In this month’s issue... THE CUP WIRE CUP - The Ubyssey - UBC grads petition Ottawa to freeze student loan repayment due to grace period overlap “UBC graduates are seeking a six-month extension to the student loan repayment for students who graduated post-secondary during the pandemic. [...] In March, the Canadian Government introduced a freeze on federal student loan payments and interest from March 30 to September 30, overlapping with the current grace period of April 30 to October 30 granted to grads who graduated in the spring.”
CUP - The Dalhousie Gazette - FAILING OUR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: DAL WELCOMES RETURNING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS BACK WITH STEEP FEES AND UNCERTAIN PROSPECTS “On Nov. 3, Dalhousie University was officially added to the list of universities permitted to welcome back international students who wish to return to Canada. But as they attempt to complete virtual courses in different time zones while paying almost double the price of their Canadian classmates in undergraduate tuition, international students are left frustrated by Dal’s handling of their situation during the pandemic. Additionally, international students are concerned about their budgets and limited job opportunities available in Halifax. They must now pay to stay in a Halifax hotel for a government-mandated 14-day self-isolation.”
CUP - The Manitoban - Use of the N-word denounced: Black students, faculty reaffirm that systemic change is needed to fully address anti-Black racism “Two U of M academics penned an open letter to the university community on Oct. 23 to decry the use of the N-word in post-secondary institutions and express disappointment in the support garnered for the use of the racial slur by academics and politicians. Leisha Strachan, a professor in the faculty of kinesiology and recreation management, and Delia Douglas, anti-racism practice lead in the Rady faculty of health sciences, both contributed to the letter and are two of the three signatories.”
‘Going the distance’: UOSU’s online General Assembly takes seven hours to complete P. 4 It was a long night. Top 10 most memorable moments from Jeopardy! P. 7 Relive the best episodes from the U of O’s favourite game show. Student clubs and celebrities P.8 Double features this month. Inside U of O’s Advanced Research Complex P. 9 Home to Canada’s only accelerator mass spectrometer. Don’t strike out: U of O fitness facilities open with new strike system P. 10 Everything you need to know. Letter: Change is overdue; action begins with you P.14 A special contribution from the women’s rugby team. Editorial: We’re all in this together P. 15
Look out for eachother.
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NEWS EDITOR
Karli Zschogner news@thefulcrum.ca Insta: @karli.zschogner Twitter: @KarliZschogner
Does the U of O have an academic fraud problem? UOSU byCases of academic fraud have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic election results paige holland staff writer
Equity commissioner, 10 BOD positions filled Charley Dutil Editor-In-Chief
Jason Seguya. Image: Matt Gergyek/Fulcrum
The University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) concluded their by-elections on Wednesday night, filling a total of 11 positions. Jason Seguya was elected the UOSU equity commissioner. The fourth-year social science student and former student life commissioner of the UOSU received 1,314 votes (89.1 per cent) supporting his candidacy; only 160 students (10.9 per cent) opposed. Only 2057 (5.4 per cent) of 38085 possible electors voted in the race. Seguya will join the five other executives leaving only the position of student life commissioner unfilled. Regarding the Board of Directors, 10 students were elected to previously vacant seats on Wednesday night. Due to a lack of candidates, six seats still remain unfilled. The race for the vacant BOD civil law seat was the tightest and most exciting with Nickolas Eburne just edging out rival Sarah Varin receiving 87 votes (50.9 per cent) to her 84 (49.1 per cent). For the common law seat, 108 students (92.8 per cent) voted in favour of Michelle Liu’s candidacy; only eight opposed (7.2 per cent). Chloé Richard, Ibrahim Chohan and Julian Ward were all elected to represent the faculty of engineering students on the BOD. The vote was done by way of ranked ballots. Chohan was elected on the first round of ballots, then Richard and then Ward, all of whom edged out Jasmin Cartier. Both Prabasha Rasaputra and Tarasha Sharma were elected to represent the faculty of science filling the two vacant seats. They were both elected with at least over 84 per cent of their voting peers accepting their candidacies. In the Telfer School of Management race, JeanSimon Lavoie-Albert and Maxime Chouinard were elected defeating Zachariah Downey. They will join Tian Kun Chan as representatives for the faculty on the BOD. Finally, in the race for the fourth and final vacant social science seat, Dawoud Najmudin defeated Gershon Tsirulnikov with 212 votes (53.9 per cent). Tsirulnikov received 181 votes (46.1 per cent).
According to a number of faculty members since the University of Ottawa adapted to online learning at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, there has been an increase in reported academic misconduct cases. To avoid increased academic misconduct and plagiarism, professors have turned to various methods to dissuade cheating. This semester, some of the academic fraud cases have been linked to plagiarism off the website Chegg. The website claims that “everything is ‘figureoutable’ and often posts answers to assignments and occasionally entire midterm exams. At the same time, Chegg also has an honour code that will “identify the nature of misuse or any information about users [involved]” to be used by professors and the university during a misconduct investigation. Tim Gulliver, advocacy commissioner for the University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) warned that students should be aware that Chegg has the ability to share information with universities if requested. Professor WonSook Lee’s course Data Structures and Algorithms (CSI 2110) is one where students were found to have used Chegg for two assignments and a midterm. Students were also using a Discord group chat to share answers during the midterm. “Chegg promises answers within 30 minutes. Students can then put all the questions into Chegg and then wait for the answers before plugging them all in,” said Lee, “I had to change it so students can not go back and forth between questions to prevent this.” “I contacted Chegg and asked them to take down all the posts relating to my course because that is copyrighted material. I also asked for all the information of students who used Chegg for those answers. The answers on Chegg are right usually so it takes a long time to investigate the exams and go through each student’s exam and compare their answers to both Chegg and other students.” As per the U of O’s website, “academic fraud is defined as any act by a student that may result in a distorted academic evaluation of that student or of another student.” The sanctions currently put in place by the University range from a written warning, to permanent expulsion of a student according to Academic regulation 14. “Plagiarism typically results in a zero or F for the course in question.” Reports from the University of Ottawa say that on average, from 2007 to 2012, there were around 200300 cases of plagiarism per academic year. Now, they are seeing an increase. The faculty of arts has reported a small increase in cases of academic fraud since the fall of 2019. For last year’s fall semester, there were 37 cases of fraud, increasing to 42 in the winter term. The spring/summer 2020 term saw 50 reported cases of fraud. As of the week of Nov. 9 there have been 16 cases of academic fraud reported in the faculty of arts this semester. “Fraud cases went up roughly an order of magnitude. It still reflects a very small minority of our stu-
Image: FreePik
dents, but unfortunately, we did have many more cases [than previous semesters],” said Alain St-Amant, vice-dean of undergraduate studies and student experience for the faculty of science. “It’s very tempting for students [to cheat] if the professors make the exam excessively hard or teach in a way that the students panic about the material,” said Timothy Lethbridge, professor of engineering and vice-dean of governance for the faculty. “The amount of fraud is a little bit up, but it’s triggered from increased stress. We’ve done surveys and students are way more stressed. Because of the challenges of being locked down and not being able to talk freely to other people who learn. They’re not learning as easily in some cases,” said Lethbridge. One significant turning point was during last spring’s final exam period, said Mireille Gervais, the director of the Student Rights Centre on campus. “We saw an unprecedented number of misconduct cases after the April 2020 final exams.” “Professors have now had time to be more aware of cheating on online assignments and exams, so the number of cases for the fall 2020 semester have so far been similar to previous years, however [they] may increase as we near December’s final exams.” In response to increased academic fraud in the spring, the University decided to allow professors to use proctoring software Respondus Lockdown in order to discourage students from plagiarizing. The U of O’s decision to let professors use Respondus has been controversial, with a number of professors, faculties, and student leaders denouncing the software’s invasive nature. “It’s [Respondus] egregious, invasive and unnecessary,” said Gulliver. “COVID-19 has made it more difficult for the University to track cheating, but that does not mean that students’ privacy should be sacrificed. Instead, it should encourage professors to develop more flexible, alternative models of learning and evaluating, that are responsive to the principle of universal design,” said Gulliver. “In regards to cheating [without Respondus on assignments] you’ve been told you’re on your honour, and if you do cheat, you’re only cheating yourself out of the knowledge. It’s also unfair to your fellow students who wanted to respect the honour of the course,” said Lethbridge.
Annick Bergeron, the secretary general for the University of Ottawa said academic misconduct at the Senate Appeals Committee increased as well. If accused of academic fraud, students can appeal their case to the committee. If a student wishes to appeal the decision of their faculty the case automatically goes before the Senate Appeals Committee. “For the last two [academic] years the committee has dealt with 12 cases of appeals for fraud, but in the last three months, the committee has already seen 14 cases of appeals. While the date is not in yet for the whole year it looks as if there is an increase in cases of academic fraud,” said Bergeron. “Students should also be aware that a permanent statement on their record can be seen by employers if they wish to see the official transcript.” Students who have been accused of academic fraud should reach out to the Student Rights Centre run by the UOSU for support. Gervais advises students to contact the centre as soon as they are notified they’ve been accused of academic fraud. Gervais says the centre has a response rate of one business day in order for students to receive help right away. “The first thing to do is to contact the Student Rights Center, and not to reply to the email until they’ve had a chance to discuss with one of our advisors … there’s a lot of misinformation about what constitutes academic fraud, and what is necessary for the University to be able to impose a sanction,” said Gervais. Students will meet with an advisor to discuss the case of fraud, and the advisor will accompany them to any meetings with their faculty and will look over any written defense required for the investigation. “If the student admits to us that, whether it be [they] intentionally or unintentionally breached the regulation, our advice is to admit to that and to take responsibility,” said Gervais. “We never tell a student who is guilty of wrongdoing that it’s better for them to lie about it. In cases where students were really forthright and took responsibility, it can lead to a less severe sanction.” Gervais encourages students however to stay away from Chegg no matter what during an exam.
