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.

What are the chances of a response...?

I'm sure by now everyone has had a chance to read about the letter that Renaud Garner recently sent to the new SAC arbitrators and if you haven't, well you view it by clicking here. Anyways, I'm taking these precious few minutes away from my 12 page project that is due on Thursday (which is sort of progressing, slowly but surely) to ask this question: What are the chances that the 5 newly appointed arbitrators will actually give Garner a response?

Frankly, I think that they would be crazy to answer that letter. In no way am I criticizing Garner for having written this letter because it raises many legitimate questions concerning the neutrality of the new arbitrators. In fact, I'd consider it an injustice if they weren't privileged to the same information that the accused are. But seriously, lets be realistic for a second. The accused somewhat have an advantage at the moment. Can you imagine if the SAC issued a response to Garner's letter? I think it would cause quite the crisis and once again stall the process from going forward.

Sadly, if they (the new SAC arbitrators) were to ignore the letter, it would seem like they have something to hide. And that would just make them look bad and further put into question their apparent non-partisan neutrality.

So, technically speaking, they should definitely answer this legitimate letter! But, realistically speaking, I think the chances are slim to none that they actually will. Just keep in mind that the accused have access to privileged information that the appellants don't... Is that fair? Probably not the best question to be asking at this point in time... because when you really think about it... HAS ANYTHING BEEN FAIR DURING THIS PROCESS?

What are your thoughts and/or opinions? Leave a comment and start some healthy dialogue!

Budget de l'Ontario 2009...

Hier, le jeudi 26 mars 2009, le gouvernement liberal de Dalton McGuinty a présenté son budget pour l'année fiscale 2009. Veillez-consulter le budget!

Résults des élections de l'AÉÉPID/ PIDSSA's Elections results

VP AUX AFFAIRES FRANCOPHONES/VP FRANCOPHONE AFFAIRS
Brandon Clim
YES/OUI – 115/171 – 67.2%
NON/NO – 56/171 – 32.8%

VP AUX FINANCES/ VP OF FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
Peter Flynn
YES/OUI – 154/171 – 90.05%
NON/NO – 17/171 – 9.95%

VP AUX AFFAIRES EXTÉRIEURES/ VP OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Kyle Simunovic
YES/OUI – 116/132 – 87.9%
NON/NO – 16 – 12.1%

VP AUX AFFAIRES ACADÉMIQUES/VP ACADEMIC AFFAIRS (DVM)
Kevin W. Ng – 14/43 – 32.6%
Ethan Plato – 29/43 – 67.4%

VP AUX AFFAIRES ACADÉMIQUES/VP ACADEMIC AFFAIRS (EIL)
Christine Belley - 11/30 – 36.7%
Patrick Ciaschi 19/30 – 63.3%

VP AUX AFFAIRES ACADÉMIQUES/VP ACADEMIC AFFAIRS (PAP)
Samantha Dale 4/9 – 44.44%
James Johnston 5/9 – 56.56%

VP AUX AFFAIRES ACADÉMIQUES/VP ACADEMIC AFFAIRS (POL)
Cliff Hansen – 14/87 – 16.09%
Jesse Root – 12/87 – 13.79%
Greg Smith – 32/87 – 36.78%
Travis Weagant 29/87 -33.33%

VP AUX AFFAIRES SOCIALES/ VP OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS (ANGLOPHONE)
William Hadrian - 8/163 – 4.9%
Matt Johnny - 29/163 – 17.8%
Amanda Marochko 126/163 – 77.3%

VP AUX AFFAIRES SOCIALES/VP OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS (FRANCOPHONE)
Gabrielle Beauchemin 76/166 – 45.78%
Tristan Dénommée 90/166 – 54.21%

PRÉSIDENTE/ PRESIDENT
Tamar Friedman 75/173 – 43.35%
Amalia Savva 98/173 - 56.65%

Is the Base actively recruiting new members?

The Base is recruting new members ?!?!?!?! Nahhh, it couldn't be? Or could it? With the majority of the "Base" members in the final stage of their university careers, might they try to prolong their legacy by recruiting new, younger members?

And after having been named in Amy Kishek's recent blog amykishek.blogspot.com/2009/03/base-revealed-anecdotes-of-voiceless.html, some new names have come to my attention. It's again quite disappointing because although I already knew most of the "Base's" members, I was somewhat surprised when I recently found out that more names were to be added to this list. Much before Amy published her latest blog, I was well aware of such a "Base" and of it's workings. At first, I wasn't exactly sure what to think of it. It didn't seem wrong to share a commun idea or goal as a group of student leaders. It didn't seem wrong to have one of those student leaders be THE leader of this group.

Now that many more people have found out about this group, it's no big surprise to many of them. Will this recent discovery (of the "Base") discourage it's members to recruit new, younger members? I highly doubt it. It would seem highly unlikely that such a tight knit group would just let themselves shrivel up and disappear.

I for one do not support such a movement. After having recently read the Discourse on Voluntary Servitude by Étienne La Boétie, I found a great similarity in what he explains and the way the "Base" functions and has functionned in the past. In this essay, La Boétie talks about absolute monarchy and tyranny. He says that slaves give up their liberty to the tyrants voluntarally thus serving one man for the rest of their lives without any attempt to change the way they live. La Boétie also mentions near the end of the essay that most tyrants were eventually killed by the ones who were the closest to him.

What is kind of ironic is that the author states at the beginning of this essay that LIBERTY is a natural caracteristic of man and so is his willingness to fight for it at all costs. What seems somewhat odd about this group of so called "student leaders" is that they don't seem to be fighting for their liberty. In fact, they seem to be fighting for the complete opposite thus preserving the Patriarch's position as the "Base's" leader. When he failed to be elected in last year's SFUO elections, he was quickly brought back into the inside by being hired by the SFUO executive to the position that he currently holds.

To get back to my initial subject, I am almost certain that they will secretly continue to recruit young, influencial student leaders into their group and that scares me. As a current sitting executive member for PIDSSA, it scares me to think of how easy it could be for any executive member of any federated body to be swept up by this group thus further corrupting student politics on the University of Ottawa's campus.

Let this be a warning to all of you student leaders out there who still cherish their integrety, who still believe in transparency, and who have always very well represented their student peers. Don't get yourself caught up in this group because, in the end, A LIAR WILL ALWAYS GET CAUGHT. Is it really worth the public humiliation, the risk of having people who looked up to you in the past quickly write you off as a sell out?

Think about it before you fall victim to the Patriarch.

Les nouveaux membres du CAÉ choisient...

Les cinq nouveaux membres qui devaient être choisient pour sièger sur le CAÉ ont été choisi dimanche après-midi, le 22 mars 2009, pendant la partie huis clos de la rencontre du CA de la FÉUO. Voici les cinq noms: Ali Abdourhaman (Sciences Sociales), Charles-Antoine Gosselin (Gestion), Christopeher Schulz (Common Law), Dave Davis (Droit Civil), Michelle Nadeau (Gestion) (source: http://larotonde.ca/2009/03/cae-et-constitution/).