of time.

Green tea is also rumored to help improve memory func-

Rhea Verma

Fulcrum Contributor Coffee is a regular go-to solution for many students trying to pull all-nighters in this month’s midterm season.

However, excessive coffee consumption can come with its own range of side effects—including nausea, anxiety, heart palpitations, and other things that no one wants to deal with while trying to squeeze in that one last chapter. So, the Fulcrum has put together a list of healthy food and drink alternatives to help you stay awake longer this month.

APPLES You’ve probably heard that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but you may not have heard these vitamin-rich snacks can also be used as an effective way to stay awake.

While apples are known for their rich antioxidant, flavonoid, and fibre contents, they can also help to improve neurological health, and their natural sugars can help stimulate

10 | ARTS & CULTURE

tion, prevent sickness, and promote a sense of calm—so, it may be just what you need before an exam.

WATER Water is one of life’s basic necessities—yet, so many people fail to get enough of it.

Water can have a multitude of healthy side-effects, including increased energy, removal of the natural buildup of toxins in one’s body, and reduced dehydration-related fatigue. In fact, since water does not consist of any calories, or fat, it is a practical substitute for those who want to avoid high-calorie drinks like french vanilla lattes, which may give you a sugar rush, but can unintentionally lead you to a sugar crash. So, if you are looking for a drink that will keep you awake, pour yourself a glass of water and throw in a couple of ice cubes—the immediate cold, and long-term effects should help you to power through the worst of your drowsiness.

Staying awake for exten-

Apples are healthy, and may keep you awake better than coffee.

sive hours to study not only overloads the brain, but tends to make the body more susceptible to infection. So, while these food and drink suggestions might help you to stay alert, they are no substitute for

Photo: CC, Pixabay.

sleep. If you have to make your paper’s deadline, then grab an apple, and start cramming.

Otherwise, you may want to close your laptop, and get some rest—nothing helps to refresh the brain like sleep does.

THEFULCRUM.CA

‘Tis the season to be outdoors

Five things you can do to embrace autumn Iain Sellers

Arts & Culture Editor Shake out your checkered flannels, and plan your next stop to your nearest coffee shop for a pumpkin spiced latte, because fall has arrived.

This year, the Fulcrum has compiled a list of seasonal things that you can do around Ottawa to celebrate the beginning of fall. So, make sure you have your bus pass nearby, and get ready to hit the town.

HIKING Cold temperatures, the changing colours of leaves, and a wider range of hot beverages sold in most cafes makes autumn the perfect time of year to go hiking.

While living in Ottawa’s suburban sprawl might make it hard for some students to get out into nature, there are tons of options to experience the great outdoors if you’re willing to go on a transit adventure. Using Ottawa’s seasonal shuttle service can get you into Gatineau Park where

there are eight interconnected trails. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a weekend getaway from school, both Algonquin Park, and Mont Tremblant are a couple of hours by bus, and offer extensive hiking trails.

APPLE PICKING While Ottawa’s tornado on Sept. 21 may have closed some apple orchards for the season, there are a few that remain open for students looking for a fun, and tasty afternoon activity. Students may want to check out Orleans Fruit Farm and Pinewood Orchards. Both orchards offer visitors the opportunity to pick the fruit for themselves—so be sure to stock up on lots of apples for other fall baking activities like...

PIE MAKING Since many fruits and vegetables are hitting their harvest season this month, it is the perfect time of year to try your hand at baking—and there’s no better seasonal dish

FOODIE MOVIES Sophie Miller

Fulcrum Contributor

WHY IT’S FAMOUS Studio Ghibli is notorious for releasing Japanese animated films that are highly thematic, and visually entrancing—and, Spirited Away is no exception. The beloved film captures audiences with its acute details and immersive world.

Hayao Miyazaki uses hand-drawn animation techniques on the movie’s storyboards, which he later transfers to a digital medium, while paying exceptional attention to the smallest of details—from a zipper catching in the sunlight to stray grains of rice falling when

THEFULCRUM.CA

than pie. Apples, pumpkins, and even sweet potatoes are in season this time of year, and make for amazing pie fillings.

If you love to bake, and want an added challenge, try making the pie crust from scratch.

If you want to go a little easier on yourself, or you have limited cooking supplies, you can buy pre-made crusts—or, if all else fails, Metro and Loblaws sell pre-made pies too.

CATCH A SUNSET Watching the sky turn from a shade of blue to dazzling shades of purples, reds, and oranges as the sun sets over the Ottawa skyline might be something that you can do at any point during the year—however, there is no better time to do it than in autumn. Unlike the summer and winter months when the sun sets at extreme times, most students can expect dusk to set in as they’re finishing classes, and have some free time. Plus, unlike spring, the crispness of fall air is the

YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN

a character eats. Afterall, there’s a reason as to why the New Yorker called Miyazaki “the auteur of anime.”

While this alone had made Miyazaki’s films widely popular, foodies also gravitate toward the film due to the large role, and mouth-watering animations, that Spirited Away’s food has. Meals are used to bring the characters together, build upon their relationships, and to add depth to the storyline.

WHY YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT The film genre of anime deters many people and audiences. You’ve probably heard of the stereotypes and negative comments

Looking for fall things to do in Ottawa doesn’t have to be hard.

perfect atmosphere to have a picnic along the Ottawa river, or Major’s Hill park, as the sky puts on a dazzling show in the west.

SCARE YOURSELF WITH HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES Fall isn’t just about the beauties of nature—there are tons of fun opportunities to

Photo: CC, pxhere.

scare yourself into the Halloween spirit. To stay close to Ottawa, walk into Centretown and check out the Ottawa Haunted Walks—hooded guides take you around the city and fill you in with its spookier history. Alternatively, if you’re looking for more of a scary overnight af-

fair, HI Ottawa Jail hostel is your opportunity to spend a night in a former jail close to campus. The hostel is supposedly haunted, so if you like sleeping in a room behind bars with ghosts that walk the halls, this hostel might be the perfect overnight excursion for you.

SPIRITED AWAY (2001)

Steamed buns, and food for thought—Spirited Away has it all. Photo: Studio Ghibli.

surrounding the genre, and its viewers, so you might look down upon an anime film. Indeed, despite there being an English dubbed version, it might not seem worth it for you to this include foreign film in your Netflix playlist.

WHY IT MIGHT BE TOUGH TO GET THROUGH While the movie is supposed to be a dream-like, and highly imaginative, there are scenes included which seem odd, and out of place even in this fictional world—including one of a giant baby throwing a tantrum. Therefore, you might begin to won-

der why you are watching such uninteresting, or obscene segments.

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH IT ANYWAY If you are a foodie—this movie is for you. While it may not be the main theme of Spirited Away, mouthwatering meals are expertly drawn, and the food serves as an important recurring motif throughout the film. Alongside Chihiro, the younger viewers are taught the morals and etiquettes surrounding food in Japanese culture.

For instance, Chihiro’s parents demonstrate gluttony as they gorge them-

selves with food, and they are turned into literal pigs.

This moral lesson is supposed to teach children not to eat others’ food, and that greediness is unacceptable.

While eating is a necessary staple in life, it is also a fundamental component of human interaction that brings people and cultures together, creating bonds and friendships which are shown in the film through the sharing of feasts between Chihiro and other characters.

Food assists in driving the main themes of Spirited Away, reinforcing the idea of loving one’s family, friends, and even their enemies.

ENVIOUS EATS Anman—a steamed bun with a red bean paste filling. Chihiro is seen sharing anman with Lin, as a symbol of their new friendship. If only I was there with them to try the delicious looking delicacy—the film gave it a heavenly appearance. I’m keen to travel just to try it, or maybe even attempt to make this delicious dish myself.

FUN FACTS Spirited Away earned 30.4 billion yen (CAD $350 million), which makes it the highest grossing movie in Japanese history, even bypassing Titanic and Frozen.

ARTS & CULTURE | 11

THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA COMMUNITY LEGAL CLINIC

We provide FREE legal advice & representation and FREE notarial services to undergraduate students

Our areas of practice are…

Criminal • Such as assault, theft, mischief and drug offenses.

Law

Tenant Law Family Law

CICB Notary Service

• Such as repair issues, rent deposits, and termination of tenancies.

• Such as child and spousal support and custody & access.

•Applications to the Criminal Injuries and Compensation Board (CICB).

• Affidavits, statutory declarations and certified true copies of original documents.

Drop-In Hours: Mondays 7:00 – 9:00pm Wednesdays 7:00 – 9:00pm Thursdays 2:00 – 4:00pm

Location: 17 Copernicus Street (Corner of King Edward and Laurier)

Notary Hours: Wednesday 2:00 – 3:00pm

Phone: 613-562-5600

https://commonlaw.uottawa/community-legal-clinic/information-clients

A Tour of Ottawa’s Food Scene Illustration: Kelsey Shore.

Mental health in the bar and restaurant industry Is the service industry an incubator for mental health issues?

It’s a busy night inside a well-known restaurant in the heart of Ottawa’s ByWard Market. It’s early in September of 2015 and the room is packed. Almost every seat is filled with a hungry and thirsty customer, watching a handful of servers dash from kitchen to table hoping to spot a glimpse of their ordered grub and drink.

The chatter of the restaurant blends with the frenzy of the kitchen, turning the noise of the room into a static buzz as server Sarah scurries from table-totable, trying to keep up with a line now snaking ominously out the door and onto the sidewalk.

The rush has taken a serious mental toll on Sarah, a U of O grad and server at the downtown restaurant, who is tasked with accommodating upwards of 90 customers at a time with the help of just two other servers. She remembers the night, feeling her vision shifting, her brain turning fuzzy as the restaurant became busier and busier.