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‘Going the distance’: UOSU’s online General Assembly takes seven hours to complete General Assembly adjourned at 2:06 a.m. Charley dUTIL & PAIGE HOLLAND eDITOR-iN-cHIEF & STAFF WRITER
The University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) held its first online Fall General Assembly (FGA) on Nov.12 over Zoom. The event was originally planned to be held from 7 to 9 p.m. but lasted over seven hours ending at 2 a.m. Beginning 30 minutes after the scheduled start time, the FGA’s start was delayed due to a number of technical difficulties. Once started, the UOSU’s executive all presented updates on their work. President Babacar Faye went first, Faye touched on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students. He detailed that his priorities as president include mental health and wellness, anti-racism on campus and in the U of O community as a whole. Tim Gulliver, the UOSU’s advocacy commissioner then delivered remarks on his ongoing advocacy work. Gulliver spoke about the UOSU’s campaigns to push for reduced tuition, to support international students, advocate for more mental health resources on campus, and fight against anti-Black racism. Next was Amina El Himri, the UOSU’s student services commissioner, she spoke about making sure clubs have the necessary resources they need during the pandemic and make services accessible especially in these trying times. Finally, Marissa St-Amand, the francophone commissioner of the UOSU, delivered updates on working with the Bilingualism Centre to promote bilingualism on campus and campaigns that are being run to inform students and profs on linguistic rights. Following each member of the executive’s updates the floor was opened to students to ask their elected representatives questions on their work and the FGA. The question period opened with a bang when Gulliver got into a heated exchange with a student over the UOSU’s registration method for the FGA. The Union was asked if it was following the lead of the Republican party with its registrations methods. “The question is absolutely ridiculous … the registration is to ensure attendees are members of the UOSU,” answered a visibly frustrated
Photo: Matt Gergyek/Fulcrum
Gulliver. Citing free speech issues, the UOSU was then asked why the FGA was held on Zoom, especially considering its status in China? “Zoom accommodated the needs of this meeting best, of all platforms,” answered Gulliver in response to the question. “We are open to exploring other options that are more accessible to all students.” There were a number of other questions, but none seem to draw as much ire from students and executives alike than those two. Moving on down the agenda, the next point was a motion presented by Faye to appoint a public accountant (Hendry Warren LLP). The motion was passed by a clear majority vote after a short question period. Next was Faye’s motion to approve amendments made to Articles 13.1 and 13.2 of the Constitution. Those amendments were both passed The FGA then delved into the first student presented motion which was Nicholas Morin’s motion on a referendum in regards to the UOSU’s advocacy on a mandatory anti-racism course. After over an hour of heated discourse, motion 8.1 as it was known was rescinded by a clear majority vote. Motion 8.2 on the ancillary fees during COVID-19 called for the UOSU to lobby the University of Ottawa to reimburse ancillary fees, particularly for sports services to students who
had online classes only. This motion passed with a clear majority vote. Motion 8.3 on tuition fees during the COVID-19 pandemic called for the University of Ottawa and the Government of Ontario to reduce tuition fees until the end of the pandemic, as students felt they were not getting the same level of education as previous years. This motion passed with a clear majority as students spoke at lengths about the drop in quality they have observed with online-learning. A heavily-debated topic, motion 8.4 for the smoke-free campus was rejected by the assembly after a number of powerful speeches both in support and opposing the motion. Many students thought it was unfair to make the campus a smoke-free place during COVID-19 as for many students smoking is a coping mechanism for stress. Motion 8.5 for the creation of an individual Indigenous law student government was passed. This government will be created to support Indigenous law students at the University of Ottawa. The UOSU moved to support the creation of this student government as well as officially name it the Indigenous Law Student Government (ILSG). The UOSU will also allocate funding to the new student government and ensure it is represented and led by full-time Indigenous law students.
The UOSU will work with the ILSG to design the funding framework for the new student government. Motion 8.6 for solidarity with Uighur muslims was debated for over an hour and a half by a number of students who voiced their varying opinions on the topic. “This is not a political issue, this is a human rights issue,” said Dawoud Najmudin to those opposing the motion. A number of motions were brought to amend the motion and separate it but at the end of the debate, the UOSU officially adopted the original motion which states the following; “The University of Ottawa Students’ Union stands in solidarity with the millions of Uyghur Muslims facing cultural genocide at the hands of the Government of the People’s Republic of China.” “The University of Ottawa Students’ Union condemns the Government of the People’s Republic of China for committing a cultural genocide of Uyghur Muslims through statesponsored internment camps, the committing human rights abuses, and the suppression of religious practices, among other attacks on Uyghur Muslims.” “The University of Ottawa Students’ Union calls on the University of Ottawa to stand in solidarity with Uyghur Muslims and provide for the boycott of any and all products made with the forced labour of Uyghur Muslims in its businesses or daily operations.” Finally, a discussion item was brought forward by Tian Kun Chen, to formally declared to end of any ambiguity between the USOU and the SFUO (Student’s Federation of the University of Ottawa). The old student federation was disbanded in April 2019 after a series of scandals. The discussion intended to further solidify that the UOSU is a new, separate student government from the SFUO. After a brief discussion, no motion was presented and the discussion point came to a close. The motion to adjourn was then put forth and seconded, and the Fall General Assembly for the UOSU officially ended at 2:06 a.m. —With files from Leyla Abdolell
U of O using mobile app ‘HotSpot’ for campus parking Pay and Display machines to be phased out paige holland staff writer
The University of Ottawa has recently decided to collaborate with “HotSpot“, an online, bilingual, and Canadian-based mobile app that allows people to pay for parking from their phones. The new software has been made live as of the week of Nov. 9. The current pay and display system is set to be phased out. The app is linked to a user’s car and license plate allowing for seamless payment and will notify them when they have exceeded their allotted time in order to prevent tickets. The app claims to “transform parking from a
drag to a revenue stream” which will allow the U of O to efficiently charge students, visitors, and staff needing to park on campus. There are different types of memberships on the app to allow for someone’s different transportation needs, whether that be via car or bus. Isabelle Mailloux-Pulkinghorn, manager of media relations for the U of O, said that the new service provides additional convenience for users. “People who park on campus can continue to use our pay & display machines if they prefer, although these will eventually be phased out. Not only does HotSpot provide a more convenient method of payment, but it also reduces the potential spread of COVID-19 by eliminating common touch points.”
For the University’s benefit, HotSpot can also be a useful implementation tool as it allows parking enforcement to easily see who has paid or not for parking, and ticket them right on the app. The company’s website says that they are “the complete enforcement solution to identify and ticket unpaid parkers with ease.” The new program will help cut down the number of paper tickets printed per year, as well as make the job of catching unpaid or overdue parkers easier. Features include a map, street signage, ticket resolution, and customer service support. The U of O is paying a small convenience fee to HotSpot, however, parking fees remain the same as previous years.
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Photo: Bridget Coady/Fulcrum
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Remote studying equals feelings of loneliness among U of O students
Side effects from online learning include accumulated stress jelena maric staff writer
Due to COVID-19 and online learning, many University of Ottawa students decided to learn from home instead of living in Ottawa. However, while students are saving money on rent and other necessities, it seems as though the costly feelings of loneliness are amplified for many. The effects of online schooling, combined with a global pandemic, has led many students to struggle mentally and emotionally. Many people do not appreciate or realize how much their lives depend on social relationships with other people. These relationships are often a hallmark of their university experiences. “We kind of take it for granted,” said Judith Friedland, a professor emerita in the department of occupational science and occupational therapy at the University of Toronto. Students in their first and final years of university can be more susceptible to amplified feelings of anxiety, stress and loneliness because they are going through important life changing events, such as entering university or leaving.
feelings of lonliness “Living at home and the effects of
the pandemic has led to a constant never-ending state of anxiousness, fear, gloominess, exhaustion, loneliness, and numbness,” said Kristen Kim-Soo, a second-year health science student at the U of O in an email to the Fulcrum. While Kim-Soo was originally eager about the semester starting as it would give her something to do during her days, her eagerness quickly faded as the workload piled on. “These feelings, along with the lack of support and understanding from others has really made this year extremely difficult,” she said. Fjolla Berbatovci, a fifth-year biomedical sciences student at the U of O opted to stay home in Toronto to finish off her final year. However, her schoolwork has required her to stay home even more and not see her friends. “Before, I could merge studying with socializing through study groups, or tend to my jobs or volunteer work to stay social and productive which I can no longer do,” said Berbatovci in an email. Claire Park, a second-year honours history student at the U of O from Fredericton, N.B. expressed similar sentiments as well. “I didn’t realize how much of a social person I was despite being an introvert before the pandemic started,” they said
in an email. Park no longer speaks to many of their friends from high school, but the friends they made at the U of O are too busy with school work to interact virtually. “I took all the social interactions big and small that I had with friends, fellow students, and professors at university for granted,” said Park. Eneke Van Marle, a first-year student in the ophthalmic medical technology program at the U of O, expressed a similar situation of not being able to even Facetime her best friends because they are all so busy.
dealing with lonliness Social support is important when it comes to combating feelings of depression and overall quality of life, with emotional support being one of those forms. Emotional support is where an individual can count on others should the need arise. “It’s really, really important,” said Friedland. One way Friendland recommends for facilitating relationships within the classroom setting is having groups projects and group breakout sessions, where students can meet other individuals in their classes.
Another way is reconnecting with former friends and family members you have not spoken to in a while. In addition to this, interacting with friends virtually over Zoom, texting and calling are all ways to feel more connected and less alone. Friendland also recommended following a schedule or routine. “Continue to do things that you feel gives you a sense of accomplishment,” she said. Berbatovci has been dealing with her loneliness by keeping connected online with her friends and staying invested in their lives virtually. However, she feels as though long distance friendships and relationships suffer regardless. “It’s hard to find completely uninterrupted time to give to those relationships.” Kim-Soo has been trying to stay connected with friends virtually but ultimately finds it unsatisfying and difficult. “The significant emotional and social differences between calling a friend and having an in-person conversation can make communication a little more difficult for me,” she said. “I also have tried to turn to hobbies to encourage me to work through my feelings of loneliness in a healthy and positive way, but, to be honest, the lack
of motivation and the overall negative feelings completely overwhelm me, leading me to do absolutely nothing.” For Van Marle, leaning on her parents for emotional support and talking to her friends who are also struggling in university helps the most. “Reminding myself that I’m not the only one who is struggling during this really helps,” she said in an email. Park has made friends in the U.K. whom they play video games with, as well as having virtual parties, hanging out on Discord and creating a Minecraft server with friends. Park has also picked up knitting and crocheting, as well as spending more time with their mother. “My mom’s pretty cool – she’s a good cure for loneliness.” Many individuals are feeling the same way as others right now: stressed with feelings of immense loneliness. By reaching out to others and offering emotional support and contact, individuals are able to both feel better and make others feel better. “Continuing to make contacts and build some new contacts or reinvigorate old contacts, there are all kinds of things that can make you feel better and feel more connected and help others to be more connected,” said Friedland.
Why do so few students apply to work for UOSU?
