The Fulcrum, Vol. 83. Issue 1.

ISSUE1, SEptember

news

UOSU position remains vacant following resignation of equity commissioner (pp. 3) 101 Week returns in person for the first time in two years (pp. 3) Covid concerns: students and staff turn to social media (PP. 4)

ARTS

CAN SOCIAL MEDIA EVER BEREAL? (PP. 5)

FESTIVAL SEASON IS NOT OVER: CITYFOLK OPENING NIGHT (PP. 6) EXPERIENCING DIGITAL REALITIES ON ALEX SUTCLIFFE’S CANVASES (PP. 6) CITYFOLK CLOSES OUT THE SUMMER (PP. 7)

SPORTS

GEE-GEES WIN COMFORTABLY OVER GUELPH 46-10 (PP. 8) A SOLID DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE GETS THE JOB DONE (PP. 9)

SCIENCES

Catch me in the clubs: SSA and ESS (pp. 10) School Survival Guide (STEM’s version) (pp. 11) Williams: Babe wait! I promise I can change! (pp. 12)

FEATURES

Get to know the U of O: the services of UOSU (pp. 13)

OPINIONS

University decides the return to campus is the perfect time to begin construction (pp. 15)

Am I fast or are they slow? Calling out Ottawa’s slow walkers (pp. 15) Seriously, it’s time to end booking gym times (pp. 16)

STAFF

Editors-in-Chief

Jasmine McKnight

Hailey Otten

Managing

Sanjida Rashid

Graphic Designer

Kai Holub

Photographer

Bardia Boomer

VIDEOGRAPHER

Vacant

Social Media Manager

Noah Bailey News Editor

Desirée Nikfardjam

Arts Editor

Victoria Drybrough

Sports Editor

Brandon Adibe ScienceS & Tech Editor

Emma Williams

Features Editor

Bridget Coady

Opinions Editor

Matthew McConkey

Staff Writer

Grace Kim-Shin

News Associate

Yannick Mutombo

UOSU position remains vacant following resignation of equity commissioner

Sana Almansour resigned from her position on Aug. 2

comes after me, whenev er the situation arises.”

After returning to her po sition as equity commis sioner last March, Sana Al mansour resigned on Aug. 2 for personal reasons.

In a statement to the Chair of the Board of Directors (BOD) of the University of Ottawa’s Students Union (UOSU), Almansour stated:

“I want to thank the orga nization for the opportu nity to be the mechanism for me to complete my mandate within the last year and a few months that the students entrust ed me with. I have enjoyed my time working with members of the university community … I am happy to assist in the transition of the commissioner that

BOD member and repre sentative from the fac ulty of social science, Ty Bradley, stated to the Fulcrum that prior to Al mansour’s resignation, the BOD was discussing concerns regarding in activity from the former equity commissioner.

In an email to the Ful crum, Bradley wrote:

“In July of this year, mem bers of the UOSU Board of Directors learned of potential issues includ ing an allegation that the equity committee had not been convened since the 2022 election of the UOSU Executive. The con vening of the Committee is a mandatory part of

the Commissioner’s role.”

“Prior to the completion of an independent inves tigation into the matter, the equity commissioner resigned from their posi tion citing personal rea sons … I wish to take this opportunity to acknowl edge the invaluable role that the Executive Over sight Committee plays in ensuring transparency, accountability, and good governance at the UOSU.”

UOSU’s President, Armaan Singh, clarified in a state ment to the Fulcrum, “Giv en that Ms. Almansour has resigned for personal reasons and is no longer employed by the UOSU, the Board determined that it was not an effective use of UOSU resources to conduct an investigation

in these circumstances.”

The equity commissioner is tasked with oversee ing and building “equity on campus, both with in the UOSU and at the University at large.” The position will remain va cant until the by-elec tions, which will be held in October of this year. “We encourage students

who are passionate about advancing this portfolio to put their name for ward for the upcoming election,” said Singh.

101 Week returns in person for the first time in two years

Students were able to participate in events hosted by UOSU and their respective student associations EDITOR Desirée Nikfardjam

For the first time since the pandemic, 101 Week fea tured mostly in-person ac tivities, with some events offered virtually online or through live stream.

101 Week is coordinat ed by the University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) with the goal to help new students navi gate campus, learn how to balance their social life with classes, and become more familiar with the resources made available to them by the U of O.

The activities kicked off with the opening cere monies and scavenger hunt on Sept. 4. The next morning, Francophone students participated in an ice-breaker session on Zoom. All the while, clubs and associations set up display tables along Grande Alley for the first day of the Clubs Fair. In the evening, the mandatory Take Back the Night event raised awareness for sex ual violence on campus and encouraged students to advocate for better support for survivors.

Shinerama — Canada’s

largest post-secondary fundraiser for cystic fi brosis — was once again a part of the schedule. On Sept. 7, students at tended a drag show on the University Centre terrace featuring Otta wa drag queen Holli Cow, and later, performances by Canadian DJs to mark the first day of classes.

Students were also able to participate in events organized by their re spective Recognized Stu dent Government (RSG) at an additional cost.

Sana Chiali, a first-year

psychology student, felt this was a great way to meet people and form connections with others in her program. She was glad most of the activities were in-person, “because you can’t form the same kinds of relationships online.”

In order to participate, ‘101-ers’ must purchase a bracelet and kit from UOSU or through their RSG. These kits include a t-shirt, a 101 Week itinerary, U of O merch, and a number of oth er goodies and trinkets.

“One thing that we

thought was a bit weird was how they were giv ing us shot glasses in our swag bag,” said Halla Little, another first-year student. “But, other than that, it was pretty good.”

First-year political science student Miriam Abdalla added, “I think a lot of the activities are actually re ally fun. It would be nice if slightly fewer of them were partying and latenight, because not all of us can or want to do that — whether it’s for religious or personal reasons right?”

Desirée Nikfardjam

Yannick Mutombo

The position of Equity Commissioner remains vacant. Image: Bardia Boomer/Fulcrum

Despite these minor frus trations, Little and Abdalla enjoyed most of the activi ties, though they felt some were disorganized and more food should have been offered to students throughout the week.

“I do wish it was slight ly more clear with a lot of the organizing and where we’re sup posed to be,” said Little.

“It would be cool to have more food. We’re hungry,” Abdalla added with a laugh.

101 Week concluded with the Women’s Rug by home opener against Université de Montréal on Sept. 10, which the Gee-Gees won 34-0.

Covid concerns: students and staff turn to social media

With a mostly in-person semester in full swing, members of the University of Ottawa community are feeling the impact of looser covid regulations

available at the entranc es of many buildings.

Earlier this month, the Ful crum reported students were feeling concerned about the University of Ottawa’s (U of O) deci sion to offer the majori ty of courses in-person.

More recently, students, professors, and other U of O community mem bers have taken to so cial media to voice their complaints about seeing more and more of their peers getting sick with COVID-19 or flu-like symp toms, and the lack of op tions available to them.

Reddit Rule of Thumb

“If you have a cough, are feeling unwell, or liter ally have COVID, at least wear a mask,” began one of many posts made by frustrated students in the ‘r/geegees’ subreddit.

Though masks are no lon ger mandated on cam pus, the U of O “strongly encourages” everyone to wear one, “especial ly in high-density areas like classrooms, labs, el evators, and meeting areas.” Furthermore, mask dispensers are

Another Reddit user said the issue has more to do with lacking access to online lecture record ings, which means there is little incentive for sick students to stay home.

