The Fulcrum - Volume 78, Issue 5

VOL. 78 ISSUE 5

Sept. 25, 2017

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In this week’s issue...

You won’t get board P.5 Catch up on your BOA and Senate meetings

Not everybody loves ELE fest P.9 Artist selection methods draw scrutiny The wait of the world P.12 The story on academic wait times at the U of O A snapshot of the new hockey seasons P.14 Where the teams stand...

A textbook student issue P.18 Does course material cost too much?

A close shave P.20 Pontificating on pubic hair

NEWS

NEWS EDITOR

Zainab Al-Mehdar news@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0061 @ zainabalmehdar

U of O Senate raises concerns over bilingualism on campus Town halls to be held regularly in order to improve university rankings Zainab Al-mehdar

news editor

O

n Sept. 18, the University of Ottawa met for the first time during the fall term of the 2017-18 academic year, where members raised concerns over official bilingualism on campus and discussed the current rankings of the university.

The Senate sets educational policies and manages academic issues on campus such as the creation or the discontinuance of a department, faculty, or institute.

The first order of business was electing members for the Senate committees, such as the

executive committee and the undergraduate studies committee.

Following this, U of O president Jacques Frémont said that the U of O ranks high when it comes to research, while its overall reputation is falling.

According to Frémont, reputation is an intangible issue and difficult to quantify, and thus harder to find areas to improve upon, while research can be measured by publications released and the work conducted by students and staff. According to Frémont, the university will be holding monthly town hall meetings in order to listen to student and professor feedback to improve on its overall ranking.

“Students are welcome to come and share their feedback in a productive way, so that we can work with the recommendations brought forward and get some ideas on how the

university can be improved but also how the reputation can be improved,” said Tristan Lamonica, a fourth-year communications student and Faculty of Arts representative on the Senate, who also sits on the undergraduate studies committee.

According to Lamonica, the Senate is “always overlooked, either because (students) are not informed or because it seems a little more tedious and boring than some of the clubs and committees on our campus.”

The meeting also focused heavily on bilingualism at the U of O and improving the experience for the Francophone students on campus. Some examples of creating a better experience included improving the quality of French programs, improving the quality of courses that are offered in French, and increasing the availability

The September Senate meeting saw discussion over the U of O’s bilingualism and rankings.

of French-language classes.

Senate members also raised concerns over monolingual English advertisements on campus, despite the fact that the U of O has a bilingual policy. According to Lamonica, this is due to the fact that the Stu-

dent Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) does not have an official bilingual policy, and so many monolingual ads in the University Centre may be hosted by the federation.

“We are always talking about lobbying the university to do

Photo: Zainab Al-Mehdar.

better—in a lot of respects the SFUO actually has to catch up and do better,” said Lamonica.

The next Senate meeting will take place on Monday, October 23 at 3 p.m. in Tabaret Hall room 083. Meetings are open to the public.

September BOA meeting talks 101 Week, by-elections

Board also addresses continued long academic advisor wait times Eric Davidson editor-in-chief

On Sunday, Sept. 17, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) Board of Administration (BOA) met to discuss items such as the dismissal of former comptroller general Yannick Mugabo, by-elections, and wait times for academic advisors.

ELECTIONS COMMITTEE REPORT The elections committee report started with their recommendation for Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). After having the job posted for three weeks, the committee received only one application from last year’s CEO, Qussai Abu-Naqoos.. The committee found that he met all their criteria except for bilingualism, and recommended he be hired for the post.

The committee has yet to select a Chief Returning Officer, who also helps run the election, as they are waiting to confirm this with the new CEO. Nominations for the by-election will start on Sept. 25, with voting taking place Oct. 17-19. Ballot counting will happen during the day to avoid human error, which was a problem in

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last year’s election.

A motion to accept this report, selecting Abu-Naqoos as CEO, passed.

Rizki Rachiq, vice-president finance for the SFUO, said there will be no online voting for the by-election, but it is an outstanding issue in committees looking to future elections.

EXECUTIVE UPDATE PRESIDENT SFUO president and acting vicepresident social Hadi Wess began his update by discussing 101 Week, calling it a “wild week full of wonderful things.”

Wess said that the events were very safe, seeing the least amount of ambulances called, crediting UOSERT and safety ambassadors, who were implemented this year.

Wess also called for the SFUO selection committee to begin filling its new international student representative seat on the BOA. According to Wess, the delay is only because the position is new, and going forward it will be elected along with the other positions during the February general election.

Wess also said that former SFUO comptroller general Yannick Mugabo, who was recently arrested for sexual

assault, has been dismissed after a board vote. Wess confirmed that the SFUO had given statements to the Ottawa Police on the matter.

During his update, Wess said that the SFUO will shortly begin hosting monthly town hall meetings, where SFUO members will answer student questions in a public forum.

The first of these town halls will take place on Sept. 27 from 2-4 p.m. at the UCU Agora. According to Wess, future town halls would also be held on Wednesdays, though the time of day could change. The meetings will be attended by the SFUO executives, the executive coordinator, business director, the health plan coordinator, and the U-Pass coordinator.

Wess closed his update saying that the SFUO has secured office space on the south side of campus, where they will be posting staff members.

ACADEMIC ADVISOR WAIT TIMES Matthew Boulden, a board representative from the Faculty of Social Sciences, said that students in his faculty continue to face long wait times to see academic advisors, and asked if the SFUO had talked to the university

The BOA met on Sept. 17 to discuss 101 Week and academic advisor wait times.

about increasing the number of academic advisors.

Philippe Garcia-Duchesne, another director from the Faculty of Social Sciences, said that some members of the faculty and fed bodies are trying to meet with the vice-dean of undergraduate studies to discuss this issue.

Wess shared these sentiments, saying that he personally had to wait eight hours while a student at the U of O. Wess said that the federation is willing to provide Boulden and Garcia-

Photo: Eric Davidson.

Duschesne with help in dealing with the administration on the matter.

Faculty of Arts representative Tristan Lamonica said he is talking to members of the university’s Senate and Board of Governors to bring forward a motion on how academic advisors should allocate their time per student, and make other “small improvements” to decrease student wait times.

The next BOA meeting will take place on Sunday October 8 at 1pm. Location has not been decided.

NEWS | 5

U of O prof uses artificial intelligence to track mental illness

Program to track social media for signs of depression, anxiety Menrika Christian Fulcrum contributor

Diana Inkpen, a professor of computer science at the University of Ottawa, is spearheading the development of a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) software designed to detect signs of mental illness online.

This technology uses machine learning algorithms to understand what people think by filtering texts, and examining online data on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to find indicators of mental illness to be later analysed by experts in mental health.

To develop the program, Inkpen is working with a team of other computer scientists, along with psychiatrists, psychologists, master’s students, and her own computer science students. The team has been working on the research for two years now and are planning to have most of

the program developed in the next year. Currently, the team is working to perfect the user experience aspect of the program.

Inkpen believes that people tend to turn towards social media to share their opinions and discuss personal stories, and by monitoring social media, the AI technology will be able to pick up on text or images that denote negative emotions by the user.

According to Kaitlin Keyes, a fourth-year English student at the U of O, “It would be cool if you were looking at a ‘triggering’ hashtags—it would give you an alert and ask you if you are okay. It would be cool if the app itself could help you get better. For example, giving tools to students such as breathing techniques or mental illness resources.”

Although doctors and other mental health experts are needed for the annotating of the data and advising what the pro-

gram should look out for, Inkpen explains that researchers can use hospital records to examine symptoms that the program should currently look out for.

To guarantee the validity and reliability of this program, Inkpen explained that a well-trained program should be able to analyze the language of social media users to deter false statements. The researchers on this program are also working on perfecting this program to not miss out on important cases.

“The more accurate this technology is, the more it will help in our lives,” said Inkpen.

According to Inkpen, in-person mental health services are often full and have lengthy waiting times for parents to see a specialist and voice their concerns about their children’s mental health. Inkpen and her team hopes to be able to prevent and

treat mental illnesses based on early warning signs.

Inkpen also believes that this technology would be effective in terms of cyberbullying detection or

aggressions, based on language use and images. This tool could also help the authorities, by making it possible to guess the location of the people committing such behaviour.

In order to maximize the benefits to students and the university, this tool can also be made accessible by university administration and mental health counselors across campuses.

Diana Inkpen aims to detect early signs of mental illnesses through social media platforms.

Photo: Menrika Christian.

Indigenous activist Eriel Deranger talks climate change

Deranger believes we should all fight to prevent climate change EriC davison

Fulcrum contributor On Sept. 20, the University of Ottawa hosted a discussion with Indigenous activist Eriel Deranger on the impact of climate change on Indigenous communities and how to become an environmental justice advocate.

In addition to her work as a civil rights activist, conservationist, and Indigenous rights leader, Deranger founded Indigenous Climate Action, a group that seeks to train and equip First Nations communities to tackle climate change and threats to their sovereignty.

