And there goes another year...

As I sit here, in my apartment, having just finished writing my last exam of the 2008-2009 university year, I still can't get over how fast this past year has gone by. I'm also somewhat shocked at the fact that I have just completed the second year of university career with no clear idea of how many total years I shall attend the University of Ottawa. So, what has the University of Ottawa done for me two years into my university career?

It's quite obvious that every single student's view of the world, once having begun post-secondary education, is (most often) drastically different than our narrow-sighted childhood years. We learn to critically analyse occurrences in our everyday world that (for many of us) were so very unimportant and insignificant before having arrived in university. I've also learned about many things that have aroused feelings of anger, confusion, sadness just to name a few.

I've always wanted to make the world around me a better place and that's one thing that hasn't changed. But, realistically, I'm obviously not the only one that wants to improve his or her surroundings. I've learned that bringing change isn't as easy as just saying you want to change something. Unfortunately, trying to bring any kind of change is usually a long and drawn out process, which leads to frustration and quite often abandonment. Also, change is often looked down upon because we seem to live in a world that is content with the status-quo and is too lazy and/or unwilling to improve upon what already exists.

Coming from a small town of roughly 5 000 people, where there was one African-American student in my high school, I have become more knowledgeable of different cultures from around the world.

My leadership skills, which became developed throughout my years in elementary and high school, have grown on a much broader level since arriving in Ottawa. I must say that I absolutely loved being apart of the 2008-2009 PIDSSA executive and am looking forward to the upcoming year within the new 2009-2010 executive. The knowledge and experience that I have gained during this past year will definitely be passed along to the new executive members and I look forward to working with all of them.

There is one thing that I am very happy about which has occurred since I left home: the bond that I share with my sister has grown very strong and I have learned to come to appreciate her more than I ever thought I would. Not to say that I didn't love my sister before I left home, but let's just say we definitely had our differences. Thankfully we have both grown past (most) of our brother-sister fighting and have become the best of friends. While I'm away at school, I think about her a lot. I worry a lot though too because she is a young high school teenager and having been there once myself, I'm well aware of the things that could happen to her. Particularly, being a guy, I know what some of the older guys in high school are looking for and I worry that she may fall into the wrong crowd or into the arms of the wrong guy. I often try to explain this her. But you know how teens always KNOW EVERYTHING.

Anyways, continuing on, my personal views and opinions have developed and I do have an opinion on pretty much anything. I have always been very stubborn when it comes to being right about something and have always been willing to debate until I prove whoever I am arguing with wrong. I have actually learned to be more open to others' opinions which is something that isn't easy to do and something that I'm quite proud of. When you firmly believe in something such as a religion or a political ideology, it can be very difficult at times to accept opinions that go against or contradict your own. Probably more so than in other areas of study, being a Political Science major, I'm quite literally surrounded by people with whom have very different opinions than my own. Sure, when it comes to politics, we will disagree a lot, but I always like to hear why the person with whom I am conversing takes the stance that he is defending. I'll also give my reasoning and we can usually end up agreeing that both stances have their pros and cons and then move on. It may sound very insignificant to be accepting of different views, thoughts, ideas, opinions. Although some people refuse to look beyond their own tunnel-visioned mindsets, it's an important aspect of life that everyone will eventually have to face in their lives. If you cannot at least accept the fact that people might not see things in the same way you do, your life will be one of seclusion and loneliness.

For now, I'll stop here because I'm pretty exhausted from my last exam that I wrote this morning. But, I will make sure to keep this blog updated throughout the summer even though I'm moving back home for the summer as I have locked down an amazing summer job! I'm already looking forward to 101 Week because it's going to be the biggest and best in the history of it's existence!

What makes a great leader?

It's been awhile since I last blogged my heart away. I'd have to blame exams for overwhelming my life leaving not much time for anything else. To be honest though, with the conclusion of the SAC appeal of the SFUO Elections' results, it seems like many bloggers from the U of O have taken somewhat of a blogger's hiatus. Anyhow, I'm glad that that is done and over with. Time to move on to bigger and better things and look forward to the bright future that lies ahead us.



On May 1st, most (if not all) mandates currently in effect for the federated bodies of the University of Ottawa will come to an end and the newly elected executives will begin their year-long journeys as student leaders. After being fortunate enough to have been elected last year to the PIDSSA executive, I have come to learn a lot about being a leader. I think that there are an endless amount of characteristics that student leaders can possess. As I personally embark on my renewed mandate as a member of the 2009-2010 PIDSSA executive, I wanted to share a list of top 10 characteristics that I find to be essential when it comes to being in the position of a leader.

