The Fulcrum - Vol 77 Issue 16

VOL. 77 ISSUE 16

jan. 26, 2017

This is what democracy looks like.

Pg. 5, 8.

In this week’s issue...

Bored of Blackboard? P.3 A new virtual campus is set to replace Blackboard Learn this spring

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The only time you’ll see an American Idiot on campus P.7 UOMTS takes you on a walk down the boulevard of broken dreams Women’s march trumps sexism P.8 Over 8,000 men and women participated in Ottawa’s march on Washington Basketball teams rebound with a pair of wins P.10 Gee-Gees bounce back after a tough losses to Carleton Do you know who I am? P.13 Stop giving a pass to celebrity politicians Can a long-distance relationship work? P.16 How to settle in for the long haul without that physical intimacy You don’t have blow the whistle to make noise P.19 Manning case shows need for debate on whistleblower protections

NEWS

NEWS EDITOR

Graham Robertson news@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0061 @_grahamr

New virtual campus to replace Blackboard in spring 2017 Student senator raises concerns over lack of consultation over new system Graham Robertson news editor

A

new learning platform is set to replace Blackboard Learn at the University of Ottawa beginning in the spring 2017 session.

According to JeanPhilippe Dubé, a fourthyear computer science student at the U of O, the shift to the new D2L platform was a collective decision made by the administration and members of the university Senate.

Dubé said that the university’s contract with Blackboard Learn will be expiring soon, and it “cost a

lot of money to the university.”

“Instead of renewing the contract, the university wanted to look for other solutions,” said Dubé, who is in his second term as a student senator. Dubé was not part of the process himself, but said it took the Senate about a year to reach a verdict.

According to Timothy Lethbridge, vice-dean of governance at the U of O’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, “Blackboard is awkward and older software that lots of people are complaining about, including me. And our contract with them was about to end. We either had to renew or look elsewhere”

Dubé also said it is “worth mentioning that some people on the senate were not happy with the outcome of the decision” as the university is going with an external contractor for the D2L platform.

“The university signed a five-year contract, so that sort of locks us in,” said Dubé.

However, the university also used an external contractor for Blackboard Learn, and a poor relationship between the contractor and the university was part of the reason why they moved away from Blackboard in the first place, according to Dubé “Some people feel that we’re going through the same cycle again … we don’t

know what (D2L) is going to be like five years from now.”

When it comes to the decision making process that lead to the adoption of this platform, Dubé also raised concerns about a lack of consultation.

“What disturbed me a little was that only a few people got involved with the decision and there was not much transparency in that.”

However, According to Lethbridge, this lack of consultation was due to a “sealed bid process” that can’t be open.

“Following standard procurement practices the university formed a committee and evaluated bids,” said Lethbridge.

“Best practices for procurement require secrecy so that each bidder doesn’t know who the other bidders are, and so details of each bid are not known by the other bidders. This works like a ‘sealed bid’ auction, although evaluation is based not just on price but also on features, quality and other evaluation factors,” said Lethbridge.

According to Lethbridge, “sealed bids overall tend to solicit the lowest bids and as a result can help to keep university costs down, which is good for everybody including students.”

While the D2L system is apparently a known platform within universities in Ontario, Dubé has yet to see the new platform despite

being a student on the senate, which he found to be “concerning.”

“I believe that there needs to be improvements in the university’s procurement process in that regard,” said Dubé, suggesting that students and faculty members should be testing new technology at the university before it is implemented.

Dubé advises students to get familiar with the new platform once it is implemented for the spring 2017 term, and to report problems immediately so that issues don’t arise.

“There’s a lot of promise that it’s going to be a smooth transition … but I would say to the students to be ready,” said Dubé.

New committee in place to explore and promote diversity on campus Students to be consulted on “experiences and perceptions” of inclusivity at the U of O the Graduate Students’ Association also played a major role in pushing for the inclusion of this student voice, according to Andrew, saying that she met with both unions in the fall of 2016, and they advised her to get students to bring their concerns to the committee.

“Students should be willing to express their concerns about what can be done to make sure (campus) is a more inclusive environment, it does express all the diversity of Canadian society,” said Andrew.

Andrew also hopes to hear from students who do feel a sense of inclusivity at the U of O, so their experiences can be used to improve the experiences of all students on campus.

The Fulcrum also spoke with Naomi Haile, a fourth-year U of O commerce student who supports the idea of the committee, and believes that it will work “if there are dedicated students who come together frequently and discuss ideas on how to make the university more inclu-

Graham Robertson & Zainab Al-Mehdar

News Editor & Associate News Editor This year a new committee has been implemented at the University of Ottawa to promote diversity on campus.

Caroline Andrew, who is a researcher in political science at the U of O and serves as chair of the new committee, said that there have been so many changes during her time on campus that the implementation of such a committee was a “very important thing to do.”

She believes that the question of diversity is important in the context of Canadian society, and both herself and U of O president Jacques Frémont wanted a campus that worked to reflect this changing image of Canada.

“It’s been a bit slow getting it started,” said Andrew about the committee, which held its first meeting in late December 2016.

According to Andrew, the committee, which is comprised of students, faculty members, and other staff at the U of O, are working

thefulcrum.ca

The committee was introduced by Jacques Frémont as part of his vision as the U of O’s new president.

Photo: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.

to identify what kinds of “barriers to inclusion” exist on campus.

With this information, the committee will distribute a survey to all students and staff at the U of O in the spring, which will gather information on “their experiences and their perceptions of inclusion at the university.”

Approximately 10 other universities in Canada have similar

committees in place, including the University of British Columbia and the University of Alberta.

According to Andrew, the student voice is crucial to the work of this committee, as “some people don’t feel included at the university—they don’t feel it’s their institution.”

The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) and

sive … in terms of race, sexuality and religion.”

Haile believes that the work of the committee should “celebrate diversity” through “events (and) information sessions where they get different leaders who are part of these communities … coming together and educating us, especially while we are young.”

Another way the university can push for diversity is through social media, according to Haile.

“Using those platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) can speak volumes because it’s not only U of O students who are seeing that—it’s literally everyone,” said Haile, noting that social media extends “beyond our campus.”

Ultimately, Haile believes that “it’s important for other people to stand up for what they know is right even if it’s not affecting them.”

The SFUO was unable to comment on the Working Committee on Diversity and Inclusion by the date of this publication.

NEWS | 3

U of O law students provide government ID to the homeless

Pro bono program helps students give back to Ottawa community in need Zainab Al-Mehdar Associate News Editor

Two University of Ottawa law students are currently working to provide government-issued identification to the local homeless population.

The ID Project was founded

by Emily Cumbaa and Alexandra Pullano in October 2016 after the pair heard about a similar program over the summer of 2016 that was launched in Toronto.

Cumbaa and Pullano are working on the project through Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC), a national network of law students, lawyers, and community organizations.

“We thought it just sounded fantastic,” said Cumbaa who is in her second year at the U of O’s Faculty of Law. “Something that not only would be beneficial to the community, but also something that really benefited the law students who participated in our program.”

Currently, the ID Project helps provide health cards, birth certificates, SIN cards, and photo ID cards, according to Cumbaa, who notes that simple tasks such as depositing a cheque can be made difficult without proper identification.

“One of the things that people take for granted is the fact that they can easily obtain (ID) and that you’d have it if you ever needed it to access a service.”

However, “if you’re homeless or marginally housed, that’s not the case,” said Cumbaa. “It’s often difficult to obtain one piece of identification if you don’t already have another, and so navigating that system can be quite difficult.”

Cumbaa and Pullano’s duties as co-coordinators involve running a holistic overview of the program’s logistics, as well as taking care of issues that arise within the program.

To get this project off the ground, the pair partnered

Emily Cumbaa, a second-year common law student, is one of co-founders of the program.

with the Ottawa chapter of the charitable organization Lawyers Feed the Hungry, as well as with the Ottawa Mission, who agreed to provide them with office space.

The program is also super-

vised by representatives from Borden Ladner Gervais, which is the largest full-service Canadian law firm.

The ID Project holds a clinic at the Ottawa Mission on the third and fourth Thursday

On the Hill

of every month, which, according to Cumbaa “is open to everyone in the Ottawa community who is homeless or marginally housed.”