Deranger hopes to demonstrate that First Nation groups are a vital piece of the puzzle in environmental conservation, saying at the discussion, “Indigenous communities have been at the forefront of the environmental movement, but they are often pushed to the pe-

riphery of the climate justice movement.”

During the discussion, Deranger advised students on environmental issues currently facing Indigenous and other communities globally, while highlighting actionable solutions that students can get involved in. Throughout the event, she stressed the importance of understanding and sympathising with the plight of Canada’s native populations.

“I think there is a lot of value in truth and reconciliation. I think that understanding the rights of Indigenous peoples is a very simple thing that people can do. I’m talking about actually getting down to it and learning the stories of these communities,” said Deranger.

According to Deranger, the best way to improve environmental protection programs is by bringing Indigenous concerns and initiatives to the forefront of the conversation. “Climate

mitigation … often comes with biodiversity and we need to maintain, restore and protect large tracts of biodiversity if we hope to achieve biodiversity,” she said. “But much of that land falls within Indigenous territories. So there are those direct correlations, yet (Indigenous communities) are not directing those programs”.

Second-year geography student Dylan Sherwood, who attended the panel, said, “I’ve never really been turned on to native rights in this country because it never seemed, to me, like it was my fight. But the way we are dealing with climate change clearly isn’t working.”

“I think tonight proved that it is my fight, and it’s everyone’s fight. Because we all breathe the same air,” said Sherwood.

Claudia Petrovski, a thirdyear international architecture student from Carleton University said, “I just al-

The U of O hosted a discussion on climate change and Indigenous communities.

ways felt that the way we approached climate change was really passive. Like you need to use less plastic and use the right shampoo and consume less meat, and I understand that that’s important. But I never felt like

Photo: Courtesy Indigenous Climate Action.

that was a way to make any progress, it just slowed everything down.”

“Eriel is a real activist, though—she showed us that there is so much more we can do,” said Petrovski.

Deranger believes that

6 | NEWS

anyone can make a difference in the world, regardless of their background, and that it all starts with understanding and sympathising with the world’s marginalized voices and communities.

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NEWS | 7

A&C EDITOR Ryan Pepper arts@thefulcrum.ca

ARTS&CULTURE

(613) 695-0062 @pep_ryan

U of O alum writes children’s book on importance of all life

Book features Merble the bumslug finding unique purpose in life Eric Davison

Fulcrum contributor

M

attie Kennedy doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would write a children’s book. Now a family physician, Kennedy began his education at the University of Ottawa in human kinetics before completing a master’s degree in biomechanics and continuing on to attend medical school.

But you don’t need to talk to him long before you recognize his passion for philosophy, art, and the humanities—all essential for a great author.

Kennedy’s first book, Merbles, centres on Merble the Bumslug—

an inept individual, sidelined by his peers in their underground desert society. At the onset of the story Merble is exiled because of scarce resources and his inability to contribute to the group.

With the help of another misfit he discovers his unique ability to turn apricots into life-creating manure. His newfound talents transform their desert into an oasis and Merble is welcomed back in the community.

The book champions the unique talents that everyone has and asks readers to see the inherent value in all life, even in the most marginalized groups in society.

Kennedy drew inspiration from his experiences working with foster children as a family physician and from his own personal religious philosophies.

“In fostering, we see a lot of people who are underprivileged and who nobody has faith in,” Ken-

nedy said. According to Kennedy, Merble mirrors these youth and is mentored by an understanding and patient mother figure.

“But by putting faith in (Merble) through his transformation he ends up saving this community.”

Although the book is aimed at children, Kennedy feels that its lessons can be applied to many of the issues we grapple with as adults. The idea that that certain skill sets are often seen as more worthy or noble than others force learners to compartmentalize and specialize—despite the benefits of a more well rounded education.

“You do have to pick between going into an arts degree or a science degree and I think it’s unfortunate that’s the way it is,” Kennedy explained. “My artistic mind, my humanities side, my awe of the arts was complemented and strengthened when I was learning about the human body.”

Author Mattie Kennedy painting in his personal studio .

Kennedy painted all of the illustrations seen throughout the book in his backyard studio. It’s a hobby that he feels allows him to destress from a highly regimented life as a medical professional.

Photo: CC, Shmoofypoof Creative.

Merbles is having a book launch Oct. 7 a at 65 Denzil Doyle Court, Kanata from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event will have with free food, drink, and childfriendly activities.

ELE Fest coming up short on local artists

Festival moves to pay-to-play contest with little notice Ryan Pepper

Arts & culture editor ELE Fest, a music festival with strong ties to the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, might be hitting big this year with its headliners, but the festival is mired in problems on the local level.

When the local performers application opened, it seemed rather standard, asking for past gigs, estimated crowd size, albums and digital content, among other factors.

“It was a pretty standard application, something you’d see similar to Bluesfest,” said Matt Radich, a fourth-year information management systems student who performs music under the stagename Townes.

Radich applied, but got a surprise a few days later when he received an email from festival organizers saying that the original merit-based application was to be replaced with a pay-to-play contest.

“They wanted you to sell tickets to your friends for the opportunity of you pos-

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ELE Fest runs from Sept. 22–24 and features popular international artists.

sibly playing, which is super shady,” Radich said. “I wasn’t really expecting this from a university-run event.”

Pay-to-play events do occur, but the price of a ticket isn’t usually $100—the price of a three-day pass to ELE Fest—

which makes it hard to sell tickets to friends.

“This was ‘sell tickets to our three-day festival that costs $100,’” Radich said, “I have to sell these tickets for the possibility of playing. I can’t even sell the single-day tickets be-

Photo: Christine Wang.

cause you don’t even know, if you were playing, what day you would be put on.”

There were also problems with the logic behind the timeslots. According to the email sent out by the organizers, one artist who sold

over $500 worth of tickets would get a one-hour time slot to perform, and other bands who sold less would get increasingly-smaller time slots, but it was not obvious if room in the schedule would be made if several bands sold over $500-worth of tickets.

ELE Fest seems to be running into some of the same problems as FEDStock—big acts that might run too high of a cost, while it might have been more cautious to book local acts with one or two international headliners.

“Shows in Ottawa don’t sell well, so they’re spending money … of course they aren’t going to make that back,” Radich said. “They can’t expect to break even with two weeks notice on these shows.”

The financial situation may have driven the idea to have a contest to sell more tickets.

Based on the lineup, the contest seemed to target hiphop artists—a smaller, but strong community in Ottawa, who would have gotten the

chance to push tickets to possibly play with artists like Pusha T or 6lack. The contest format may have also purposefully appealed to new artists who lack the experience and gigs that the original application form asked for.

“The email just got sent to everyone,” Radich said, “If you’re just some guy who wants to play shows for his friends … they probably wouldn’t have filled out the form because I feel it was pretty detailed form about describing your music and describing what you’ve done in Ottawa, so when they sent out the email they said f*ck it to the form.”

The pay-to-play contest— which Radich referred to as a “scam”—was dropped on Thursday in favour of the original application form. That gave artists less than one day to apply.

Most of the local acts are from Toronto and the GTA, and according to some artist’s Facebook pages, many still seemed to be pushing ticket sales as of Wednesday and Thursday.

ARTS & CULTURE | 9

ELE Fest begins with electronic night U of O draws major acts for rave on campus ryan pepper

arts & culture editor The 2017 Everybody Loves Everybody (ELE) Festival started Friday, Sept. 22 with an electronic night featuring international DJs Jax Jason, Baauer, and Tritonal, and local artist DJ Khaos.

The day began with opening act Khaos, playing to a small crowd that continued to trickle in as her energetic set went on.

Being stuck with the opening slot—while the sun is still up—isn’t something a lot of DJs want, but Khaos took it in stride, pumping up the crowd for the acts to follow.

“It’s still a great experience because I get to build the vibe for other artists, which is still a challenge in itself,” Khaos said.

“Bringing people to the stage is just as fun.”

Ottawa might not seem to have a big electronic scene, but there is a group of dedicated artists who make the city their base. The scene is continuing to grow, with one of the biggest DJ acts lately—A Tribe Called Red— hailing from Ottawa.

“The electronic scene here versus other cities is still very young, but when big artists come, they do have a big fanbase,” Khaos said.

As the only Ottawa-based DJ on the stage, Khaos admitted she would have liked to have seen other local artists. She listed local DJs like W.A.V. as evidence that Ottawa’s electronic scene is

10 | ARTS & CULTURE

strong and growing, and while it’s still so young, it’s hard to tell how the city will grow its scene.

“There’s so many talented people,” Khaos said. “The Ottawa DJ scene for local DJs is super supportive of each other, so it would have been nice to have seen more out.”

The crowd’s intensity made up for its small size as the night wore on, with the excitement swelling in intensity as Jones took the stage. His house music filled the outdoor dancefloor as people clumped closer to the stage cheering for more when it was done.

American producer Baauer followed Jones. He changed things up with a trap-heavy show, much to the delight of the audience, who—if it didn’t grow much in size—grew in enthusiasm. The crowd went wild when he played favourites like his version of “Harlem Shake,” and other popular hip-hop tunes set to trap rhythms.