“So far almost all of my teachers have stated that they won’t record or up load any of their lectures. Why they’ve decided not to do that anymore is beyond me, but they’re screwing the student pop ulation over by essentially forcing them to show up to class if they’re sick.”

On Sept. 21, the University sent an email to students informing them of the in troduction of a COVID-19 absence self-declaration form. The online tool is available for students to use should they be un able to write an exam, submit assignments or miss mandatory course requirements due to COVID-19. A medical cer tificate is not required.

While the self-declara tion tool will allow stu dents to miss deadlines and in-person coursework unpenalized, it does not

allow students to attend in-person lectures vir tually or entitle them to recorded coursework.

Twitter testaments of bitter sentiments

The conversation contin ued on Twitter after Evan Sterling, a librarian at the U of O, shared screen shots of what students expressed on Reddit. In an email to the Fulcrum, Sterling, who is also part of the University Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee (UJO HSC) and the Association of Professors of the Uni versity of Ottawa (APUO), said the concerns from students closely reflect how some professors and staff are feeling.

“Myself and many of my colleagues — both librar ians, staff, and professors — are concerned about the lack of covid measures on campus this semester. I am glad that classes are in-person and that cam pus has lots of activities, but with no protections such as mask require ments in classrooms/labs, case tracking, mandato ry isolation if you have COVID, or easy access to testing, it is a recipe for

widespread infection.”

For his part, professor Pat rick Gauthier, who teaches theatre in the faculty of arts, replied to Sterling’s tweet, saying a number of his students tested positive for covid after attending his lectures.

“My first class was the first Thursday of the semester… And then once I got home, that afternoon, I had three emails from students who had tested positive since being in class that morn ing. That kind of set the tone for the following class, I had probably six to ten out with symptoms or confirmed cases,” he said.

The ongoing case for alternatives to in-person learning

With regards to live-streaming or posting lecture recordings online, Gauthier suggests it’s an effective way to keep sick students out of the classroom without com promising their grades.

“The only way to keep sick students home is to give them the option of recordings,” he added. “That seems like a nice compromise for students.

Even if they’re wearing a mask … I don’t think peo ple want students with symptoms in class, right?”

On Sept. 21, the Univer sity of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) stated on Instagram that they are “asking the University of Ottawa to reinstate a mask mandate for instruction al spaces, to implement more virtual options, and that professors be further encouraged to record and live-stream their classes.”

UOSU is asking students to support by sending an email to President Jacques Frémont, Provost Jill Scott, and the Facul ty Deans at the U of O.

Yannick Mutombo

Students receive t-shirts affiliated with their faculty and program. Image: Bardia Boomer/Fulcrum

ARTS

Can social media ever BeReal?

I downloaded BeReal for this article

At its core, social media is a highlight reel. We strive to show off the best parts of our lives to the people who friend, follow, or subscribe to us.

Although social media is supposed to connect people, studies have shown that social me dia can actually increase feelings of loneliness, because it allows adoles cents to quantify friend ships through seeing events posted online.

Apps like Instagram, Face book, and Tiktok have algorithms that push the most ‘engaging’ content onto people’s feeds and For You Pages. Social me dia is no longer (if it ever was) about sharing your life with your friends; it’s become a game of who can make theirs look the most appealing.

That’s partly why Alexis Barreyat created BeRe al in the first place: as a new social media app that encourages users to be more authentic — to BeReal with their follow ers. He founded the app in 2020 with a mostly French audience, and it gained popularity across North America in 2022.

BeReal markets itself as “not another social net work” on the App Store,

where it’s charting as the number one app for so cial networking. Its unique feature is that all users in a given zone are sent a no tification at the same time and have two minutes to capture what they’re do ing at that moment. The website calls it “a new and unique way to discover who your friends real ly are in their daily life.”

There is no option to up load a photo, so users don’t have the chance to filter or edit their photos. And since users must post within two minutes to avoid posting late, there is very little time to retake a bad photo — and if they do, their friends and fol lowers can see exactly how many tries it took them to get the perfect shot.

According to the app’s FAQ section, you can post late and still unlock your friends’ BeReals for the day. In my understand ing, though, ‘posting late’ is looked down on by BeReal users. It gives the impression that the poster saw the notifica tion but waited until they were doing something more interesting before posting. In the words of Lewis Capaldi — that’s “not very real of [you].”

What I find interesting about BeReal is that it goes against the ‘normal rules’ of social media — the ones that are designed to make

you want to keep using them. It’s almost common knowledge now that these apps create dopamine cy cles, a result of constant scrolling and liking. But BeReal claims to encour age users not to endless ly scroll through the app, since they can only see their friends’ posts for the previous day’s BeReal.

Like R. E. Hawley said in an article for the New Yorker, “the daily two-min ute countdown gives the app a gamified edge, much like maintaining a Snapchat streak or shar ing Wordle results.” That ‘edge’ can create an app addiction in the same way as Snapchat, Word le, and Duolingo streaks.

However, users need to be on or near their phones at all times to see the notifi cation within two minutes of it appearing, lest they be accused of deliberately posting late. BeReal en

ARTS EDITOR Victoria Drybrough arts@thefulcrum.ca

courages people to live in the moment — but if you really lived in the moment and put your phone away, you’d miss the notification.

My phone is almost al ways on Do Not Disturb, so I downloaded BeReal to test my notification theory — and I missed posting on time all three days I had the app because I wasn’t on my phone. In my opin ion, posting late because I didn’t see the notifica tion makes my posts more genuine, but many BeRe al users would disagree.

As for its longevity, Be Real has said themselves that the app won’t make you famous (“If you want to become an influenc er, you can stay on TikTok and Instagram,”) so I don’t see it being a long-term replacement for anyone who relies on social media for their income. Users are also posting their ‘BeReal dumps’ on Instagram, so I don’t see the new pho to app ever overtaking Instagram’s popularity.

Nonetheless, BeRe al seems to have found its niche among people who are tired of Insta gram’s commercialized, influencer-filled, nev

er-ending feed, and for now, at least, it seems like it’s doing alright

Victoria Drybrough

BeReal markets itself as ‘not like other apps’. Victoria Drybrough/Fulcrum

Festival season is not over: CityFolk opening night =

as the 15, 16, and 17.

September can be a tough month. Classes are back in action, the morning is too cold but the afternoon is too hot, and winter is right around the corner. Not ideal.

Thankfully, there are still ways to hang on to the summer vibes.

How?

The answer is on the Great Lawn at Lansdowne park. Festival season is not over, and CityFolk is keeping the outdoor concert energy alive.

Welcoming various art ists and performers from all different genres, the festival got started on Thursday night with acts scheduled over the rest of the weekend, as well

The White Buffalo was the first band to set foot on TD Stage, kicking off CityFolk with a gritty but soulful set.

Frontman Jake Smith made The White Buf falo’s performance feel huge. His voice was com pelling, and his stage presence demanding.

The next performer was one of Ottawa’s very own, Kathleen Edwards.

At this point, the crowd was growing quickly, show ing their support for Ed wards’ countrified tunes.

What really impressed me was the way she kept the crowd engaged be tween songs. It was a whole show, and the way she spoke was fun. She made me laugh, but she also made me feel things.

The sun was setting over Lansdowne as Edwards’ set came to a close, and by the time we got to our final performer of the night, the stars were out and the air was cool.

A crowd full of cowboy hats and plaid flannels meant only one thing — the next hour and a half was going to be rowdy.

And that it was.