The UOSU held their by-elections Nov. 9-11 yet multiple positions remain vacant PAIGE HOLLAND staff writer
The University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) recently hosted their byelections from Nov. 9-11. The results have since been tabulated and the winners announced, however, there are still multiple vacant positions available. The UOSU has yet to fill all of their vacant positions and given the election results and their online list of Board of Directors (BOD) positions, the student life commissioner and six BOD seats are still available. All but emphasizing a lack of students running for these positions. Over 300 students showed up for the UOSU’s Fall General Assembly (FGA) on Nov. 12, yet the attendance numbers compared to the amount of candidates suggests students would rather observe the workings of student politics from a distance than participate in it themselves. For Tim Gulliver, the advocacy commissioner for the UOSU, there is still “a lot of work to do.” “We did see a positive [upturn] with the one candidate that ran for the equity commissioners position that [was] filled. I think at the end of the day we have a lot of work to do to communicate and raise awareness about the good and powerful things that [the UOSU] does,” he said. Still, he remains optimistic that student
democracy at the U of O can turn around. “[Our goal is] making people more aware that we’re here to fight for them … but I think we’re heading in the right direction of expanding student democracy on campus.” While the by-elections represent a significant part of student democracy as Gulliver said, the lack of student participation means candidates often run unopposed. This lack of candidates leaves only a skeleton of a full student-democracy. Julian Ward, a third-year software engineering student is one of the new representatives for the faculty of engineering for the UOSU, and spoke about his decision to apply for the position. “I’ve always been interested in politics, and student politics,” said Ward. “I have been involved in the Engineering Students’ Society (ESS) and I was on the Board of Directors for the last two years, and I also worked with the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE).” Ward said the next logical step for him was representing his faculty at the UOSU, especially as he saw a lack of motivation from engineering students to apply. “I think it’s a completely different wheelhouse for most engineering students, especially as it’s hard to balance work, school, and extracurricular activities for most students.” To learn why students do not run for a
variety of reasons, a Fulcrum Instagram poll found many are either unsure how to run, do not speak French, or they are too busy already to add on the role of UOSU commissioner. Some students even feel like the politics side of student-government can feel overwhelming. Nicholas Morin, another student in software engineering, used to be the chair of the Election Committee for the UOSU from November 2019 to May 2020. Morin said he “begrudgingly became the chair for the Elections Committee,” and he decided not to return to the UOSU after that term. “I came into it knowing that it would be political, but it was much more than I anticipated. To the point where I felt that we weren’t accomplishing anything.” Jayden Gwyn, a fourth-year political science student believes that one of the main factors in students not willing to participate in the UOSU is due to disinterest in politics. Gwyn said, “there is so much politics inundating us all day, and it’s exhausting. Unless the students are political science nerds, many students from other faculties aren’t as interested in student politics.” “Ultimately, the UOSU is supposed to be a union that represents the interests of students, such as lowering tuition fees.” In addition to the lack of candidates, the
A fictive UOSU ballot. Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum
UOSU also experiences a lack of volunteers. The lack of motivation for students to run for these roles on campus is also reflected in their willingness to volunteer on campus. While executive jobs with the UOSU come with a monetary incentive, volunteers are not paid for their work. Alexandra Baril, the manager for community engagement at the University of Ottawa said “[that] as of today we have 1,500 individual students who have selected at least one volunteer opportunity that’s been posted on our online portal; [called] the community engagement navigator [on uOzone].” With a student population of over 40,000, that means roughly 3.75 per cent
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of the student population are partaking in on-campus volunteer initiatives through the UOSU. Baril said that students may be volunteering in other ways that are not credited by the community engagement team, however, a significant portion of the student population is still missing. “In this time of the pandemic, not every student realizes that now there’s a lot more opportunities to be engaged virtually. Community partners [such as Baril] and the same for clubs and associations [such as UOSU] are innovating to figure out how to keep doing the good work during a pandemic,” said Baril in regards to adopting new virtual communities.
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arts
& culture
A&C EDITOR Aly Murphy arts@thefulcrum.ca
Insta: @aly_murph Twitter:@aly_murph_
An overview of National Novel Writing Month from a U of O participant A U of O aspiring novelist shares tips and tricks to get involved with NaNoWriMo Victoria Feng Contributor Have you ever wanted to write a novel of the stories and fantasies stuck in your mind and share them with the world? Yet, every time you did so, you froze, shrouded by your own doubts, not knowing how to proceed? Well, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) might be the perfect solution for you. NaNoWriMo was founded by Chris Baty in 1999 as a challenge to write a book in one month. The aspiring writer roped his friends into the challenge, each with the goal of writing around 50,000 words. Eventually, the event expanded, with more participants joining each year. In 2006, NaNoWriMo officially became a nonprofit organization which houses resources ranging from author prep-talks, writing tools, and a supportive community to successfully reach the goal of finishing a book in the month of November. Signing up for NaNoWriMo is free, making it an appealing project for first-timers and long-time novelists alike. The project’s strongest belief is that “stories matter.” And it shows, as some of these written projects have gone on to be published as fan favourites, including Water for Elephants, WOOL, Fangirl, and the Lunar Chronicles series. A notable mentorship program connects successful authors with NaNoWriMo’s participants. Past mentors include Gene Luen Yang, Roxane Gay, John Green, Andy Weir, N.K. Jemisin and Veronica Roth.
As a participant in 2020 NaNoWriMo myself, I’ll let you in on some of the program’s secrets, writing tips, and experience in the project so far. Tip #1: Ask questions constantly To start off, spend some time outlining some of your book ideas and evaluate which is the most fun to dive into. It doesn’t have to be too detailed, as some of the writing will almost certainly be improvised. The task here is to find a story idea that will motivate you to finish NaNoWriMo. Explore different genres and see which tone you might want to experiment with: dark fantasy? Romance? Thriller? Ask yourself what you want to get out of NaNoWriMo – is it a story for your loved
Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum
ones? A book for the whole world? Or just a side project for yourself? Hopefully, this will help make your objectives a little clearer. Tip #2: Plan, but be flexible Reaching 50,000 words in thirty days means writing approximately 1,667 words per day, which is attainable, but a little tricky in the presence of other life commitments. This figure can definitely fluctuate. There are days when I’ve added zero words due to having classes, midterms and assignments, while other days I’ve sat down for four hours to crank out 5,000 words. It’s normal to have a range. The fun of it is that the story is built at your own pace. Some people
have already finished with the challenge of 50,000 words in just nine days. Anything is possible. The key is just to write. It is more stress-free to be adaptable, rather than forcing consistency when there are other priorities. Life gets in the way more often than not. Be aware of that, and keep track of your daily stats, such as total word count. Try and write at least 30-60 minutes a day, but don’t necessarily stress about the word count. And be sure to dedicate some days to writing so you don’t run out of time; thirty days go by fast. After all, the 50,000 words will need lots of editing in order to move on into a better draft for publication; don’t worry if your NaNoWriMo project is a bit messy once you’ve reached your word count goal. Plus, it is never too late to join. We’re in midNovember, but to the eternal optimist, the month is only halfway through. Tip #3: Use free NaNoWriMo resources NaNoWriMo has several free resources available for participants and a few useful ones include: the Great Courses Plus, Writing Mastery Academy, and the Hermit subscriptions which are free for the month of November, which help participants pick up new writing techniques. In addition to those, there are seminar events where authors talk about their own processes and experiences they had during NaNoWriMo. There are also forums and groups for asking questions and updating participants’ progress.
U of O community remembers beloved music professor, Yehonatan Berick
Students near and far share fond memories of professor Berick aly murphy arts & culture editor The University of Ottawa’s music community has spent the past two weeks grieving the sudden death of professor Yehonatan Berick, 52, a violinist and violist as well as a dedicated pedagogue. Berick died on Oct. 31 after a battle with stomach cancer. Berick, born in Israel and educated in the United States, was a musical force to be reckoned with. A key member of the U of O music department, Berick was instrumental in implementing the uOttawa Summer String Academy, an incubator for emerging string artists. Berick also maintained a busy performance schedule as well as a full teaching studio, touching the lives of not only classical music fans but emerging string players themselves. Berick was a featured soloist with ensembles all over the world, ranging from Winnipeg to Jerusalem. Here in Ottawa, he made regular appearances with ChamberFest and the NAC Orchestra. A lifelong fan of Bach, he made a splash when he first arrived at the U of O in 2013 and was presented with an antique Italian violin: the University requested only that Berick play it in concert as frequently as possible, which he did with great joy.
Berick was known especially for his performances of the Paganini Caprices; a former student from the University of Michigan, Daniel Winnick, sang these performances’ praises in a commemorative post on Facebook, remembering them as “beautiful – not always immaculate, but pretty darn close, and always richly energetic and utterly captivating.” The Herald Times, too, “marveled” at Berick’s mastery of these pieces, hailing that he had “aggressively and convincingly negotiated his way through chords, trills, string crossings, ricochets… and what have you” in performance. Berick is remembered not only for his sheer musical ability, but for his infectious joy and passion for his artform. Since his passing, his students have taken to Facebook to remember the professor and his jovial demeanor, including moments in which he would “dance around his studio getting [a former student, Helinda Ho] to feel the rhythm.” Berick was known for his sense of humour, as well as his ability to coax out the best in his students with a joke or a particularly effective metaphor; his partner, cellist Laura Mercer, remembers his jokes, which often “increased to the point that none of us could play the music anymore and were just doubled over with tears of laughter
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Image: Yehonatan Berick/Mark S Rash.
streaming down.” Known to students and colleagues as “Big Y,” Berick was a beloved figure in the North American classical music community; former Ottawa Citizen music critic, Natasha Gauthier, remembered Berick fondly on Twitter, calling him an “all-around mensch.” The University of Ottawa music department also took to social media in the aftermath of his death, mourning “a musician of the highest
calibre, a generous and devoted teacher, a cherished peer of the utmost integrity.” Professor Berick will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him both on and off campus. The University of Ottawa music department is planning a live-streamed memorial for Berick in partnership with the Embassy of Israel (details forthcoming).
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Fulc music: System of a Down, Intervals, and American Football
The Fulcrum evaluates interesting music releases from the past week
it apart from the rest. The album moves onto “Signal Hill,” a high energy and uplifting song, making it a special highlight. The album fnishes off with “Earthing,” a song which includes a more subdued guitar sound that is definitely less action-packed than some of the songs before it, but does well to bring the album to a close.