Law students and lawyers are present during the drop-

Stephane: I applied when the Liberals had 33 seats. I essentially had to apply to everything that was there. I just emailed everyone and then finally received a response. I volunteered with an MP for almost an entire academic year and then worked there for two months before taking a Federal Student Work Experience Program position.

Laura: I began working on the Hill immediately following the 2015 election.

I did some campaign work, and decided I wanted to take part in the upcoming government. I also began working for my hometown MP. On the worst and best days M: Oct. 22, 2014, when the shooting occurred. I was not in centre block, so I had it much better than some of my friends who had SWAT teams coming through the doors. I was in lock-up from 10 a.m. until close to 11 a.m., and we didn’t really know what was going on.

The best day was the next day. Rather than close Parliament, like many people thought, it remained open and fully functional. Everyone arrived at work shaking hands with the security forces. All the leaders from the various parties gave speeches about how our democracy would not be shut down. The partisanship that often makes Ottawa quite insufferable was completely gone for 24 hours and you realize that everyone is there for improving their constituency and the lives of Canadians. It was just a really emotional day. I felt every possible feeling within a 48-hour span.

Raghad: It’s interesting, because they’re all there, in principle, to make everyone’s lives better. It’s just that they disagree on

—with Raghad Khalil

Part one: The life of a student political staffer

It will come as no surprise that the University of Ottawa has the largest number of students working on Parliament Hill.

Even though these staffers are young, they still play a critical role in the daily functions of the offices of our elected representatives.

In this issue of “On the Hi ll,” Ra ghad Khalil will take you behind the scenes in the lives of three U of O student political staffers, t w o

Photo: Parker Townes.

current and one former. From long hours in the office to gaining practical experience in the highest level of Canadian government, they’ll be sharing it all with you.

Our guests this issue are Matthew Don Trapp, who is in his fourth year in political science, Laura Pennell, in her fourth year of international development, and Stephane Mukunzi, a political science and communications alumnus.

On how you got started on the Hill Matthew: Before I came to the U of O, I had never met a politician in my life. I was passionate about politics, so I sent a message to my hometown member of parliament just asking if I could meet with him. I started off as a volunteer and transitioned into part-time then full-time employment with two different MPs. I worked on the Hill from 2010 to 2015.

in clinic to help clients obtain lost identification, as well as inform those at the Mission about the services offered through the program.

Cumbaa said that this program “felt like a really useful service to provide, and part of the mandate for PBSC is to give back, and provide for individuals in need … at the same time, it’s a great experience for law students.”

According to Cumbaa, this experience gives students like herself a chance to learn the law in a practical way.

“We want to provide them with an out of the classroom experience that shows the power of a legal education, because that’s something we are very privileged to be able to obtain. So we want to be able to give back to people who need it.”

For more information on the ID Project, please visit the PBSC website.

how to do it.

M: It’s true. When you’re dealing with constituency work especially and you’re dealing someone’s immigration file, or employment insurance, and they’re really in distress, being able to secure a victory for them is great. We’ve had constituents send us Christmas cards every year because we helped them five or six years ago.

S: I didn’t exactly have that experience.

Not everyone is that connected with the riding that they’re working for. It’s just a reality that you have to confront sometimes—it’s not meant for everyone, it’s not the best atmosphere for everyone. Part of it was because I felt so disconnected to the people that I worked for. I worked for an MP that, as loving as she was, was not very present, and I never really got to know her as an individual and the riding as people.

When I was asked to do research on a file, it never felt personal. The issues were just so different from the riding that I’m from (Ottawa-West Nepean) to this riding in Vancouver.

Final words M: You can go from being an 18-yearold volunteer to being a paid full-time staff, making a decent salary within three years. That would not exist within any other field. So you may work on the Hill for a few years, maybe you go into a different field after in the public sector or business.

That is perhaps more friendly to family life, but at this point in your early to late twenties, working on the Hill is totally doable and a great experience.

That’s all for this edition! Join us next time for “On the Hill with Raghad Khalil!”

For the full interview, please visit the Fulcrum’s website.

Photo: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.

4 | NEWS

thefulcrum.ca

National News

Trump sworn in, met with protests in Toronto U of T profs, community members weigh in on Trump inauguration jenna moon the varsity

Toronto (NUWire)— Ten weeks after a particularly long and messy election season, Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, with protests engulfing Washington, D.C. and other cities across the world.

With an approval rating between 34–40 per cent, Trump has the lowest of any incoming president in recent memory. Saturday was Trump’s first full day as president and it was met with substantial protest.

“Sister Marches” organized in solidarity with the Women’s March in Washington, and took

place in over 600 cities across the world including Toronto.

Over 60,000 gathered at Queen’s Park before marching down University Avenue to the U.S. Consulate, and then proceeding to Toronto City Hall. The Varsity attended the march and spoke with numerous attendees to find out their reasons for marching.

A protester named Diane told the Varsity “I’m marching because I’m in my fifties and I lived through the feminist movement, and I can see where we were and where we’ve come, and I want to make sure that we continue to move forward.”

A number of Toronto’s faculty members also participated in the march.

For example, York University Professor Jody Berland said “I’m of the generation of women that spent many years getting health-care rights, abortion rights, equal pay rights, and dignity rights for women, and we don’t want to lose those rights. And we are confident that the new generation will pick it up and run.”

Anna Korteweg, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto Mississauga also weighed in, saying that she is “scared about what Trump will mean

for the globe, for the world, for my children, for my students.”

“I don’t know yet how we can stop the tide Trump signifies, but I hope together we can figure out how to get back on a better path.”

But outside of Saturday’s protest, what’s next for the U.S. and Canada?

In an email to the Varsity, Professor Robert Bothwell of the Munk School of Global Affairs wrote that he felt the relationship between Canada and the United

States would be maintained “with great difficulty” under a Trump presidency.

“The U.S. is bitterly divided, with the result that party positions become very rigid,” wrote Bothwell.

“One party, the Democrats, is recognizable and comprehensible as a party. The other … well, not so much.”

When asked how Trudeau might maintain Canada-U.S. relations under a Trump presidency, Bothwell said that there are al-

ways some Americans that Canada will get along with, and some that the nation won’t, with differences in proportion that we should recognize.

“If we are to believe what Trump’s entourage (says), we are in for some difficulties, especially over trade. I don’t think it would make much difference what Canadian party was in power: I don’t think the Trump team discriminates.

Dealing with Trump the Twitterer will be (hard) enough.”

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1ELEVEN JANUARY 23-27 Over 60,000 people gathered at Queen’s Park in Toronto to protest Trump’s inauguration.

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national news | 5

A&C EDITOR Anchal Sharma arts@thefulcrum.ca

ARTS&CULTURE Journalism meets theatre

Fulcrum Confessionals:

in The Ghomeshi Effect

Navigating Freshman Year

U of O alumna behind verbatim dance piece encourages dialogue on sexual assault Mickaela Churchill Staff Contributor

On Friday, Jan. 20, as anti-Trump feminists were gearing up to march in Ottawa and around the world, the Gladstone Theatre put on a show that channeled this growing energy of discontent.

The Ghomeshi Effect is a verbatim dancetheatre production that gives a voice to survivors of sexual assault and shines a critical light on how the issue is handled by the Canadian justice system.

The play was created and directed by University of Ottawa alumna Jessica Ruano, who has a master of arts in theatre theory and dramaturgy, and is currently volunteering as a support worker for the Sexual Assault Support Centre.

Ruano explained that she came up with the idea for the play from watching other works of art dedicated to promoting a similar message.

“I saw that there was an initiative for arts projects and sexual violence ... and I also went to go see Amelia’s play, Feelers,” she said, referring to Amelia Griffin, the choreographer of The Ghomeshi Effect. “I was very inspired by her work and the fact that she was very passionate about these issues.”

But Ruano affirmed that the push to produce really came from the trial of Jian Ghomeshi.

“I was intrigued by the whole thing, but really that the trial really inspired a variety of reactions from people … and I learned a lot about how the legal system works from this trial and I wanted to learn more.”

The term “the Ghomeshi effect” has been used by a variety of media publications— the National Post, the Vancouver Sun, and more—to describe the backlash spurred by the trial of former CBC broadcast personality Jian Ghomeshi, who was acquitted of sexual harassment and assault in March 2016.