The lawn was packed for young country star, Zach Bryan, who played a mix of exciting and slow, old and new, folky and fun. Throughout it all, people were singing and dancing.

It brings me so much joy when the artist doesn’t even have to sing their own songs, and the au dience just takes over.

It also brings me joy when harmonicas are in

volved … and FIDDLES.

I also enjoyed his brief mention of his history in the navy, eluding to an emotional song that shared some of the feel ings he went through at that point in his life. It was one of those songs that reminded me that music is incredible.

As good as the show itself was, some people were distracted by some nota ble individuals hanging out in the Casino Lac Lemy suites — I truly watched multiple people approach the gated area to take pictures and shake hands.

Experiencing digital realities on Alex Sutcliffe’s canvases

SUTCLIFFE OPENS NEW COLLECTION SYNCING MATTER AT STUDIO SIXTY SIX

Good to know that Brady Tkachuk likes music, too. We have so much in common.

Night one of CityFolk was a reminder that even though school has started and the days are short er, we can still go out and have a good time.

Halifax-based artist Alex Sutcliffe, is a testament to the growing digitiza tion of contemporary art.

On Friday, Sept. 16, Sut cliffe presented a collec tion of works that sync matter — both physical and digital, at Studio Six ty Six on Bank street.

Sutcliffe’s artwork is in triguing, as it meshes digitally produced imag es with acrylic paint and oils. He manually layers his panels with unique textures and prints digital images on them, blurring the lines between what is created organically by hand and by artificial intel ligence. Several paintings

from Sutcliffe’s collection scatter varying shapes, as if they were contem porary Matisse cut-outs, but instead of painting with scissors, Sutcliffe is painting with technology.

The Fulcrum asked Sut cliffe what inspired the name Syncing Mat ter for his exhibition.

“The title is inspired by the fact that the works occupy two different spac es between being made up of physical materials and also [being] con structed digitally,” he said.

Sutcliffe also explains that his work represents “syncing” in the sense of the verb “sinking,” as the physical paint sinks

into his canvases and digital matter sinks into our day-to-day lives.

Before the opening exhibi tion, Sutcliffe leads me to one of his artworks titled “Currents,” to explain his digitally entrenched ar tistic process. As he mo tions towards the textured black and red canvas, he explains how he uses deep learning algorithms, particularly a text image generator, in his work.

“So you type in text and then based on that text [the algorithm] tries to create images that it thinks represents that most accurately.”

He explains, “I’d got it to produce hundreds and

hundreds and hundreds of images and most of them don’t look good, but then sometimes you get this little magic image that’s got something going on that’s really interesting.”

Sutcliffe’s digital explora tion scrutinizes the place of traditional mediums of art such as painting, revered throughout the years due to the old mas ters. With the emergence of advanced technolo gies that can produce images instantly, Sut cliffe reflects on the sig nificance of painting in the contemporary world.

Sutcliffe’s artwork explores the materiality of digital images. How we experi ence reality is questioned through his panels as the world increasingly uses technology to generate images, previously pro duced by hand with paint.

Despite the digital nature of Sutcliffe’s work, Ginny Stovel,

“Painting — it was like the original photoshop. It was the original illusionary vi sual medium that would try to convince people it was something that it was not. But nowadays any thing can be represented on a digital screen so then where does painting sit? Why is it important now? Why is this image import ant if you can see any im age on a digital screen? I’m trying to use my work to answer that question.”

Jasmine McKnight

Grace Kim-Shin

The White Buffalo lead singer, Jake Smith. Image: Jasmine McKnight/Fulcrum

the studio’s art consul tant, emphasizes the importance of his art work’s physical presence.

“While Alex’s art is defi nitely a very digital medi um, there’s a lot to be said still about seeing it in per son. As you can see there’s

so much texture in them and so much three-dimen sionality … you don’t real ly get that sense of depth online that you would in person. It’s really interest ing to think about work being created so digitally and then having it have such a material presence.”

CityFolk closes out the summer

Syncing Matter is a unique glimpse into the separa tion and union between physical spaces and digi tal matter; it speaks to an evolution in the world’s production of images. As artists continue to explore the boundaries between technology and art, view

Two weekends of great music came to a close on Saturday, Sept. 17

ers will continue to ques tion the physicality of art and what it represents.

Alex Sutcliffe’s exhibi tion will be on display at Studio Sixty Six until Oct. 22, 2022. His cata logue can be found here.

CityFolk seems to have a thing for married duos with solo careers who come together to perform as a band (see our cover age from Friday, Sept. 16.)

On Saturday, Shovels & Rope, a duo com posed of married cou ple Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst, was the first act of the night.

Their music is a combina tion of folk, country, and rock and roll — which I’d say is a pretty good sum mary of all of the perform ers at CityFolk this year.

The next act, Sarah Harm er, was well-loved by the

Ottawa crowd. She’s a Canadian singer-songwrit er and activist. Harmer specifically talked about environmental activism throughout her set, re minding everyone of an up coming climate strike, and later performing a song about cowbird migration.

When I told my par ents about the last act, they called it “old man rock and roll.”

They aren’t wrong. At 77, John Fogerty is still put ting on a great show af ter over 50 years in the music scene, complete with him jumping around on stage in a quintessen tially rock-and-roll way.

Fogerty performed hits both from his time with CCR and as a solo act. The setlist includ ed “Have You Ever Seen The Rain,” “Fortunate Son,” and “Centrefield.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer also recogniz es the importance of the band behind him. Each musician on stage had a chance to solo on their instrument, much to the delight of the crowd.

Fogerty said in 1968, his band, Creedence Clear water Revival (CCR) was “a one-hit wonder.” In the years that followed, the band had huge success. When they split up, Fo gerty continued on to have a successful solo career.

He filled the space be tween songs with fam ily anecdotes about his wife and kids, showing that there’s so much more to his life than just music and touring.

And with that, CityFolk 2022 is over, taking festi val season with it. While I’m sure some people would be happy to don

their coats, toques, and mitts to keep seeing live music outdoors, we’ll have to wait until next year to see which acts get on stage at Lansdowne Park.

Victoria Drybrough

It was a great show. Image: Bardia Boomer/Fulcrum

The exhibition will be on display until Oct. 22, 2022. Image: Studio Sixty Six/Provided

SPORTS EDITOR Brandon Adibe sports@thefulcrum.ca

Gee-Gees win comfortably over Guelph 46-10

Ben Maracle put up 288 yards in the Gee-Gees third win this season

Returning to Ottawa after a 20-14 win on the road against McMaster, the Gee-Gees were looking for their first win at home.

Sitting at a 2-1 record early in the 2022 season, the University of Otta wa’s football team suf fered their only loss in what was a long, rainy affair. The Gees couldn’t hold onto their first half lead, ultimately dropping their home opener 2616 to Queen’s University.

This time, the Gees stood across the field from the Guelph Gryphons (1-2).

U of O head coach Marcel Bellefeuille ac knowledged their past performance at home.

“We learned a lot from the last game at home and we found that we’re a more fo cussed team on the road,” Bellefeuille said. “We talk ed about trying to revisit the feeling of focus and eliminate distractions.”

Two of the U of O’s of fensive weapons, J-P Cimankinda and Wil ly-Pierre Dimbongi, start ed their university foot ball careers in Guelph.

Cimankinda was sure to be a key player in over whelming Guelph’s de fence, already registering 276 rushing yards so far.

Zachary Copeland kicked

the ball off at noon, marking the beginning of the Kayembe-Per ron Memorial Game.