Tritonal ended the night with a set that was softer than Baauer’s, offering a strong end to the night. Crowd size fluctuated throughout the concert, hinting that maybe Baauer would have been a more powerful headliner.

ELE’s first night of electronic music drew passionate crowds.

The festival continued with headliners Pusha T on Saturday for hip-hop day and Jazz Cartier and Chet Faker closing off the festival on Sunday. Coverage continues online.

American DJ Baauer gets the crowd dancing.

Photos: Parker Townes.

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Students on Ice and Parks Canada bring poles together

U of O student Sara Dubé talks experience in the Arctic, getting involved Sara Hélène Dubé Fulcrum contributor

The North—what do you know about it? Maybe you’ve been there before?

Perhaps you’re studying it?

Or, like me before this summer, maybe you don’t know more about it than what you’ve learned in school and occasionally in the news.

Fortunately, you don’t need to be an expert on the North to be a member of Parks Canada’s Northern Engagement Team or to go on an expedition with Students on Ice. You only need to love learning, and be willing to share what you’ve learned. The more you learn, the more you’re able to share the North with others, and the more you keep learning.

I spent the summer of 2017 learning about and discussing climate change, northern ecosystems, Inuit culture, and life in the far North. It’s a dynamic part of Canada, rich in nature,

culture, and history, and my team and I worked to convey that through educational presentations and activities that highlighted Parks Canada’s northern protected places, as well as the Inuit culture surrounding them.

My favorite moments were sharing Inuit legends with one of my northern colleagues at Inspiration Village in Ottawa, and the giant “Jenga” that we played at the Canadian Museum of Nature to demonstrate the fragility of Arctic food chains, in which each block represented an animal or element supporting the northern food chain.

When the game fell, it was reconstructed by discussing the essential role of each element for the stability of the food chain, especially now that the climate at the poles is changing faster than anywhere else.

Sharing myths and stories brought the North and the South closer together. It

was moving to see visitors immersed in the Inuit world for a story and then reflecting on the role that stories have in their own cultures.

Often, the stories also opened the door to a discussion about history and modern life in the North.

GOING NORTH The highlight of my summer was visiting the Arctic with Students on Ice (SOI).

My team and I sailed from Resolute Bay, Nunavut, to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, passing through Sirmilik National Park on Baffin Island in Nunavut, and stopping in communities such as Pond Inlet in Nunavut and Uummannaq in Greenland to better understand the environmental and social challenges that communities in the North face. Since it was summer, the weather was similar to spring in Ottawa. We saw both ice on the water and flowers on the tundra!

Through workshops with

Dubé went to the Far North with group Students on Ice.

experts and elders, excursions, and participation in traditional Inuit activities, we increased our understanding of the ecology of the Arctic and the existing social dynamics.

What I hold on to most from the expedition is how important it is to come together to reconcile our past and create a fairer future.

Photo: Courtesy Sara Hélène Dubé.

Knowledge and ideas were shared between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, youth and elders, and people from around the world, all of whom felt strongly about protecting the land and caring for one another.

Now, we share what we learned through media, social networks, and at public events in our respective

regions to better equip us to solve the challenged the world faces.

Information and applications can be found on Parks Canada’s Northern Engagement Team website and Students on Ice website. You can also follow Parks Canada on Facebook at Parks Life for the latest news and employment opportunities.

Lido Pimienta wins 2017 Polaris Prize

Gala featured performances from 10 shortlisted nominees Ryan pepper

Arts & Culture Editor The 2017 Polaris Prize, held on Sept. 18, featured electrifying performances by the 10 shortlisted nominees, ending with Colombian-Canadian artist Lido Pimienta winning the biggest award in Canadian music.

The annual Polaris Prize Gala gives an award to one Canadian album as the best of the year, chosen from a shortlist created by a jury of 196 journalists, academics, radio hosts, and business insiders.

The selection process leads the Polaris Prize to typically reward less mainstream artists, such as Tanya Tagaq, who won in 2014, or Godspeed You! Black Emperor in 2013.

This year was no exception, with Lido Pimienta’s La Papessa taking the top honour.

The award also doesn’t shy away from politics. The night featured highly politicized performances from Tagaq and Pimienta, who tackled

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white supremacy and the racism her and her mother experienced when they arrived in Canada in her performance and acceptance speech.

“I hope that the Aryan specimen who told me to go back to my country two weeks after arriving in London, Ontario, Canada is watching this,” Pimienta said.

Tagaq put on the most haunting and overtly-politicized set of the night with a performance of her environmentalist, pro-Indigenous creed “Retribution” and her blood-chilling cover of Nirvana’s “Rape Me,” which featured, in addition to her otherworldly throat-singing, a woman in war paint stalking menacingly around the room, and a dozen women in red dresses standing silently in the audience to represent missing and murdered Indigenous women.

Polaris Prize-winner Lido Pimiento performed her 9-minute electronic track “La

Capacidad,” which targets white male supremacy and the feelings of fear many women of colour feel everyday. Most of the song—like most of the album—is in Spanish, but she switched to English to deliver the devastating lyrics “I’m just a stupid woman/ Indigenous woman, black woman, brown woman/ I’m just so scared of you man/ Because if I go missing I’ll disappear.” Even more impressive is that she performed without playback monitors due to a glaring sound tech issue.

The other performances of the night were significantly less political. Acadian “trash folk” singer and banjoist Lisa LeBlanc kicked off the night with the upbeat French-language “Ti-Gar” and the English-language “5748 km,” an endearing cross-country love song from her Polaris-nominated album Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen?

University of Ottawa

Lido Pimienta’s La Papessa won the Polaris Prize.

alum Leif Vollebekk took the stage later in the evening to perform his emotive, minimalistic “Elegy.” It offered a bit of quietness after the sonic and visual barrage of Tagaq’s performance. His third album, Twin Solitude was nominated.

Weaves was nominated on the strength of their debut album, and they showed why they deserved the shortlist spot with their performances of “Scream”—featuring

Photo: CC, Cinemantique.

Tagaq—and “One More.”

Also nominated were modern-jazz quartet BadBadNotGood for IV, Feist for Pleasure, the heavily-predicted-to-win Indigenous DJ collective A Tribe Called Red for We Are the Halluci Nation, and Canadian icons Leonard Cohen and Gord Downie for their beloved albums You Want It Darker and The Secret Path, respectively. The Secret Path recounts the story of Charlie Wenjack, who died

trying to walk home from a residential school in the 1940s. Downie has made reconciliation is life’s work as he battles brain cancer, and he was honoured by the Assembly of First Nations last year for his advocacy.

The winner of the Polaris Prize is presented with a $50,000 cheque.

The shortlisted artists each receive $3,000, making it the most generous music prize in Canada.

ARTS & CULTURE | 11

U of O students demand better from academic services The holes in our academic support system, and how the university can do better The state of affairs at academic services at the University of Ottawa is well-known to many current and former students as inefficient and ineffective.

For years students have lamented the difficulty they’ve had accessing acceptable, timely services at the university. In fact, attempts at gaining access to an academic advisor either by appointment or over the phone are often met with apologetic looks and “good luck” pats on the back by fellow students.

An open Facebook poll regarding satisfaction with wait times at the U of O’s academic services garnered over 100 responses in only a few days, with the vast majority of students expressing dissatisfaction with wait times.

But where exactly have they gone so wrong? I spoke with over a dozen current and former U of O students about their experiences with academic services, in hopes of identifying the problems, as well as the solutions we need to consider.

THE GLARING ISSUES Many U of O students reported waiting hours on end for simple tasks such as requesting to receive a diploma or to increase their course load.

One of these students, U of O graduate Jake Harris spent several days calling the academic services office, and was finally told he should come in person to retrieve his document when it was ready.

“Two weeks later when it was ready I went to the office at 9 a.m. but the line was so long I figured I might miss the whole day of work. Eventually I took an afternoon off to go and pick it up,” he recalls. “When I got in they told me they could have mailed it to me.”

Students with minor course fixes and those with an acceptable GPA looking to add an additional course told the Fulcrum that they were forced to wait for hours before seeing an advisor who manually inputted the go-ahead.

When asked if a better organized website could streamline common requests, students who spoke

Raghad Khalil Fulcrum president

Illustration: Christine Wang.

to the Fulcrum were in agreement that this approach would be much more efficient. In fact, according to U of O alumnus and current University of Toronto student Storm Davis, many simple tasks that currently require a meeting with an advisor could be automated.

“This would have given students the ability to check which ticket is being served online on their phones (or) laptops rather than physically needing to wait in the waiting area, and the waiting area would be clear if students could spend their time elsewhere.”

For example, Davis believes that “they could automate course overload so that if you have the cumulative GPA to qualify for 6 courses you can just enroll.”

The idea was never implemented. Past contest winners included getting a room for music “jam” sessions, and decreasing the price of double sided printing.