“A lot of it’s a blur because it was traumatic,” she admitted.

She reaches the kitchen, grabs a drink for one of her tables, and propels herself back into the sea of customers. But as she nears her designated table she feels the cup begin to slip, watching helplessly as it plummets to the floor, smashing and spilling.

“I freaked out … in my head I disassociated,” she said.

The rest of the night goes blank and Sarah isn’t sure if she managed to finish the shift or not, but since then she hasn’t returned to the restaurant, which she declined to name.

“I remember coming home that night and being like, I want to kill myself so bad,” she said. I ended up luckily communicating that with my sister and parents and then I went to the hospital for help.”

In a sit-down interview with the Fulcrum, Sarah said that prior to working at the ByWard Market restaurant she had struggled with depression and anxiety. Nevertheless, she cannot deny that her job played a significant role in the worsening of her mental health and her push to nearly attempting suicide.

Features Editor

Anxiety attacks for Sarah were a commonplace in the restaurant, which sometimes caused her to leave mid shift or not come into work at all.

“The service industry exacerbates mental health issues, 100 per cent.”

A KITCHEN NIGHTMARE As of June of 2018, about 1.2 million people work in the Canadian food and drink service industry across close to 100,000 restaurants, bars and caterers, according to a joint study by Statistics Canada, Restaurants Canada and Ipsos. This translates into about seven per cent of all employed people in the country, generating four per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Sarah’s story isn’t just anecdotal: the prevalence of mental health issues and mental illness in the food and drink service industry appears to be backed up by statistics as well.

Statistics on mental health in the sector specific to Canada are difficult to come by, but studies conducted in other Western countries provided a look into what mental health in the Canadian service industry may look like.

In the United Kingdom, for example, a survey conducted by a trade union last year found that over half of surveyed chefs suffered from depression. The survey found around 25 per cent of surveyed chefs used alcohol to make it through their shift, while just over 40 per cent relied on stimulants. Stimulants were not defined in the survey, but could include drugs like cocaine, Adderall or Ritalin.

A study released in the United States in 2015 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration placed the accommodations and food services sector in third place for heavy alcohol use in the month prior to when the study was conducted for both 2008 and 2012. According to the study, about 12 per cent of employees in the service industry used alcohol heavily, slightly behind the construction industry and mining industry at 16.5 per cent and 17.5 per cent, respectively.

Especially since her brutal final shift at the restaurant was by no means unique, but quite common.

The same study found the accommodations and food services industry placed highest for illicit drug use among employees at close to 20 per cent, trailed by the arts, entertainment and recreation sector at about 13.5 per cent. For “substance use disorders” the study ranked the service industry at the top again, with about 17 per cent of industry employees reporting a disorder.

“We’d go into the washroom and cry and go out back or scream because it was so stressful,” she recalled.

A more informal study by American food journalist Kat Kinsman made headlines in 2016 for shining a spotlight on a possible mental health crisis in

“The environment did not help (and) I can’t separate the fact that work was so stressful, I can’t deny that it triggered that,” she said.

Matt Gergyek

the service industry. Kinsman posted an open and anonymous survey on her site “Chefs With Issues” in January of that year asking those working in the food and drink world to open up about their mental health.

By April of that year Kinsman said she received over 1,300 responses, primarily from kitchen staff and managers. Roughly 85 per cent said they suffer from depression, 73 per cent from anxiety and/ or panic disorders and 50 per cent from substance abuse.

Perhaps the most shocking number Kinsman reported was also the smallest: she said just 3.5 per cent of respondents did not tie their mental health struggles to their workplace.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLATE However, it’s important to recognize that not everyone working in the service industry reports suffering mentally from their job—others flourish in the environment.

Jessica, a U of O student who has worked as a server at a different popular ByWard Market restaurant and bar for over two years now, and the service industry in general for almost five, said she does not necessarily think the service industry may fuel or even cause mental health issues in employees.

“Working as a server or as a bartender is very, very stressful, but you don’t take any of it home with you,” she said. “There are no issues that follow me for the next couple days of my life … so maybe I’m subconsciously carrying that stress with me, but am I consciously seeing that? Not really.”

Instead, Jessica said, the industry may be a correlatory factor for mental health issues rather than a causational one.

“Most people that work in the food and drink in-

dustry are students,” she said. “We already live high stress lives: we have to pay for school, we have to deal with studying, doing our readings, making it to classes and we’re already sleep deprived.”

According to the Statistics Canada, Restaurants Canada and Ipsos joint study, one in five Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24 work in the industry.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that Jessica, like Sarah, has experienced some seriously mentally taxing moments on the job.

“People think they can treat servers horribly, they think they’re uneducated, the bottom of the food chain, so people of power love to see what they can get away with.”

RECIPES FOR DISASTER Ivy Bourgeault and Wayne Corneil, two U of O professors who have extensive background in, and currently study the intersection between work and health, note mental health stressors are dependent on one’s work environment.

However, they did admit that the service industry can be a home to workplaces that are especially mentally taxing, particularly when it comes to anxiety.

“Not having standard shifts and not having control over the flow of work ... has major implications in terms of ... stress and anxiety,” Bourgeault said.

“You’re often having to navigate your emotions so you have to smile” and be “pleasant even though you may be having some great difficulties at home or you might be dealing with difficult clients,” she added.

They also noted that the precarious nature of tipping culture in the industry could play a role in mental health issues which could develop as well, especially for servers and other front-end staff.

“There are ongoing issues around the fact that in some places staff are not adequately compensated and they have to depend on tips to top up their salary,” Corneil said.

A study published this June in the American Journal of Epidemiology which focused on the service industry more broadly to include all jobs which entail tipping, found those who rely on tips are at a greater risk for depression, sleep problems and stress.

Heavy alcohol use could be related to the sheer availability and proximity in the industry, Jessica added.

“I’m serving mass quantities of alcohol, my tables and customers are asking to buy me drinks ... so that doesn’t help,” she said.

“It’s like going into firstyear: your parents never let you drink and you’re now in first year exposed to it everywhere.”

Employees in the industry “have ready access to alcohol and/or drugs,” Corneil said. “The likelihood is that this may be one of the methods they use to cope with stress.”

Sexual harassment, which has been revealed to be extremely rampant in at least the industry in the United States, could also be a significant factor as well.

Again, data for Canada is unavailable, but information from the United States provides an idea of what employees in the country may face.

In 2017 Buzzfeed News published a data story where they obtained and analyzed the more than 170,000 sexual harassment claims filed with the US Equal Opportunity Commission between 1995 and 2016. Roughly 1,100 of these claims came from bar and restaurant and staffers, more than any other sector.

A 2014 report from Research Opportunities Center United suggests a staggering 90 per cent of women and 70 per cent of men in the industry have been affected by sexual harassment in the United States.

“There’s this notion that the customer is always right … so you’re either encouraged explicitly or implicitly … to maintain good relations with them,” Bourgeault said. “You’re not supported or encouraged to take those issues into your own hands and that requires a lot of emotional labour.”

Often times, Bourgeault added, these manifest in micro-aggressions.

“These are daily, small events or things that are said that are seemingly minor,” she explained. “It’s kind of akin to Chinese water torture: the dripping water just starts getting to you, it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

HANGING UP THE APRON “This is an industry fraught with issues and people working in it need to be aware of that and need to be supportive of each other,” Corneil said. “They also need to have a working environment” and “managers and organizations that support them.”

For Bourgeault, fixing these issues doesn’t mean just accommodating those in need.

“I think the service sector is definitely an area where we need to start paying attention to how we can change the work to make it healthier for everyone … and not just workers who are experiencing harassment or higher than normal levels of depression and anxiety,” Bourgeault said. “It’s not about changing the (employees in distress) but changing the work to make it healthy for everybody.”

The industry can start improving the working environment by better training managers to respond to the mental health needs and concerns of their employees, Corneil and Bourgeault said.

“People working in management positions often don’t have training for their positions” nor do they understand “how important their positions are for maintaining healthy workplaces,” Bourgeault said.

Customers also have a duty to show employees respect, they said.

“The onus is on all of us … as customers to be respectful … and to recognize that our behaviour is important to creating a healthy environment, one in which we want to go and enjoy,” Corneil said.

“This is a workplace and service workers are not our servants,” Bourgeault said. “This is a workplace that needs to be respectful of human rights, all different forms of employment equity and all the different forms of regulations that we have around work.”

The Fulcrum has agreed to protect the identities of both Sarah and Jessica to prevent any negative backlash from their current and/or past employers. If you are struggling with your mental health, book your first appointment with SASS counselling online or by visiting Health Services at 100 Marie Curie Private. A full list of mental health services in the city or on campus is available online.

Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

Life inside the Rideau McDonald’s

Matt Gergyek Features Editor

What it’s like working at the infamous Rideau Street McDonald’s The City of Ottawa has its fair share of internationally recognized landmarks: from the satisfying symmetry of the centre block of Parliament Hill, to the reflections of the city on the Rideau Canal, Ottawa is no stranger to the eye of the tourism industry. But perhaps no point of interest in the National Capital region is quite as riveting as a hole in the wall in the heart of downtown Ottawa: the Rideau Street McDonald’s.

The Fulcrum spoke with a student at the U of O who is also a current ‘crew member’ at the 24-hour McDonald’s at 99 Rideau Street to get an insider’s perspective at what goes on inside what may be both the most bizarre and fascinating McDonald’s franchise in all of Canada.

The Fulcrum has agreed to protect the identity of the employee, referred to as Taylor in this article, to prevent any negative backlash or disciplinary action from their employer.

The Fulcrum: Taylor, what are some of the craziest things you’ve seen or heard of while working at the Rideau McDonald’s?