Although the production is inspired by these events, The Ghomeshi Effect is not a play about the trial or its outcome. Rather, in the spirit of continuing the conversations on rape culture, the production aims to give a voice to sexual assault survivors.

As such, the script was built entirely from transcripts of interviews conducted with sexual assault survivors and the law-

6 | ARTS & CULTURE

Perushka Gopalkista Staff Contributor I have to be quite honest about something. When I applied to the University of Ottawa, I didn’t think I would be accepted.

My grades in high school were mediocre, and applying to a school in Ottawa—which was last on my on my list—didn’t boost my confidence at all.

A couple months later, I received my letter from the University of Ottawa, with an acceptance in the general arts program. I was surprised and grateful.

In my first year, I was working towards my general arts degree. I always felt embarrassed to tell people what program I was in because I was afraid they would think I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life. And, because I’m an Indian student, people often thought I should be in the science programs not in the arts.

But, the more people I told about what I was studying, the more people thought that I was making the right choice (barring my parents). I was told that it’s better to take general studies, so that you know what you’re interested in from a broader point of view.

I honestly started to like my program.

It wasn’t because people were telling me that I made the right choice—okay, maybe it was—but it was also because I had plenty of options.

As my first year progressed, I began narrowing my focus. I started to realize what I was really interested in, and it sure as hell wasn’t biochemical engineering. I started to take a liking to communications

yers involved in their cases.

Part of Ruano’s inspiration for this unique act also came from DV8 Physical Theatre, a dance company based in England. “(DV8 does) verbatim dance theatre, as we’re doing here on controversial subjects,” she explained, adding that she saw all of their recent shows. “They do it all with interviews of people, so it’s very interesting, and very real life stuff. ” Throughout the Jan. 20 performance, the actors embodied these individuals, sharing their stories and perspectives in both a raw and unedited manner, which was woven together masterfully through dance and sound.

The dance itself was intriguing and powerful to watch.

Griffin explains that adapting the dance to verbatim was a process reflected in a larger social need that extends outside of the walls of the theatre.

“We brought movement from the streets, movement from the people, not only from the cast but from the community at large.”

Some of these movements were discovered when the cast performed at the ChinaTown Remixed festival in late September, and asked people at the event what kind of movements they associated with words such as “protect” or “communicate.”

Sadly, such initiatives garnered a great deal of criticism from, in Ruano’s words, “victim blamers” and “rape culture deniers,” particularly through Twitter.

Among the tweets directed at the group were: “Is the #ghomeshieffect about scorned mentally ill woman falsely claiming abuse?” and “WE can make a play and smear her sons name after he’s proven innocent! @ONArtsCouncil will even pay us!!”

But Ruano and her team took that negative energy and turned it into a fundraising event last September, inspired by Jimmy Kimmel’s late night segment “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets,” where they read the Tweets aloud.

While Ruano believes in the merit of educating the masses about sexual assault, she asserts that “a survivor is the best judge of their own experience.”

The Ghomeshi Effect is playing at the Gladstone Theatre until Jan. 28. To purchase tickets, visit the Gladstone Theatre’s official website.

(613) 695-0062 @imtherocks

and theatre. This became quite evident because my grades were higher in those courses. Well my grades weren’t that high in my first year, because effective studying didn’t really sink in at that time.

In the middle of my first year, I thought about how I could switch my program. I mean, I could take more communication and theatre courses, but for general arts, those are not mandatory.

So, I visited my academic advisor at least several times a month because I desperately wanted to change my program. She told me that the program I wanted to switch into required a certain GPA. Did you hear that? I think it was my confidence that just flew out the window.

How was I supposed to get there?

I attended some “effective studying” workshops and started going to the gym— well, at least attempted to—but I was still in the same boat.

As my first year ended, I looked back and realized I was being too hard on myself. I was setting all these expectations for myself and when I didn’t reach them, I felt disappointed and slightly depressed.

Flash forward to my second year: I am now taking courses in communications and theatre and I love it. I am still in the process of switching to a communication major or minor in theatre or visa versa.

But for now things are looking up, and to quote the great Maya Angelou: “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

To submit a Fulcrum confessional, email arts@thefulcrum.ca.

Photo: CC, Torange Biz.

thefulcrum.ca

U of O alumna opens art exhibit at Allsaints Gallery Point and Place captures post-graduate malaise with grace Ryan Pepper

Fulcrum Freelancer

For most of us, a lazy summer at the family cottage might produce a few cute Instagram pictures. But for University of Ottawa alumna Kelsey McGruer, it resulted in her latest art project.

Titled Point and Place, this collection of video stills captures McGruer’s organic movement around her cottage, exploring what she describes as her “ancestral home” in a totally new way.

“I was at my cottage and I needed to produce some work,” McGruer explained.

“It was the summer after I graduated, I felt like I needed to make something. So I grabbed some props I had left over from the school year and brought them to the cottage with me.”

McGruer often appears in her own artwork, and this project, now showing at Allsaints Gallery, was no exception. She created an organic piece by moving about the landscape and filming her

wanderings, and then turning the stills into prints.

“My performances, when I was in school, they would be more planned out. I would have more of an idea of what I was doing, whereas this was very impromptu,” said McGruer.

The stills are mostly McGruer either in a lake or in the forest, carrying a long piece of fabric and interacting with the natural world around her. It combines video and photography with performance art. She moves with no real end goal in mind.

Her past works have generally referenced art history, but her new collection offers a more spontaneous feel.

“It was very refreshing. It was a very nice experience,” McGruer recalled of the summer project.

This is one of several exhibitions McGruer has been featured in since graduating from the bachelor of fine arts program, and her first solo exhibition.

McGruer’s pieces capture a new way of interacting with nature.

Photo: Courtesy of Kelsey McGruer.

“As time went on, I realized that it is a pleasing mixture of several media that really intrigues me,” McGruer said. “In my work I aim to be very interdisciplinary.”

Along with introducing her to multim ‘0 edia installations, McGruer also said the BFA taught her how

McGruer credits the BFA program with her transition towards photo-media. She says she went into the program thinking she would do painting, like nearly all other freshmen, but in her first year was introduced to many different artistic media.

to work on a deadline and provided her with a lot of resources, friends, and professors—things that are lost upon graduation.

“When you’re on your own trying to make work in your spare time like I’m doing now, it’s very difficult to be structured and self-moti-

vated,” said McGruer. “What the BFA teaches you is how to work on a deadline, come out with something, be able to justify it, talk about it, and be okay with it.”

Point and Place is currently on display at Allsaints Gallery, located at 10 Blackburn Ave. Admission is free.

UOMTS presents American Idiot

Stage adaptation of Green Day album sells out, stuns audiences at Academic Hall and I had to slowly kind of realize that, ‘No, there’s actually a character here, and a story here, that’s separate from and independent from the album.’”

Johnny’s self-destructive urges are personified by his alter-ego St. Jimmy, played with manic energy and leering menace by actor Cameron Jones. There’s a toxic chemistry between the two characters—a simultaneous attraction and revulsion heightened by Davis’ emotive choreography.

Translating punk rock to the theatre stage is a daunting task. Davis, who acknowledges that he’s “in no way a punk master,” says he focused on using “the images and the dancing in the show to tell the story.”

Teed rejects the notion of tension between punk rock and musical theatre.

“There have always been these historical moments where people play with

Madison McSweeney fulcrum freelancer

The University of Ottawa’s Musical Theatre Society (UOMTS) rocked the campus throughout the weekend with their punky production of American Idiot.

Running from Jan. 20 to 22 at Academic Hall, the production was enthusiastically received with two sold out shows.

UOMTS president and fourth-year criminology student Storm Davis, who directed the show, says he wanted to mount a production “that had a good social commentary.”

American Idiot, a 2010 stage adaptation of the 2004 Green Day album of the same name, focuses on a listless young man named Johnny who escapes suburbia to chase a life of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll.

The narcissistic Johnny can be difficult to like, but

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Photo: Via Youtube, Katie Moroz.

actor Patrick Teed, who is in his fourth year of philosophy and political science at U of O, imbues the character with an appealing touch of self-deprecation.

A long-time Green Day fan, Teed recalls saving up his allowance to buy the original album when it came out. “American Idiot

was the first CD I owned,” he notes.