He says the transition to a more online system would save students from unnecessary waits, but must also come with instruction for it to be effective. “Student Centre came out last year and not a single student was taught how to use it,” he notes.

But the hurdles don’t end in the waiting room— students looking to speak to an academic assistant over the phone know the drill. They will have prepared themselves to wait for hours on end listening to irritating music repeat itself, and a standardized message apologizing for the delay.

These changes combined would likely have decreased the number of students looking to book a appointment regarding information that could have been more easily accessed online.

As well, any student who has paid the Faculty of Social Sciences’ academic services office a visit will be familiar with the ticket system to see an advisor.

Although regular office hours run from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., several students verified that tickets regularly become unavailable by 10 a.m., especially during peak registration and exam periods. Getting through to an advisor during these crucial times is unfortunately the most difficult. No appointments are taken during these weeks, and wait times go on for hours.

Michelle Tam, a fourth-year economics and communications student, says the ticket system stopped her from going on an international exchange.

“I wanted to go on exchange, but it was almost impossible to see an academic advisor,” she said.

“Every time I went the lines would be too long, no tickets (were) available to talk (to) anyone.”

Tasnim Ahmed, a recent U of O alum, used the university’s Good Ideas contest to propose that faculties post ticket numbers being served onto their websites.

Lhori Webster, a fourth-year political science student, described her wait time to receive documents, saying that she was usually on hold for two hours a day before getting through to anyone.

“I would phone right before the office opened at 8:58 a.m. to know that I would get through. On a good day, it would take 15 minutes, on the worst day it was about three and a half hours.”

On several occasions, however, students have even been left on hold until the office closes without speaking to anyone. “If I phoned later on in the day, the backlog was (so) long that they would close the phones early, even before 3 p.m.,” she explains.

“We recognize the delay with the University of Ottawa. We’re familiar with it.” This was the message given to Webster by a reputable international university waiting on documents to confirm her international exchange.

The reason for the delay? Miscommunication, she speculates.

Most students will need to deal with multiple offices at the university during their degree. This can include the Office of the Registrar, Academic Services, the Co-op Office, and the International Office.

According to Webster, there seems to be very

little communication between these offices about the state of a student’s file, as well as a lack of accountability on the part of academic advisors.

“Nobody owns the files when they speak to students.

Four different people had access to my file, but nobody stayed on it,” she recalls. “Every time somebody picked it up, they interpreted it differently.”

This lack of internal and external accountability can lead to conflicting messages given to students and can result in repeat visits to the office, and may even delay graduation for students forced to take an additional semester for requirements they thought they had fulfilled.

“My biggest complaint about the (faculty) is the lack of accommodation for students working full time,” says fourth-year International Studies and Modern Languages student Philippe Lavoie. Other co-op and working students I spoke to were unanimous: accommodation for working students at Academic Services is sub-par at best.

Students working within the National Capital Region found it very difficult to make time to see an academic advisor within their working hours. Given the long wait times after receiving a ticket, many students resorted to taking a day off of work in order to see an advisor.

For co-op students, this means a full day without compensation since co-op students are not given any paid time off.

For students working outside of the downtown area, the options are much more limited. Unable to come in person, students must resort to the phone lines to receive any answers to their questions. However, some faculties close their phone lines for lunch break from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. For many co-op students, lunch is the only time they can call in to the office.

After calling into the office repeatedly, Webster was told by an academic advisor that the Social Sciences Academic Office had received cuts to funding and were down to only three academic advisors working at a time last year. A task that should have only taken a few hours at most to complete took up several weeks of her time due to the large backlog faced by advisors.

A curious exception is the Telfer School of Management. While business students had certain complaints, they reported much shorter wait times and streamlined services as compared to the rest of the undergraduate faculties at the university.

Karim Bitar, a recent Telfer accounting graduate who began his degree in mechanical engineering, described his experience with academic services as generally positive.

“I went into the office fairly often, but the longest I would wait in line was about 20 minutes… At Telfer there was a high demand for appointments so it seemed like they compensated by adding more staff to deal with the larger number of requests.”

WHAT ARE OTHER SCHOOLS DOING RIGHT? A number of students at other Canadian universities, including former U of O students who transferred to other Canadian schools, offered some insight on differences in academic services at their universities.

Just across town, Carleton University offers separate offices for course selection and degree planning.

Additionally, wait times for in-person and online communication at Carleton are much shorter.

Christina Ganotakis, a former U of O student who transferred to Carleton, says that the school has separate academic advisors and student success offices which offer students two avenues for course and degree mapping.

For an undergraduate body of over 9,000 students, it is not humanly possible for two operators to field incoming calls from every student. This system is made to fail.

The positive takeaway from these discussions is that most students have a generally good experience talking with academic advisors—the problem is they so rarely get through to one.

An obvious solution to most of these problems is simply to increase staffing in academic offices. As well, increasing communication between partner offices and assigning students to specific advisors could turn these issues around.

“There has always been an open office for academic advisors, and I’ve been serviced within 10 minutes when needing to switch courses or map out a semester,” she says.

Allocating a number of advisors to different program areas would mean that students follow up with the same advisors every time. No information would be lost by passing on students to completely different people, and time would be saved, because advisors would already be familiar with their student’s files.

“The student success office offers students the ability to sit with someone and discuss their degree and the courses they need to take (and) alternative courses for a prerequisite. Again, only had to wait 10 minutes.”

In addition, office hours should be reflective of the student body. If a large percentage of the student body is working, perhaps opening the office up to appointments outside of business hours is necessary.

Although it is a larger school, the University of Toronto increases staffing during peak periods so that wait times are never too long. Staffing measures include hiring undergraduate students, who cost a fraction of what a full-time advisor would cost, yet are also very knowledgeable.

Increasing communication between partner offices seems long overdue, and assigning students to specific advisors could be a step towards a solution. Allocating a number of advisors to different program areas would mean that students follow up with the same advisors every time. No information would be lost by passing on students to completely different people, and time would be saved because advisors would already be familiar with their student’s files.

“At U of T, the office was fully staffed at peak months, and they also streamlined students taking up time and the phone system,” Davis says. “The maximum you ever waited was 30 minutes because they maximized informing students about how to do things themselves.

They also had a couple offices for bigger undergraduate (departments).”

The U of T’s media relations did not respond to requests from the Fulcrum for confirmation of Davis’ observations.

In stark contrast with the U of O, Queen’s University sets up regular appointments with their students to follow up with student’s progression throughout their university career.

Reem Khalil, a third-year student at Queen’s University, says her experience with the academic office is always positive. “They take a more proactive approach by setting up regular appointments for students, so problems are usually addressed before they become serious.”

WHAT IMPROVEMENTS CAN WE MAKE ON OUR CAMPUS? When asked by the Fulcrum, one academic assistant was able to verify some numbers at the social sciences office. On average, there are five advisors taking appointments at a time, two advisors at the front desk, and two advisors taking phone calls.

Finally, an online reservation system for appointments, like the one used for booking doctor’s appointments at the U of O’s Health Services, could also save students hours of waiting fruitlessly for their number to be called.

The U of O’s media relations did not provide a comment on the feasibility of these solutions by the time of this publication.

LOOKING FORWARD Although many students I spoke to had a long list of grievances aimed at their respective academic office, the vast majority of students said that they would still recommend the University of Ottawa despite these concerns.

Says Lavoie, “I think the U of O has a lot to offer, and I wish I didn’t have to bookend my recommendations with warnings about… poor accessibility of academic services.”

Universities seeking to gain a competitive advantage over others should perhaps consider this novel idea as a factor: the student experience. It may not be a factor represented in the annual global university rankings, however it is a factor they must consider if they want students to continue to enroll at the university.

SPORTS

SPORTS EDITOR Nico Laliberté sports@thefulcrum.ca @nico_laliberte @FulcrumSports

Varsity catch-up: Gees going strong at halfway point Soccer and rugby teams both rank top five in the country

T

he University of Ottawa women’s soccer team is off to a roaring start this year, with 5–1–1 record lifting the Gees to second in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East standings.

The impressive numbers don’t stop there—the team is tied for tops in the East in goals for, while allowing the fewest goals against.

WOMEN’S SOCCER The team has a heavy veteran presence, with many players returning from last year, and while they have been playing well, the team can’t afford to get complacent. Last year they got off to an even more blistering start, racking up nine straight wins at the start of the season, but the goals started to vanish in the final games, and the Gees made a disappointingly early exit from the playoffs, losing in the quarterfinals.

Thus far, the Gees have been putting up strong offensive numbers, largely thanks to backto-back 6-0 blowouts against Ryerson University and the Royal Military College (RMC).

They key for the Gees will be maintaining a more consistent offence, as some games featured a single goal or none at all by the Garnet and Grey.

The Gees will continue to look to offensive talents like second-year striker Emma Lefebvre, who accounted for five goals and an assist through seven games, and third-year midfielder Katherine Bearne, who has four goals, including two game-winners.