Abbey Kerkmann Freelancer
Single of the Week: “Protect the Land” by System of a Down 5/5 After 15 years of silence from System of a Down, we finally have some new music since their hit album Hypnotize, released in 2005. Due to interpersonal conflicts between the members, the band has not been able to produce the award-winning tracks they were once known for. However, the group has been brought together by the war that has broken out in Armenia. Inspired by their Armenian origins, the group’s newest single “Protect the Land” touches on the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and the recent Nagorno-Karabakh War that restarted in late September this year. System of a Down has stated that proceeds from the songs will be used for relief of Armenian people as a result of the conflict. In line with their past releases, “Protect the Land” is a political song with lyrics which describe the people who decided to take a stand to protect their country, as well as what happened to those who tried to flee. Combining the metal instrumentals with the powerful lyrics creates a great emotional experience for listeners. System of a Down’s sound can be a bit aggressive, like in their songs “B.Y.O.B” and “Sugar.” However this new release is a little easier on the ears:
Discovery of the Week: American Football
Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum.
it conveys the somber message to listeners well. Highlighted Album: Intervals: Circadian 4/5 Based in Toronto, Intervals is a Canadian progressive metal band whose music is purely instrumental. Circadian is no exception, and akin to their past releases, this eight-song album includes some awesome new riffs and solos. The opening song “5-HTP” starts the album off with a bunch of different yet exciting sounds, showing off the correlation between the name
of the song (a drug which increases the serotonin levels in the body) to the music. The track after it, “Vantablack,” gives a different feel right out of the gate. It is immediately more djent-y and fast-paced in its sound, but slows down into a cool bass then guitar solo until picking up right where it left off. However, the contrast between this song and “5-HTP” is a bit of a shock, especially right in the beginning. “Lock and Key” brings listeners back to the djent sound, but at a slower tempo, and includes a great, highly memorable riff that sets
Having never heard of the genre midwest emo, it was easy to be intrigued by American Football’s music. Their lighter and softer approach is refreshing, and provides a nice, almost soothing tone compared to other rock titles. Made up of guitarist Steve Holmes, percussionist Steve Lamos, vocalist and guitarist Mike Kinsella, and bass guitarist Nate Kinsella, American Football is a math rock emo band who pair irregular time signatures paired with emotional vocals to create a unique twist on existing genres. Their first album (self-titled), released back in 1999, contains several of their most well known songs. However, they have been releasing music all the way up through 2019 so far. Their most popular song, “Never Meant,” tells a story of how a relationship has fallen apart over words said in an argument. The heartbreaking lyrics and the high notes throughout the song create the feeling of losing something so amazing over words that were never meant to be said.
Top 10 most memorable moments from Jeopardy!
A look back at the best moment from Alex Trebek’s 37 years on the show Rhyanna Melanson contributor
After a battle with pancreatic cancer, Alex Trebek died at the age of 80 on Nov.8. Trebek, a University of Ottawa grad, is best remembered as the legendary host of Jeopardy!, which has been frequently cited as the greatest game show of all time. Over the course of his 37-year career, there have been many memorable moments: here are ten of our favourites. 10. What is a threesome? In 2011, contestant Kara Spak’s answer to the question, “if Andy yearns for Brenda and Brenda cares about Charlene who pines for Andy, the three of them form one of these” became a viral sensation when she guessed, “what is a threesome?” The correct response was a love triangle.
In 2018, when all three contestants came up blank on the first three questions during the category “Talkin’s Football,” it prompted Trebek to quip, “I can tell you guys are big football fans.” After the fourth clue failed to elicit any answers, Trebek joked, “let’s look at the $1,000 clue, just for the fun of it. If you guys ring in and get this one, I will die.” No one ventured a guess on that one either. 7. Who is Elisa?
Although this bonus 2014 clip never made it to air, it shows that Trebek is just a human like the rest of us. During the interview portion of the episode, Trebek started talking to contestant Elisa Korb about the time she slept in the Tower of London. However, it was actually another contestant, Catherine Hardee, who had stayed there. Korb admitted “I went along with it. I’m sorry. I just wanted to make you feel good,” adding “I’ve slept in Grand Central Station.”
9. Who is Kebert Xela? 6. Where are your pants? On an episode of Family Guy, a contestant on Jeopardy! sent Trebek to the fifth dimension by saying his name backward. In 2007, returning champ Jared Cohen was in the final round with only $1. Knowing that he couldn’t win the game, he answered, “Who is Kebert Xela?” Cohen had to explain to a confused Trebek, “I heard that sends you back to another dimension.” Quick-witted as ever, Trebek replied,“to another dimension? Yes, I will go back to another dimension as soon as we deal with the other players.”
Another moment never shown on air, this clip was included as a bonus feature on a Jeopardy! DVD. Before the 2005 final game of the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, the contestants had jokingly asked to play without pants to alleviate the tension. Not one to not be left out, Trebek came on stage pantless. Asking the cameraman to check to see if the contestants had stayed true to their word, the camera panned to show all three with their pants still on. 5. Who is some guy in Normandy?
8. What is a sport? This moment goes down as the best wrong answer
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in Jeopardy! history. At the 2013 Jeopardy Teen Tournament, contestant Leonard Cooper found himself in the lead. The final category was ‘Military Men,’ and the question was: “On June 6, 1944, he said, ‘The eyes of the world are upon you.’” Cooper bet $0 on his answer “who is some guy in Normandy… but I just won $ 75,000.” His answer could have easily lost the game because he had no way of knowing that his fellow contestant Nilai would give the wrong answer. Luckily, the teen ended up winning the game and $75,000. 4. Who is the winner? First aired in 1984, it took Jeopardy! almost 23 years for the first-ever three-way tie that didn’t include scores of zero at the end of Final Jeopardy. In March of 2007, all three contestants (Scott Weiss, Jamey Kirby, and Anders Martinson) managed to get the Final Jeopardy question correct, which resulted in them all finishing with a total of $16,000. All three contestants were invited back the following day to break their tie, marking the first (but not the last) time a three-way tie took place. 3. What is a hoe? Appearing on the show following the 2003 rule change to allow contestants to play for more than five consecutive appearances, Ken Jennings achieved the yet-to-be beaten record of 74 consecutive wins and won over $2 million. Perhaps his most unforgettable answer on the show came during the category ‘Tool Time.’ The question asked, “This term for a long-handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker.”
Jennings buzzed in and answered, “What is a hoe?” Affronted, Trebek quickly quipped, “Is that what they teach you in school in Utah?” The correct answer was a rake. 2. What is we love you Alex? Trebek had recently revealed that he had resumed chemotherapy for Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, when, during Final Jeopardy, contestant Dhruv Gaur answered, “what is: We love you, Alex!” which included a drawing of a heart. The typically stoic host became emotional and responded “that’s very kind. Thank you.” Trebek struggled to get out his next words, “cost you $1,995. You’re left with five bucks.” 1. What is Toronto????? In 2011, IBM developed a question-answering computer system named Watson to go head-to-head with some of the smartest quiz-show contestants out there. Watson squared off against two of Jeopardy!’s biggest names: Brad Rutter, who had the largest total monetary winnings, and Ken Jennings, who had the longest winning streak. Although Watson ended up winning the tournament, it was not without some mistakes. The Final Jeopardy question for game one of the two-game tournament in the category, “U.S. cities”, was “its largest airport is named for a World War II hero; its second largest, for a World War II battle.” Watson gave “Toronto?????” as its answer, proving even American supercomputers don’t know anything about Canada.
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FEATURES
FEATURES EDITOR Amira Benjamin features@thefulcrum.ca
Insta: @amira.img Twitter: N/A
COVID-19’s impact on student clubs
And no, not the night clubs ... Ciara Wallace Freelancer
As we approach the eight-month mark since COVID-19 shut down everyday life, it is important to acknowledge the innovation and creativity that has emerged. The entire world became dependent on the use of the internet and technology to stay connected, productive, and sane while we were confined to the safety of our homes. With all this change and movement from one way of life to the other, society has continued to get things done. Some of the most iconic annual events, such as the Video Music Awards, have been reborn into a virtual world; and with software technology advancing at an exponential rate to keep up with our internet dependency, many student-run clubs have found innovative ways to go virtual. Campus Vibez uOttawa (CVUO) is a service with the University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) that facilitates all official clubs on campus and provides support in the form of club fairs, events, calendars, marketing and funding. In a world before COVID-19, CVUO was able to participate in 101-week and host club fairs, as well as host the ‘student life awards.’ Since March, however, student life within the U of O has been impacted significantly. CVUO president Hassan Ahmed outlined the innovative virtual clubs week this past September. Ahmed claimed it was a valuable experience for anyone who participated, despite it not being an in-person event. The five-day event was a new situation for many club executives, who were able to sign up for one of several time slots offered each day. “Some clubs saw a lot of success with viewership and interaction and some not so much,” said Ahmed. “It was difficult to try and replicate the in-person clubs fair where clubs can lure people to their table with promotions and where students can quickly hop from club table to table to see which ones they are interested in.” Along with going virtual, CVUO has also found new ways to support and promote all U of O clubs
The CVUO logo. Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum
through additional funding and a redesigned social media plan. Ahmed claims that in 2020, they granted $94, 324 to help support student clubs and keep them operating. “Many clubs are using funding for giveaways, online conferencing websites, and applications, getting speakers, etc,” Ahmed said. He goes on to explain that the club funding process occurred before the cancellation of all-person events, and some clubs may return their funds. Overall, Ahmed has praised the direction and determination of student clubs, as well as how they’ve continued to operate online. “It’s a lot about inventing the wheel and a lot of things clubs are trying are not working as well as they would like, which can be discouraging.” “We do our part to keep clubs motivated and I think a large portion of them are still thinking of creative ways to get more involvement and do their virtual club events.” Despite smooth transitions to virtual discussions and activities, many executive members are still adjusting to operating their clubs within different formats.