Getting the chance to play Johnny in the stage adaptation was “pretty wild,” Teed says, adding that his familiarity with the source material initially made it difficult to get into character.

“I came in wanting to recreate the Green Day music,

what the musical theatre genre looks like,” he explains, calling American Idiot “a natural progression.”

With grungy costumes, a live band, and a sparse set, the show captures the punk vibe as well as (or better than) the original album.

Davis’ tight but idiosyncratic choreography channels a mosh pit and complements the subversive lyrics, all without denigrating the dancers’ technical skills..

Teed’s favourite part of the show was Carleton student Justice Tremblay’s performance of “Letterbomb,” which he calls, “an amazing moment of catharsis.” The scene takes place immediately after Johnny assaults his girlfriend—Whatsername, played by Tremblay— who proceeds to verbally eviscerate him.

“That moment is so exceptionally performed by Justice,” Teed says, adding, “I’m really glad that What-

sername is able to not just escape (her violent relationship), but almost reclaim the moment. It’s just really powerful.”

Davis also singles out this “renegade number” as a highlight, citing its “empowering” message “that this is who women can be, and this is how they deserve to treat people who treat them poorly.”

Davis believes that American Idiot’s themes of “marginalization (and) stigmatization” contribute to its continued relevance.

Dealing with dark themes such as addiction, depression, and domestic abuse, the UOMTS’ version of American Idiot is both a bitter political screed and a testament to the importance of friendship and solidarity.

For Green Day fans, it’s also a nostalgic walk down the boulevard of broken dreams.

ARTS & Culture | 7

ryan pepper

Event garners crowd of up to 8,000 in solidarity with American women

fulcrum freelancer

Ottawa women’s march soars beyond expectations

On Friday, Jan. 21, up to 8,000 women and men marched through Ottawa in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington.

Although the event started at the Human Rights Monument on Laurier Avenue, things started to pick up when the crowd reached the Bronson Centre, where they were met with several performances emanating the theme of rights for women, minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community.

The performances at the Bronson Centre kicked off with the Raging Grannies, a group of senior women who support the environment, anti-racism, human rights, and peace. They have been actively protesting since 1986, and use amusing songs and dance in order to convey their important messages.

“We feel very, very strongly that this is a time when democracy is threatened,” said Jo Wood, a member of the Raging Grannies. “When a lot of our cherished values up here in Canada may be eroded in order to keep the U.S. government trading with us.”

The movement was reflected in the group’s music as they toted a message of empowerment for women across the border. Made up of 14 members, the Raging Grannies took to the stage to sing their lyrics to the tune of “If you’re happy and you know it,” in a sort of protest jingle.

“We can’t be grabbed or thumped, and we surely can’t be trumped, not even by a person presidential,” was just one of many catchy rhymes included in the song.

“I’m not prepared to give up human rights just to appease a guy like Trump,” said Wood, echoing the general sentiment of the entire event.

On Jan. 21, up to 8,000 people joined the women’s march in Ottawa. Photos: Marta Kierkus.

The event also featured spoken word artists and musicians, and ended with a Hoop Dance by First Nations performer Theland Kicknosway.

“The march in itself just became a movement,” explained Kristine St-Pierre, a musician and organizer of the event. “For us in Canada, we’re not immune to what’s happening. There are a lot of consequences in terms of what’s going on in the States, but there’s also a lot of sexism and racism here in Canada.”

St-Pierre also charged the current Liberal government with having an active role in human rights in Canada, and highlighted the importance of listening to concerns voiced by grassroots social movements.

“There’s a lot of things that civil society and women’s rights organizations have been pushing in the last few years in terms of Indigenous women and gender equality in general.”

Along with performance art pieces, the event also featured speakers such as trans rights activist Zoe Knox, who wanted to make sure that the trans community was well-represented at the march.

“It’s good here in Canada for a lot of people,” Knox explained, sharing her experience with the crowd.

“But it’s also really not good for a lot of people, and we wanted to call that out and draw attention to some of the areas that we still need to work hard on here in this country.”

“It only takes one stroke of a pen, one vote, for that to change,” said Amanda Jetté Knox, a blogger and activist.

The march ended off on a political note, with the speakers bringing the spotlight back to the main focus of the event.

“I think that Canada needs to stand strong,” said Jetté Knox. “Right now, we are closer to what freedom looks like.”

“It’s good here in Canada for a lot of people.

But it’s also really not good for a lot of people, and we wanted to call that out and draw attention to some of the areas that we still need to work hard on here in this country.”—Zoe Knox, trans rights activist.

SPORTS

SPORTS EDITOR Nico Laliberté sports@thefulcrum.ca

(613) 695-0062 @FulcrumSports

Gee-Gees basketball recap: getting the groove back Men’s and women’s teams rebound after crushing losses to Carleton who is going to face off against their crosstown rivals at Capital Hoops in early February.

But the Gees didn’t have too long to dwell on that game, as they were back in action three days later on Friday, Jan. 20 to take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

Brody Maracle lead the way offensively for the Gees with a season-high 18 points. The Gees were led on the defensive end by Brandon Robinson, who had a season-high nine defensive

Nico Laliberté & Zack Goobie

Sports Editor & associate Sports Editor Men On Jan. 17, the University of Ottawa men’s basketball team suffered a mortifying 80–41 defeat at the hands of the Carleton Ravens.

Shooting only 21.4 per cent on the game and committing 18 turnovers were concerning signs for a Gees team

rebounds.

All in all the Gees redeemed themselves with a dominant performance on Jan, 20, downing the Thunderwolves 89–60.

The Gees managed to carry this momentum into Saturday’s game against the Guelph Gryphons. This time it was stars Caleb Agada and Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles who led the way for the Gees, as they carried their team to an 85–68 victory.

Women In comparison to their male counterparts, the University of Ottawa women’s basketball team suffered a much less embarrassing loss to Carleton on Jan. 16 at Montpetit Hall.

The Gees gave the Ravens a run for their money, but ultimately fell 57–50 in a close affair.

Fourth-year guard Sarah Besselink finished the game with 19 points and five rebounds. The rest of the Gees struggled to generate offense, with no other player reaching double digits in the contest.

Former Gee-Gee Catherine Traer dropped 20 points for the Ravens, eventually leading her team to victory.

The Gees rebounded well after their loss to Carleton.

“Unfortunately Catherine Traer beat us tonight, it’s a little bit tough to go through that,” said head coach Andy Sparks after the game. “We had a good tough Carleton game there and hopefully we can build and learn from that.”

However, the Gees later put up a solid performance against Lakehead on Jan. 20, defeating the Thunderwolves 69–45.

On Saturday the Gees took on the Guelph Gryphons, where reserves

Photos: Courtesy of Greg Mason.

Jennifer Crowe and Melina Wishart lead the way for the Gees with 18 and 16 points, respectively. The Gees won by a final score of 71–60.

Both teams have one more weekend before their much-anticipated Capital Hoops matchup, and a chance to avenge their losses to Carleton.

Both teams return to action on Jan. 27 at Western University. Tickets for Capital Hoops on Feb. 3 can be purchased via Ticketmaster.

Gee-Gees smash Stingers in third period

U of O men’s hockey continues 2017 undefeated streak with a big win vs. Concordia utes later, defenceman Mike Poirier scored on a perfect shot to open the scoring for the Gees.

Right wing Connor Sills, a former Flint Thunderbird, put the Gees in the lead with a perfectly placed shot on Philippe Cadorette’s blocker side two minutes after the Gees tied the game.

The Stingers would get the equalizer on a power-play at the 12-minute mark of the second. The Gees would enter the second intermission in a tie game, despite being outshot 27–16.

In the final frame the Gees came out hot, scoring two goals in the first six minutes from wingers Cody Drover and Kevin Domingue to take a 4–2 lead.

The Stingers reduced the Gees’ lead to one with less than eight minutes to go.

However, Domingue, the Gees’ top point scorer and third in the Ontario Athletics Conference (OUA) in goals, restored his team’s two-goal advan-

zack goobie

associate Sports Editor The University of Ottawa men’s hockey team faced off against the ninth-ranked team in the country, the Concordia University Stingers, on Jan. 21 in Montréal.