To maintain the brick wall that has only allowed four goals in seven games, the team will continue to need strong performances from goaltenders Margot Shore and JulieAnne Lamarche.

—Eric Davidson, Editor-in-chief

WOMEN’S RUGBY The women’s rugby team bounced back from a loss in their first game with two wins against Concordia and Montréal. It’s still very early in the season, but right now the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) is wide-open, with four teams tied for second entering this past weekend’s games.

The Gees have been led offensively by fifth-year center Emma Sandstrom, who has 22 points off of seven conversions and a try. Fifth-year second row Breanna Phillipps leads the team with three tries, and is second behind Sandstrom with 15 points.

The Gees’ offence has been off to a slow start compared to their RSEQ counterparts, with their 82 points for ranking sixth out of eight teams in the conference.

They’ve fared better on defence, with their 50 points against ranked third in the conference.

The Gees are still in the thick of it early on, but it’s a tight conference, and there’s still plenty of time for the three-time RSEQ champions to pull away from the pack.

—Nico Laliberté, Sports Editor MEN’S FOOTBALL With last week’s 24–7 loss to McMaster, the Gee-Gees now sit on the outside looking in regarding the nationally ranked teams.

The Gees are coming off a game against Windsor and are gearing up for next weekend’s much anticipated Panda Game.

The U of O will need to improve on their offensive effectiveness, as entering this weekend they had been limited to only one offensive touchdown all season. Fifthyear kicker Lewis Ward has been busy, converting the second most field goals in the conference.

The fact that the Gee-Gees still have a winning record is largely due to their defense,

who have stood tall on many occasions, picking off the most balls in the league with seven interceptions. The Gees also have the second most sacks in the league with 17.

Not to be overlooked in the Gees’ defensive struggles is the fact that fifth-year starting quarterback Victor Twynstra has been injured for a good part of the season, forcing first-year quarterback Alex Lavric to play most of the snaps.

Going forward, the Gees will have to focus on their offensive game, both in the air and on the ground. They will have to convert touchdowns instead of field goals going forward if they want to be a contender in the Ontario University Athletics and nationally.

—Zack Goobie, Associate Sports Editor CROSS COUNTRY On Sept. 16 the Gees cross country team competed in their first event of the year, the McGill invitational.

Both the men’s and women’s teams excelled in their respective events.

Both groups captured a sixthoverall team finish out of over 30 competing schools.

The men’s team had five finishers place 51st or better out of over 300 runners.

Their best finish came from second-year Ziyad El Hankouri, who finished 22nd with a time of 20:54 in the 6k race.

The women’s team had the best Gee-Gees finish of the day; first-year Keili Sheppard finished 14th in the women’s 4k race with a time of 15:43. The Gees had five top 50 finishers out of almost 300 runners.

The Gee-Gees cross country team will return to action for the Rouge et Or Invitational on Oct. 7, and then participate in the Capital Cross Country Challenge here in Ottawa on Oct. 14.

—Nico Laliberté, Sports Editor

Photo: Kim Wiens.

Photo: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.

The Gee-Gees varsity teams are off to good starts this year.

14 | SPORTS

Photo: Remi Yuan.

THEFULCRUM.CA

THE BOXSCORE: RED HOT RUGBY SOCCER 6-1-1

FOOTBALL 4-1

RUGBY 3-1

Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017 Gee-Gees 3

Satruday, sept. 23, 2017 Gee-Gees 39

Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 Gee-Gees 27

at

vs

AT

Ryerson

1

Windsor

14

Montréal

12

sunday, Sept. 24, 2017 Gee-Gees TBD

Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 Gee-Gees TBD

Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017 Gee-Gees 116

at

vs

vs

Toronto

tbd

carletoN

tbd

McGill

0

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

Exciting transfers, recruits make for exciting season to come Women’s hockey team gets ready for new season with 11 new faces Zack Goobie

associate sports editor The University of Ottawa Women’s hockey program will look to build on their last season in the Réseau de Sports Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), where they finished fourth place in regular season play, and lost in the first round to McGill.

The Gees fell just below .500 going 9–10–1 in regular season play. They lost to the eventual U Sports runnerup in the McGill Martlets, who themselves fell in double overtime to the University of Alberta in the U Sports finals.

The program is boosting 11 new recruits on their team this year. Head coach Yanick Evola likes what he’s seen so far.

“Eleven new faces in the team this year, we’re really impressed with the level of play from our recruits,” said Evola. “Since day one, everybody has given good

The Gee-Gees women’s hockey team is getting set for the new season.

contributions so far.”

The Gee-Gees have two NCAA transfers joining the roster for this year, and Evola is hoping they can have an immediate impact both on and off the ice.

“We have Alyssa Macmillan from North Dakota and Cassidy Herman from the University of Maine, so these are real good quality players. These two players might have a little more

Photo: Kyle Darbyson.

experience, so as far as leadership they’ll make a difference,” said Evola.

Fifth-year defender Bryanna Neuwald and thirdyear forward Mélodie Bouchard participated in

Hockey Canada’s summer showcase, and as returning players they will be counted on to produce at high levels again this year.

“They are two big leaders in our team, for our program. It’s great that we have some players that are representing our team and our university at these levels,” said Evola. “They bring back some very valuable experience, and come back bigger and better, and they will continue to play big roles for us.”

The Gee-Gees took their first pre-season game 5–4 in a shootout over the Brock Badgers. With so many new players, getting a good win— even in exhibition play—can lead to good things moving forward.

“We saw a lot of good things. One of the things we saw was that Bouchard and Sara Lachance were matched together and produced two big goals for us,” said Evola.

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Sara Lachance is an excellent recruit who played for L’Université de Montréal and professionally for Les Canadiennes de Montréal in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

While it’s still early on, Bouchard and Lachance could be lethal on the offensive end as they have already shown extreme poise and chemistry together.

With so many new players, the Gee-Gees will have some growing to do early in the year. But with the right combination of veterans, recruits, and transfers, they have the potential to compete with the perennial powerhouses in the RSEQ, McGill and Université de Montréal.

The Gees’ regular-season home opener is on Saturday Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. at the Minto Sports Complex. Tickets can be purchased from the GeeGees’ website.

SPORTS | 15

New recruits, more experience will benefit Gees going forward

Men’s hockey team will look to build on a great inaugural season Zack Goobie

associate sports editor The University of Ottawa men’s hockey team is heading into its second year since the re-establishment of their hockey program. The Gee-Gees finished last season with a 15– 8–5 record—going 7–3–0 to end their regular season— before falling to Queen’s University in a three-game playoff thriller.

Coach Patrick Grandmaitre’s squad definitely turned some heads in their first season, and expectations are much higher this year with a solid recruiting class coming in.

The Garnet and Grey’s biggest recruit is Eric Locke, a transfer from St. Francis Xavier University.

Locke, a forward, is bringing his talents on the ice and in the classroom, as he will be pursuing a medical degree. In a testament to how highly the Gee-Gees

think of him, the skilled forward will wear the “C” as he did for StFX. The two-time Atlantic University Sport (AUS) champion and AUS MVP is a former Buffalo Sabres draft pick.

Second-year defenseman Mike Poirier offered his thoughts on what a player like Locke brings to the team.

“We know that (Locke) has a good background. He has played well in the AUS previously, and having a guy like that is definitely huge on the ice and in the locker-room.”

The Gees will also be adding junior talent with Pat White, Samuel Thibault, Jonathan Bourcier, and Médric Mercier.

Adding Canadian Hockey League-caliber players should provide a major boost to the Gee-Gees program as they continue to build.

The Gee-Gees will be

Men’s hockey team will be expected to take the next step.

moving into a tougher division that will see them playing against Concordia, McGill, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, and Carleton. “Those teams are tough programs to play against,” said Poirier. “We’ll

Photo: Marta Kierkus.

take it game by game, try to stay consistent, and play 60 minutes.”

During training camp and the early pre-season the Gee-Gees have been working on their systems and special teams. Poirier

said an emphasis on sticking to their system should keep the Gees competitive throughout the season.

“We’re (a) systematically sound team. In all three zones we’re well structured. Coach (Grandmai-

tre) wants us to play a certain way, and as long as we listen to the game plan that he draws up for us we should be in most games.”

With so many freshmen gaining crucial experience last year, the Gees will look to make a big splash in their division playing against veteran, successful programs such as McGill and UQTR. In pre-season play the Gees have gone undefeated entering this past weekend, defeating two Ontario University Athletics rivals, the Nipissing Lakers and the Laurentian Voyageurs. On Friday the Gees took on the Belleville Senators. It was first ever game for the newly-moved Sens farm team.

The Gees’ regular-season home opener is on Sunday Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Minto Sports Complex. Tickets can be purchased from the Gee-Gees’ website.

Gees join in Concussion Legacy Foundation’s Team Up Speak Up day

Coaches and athletes pledge to speak up for fellow athletes with concussions Nico Laliberté sports editor

On Sept. 12 the Gee-Gees participated in Team Up Speak Up Day, an initiative started by the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF).