Taylor: The classic one everyone talks about and the first question I get asked when I tell people that I work there is the raccoon story. It happened almost four or five years ago. There was a fight, no a brawl going on, and all of the sudden this old man on the

side that has a racoon in his jacket shows it off to everyone and tucks it back into his pocket. That’s the story everyone knows, totally wish I was there for it.

F: Us too, Taylor, us too. What other kinds of bizarre things have you seen or heard of happening?

T: I’m trying to think, there’s just so many. There’s usually two or three fights a night. I work in the kitchen usually, so I won’t see how fights start, but all of the sudden there’ll just be a full on brawl happening in the lobby. On average, security has to be called two or three times a night, we have walkie talkies at this point.

I remember one night one of the crew members who used to work here got into a fight with this woman. I think she knew her or something and was provoking her, and this coworker would get really mad, really easily, so they were going at it. She was behind the counter, the woman was in the lobby and all of the sudden it just escalates. Our crew is trying to jump the counter but the woman literally took one of our trays and hit her in the face. She got a pretty big gash on her face from being slapped by the tray.

Another night, I think it was an overnight shift, we found some guy who full on had a tent set up in the men’s bathroom—he was fully camped out in there.

He had been there the whole night apparently, but no one realized until about 6 a.m. when our store manager came in.

F: Is there an especially bad time of the week to be working?

T: Probably Saturday night. It seems like there’s more people that go out on a Saturday night, and it’s typically a little more busy than Friday nights.

Also, more of our fights tend to happen on Saturday nights.

F: What’s going through your head midway through a Saturday night shift?

T: It’s push food and get out of there. During the day shifts we do typically follow procedures more closely, but during the night shifts the quality of food goes down. We’re pushing out 40 McDoubles and 80 Junior Chickens at a time, it’s not possible to do everything exactly according to procedure.

F: What about a time of the year—are there any that are especially tough?

T: Generally the holidays: St. Paddy’s Day and Halloween are rough. St. Paddy’s Day this year was really bad. I think right from 11 p.m. it was packed and literally did not stop until like 5 a.m., it was brutal. It was like a can of sardines in there the whole night.

I think the average wait time for people to get food was like 20, 30 minutes, but people were so drunk they were just waiting for the food anyway, they didn’t even notice.

F: What do you think makes your franchise so prone to craziness?

T: The location of it. We’re in the heart of everything, the Rideau Centre’s right there, the ByWard Market’s behind us, so I feel like that’s why we’re prone to all these events happening.

F: In the middle of a really stressful shift, say maybe after a racoon makes an appearance, what’s your go-to recovery food?

T: Definitely the Mighty Angus. It’s so good; the sauce is amazing. We’re not allowed to usually make our own food, but overnights (are) more chill so I’ll make my own food and add things to it, kind of make my own sandwich creation.

F: Is it the most underrated product on the menu?

T: No, I’d say the salads. We make up the salads fresh and it’s really good with the chicken and the blend of real veggies. The Greek salad is the best.

F: What’s the most overrated menu item then?

T: The Big Mac. For the money paid for it I don’t think you get much value out of it, I think the Quarter Pounder is better bang for your buck.

F: Clearly, the Rideau McDonald’s isn’t the easiest place to work. What keeps you there?

T: Two things: one is definitely the people that I work with. I’ve gotten really close with them and all the staff are really chill, especially the overnight staff. We’re really close, so we’re pretty much all friends. The second reason is the pure entertainment factor of working there—I get to keep telling these stories.

F: Would you say the Rideau McDonald’s is the most unusual McDonald’s in Canada?

T: I think so, I think we’re known for that actually.

One of my best friends goes to Western University in London, Ont., and they were in class one day and the professor mentioned the Rideau McDonald’s. They raised their hand and went ‘my best friend works at that McDonald’s. I was so mad.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

For a firsthand look at life inside the Rideau McDonalds, visit 99 Rideau Street on Friday or Saturday nights after 11 p.m. The Fulcrum claims no responsibility for what you may encounter.

Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

I spent a Friday night inside the Rideau McDonald’s An inside look at Ottawa’s most notorious downtown restaurant On Sept. 21 I spent a night on Rideau Street with the high aim of unpacking an important cultural phenomenon— the Rideau McDonald’s. This particular McDonald’s franchise is an infamous one to say the least, with a reputation for attracting interesting crowds and hosting equally interesting situations.

aspects of this McDonald’s is that it is connected by an eerily long hallway to the George Street entrance in the market, equipped with at least eight security cameras, by my count. In this hallway the sole washroom can be found. I’m not brave enough to venture into it.

In order for one to truly understand the Rideau McDonald’s, it is critical to first visualize the location of this infamous fast food franchise.

There isn’t a long line at the register at this point in the night so I walk to the cashier and place an order of grub I’m hoping will last me the night: a 10-piece order of Chicken McNuggets, a Junior Chicken, fries, and a pop. It takes about 10 minutes for my order to arrive, which is longer than what I’m used to. It will be interesting to see how fast the crew works when the clubs close and the real rush hits.

Behind the Rideau McDonald’s is the Byward Market, home to perhaps the most well-frequented club scene in Ottawa. In front of the store are stops for some of the city’s busiest bus lines, and in front of that, the Rideau Centre.

Finally, only three blocks away is the U of O, home to over 40,000 students.

From an economic standpoint it is a prime location for any fast food restaurant, guaranteed to attract a wide variety of clientele from the broad spectrum of Ottawan life.

But in order to dig a little deeper, I began my journalistic endeavour at 10 p.m. sharp.

10 P.M. The most shocking thing I notice as I enter the restaurant is the choice of music playing: Austrian composer Franz Schubert’s Das Wandern. Released in the early 1800s, the orchestral song plays peacefully over the store’s soundsystem.

I wonder to myself if this is a strategy to soothe the customers and create a more relaxing environment in the restaurant? Or maybe this is merely the calm before the early morning storm?

Another important thing to note about this specific McDonald’s is the very unique layout. The main entrance is located on Rideau Street, and hosts the main seating area of the restaurant along with bay windows that look out to Rideau Street and a large plasma TV that runs a stream of local news 24/7.

Arguably one of the most unique

10:30 P.M. By this time, the McDonald’s has gotten a little bit busier. I’m joined by a group of U of O students, a crew of construction workers on break, and a group of what I guess are high school students.

I decide to approach a group of four, who turn out to be first-year students from the U of O, to find out why they came to the Rideau McDonald’s. They give me a pretty simple answer.

Once she finishes her story, I ask if she feels uncomfortable coming back to the McDonald’s after witnessing the incident.

“I come with friends or in a larger group now,” she admits.

I scout out my next interviewees.

Sitting down with my 10-piece Chicken McNugget meal, that has now reduced itself to just two, I ask the two men sitting next to me what’s brought them here.

One of the men, Joe, begins sharing some Rideau McDonald’s lore. A week ago, he says, he entered the McDonald’s from the Rideau Street entrance to witness a man pull out a gun. He ran as soon as he saw it, he says, but explained that that kind of behaviour is usual for this area.

“Of course, we’re downtown!” he says.

11 P.M. Joe and his friend finish their food and leave. It’s about 11 p.m., and the next three hours start to feel a bit like limbo. Time passes slowly, and eventually the pace starts to pick up again come 2 a.m.

“We’re lazy and cheap.”

Most of them live in Stanton Residence on campus, adding that the walk was quick and, with the student budget, the food nice and cheap. I ask if they have had any interesting experiences at this particular McDonald’s.

One girl, who has lived in Ottawa since high school, explains that she has seen three fights break out at three separate occasions here.

Harris Barnard-Davidson Fulcrum Contributor 2 A.M. There are a significantly more drunk clubbers in the McDonald’s than any other time in the night thus far, and the lines for food can no longer be called lines—they have instead merged into a large mob of drunk, frusturated, and hungry people.

It is at this moment that the closest thing that night to a fight begins to assemble. A man wearing rollerblade hockey equipment and an Ottawa 67’s jersey is at the front of the line trying to speak over the drunken crowds for a coffee. But then, an extremely drunk clubber, boasting about having just downed bottle service at Tequila Jacks, walks to the front, skipping the entire mob of customers in the process.

Almost instantly I feel the tensions in the room rise. A handful of people in line shoot angry and frustrated looks at this rule-breaker. Yet, a happy ending: everything is resolved when the clubber begins paying for meals. Coffee for some, six McDoubles for others, and two Junior Chickens for himself.

And so, while the Rideau McDonald’s does have a reputation for its interesting antics, my time there the night of Sept. 21 and the early morning of Sept. 22 leaves me happily surprised. For what it’s worth, this notorious spot might just receive more criticism than it deserves.

She goes on to explain that one of the fights happened right in front of her. She had been ordering food when the man in front of her yelled a racial slur at the cashier—the argument had supposedly broken out over a burnt panini. The manager asked the man to leave, and as he began to step back to do so somebody bumped into him and hit the very same controversial panini out of his hand. From there, she says, chaos ensued.

Come for the food, stay for the show.

Photo: Parker Townes.

Dorm room cooking hacks How to become a chef in your own residence room

Matt Gergyek

Features editor

At first, residence seems like a dream. You’re living away from home for the first time and just a short walk away from your bed is the cafeteria—an endless supply of dozens of kinds of different foods for you to enjoy. But for some, the cafeteria can quickly lose its charm. Sooner or later, you may even start yearning for your kitchen again to prepare meals of your own.

But in a residence room, your culinary abilities are admittedly limited. There’s no oven or stove for you to use, let alone decent counter space for food preparation. Often times, you’ll be forced to turn to the basics for all of your stomach’s needs. But cooking in a residence room can mean so much more than a soggy toaster strudel or a lukewarm bowl of ramen noodles.