The new year has been a productive time for the Gees, as they continue to flex their offensive muscle late in the game to take home a 6–3 victory.

The first period showcased some tight-checking action, with neither team being able to get on the scoreboard. The Gees failed to convert on three power-plays, despite getting some good chances. Gees goaltender Anthony Brodeur proved to be a stellar performer once again, with 16 saves to keep the Stingers off the board.

A giveaway by the Gees resulted in the Stingers’ first goal of the contest, with just over four minutes into the second period. Less than two min-

10 | SPORTS

The Gees have been the best team in the country lately.

tage with a great breakaway finish.

Concordia pulled their goalie late in the third to try to overcome their

cage to give the Gees the 6–3 win.

Brodeur was key in another win for the Gees, as he steered away a total of 39 shots.

Domingue and Drover propelled the Gees offense with two goals and an assist, respectively, in the third period alone. Poirier was strong on the backend, contributing with the opening goal and an assist.

After starting the year with a 1–6–0 record, the Gees are now 13– 7–3, and have become one of the best teams in the country.

With their sixth consecutive win in the bag, the Garnet and Grey have the longest winning streak in the country, and with five games left in the regular season they are showing no signs of slowing down.

The last home game of the regular season for the Gee-Gees will be on Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the Minto Sports Complex against the Carleton Ravens.

Tickets can be purchased from the GeeGees’ website.

Photo: Marta Kierkus.

two-goal deficit. Drover put the game to bed with his second of the night as he deposited the puck into a vacant

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Women’s volleyball collects win after slow start to new year Team remains tied for third in tight RSEQ conference amid playoff uncertainty Nico Laliberté

Sports Editor

The women’s volleyball team was hoping for a better start to the second half of their season after going 5–5 in the first ten games. Instead they went 1–1 this weekend going up against McGill and the University of Sherbrooke.

After losing 3–0 to the first-place Université du Montréal earlier in the month, the Gees were hoping to rebound against the McGill Martlets on Jan. 21, a team they’ve managed to beat before.

McGill ran out to an early lead, with the Gees looking flat-footed. The U of O struggled to find their groove in the first set, and the Martlets easily took it by a score of 25–16.

The Gees played much better in the second set and actually led for most

of it, going up 16–13 off of some solid play from their hitters.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t close the set out, and McGill took it 25–22.

The Gees were a team on a mission in the third set. Their offense was firing on all cylinders, and they had some great hits from third-year Carline Lemay. McGill continued to play a solid game, staying within four points of the Gees throughout the set.

Though it was close right until the end, the Gees took the third set by a score of 25–20.

Though they played valiantly in the fourth, the Gees weren’t able to complete the comeback, losing that set 25–21.

“We can’t play like that,” said head coach Lionel Woods after the game. “You can’t play catch-up the entire match

The Gees remain in contention for a playoff spot in the RSEQ.

because then you run out of steam, you exhaust so much energy ... and we were playing from behind pretty much the whole time.”

Fifth-year setter Kira

Photo: Marta Kierkus.

Tome said everyone on the team needs to do a better job of starting future matches on the right foot.

“We just need to find something that gets us all

pumped up, ready to start a game,” said Tome. “We just need to start the way we finish games.”

The Gees played a much more complete game against the Sher-

brooke Vert et Or on Sunday.

They won the first set 25–19, but Sherbrooke came back and tied the sets at one apiece. The Gees eventually shut them down, taking the next two sets 25–16 and 25–15 respectively.

In the wake of this series, the Gees now hold a record of 6–7, and are in a three-way tie for third in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).

Only the top four teams make playoffs, so while they’re in the thick of it they aren’t guaranteed anything yet.

In such a tight conference, every game is important, and the Gees can’t afford to stumble down the stretch.

The Gee-Gees’ next home game is on Feb. 4 at 2 p.m. in Montpetit Hall. You can purchase tickets from the Gee-Gees’ website.

Sandy Hill Winter Classic 2017 preview

Event will take place at a later date after being postponed due to weather Matt Zucca

Staff Contributor The Sandy Hill Winter Classic has become a staple of the local community for the last three years, where the best outdoor hockey players around brave the freezing cold to raise money for charity. While this year’s tournament was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, Jan. 21, the ice was too thin to skate on thanks to a treacherously mild winter.

Though the tournament will be postponed until the rink is ready, it still attracted many spectators and participants for its skills competition and delicious hot dogs.

Lead event organizer Mathieu Hudon was quick to point out how integral his team was to this day. Organizing an event like this takes a lot of work, and without the event’s founder, University of Ottawa alumnus Evan Trofimchuk, the team had to come together to make this event work.

Although the ice was too thin to skate on, people still had fun with the skills competition.

“I really got involved in year three. This is year four and Evan (Trofimchuk) is no longer here. He’s in B.C.,” said Hudon. “But we took it over and every year the game plan is bigger, better, more money for the charity.”

Hudon admits that the crowd that gathered at the Sandy Hill Community Centre was a bit disappointed that the conditions were not good enough for skating, but he said the tournament will go on once the conditions are

Photo: Marta Kierkus.

better.

“We’re committed to making sure the tournament does come to completion. So it’ll probably be in a couple of weekends is where we’ll actually get the hockey going.”

Fortunately for the people who did show up, there were hot dogs aplenty, and the sponsors managed to showcase some worthwhile causes.

Red Bull arrived with a giant tent to house Cam’s Kids and the Brookfield Relocation Services, while Budweiser brought the equipment for the skills competitions. The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario also made an appearance.

Though it didn’t go to completion this week, the 2017 Sandy Hill Winter Classic is still on the docket. As a ritual of community spirit, it has been met with enthusiastic acceptance by the University of Ottawa community in particular.

This year the roster filled up in under three hours despite being limited to just a Facebook page. According to Hudon, they’ll have 16 teams competing for glory whenever Mother Nature decides to cooperate.

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“There are some very, very talented hockey players that do come out,” said Hudon. “Some played junior, some played maybe higher. I don’t know them all personally, but they definitely come to compete.”

“As soon as the rink conditions are good we will be making the call and everybody I’m sure will come out again.”

Although Trofimchuk wasn’t on site to oversee this year’s festivities, he can rest assured that the event is in dedicated hands. The crack team of hard workers and community organizers ensured a smooth landing this Saturday amidst the lessthan-ideal weather conditions.

You can follow the Sandy Hill Winter Classic on Facebook to find out when the tournament will be taking place. It should be a rip-roaring time for anyone who’s a fan of this timeless Canadian pastime.

Sports | 11

OPINIONS

OPINIONS EDITOR Eric Davidson

opinions@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062 @eric_davidson93

Stop meddling with post-graduate funding Tinkering with funding is a short-sighted, damaging process Eric Davison

fulcrum contributor

T

he provincial government of Ontario recently announced plans to reform the funding and admission standards of graduate programs in order to favour fields that are currently in demand.

In other words, programs that lead to jobs get more money. Although the specifics of this new system will ultimately be decided by individual institutions, the province still holds significant leverage as the primary source of school funding.

The idea of encouraging education in economically viable fields makes sense from a provincial government perspective. However, it demonstrates a misunderstanding of the factors involved in choosing a graduate program, and it disrespects the foundational values of academia.

Although the specifics of how funds will be allocated under the new system have yet to be deter-

Funding rules could discourage students from pursuing certain majors.

mined, the cost of subsidizing faculties with “less demand” will ultimately fall on their students.

Ideally, decreasing the barrier to entry of programs like computer science and medicine will increase the number of trained professionals in these highly valuable fields.

Conversely, higher tuition costs in more esoteric majors like Russian literature or music theory might en-

Photo: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.

courage individuals to pursue more immediately gratifying tracks.

Unfortunately, this idealist logic fails to hold up in practice, particularly in the post-graduate world.

Graduate programs have always been the domain of those who are passionate about learning and contributing to their fields. It’s unlikely that someone passionate enough to pursue a master’s in French history

will suddenly become an industrial chemist because of a difference in tuition prices.

Shuffling around funding could also dissuade students from enrolling in “less desirable” degrees, and it’s also a poor method of encouraging them to enter the “proper” fields.

One of the touted benefits of the new system was enabling low-income youth to enter prestigious and otherwise unaffordable programs.

