Board of Administration of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa - Sunday July 25th 2010

Open publication - Free publishing - More meeting

Open publication - Free publishing - More structure

SFUO Services make a financial "contribution"

At the last Board of Administration meeting, that took place on Sunday June 20 2010, some interesting information was divulged during question period. Board members were made aware that 5 SFUO funded services, including the Pride Centre, Foot Patrol, the Student Appeal Centre, the Women's Resource Centre and one other service, pooled funds together to cover the cost of buses that transported student protesters from in and around the Ottawa area to Toronto to participate in the G20 protests.

Unfortunately, not all students who possibly would have wanted to attend the protests were made aware that such student-funded transportation was available to them. Why? Well, I sent this message to Amy Hammett, the SFUO Vice-President of Student Affairs and have yet to receive a response (but I will gladly add her response when she does reply):

Hello Amy,

First of all, I hope that you have settled in as the SFUO's new V.P. Student Affairs.

I am writing you concerning information that came to light at the last BOA meeting. Particularly, I am referring to student's money having been spent on buses that transported G20 protesters from Ottawa to Toronto. It has been said that this money came from student services: Foot Patrol, Pride Centre, Women's Resource Centre, Student Appeal Centre, and one other.

I would like for you to confirm that this is in fact true. Furthermore, if it is, I would like to know if this is a normal practice for student-funded SFUO services to donate money to such initiatives. I would also like to know how much money each specific service donated towards the cost of the buses and who would have had to approve such an expenditure I would also like to know if in fact these buses were publicized so that all students would have had the chance to take advantage of this transportation to Toronto. If not, why?


I am hoping that you will be able to answer these questions and clear up any discrepancies.

Looking forward to hearing back from you!

Cheers,

Brandon Clim

This message was sent on July 12th 2010 at approximately 9:05 am. It is now 9:16 am on July 21st 2010. I hope to be able to follow up soon on this issue.

UPDATE (July 23rd 2010): This article has been published in latest The Fulcrum.
Furthermore, this open letter to V.P. Student Affairs, Amy Hammett, also appeared in The Fulcrum.

Communiqué de presse - la FCÉÉ concernant le G-8/G-20

N.B. la Fédération Canadienne des Étudiantes et des Étudiants ne me répresente pas.

L'Assemblée générale annuelle du Regroupement Étudiant Franco-Ontarien

lundi 14 juin 2010 - Ottawa, ON

Durant la fin de semaine du 12 juin 2010, l'Assemblée générale annuelle du Regroupement Étudiant Franco-Ontarien (RÉFO) a eu lieu à l'Université d'Ottawa. Environ 25 participantes et participants, représentant 11 institutions postsecondaires au sein de l'Ontario, se sont présentés au Pavillon Fauteux pour le deuxième AGA depuis l'assemblée constituante du RÉFO en septembre 2009.

Samedi avant-midi, les délégués participants à l'AGA ont accueilli l'Honorable Sénateur Marie-Paule Poulin comme conférencière. La discussion dont elle a menée a put soulever des débats intéressants concernant la pertinence des nouvelles diffusées, à la télévision, par Radio-Canada. Plusieurs délégués ont relevé le manque de contenu ontarien et une concentration, en grande partie, sur les nouvelles québécoises. Plus spécifiquement, une Semaine 101 ("Frosh week") entièrement en Français a été soulevé par le Conseil exécutif sortant et cette initiative

Dimanche matin, les délégués ont élu le nouveau comité exécutif de la RÉFO dont Véronique Boily, Sylvie Samson et Marie-France Belle-Isle. Félicitation à ces trois demoiselles! De plus, il y a eu des tables rondes ayant des thèmes tels que la rétention/recrutement, les communications, les élections municipales, etc.

Il est aussi à noter que M. Raymond Day, représentant le Ministère de la Formation et des Collèges et Universités, s'est présenté pour assister aux tables rondes et, par la suite, a adressé les délégués. Il a traité, entres-autres, de la Politique d'Aménagement Linguistique et de son application future au niveau postsecondaire. Voici la communiqué de presse résumant davantages les activités de l'AGA du RÉFO.

Le RÉFO représente les intérêts politiques des 22 000 étudiantes et étudiants inscrits à des cours en français dans les 11 institutions postsecondaires offrant des programmes en français en Ontario. Sa mission est de défendre le droit des étudiantes et étudiants en Ontario français d’étudier en français dans le programme et la région de leur choix, dans un contexte où elles et ils gèrent les leviers de leur éducation afin qu’ils et elles puissent s’épanouir dans l’ensemble de la communauté franco-ontarienne et puissent y contribuer.