Guelph came up short on their opening drive, rely ing on their run game to convert first downs. Jake Helfrich’s first pass at tempt hit the turf, and the team was forced to punt.

With their first possession, Gee-Gees quarterback Ben Maracle found Daniel Oladejo for a 14-yard gain. Unfortunately, the only other highlight of the drive was a high snap to the U of O punter, Campbell Fair. Scrambling in the back field, Fair still managed to get the ball out safely.

It wasn’t long before the ball was back in U of O hands. Kevin Victome read Helfrich’s throw per fectly, sneaking in front of the intended receiver

for a huge interception.

Starting the drive at the Guelph 39, the Gee-Gees had a great field posi tion to work with. Ci mankinda was unable to earn a first down after two rush attempts, and the Gees field goal unit stepped onto the field.

Copeland’s 38-yard at tempt went wide left, and the first quarter remained scoreless.

The Gee-Gees put points on the scoreboard early in the second. A big toss by Maracle found the hands of Dimbongi for a 56-yard touchdown pass.

“That kid’s an athlete — if I throw the ball, he’s going to go get it,” Ma racle said about Dim bongi after the game. The extra-point attempt

went nowhere. 6-0 for the Garnet and Grey.

Guelph was able to re spond, and Isaiah Smith put the visitors in a first and goal position af ter a 26-yard run. It was the quarterback, Hel frich, who snuck the ball in for the Gryphons.

Halfway through the sec ond quarter, Guelph led 7-6.

A 48-yard kick return by Dimbongi gave the Gees a shorter field to work with, starting the drive on Guelph’s 50-yard line.

Maracle found Nicholas Gendron wide open on the left side of the field for a 26-yard pass, putting the Gee-Gees in field goal position. This time, Fair sent it straight through the uprights. Gees re claimed the lead, 9-7.

On their next possession, Maracle and the Gee-Gees were back in the red zone.

A 36-yard pass to Oladejo got the U of O to Guelph’s 17-yard line. Maracle found Gendron in the cor ner of the endzone for the score. Once again, Fair was clean on the point-after.

Up 16-7, the Gees weren’t done building their lead.

With 13 seconds remain ing, the U of O had man aged to put themselves back in field goal range.

19-7 in favour of the Gees as the second quar ter came to a close.

The U of O was receiving to get the second half of play started. Right away, the Gee-Gees offence was firing. Maracle put his arm on display again, logging a 37-yard pass to

Jasmine McKnight

The Gee-Gees played a well rounded game in both passing and rushing. Image: Bardia Boomer/Fulcrum

Oladejo for a touchdown.

The Gees lead was ex tended to 26-7, but it didn’t end there. On their next possession, Amlicar Polk rushed for a 42-yard touchdown.

Even with 33-7 on the board, Guelph had yet to be put down, putting to

gether a scoring drive. Hel frich finally pieced togeth er some throwing plays to put his kicker in position. Eric Stanz made the field goal to add three points to the Gryphons’ score.

With the Gee-Gees up 33-10, Guelph had a lot of points to make up in the final quarter.

Guelph was definitely do ing a better job at moving the sticks, but the U of O defence didn’t let them close to the end zone. A sack and an interception sealed Guelph’s fate. With 22 seconds left on the game clock, Cimankinda added one last touch down for good measure.

A solid defensive performance gets the job done GEE-GEES SECURE THEIR FIRST CLEAN SHEET OF THE SEASON

leads the Ontario Uni versity Athletics (OUA).

The University of Otta wa women’s soccer team took on Nipissing Univer sity on Sunday afternoon at Matt Anthony Field.

Nipissing was coming off a narrow 1-0 loss against Carleton University the day prior and was looking to get a positive result to keep pace with Toron to and Queen’s, who sit at the top of the table.

Nipissing started the match by employing a high line in the first ten minutes. Having estab lished this early, they stuck with it as the game progressed. Their strategy was to prevent Ottawa’s top goal scorer, Cassan dra Provost, from getting the space to maneuver in the final third of the field. The approach effectively limited the star striker’s output during the match.

However, in the eleventh minute of the match, Nipissing was caught out after Soumaya Bouak slid a through ball into Provost, who buried it at the near post, giving the Gees the lead. The goal was Provost’s sixth goal of the season, which

In the twenty-fifth min ute of the match, the Gee-Gees almost scored again after Maya Smith had a flick-on head er from a free kick that narrowly missed wide.

The remainder of the first half saw the University of Ottawa dominate in the midfield, thanks to the double pivot of Katerine Delev and Katie Brzozows ki. The pair won back pos session multiple times and helped to provide creativ ity when the team went forward on the attack.

The problem was that the forwards did not take their chances, meaning the Gees went into the half up 1-0.

For the second half, the Gee-Gees swapped out their keepers, bring ing in Cassidy Joslin for Juliann Lacasse after a relatively quiet half.

The second half was a scrappy affair. There were many calls and non-calls, which broke up the flow of the game. However, the Nipissing Lakers saw this opportunity and made the most of it, creating more chances in the second half.

If it was not for the out standing plays made by center-backs Kayla Kyle and Maya Smith, who were both imperial in the air, the Lakers might have found a break through. However, the Gee’s backline held firm.

On the flip side, going for ward in the second half,

A comfortable score of 46-10 was displayed on the board, meaning the Gee-Gees had earned their first win on home turf, improving to a 3-1 record on the season. “I feel like this is what we needed to really jump start our season, from here on out I’m feeling really good about our

team,” Maracle said. Next week, they’ll be in Waterloo to take on Laurier in their last game before Panda.

Click here to contribute to the Loic Kayembe GeeGees Football Memorial Scholarship or the Francis Perron Gee-Gees Football Memorial Scholarship.

many clear-cut chances at goal, which made it hard to add to their slim lead.

In the end, an early goal and solid defensive per formance saw the team through to the win.

“We had to fight to the end because we were only one goal up, but I thought we played really

Good was an understate ment, as she won headers in the opposing box, tack les, and stifled the high line Nipissing employed with long balls over the top.

When asked about what adjustments are to be made for the next match, Smith said, “I think to fin ish our chances we had a lot of chances, but we only

we saw flashes of bril liance from Provost with sheer strength and deter mination matched by her skills, along with Olivia Al len, who caused problems with her pace, continuous ly cutting in from the left and making opportunities.

Although the U of O was creating opportunities, they did not produce

well in the first half. The second half we were a lit tle bit scrambly, but we managed to pull through the win,” Smith said.

When asked about how she viewed her standout defensive performance, she said, “I feel good. I feel a little bruised, but I felt like it was good.”

managed to finish one next game we got to fin ish more of our chances.”

We will see if the GeeGees take their chances in their next match, which will be a test on the road against Ontario Tech Sat urday, September 24.

Brandon Adibe

Cassandra Provost heads the ball off of a corner. Image: Bardia Boomer/Fulcrum

SCIENCES

Catch me in the clubs: SSA and ESS

WHOOO ARE YOU? WHO, WHO, WHO, WHO?

If you’ve noticed a charge from either the Science Students Association (SSA) or the Engineering Students Society (ESS) ap pear on your statement of account, consider it the mark of any STEM student here at uOtta wa. If you’re like me and found yourself wonder ing who, what, where, and why; look no further.

The Fulcrum sat down with representatives from both the SSA and ESS to learn more about their roles on campus, plans for the future, and 101-week.