Although government assistance for post-secondary education has been overwhelmingly successful, this effort of prioritizing certain streams will have negative consequences.

In the best case scenario, an otherwise disinterested student enrolls in a program they have little passion for because it was more affordable than their first choice. If they decide to drop out then the government wasted thousands of dollars that could have gone to a successful “suboptimal” education. In the worst case scenario, the country winds up with a generation of miserable and uninspired electrical engineers.

Although changes in funding may be limited initially, it sets a dangerous precedent for government involvement in academia.

Ultimately, the idea of meddling in postgraduate admissions seems ineffective and short sighted. After all, there’s no guarantee that today’s “in demand” fields will be popular in the decades to come.

With Canadian STEM graduates flocking to the U.S., the bottleneck in these high-yield industries is not determined by the number of capable employees, but the incentives for them to stay in the country.

Beyond sheer practicality, there are ideological concerns with the new system as well, as the government would unilaterally decide which topics are worth studying and significantly hinder development in other fields.

In closing, it’s also worth considering this: How many great works of literature would never have been written because someone decreed that making faster computers was a more worthwhile endeavour?

SFUO reform must be more than international student seat Substantially increasing the number of faculty directors will give more representation Nicholas Robinson staff contributor

Imagine a seat on the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa’s (SFUO) Board of Administration (BOA) that’s just for international students. This is what SFUO president Roméo Ahimakin is proposing. At first glance it seems like a good idea, but there’s an issue.

The fact is, international students are already represented on the BOA—the faculty directors represent everyone in their faculty, including international students. What makes international students inherently more worthy of extra representation than any other group of students? After all, they aren’t the only group of students that have unique circumstances—like Indigenous students, for instance.

Granting international students

12 | OPINIONS

this extra representation without granting extra representation to any other group smacks of favouritism.

That said, there is a very good argument for ensuring international students and other groups get a voice on the BOA, but it needs to come as part of a wider reform package. It’s an open secret that the SFUO is completely disconnected from the student population and that radical reform is needed, and that reform needs to start at the top.

The obvious place to start reform is by adding extra faculty seats. For a federation of over 40,000 students, the 25 faculty seats on the BOA gives students a representation of roughly 1,400 students per representative. At Carleton, it’s about 1,000 students per rep. At McMaster it’s about 800. Adding 10 extra faculty seats to the BOA

At a Jan. 15 meeting SFUO President Roméo Ahimakin said he wants to create a seat on the BOA for international students.

Photo: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.

would bring down our ratio to about 1,000 students per rep.

Not only would this give students more representation, but it would also provide students with more chances to get involved.

On top of that, it would be

worth looking into adding a number of extra roles. For instance, there could be a few community reps dedicated to representing certain unique communities such as Indigenous students, students with disabilities, and international

students. One particularly interesting idea, sometimes seen in the United Kingdom, is the idea of casual seats—having a few seats on the council that are open to any random student.

Usually those seats are allocated either through a first-comefirst-serve basis or through a lottery.

The obvious retort to adding more seats is to say that it’s impractical, but the fact of the matter is that the SFUO has quite a small student council already. Many student councils across the world work better than ours and are much larger, some having over 60 members.

BOA reform shouldn’t just stop at its composition—there are plenty of other elements of the board that need reforming. And while BOA reform should happen, let’s make sure we’re looking at the full picture first.

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Celebrity and politics are a dangerous mix

From Kevin O’Leary to Bono, we need to learn to look past celebrity “qualification” Alex Grichmanoff staff contributor

On Jan. 18, Kevin O’Leary announced his bid for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. Headlines from mainstream Canadian news outlets described O’Leary as a millionaire and television star, and O’Leary’s announcement was met with warm public reception from a variety of Canadian voters from across the political spectrum.

Absent from many mainstream media headlines, however, were mentions of O’Leary’s several business and investment failures, O’Leary’s massive French language barrier as an English-only speaker, O’Leary’s ambivalence towards climate change, the racism allegations faced by O’Leary after calling two black women “cockroaches” on live television, or the now infamous viral video in which O’Leary celebrates the poverty of 3.5 billion people.

Rather than focus on O’Leary’s gaffes or policy

positions, mainstream Canadian media has largely presented O’Leary as an astute and ruthless business man—a statement which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Instead, the heavy focus on O’Leary’s wealth and celebrity status as a measurement of success is immediately reminiscent of the politics of personality that dominated the previous American election cycle.

Politics of personality can have dangerous consequences on the effectiveness of a democracy—that is, neither wealth nor celebrity are representative of leadership quality, despite what media headlines have implicitly or explicitly presupposed.

In Canada, all citizens hold the right to become involved with the political process.

Despite their success, the rich and famous have the same right and legitimate reasons as other Canadian citizens to get involved in the electoral process, vote, and run for office. The same as other Cana-

Kevin O’Leary announced his intention to run in the Conservative Party leadership race on Jan. 18. Photo: CC, Randstad Canada.

dian citizens, celebrities also have full right to make political statements. However, it’s important for voters to be mindful of who they’re supporting and why.

The Internet era and the nature of new media journalism all but guarantees celebrities a far-reaching platform for their political opinions

should they chose to voice them, and O’Leary isn’t alone in exploiting his popularity for political profit. This extends from Donald Trump to rock-star Bono and his wife Ali Hewson’s philanthropic works, which experts argue have actually perpetuated false narratives about the state of the African continent.

Celebrity status and wealth serve as perhaps the most effective shields to criticism possible in the mainstream media. The media cannot criticize Bono’s style of philanthropy without acknowledging he’s the millionaire frontman of one of the most successful rock bands in history. The media cannot criti-

cize Trump or O’Leary without acknowledging either individual’s massive accumulation of wealth.

For the sake of an effective Canadian democracy, a cultural shift is required in both society and the media where celebrity and wealth become disregarded as demonstrable measurements of success. Although celebrities have full right to a political opinion and a political voice as citizens, the size of the platform available to them has high potential for abuse. In the case of Bono, they might not even know they’re part of a problem.

Canadians: don’t judge Kevin O’Leary on his wealth or his celebrity status. Judge him on his record, his platform, his actions, and his words. In the weeks following the American election on Nov. 8, dozens of articles have been published detailing the regrets felt by Trump voters who feel duped by the new administration. Canadians aren’t above being duped by celebrities.

Giving SFUO overseer more power isn’t personal, just fair practice More information and access will improve comptroller general’s role Eric Davidson Opinions Editor

If you’re reading this article, you know a bit about the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO). You probably know about the executives, and maybe even the executive coordinator.

But there’s another important member you should be thinking about—the comptroller general.

Not many people know how to describe, let alone pronounce, the comptroller general (the “p” is voiced, in case you were wondering), but this position is a lot less byzantine than it sounds.

I just think of the comptroller general as the “money accountability person.” They make sure that the financial decisions made

by SFUO members, like spending federation money on taxis, is above board.

At a recent Board of Administration (BOA) meeting, two motions were brought forward to give the “money accountability person” more power. One expanded their role beyond being

able to investigate only directly financial topics and documents, and the other gave them more authority in how complaints are first brought.

There was a long debate about both. Proponents argued it removed needless shackles from the comptroller so they could do their job better. Opponents countered that a rogue comptroller could use this authority to ruin the reputations of federation members.

In the end however, these changes are beneficial for both parties—they lead to better quality work by the comptroller, which will catch more problems, and lead to fewer misdiagnoses of problems.

First off, we need to get something out of the way—this isn’t personal.

The comptroller’s relationship with the SFUO, particularly the executive, is fairly adversarial by design. Twice this year the comptroller has put out reports exposing problems with executive spending. That can lead to tension,

At their Jan. 15 meeting, the BOA debated updating the powers available to the comptroller general, Tanner Tallon.

Photo: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.

and a feeling that the comptroller is just out to “get” the executive.

And really, whether the comptroller should exist, or whether you think some comptrollers have taken things too far aren’t issues pertinent to the discussion. Their

role will always be adversarial, so you might as well make it easy for them to get all the facts.

But what if the comptroller doesn’t have the SFUO’s best interest at heart? What if they use their investigations to implicate

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innocent board members? If you have such concerns, you’ll be happy to hear that the comptroller can’t actually do anything other than investigate. They just present their evidence to the board.