With this in mind, we present to you six of our favourite dorm room friendly recipes that will turn the quality of your residence cooking game all the way up to the level of a four-star restaurant... or any restaurant that’s slightly better than the cafeteria. All you’ll need is your residence’s microwave, along with a few cooking staples.

Deluxe o melette What yo u’ll

need • 2 la rge eggs • Teas poon of butter o garine r mar• Pinch o f s h r ed • Teas poon of ded cheese chopped pepper bell • Teas poon of chopped • Teas on po • Salt on of chopped h ion and pepp am er • Pinch of chopp ed parsl ey

Putting it 1. Add b together utte large m r/margarine to ug a 2. Crac k eggs in to cup, b with f e 3. Add b ork until fully ating mixed ell pepp er, o ham alo ng with nion and salt and per to pep4. Micr taste; mix owave fo r 2 minu stirrin t 5. Remo g every 30 seco es, nds ve and to p with c herbs hopped

heese ting it together s to a large c & c a Put et m nnoodle dd your g with water u A Gourm

1. d in i g, fill ered u’ll nee n What yo of dry macaro p u c ½ • noodles ater of w le • 1 cup shredded marb p u c ½ • y cheese chopped parsle f o h c in • P

ov mu roni is c s, til maca ve for 8 minute a g w o ou h 2. Micr g halfway thr mug, in se to stirr ded chee acaroni d e r h s d m 3. Ad into hot stirring e noodles into microwav ra k xt c e a r b o 4. Pop more minute f 1 r fo y and ss meltine chopped parsle h it w 5. Top enjoy

Photo: CC

Chocolate mug ca ke What yo

• • • • • • •

u’ll need 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder 3 tablespoons of sugar 3 tablespoons of your favourite kind of mi lk ½ teaspoon of vani lla extract 3 teaspoons of ve getable oil OR mashed ba nana 1/8 teaspoon of sa lt ½ cup chocolate chips

, Mat t M

ac G illiv ra

y via Flic

luxe e d y s Chee ed

pizza

l ne you’l pita t a h auce W e larg tomato s ce 1 pe

• ite ty o sau ar of • J r of pest ur favour a • J cups of yo cheese d per 2

• l pep redde of sh diced bel hrooms cup mus • ¼ cup diced ed onion p • ¼ cup chop h c • ¼ cup spina d bacon ¼ k o o e • cup c ¼

•

e larg her oget pita on a t t i r ng Putti y out you th a a L de wi omato 1. i s e n t i a e t pl t of er th moth us amoun S .

2 o with gener crust kick r o i r sauce the exte an extra d h r s o u f edde r 3. B sto sauce y with shr pe venl ushver e o C er, m d p p 4. e e p chees ith bell pinach an ns, s op w 5. T oms, onio s or ro inute ed m 2 t n baco wave for fully mel o r s ic ei 6. M til chees un

Not your m om’s oatm What you’l eal l need • • • • • •

1 package of rite flavou your favour of instan oatmeal t 1/2 cup of w (or enough ater or milk to cover yo oats) ur ¼ cup froz en berries 1 sliced ba nana 1 tablespo on peanut butter 1 tablespo on of hone y

Putting it to 1. Add oa gether tmeal and water to bowl 2. Microw ave for 2 minu or until w ater/milk tes is fully abso rbed 3. Add fr ozen berrie s directly to h o ring to de t oats, stirfrost 4. Add in peanut butt er and honey, blen d with oats ing together 5. Top wit and berries h a sliced banana

ker.

Putting it togeth er 1. Combine all dr y ingredients in a large coffee mug, mix very well 2. Add wet ingred ients slowly and gradually, mi x well 3. Microwave fo r 1 minute 4. Remove and sw ap for cup of chocolate chip s, microwave for 1 minute 5. Cover cake wi th melted chocolate chips

nachos d e d a o L eed

her enly it toget Putting ur chips out ev yo 1. Lay large plate ln e ’l a u cheese, it n o r y o u t o Wha r fav shredded across u o h y it f w o p g ly 2. To • 1 ba la chips g equal ns ispersin a d e tortil b d ie s of refr rite ns acros plate • 1 can s of your favou e ried bea f e r d a e p es 3. Spr • 2 cu f shredded che r er, hips e p p nacho c diced bell pepp e p type o l l e b d h e it w p dic 4. Top and lettuce • ¼ cu diced red onion e n p io c minutes n u u c t o t e ¼ • e for 2 ully ded l v d a e r w h o s r p 5. Mic til cheese is f • ¼ cu f salsa eam o r r c or un a r J u o s • am ht er of g u in o a t b n melted salsa, sour cre e o stor • C f o h r it e w in a 6. Top uac • Cont mole and g guaca

The weirdest (but best) high eats Embrace the munchies like never before It’s been proven that smoking a joint, hitting a bowl, or downing an edible is known to cause two major effects in virtually all consumers (aside from a serious spell of the dry mouth and suspiciously red eyes): intense bouts of creativity, and an even stronger case of the munchies.

In honour of the legalization of cannabis quickly approaching on Oct. 17, the Fulcrum thought we would combine the cleverness and hungriness experienced mid-high to create something truly beautiful for all our stoners: the unofficial guide to the most peculiar but tastiest high snacks to cure even the strongest case of the munchies. All you’ll need is a few common kitchen essentials and, of course, some weed.

PB&N(utella) gone wild What you’ll need • Jar of peanut butter (extra creamy HIGHLY recommended) • Jar of nutella • 3 slices of bacon • 2 slices of bread Throwing it together 1. In a cold pan or skillet add the bacon and turn up the heat to a low setting 2. When you notice the bacon begin to curl, flip to the other side 3. Continue cooking until the bacon reaches desired crispiness 4. Transfer cooked bacon to paper towels to absorb excess fat 5. Throw two slices of your desired type of bread into the toaster, browning as preferred 6. Once toasted, slather both slices of bread with a healthy amount of peanut butter and nutella 7. Before putting the sandwich together, slip your bacon between the bread Mr. Noodles on crack What you’ll need • 1 package of Mr. Noodles or your favourite kind of instant ramen • 1 large egg • ½ cup spinach • 2 tablespoons frozen peas • 1 tablespoon butter • 2 cups boiling water • Bottle of sriracha • Bottle of soy sauce • Salt and pepper

5. Crack in two eggs and fry until cooked through, sprinkling with salt and pepper 6. Your noodles should now be close to fully cooked; add your spinach and soy sauce to the hot bowl and mix in, allowing spinach to wilt 7. Top with fried eggs and drizzle with sriracha Pancake breakfast tacos What you’ll need • 5 large eggs • ½ cup all purpose flour • 1 teaspoon baking powder • ¼ teaspoon salt • ½ tablespoon sugar • 1 tablespoon melted butter • ½ cup milk • 5 strips of bacon • ½ cup shredded cheese • Bottle of maple syrup • Salt and pepper

Throwing it together 1. Start with the pancakes: in a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and mix, creating a well in the centre 2. In well, pour in 1 egg, milk and melted butter, mixing together until smooth 3. Heat a large pan over medium temperature and add batter onto grill, using roughly a quarter cup for each pancake to make 4, cooking both sides until golden 4. In pan fry your bacon, cooking until crispy; remove from heat and dry on paper towel 5. In small bowl beat together remaining 4 eggs, seasoning with salt and pepper 6. Add eggs to pan, scrambling over low heat and adding shredded cheese 7. Remove eggs from heat and scoop into pancakes, topping with bacon and drizzling with maple syrup

Matt Gergyek

Features editor

Loaded tater tots poutine

What you’ll need • Bag of frozen tater tots • 1 cup cheese curds • 1 can chili • Instant gravy powder • 1 cup water • Salt and pepper Throwing it together 1. Preheat oven to 425℉ and lay out tater tots evenly on a large cooking sheet, sprinkling with salt and pepper 2. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until golden and crispy 3. Cover tater tots in cheese curds, allowing to melt 4. In a pot, warm canned chili over medium heat 5. Combine instant gravy with water and mix in large bowl, microwaving for 2-3 minutes or until thickened to your liking 6. Cover tater tots and cheese curds with gravy and chili Garlic bread grilled cheese What you’ll need • 2 slices of your favourite kind of bread • 3 tablespoons butter • 1 teaspoon garlic salt or powder • 1 teaspoon shredded parsley • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese • ⅓ cup marinara or tomato sauce Throwing it together 1. In a pan melt 1 tablespoon of butter over low-medium heat 2. Generously butter your 2 slices of bread, sprinkling with garlic salt/powder 3. Place one slice of bread on pan, topping with mozzarella cheese and shredded parsley and covering with second slice of bread 4. Once bottom slice of bread is golden brown (about 3 minutes), flip 5. Remove from pan and slice, serving with marinara/tomato sauce

Throwing it together 1. Start with the noodles: begin by boiling your 2 cups of water in a kettle 2. Pour your ramen noodles, packaged spice mix and frozen peas into a large bowl 3. Submerge ingredients in hot water, stirring and allowing to cook/defrost for 5 minutes 4. In a pan, add butter and melt over medium heat Grab your bong, your apron and let’s get to it.

Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

The essential pho spot in Chinatown.

648 Somerset Street West, Ottawa, ON K1R 5K4

Saigon Boy Noodle House

An fundamental pillar of the Ottawa breakfast scene.

416 Preston St, Ottawa, ON K1S 4M9

Stoneface Dollys

Dozens of different kinds of bubble tea at an affordable price.

839 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON K1R 6R6

Hangout

Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

Craft beer hotspot. Try their mango beer and go from there, you won’t regret it.

37 Flora St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1A7

Flora Hall Brewing

Free tours every day of the week, including the possibility of sitting in on a court session.