Science Students Associ ation

The SSA is a registered student government de signed to represent over 4,000 science students at the University of Ot tawa. In addition to the 33 members, there are 21 program-specific rep resentatives that act to represent students from each program.

According to Réda Hamza, the current SSA president, “we do several things for students. The main one is that we organize sever al events for them, both social and academic. So among the social ones, we have 101-Week, the science formal, fundrais ers, and some academic events like the wine and cheese or the textbook sale to name a few.”

In terms of 101-Week, the SSA sold upwards of 300 kits. 101ers from the faculty of science partic ipated in a number of so cial events both on- and

off-campus, such as an arcade night, bubble soc cer, and parkour at Fly ing Squirrel. Inside their kits, students were given “items for laundry, beaker shots, condoms. We also [gave] out Shinerama and 101-Week shirts. It’s ba sically all the little items that they need in their first few weeks in university.”

Hamza added, “we also will try hopefully to send them a survival guide which has all the informa tion they need to know more about Ottawa, the university, the services the university offers and ours as well, and also, several resources for your men tal health [for] if you’re struggling or [information on] who to call for various types of emergencies.”

The SSA is working closely with the faculty to create an open lab space for stu dents, similar in principle to the Makerspace, where they can brush up on their lab techniques, practice for upcoming labs, or to simply experiment.

According to Hamza, this would allow students the opportunity to “mess up as many times as [they] want.” The team is hoping to have the lab open during the winter semester. How ever, students can expect more information to fol low in the coming months

on the SSA instagram.

When asked about goals for this year, Hamza said, “something that I’ve wanted to do is some sort of buddy program that would connect up per-year students with first-year students. An upper year could help them with any questions related to classes, the pro gram, where to eat, where should I go party, how can I make more friends, etc.”

Engineering Students Society

Similar to the SSA, the ESS is one of the main student bodies at the University of Ottawa. They repre sent approximately 5,000 undergraduate engineer ing students. Part of their mission is to steer the engineering culture in a direction that promotes a positive and collaborative environment. The ESS is also responsible for a num ber of events such as 101Week, the engineering charity ball, and industry nights for students to con nect with entrepreneurs and industry partners.

In an email to the Fulcrum, ESS president Julian Ward commented on their plans for 101-Week by assur ing that students could expect the most posi tive, exciting, and engag ing team across campus.

SCIENCES & TECH EDITOR Emma Williams science@thefulcrum.ca

When asked about the famous couch-carrying tradition, vice president of communications Liam Roche responded, “we are absolutely planning on carrying couches through out the city of Ottawa and downtown. We’re looking forward to getting many residents to sit on our couch this year again. In previous years, we’ve had the mayor on our couch. This is a tradition that we don’t plan on stopping as well as taking our picture in front of parliament.”

“We included the iconic engineering mug which has our general chant written on it, their guide shirt, fanny packs, power banks and stress balls. If they purchased the messy day kit, which is one of our most well-regarded events. We’re giving them coveralls and hard hats,” continued Roche in an in terview with the Fulcrum.

According to Ward, the University of Ottawa En gineering Competition is an annual competition

design, and more. After wards, the winners will move on to represent Ot tawa at the Ontario Engi neering Competition and compete against schools from across the province.

In terms of goals for this year, Ward aims to in crease their outreach.

“There are a lot of stu dents who don’t know what services and events we offer, so I would love to connect with them and show that they can find a home with ESS. We strive to design equitable and accessible events and I’m looking forward to work ing with the rest of my executive team to put on amazing events for the rest of the year,” added Ward. For more information on the SSA visit their web site here, for more in formation on the ESS visit their website here.

designed to challenge en gineering students in the fields of innovation, de sign, and communication while solving real-world problems. Students have a choice to compete in a variety of eight excit ing challenges in topics such as programming,

Emma Williams

Engineering Student Society team photo. Image: Liam Roche/Provided

Science Students Association team photo. Image: Réda Hamza/Provided

School Survival Guide (STEM’s version)

HELP, I NEED SOMEBODY. HELP, NOT JUST ANYBODY

It’s that special time of year when we convince ourselves we’ll hit every single deadline, stay on top of our schedules, and ace all of our midterms/exams.

To aid in the process of becoming your version of ‘the perfect student,’ the Fulcrum sat down with student mentors from both the science and engineering mento ring centres — as well as their respective coordi nators — to discuss aca demics, common mistakes and helpful study advice.

Science Mentoring Centre

Located in STEM 203, the Mentoring Centre at the faculty of science is a bright and welcoming en vironment where students can ask questions related to academics, research opportunities, career op tions, and much more.

According to Audrée Moynan, the coordinator responsible for mentor ing and retention, “we’re really there to help them integrate and make the best of their university experience. Our mandate is to help students adapt and succeed in sciences.”

In terms of services pro vided, students can book a private session with a stu dent science mentor, like Gabrielle Chong Foo Yuen, or attend group sessions.

“When they book a private meeting, they have the option of choosing a topic, so they have the option to

build a study plan or talk about time management tips or specifically study strategies for their classes. At the end of the meeting, students often feel more relieved, because they know that they are not the only one who struggles with the same struggles,” added Chong Foo Yuen.

Moynan said during group sessions, “the goal is to guide them in the right direction on how to think about the question that they’re supposed to tackle. So it’s kind of like facilitating but not doing the actual work for them, they still do need to put in the work.”

In addition, students can also seek help at the Math, Chemistry and Physics Help Centre locat ed in STEM 207. The Help Centre is led by graduate students hired by the de partment to review as signment questions, aid with lab reports, and ex plain concepts to students that go beyond the knowl

edge of a student mentor.

The Workshop (Engineer ing Mentoring Centre)

Situated in SITE 1030, the Mentoring Centre at the faculty of engineering, also known as “The Workshop,” offers similar services but is tailored towards engineering students.

Similar to the centre at the Faculty of Science, The Workshop offers individu al consultations which can be booked through the academic GPS. Addition ally, there are group study sessions related to specif ic course material led by mentors like Soundouss El Yacoubi and Yasin Elmi.

Most notably, the centre offers a program known as peer connect which, “is a platform for stu dents to be able to sign up to be matched with a senior student. So, it’s a great way to make friends and connections and feel part of the engineering community,” said Phillion.

This year, the mentoring team is interested in of fering study groups lo cated in the Henderson residence to better inte grate themselves in the residence community.

Helpful Study Tips Chong Foo Yuen recom mends students try to explain their notes to themselves rather than passively rereading, en suring students fully understand each con cept before moving on.

Phillion explained, “the Pomodoro Technique has worked really well for sev eral students I’ve worked with, because what hap pens is over time your at tention span lessens. So the idea is that you stay focused for 20 to 25 min utes, take a break for five, get back into it for 20 to 25 minutes, come back to it, repeat again. Essen tially, what we’re doing is creating little eureka mo ments more often, and giving the brain a break.”

Elmi added, “I feel like collaboration is great. You can learn a lot with others and so if you have the correct mindset, at least while studying with others, I’m sure it’ll be a fruitful study session.”

Common Mistakes and Advice

When asked about com mon mistakes students make, Chong Foo Yuen said “for me, it’s when students who just came out of high school don’t use a planner. So, they don’t plan anything, they don’t know when their as signments are, they don’t know when their midterms are. If you want to succeed in university, you need to be on top of your work.”

For El Yacoubi, “some times I study and I forget about eating, because it’s gonna take a lot of time to cook something. So I would say we need to focus on our studies,

Emma Williams

The mentoring sign outside the Mentoring Centre. Image: Bardia

Boomer/Fulcrum

personal life and our health, too.”