If the BOA doesn’t receive convincing evidence they can reject it as a frivolous report.

But while we’re on the topic of bad actors, what happens if another member of the federation is up to no good? What if the president is the problem? Or the vicepresident finance, who’s in charge of human resources?

The comptroller’s position takes its strength from the idea of balance. If the problem is part of the board, then the comptroller can expose it. If the problem is the comptroller, then the board as a whole can see through it.

But having a weak comptroller general doesn’t make this ecosystem better for anyone. It just increases the mistakes and hurdles the average comptroller has to deal with, while simply trying to do their job right.

OPINIONS | 13

Trudeau in hot water for answering English question in Klingon News of the controversy, confusion rapidly spreads across the galaxy Ryan Pepper fulcrum freelancer On Monday, constituents aboard the HMCS Voyageur were left in shock after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answered all of their questions in Klingon.

Many Anglophones were left asking their bilingual companions “qaStaH nuq?” as the PM droned on about pot legalization and his latest scuffle with Starfleet high command.

The linguistic makeup of this ship is primarily Klingon, but at least six per cent of the crew speak English, which acts as the common operating language in Starfleet.

Voyageur engineer Rudy Joss was particularly taken aback

by Trudeau’s choice of language, since she knows that all officers on board must know Federation Standard English.

“I had pressing questions about

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau found himself in trouble over use of Klingon.

Photo: CC, President of the Republic of Mexico, Cristiano Betta, StateFarm. Edits: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.

the ship’s transporter operating manual,” Joss said in a statement to the Starfleet Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). “The instruction manual is entirely in Klin-

gon, which actually goes against Starfleet regulations.”

“By ignoring my question, I really feel disrespected.”

Ceraldo Gutting heads the Star-

shippers’ Association, which represents the Anglophone minority aboard the Voyageur, and believes that Trudeau’s transgression was akin to a physical assault.

“It was if someone had just walked up to me and hit me in the cranial antennae,” the Andorian told the SBC. “Trudeau spoke to the Vulcans in their mother tongue last week, so why should we get different treatment. I just … it’s incredible.”

Even the Klingon Community Groups Network roundly criticized the PM, saying, in an official statement, that not even staunch defenders of the Klingon language would make such a blunder.

While Trudeau added he was “surprised” at the number of English-language questions aboard the ship, three separate complaints have been filed with the Office of the Starship Fleet Commissioner on Official Languages.

The PM began the backpedaling

process shortly after that, stating that perhaps answering in a “mixture of Klingon and English would have been best.”

Unfortunately, for many outlets, this official statement was only published in Klingon, causing even more mass confusion.

Many claimed the PM went so far as to say that “Hab SoSli’ Quch,” though the Daily Earth swear they heard “Heghlu’meH QaQ jajvam,” a statement which could have triggered a galactic civil war after the recent election upset on Venus.

This recent blunder, coming just weeks after a vacation in the holodeck of wealthy businessman Aja Kling, has given a lot of ammunition to the Intergalactic Conservative Party as they gear up for their leadership race.

With the current political climate, one can only ask “QaStaH nuq?”

QaStaH nuq, indeed.

SFUO starts election process amid fears of Russian hacking Concerns of tampering sparked after SFUO finds vodka bottles in their office Eric Davidson Tomato Editor Panic has gripped the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), as executive members suspect that the Russian government is trying to influence the results of the upcoming election.

Security concerns were first raised when SFUO president Roméo Ahimakin found a wrapped present on his desk. Upon opening the gift, Ahimakin was mortified to see several bottles of vodka.

“I couldn’t read the label, but it looked like a Russian code,” he stressed.

Ahimakin said that SFUO translators are working furiously to decode the message, a process that will be done in a brisk four months.

“There are a number of issues the SFUO is dealing with right now: student businesses, maintaining cash flow, and tuition hikes,” said

Francesco Caruso, the SFUO’s vicepresident services and communications. “But I think we can all agree the real threat is Russia tampering with our electoral process.”

According to sources who have studied Russian on Duolingo, the former Cold War superpower is embarking on a top-secret program to spread chaos across Canadian university campuses.

“They want to sow mistrust between students and their student federations, cause financial disruptions, and generally give the federations a bad public image,” said an anonymous source. “I’m sure that will be a tall order at the U of O.” As it stands, it’s not clear how Russia might influence an SFUO election. Pundits are speculating that they might try and sponsor damaging hacks revealing personal information on candidates.

“Luckily, the SFUO seems to be prepared for this,” said U of O cy-

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The SFUO is launching a full investigation into Russian tampering in its electoral process.

Photo: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik, CC Bruce the Deus. Edits: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.

bersecurity expert Michel Ghost.

“Their website is so dense and impenetrable that no hacker will be able to get access to any sensitive information ... or any information really.”

Others fear that Russia will offer free meal plans to influence the small number of students who plan to vote.

“It wouldn’t be the first time a government has been brought down by

overcooked pizza,” said Ghost.

To increase their security, the SFUO will be making strategic adjustments to its voting process.

“As of now, students will have to write their choices in Pig Latin,” said Caruso. “It’s for your own afety-say.”

Caruso also assured students that polling stations would be located far away from 1848’s Eastern European Block Party events, to avoid any drunken espionage.

Finally, the SFUO has decided to randomly distribute voting hours to thwart any enemy actors.

“It might be a little inconvenient to vote at 4:30 a.m., but that’s the price you pay for security.” said Caruso.

At a recent board meeting, Thomas Adams, a concerned student, asked Caruso how we could be sure Russia hadn’t been tampering with SFUO elections in previous years. “до свидания,” Caruso replied.

THE TOMATo | 14

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DISTRACTIONS Dear Di

FEATURES EDITOR Alexa-Eliza Carter

features@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062 @aecart043

Dear Di,

Dear Di,

My girlfriend is graduating this year and might go to graduate school in a different city. She doesn’t seem to think this will be a problem for us, but I’m having second thoughts about being in a long-distance relationship. Any advice?

I recently got out of a long-term relationship and have been re-discovering a much more casual sex life. I’ve started hooking up with people I meet at parties and in bars, but my friends seem to be really against it. Is there something wrong with this lifestyle?

-Long-Distance Lover

-Casual Encounters

Dear LDL, Being in a long-distance relationship in university can be tough, but fear not! Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

If you and your girlfriend are in a committed relationship and are willing to put in a little effort, your relationship can easily stretch across different cities.

As in any romantic partnership, communication is key. Distance only means you’ll have to communicate more effectively, which could actually benefit your relationship in the long run. By improving your communication with your girlfriend, you’ll probably learn things about her that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Also, being apart for a while will allow you to better focus on your studies or your job. Maybe there are other interests you can indulge in that you simply didn’t have time to explore before.

If the distance starts to get you down, don’t be scared to get creative. You can always organize a romantic Skype dinner, movie date, or play online video games together.

Don’t be scared to get into phone sex as well. While the distance between lovers can leave you feeling physically disconnected, feel free to let some of that sexual tension out through text or FaceTime. It’ll be a game-changer.

And when you two finally reunite for those “Netflix and chill” nights, you’ll be grateful you put in all that hard work.

Love, Di

Dear CE, One thing’s for sure—you definitely aren’t alone in your erotic endeavours.

A relaxed attitude towards sex is pretty standard on university campuses, so don’t be ashamed of trying to quench that thirst.

Your friends probably mean well, and are concerned that you might not be making the right choices. They could think you’re doing this in response to your breakup, or that you aren’t entirely sober when you find a partner at a house party or at a bar. For some people sex is a very intimate act, and could never be considered casual. But that’s certainly not true for everyone.

Women are also traditionally subject to more scrutiny, and even shame, when they engage in sexual acts with multiple partners—an unfortunate social factor which could also be contributing to the reaction you’re getting.

I suggest you explain to your friends that everyone expresses their sexuality in different ways, and that it is just as normal to revel in monogamy as it is to enjoy getting laid on the regular.

You might also want to reassure them by letting them know that you’re using contraceptives, and that you’re regularly getting tested for STIs. At the end of the day, it all has to do with how YOU feel.

If you’re content with your experiences and you’re having fun, protected sex, then carry on and keep doing your own thing!