1. A great leader never demands respect from others, he/she earns it.


2. A great leader, when surrounded by other leaders, recognizes when to lead and when to let others lead.


3. A great leader is easily approachable by others.


4. A great leader never says never.


5. A great leader accepts criticism and expects no praise.


6. A great leader learns from his mistakes.


7. A great leader is able to work with others when striving towards a common goal.
   
8. A great leader always takes into account the effect of his/her decision on those who he/she represents.
   
9. A great leader must be open to different opinions at the same time as having his/her own.
   
10. A great leader does not always say what he/she is thinking; he/she thinks before speaking.

I'm sure you all have your own favourite leadership charactiristics... therefore, I invite you to share by commenting bellow! Which ones are most important? Which ones can you get by without having? Which ones are hardest to acquire? Lets see what kind of dialogue we can create!

Quelques jours après... je prend l'temps d'y réfléchir un peu

Finalement, j'ai remis ma dernière dissertation ce matin et je peux prendre quelques minutes afin de réfléchir au sujet de la décision du CAÉ.

Si vous n'aviez pas encore eu la chance de lire le rapport au complet (oui, je comprends que c'est 31 pages...) cliquez ici! (Malheureusement, le rapport est seulement disponible en Anglais pour le moment. Aussitôt que le document sera traduit, je vais aussi la rendre disponible sur mon blogue. Dean Haldenby m'a assuré que la traduction serait faite par la semaine prochaine).

Laisse-moi premièrement dire que je suis content que ce processus a eu lieu que, maintenant que c'est fini, la semaine 101 commencera à se construire et que les perspectives de ne pas avoir d'exécutif en place pendant l'été n'existent plus.

Dans l'accusation "Kishek & McPhee against MacKay", je trouve très injuste le fait que le comité du CAÉ a présumé que la situation entre Brannigan et McPhee serait venu invalider le témoignage à McPhee. Le rapport dit : "the tense emotional state between McPhee and Brannigan have resulted in the SAC finding this matter to be inconclusive." (Rapport CAÉ : 11)

Lorsque j'ai lu la partie du rapport qui dit: "The SAC fines Dubois $20 for violating s. 4.1.7 of the SFUO constitution" (Rapport CAÉ : 16), je me suis demandé si cette sanction vaux même la peine. Si le CAÉ a conclu qu'elle a violé la Constitution de la FÉUO, n'est-ce pas une punition pénible? Est-ce que cette sanction va véritablement dissuader quelqu'un de violer la Constitution de la FÉUO dans le futur? La dissuasion n'était évidemment pas l'intention de cette sanction. C'est malheureux de voir qu'une amende monétaire est imposée pour la violation de la Constitution de la FÉUO (et puis-je ajouter une amende incroyablement minime). C'est un peu comme dire, "Tu es coupable d'avoir violé la Constitution de la FÉUO, mais c'est correct. Donne-moi 20$ et la question sera réglée." De même, je crois que cela envoie le mauvais message à la population étudiante et encourage même la violation future de la Constitution de la FÉUO. Si la seule sanction imposée par la CAÉ pour une violation de la Constitution de la FÉUO est une amende monétaire, c'est pas mal triste.

Ce qui m'a vraiment surpris c'est le manque de preuve quasi total du côté des appelants. De ce que j'ai entendu de plusieurs personnes c'est que la preuve démontrerait clairement la culpabilité des accusés. En lisant le rapport, il semble que la seule preuve que les appelants ont utilisée était des témoignages du type "mon mot contre le tient." Si les appelants n'avaient pas plus de preuve que cela, ils ne devraient pas être surpris avec le résultat de ce processus.

Finalement, je crois qu'il est important que les étudiants et les étudiantes de l'Université d'Ottawa aient confiance dans leur nouvel exécutif de la FÉUO. Malheureusement, je crois aussi que cette confiance a été mise en question avec les évènements qui ont eu lieu dans les derniers mois. Maintenant que cette question est réglée, je crois qu'il est important pour les membres du nouvel exécutif de la FÉUO d'affirmer que la population étudiante peut avoir confiance en eux afin de réparer l'aliénation causée par ces accusations.