According to their website, the CLF is “dedicated to advancing the study, treatment and prevention of the effects of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups.”

The purpose of Team Up Speak Up, according to CLF is to ask “coaches, captains and medical teams to give a speech to their athletes stressing that a good teammate looks out for concussions in their teammates and has a responsibility to speak up to a coach or athletic trainer if they suspect their teammate has a concussion.”

Throughout the day, numerous Gee-Gees athletes and coaches pledged in videos posted to Twitter to speak up if they should see a fellow student-athlete

If not dealt with, concussions can have devastating effects on athletes.

suffering from concussion symptoms.

Gee-Gees head athletic therapist Jill Stockton said an event like Team Up Speak Up is important for developing trust between athletes, coaches, and medical staff.

“It’s important for the Gee-Gees to be involved to

know that their safety is being looked after, but also to know that their teammates—whether that be on their team or just their fellow athletes—that they are looking out for each other,” said Stockton.

When asked how often she has to deal with con-

Photo: Parker Townes.

cussions among studentathletes, Stockton didn’t hesitate.

“Weekly. It’s a very common occurrence in sport, unfortunately. Because of initiatives like this and other initiatives it’s becoming more known and people are feeling more comfortable to

speak up and tell us something’s happening.”

Stockton explained that the difficulty in addressing concussions is the lack of a medical test that can 100 per cent conclude the presence of a concussion.

“If you tear your ACL I can do a test that can tell ‘oh, ligament’s not there anymore,’” said Stockton. “But with your head I have to go off a lot of what you say and how you’re feeling and there are obviously some very telling signs of concussion when you see them happening but there are some that you don’t know until the athlete can confide in you.”

The University of Ottawa has a strict concussion protocol. Stockton explained that if they see even one mechanism for injury—such as a hit to the head—and one symptom, they immediately remove the athlete from the game.

“As soon as that happens they’re removed and assessed on the sideline by a certified therapist, the stu-

16 | SPORTS

dent therapist, or the doctor at the game,” said Stockton.

“As soon as they’re removed they’re not allowed to return, and the minimum amount of time from initial impact to returning to a game is eight days.”

An initiative like Team Up Speak Up is a great way for the U of O to help raise awareness of concussions.

Concussions are a dangerous health risk to athletes, and it’s important that when an athlete suffers a concussion, they are able to get help right away.

“I just encourage any athlete who’s having symptoms not to hide their symptoms and to tell us, because we have the tools to be able help them make it through that,” said Stockton. “And when symptoms are hidden, in sport, it delays their return. It delays the whole process. So the best thing for them is to tell us right away so we can get on top of it and we can help them feel better quicker, because that’s our job.”

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OPINIONS

OPINIONS EDITOR David Campion-Smith

opinions@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062 @davidcs96

Point/Counterpoint: To ban or not to ban?

The national ban on trans fats will come into effect on September 15, 2018. Trans fats are typically added to foods to increase their shelf life, and can have various negative side effects.

BAN ON TRANS FAT WON’T ACCOMPLISH MUCH

Trans fats can come in small doses in foods like beef and lamb, however, they can also be synthetically produced. Synthetic trans fats are used to increase the shelf life and taste of products like baked goods and cooking oils. This temporary enhancement of the taste has some negative impacts on the health of our community, so the government’s trans fat ban is a welcome approach to public health.

An abundance of trans fat can have many negative side effects on a person’s health—raising cholesterol, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Implementing a ban on the use of trans fats will reduce the burden these effects have on our healthcare system, and make for a healthier society.

If, after seeing the disadvantages of trans fats, you see this as the government trying to take away your freedom to choose what you eat, consider examples of other consumption limits—the ban on smoking in public and the legal blood alcohol concentration in

It comes as no surprise that the newest legislative foray into Canadians’ diets is an enormous blunder, considering the long and greasy history of fat politics.

Beginning in the early 20th century, saturated fats, found in highest concentrations in animal products and some vegetable oils, were found to negatively impact coronary health. Organizations with “your best interests at heart,” recommended replacing saturated fats with trans fats, and technology graciously came to the rescue by hydrogenating vegetable oil. Through this fancy process, commercial trans fats were born.

These highly-processed fats were great for improving the shelf life of granola bars or making crackers a better shade of grease, but weren’t great for humans, whose bodies couldn’t handle these Frankenlipids. In large part, trans fats gave birth to processed food as we know it today—food items from Oreos to Big Macs were all made possible by this new, cheap, resilient, and poisonous oil.

It is no mistake to attribute to the rise of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), with the razing of the rainforest for palm plantations or the enormous CO2 output that results from manufacturing plastic food wrappers and then shipping them to the other side of the world. The environmental side effects are just as damaging as the personal health side effects.

Obviously, PHOs are bad so this ban is good, right?

While the health benefits of the issue are hard to dispute, this trans fat ban misses the mark completely Other than giving the government some good publicity, it will have no consequence beyond annoying corporate food producers.

This is because the ban does absolutely nothing to address the legacy of the government’s last big campaign against fat. This campaign demonized saturated fats and had Canadians replace butter, an easily and locally produced product, whose unhealthiness has since been debunked, with neverrancid, imported PHOs that transformed how Canadians conceive of food, turning it into an always fresh, over-processed, shiny consumer product to be plucked from a shelf without a thought to its origins or content.

What makes this ban so irrelevant is that this mode of food production is now a staple of the Canadian diet and the Canadian economy. This transfat ban won’t encourage corporations to produce their food with simpler, healthier forms of fat. Ever since PHO’s were found to be exponentially worse than saturated fats, companies have been switching to new kinds of processed vegetable oils such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which come with a host of new health issues that are only just beginning to be unearthed.

Until the Canadian government shows a clear and serious commitment to providing Canadians with actual healthy food, bans such as the PHO ban should be seen as nothing more than publicity stunts. Canadians should support unprocessed, non-corporate, healthy fats, lest we repeat the mistakes that gave us PHOs.

Canada were both instituted to improve the health and safety of Canadians.

Will banning trans fats be effective? Canadian history says yes.

Nearly 30 years ago, Canada had some of the largest trans fat consumption rates in the world. In the 2000s, labelling requirements and the implementation of a maximum level of trans fats helped to lower consumption rates. There is still room for improvement and implementing a ban will ensure Canadians’ intake of trans fats will be even lower.

This new ban is really about preventing companies from introducing extra, unwanted chemicals into your favourite foods. Manufacturers that disagree with these new regulations are less likely to be interested in your health and most likely interested in making money since trans fats are used to extend the shelf life of their products. Risking our population’s health in favour of economic gains is not very appetizing.

In the end, it depends where your priorities lie: with a small manufacturing limitation or a much greater increase in nutritious lifestyle choices? Choose wisely.

POINT

“An abundance of trans fat can have many negative side effects on a person’s health—raising cholesterol, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.”

COUNTERPOINT

THE TRANS FAT BAN IS EFFECTIVE HEALTH POLICY

— Claire Bernard, Fulcrum Contributor.

THEFULCRUM.CA

—Everett Ekehew, Fulcrum Contributor.

OPINIONS | 17

Students are paying too much for textbooks Backup measures shouldn’t be the go to to avoid high costs Peter Weatherley fulcrum contributor

In the digital age, when most of us are taking laptops to class through which we have immediate access to vast virtual libraries of often free online resources, we have to ask: Are we paying too much for textbooks?

Now, before I go much further, I feel it’s worth pointing out that, I’m from the United Kingdom, where very few students actually end up buying textbooks, and when they do, they don’t have to pay a penny out of their pocket. Confronted with the list of textbooks I’d be needing for my classes this year, I feel like one of the Weasley brothers.

The average class requires students to own and/ or have permanent access to anywhere between one

to three core books, never mind all the external reading material. For a student studying in five classes per semester, the maximum amount you pay could run into hundreds of dollars per semester.

“For a student studying in five classes per semester, the maximum amount you pay could go well into the thousands.”

Most students get around these high prices by snatching up older copies of their books, or getting copies used by others. Plenty of text-

books you’ll see in class aren’t firsthand, or even second- or third hand, and that’s something else that’s down to the digital age.

The internet makes easilyaccessible textbook exchanges easy to use, and if you’ve never made use of one of them yourself, you’d be surprised at the sheer volume of books changing hands. But students shouldn’t be forced to make use of these tools just to avoid paying hundreds of dollars.

It isn’t rocket science that in order to cherry-pick the relevant citations in context, you need to know the content of your books well.

However, that still doesn’t allow for ignorance of the fact that most students, once a given book is read and references extracted, often don’t have any need of it again. So why have

Costs for textbooks can run hundreds of dollars per semester.

we accepted that we’ll pay such a high price for something that’s only useful for a semester?

Should we cap the price of textbooks? I’ll let you

be the judge, but the next time you’re down at the bookstore and you take a look at the eye-watering price tag, perhaps you might just want to check

Photo: CC, Public Domain Pictures.

if someone’s just finished your course and wants to do a deal first. I certainly know I’d much I’d rather do that than be paying at least $100 per copy!