Love, Di

To get all your sexy and saucy questions answered, email Di at deardi@thefulcrum.ca ;) 16 | DISTRACTIONS

thefulcrum.ca

Jan. 26-Feb. 2, 2016

THRYLLABUS

MUSIC arts Sports FUN Thinking

Thursday, Jan. 26

Lion, (Golden Globe nomineeBest Motion Picture, Drama), Mayfair Theatre—6:30 p.m.

Ottawa Bachata Festival, three days of workshops by local and guest instructors, RITMO BAILE (349 Dalhousie st.)—8 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 27 The Ghomeshi Effect Dialogues: Improving Sexual Assault Legal Resources, (hosted by the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre), The Gladstone Theatre—5 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 28 Ottawa Health and Wellness Expo, Shenkman Arts Centre—9 a.m.

Gee-Gees women’s hockey vs.

Concordia, Minto Sports Complex—2 p.m.

Ottawa 67’s vs.

Niagara IceDogs, TD Place—2 p.m.

Dierks Bentley (with special guests Cole Swindell and Jon Pardi), Canadian Tire Centre—7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 29 Deadly Skies Air-War (1914-1918), special exhibition, (last day), Canadian War Museum—9:30 a.m.

Bizet’s Carmen (presented by uOttawa Opera Company), Tabaret Hall—2 p.m.

Trudeau Stories, last performance, Great Canadian Theatre Company—2 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 30

Whale Music (free screening - Cinema Canada 150 series), ByTowne Cinema—9:05 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 31

Manchester by the Sea (Golden Globe winner-Casey Affleck, Best Actor), ByTowne Cinema—6:35 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 1

The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, National Arts Centre—7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 2 Summer Job Fair, free admission, University Centre—10 a.m.

Gee-Gees men’s hockey vs. Carleton, Minto Sports Complex—7:30 p.m.

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DISTRACTIONS | 17

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18 | LETTERS

thefulcrum.ca

Volume 77, Issue 16, Jan. 26, 2017 Supporting our sisters since 1942.

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

Savannah “Jewel of Russia” Awde Editor-in-Chief editor@thefulcrum.ca Kim “Imperia” Wiens Production Manager production@thefulcrum.ca Kyle “Russian Standard” Darbyson Managing Editor content@thefulcrum.ca Graham “Royal Order” Robertson News Editor news@thefulcrum.ca Anchal “Kalashnikov” Sharma Arts and Culture Editor arts@thefulcrum.ca Alexa-Eliza “Parliament” Carter Features Editor features@thefulcrum.ca Nico “Sputnik” Laliberté Sports Editor sports@thefulcrum.ca Eric “Zyr” Davidson Opinions Editor opinions@thefulcrum.ca Jaclyn “Stolichnaya” McRae-Sadik Visual Editor visual@thefulcrum.ca David “Moskovskaya” CampionSmith Social Media Coordinator social@thefulcrum.ca Allegra “Regalia” Morgado Outgoing Social Media Coordinator Zainab “Ruskova” Al-Mehdar Associate News Editor associate.news@thefulcrum.ca Zack “Tovaritch” Goobie Associate Sports Editor associatesports@thefulcrum.ca Jodie “Kutskova” Coté-Marshall Associate Features Editor associate.features@thefulcrum.ca Marta “Sibirskya” Kierkus Staff Photographer photographer@thefulcrum.ca Lucas “Ivan the Terrible” Ghosn General Manager manager@thefulcrum.ca

EDITORIAL

Unlike Trump, whistleblowing debate shouldn’t stay south of the border

In one of Barack Obama’s final acts as president of the United States—and one that came as a shock to onlookers across the political spectrum—he commuted the sentence of former U.S. army analyst and whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who was serving 35 years in prison for violating several laws that forbid disclosing classified information.

The decision evoked an extremely divided response, with some condemning Manning and others calling her a hero.

And while Obama had his own reasoning behind the Manning commutation, the public response has pointed to an issue much larger than the case itself.

But, you might ask, what is there to argue? Leaking classified information should never be acceptable, right? You might be quick to jump to the consensus that anyone who leaks intelligence information should be branded as a “traitor.”

In theory, that might be a fair assumption. But in practice, leaking classified information in the U.S. is pretty standard practice—but a lot of these so-called “traitors” don’t reside behind bars.

As reported by Reuters, leaking classified information has been a strategy used time and time again in the U.S. by those in positions of power who are looking to further a political agenda. For example, according to the report, the George W. Bush administration ordered the release of classified intelligence to convince the public and Congress that a war on Iraq was a good idea.

In 2010, NBC News reporter Michael

Isikoff detailed similar allowances made within the Obama administration. During a 2008 meeting held in a windowless, secure room, “a wealth of eye-popping details from a highly classified briefing” to president-elect Obama was leaked to Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, who later published this information in his book Obama’s Wars.

The key point to take away from these examples? No charges, no jail sentences, no commutations.

One caveat to note is that Manning was charged in military court, which operates under a variant of the U.S. system. But in looking at other cases, like that of fellow whistleblower Edward Snowden, we can see that leaking intelligence when you’re not holding a high-level government position can have serious consequences, regardless of the legal system that is used.

In Canada, our whistleblower protections are extremely underdeveloped.

Canada’s only federal whistleblower legislation, the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, provides protection to public service employees, but only six provinces currently have legislation aimed at protecting civil servant whistleblowers. In the private sector, there are no current protections in place for whistleblowers.

However, this lack of protection isn’t applied equally.

In Canada, selective intelligence leaks have also been seen in several prominent cases. You might argue that high-level government has a better sense of when classified information should be made

Shanèl “Russian Diamond” Dear Advertising Representative ads@thefulcrum.ca Reine “Czar” Tejares Webmaster webmaster@thefulcrum.ca

Contributors

Ryan “Green Mark” Pepper Madison “Kalinka” McSweeney Mickaela “Russian Caliber” Churchill Perushka “Vektor” Gopalkista Matt “Kauffman” Zucca Eric “Cristall Signature” Davison Nicholas “Matrioshka Lux” Robinson Alex “Dmitri Ivanabitch” Grichmanoff Parker “Russian Imperial” Townes

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Mackenzie “Smirnoff” Gray Kate “Forty Degrees” Murray Jonathan “Serebryaniy Zamok” Rausseo Raghad “Legend of Kremlin” Sheikh-Khalil Will “Slavianskaya” Hume Niharika “Diplomat” Namulla Thivya “Alimov” Naganathan Julia “White Tiger” Miraflores Fadi “Ikon” Azzi Spencer “Marani” Murdock Maggie “RU Classic” Gollish Cover: Marta Kierkus.

The Manning debate comes at a time when Canada’s whistleblower protections are severely underdeveloped. Photo: CC, Marcus Povey.

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public. But in the cases where this judgement call has been made, there have been huge costs to the individuals implicated in the information released.

In 2003, Canadian Justice Dennis O’Conner found that a series of leaks of government information were selectively presented and timed to implicate a man in a terrorist plot. No evidence was ever found to link the man to terrorist activities.

In 2011 a similar government leak found its way to the press, alleging criminal activity by two Canadians.

A report from the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association points to this activity as problematic because these men had never been criminally charged, and “the system of justice requires that litigation take place in a court of law — not in the press.”

From the ability to find employment to fearing for safety in the case of public backlash, the consequences suffered by these men—who had never been charged in a court of law—were likely huge. But was there sufficient investigative action or a criminal charge made against the person who declassified the information? Nope.

This is an insidious pattern that, while not as infamous in Canada as in the U.S., has impacted the lives of some Canadians in a hugely negative manner. With this in mind, what can we learn from the Manning case?

As a constituency, we must voice our concerns and thoughts about whistleblower protections and ensure that our chosen party is representing those assertions adequately. If Canada doesn’t want more whistleblower protection, that’s fine—but we should be holding our government to account for the regulation that we decide on.

If the government enjoys excesses in whistleblower protection, and we don’t feel this is an issue, why not demand these same liberties for Canadians across the board?

When it comes to whistleblowing, Canada has so much to discuss—and here, we’ve only skimmed the surface. It’s essential that we look at the Manning case with a critical eye, and think about what rights we believe Canadian whistleblowers should be entitled to.

After all, blowing the whistle isn’t the only way to be heard—what are we waiting for?

EDITORIAL | 19

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