Moyenne added, “it’s an essential thing to ask ques tions to your professor, the academic writing help centre or your lab coordi nator for the lab report. So you have to go towards the resources yourself.”

For more information on the Mentoring Centre at the faculty of science, you can visit their link here. For those inter ested in learning more about The Workshop — the Mentoring Centre in the faculty of engineer ing — visit the link here.

Williams: Babe wait! I promise I can change!

ROLL WITH THE CHANGES

I don’t read self-help books — in fact, I prefer fiction. However, after hearing about one titled How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want To Be, published by a be havioural economist from the Wharton School of the University of Penn sylvania, I couldn’t resist.

With the help of Katy Milk man’s book, the Fulcrum has summarised some of the key points on how effective, science-based strategies help us make lasting changes in our lives.

The fresh start effect

Existing research has shown that rather than perceiving time as one continuous flow of events, we instead see our lives as a series of “episodes,” such as the one where I graduate from universi ty or the one where I get my first apartment. This phenomenon helped Milk man’s team conceptualize the idea that “the start of a new life chapter, no matter how small, might be able to give people the impression of a clean slate and that people might be more open to change when they feel they have a fresh start.”

Like every good research er, Milkman had to test her ideas, beginning with

collecting some data about when individuals bravely pursue change in their lives. Unsurprisingly, across multiple datasets, they found that under graduates were more likely to visit their school gyms not only after New Year’s Eve, but also earli er in the week (Mondays), after a holiday, at the be ginning of a new school year or semester, and even after their birthday.

These fresh start dates of fer a “kind of psychological do-over,” and often pro vide untapped optimism about the future that wasn’t otherwise there.

As many have pointed out, including previous fulcrum articles, one-third of Americans’ resolutions fail by the end of January. Milkman acknowledges that although clean slates are perfect for helping us take that first step to wards achieving our goals, we have to take into ac count the other obsta cles that we face along the way, such as present bias, more common ly known as impulsivity.

Present bias

According to Milkman, one of the biggest barriers to behaviour change is the simple fact that doing the right thing — like taking the stairs instead of the escalator — is often unsat isfying in the short-term.

We know we should be studying for our midterms, but that new show just came out. Similarly, you meant to work on your math assignment today, but scrolling through Tik Tok is far more reward ing. This inclination to prefer instantly gratifying temptations over larg er, long-term rewards is known as present bias.

All too often, we have issues with self-control while at the same time overestimate our abilities to progress in our ambi tious goals. What if I told you there was a method that allows us to lean into our temptations just a little bit while also stick ing to our resolutions?

This is known as temp tation bundling.

In a 2014 study looking at the gym visits of sev eral staff and students, Milkman’s team was able to quantify just how use ful this technique can be. After lending iPods pre

loaded with four enticing audiobooks chosen by willing study participants, they learned that if they wanted to hear the rest of the story, they would need to return to the gym. Thus, creating an environ ment which forces par ticipants to satisfy their temptations (listening to their favourite book) only while working out.

Meanwhile, a second con trol group of participants were encouraged to go to the gym, but instead of re ceiving iPods for attending, they were given Barnes and Noble gift cards.

The results of their study showed that the individ uals who were given the opportunity to temptation bundle attended the gym 55 per cent more than the control group. Milkman stresses the importance of not relying solely on willpower alone to ac complish our tasks and goals, but rather focusing on strategies like temp tation bundling, which

can make tough goals far more fun in the long-term.

So, the next time a new episode of your favourite shows airs, consider only watching it while fold ing laundry. Make it so your gratification is work ing for you, not against.

Lasting change

Most importantly, Milk man implores those who are interested in making big changes in their lives to remember that the key to success is to tackle goals with a variety of solutions and tactics that treat it as a chronic treatment rather than temporary.

Emma Williams

The key to making changes. Image: Eric Rothermel/Unsplash

FEATURES

Get to know the U of O: the services of UOSU

Services, resources, events and more

repair or build a bicycle.”

Bilingualism Centre

ognized for their work.

FEATURES EDITOR Bridget Coady features@thefulcrum.ca

The University of Ottawa Student Union (UOSU) was founded in 2018 as a result of a student refer endum which ended the mandate of the previous union. The transition be tween the Student Fed eration of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) and UOSU included the hand ing off of existing services.

UOSU offers fifteen ser vices, all of which have physical offices for stu dents to drop into. The majority of these offices are located in Jock-Tur cot University Centre. For the union’s 20222023 term, the services will be overseen by clubs and services commis sioner Zachary Flahaut.

Flahaut served in the same role in an interim capacity for the 2021-2022 term following the resigna tion of Amina El Himri in October of 2021. He ran unopposed for the role in the general elections held in March of 2022.

Services are staffed by coordinators and volun teers who work to collect and offer resources, put on events, and provide a space for students to drop into during their hours of operation. Students may also choose to contact the offices via email, social me dia platforms, or phone.

Bike Co-op

Located on the University of Ottawa Lees campus, the Bike co-op began in 2011 as an SFUO service and became a service of UOSU as a part of the 2018 student referendum. The co-op aims to be an af fordable and “inclusive DIY space for beginners as well as experts [and is] wellequipped [with the] tools and expertise needed to

The Bilingualism Centre works to raise awareness, knowledge, and support for bilingualism among U of O’s student population. In the past, the centre has run french film screen ings, hosted round table discussions, and offers tutoring in French. For future events, students can follow the centre’s instagram page, which is frequently updated.

Centre for Students with Disabilities

The Centre for Students with Disabilities works “to promote the indepen dence and inclusion of students with disabilities in the university commu nity.” Past events have included virtual study nights, film screenings, and drop-in art socials.

The Centre for Students with Disabilities offers ac tive listening to students, an accessibility checklist for campus clubs or organi zations putting on events, and a braille printer for signage that works for both English and French.

Campus Vibez (CVUO)

Anyone interested in start ing or joining a club at the U of O should turn to Campus Vibez UOttawa (CVUO). CVUO is respon sible for all registered clubs, and has been a UOSU service since 2019.

CVUOs team has grown as its duties have increased. The team distributes thou sands of dollars worth of club funding, puts on clubs fair for students to find campus organizations to get involved with, and hosts the Student Life Awards (SLA) annually.

The SLAs are where clubs, services and individual student leaders are rec

Clubs can work with CVUO to put on events, or book rooms and take out AV keys for their weekly meet ings. If you are looking for a way to get involved on campus, you can consult CVUO’s extensive clubs list which includes more than 360 official U of O clubs and associations.

Food Bank

UOSU’s food bank is run in “collaboration with the Ottawa Food Bank [and] operates a volun teer-run Food Cupboard.” The food bank’s office is open for walk-ins, no ap pointment required. The food bank operates “to provide emergency food relief to uOttawa stu dents and their families.”

Foot Patrol

The Foot Patrol is a safe walk program through which students can re quest for a volunteer to walk with them. Vol unteers will walk up to 45 minutes away from campus, or up to 30 min utes busing and 15 min utes walking. The office “work[s] closely with protection services on campus to ensure the safety of our students.”

International House

The International House works “for the welfare of international students,” and aims to be a “cultural bridge between interna tional students and Cana dian students.” The ser vice exists to help ease the transition into both uni versity and Canadian life for international students.

Multi-Faith Centre

The Multi-Faith Centre is a “space for faith-based groups to meet, cele brate and practice their

beliefs. A private space that allows those who wish to observe their faith to do so in a safe and in clusive environment.”