301 Wellington St, Ottawa, ON K1A 0J1

Supreme Court of Canada

One of the few nightclubs on Bank Street with a ton of interesting themed nights.

317 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1X7

Babylon

Free admission every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

1 Vimy Pl, Ottawa, ON K1A 0M8

Canadian War Museum

Ever heard of craft ice cream?

Now you have. Their Froot Loops cereal milk flavour is to die for.

477 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1Z2

Moo Shu Ice Cream

A jack-of-all-trades kind of bar, with a layout that begs for exploration.

61 Elgin St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1M9

The Lieutenant’s Pump

Ottawa’s most well known vegetarian food and juice bar.

340 Elgin Street, Ottawa ON

Pure Kitchen

SPORTS

SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Price sports@thefulcrum.ca @FulcrumSports

Gee-Gees win historic 50th Panda Game

U of O beats Carleton 38-27 in Panda Game to break the streak Charley Dutil

Associate Sports Editor

O

n Sept. 29 at TD Place, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees finally managed to get the revenge they deserved, defeating the Carleton Ravens 38-27 in the 2018 Panda Game.

It was the 50th incarnation of the historic Panda Game, and with the win, the all-time series now stands at 33-17 for the GeeGees.

“It was a tough game, always hard when you play Carleton,” Gee-Gees head coach Jamie Barresi said. “I think our team outplayed them in the end, but it was far from perfect. A lot of communications mishaps.”

While the Gee-Gees finally got the win after losing the Panda Game four years in a row, the Ravens opened up the scoring on the first play of the game. It was a trick play, with Carleton quarterback Mike Arruda tossing it to receiver Quinton Soares, who then fooled the defence by throwing the ball down the field to first-year receiver Dominic Walker for a 78-yard score.

THEFULCRUM.CA

The Gee-Gees would answer back two drives later following an interception

by Rashad Spooner.

First-year Quarterback Sawyer Buettner would throw a three-yard touchdown pass to fourth year wide receiver Carter Matheson. It was Matheson’s first, but not last, of the game.

The Ravens would score first again in the second quarter.

After gaining 68 yards on five plays, Carleton would score on another six-yard pass from Arruda to Soares, making it a tight contest early on.

The lead would not last as the Gees tied the game following an 87-yard drive, finished off by a picturesque 40-yard touchdown pass from Buettner to OUA cover athlete Kalem Beaver.

The guys in Garnet and Grey would take the lead going into the second half thanks to a 32-yard field goal from the rookie Fair.

After a sloppy start to the second half, the Gees would score a touchdown on a sixplay, 68-yard drive.

Buettner would complete the drive with a pass from the 37-yard line to Beaver in almost an exact repeat of the previous U of O touchdown. It was Beaver’s sec-

ond of the game and third of the season overall.

With five minutes left in the third quarter, the U of O would intercept a lob pass from Arruda at the goal line, preventing Carleton from scoring in arguably one of the game’s most important plays.

The Gee-Gees intercepted Arruda four times throughout the game, matching their previous outing versus York, giving them 12 in total for the season.

At this point, the GeeGees started to put up a commanding lead, going up by more than three touchdowns at one instance.

Matheson would get his second major score of the game and the season.

This amped up the north side of the sold-out stadium where the Gee-Gees were seated, even as Carleton fans were exiting the game perhaps a bit prematurely.

“It was wild, it was rowdy, a really good atmosphere, and we fed off that vibe, and its feels really good to win against these guys,” Beaver said. “You know we were amped up to play these guys from day one, and this win feels really satisfying.”

While the Gee-Gees would win in the end, Car-

The Gee-Gees won Panda for the first time in four years.

leton did step up their effort in the fourth quarter to make things interesting.

Carleton would score a touchdown in the middle of the fourth, but failed on the two-point conversion, bringing the score to 38-20.

They would add another touchdown a couple minutes later to cut the U of O’s lead down to 38-27 off a touchdown from Ravens running back Nathan Carter.

It was all too little too late however, with Jamie Harry getting his second interception of the game in the dying seconds to seal the victory.

Following the game, Barresi commented on his

team’s defensive effort, after the Ravens’ offence got off to its fast start.

“I thought they responded the right way. They kept us in the game early on and gave us a chance to come back,” Barresi said.

The historic game was Buettner’s fourth straight win in U Sports competition, and arguably his best, finishing the game with 243 passing yards and five touchdown passes.

It was tougher on the other side of the ball, as Carleton’s Arruda finished with 248 yards, one touchdown pass, and four interceptions.

With the win, the fifthranked Gee-Gees improve

Photos: Parker Townes.

to 4-1, while the Ravens fall to 4-2.

Despite the huge victory, Barresi said there are obvious things to improve on for next week’s game against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.

“We will need to work on certain things and do a couple video sessions,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough opponent, but I like our chances.”

Next up, the U of O takes on the U of T for their first road game since Week One on Oct. 4. The next home game will be at Gee-Gees Field on Oct. 13, where they will take on the number-one ranked University of Western Ontario Mustangs.

SPORTS | 21

An Exploration of Sportation: Rowing Edition

Row, row, rowing with the Gee-Gees Christine Wang

Social Media Manager This week, I tried out for the University of Ottawa novice women’s rowing team. Why did I try out?

Our story begins during frosh week. While volunteering, I met the president of the rowing team, Khorina Khov, who was passionately preaching the magic and miracles of the sport.

Since I happened to be available for the first day of tryouts, I decided to attend. The tryout consisted of a few generic fitness, coordination, and flexibility exercises.

Against all odds and expectations, I was called back for the on-water tryouts. This is how I found myself sitting in a boat, in the dark, at 5 a.m. the next morning.

The history of the sport goes back as far as Ancient Egypt. The first “modern”

races occurred in the medieval times, when boatmen would challenge each other to see who was faster at ferrying people across the water. It eventually found its way to the UK, where it became an upper-class sport. This is one of the aspects that fascinated me most. As it goes so far back, the sport is rich in history and tradition.

The good news, I learned, is that there are no flying objects in this sport, which drastically decreases your chance of getting concussed. The bad news is that you’re sitting in a boat not much wider than the width of your hips, essentially balancing on your two butt-cheeks in the middle of the ocean (it may actually just be a river; I am no expert in the field of limnology).

The other challenge I faced was learning the

right terminology. Who came up with the idea of naming parts of a boat: port, starboard, stern and bow? As a person who still struggles with figuring out left and right, I did not appreciate the four extra directions thrust upon me.

The boat that I rowed sat eight people, facing backwards, single-file from foot to waist. Unlike what I originally imagined, rowing relies more on the legs than the arms. Each person sits in a sliding seat, holding an oar. To row, the athlete dips the oar into the water and pushes with their legs, straightening their knees.

We started by doing a couple drills to learn how to balance the boat. The novice team usually rows in teams of eight, the largest boat since it’s the hardest to flip. Hardest, but not impossible, as proven by

Photo: Sam Lapum.

Photo: David Gilmore.

22 | SPORTS

Rowing is all about early mornings on the river.

the Carleton novice men’s team in the first week of practice, those suckers.

Eventually, we progressed to doing a couple strokes in the water. Soon enough, all eight of us were rowing full-out.

It was hard and frustrating work, especially in the beginning. I’d never done a sport that engaged pretty much every single muscle group in the body, while requiring precise coordination with seven other people of varying shapes and sizes.

After some hard work and sweat, the reward came as all eight of us were moving our oars in perfect synchronicity and were flying across the river. As we skimmed the water, a gorgeous purple-pink sunrise rose over Parliament Hill, completely taking my breath away (honestly, it may have been the exer-

cise that was taking my breath away.)

“It’s not all about the pretty sunrises. It’s about being a part of a team that’s about success and winning. At the end of the day, you want to be a part of something,” Stu McKenzie, coach of the women’s varsity rowing team said.

The coaches are not only concerned with the competitive lives of their athletes, but also take time to support them in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

“If there are skills that they can take from the sport and apply to real life, then I did my job as a coach.

You make better people and better students,” McKenzie explained.

“What can you bring?

Just a good spirit, a good work ethic, motivation, willingness to learn a new skill and adapt and be mal-

Illustration: Christine Wang.

leable. Our philosophy is pretty simple, the kids that work hard are going to get more opportunity. Within five to six years, you could be in the Olympics, if you work really hard.”

Though I haven’t been rowing for long, I have completely fallen in love with the sport. If anyone needs me, I can be found in the middle of the Ottawa River between the hours of 5-8 a.m. every morning come hell or high water, no pun intended.

The University of Ottawa rowing team accepts novices who have no rowing experience, as well as varsity athletes. Off-season training, which is open to all students, will begin in November 2018 at Montpetit gym. Tryouts for next season will start August or early September 2019. For more details, email vprecruitment.uottawarowing@gmail.com.

Photo: David Gilmore.

THEFULCRUM.CA

FulcFit food series

Butternut squash soup It’s October, and that means we’re now well into autumn.

Plants are dying, but our appetites are not.

This means we’re going to need some recipes to warm us up throughout this cool transition to winter.

One such dish I highly recommend is homemade butternut squash soup. I can’t take credit for the recipe, as it was something my mother always made for our family, and still makes sometimes when I visit.

Here’s how you can make your own homemade, reasonably healthy butternut squash soup. Trust me, mom’s recipe is much better than that store-bought stuff at your local Metro.

It’s tough, but well worth the effort to prepare!

THEFULCRUM.CA

Photo: Andrew Price.

Andrew Price, Sports Editor

During the school year, it’s all too easy to let your eating habits slip.

To get you back on track, the Fulcrum has some essential recipes so you stay full and fit all year long.