Finally, something I can (somewhat) agree with!

Although it has been awhile, I hope my readership doesn't think I've completely abandoned my blog! Anyhow, I'm back and have much to talk about and many issues to address.

I will start with something that I have never done before on this blog: I will be speaking in favour (although not entirely) of a recent Canadian Federation of Students' campaign on Copyright reform.

Here's a new campaign video posted to CFS's YouTube page concerning the issue of Copyright legislation:



I must point out that the demonizing of big corporations is (not surprisingly) exaggerated and overblown and the concluding statement of the video "But, the battle has just begun! Students know the importance of fair copyright and it's up to us to lead the fight!" uses inciting language that is typical of most CFS campaigns use.

However, although the tactics are the same, I have to admit that I can finally agree with the THIS ISSUE.

In a document submitted to the government entitled Striking the Balance - Submission to the Copyright Consultations (September 2009), the CFS proposed 6 key recommendations:

1. Expand the definition of fair-dealing to be more flexible and inclusive.
2. Regulate the use of technological protection measures so that they do not interfere with users’ legitimate attempts to use copyrighted works.
3. Eliminate Crown copyright.
4. Strictly limit statutory damages.
5. Enhance moral rights to protect creators.
6. Establish a “notice and notice” system of Internet copyright enforcement.

To conclude, it's ISSUES SUCH AS THIS ONE THAT ACTUALLY AFFECT STUDENTS ON A DAILY BASIS THAT THE CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTS SHOULD BE WORKING ON. On the other hand, it is unacceptable for the CFS to claim to represent OVER 600 000 STUDENTS ACROSS CANADA when it chooses to take a stance on such divisive issues as the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (please refer to these articles 1, 2, 3) and abortion (please refer to these articles 1, 2, 3, 4). It's also quite obvious the CFS is VERY FAR FROM BEING A DEMOCRATIC BODY (please refer to these articles 1, 2, 3, 4) and APT AT WASTING STUDENTS' MONEY ON RIDICULOUS LEGAL FEES AGAINST ITS OWN MEMBER STUDENT UNIONS (please refer to these articles 1, 2, 3, 4).

To the possibility of some sort of positive change of the CFS, I won't be holding my breath.

A (final..?) message from Marc Kelly (Yes, that's right)

I appologize in advance! I just couldn't help but post this email I received this morning from Marc Kelly:

dear friends, new friends, old friends, unknown friends, close friends, distant friends, potential friends, an everyone else

this is marc kelly (hi)

(if at any point you want me to stop talking, the delete button located either near the top or at the bottom)

i hope it's okay i found my way into your inbox again

today is April 7th, 2010, and i am sending this message out to you and to everyone because, after tomorrow, i may not be able to speak to anyone on campus again because the University is sending me to prison

<> note before reading further: i never payed attention in english class very much and i always got my friends to tell me what happened in the books we were suppose to read and instead of writing essays i doodled funny pictures on the pages and got bad grades and i never really learned how to write properly so sorry for all the the language inconsistency i hope there is not too much grammatical non-conformity for easy readability this is an emergency and i am writing with urgency so please don't hate on me for speaking to the whole community simultaneously without a university degree <>

what i am trying to say is: this message could be the last you ever hear from me

the last
i have
never met
you

never

talked
laughed
pondered
or explored campus with you (the only thing what else are we here to do?)

the last of our separately diverging paths
decided for by neither me nor you

so most of you don't know me, though it is possible a few of you may have heard a thing or two about me already, most likely through stories and tales passed along from mouth to ear, spread wide and near, printed on newspaper always never clear, facts changing with each iteration by those who can't help not knowing how they participated to create a world of false fear and mass stupidity

This Thursday @ 1pm, inside Tabaret Hall, I will speak publicly.

Then: I will be taken to jail by the University.

See how they threaten me?

From: Claude J. Giroux
Subject: RE: Urgent (Medical), Request to Rescind No-Trespass Notice
To: Marc Kelly

Mr. Kelly,

Please provide me with the time and date of your appointment so that I can notify my staff and let me know on which floor your doctor’s office is located at the Health Services clinic. This is only considered a temporary access for medical reasons. Access will only be allowed to this specific building (100 Marie Curie) and you will be requested to leave campus once your appointment with your doctor is over with. If you are seen anywhere else on campus, you will be subject to arrest for breach of trespass, and other police action.