The Multi-Faith Centre connects students to prayer rooms, and in the past, has hosted discussion groups and fitness events.

Peer Help Centre

T he Peer Help Centre is a mental health and ac ademic resource for stu dents looking for help in either area. Their mental health services include ac tive listening sessions and a peer support line that can be reached at 613783-1380 ext. 155, each available during the cen tre’s hours of operation.

Students looking for a rea sonably priced tutor to help with a specific U of O course can turn to the Peer Help Centre. Graduate stu dents can charge no more $30 per hour for their tu toring services through the centre, while non-gradu ate students can charge up to $20. “All tutors must have at least a B + as a final mark in the course(s) they are intending to tutor.”

Anyone interested in working as a tutor or find ing a tutor through the centre, or accessing one of the Centre’s mental health resources, can consult the FAQ page or contact pages.

Pride Centre

The Pride Centre operates with the goal to “address various equity sectors (anti-ableism, anti-rac ism, anti-colonialism, etc.) with a core focus on the intersections of gender and sexuality topics at the University of Ottawa.”

The Pride Centre has a number of resources, in cluding a queer library and gender-affirming pro grams. Of the latter, the

centre’s outreach and communications super visor, Yves McKay, said, “if someone needed a binder or breast forms that they [aren’t] able to afford, that’s something we can help them access.”

Mckay said of the centre, “if you are interested in queer identity, interested in queer community on campus, that’s a great rea son to come. If you’re hav ing a crisis related to some of the issues that queer, trans, gay and otherwise disposed people face, these are issues that we are prepared to handle.”

Racialized and Indigenous Students Experience (RISE)

Racialized and Indigenous Students Experience (RISE) offers “workshops, events, discussion groups, and organized resources for and from the racialized/ Indigenous community”.

Outside of this, RISE is also responsible for two $500 scholarships and a number of other resources, with a focus on “highlighting the diversity, empowerment, successes, and growth of the many different ra cialized and indigenous communities across the globe and in particular here in the University of Ottawa community.”

Sustainability Centre

Isabel Szollosy, a coordina tor with the sustainability centre, said, “we bring together the the environ mental community at the University through dif ferent events and work shops, so students have a chance to learn differ ent skills in order to be more sustainable, wheth er it’s on campus or in their own personal life.”

Bridget Coady

The Sustainability Cen tre won the award for best UOSU service at CVUO’s 2021/2022 Student Life Awards.

Students Rights Centre

The Students Rights Cen tre (SRC) offers “guidance and support to students who require information on University of Ottawa regulations and practic es or who wish to appeal decisions made by the university administration.”

The SRC is made up of two branches. The student rights advocacy branch works on “individual rep resentation, as well as promoting/advocating for systemic barriers to be re dressed.” The educational branch undertakes issues

of “human rights, aca demic rights and appeals focused training for the general student popula tion and student leaders.”

Anyone interested in the services offered by the SRC can consult their FAQ page or contact them directly.

Women’s Resource Cen tre (WRC)

The Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) is “an in clusive, non-judgmen tal, pro-choice, feminist drop-in space that sup ports community mem bers.” The centre hosts workshops, discussion groups, and social events.

The centre offers a qui et semi-private space

for breastfeeding, free safe sex supplies, and “peer-to-peer support listening and referrals within a feminist and an ti-oppressive framework.”

Zoom Production

The Zoom Production ser vice works to help its “staff and volunteers hone their video production skills.”

The Zoom Production team also offers free pho tos to graduating students, and has hosted photogra phy walks near campus. The centre’s coordinator, Lucas Grier-Beauregard, said the service is intend ed to “aid in the devel opment of photography, videography and editing skills.” Grier-Beauregard also shared the centre’s

goals for the semester saying the coordinators will be working to “expand our volunteer resourc es and have mentorship work in photography and videography on campus.”

Getting involved

Students can contact and interact with the cen tres when specific needs arise, or simply attend events that interest them.

Students can choose which office they feel most directly correlates to their needs, though they may be redirected to access services. Stu dents can consult services on the UOSU website for office locations, links and hours of operation.

You can check the UOSU website for positions available through the union and its services and the unionized represen tations it offers. Clubs, community and campus life are all waiting to be more fully discovered.

A look at UOSU’s student services. Image: Kai Holub/Fulcrum

OPINIONS

University decides the return to campus is the perfect time to begin construction

THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA WELCOMES STUDENTS BACK WITH MULTIPLE CONSTRUCTION SITES

Two years have passed since the U of O’s campus has had any real commo tion. That’s four whole terms which took place not in lecture halls, but inside of our homes. And, having walked through campus frequently over the last two years, I can confidently report that it was indeed a ghost town. Given this, these last two years may have seemed like a perfectly reason able time to begin any necessary construction.

Unfortunately, it seems the University is not that reasonable.

There are several areas on the University’s cam pus which are certified construction zones. Out

side Montpetit, the cor ner of King Edward and Laurier, and the STEM building all host ongoing construction from 9-5, Monday to Friday. Just in time for the long-antici pated return to campus!

I certainly understand there could be some worthwhile reasons for this delay. Labour and material shortages along with price hikes have complicated many con struction projects since early 2020. However, this doesn’t mean I can’t

be frustrated by the fact that jackhammers and loud beeps are drowning out my podcast. Or that dust and small rocks are constantly flying out of the construction sites, hitting students as they shuffle between classes.

The first-year students who have never spent time on campus might be impacted by this ongoing construction the worst. There are numerous areas on campus — Montpetit worst of all — which are closed off, forcing stu

dents to take roundabout ways to get across cam pus or to lectures. This will inevitably be a chal lenge to any student look ing to get oriented with the University’s layout.

For instance, when walk ing through Montpetit to get to the gym, I spent far too long trying to nav igate a building I’ve been in hundreds of times be fore. Blocked doors and sectioned off hallways lurk around every corner.

The outside areas are no better. The University of Ottawa normally has a beautiful campus — one that opens its arms to all students. However, the ongoing construction has butchered its good looks, making it appear more like a dangerous maze. Good lucking walking to

Am I fast or are they slow? Calling out Ottawa’s slow walkers

THERE SHOULD BE A WALKING ETIQUETTE CLASS

You’ve seen them and you’ve felt their pres ence: the slow strides, unbothered demeanor, and sloth-like movements. They inconveniently place themselves in the middle of the busiest sidewalks, forcing you to look for an other walking path. If they haven’t made you late for class, then they’ve defi nitely forced you to walk on the street to pass them.

I’m talking about slow

the STEM complex with out going through a cloud of dust or being hit in the ankle by clumps of rubble.

It seems the only re spectable excuse for this construction is that there are necessary im provements which have been delayed due to la bour shortages. Other explanations would just come off to reflect poor planning by the school.

There is a saying though — that short term pains makes for long term gains. And if this construction plans to abide by this man tra, then it could certainly be worthwhile for new and future students. Neverthe less, the campus construc tion is certainly a disap pointing way to welcome students back to campus.

OPINIONS EDITOR Matthew McConkey opinions@thefulcrum.ca

walkers, of course.

“Excuse me” and “sorry” are the words I, and many others, say as we squeeze our way through multi ple people to pass them. Are they ignorant of the crowds of people trying to get around them? Don’t they have places to be, things to see, or people to meet? And if not, why out of all places did they choose the U of O campus for their leisurely stroll?