Pronouncing students’ names properly is important If professors take attendance they should get names right Perushka Gopalkista fulcrum contributor

Have you ever dreaded your name being called off a list because you knew it would be mispronounced?

This is sometimes the case when professors take attendance. If they choose to take attendance, they should make an effort to say the names of their students correctly.

Professors will most likely take attendance in smaller classes because they’ll see the same faces every week, which makes it easier to get acquainted with students.

However, when professors do take the time to list off each and every student, there’s always a moment of dread, where students anticipate mispronunciations.

The agonizing moment when a student’s name gets read off the list and you’re wondering if the prof is actually trying to get it right or just wants to get on with the class as quickly as possible.

There are always questions that arise when profs

are faced with a “difficult” name. (“Is there a nickname you use?”)

There’s nothing wrong with asking if a student has another name that they might want to be called as a way to make them feel welcome. However, if they don’t have another name it can come off as offensive for not wanting to accept that you now have to try to pronounce their real name.

I’ve had professors who take attendance, but when it comes time to check my name off the list, there’s always a huge pause, a moment of hesitation. I immediately sense that it’s my name they’re struggling to pronounce. At first they’ll stutter, hoping to get it right and then make an attempt to say it. Some professors then ask me to pronounce it in hopes of avoiding embarrassment by saying it the wrong way. Honestly, I don’t blame them for glancing at my name and immediately filling up with anxiety.

There was one instance of an English professor who

Attendance lists shouldn’t be that intimidating.

bravely attempted to call every student by their first and last name while handing back assignments. He didn’t ask anyone for clarification, and just went with what he thought was right, even he though completely butch-

ered some of our names.

Attendance isn’t always dreadful. When teachers take attendance it makes students feel important.

When your name is called you feel a moment of recognition, especially in the

Photo: CC, Geralt.

sometimes faceless world of university.

Attendance is not a mandatory procedure for professors in most classes so it’s their choice whether or not they want to take attendance. There is obviously

no issue with taking attendance other than the fact that if you’re doing it, at least make an attempt to properly pronounce the names of students. Isn’t the point of taking attendance getting to know your students?

18 | OPINIONS THEFULCRUM.CA

1848 raises prices, riots and confusion ensue

Toonie Tuesday has been changed to Threenie Tuesday Hanna Méthot

tomato contributor A flyer posted on the doors to the University of Ottawa campus pub, 1848, has caused a stir in the student body. The flyers notifies the patrons and public of a recent change to the much beloved Toonie Tuesdays, raising the price from a two-spot to a “threenie.”

The change has caused hysteria to say the least, with rioting in the University Centre this week. This has caused some confusion, as those purchasing books have found themselves mixed in with the fray of beer drinkers foaming over.

Protest organizer, Molson aficionado and fourth-year political science student Dorothy Young threatens that there’s no end in sight to the “actions.”

“This is what? A 30 per cent increase?” the nonmath inclined Young

asked. “That means a quarter less beer,” she said. “I’ve been going to Toonie Tuesdays since the second year of my undergrad. I can’t believe they would change such an integral part of the student experience,” continued Young. “I mean is nothing sacred anymore?

What’s next, Panda Game?”

The establishment may soon find themselves in legal trouble from the Federation Against Killer Expenses for Students (FAKES), a group dedicated to monitoring price hikes at campus pubs. FAKES was first alerted to the story after a picture taken of the notice went viral on Twitter.

The increase has also left students scrambling to find extra money, searching between couch cushions in the common rooms of 90U, Marchand and Stanton.

This has led to increases in security, scattered cush-

ions, many found objects, at least two breakups over aforementioned found objects, and the befuddlement of residents.

“I mean, it was weird to see second and third years roaming the halls,” says Gabe Thompson, a firstyear resident of Stanton.

“But then I saw my CA joining in and I was just totally confused when she asked if I could spot her a threenie.”

The financial implications for students could be dire. Fourth-year economics student, Tommy Grant voiced his concerns to the Tomato. “Personally, I can’t afford this change in price and I know a lot of my friends can’t either, it’s just too drastic. We’re just going to have to find a different place, I guess. Plus, I’m not sure, but I don’t think a threenie even exists. Are you quoting me on that?

Don’t quote me on that.

Price increases have led to riots on campus.

Can you spot me a threenie till next Tuesday?”

Management has assured customers that value will be added as part of the deal, including a reduction in snarky comebacks by

Photo: Chrisitine Wang, CC Clker Free Vector Images. Edits: Christine Wang.

staff, but many, including second-year engineering student Phillipe Garceau, are skeptical. “If I’m being honest, I’ve seen about one and a half times slower service, and about a fifty

percent increase in spillage. So far, it’s not looking good.”

Go and enjoy cheap beers where you can, and if someone could spot the Tomato a threenie that’d be great.

Uncalculated weight of signatures causes building collapse

Officials blame team members with long names, use of extra thick markers Connor Chase

Tomato contributor Even the brightest of society can have their dull moments just like the rest of us. There are many stories, of questionable truth, of apartment buildings with empty swimming pools, and libraries with empty bookshelves, simply because the engineers designing the buildings forgot to account for the weight of the water or the weight of the books.

Such a tragedy has since befallen the University of Ottawa. The still under construction STEM building collapsed last Tuesday because the design team overburdened the structure when they signed their names onto a supporting beam using extra thick Sharpie markers.

One member of the team, Sandra Bobbert, noticed that the beam in question was bending before the structure collapsed, though she failed to report the anomaly. Bobbert believed the bending beam was a piece of art, and interpreted the

Another architecture project foiled by sharpies.

bending beam as “a manifestation of the eventual decay that comes for us all, as we too age and fall apart.”

The team’s leader, Seemore Cox, could have provided some invaluable insight into this problem, but was nowhere to be found on cam-

Photo: CC, Kafziel.

pus. Following the collapse, Seemore changed his name to Morisse and moved to New Jersey as an aspiring tap dance artist.

Other team members were easier to locate. Humberbatch Curmudgeon, assistant to the team leader,

commented to the Tomato, “I just feel like this is somehow our fault and could have been avoided if we used a normal Sharpie.”

“I’m not even an engineering student. My major is actually in Greek civilization,” said Curmud-

geon. When asked to explain how he got involved with a serious construction project, he shrugged and started speaking in what was presumably a very poor interpretation of ancient Greek.

The assistant to the assistant team leader, Theodore Dancer, is actually an engineering student.

Dancer revealed that the “team” consisted of only himself and Curmudgeon. “I didn’t think we were a team—I thought it was only two of us, and I’m doing all the work. But Humby thought ‘team’ was a better label for our brand”.

Dancer explained why he thinks the building collapsed. “I forgot that extra thick Sharpie markers weigh about twice the weight of solid steel, that’s probably what happened. That, plus Curmudgeon’s long name probably didn’t help.”

For any of our construction success on campus we now have a construction tragedy to balance them out. Remember, calculate the weight of your Sharpies.

THEFULCRUM.CA THE TOMATO | 19

DISTRACTIONS DEAR DI Horny homework: Right Angle

Lay on your back on the edge of your bed (or whatever flat, raised surface you like to have sex on, no judgment) and lift your legs up onto your partner’s shoulders. Spread your legs open a little and arch your back while your partner helps you lift your pelvis up. Lay back down and enjoy as your partner does the hard work! For an added boost, you can move one of their hands so their fingers stimulate your clitoris.

Dishing with Di: Please do not imitate such actions Firefighters responded to an unusual call in Germany last week. They spent three hours trying to free a man’s penis from a 2.5 kg dumbell disc.

While they didn’t explain how the man got his penis stuck, they advised, “Please do not imitate such actions.” The feat took several tools including an angle-grinder, circular saw, and a hydraulic emergency tool usually used to help trapped car crash victims. Good thing they had all that equipment, or else that would’ve taken A LOT of lube.

20 | DISTRACTIONS

FEATURES EDITOR Savannah Awde

features@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062 @s_awde7

Dear Di, My girlfriend and I have very different pubic hair grooming patterns, and it’s starting to take a toll on our relationship. She gets it waxed religiously, but I feel like doing that goes against her strongly feminist values. I, on the other hand, like to keep it completely au natural—I mean, I’m a woman, I’m not ashamed of what my body looks like. Help!

-Pussy Panic

Dear PP, While most people know what they want when it comes to landscaping, they don’t really know how to communicate their feelings about their partner’s pubic hair.

First off, pubic hair is there for a reason. It can ease chafing when you’re getting hot and heavy with your partner, and can even ward of certain vaginal infections.

A lot of us who harbour feminist tendencies engage in grooming activities rooted in patriarchy, so try not to judge your partner for her decision to wax it off. I personally believe that a woman who chooses to express her sexuality through grooming, hair, makeup, and sexy clothes can be just as feminist as someone who does not. What’s important is that you both have control over your own bodies, you’re educated about your choices, and your respective decisions make you feel more confident.