Claude Giroux
Director, Protectron Services

but if this message fails to reach all of you, probably intercepted and censored by the University, I could stay stuck in a prison cell until early next year after the court case is all cleared. so this is my last chance to explain, in as much detail as i can, why I need each and every one of you to come out and stand by me on thursday

i need each and every one of you to help protect me from the bizzaro university!
if you came out tomorrow, i'd listen to everything you have to say to me too!

i love this world.
i love our society.
i love you if you are my friend.
i love you if you are my enemy
(but I do not love this country)

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On May 14th, 2009, three Ottawa Police Officers were sent to my home apartment by the University. They entered without a warrant, and they arrested me while I was sleeping. I was charged under the Criminal Code of Canada for "speaking directly to" the President of the University, because I asked him a question on March 4th, 2009, during the Q & A of his inaugural lecture series.

YOU CAN WATCH THE VIDEO OF ME ASKING AN ILLEGAL QUESTION HERE:
fast forward the video, my question starts at 1:11:35

Responsibility to Protect: a Doctrine of Humanity
http://events.onlinebroadcasting.com/uottawa/030409/index.php

X X X

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I DO NOT THINK IT IS OKAY THAT IN THIS COUNTRY A STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA CAN BE ARRESTED BY THE POLICE AND PUT IN JAIL FOR ASKING A QUESTION

aren't we not always taught by our professors, "there are no stupid questions" ?
if illegal questions exist, does that mean there are indeed stupid questions too?
if that's true, then what's the difference between an illegal question and a stupid question?
is a stupid question also an illegal question, and is an illegal question always a stupid question?
in the year 2013, could the President of the University be a student?

well thatz all I have to say until the police come to arrest me for talking publicly on campus this thursday (that's tomorrow!)

have a nice wednesday everybody :)

<> - Chomsky-Foucault debate on human nature, 1971.

Sincerely,

Marc Kelly
student since 2003

The Canadian Federation of Students has learnt from the SFUO

Photo source: http://www.lincolnstationers.com/images/LittleBlackBook.jpg

According to this post on the Daily Exchange, a magazine for business/economic development/entrepreneurs, it seems that the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) has taken a page right out of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa's (SFUO) play book:

A referendum on continued membership in the CFS is taking place at the University of Guelph (Central Student Association or CSA) this week (April 7th-9th) for its undergraduate students. Here's a snippet of the post linked from the Daily Exchange:

The referendum will be held April 7 to 9, WITH VOTING TAKING PLACE ONLINE. (...) STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL NEXT WEEK BEFORE THE ELECTION DATE DIRECTING THEM TO A SECURE VOTING WEBSITE. (Obviously emphasis added)

Sound familiar...? This is exactly why I follow other University/College student newspapers. If I read how another student association's elections failed miserably with an online voting system and then the SFUO decided that it was going use a similar system in its upcoming elections, I would head straight to the SFUO office, present them with that particular article pertaining to the problems another student association had with "e-voting" and ask them if they're still confident that using an electronic vote was a safe, legitimate way to run its elections.

If you visit the Central Student Association's (CSA) website, it is quite clear that the executive has taken a very strong stance of being IN FAVOUR OF DEFEDERATION (and no, I don't care if it's not a word; you get the point). I don't think that I've ever come across another referendum where a student association was actually strongly anti-CFS in all the literature that I have read on this subject. Of course, I couldn't resist linking this pretty funny post from the Campus Conservative Watch which is a blog that responds directly to the Ontario Progressive Conservative Campus Association blog entitled (obviously) CFS Watch (Sorry for being unclear: Campus Conservative Watch was created BEFORE CFS Watch) That is all.

Un nouveau rapport concernant la Fédération canadienne des étudiantes et des étudiants (FCÉÉ)

Voici un nouveau rapport, composé par Titus Gregory, intitulé « Solidarity for Their Own Good: Self-Determination and the Canadian Federation of Students. » Je vais passer à travers celui-ci et je vais ressortir les points importants dans les semaines à venir. Vous pouvez consulter le rapport directement ci-dessous!

Solidarity for Their Own Good: Self-Determination and the Canadian Federation of Students