Directions

1. You need one large butternut squash. You’ll want to get this peeled and chopped, and in some places you can get it pre-chopped and peeled.

2. Put this in a large baking dish, and pour a generous amount of olive oil in, about half a cup.

3. Add ¼ teaspoon of coriander over the squash.

4. Add salt and pepper, again, being generous .

5. Place it all in the oven, setting it at 400 degrees C. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, making sure it’s mushy.

6. Now peel three apples and put this in a pot for the soup.

7. Add ⅓ of a chopped onion to the pot, and mix in a bit of olive oil. Sauté this for a few minutes.

8. Now add ⅓ a box of chicken broth, and bring the mixture to a boil.

9. When the squash is ready, add it in when the mixture is soft. You can then add the rest of the chicken broth if you want, and let it simmer.

10. Add a touch of cinnamon for a little extra flavour (optional).

11. Wait 40 minutes until all ingredients are soft, then take off the heat and let it cool a little.

12. At this point you can add a bit of purée to make it extra creamy, and stir.

Now you’ve got yourself a bowl of irresistible butternut squash soup. Enjoy!

SPORTS | 23

Live, Work, and Teach in Japan

jetprogramme.ca

Applications Due:

November 16th

OPINIONS

OPINIONS EDITOR Hanna Methot

opinions@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062

In wake of tornado, U of O should have closed Decision marks lack of consideration for students living outside downtown core Hanna Methot Opinions Editor

T

he Monday following the six tornadoes on Sept. 21 saw the closure of both OCSB and OCDSB schools, the Ottawa and Gatineau Statistics Canada offices, as well as the release of a statement by the Government of Canada telling employees to stay home. The University of Ottawa should have been on that list.

According to a statement by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, government work-

ers were urged to work from home at the request of both Ottawa Police and the City, in an attempt to reduce commuting on the highways as well as demand on the electrical grid.

The university needs to stop pretending as though all of their students live on campus and their professors live a block away. Although that may be true of most first-years, many of my classmates and professors live in the surrounding areas of Barrhaven, Kanata, and Nepean.

Quite a few of my classmates also live in Gatineau and Greenboro, where it’s reported that the tornadoes hit the worst, with 1,686 homes being destroyed or damaged in the Gatineau area alone. Think of all the emergency vehicles, hydro repair crews, and relief teams all trying to drive on the same highway as commuters to the university.

Keeping highways free of traffic was an important part of the relief efforts, so that emer-

The Government of Canada shut down, so why didn’t we?

gency crews could get through safely, and the estimated 300,000 hydro customers could get their power back quickly.

And yet, the university didn’t think about the commuting professors or students, and what effect that would have on the highways. Or even the effect the university would have on the electrical grid. Instead, the university chose to remain open and conduct classes as scheduled. In the university’s regula-

tions, policy 87 (the one regarding temporary interruption), states that any classes may be cancelled in certain special circumstances, and gives examples including disasters, as well as prolonged electrical failure.

Now, I’m no Rector who would be entrusted with making these decisions, but I think a tornado causing horrific damage, leaving many students without power, forcing the government to shutdown, is a “special circumstance.”

Photo: Government of Canada.

And if a prolonged electrical failure is cause for interruption, then maybe the Rector should have considered the students left without power for multiple days, who may have needed that extra day to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

Now one may argue that the conduction of the university is important, that classes must proceed as normal due to the money paid by the students, and that since the tornado did no real

damage to the campus, classes should go on as usual. These are valid arguments, which I would agree with, if it weren’t for the Government of Canada also urging people to stay at home.

The conduct of the government is arguably more important (sorry, U of O administration), as tax-payers money goes directly to government functions, and the bulk of government proceedings take place just down the road from our campus. And yet, the government was able to see that there were more important things to worry about.

The university should take a page from the government’s book in the future, and cooperate with the City and emergency services to help keep the roads clear and pressure on the electrical grid light. More importantly, it should have been considerate of its students, who may have far worse things to worry about, on top of missing their Monday lecture.

Students should elect to vote in the municipal election

LRT, limited rental units big issues for upcoming municipal election Hanna Methot Opinions Editor

The call for young people to engage in politics is a cry one can hear on both sides of the border, increasingly in the U.S. with the upcoming midterm elections. But there’s an upcoming election here in Canada that I think we, as students, need to pay more attention to, and that’s the municipal election taking place in Ottawa on Oct. 22.

Ottawa has two universities and a college, which means there are plenty of students who, if they get politically engaged, can make a real difference and work as a powerful voting block.The student voice needs to be heard in this city, and the ballot box is a great way to do so.

Two issues being discussed that I believe pertain to students’ interests most are transportation, and the shortage of affordable rental accomodations.

The latest delay of LRT

THEFULCRUM.CA

construction makes it a pertinent election issue. Many are upset with the alleged lack of transparency within the mayoral office, due to the recent speculation that the mayor, Jim Watson, knew about the delays at the end of August but held off on telling OC Transpo not to change bus routes, which they had done in September to prepare for the expected LRT. For many students that complain about delays with OC Transpo and the LRT system, or who have problems with the way public transit is generally run in the city, through going to the ballot box and canvassing for councillors who share your sentiments, you can make actual change.

There’s a shortage of rental accomodations in the city, and with the recent eviction of low-income tenants from the Heron Gate community, this issue has intensified. Developers are increasingly build-

ing high-income condos and gentrifying older buildings, squeezing out low and middleincome tenants.

I’ve personally experienced the struggle of trying to find a low-cost place to live near the university while competing with hundreds of other students looking for the exact same thing. In the end, we either get stuck with high-cost, low-quality units that are close to campus, or we have to move out to Gatineau. And then, the bus we take is delayed or breaks down. Because it’s OC Transpo.

Students should be getting involved in the upcoming municipal election, not just because it’s our civic duty, but because if enough of us vote, we may be able to make real change. I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t already done so, to look-up the promises of candidates and find one that aligns with your values.

Those who really want to be engaged in the political

The election takes place Oct. 22.

process can also volunteer with different councillors and mayoral candidates.

Working in a campaign is not only good on a resume, but also an enriching experience in general, which allows you to really educate yourself on

Photo: Rame Abdulkader.

the campaign process.

The Rideau-Vanier Ward, which contains ByWard Market, Sandy Hill, Vanier, and Lower Town, is the ward holding the University of Ottawa.

The current councillor is Mathieu Fleury (you may have

seen his campaign signs in and around campus). He’s running against Salar Changiz, Thierry Harris, and Matt Lowe. For the mayoral election, there are twelve candidates, with the incumbent Jim Watson running for reelection.

OPINIONS | 25

Believing women isn’t enough, we need to do better Kavanaugh’s hearing is another reminder that sexual assault isn’t taken seriously Anchal Sharma Editor-in-Chief

This week I stayed at work for an extra hour to watch the Brett Kavanaugh hearing because I don’t have cable, and let me tell you, it was not worth it.

Don’t get me wrong, while Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony was hard to watch, it was brave, and commendable. Kavanaugh’s testimony was hard to watch for a different reason.

This middle-aged white man, and Supreme Court Justice nominee (which is a lifetime position by the way), was crying about calendars and beer while yelling about how unfair it was for him and his family to have to be there doing that. Frankly, it was embarrassing, even as a viewer.

While Dr. Ford was level headed, and answered every question asked of her, Kavanaugh whined like a child, and came into his testimony angry and annoyed, as though the allegations of sexual assault he’s faced with are just another hiccup on his path to success. A minor annoyance. It was a stark contrast to when Dr. Ford was reminded that she was not on

26 | OPINIONS

trial, because honestly, I forgot she wasn’t up until that point.

The hearing itself while disappointing, was in no way surprising, and it speaks to a larger societal issue. We need to do more than just believe women; we need to care.

No one in that courtroom could deny that Dr. Ford has no reason to lie. Coming forward and testifying against Kavanaugh was not her first choice, and she did so at great personal risk and financial loss to herself and her family. The issue here isn’t that she could be lying, it’s that she could be telling the truth.

Dr. Ford’s allegations aren’t ridiculous, they’re believable.

She didn’t accuse Kavanaugh of rape, she spoke about an incident that occurred at a party wherein she was groped without her consent, and feared for her life. This incident isn’t unique, and in her words, wasn’t “remarkable” to anyone but her. In fact, some people may even wonder what the big deal was. So she was groped.

Happens all the time. That’s the problem.

Society has normalized sexual assault to the point where

we’re willing to allow our judges to get a pass, because “boys will be boys,” or because it happened in the past.

Women are constantly degraded for coming forward with sexual assault allegations against their male peers, whether it be when the assault occurs, or years later. We are conditioned to believe that it’s shameful for us to have been assaulted in the first place, and our justice system is set up in a way where even if we do come forward, we rarely get the justice we seek. When women do finally speak out, we are questioned incessantly about the choices we made; what we wore, where we went, what we drank. And if we weren’t raped, we’re told to “lighten up.”

This is a cultural issue, born from movies, and songs, and passed down from generation to generation, and it needs to stop. This kind of treatment is enough to discourage women from seeking justice, and the fact that it’s reached the Supreme Court of the United States of America is sickening, but also eye opening.

Dr. Ford’s testimony opened the door to a wider conversa-

U.S.Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual assault.

tion about the kinds of assault that are dismissed because they don’t seem as serious or because no one cares to address them.

There were people at that party

who could have helped. There are people at the parties we go to now who still can. It’s time we all did.

Believing women isn’t

Photo: CC, Pixabay, Succo.

enough. Nothing will change unless we start giving a damn about the rape culture that’s been the narrative on campuses and society for decades.