Wiam Ben Karroum has been a part of Women in Management Network (WMN) for three years and mentioned that the club’s activities before COVID-19 used to be centered around in person events such as monthly meetings, networking events, and workshops. Despite having to cancel all in person events, Karroum also shared some of the innovative ways in which the club changed and reformed to the virtual needs of their members and supporters. WMN’s biggest challenge is engagement for their online events. It can be difficult for a student to attend a three-hour lecture, work on homework and then feel inclined to hop on another Zoom event after spending all day looking at a screen. In order to combat this problem, WMN has created, ‘Words with WMN,’ a podcast which students can listen to during their own time. The episodes feature different female leaders in business and connects listeners with tools and skills they would have acquired through in-person workshops in an innovative way. Another club navigating the virtual social sphere is the CASCO Charity Organization. Amira Galib,
president of the club, described the CASCO Charity Organization as a club full of “passionate like-minded individuals” who are dedicated to giving back to the community, through fundraising events such as pub nights and an annual gala. The club regularly raises money for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) each year and has previously raised over $700,000 in 2019. However, COVID-19 has been a barrier for the club’s fundraising efforts in part due to closures, cancellations, and stay-at-home guidelines. Although they continue to run online programs, alongside other U of O clubs, the most difficult feat for CASCO in 2020 was the reality of cancelling the Annual Gala for the first time in 21 years. “The team, despite all of the hardships and boundaries with COVID-19, was dedicated and passionate to try and make this year one that counts and raises money for CHEO as best as they can,” said Galib. The Gala takes an entirely new form in 2020 and is going completely virtual by releasing videos weekly from Nov. 1 until Dec 21. Each video will feature an act that would have originally been performed live on stage, including dancing and singing. All performances will be filmed and produced by the members of CASCO themselves. “We hope the virtual gala encourages people to feel passionate about our mission,” said Galib. Student leaders within the U of O are pioneering the way for clubs and student engagement by reinventing standards. Clubs are coming up with more fun, engaging and unique event ideas and you do not want to miss what they have to offer. Due to COVID-19, there may be a loss for in-person connections and free snacks, but there is also much to gain by not being confined by physical barriers. With a majority of the student body spread across the world, it is a new opportunity to make meaningful connections. As clubs — CVUO included — adapt and make the best of their unprecedented situations, Ahmed has pleaded with clubs to be creative with their ideas and launch everything they come up with, because at the end of the day, there really is nothing to lose.
The psychology of grief surrounding celebrity deaths There’s no shame in being upset, it’s a natural reaction according to experts Siena Domaradzki-Kim Associate features editor
2020 has been awful for many reasons, but one of the reasons was the sudden passing of several prominent celebrities and artists like Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant, Eddie Van Halen, and more. When people of their stature die, the whole world seems to stop for a moment and collectively cry and mourn. But most people haven’t met them — we’ve never sat down for coffee, worked with them, or were close to them in any way. So why does their passing hurt as much as it does? Firstly, we need to look into what exactly is grief? Adam Koenig, a thanatology and psychology instructor at King’s University College, says that grief is a completely natural and personal experience that can
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be triggered by the death of someone you knew. “It’s a normal, spontaneous, kind of personal response. It can be emotional, physical, spiritual, and it’s a very unique process to everyone, like a snowflake,” he said. “Whatever your reaction to the loss, it’s important just to be aware of it and notice it.” Normally grief and mourning happen when someone close to you passes away, like a family member, friend, or pet. But celebrities don’t seem to necessarily fit into that mold, so why are we affected to the point where we feel grief? Koenig says it’s because we connect with them because we feel related to them, for whatever personal reason, and celebrities can then integrate themselves in our lives. “Celebrities become a part of our lives in different
ways. They share in some of the experiences we have. Say it’s the wedding song that you use for your first dance. That’s going to hold a significance in your life. So if that celebrity dies, that celebrity was connected to you in that special moment,” he said. “But it also helps us revisit different memories we may have had engaging with that celebrity in different ways.” Jill K. Harrington, an adjunct professor at Rutgers University, practicing psychologist and author, agrees with this. “Me personally, I love the band U2. I can go back and remember certain parts of my life and songs that have influenced my beliefs and values and what it really meant to me,” she said. “So I think we can connect to celebrities and they can change our lives
because they’re influencers, and they influence us.” She also brings up the recent passing of Chadwick Boseman and the effect his death had specifically on BIPOC communities. “It was a greater sense and a deeper sense of loss in the Black and brown communities. So there were people who really enjoyed the superhero films that were fans, and then people who really saw what Black Panther meant to those communities. So there was a deeper sense of loss for those who viewed him that way.”
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SCIENCE & TECH
S&T EDITOR Ryan Matte Science@thefulcrum.ca Insta: @ryanmatte55 Twitter: @rmatte1999
New Apple M1 chip in MacBooks may be a good option for students Apple has begun using its new M1 chips in laptops, promises to bring better performance and battery life RYAN MATTE SCIENCE AND TECH EDITOR It is no surprise that intel chips have been underperforming in Apple’s laptops, with their computers overheating leading to thermal throttling and lackluster performance. Due to this, Apple has been looking for a solution. Their solution is ARM based chips made in-house by Apple. Similar to the chips used in their iPhones and iPads, ARM chips will be making their way into Apple’s new line of MacBooks. Eventually, this will lead to the removal of software support for their intel-based systems in a few years. Apple has boasted a 10-watt power draw for the M1 chip, compared to intel’s comet lake series of processors. The comet lake series has chips with a total power draw (TDP) of 45 watts, which can lower battery life and lead to heat issues. Apple is now using a system-on-chip (SOC), this small chip crams in all of the hardware necessary for the computer including the graphics processing unit (GPU), random access memory (RAM) and more importantly the central processing unit (CPU). With the M1 chip, Apple will boast up to 3.5 times faster CPU performance, however, it does not indicate what this is being compared to. The M1 chip is able to perform well at a much lower TDP by utilizing four high-efficiency cores that use a small amount of power, while completing simple tasks
Illustration: Apple
quickly. This allows the high performance cores to do the majority of the hard work while drawing little power. For Apple’s new MacBook Air, there is 18 hours of battery life, compared to the previous 12 hours, shown on their intel based model. This will help students who prefer not to bring a charger to class ensure that they can work throughout the day without the fear of the battery running out. For students, this can be a major upgrade, as Apple silicon can lead to a lower price, better thermal perfor-
Inside U of O’s Advanced Research Complex RYAN MATTE SCIENCE AND TECH EDITOR
The Advance Research Complex. Photo: Rame Abdulkader/Fulcrum.
A building typically only available to the eyes of researchers and graduate students in the photonics and earth sciences field, the Fulcrum was invited to tour the Advanced Research Complex (ARC) with professor Ian Clark. The building is home to Canada’s only accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS), which allows researchers to analyze radioisotopes, which are radioactive isotopes of an element, a good example being uranium. This massive machine takes up a good portion of the lab and can be seen from outside. Dr. Clark, whose research focuses on groundwater geochemistry and environmental isotopes in hydrogeological settings, is one of the few individuals who is able to operate the machine. A decade ago, Clark and a colleague were able to receive equipment grants from the Canada Foundation of Innovation and generate enough support to build the Advanced Research Complex on the U of O campus in 2012. The AMS on site can measure trace radioisotopes
in the environment with the most common being radiocarbon. This can be used as a dating tool, allowing for this to be a national facility that is accessed by all sorts of research facilities for radionuclide analysis. Walking into the massive room with the AMS, the floor for this machine is separate to the main building, with a foundation of bedrock, in order to ensure that there is no noise or ground movement that could affect the results of any experiments. The amount of power used is also important to note. A small power surge can affect results, and it is common to have events such as buildings being built nearby, or a small surge in power have a significant impact on the results. The lab takes in bones, ancient relics, tree samples and other historical data, and can use small trace samples to get an accurate date of that piece. The lab can use samples from bones, bone meal used on spears and other materials to get an accurate measurement of what time period that object came from. With the scanning electron microscope, we were able to view high resolutions scans of extremely small objects. On their website, it is also possible to view scans or pollen on a flower, and even a beer stein to check for lead. The more expensive piece of machinery is the JEOL 8230 SuperProbe which can perform microanalysis as small as one square micron. Even with COVID-19 the lab has not stopped functioning, and will continue to perform ground breaking research in the natural science and photonics fields.
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mance and a longer lasting product. There is however, an awkward period that consumers are going to deal with as most applications are built to run on the x86 architecture, which is seen on intel and AMD’s chips. Since Apple is now using the ARM-based architecture, these x86 applications will no longer work, and updates to popular applications must be released by developers. Since Apple has decided to stop creating intelbased systems in the near future, this support may be the deciding factor in choosing a computer, as many
apps used for schoolwork, such as Word, Excel, Photoshop, etc. may not be supported right away. This may force students and consumers to switch to Windows, Linux or Chrome based systems for the time being. Apple’s solution to this problem is allowing for its code built by developers to now be compiled into an ARM version and an x86 version, allowing developers a quick fix to migrate their applications to Apple’s new architecture. Most notably, Apple’s M1 MacBooks will not feature many Adobe Apps at launch, and content creators will need to wait a few months before being able to use these apps. Apple has also announced three new products utilizing the Apple M1 chip, which will be available Nov. 17 including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13” and the Mac mini, each with similar hardware. The Mac Mini is the only product with a reduction from last year’s model with a reduction of $100. With a SOC, consumers will also notice that the RAM is not available for upgrades meaning that the configuration you choose at launch will remain permanently. A simple upgrade to 16 GB of unified memory will set your back $200 USD and upgrading from 256 GB of storage to two terabytes will cost up to $800 USD. The lack of upgradeability may lead to shorter lasting products, however, with Apple choosing to swap to ARM based systems, this may be a better option then selecting an intel based system that may lose support.
Office transition: Tech to help you study at home RYAN MATTE SCIENCE AND TECH EDITOR Due to the pandemic, most classes at the University of Ottawa have shifted to online learning, forcing students and professors to adapt to a new style of teaching. As virtual learning can present its own challenges, here are some things you can add to your desk to make the experience easier. Get an extra monitor Having an extra monitor can make multitasking a lot easier and can come in handy in a bunch of different scenarios. If using a laptop, it also allows you to have a larger screen, making writing essays or watching videos much better. Being able to have the assignment description and marking scheme open on one monitor and your work on the other saves a lot of time you would waste switching back and forth between tabs. As well, for students who like to take notes during their lectures on their computer, a second monitor makes it easier to follow along with the class and jot down the important ideas at the same time. Docking station for your desk or USB hub A docking station is an extension to your computer that allows you to plug more devices into your laptop or desktop computer. Depending on the kind of laptop or computer you
have, it may not come with many of these connections by default. Investing in a docking station that can sit on your desk and allow you to plug in more peripheral devices, like flash drives or external storage, can come in handy. Most docking stations will plug into your computer using either a USB or power connection. For some laptop models, it is possible to have an attachable docking station that you can actually place your laptop on that will charge it while you are working. For many of the new Apple Macbook models, there are devices that plug directly into the side of the laptop and gives access to additional USB ports, an SD card reader, or an HDMI port for another monitor. Noise cancelling headphones If you find yourself becoming easily distracted by your surroundings, it may be worth your time to get some good noise cancelling headphones. Noise cancelling headphones can come in many different styles, including over ear, on ear and in ear options. You can select the type that is most comfortable for you. Keep in mind that If you are wearing them for long hours of the day, you will want them to be as comfortable as possible. Before purchasing, try to give a few models a try to find the best fit for you.