There are so many pretti er places in Ottawa where

Matthew McConkey

Grace Kim-Shin

Image: Bardia Boomer/Fulcrum

If you want to be a slow walker, that’s fine, just be extra aware of your surroundings.

Photo: Bardia Boomer/Fulcrum

they can take their slow, scenic walks.

As I’ve made my way around campus, I’ve found that the biggest culprits are my own kind — students! Slow-walk ing students! And I’ve found that figuring out how to pass one of these slow walkers is some thing of a mental exercise.

When I’m stuck behind one, I’m constantly trying

to figure out how can I get around them in the least amount of time. Maybe

I’ll quickly cross over to the left, and then slide through a large group in order to finally walk at my own pace. It’s exhaust ing having to strategize and walk complex routes just to get to my class.

It’s true, maybe if I was more prepared for my day, I wouldn’t be facing this problem. Maybe if I

planned my schedule bet ter, I wouldn’t be having to rush from place to place. But realistically, who an ticipates adding ten min utes to their walk just to account for slow walkers?

Maybe you’re the slow walker I’m talking about. Maybe you just need a wake-up call in order to start picking up your pace. If you are, then I have one question for you: why disrupt everyone’s

Seriously, it’s time to end booking gym times

YEAR 2 OF GYM TIME SLOTS HAS LEFT MANY STUDENTS FRUSTRATED

to register for gym slots.

Since September 2021, working out at either Minto Sports Complex or Montpetit Hall has re quired registration for specific timeslots. Unsur prisingly, since September 2021, working out at these U of O gyms has been noth ing short of a headache.

The booking system was initially set up to abide by appropriate COVID-19 restrictions, as having only a select few time slots limited the amount of traffic at either gym. This system was effective at the time, as people were still able to use the facilities while limiting the spread of COVID-19.

However, in March of 2022, the Ontario government eased provincial restric tions — no more masks, and no more limits on in door gatherings. Following these announcements, the University began to ease their restrictions as well. Now, students are attending lectures with over 100 students — and, yet, they continue

This decision to contin ue gym registration was puzzling, even back in the spring. In fact, the Ful crum published a piece on this topic as early as late March 2022. That piece re flected many of the same frustrations that, months

my professor will ask for an 800-word discussion post on a book I didn’t read.

In these frequently un predictable situations, attending a gym session at an inconvenient time becomes a real challenge.

And when these inconve

path when you can simply move aside? The problem isn’t necessarily walking slowly, but walking slow ly in front of everybody.

If you want to be a slow walker, that’s fine, just be extra aware of your surroundings.

Campus is especially busy this year with the return to in-person, and slow walkers shuffling around campus haven’t made it

any easier to navigate.

Alas, maybe I’m just a de lusional fast walker who pretentiously expects everyone to walk at my pace. Even if this is the case, I’m not expecting people to march at su perhero speed — I just think we would all be less stressed if everyone was aware that they aren’t the only ones on the sidewalk.

later, students continue to have about booking gym sessions. The 9 p.m. stress when time slots go live, the glitchy website, and of course the “holy shit I won the lottery” sensation of securing a time between 12–4 p.m.

As a student with typical university stresses, work ing out is a quintessen tial part of my day. Part of these student stresses comes from having an unpredictable schedule — it’s always possible that

nient gym times no lon ger work in a student’s busy schedule, students are required to call the gyms and let them know. If they don’t call in, stu dents are given a strike. After three strikes, stu dents are given a tempo rary ban from attending either gym, even though they still pay a sports fee.

The expectation that stu dents should be diligent enough to call in when their day gets away from them is almost as unrea

sonable as enforcing a pun ishment when they don’t.

So, what should the solution be? How should the University move forward with stu dents using their gyms?

Simply put, I think they should open gyms com pletely. I believe the Uni versity gyms should open at 6 a.m. and close at 11 p.m., without requir ing any pre-planning on behalf of students. This schedule will encour age students to work out consistently without requiring them to plan their day around poten tially inconvenient times.

One could object to this and say that opening gyms up fully would make them busier at peak hours. To this, I would say that hav ing an open gym schedule, one without strict time slots, would allow people to come and go as they please. Students wouldn’t be restricted to the same time slots — they could instead go to either gym on their own time. And as a result, I think peak times would spread out over dif

ferent hours of the day.

Dropping gym times would undoubtedly make going to the gym as a stu dent much easier. It would allow students to fit work ing out into their sched ules comfortably without having to worry about ”striking out.” This current system makes me wonder if the university thinks students or baseball play ers are using their gyms.

Seriously, it’s time to end booking gym times.

Matthew McConkey

Don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. Image: Bardia Boomer/Fulcrum

MANAGING EDITOR Sanjida Rashid admin@thefulcrum.ca

Ballot Dos and Don’ts if you’d like your vote to be counted

Voting is complicated

Bridget Coady

Ballots can be daunting at first glance, but knowing how to mark and return them is essential for any voter in our democracy. With that in mind, here are some common mistakes to avoid if you’d like your vote to count.

Do: Get your ballot into Elections Canada ahead of or on election day, either by requesting a mail-in ballot and posting it by the required date, or by going to your local polling station on advance voting days or the day of the election.

Don’t: Throw your ballot into the canal. It is not a wishing fountain. You’ll be polluting, not manifesting.

Do: Clearly mark your candidate of choice by drawing an X in the corresponding circle next to that candidate’s name.

Don’t: Burn your ballot and use the ashes to draw a pentagram with your candidate’s name written in the centre.

Do: Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID as well as your voter identification card, if you have it, or proof of residency within the riding you are attempting to vote in.

Don’t: Bring someone to vouch for your identity. Not your landlord, not your friend, not your parents — just no. It won’t work

Do: Put your marked ballot in the box marked for ballots.

Don’t: Scream your choice of candidate into that box.

Do: Fold the ballot as the page instructs.

Don’t: Fold the ballot into a swan. While it’s impressive that you can do that, use literally any other paper — your birth certificate or diploma, for example.

DEAR DI

Why the fuck are you proposing?

Ew. People are looking

Graphic Designer Kai Holub multimedia@thefulcrum.ca

Dear Di,

I was seeing this person for less than a year and they decided to propose to me on my birthday… at my birthday party… with all of my friends… who they were meeting for the first time. The ring was nice enough, but I don’t want to get married (or even engaged) while I’m still in university. I need more time to be a stupid-young-person before I start thinking about marriage. So, I said no.

They were pretty embarrassed and we haven’t really talked since. We’re meeting up this week to return each other’s stuff. What can I say to them so I’m not remembered as the person who rejected them (very publicly?)

Sincerely,

Dear ASYP,

The subject of marriage is not one to broach for the first time while one of you is down on one knee. Couples should be on the same page about what marriage means and when — or if — they might want to take that step well before any proposal takes place. Especially a public one.

It sounds to me like this person put you in a very uncomfortable position, and while I understand your desire to be remembered semi-fondly, I don’t know that it’s something worth contributing any energy to. By no means would I tell you to approach your upcoming meeting with anything but kindness, but there is no need to excessively compensate for the embarrassment this person seems to have caused themself.

The choice to mark your birthday and the meeting of your friends with a proposal was a mistake on their part. You can choose to extend the kindness of explaining your choice to say no when you meet this week, or you could write a letter for them to read at a later date.

The desire to get more ‘stupid-young-person’ stuff done is fair. Youth allows for more acceptance of mistakes, and a faster rebound from the consequences of poor decisions. Focus on the positives of being single and do all the stupid shit you’d like.

Love, Di Di Daniels