THEFULCRUM.CA

The scheme of the century: SFUO cause of the tornado Bribed engineering students were behind the Tornadorator 3000

Oasika Sharma Tomato contributor This world has produced some great schemers, Blair Waldorf, our moms when they try to make us eat vegetables, and recently, the SFUO. They are, for lack of a better word, absolutely brilliant. The Tomato recently investigated the LRT scandal (wherein it was revealed the construction is just workers making noise), and it seems after further investigation that the LRT has actually been serving as a cover for something far more sinister. The SFUO has been constructing a tornado machine to distract from their scandals, and used it for the first time on Sept. 21.

Although it may sound silly to some, the Tomato has connected the dots. “Construction” on the LRT Confederation Line began in 2013, with the first of the major SFUO controversies following soon after in 2014.

Turns out the SFUO is to blame for the tornado on Sept. 21.

The SFUO has been saving the machine as a back-up plan, in case they need a major distraction, and it seems the need had arisen.

The Tomato’s dedicated investigative team of journalists intended to find out the truth and so began their trek to the LRT construction site. There, they found a deep labyrinth of

tunnels that extended off the LRT and followed along the path. What they found may leave readers’ heads—wait for it—spinning.

Covering the walls of the tunnel were elaborate schematics of what the Tomato would soon find out is the Tornadorator 3000. In the corner, a small group of engineering students

Photo: Rame Abdulkader.

were hunched over scribbling designs; UberEats Mcdonald bags littered the floor.

“They said we would finally get the funding for our HackA-Thon if we helped them,” explained one third-year student.

As the team conversed with the engineers, they heard footsteps and saw fear shoot up in the students’ eyes. Thankfully,

the team was able to hide.

A mask was covering the face of this person, but they had on a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes, and Audi car keys hung from their belt loop.

Once the coast was clear, the team continued down the path.

Along the floor were receipts from J’aime Coiffure. At the end of the tunnel was a large blue door. Behind the door, they saw a maniacal figure laughing over a panel of flashy buttons. The tunnels had led them straight to the SFUO offices.

Recorders were able to pick up the following exchange: “The Tornadorator 3000 is just the beginning, what we have in store will ensure that no one has time to focus on the SFUO again.

Also, did you book my hair appointment for next month?” the figure asked his lackey.

All of a sudden another masked person rushed into the room. “Your greatness,” the female voice said, “The university has cut ties with

us! What are we going to do? I already booked the matching Teslas, we can’t afford to lose the safety deposit.”

The masked figure with the fancy shoes ripped off their mask in frustration, to reveal none other than Richie Lachic.

“GET THOSE ENGINEERS IN HERE! THE TORNADORATOR 3000 DIDN’T WORK! WE NEED A NEW PLAN!” he exclaimed angrily.

One of his comrades replied, “Sire, if a tornado didn’t work, maybe a particle accelerator explosion might do the trick.”

“But we don’t have any money left to buy off the LRT workers,” added another worker.

“Maybe if you cancelled your order for the new Balenciaga—” “SILENCE!” said Lachic.

“Don’t suggest such absurd things! We can set up a Patreon account, but no one messes with my Balenciaga’s!”

A tornado to distract from all the controversy? Genius.

Simply genius.

UEffects of ofOtrans students claim getting heart disease is their right fat ban on dining hall could be dire

Nadia Helal Tomato contributor As of Sept. 17, Canada has banned the use of trans fat in food products.

What’s worse, imported foods and items served at restaurants and cafeterias will also be included under the ban.

Students at the University of Ottawa have been vocal about their disdain for governments deciding what goes into their bellies. The Tomato spoke with some of these students.

“I should be able to eat the fattiest and tastiest food I want. What’s the point of going to a sugar shack or a fast food restaurant if I can’t get my fatty fix?” complains first-year Natalia Nutella.

“This implacable law is limiting our freedom of food choice!” shouted an angry student protesting

THEFULCRUM.CA

outside U of O’s dining hall. The slightly overweight football player Henry Gooseberry has been on a hunger strike since the ban was announced, and has been fueling himself on Monster Energy drinks.

“I should be able to get heart disease if I want to.” exclaims first-year law student Gregory Front, “It’s my right. Besides, this just means the dining hall food will only get worse, the only thing they have going for them is the fat.

How am I supposed to gain my freshman fifteen now?

That’s an important milestone.”

Although the law banning artificial trans fat will not come into full effect until next year, many students have already noticed a difference in the taste of cookies and doughnuts served in and around campus.

Nutrition professor Donald Walnut advocates a balanced diet, which he claims includes the trans fat items: “The University of Ottawa needs to take a firm stance on this nonsensical ruling and show Ottawa and the rest of the country that we will not be bullied.”

“If companies start taking trans fat out, all their products will be bland,” reckons U of O honour student Malory Pinto. She adds, “The long-term goal of the government is to have us all eating oatmeal and boiled chicken!”

Her theory is not that farfetched. Many scientifically accurate films like The Matrix and The Hunger Games portray a world in which everyone eats the same rationed flavourless food.

If this is the government’s plan, we can expect a ban on saturated fat in the near

The trans fat ban will have a major impact on campus food.

future, then another one on sodium. If our world is any reflection, pretty much all we’ll be eating in the future is cereal and dietary supplements.

There will be a protest outside Parliament Hill on National Doughnut Day to boycott this law. Thou-

sands of students from Ontario and Quebec are expected to attend, especially lower-income students who cannot afford the obscenely expensive foods that do not include trans fat.

The Tomato has also received reports of people

Photo: Rhea Verma.

from the burger, french fry, and pastry industry investing millions into getting employees highly educated so they can become government moles in the agriculture and health sector. It seems this ban will be vanquished sooner or later.

THE TOMATO | 27

DISTRACTIONS

DEAR TY

FEATURES EDITOR Matt Gergyek

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

Dear Ty,

I’m a self-proclaimed foodie, an aficionado of all things edible, if you will. I’ve been with my partner for almost two years now, and I’m ready to blend two of my favourite things in the world: food and sex. Any tips on how to make this work?

— Food and Fucking Dear FAF, I applaud your openness about your desires and most concur with you: food and sex just go together like wine and cheese, PB&J, burgers and fries, grilled cheese and tomato soup, bacon and eggs … Well now I’m salivating.

But where to start? There’s literally thousands of different delicious foods out there and an equal amount of ways to have sex. Let’s begin with the foundations of bringing any new approach to sex into the bedroom.

First thing’s first: be open with your partner about this desire. Since you and your partner have been together for quite some time now, this shouldn’t be a problem, but this bears repeating: When it comes to trying new things in bed, it’s important to establish an open line of communication and set expectations and boundaries. Even if a sexual fantasy makes you drool, your partner may not feel the same way—and it’s extremely important to respect this, no matter how long you’ve been together.

Once you’ve made the case for taking food out of the kitchen and bringing it into the bedroom, and your partner agrees, start with the simple stuff.

A good place to begin, as corny and cliche as this sounds, is by using whipped cream during oral sex.

When it comes to sex in general, vaginal or anal sex is usually seen as the paramount, or climactic moment. In my opinion though, oral sex is where it’s at, especially for its important role in foreplay. If anal or vaginal sex is the big bang or the grand finale, then oral sex is every sweet second it takes to get there.

Whipped cream is a yummy and simple way to begin incorporating food into sex. Buy the cheapest can of it you can find (for broke students, this is a must) and spray a bit onto sensitive pleasure points on your partner’s body, licking it up like you’ve just spent an all-nighter in the library without a crumb of food.

If you find you really love the experience of using lickable foods, try subbing out whipped cream for hot syrups, like honey or melted chocolate. The heat can add that extra kick to your sexual endeavours.

There’s also the option of using heartier foods instead. My advice is to start with sweet and savoury fruits, like strawberries, peaches (kudos to Timothée Chalamet’s infamous scene in Call Me By Your Name), berries, tangerines, grapes or cherries. Be sure to cut them up into tiny pieces so you don’t accidentally choke yourself or your partner, and place them on pleasure points. In one swift bite, take the food, being sure to add in an extra bit of licking and sucking. You can also take it slow, eating the food (and playing with your partner), nibble by nibble.

Outside of oral sex, food can also be incorporated into vaginal or anal sex.

Your favourite flavour popsicle is a great place to start—when used safely, the temperature difference between a popsicle and your body can be a really pleasurable experience.

But be sure to cover it with a condom (as with any food inserted into the vagina or anus). Otherwise, the high sugar content in popsicles can disrupt your body’s pH balance and could even cause yeast infections, which isn’t fun or sexy. Be wary of other foods with sharp edges that might tear skin inside the body, which can also lead to infections.

As well, be warned that whipped cream and other sugary sauces should never be put in your partner’s vagina, as that can cause some nasty infections down there.

In the end, when it comes to combining food and sex, the options truly are endless. I’m hoping this short and non-exhaustive tip sheet really helps to bring your experience in the bedroom to the next level, my little chef!

Illustration: Rame Abdulkader.

28 | DISTRACTIONS

Love, Ty

THEFULCRUM.CA

OCT. 3–NOV. 7 2018

THRYLLABUS

FOOD ISSUE Thursday, Oct. 4

Ottawa Senators home opener/regular season kick off game versus the Chicago Blackhawks at the Canadian Tire Centre (CTC), 7:30 p.m.

Friday Oct. 5

A Civilized Conversation with Chelsea Handler, National Arts Centre (NAC), 8 p.m.

Valentino Khan at Barrymore’s Music Hall on Bank Street, 10 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 6

613flea at Aberdeen Pavilion, Lansdowne Park, 10 a.m.