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SPORTS
SPORTS EDITOR Jasmine McKnight opinions@thefulcrum.ca
Insta: @j.mcknight08 Twitter: @Jazzle59
Sports Confessional: How are student-athletes staying motivated? Four U of O student-athletes share what has kept them motivated during the pandemic
Jasmine McKnight Sports Editor
By now, many student-athletes have adjusted to the fact their seasons have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Without games and tournaments to look forward to, it can be difficult to motivate yourself to train. Changes in everyday life can make it hard to stay motivated in school, work, and sport. Some Gee-Gees athletes shared the things that have been keeping them motivated throughout the situation. For Anthony Grigg, a member of the football team, a flip in mindset allows him to keep putting in effort. “The motivation comes from not looking at this pandemic as a setback, but as an opportunity to just get better. There is more than enough time now to be in the gym getting bigger,
stronger, faster, and [to] work on my craft.” Jacob Hanlon, a forward on the men’s hockey team, credited his teammates for his motivation. “For about one hour a day when we are practicing together, I am able to completely be in the present moment.” “I can compete and have fun with my teammates without thinking about the pandemic,” Hanlon said. “Even though our season is cancelled, being on the ice together and being there for each other has made it easier to adapt to this new reality.” As student-athletes, sports are not the only thing on the list of responsibilities for these Gee-Gees. Work, school, and other aspects of life are still incredibly important. Hitting the ice with the women’s hockey team is what helps motivate Sophie Gareau. “During this time, what keeps me motivated is that I can look forward to hockey practice every day.”
“Being able to get out of the house, go to the rink and do something I love is the one thing I look forward to when I wake up,” Gareau said. “I can say that our daily practices take my mind off all the school work I have, and keeps me motivated during this pandemic.” “Practice is very different from last year because of the circumstances, but it gives us all the chance to work on our individual skills and enjoy ourselves,” she added. Janelle Godin used the situation as a way to evaluate her ringette career. “The isolation of quarantine actually provided me with the objectivity and distance to evaluate my life including my ringette career, and realize what I want to work on improving,” Godin said. “Going for runs around the neighbourhood and following team workouts also make me look forward to returning to Ottawa and hitting the ice again in January!
Above image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum
Photos: Jacob Hanlon (left) and Sophie Gareau (right). Parker Townes & Bridget Coady/ Fulcrum
Don’t strike out: U of O fitness facilities open with new strike system As of Nov. 16, sports and training facilities will be open for students and employees with stipulations SIENA DOMARADZKI-KIM Associate Features Editor
The University of Ottawa has announced that they would be re-opening their sport and training facilities on Nov. 16 and will be implementing a booking process as well as a three-strike system. Students and employees are welcome to enter the facilities, however fitness centres and gyms will remain open to students only. Activities like dance classes, swimming lessons, and personal training will all be available in-person for students. Virtual activities will include esports, additional fitness classes and personal training. The University has instilled multiple COVID-19 protocols. These include filling out a self-assessment tool and keeping changing rooms and showers closed until further notice. The University is asking people to arrive fully ready for their activity, including attire, clean shoes and water, as changerooms are unavailable for gym-goers. They are also enforcing physical dis-
Photo: Parker Towner/Fulcrum
tancing of two to three metres between people. Masks will also be required at all times for people entering the fitness centre, including when using equipment. Special accommodations are in place for swimming. Swimmers can access the changerooms 15 minutes before and after their scheduled swim time. Limited lockers will also be available.
Four swimmers will be allowed per lane, and masks must be worn at all times except in the pool. In order to use facilities, students and employees will have to book time and notify by calling client services at either the Minto Sports Complex or Montpetit Hall if they will not be able to attend. If unable to cancel 24 hours in advance, the University implemented a three strike
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policy for no-shows. The first two cancellations without email or calling will result in a warning. If you accumulate three strikes on your account, the sports facility membership will be suspended for 10 days. In order to reinstate your membership, you will need to meet with a Campus Rec Supervisor to continue your membership. Following this, if another strike is incurred the strike system restarts, with the next third strike doubling to a 20-day suspension of membership services. If all sessions are full, Client Services will manage a waitlist and as sessions become available students will be contacted for open slots. Showing the confirmation email at the check-in point will be required. Contact information for University of Ottawa Sports Facilities: - Client Services phone number: (613) 562-5800 ext.5789 (Minto Sports Complex) or (613) 562-5800 ext.4327 (Montpetit Hall)
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OPINIONS
OPINIONS EDITOR Jasmine McKnight
opinions@thefulcrum.ca Insta: @j.mcknight08 Twitter: @Jazzle59
Letter to the Editor: Change is overdue; action begins with you Women’s rugby task force aims to bring meaningful change within team, university, and community
Women’s rugby team Special contribution Dear Editor, The University of Ottawa women’s rugby team writes to you at the Fulcrum in hopes of sharing our story and our mission with others. In May 2020, upon witnessing the murder of George Floyd, we came together as a team to discuss ways to implement advocating for social justice and change into our program. This started with reflection. As a program, as well as individuals, we took time to dig into our history and held ourselves accountable for a lack of diversity and inclusion within our team. In addition, we knew that we were late to only be starting our journey of advocacy and change at this time, and for that, we apologize. After considerations, our Task Force for Equity and Diversity was born. We determined that it wasn’t enough to simply post on social media. Society had made it clear to us that it wasn’t enough to only denounce racism using t-shirts and hashtags online; we knew we had to begin working to make sure our team was actively anti-racist. Since May, the task force has facilitated a large number of conversations in regards to actionable meaningful change within our team, University, and community. These include team workshops on topics such as unpacking white privilege and understanding racism. In addition, our team has gained insight on how to create actionable change from individuals
The University of Ottawa’s women’s rugby team. Gregory Kolz/Varsity Athletics
such as Councillor Rawlson King (Ottawa’s first-ever Black city councillor, elected in April of 2019) and Kin Choi (Assistant Deputy Minister Human ResourcesCivilian at the Department of National Defence). We have created an online resource centre for our team featuring websites, petitions, books, movies, podcasts, articles, activists, and more in order to facilitate education on social justice issues and how to create sustainable change. We have had the opportunity to discuss our goals and need for support with Jill Scott (provost and vice president, academic affairs at the University of Ottawa) as well as numerous members of the University of Ottawa’s sports services personnel. We have attended many meetings with members of U Sports divisions such as the Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec and Ontario University Athletics, to address
the immediate need for actionable change, as many athletes have never gotten the support they deserve in order to feel safe competing in these divisions. We continue to demand better from the University of Ottawa and from U Sports as a whole. The vision of our task force is for all studentathletes to enjoy safe spaces on our team, on our campus, and in our community. In order to reach this goal, we have committed to promoting education and awareness in order to empower student-athletes for actionable change and equity for all. We continue to work towards this goal daily as a task force and as a team. We are excited about the recent conversations we have had with other teams at the University of Ottawa, such as the two hockey teams, the women’s soccer team, and both basketball teams, about com-
mitting to implementing similar action within their own teams. We look forward to seeing the change which we know they will create. We urge the other teams at the University to reflect on their own role in creating safe spaces for their athletes as well. More than anything, we urge the University of Ottawa as a whole to take a stand against racism. All members of the University of Ottawa deserve a safe space to enjoy, a privilege that continues to be denied to so many by the University of Ottawa. The University’s refusal to fully denounce racism and implement forms of sustainable change does not go unnoticed. Your athletes and your community do not want your emails or your social media posts, they want you to take accountability for your actions (or lack thereof), and implement sustainable change in the form of policies and action. Your words without action are and will continue to be empty. What our team has accomplished, we do not consider extraordinary. It is simply a result of taking accountability, actively deciding to have the hard conversations, and committing to doing the work. We encourage all others to do the same. “If a conversation is hard, it’s probably the one worth having.” Sincerely, the University of Ottawa women’s rugby team. The University of Ottawa women’s rugby program is one of the best in the nation having won six consecutive RSEQ championships and won bronze at the 2019 U Sports women’s rugby national championship.
Heckle: Why didn’t anyone teach us how to be adults? School taught me a lot of things, but it didn’t teach me what a mortgage is in Monopoly. jasmine mcknight I understand that as a responsible adult with opinions editor access to the internet, I can research all these After graduating high school, where I thought I was learning how to be a capable citizen, I realized pretty quickly that there was an endless list of things we didn’t cover throughout four long years of classes. Instead of learning how to function in the adult world, we were putting letters in math equations, memorizing lines of Shakespeare, and running the dreaded beep test. Why didn’t anyone teach us how to be ? When do people become adults anyways? If it’s an age thing, then I’m pretty sure a bunch of us are behind, because I am not entirely sure how to properly exist without the help of another, older, wiser, more experienced, adult. I couldn’t tell you how to file taxes, pay off loans, and I wouldn’t be able to explain insurance or even how to get it. Not to mention what your credit score actually means, or how to invest, and have you realized that they always tell you to vote, but not how? It doesn’t take long to realize the importance of understanding all these things, and yet, no one felt like explaining it to us. Also, what’s a mortgage? Because I have a feeling that it’s not the same in real life as it is
topics myself, but it doesn’t make sense to me that I know the equation ‘y= ax+b’ and that I spent hours studying content that I haven’t had to recall since I was tested on it. I spent hours stressing over concepts that have not resurfaced in my ‘adult’ life. Yes, there are wonderful resources on the internet, but not everyone has access to that, and there’s only so much you can wrap your head around without someone guiding you. I am not saying that everyone should be an expert in every single aspect of adult life by the time they’re in university. I believe that we all deserve to at least have a decent grasp on the things that affect our lives — our futures — enough that we don’t have to learn the hard way. Unfortunately, a lack of understanding on these real life topics can put people in terrible situations, from unmanageable debt, to loss, to unemployment. Why is there such a big gap between what we need to do to thrive as adults, and what we’ve been taught? It seems obvious that there are so many necessary lessons to be learned, and yet I hadn’t
Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum
even considered so many things until I saw them in the real world. Did anyone ever consider telling us how to identify scams, understand rental agreements and other documents, or simple budgeting? The ugly truth to the education system is how much is missing. There are too many
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important things that need to be explained and taught thoroughly, things that will directly affect an individual’s future. There are so many life skills I didn’t realize I needed until I was thrown into them, and sure, I’ve been able to stay afloat, but a little heads up would have been nice.