However, I do think you two need to have a conversation about what your pubic hair means to you. I think your partner will be more sympathetic if she understands the reason why you like to keep your bush intact.

Make sure to explain to your girlfriend what your bush means to you as a woman, without laying on the judgement. In addition, your partner shouldn’t be pressuring you, or making you feel bad for your choices.

You can also use your pubic hair to vamp up your sex life. Hop in the shower, and help your girlfriend shave her bush for a new erotic experience. If you’re comfortable, you could also get her to trim yours, or shave a design into yours. Just make sure you’re careful when using razors or wax, as the skin around the vulva can be very sensitive.

Pubic hair always grows back anyway, so feel free to mix it up. You might be surprised to find out what your favourite style is, or you could simply reaffirm what you already know.

Love, Di

THEFULCRUM.CA

SEPT. 25-OCT. 1, 2017

THRYLLABUS

MUSIC EATS SPORTS FUN THINKING ARTS

Monday Sept. 25 Franco-Ontarian Celebration, 85 University Private, Room 318—1 p.m.

English social media and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, lecture by Dr. Sender Dovchin of the Centre for Language Research at the University of Aizu, Japan, Arts Building room 509—5:30 p.m.

Wednesday Sept. 27 Hurricane relief fundraiser at House of TARG, a show to raise money for communities affected by recent hurricane damage—8 p.m.

Free home-cooked, healthy, and vegan meal, hosted by the People’s Republic of Delicious, Deja Vu kitchen (between Thompson and Morisset)—9 a.m.

Tuesday Sept. 26 C-51 two years later: Will C-59 restore human rights?, 25One Community, 251 Bank Street—7:30 p.m.

Mobility fair, University Centre—9 a.m.

Free BBQ with the Bilingualism Centre, Monument de la Francophonie—11:30 a.m.

Thursday Sept. 28 Ingrid Goes West (an uncanny portrayal of how social media allows users to curate their lives beyond recognition), ByTowne Cinema—4:45 p.m.

Free Bridgehead coffee on campus, Desmarais building lobby—9:30 a.m.

THEFULCRUM.CA

Friday Sept. 29 Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan movie), ByTowne Cinema—4:30 p.m.

Feminist Aid, Feminist Data?, analyzing aid data and its relationship to gender equality programming, Faculty of Social Sciences building, room 4006—2 p.m.

Saturday Sept. 30 Ottawa Geek Market (first day), Nepean Sportsplex—10 a.m.

Rally against racism in Canada, Parliament Hill—10 a.m.

Sunday Oct. 1 Immigrant Women’s Small Business Expo, city hall—9 a.m.

Ottawa Fury FC vs.

Charleston Battery, TD Place—2 p.m.

DISTRACTIONS | 21

University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic

www.commonlaw.uottawa.ca/community-legal-clinic/information-clients We provide FREE legal advice & representation and FREE notarial services to undergraduate students Law students, supervised by lawyers, offer help with: 

Criminal Offences, such as ...



Some provincial offences



Family law, such as…

o Drug offences o Theft o Fraud

o Spousal and child support o Custody and access o Restraining orders





Tenant law, such as ... o Repairs o Evictions o Rent deposits

Applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board

Drop-in hours: Monday 7:00 – 9:00 pm Wednesday 7:00 – 9:00 pm [Type text] Thursday 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Notary hour: Wednesday

2:00-3:00pm

Services offered:

Affidavits Statutory declarations Certified true copies of original documents

Location: 17 Copernicus (Corner of King Edward and Laurier) Tel: 613-562-5600

22 | LETTERS THEFULCRUM.CA

EDITORIAL Volume 78, Issue 5, Sept. 25, 2017

Reading since 1942.

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

Eric “The Giving Tree” Davidson Editor-in-Chief editor@thefulcrum.ca Jaclyn “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” McRae-Sadik Production Manager production@thefulcrum.ca Graham “The Little Prince” Robertson Managing Editor content@thefulcrum.ca Zainab “Heidi” Al-Mehdar News Editor news@thefulcrum.ca Ryan “Winnie-the-Pooh” Pepper Arts and Culture Editor arts@thefulcrum.ca Savannah “Treasure Island” Awde Features Editor features@thefulcrum.ca Nico “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” Laliberté Sports Editor sports@thefulcrum.ca David “The Cat in the Hat” Campion-Smith Opinions Editor opinions@thefulcrum.ca Christine “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” Wang Visual Editor visual@thefulcrum.ca Dmitri “The Lorax” Bakker Social Media Manager social@thefulcrum.ca Ellie “The Jungle Book” Sabourin Associate News Editor associate.news@thefulcrum.ca

THE RAGE OVER MINIMUM WAGE

Franchise members of Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons is saying that it needs to raise prices due to a coming hike in the minimum wage. They shouldn’t be doing this, and there are several reasons for that. Just for a second, let’s put the debate over minimum wage itself off to the side.

The fact is, Tim Hortons is facing numerous problems that threaten its bottom line, no matter what happens to wages. Not last on the list are the legal and financial squabbles between Tim Hortons and its owner Restaurant Business International, which also owns Burger King.

This is only one example, but it illustrates that there are always things going on within big companies, or within the economy as a whole, that can negatively affect a business. But the fact is those reasons don’t inspire the same angry responses from people as minimum wage hikes seem to. Businesses shouldn’t be citing a rise in the

minimum wage as a reason to hike prices because the business won’t look as bad saying it needs money then.

The debate over price hikes and minimum wage is often dominated by business, but it’s just as much about the individuals. The stress and lack of options induced by low wages have driven many low-wage workers to strike in various countries.

On the flip side, companies like Tim Hortons want to put out a positive image on how they contribute to the community in general, as reflected in projects like their Timbits sports programs.

But if you’re going to tout the business side of the minimum wage and ignore the community side, it makes your communitydriven message seem pretty disingenuous.

Ok, you might say, but all of this won’t do a business any good if it can’t stay afloat. First, as mentioned above, it’s important to look at all the factors involved, not just try and blame

one. And, oh ya, the minimum wage bogeyman is far from the economic consensus.

This debate and others like it are often premised on the idea that minimum wage actually is a tremendous problem economically. But let’s pause, and take a quick look and see how true that claim is.

Since we’ve been focusing largely on a coffee company so far, it only seems fitting that we examine the minimum wage battleground of Seattle.

Economists have been widely divided over minimum wage for ages, and elements of that struggle can be seen in Seattle. While some states like New York are gradually moving up to the $15 minimum wage that was a big issue in the last American Election, Seattle opted not to wait very long, and made it’s minimum wage $15 in January of this year.

A recent study looked to prove Tim Hortons right, saying that the minimum wage cuts did cost jobs. Unfortunately for them,

the study soon received lots of flak for being either misleading or poorly prepared, and, among other things, failing to account for 40 per cent of the workforce in its measurements. Unfortunately, unclear data and motivations can really muddy the debate Several other studies actually found that employment remained steady, indicating that people didn’t lose their jobs, and businesses could afford not to fire them.

Whether or not you want to get into a game of “my study can beat up your study” with me, you can at least appreciate that the claim of businesses like Tim Hortons that the minimum wage will cost jobs or require higher prices doesn’t rest on the solid bedrock it might seem to.

Tim Hortons may be owned

by Burger King now, but when it comes to cost hikes blamed on rising minimum wage, they certainly shouldn’t have it their way.

Nadia “Where the Wild Things Are” Drissi El-Bouzaidi Associate Features Editor Zack “The Gruffalo” Goobie Associate Sports Editor associate.sports@thefulcrum.ca Parker “Robinson Crusoe” Townes Staff Photographer photographer@thefulcrum.ca Chad “Goodnight Moon” Ouellette Videographer videographer@thefulcrum.ca Chafik “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” Kassis Head Web Architect webmaster@thefulcrum.ca Lucas “Anne of Green Gabbles” Ghosn General Manager manager@thefulcrum.ca Kaylum “The Snowy Day” Bobal Advertising Representative ads@thefulcrum.ca

Contributors

Claire “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” Bernard Everett “My Father’s Dragon” Kehew Peter “Olivia” Weatherley Hanna “Pippi Longstocking” Méthot Connor “Ramona the Pest” Chase Sara Hélène “Rumpelstiltskin” Dubé Parushka “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” Alex “The Westing Game “ Szigeti Henry “The Secret Garden” Du Basty Eric “A Wrinkle in Time” Davison Menrika “Madeline” Christian

Board of Directors

Raghad “Matilda“ Sheikh-Khalil Katelyn “Charlotte’s Web” Murray Jonathan “Curious George” Rausseo Mackenzie “Goodnight Moon” Gray Fadi “Green Eggs and Ham” Azzi Spencer “Harriet the Spy” Murdock Kim “Holes” Wiens Maggie “Jumanji” Gollish Cover Credits: Christine Wang.

Tim Hortons is claiming it needs to raise prices in the wake of minimum wage hikes.

THEFULCRUM.CA

Photo: CC, Marek Ślusarczyk.

EDITORIAL | 23

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