Until Sunday, Oct. 7

MUSIC EATS SPORTS & WELLNESS FUN THINKING

Ottawa Butterfly Show at Nesbitt Biology Building, Carleton University, free admission, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily

THEFULCRUM.CA

AC Slater at Barrymore’s Music Hall on Bank Street, 10 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 13 to Saturday, Nov. 3

Haunted Walk of Ottawa tour of the Diefenbunker, weekend nights, add time Until Monday, October 15

Mosaïculture Gatineau, Jacques Cartier Park, 10 a.m. to dusk daily Tuesday, October 16

The Walrus Talks Cannabis at the National Gallery of Canada, 7–9 p.m.

Friday, October 19

Thursday, Oct. 11

Ottawa Redblacks take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, TD Place Stadium, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 12 to Sunday, Oct. 14

Comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short at TD Place Arena, 7:30 p.m.

Justin Timberlake at the CTC, 7:30 p.m.

Mac My Cheese Fest, Ottawa city hall, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 12

Post Malone tribute night, The 27 Club, 11 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 13

ARTS

Ottawa Fury vs. Charleston Battery at TD Place Stadium, 2 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 20

Saturday, Oct. 20 and Sunday, Oct. 21

Ottawa Antique and Vintage Market at Carleton University Fieldhouse, 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Until Sunday, Oct. 21

Matt Gergyek

Features Editor 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.

Tuesday, Oct. 23

TEDxOttawa at Algonquin Commons Theatre, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 27

Deep Therapy: Halloween in a Warehouse at Albert Island Courtyard on Booth Street, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Until Wednesday, Oct. 31

FrightFest at Saunders Farm in Munster, 30-minute drive from downtown, 6 p.m.–10 p.m./11 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 2-Sunday, Nov. 4 Ottawa Wine and Food Festival, EY Centre at 5 p.m.

Until Saturday, November 3

Haunted Walk of Ottawa Halloween special tours, meet on Sparks Street, various times Saturday, November 3

Fleetwood Mac at the CTC, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, November 7

Ottawa 67s vs. Kingston Frontenacs, TD Place Arena, 11 a.m.

DISTRACTIONS | 29

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Where do we go from here?

Dear Editor, I write to you as many students across our campus are worried, confused and shocked at the recent decision of the University of Ottawa to terminate its agreement with the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO).

As the administration’s decision has created headlines across the city, province and country many students are looking at this decision as a dangerous precedent.

There are so many questions that need to be answered. What will happen to student services after the agreement is officially terminated?

How will the SFUO confidently and effectively operate? Will other unions like CUPE 2626 be targeted next?

It is unclear at this point whether the university will take on some of the responsibilities of the SFUO, but if a new agreement is not in place by the end of the year then there will be a lot of students at odds with continuing to study.

There are so many students and clubs that rely on the SFUO for funding and financing their services. At-risk students relying on the Food Bank or Foot Patrol will suffer and students with smaller student associations will most likely lose representation.

The critical services need to be maintained regardless of what happens with the SFUO because it is the most important aspect affected by this decision. These services are crucial for students and lives are dependent on these services.

Services like the Women’s Resource Centre that offer menstrual products and childcare for mothers, or the University of Ottawa Student Emergency Response Team that provides 24/7

emergency medical response on campus, are services that students on this campus cannot afford to lose.

The administration has a lot of questions to answer in the coming months and negotiations will be intense, but this needs to be readdressed with a proper overhaul of the SFUO. With only two executives currently serving, students need to come together to make sure that the SFUO does what it can to regain the trust of students at the U of O. Our responsibility as students does not end there. We need to make sure that the SFUO and the administration are doing their part to be transparent and accountable for their decision.

We also need to acknowledge that not every student can afford to rally or take time out of their lives to take on these immense responsibilities. Some students cannot join in these efforts because our campus is not accessible, some students work full-time jobs and have children to take care of, and some are too busy finding a place to stay for the night.

It has been said that ‘we cannot let the actions of a few define us all’, so let’s not allow the university’s decision to deter us from seeking a good and respectable agreement with the administration. Let’s take on some of the responsibilities that our fellow students are not able to and come together to pressure the administration and SFUO to serve the needs of students.

Let’s do what we are able to and change this university for the better.

- James Casey Fulcrum Contributor

30 | LETTERS THEFULCRUM.CA

EDITORIAL Volume 79, Issue 2, oct. 3, 2018 Getting drunk McDonald’s since 1942.

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

Anchal “Apple Pie” Sharma Editor-in-Chief editor@thefulcrum.ca Jaclyn “Filet-O-Fish” McRae-Sadik Production Manager production@thefulcrum.ca Savannah “Fries” Awde Managing Editor content@thefulcrum.ca Marissa “Egg McMuffin” Phul News Editor news@thefulcrum.ca Iain “McLobster” Sellers Arts and Culture Editor arts@thefulcrum.ca Matt “Junior Chicken” Gergyek Features Editor features@thefulcrum.ca Andrew “Big Mac” Price Sports Editor sports@thefulcrum.ca Hanna “McNuggets” Méthot Opinions Editor opinions@thefulcrum.ca Rame “Chicken McWrap” Abdulkader Visual Editor visual@thefulcrum.ca

GIVE UP ON PARTICULAR STUDENT UNIONS, NOT ALL STUDENT UNIONS

Just because the SFUO is gone, doesn’t mean that student government is too On Sept. 25, the University of Ottawa administration released a statement notifying students that its agreement with the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) will be terminated on Dec. 24, 2018.

This came in response to fraud allegations, and allegations of financial misconduct faced by at least three individuals on the SFUO executive, and for many students, felt long overdue.

For others however, concerns of administrative interference in student governance raised red flags, and some students feel as though their voices are being stifled. We’re here to tell you that this is not the case.

While the university ceasing to recognize the SFUO as the U of O’s official undergraduate student union seems like a drastic measure, it does not mean that students are left without representation. And

if it feels like it does, it definitely doesn’t have to.

Following the university’s announcement, the SFUO stated that while the current executives named in the allegations will step down from their posts, leaving only two executives on the union, the federation will not give up its fight as the U of O’s student body representative— but they should.

In other words, just because the SFUO is no more, that doesn’t mean that the university will continue to insert itself into student matters— this is a unique case.

There is no precedent for this situation, and it does not look like it will be setting a precedent either.

That is to say, the next union should be okay, as long as they aren’t involved in a police investigation or forensic audit for fraud allegations.

Given the situation, the university’s decision to step in wasn’t only a

good one, it was a necessary one.

In the statement itself, written by vice-president academic and provost David Graham, it is clear that the creation of a new student union is encouraged and expected by the university, although the steps needed to achieve this are not outlined. Nevertheless, certain students and student groups are already convening and making efforts to rebuild a student union from scratch, with a push towards leaving the SFUO a distant memory in the Fulcrum archives.

This is the right approach. Students should take action, and support a new student union that will adhere to a code of conduct that respects the student body it seeks to serve. The years of scandals, violations of trust, and blatant disrespect faced by students at the hand of the SFUO are finally over. This is a chance for the U of O’s under-

graduate body to start fresh, and build a strong foundation for future generations.

In the meantime, trust that the university, while also flawed, made the right decision in this instance.

No student levies will be collected as of January for the SFUO. Dental and health coverage will still be provided, and yes, clubs and services will most likely be left in the lurch, but it’s up to us now to take on the responsibility of making sure our services are able to serve us. In other words, get involved.

As some students pointed out in past letters to the editor, apathy has gotten us to this point. It’s time for that to change. If you want your voice heard, be loud. Support your peers, and if there is another election this year, then vote.

After all, the current student union is dead. Long live a new student union.

Christine “McGriddle” Wang Social Media Manager social@thefulcrum.ca Sarah “McBeefy” Crookall Associate News Editor associate.news@thefulcrum.ca Charley “Poutine” Dutil Associate Sports Editor associate.sports@thefulcrum.ca Parker “McChicken” Townes Staff Photographer photographer@thefulcrum.ca Videographer videographer@thefulcrum.ca Webmaster webmaster@thefulcrum.ca Dorian “McDouble” Ghosn General Manager manager@thefulcrum.ca Kaylum “Hashbrown” Bobal Advertising Representative ads@thefulcrum.ca

Contributors

Nadia “Cheeseburger“Helal Rhea “Bacon ‘N Egg Bagel” Verma Kelsey “Double Big Mac” Shore Sophie “Quarter Pounder” Miller Amina “Caesar Salad” Amezyane Dhillon “Chocolate Chip Cookie”Lautan Harris “Premium Tea” BarnardDavidson Oasika “Almond Croissant” Sharma

Board of Directors

Raghad “Vanilla Cone“ Sheikh-Khalil Katelyn “Sausage McMuffin” Murray Graham “McFlurry” Robertson Jonathan “Quarter Pounder BLT” Rausseo Fadi “Mighty Angus Original” Azzi Marguerite “Hamburger” Gollish Cover Credits: Rame Abdulkader.

In an unprecedented move the U of O stepped into SFUO affairs.

THEFULCRUM.CA

Photo: Rame Abdulkader.

EDITORIAL | 31

Université d’Ottawa

|

University of Ottawa

UNLEASH YOUR INNER ARTIST...FOR A CHANCE TO WIN $2000!

What does innovation mean to you?

Show us with a work of art.

Morning Talk Supersymmetry by Christalla Buttle, Faculty of Social Sciences, 2017 winner

For more information: www.research.uOttawa.ca/greeting

The University of Ottawa will purchase the winning entry for $2000. It will grace the cover of holiday greeting cards sent out by the Vice-President, Research.

Who can participate? All full-time and parttime students of the University of Ottawa.

How? Participants are invited to send photos of a maximum of three original works of art (drawings, paintings, sculptures, etc.), along with a short paragraph explaining how their works illustrate innovation, to innovation@uOttawa.ca.

Deadline: Monday, October 29, 2018