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CHARLEY DUTIL
editor@thefulcrum.ca Insta: @cduts98 Twitter: @CDuts98
Lest we forget
A look back at a Fulcrum Remembrance Day editorial The Fulcrum’s 2003-04 Editorial board Originally published on Nov.11, 2003. There are only 11 Canadians still alive who fought in the great war; 11 Canadians who fought in far off places like the Somme and Passchendaele. Today only 11 Canadians who can describe the horror of mustard gas or understand the truly amazing accomplishments that occurred at Vimy Ridge. More than a million Canadians participated in the second World War. Of them, just over 293,000 remain with us. They fought on the shores of Dieppe, in the waters of the Atlantic, an in Hong Kong’s defence. However, they too are disappearing; with an average age of 81, the veteran population is an endangered demographic. In total, nearly two million men and women have served Canada during times of conflict. Of these two million, 114,000 never made it back to Canadian soil. It is important to remember these men and women. It is also important to remember those who were lost and those who came home. It is important to remember Canada as it was before and Canada as it is after each great conflict. Remembrance Day is a celebration of life. It is a celebration of the good that is in people. Canada has a short but exemplary military history and Remembrance Day is a time to honour those who gave so much and asked for so little. It is a day to remember the history of Canada, but also to examine the present. This November 11 carries with it the recent memories of Canadians killed in service. In April of last year, four Canadians were killed in a friendly fire accident in Afghanistan. Even more recently, two Canadians were killed while clearing landmines. These new casualties provide a glimpse into the pain and suffering that must have occurred during the Great Wars. This allows a new generation a better, and much needed, understanding of conflict. At present, there are 2,300 Canadians fighting in the “War on Terror” in Afghanistan, and another maintaining the peace in Bosnia. These numbers are insignificant when compared with Canada’s con-
Image: Christine Wang/Fulcrum
tribution to the Great Wars; however, they are no less important. Remembering Canadians who served or who are in service is important because these people believe in Canada. They believe in the freedoms and rights all Canadians enjoy. They believe in the right to watch hockey on Saturday night, to drink strong beer, and to voice opposition to the government. They are willing to give their lives to spread the idea that is Canada. This idea, which allows for equality, prosperity, and choice, is one that needs to be spread. It is easy to see the horrors of war. The true evil of humankind is never more apparent than during wartime. However, even if the merits of war can be debated, the merits of Canadian service men and women cannot. Remembrance Day should be a day of reflection and thanks. Canadians everywhere should remember all that has been lost but also all that has been secured through losses. The men and women who serve in the defence of Canada do so for
every Canadian, without discrimination, without question, and seemingly without fear. Thousands have given their lives in the name of Canada, and it is likely more will in the future. On Remembrance Day, Canadians need to remember the sacrifices that these people made. What is more important, however, is for Canadians to cherish, every day, the opportunities and luxuries made possible by the sacrifices of the fallen. Fun Facts about this editorial - There are no more living WWI veterans, the last person who served in WWI died in 2012. - It is estimated that there are only 33,200 living Canadian WWII veterans. - More than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in the Afghanistan theatre of operations between 2001 and 2014.
The bar is closed, the candidates have gone home
Election hopefuls and students frustrated as election results go unannounced Katherine declerq former NEWS EDITOR This article was originally published on Feb.18, 2011.
Students called it quits around three in the morning on Feb.18 when they were told that the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) election results would be pushed back another few hours. Candidates arrived at undergraduate bar 1848 around 11 p.m to have a round of beers with their campaign volunteers and friends. However, due to the fact that the results, which were supposed to be announced around midnight, were continuously postponed, candidates eventually decided to head home for the night. Some candidates were frustrated, but understood why the process took so long. “I just want it to be finished. U just want it to be over. I wish the results were coming right now. I feel like [tonight’s process] was a little bit slow, but I guess that means that there [are] some ballots to contest,” explained Logan Ouellette, candidate for vp communications. “We’re all getting more anxious and anxious as the minutes go by, We just want our results [so] we can go home and sleep,” said Terry Morin,
candidate for vp social. With a voting turnout estimate of just over 10 per cent, Jason Benovoy, CEO of the SFUO elections office, explained that each contested position—that of the executive, and arts and social sciences Board of Administration seats—has to be counted by hand. “It’s paper ballots, it takes a long time because we triple count the ballots to make sure everything is as accurate as possible. It is what it is— there are thousands of voting ballots,” he explained. Amalia Savva, presidential candidate for the SFUO elections, agreed that all students could do was be patient. “I have confidence they are doing the best they can, but it is obviously frustrating for us waiting. But they are doing the best they can. As we say last year, e-voting didn’t work out for the best, so paper ballots are the most legitimate thing to do during elections,” said Savva. Not everyone was so understanding, however. Savva’s opponent presidential candidate, Nathan Boivin, expressed dissatisfaction with the late results and before leaving campus, took the opportunity to explain why the SFUO electoral system is not functioning as well as it should. “This is the exact issue that we have with the SFUO. It comes down to organization,” he explained. “Whoever wins tonight I hope that we are able to change elections, so that the results are actually on time. We had a great crowd out here
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… who all came to watch the elections. It’s two hours past due, it’s a Thursday night, and people have exams still. They already put those exams aside. So this is when we have to say enough is enough. We want to change these procedures for next year.” All candidates except for Tristan Dénommée, Terry Morin and Logan Ouellette lefty campus between three and four in the morning under the impression that the results wouldn’t be released until the following day. At press time, 5:30 a.m. on Feb.18, results were still unavailable. “I am anxious. I can’t wait to figure out how it goes,” said Ouellette. Fun Facts about this article - The writer of this article Katherine DeClerq is now a reporter for CTV News Toronto. - Logan Ouellette now works in the tech industry in Germany. - Terry Morin is now the food and beverage manager at Nordik SPA Nature. - Jason Benovoy is now a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. - Tristan Dénnomée now works at Stelpro.
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DISTRACTIONS
FEATURES EDITOR Amira Benjamin
features@thefulcrum.ca Insta: @amira.ing Twitter: N/A
DEAR DI: HORRIBLE SEX PLAYLISTS
Dear Di, The person I am currently hooking up with has a very bad sex playlist. I am scared to tell them because they are emotionally fragile and seem to be really connected to their music.
But nothing turns me off more than hearing Weezer’s “Undone – The Sweater Song” or Radiohead’s “My Iron Lung” while having sex. What should I tell them?
Dear Jonas,
Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum
— Jonas
There are a number of reasons to have a playlist for sex, but having Weezer playing in the background is not okay. There are some exceptions when it comes to Radiohead, however. Take it from me, when Ty Daniels and I first met, his playlist consisted of songs off Sum 41’s All Killer No Filler and blink-182’s Dude Ranch, trust me no one wants to hear Mark Hoppus sing A day late/A buck short while having sex. He was also emotionally fragile — like most boys in their late teens and early twenties. Now before I explain what I did to make Ty’s playlist better, it is important for you to understand that listening to music while having sex has many benefits. Research has shown that listening to music while having sex can help make the activity last much longer than those who don’t, especially when it comes to cardio. Music also helps produces dopamine, in the same way as sex, listening to music while having sex can create a double dose of dopamine – this means much more pleasure for both of you! As for how you can improve your partner’s playlist, here are a couple of ideas. The simplest way would be to sit down with them and explain that the playlist should consist of songs you both love. Keep in mind though, this may not work immediately as some people are very hard-headed and will come up with a ‘hundred and one excuses’ as to why they do not want to make changes to their playlist. Ty, for instance, kept saying that his playlist gave him rhythm while having sex — but that boy didn’t have any rhythm when I met him. If they don’t accept your “suggestion” to change up the sex playlist, you may have to be shady and do it yourself – keep in mind this approach could cause some arguments between you and your partner. Try and find a way to drop in some of your own songs here and there, mixing them into the middle of the playlist. It could turn out to be a nice compromise and to be honest, they might not even notice if you hide the changes well enough. Before we move on, if you guys are about to have sex make sure to queue up some of their songs so that your songs only come on when you’re actually in the act — they won’t stop what they’re doing to go change a song (if they do, run).
- Love, Di
Hopefully, they get the message and their playlist will improve due to your contributions. THEFULCRUM.CA
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Volume 81, Issue 4, NOV. 16, 2020 In a ‘its complicated’ relationship with the student union since 1942. Instagram: @instafulcrum | Facebook: The Fulcrum | Twitter: @The_Fulcrum
EDITORIAL We’re all in this together
Reach out to that friend you haven’t spoken to in a while and ask them how they are mentally coping with the pandemic To quote Montreal rocker, Sam Roberts, “we’re all in this together.” You are not alone. We will get through this together.
Charley Dutil Editing Commissioner editor@thefulcrum.ca
For those who may seek professional help, there are a number of resources in the community that are accessible at any time. Here is a non-comprehensive list of mental health resources.
Emily Wilson Managing Commissioner content@thefulcrum.ca Karli Zschogner News Commissioner news@thefulcrum.ca Aly Murphy Arts and Culture Commissioner arts@thefulcrum.ca
On campus…
Amira Benjamin
Features Commissioner features@thefulcrum.ca Siena Domaradzki-Kim Associate Features Commissioner associate.features@thefulcrum.ca Jasmine McKnight Sports & Opinions Commissioner sports@thefulcrum.ca Ryan Matte Science & Tech Commissioner Science@thefulcrum.ca Dasser Kamran Visual Commissioner visual@thefulcrum.ca Leyla Abdolell Online Commissioner Online@thefulcrum.ca Jelena Maric Staff Commissioner staff.editor@thefulcrum.ca Paige Holland Staff Commissioner staff.writer@thefulcrum.ca Bridget Coady Photography Commissioner photographer@thefulcrum.ca Sam Coulavin Videography Commissioner videographer@thefulcrum.ca Vacant Position General Commissioner manager@thefulcrum.ca
Contributors
The Fulcrum would like to thank: Abbey Kerkmann S.G. Arsenault Victoria Feng Gee-Gees womens rugby team Ciara Wallace Rhyanna Melanson
for their contributions to this issue.
Board of Directors
Justin Turcotte Kalki Nagaratnam Kate Murray David Campion-Smith Benjamin King Ryan Pepper Julia D’Silva
Cover: Dasser Kamran.
Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum
The Fulcrum Editorial Board Content warning: Mental health and suicide. It is no revelation that this school year has been difficult for all due to COVID-19. With rampant unemployment, lockdowns, and online schooling, many of us have seen a total breakdown of our social lives. For those living and working at home, away from the daily interactions of campus, it has been difficult and the pandemic has brought on deeply entrenched senses of stress, anxiety and loneliness. But it is not only more stressful for those studying from home: international students living in Ottawa have also faced numerous challenges that have undoubtedly negatively impacted their mental health. For those of us fortunate enough to be close to home, we have to imagine international students’ realities. Some are stranded 10,000 kilometers away from their home in the middle of a deadly pandemic worrying about their next meal at the same time as the wellbeing of their loved ones back home. Even for those who have decided to live in Ottawa this year, living in an apartment alone or with roommates who have different social circles can lead to despair and loneliness. Humans are social creatures; we are designed to interact with one another, love one another and care for each other. This is difficult to do virtually — high definition videos cannot replace in-person interactions. Isolation is not a natural human behaviour, and is harmful to human beings. Recent studies have shown that loneliness can significantly increase a person’s risk of premature death. According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), loneliness has been associated with 50 per cent of dementia cases. This pandemic has shown what Uni-
EDITORIAL | 14
versity of Ottawa students have known for a long time: there is a serious mental health crisis not only on this campus, but in this country as a whole. We have to take care of each other, but this doesn’t simply mean sending a Snapchat to a friend when you’re feeling lonely at 3 a.m. It means speaking with those closest to you on a regular basis and asking them tough questions on how they are holding up. We need to converse together, we need to air out our feelings and grievances amongst friends and significant others. Keeping everything bottled up inside will not help in the long run, and will only worsen the already amplified feelings of loneliness and isolation brought on by this pandemic. Now more than ever, it is time for those of us who lead in our community to make sure we check in not only on those who are closest to us, but those in need and those we suspect may not have large social nets and are suffering in silence. Thankfully, this semester there have been no known or recorded student deaths, and we need to make sure it stays that way. The 2019-2020 school year saw six students take their own lives, we do not want an encore. We might be in for a rocky winter, especially as seasonal depression takes its hold on us for the next few months. If you need to talk to someone, don’t be afraid to reach out to your loved ones, your friends, or other people you may feel comfortable sharing your feelings with. We can guarantee that a number of your peers also feel this way, and nothing is more uplifting than a good conversation when you’re feeling down in a hole. If you don’t have anybody, feel free to reach out to members of the Fulcrum’s staff. We are more than happy to have a conversation with fellow students and community members, and we will always try our best to point you in the right direction for help.
University of Ottawa Health Services (UOHS), 100 Marie-Curie Private Offers counselling, psychiatric services, individual, couple or family therapy, access to psycho-educational groups and referrals to specialists offcampus Student Academic Success Service (SASS), 100 Marie-Curie Private Offers individual counselling, peercounselling, workshops, online therapy and group counselling using new stepped model; referrals Faculty mentoring centres (locations differ by faculty) Specialized mentoring services catered to the needs of students in each faculty Off campus… Mental health hotlines… Drugs and Alcohol Helpline: 1-866531-2600 Canada Suicide Prevention Service phone available 24/7: 1-833-456-4566 Fem’aide: 1-877-336-2433 Good2Talk: 1-866-925-5454 Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6668 or text CONNECT to 686868 Mental Health Crisis Line: 613-7226914 Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region: (613) 238-3311 Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre: 613-5622333 Tel-Aide Outaouais: 613-741-6433 Trans Life Line: 1-877-330-6366 Walk-in counselling clinics (six Ottawa locations)… Somerset West Community Health Centre (55 Eccles Street) South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre (1355 Bank Street) Family Services Ottawa (312 Parkdale Avenue) Jewish Family Services of Ottawa (300-2255 Carling Avenue) Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization(959 Wellington St. W) CFS/SFC Ottawa (310 Olmstead Road) Community health and resource centres (13 in Ottawa) Carlington Community Health Centre (900 Merivale Road) Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre (215-
1980 Ogilvie Road) Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Community Resource Centre (1547 Merivale Road, Unit 240) Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Health Centre (225 Donald Street) Sandy Hill Community Health Centre (221 Nelson Street) South East Ottawa Community Health Centre (1355 Bank Street) Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre (2 MacNeil Court) Centretown Community Health Centre (420 Cooper Street) Lowertown Community Resource Centre (40 Cobourg Street) Orleans-Cumberland Community Health Centre (240 Centrum Boulevard) Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre(1365 Richmond Road) Somerset West Community Health Centre (55 Eccles Street) Vanier Community Service Centre (270 Marier Avenue) Warning signs of suicide include: Talking about wanting to die Looking for a way to kill oneself Talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose Talking about feeling trapped or being in unbearable pain Talking about being a burden to others Increasing use of alcohol or drugs Acting anxious, agitated, or recklessly Sleeping too little or too much Withdrawing or feeling isolated Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge Displaying extreme mood swings The more of these signs a person shows, the greater the risk. If you suspect someone you know may be contemplating suicide, you should talk to them, according to the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. Editorials are written by the Fulcrum’s fourteen-person editorial board and express the shared opinion of Fulcrum’s editorial staff. To share your own views, email editor@thefulcrum.ca
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TOMATO EDITOR Amira Benjamin features@thefulcrum.ca
Insta: @amira.img Twitter: N/A
President of white Virtual U of O campus supremacy club steps down launched on Sims 4 Amira Benjamin Tomato EDITOR
S.G Arsenault Contributor
Electric scooter raccoon becomes safety Amira Benjamin Tomato EDITOR
Image: Dasser Karman/Fulcrum Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum
Brandon R.A. Cyst, president of a local white supremacy group, has recently announced his retirement following Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. Following a five-year stint as president of ‘White is Right’, Cyst claims that he no longer feels proud in his position anymore. “Everywhere I go, I’m stared at for my clothes. So what if they say ‘Trump 2020’?” Cyst defended. Cyst claims that since Trump’s loss, his group has declined in popularity and relevance. “We had members from different jobs, like cops and cops. But we’ve been facing more pressure to shut down and just general online harassment.” Forest Dweller, the secretary of the group, also decided to leave shortly after the president’s announcement due to a
lost sense of belonging. “I’m really upset to have lost a safe space for a white guy like me,” said Dweller. “Also, when your biggest inspiration loses the only contest that matters, you feel really defeated.” Dweller acknowledged a significant decrease in membership following the announcement of Joe Biden as the president-elect. “According to our records, we’re down 20 per cent. It’s sad to see our members so unmotivated by the leadership change, but it’s evident that we don’t feel safe anymore.” Cyst said he’ll continue to attend ‘White is Right’ meetings, but will abstain from participating in group activities and events. “It just doesn’t feel the same anymore. I hope those liberals are happy with their fake results.”
Image: Dasser Karman/Fulcrum
The University of Ottawa has announced the launch of a new virtual campus, conveniently available as an expansion pack in the Sims 4 video game. Unrecognizable from the physical campus found in the heart of Ottawa, the new virtual campus appears to have world-class amenities and plenty of green space. Effective immediately, all classes and exams will now be held in-game, with a U of O representative citing the ability to integrate Respondus and much-needed virtual interaction as the main reasons for making the investment. In a video address to the student body, vice-sean of academics Simon Sims touted the benefits of this new Virtual Campus.
“Thanks to wonderful technological advancements, visitors from all around the world can visit our esteemed campus,” said Sims. “Virtual services range from guided tours and info sessions to a bouncy castle.” However, the vice-dean made no mention of how the faculty were being prepared for this upcoming expansion. Students will receive an access code for the virtual campus via their U of O email account. The substantial cost associated with the project is expected to be reflected in the tuition fees for the upcoming semester. Students will also be expected to purchase the game themselves to access the virtual campus.
Squat, a raccoon who received a $150 fine for speeding on an electric scooter in September, has just won the position of safety commissioner in the University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) by-elections. The Sandy Hill-based mammal said the expensive fine was a ‘wake-up call’ to better practice safety and be considerate of others. “Eeep eep, eep,” said Squat. “Eep, eep!” Though Squat ran for the position unopposed, he went out of his way to campaign all across Ottawa. This included acting as a volunteer near elementary schools and handing out flyers to stopped drivers at stoplights. “I was very confused to see this raccoon hand a flyer to me, but after actually reading it, he has a pretty decent platform,” said Diggin Holes, a U of O civil law professor and stay-at-home father of three. “A lot of drivers around here just like to zip across campus
without a second thought, the worst is this man who wears denim jackets and drives a black Kia, so it’s great to see someone take safety seriously.” Squat’s policy included reinforcing the on-campus speed limit of 40 km/h, and banning loud, obnoxious cars after 9 p.m. Squat had won the newly created position by 3,000 votes in his favour. Di Daniels, a fourthyear communications student and by-election volunteer, was shocked by the overwhelming support for the raccoon. “I guess people really like raccoons,” said Daniels. “None of us [at the UOSU] were expecting anyone to run for the position, much less win by such a huge margin.” Squat is excited to begin his role and further his ambition of making not only U of O, but Ottawa in general, much safer. “Eeep! Eeep, eep, eep,” he thoughtfully said. “Eeeep.”
UOSU student life commissioner’s live stream gets zero views With classes moved online for the foreseeable future, the University of Ottawa Students’ Union is attempting to increase general knowledge of their existence to the student population. This week, the awareness campaign was taken to the popular streaming platform Twitch with underwhelming results. The UOSU student life commissioner Ceat Toobe Philled live-streamed himself cleaning
his office, and was viewed by a total of zero members of the general public. “I’m disappointed to say the least” said Unknown. “Especially as the stream was held just days after UOSU’s highly attended fall general assembly.” The choice to stream on Twitch may have been the cause of the low turnout given UOSU’s famed use of the platform MIXRonline. In the past, using Zoom also caused difficulties for
events. The event was intended to operate as a casual question and answer session for students while Unknown toured the UOSU offices. Given the lack of participants Unknown was left to their audience of one: us, and proceeded to stream while sobbing to himself. Scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m., the stream lasted a total of seven hours with the first three
being dedicated to “just waiting for people to join” and Philled asking if his wifi was working properly. In the final eight minutes, Philled seemed to accept the lack of interest and stopped any attempt at stifling his sobs. The Fulcrum reporter present for the stream has turned in their resignation and cited boredom as the sole reason for their departure. Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum
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