Volume 85. Issue 3. by the-Fulcrum

news

pp.3. UOttaKnow: The University of Ottawa Students Union

pp.5. University of Ottawa professors union reaches deal avoiding possible strike

pp.6. How to get a naloxone kit and why you should carry one

ARTS

pp.9. Govinda’s: Ottawa’s hidden gem since 1981

pp.13. A night at ByTowne: The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man

pp.15. An interview with Yağmur Elçin, director of the UOTC’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

SPORTS

pp.17. Gee-Gees goalie Zach Dietz gets last-minute call to serve as Senators backup pp.20. Men’s hockey team defeated at Colonel By Classic after third-period comeback

pp.21. Athlete Profile: Maya Smith, women’s

soccer captain SCIENCES

pp.25. To mask or not to mask: 2024 post-pandemic calm-mongering

pp.28. New U of O study suggests an already-approved medication could be repurposed to slow breast cancer

pp.30. A night at The Psychology of Serial Killers masterclass with Dr. Rachel Toles

FEATURES

pp.33. Where is Café Nostalgica?

OPINIONS

pp.37. Voter apathy isn’t cool, FYI

pp.39. Does the Canadian education system support students’ jump from high school to university?

pp.42. A real Christmas tree or an artificial one? The quintessential Christmas question.

photo: Pavel Nangfack/fulcrum

UOttaKnow: The University of Ottawa Students Union

UOSU, BOD, Executive committee, general assembly — what does it all mean?

With an undergraduate enrollment of 40,000 (as of Fall 2023) the University of Ottawa can often have students feeling like small fish in an endless ocean. It

Ottawa Students Union (UOSU) and how undergraduate students can access its services or get involved.

But First! A Quick History

In 2019 the Student Federation of the Universi-

tween UOSU and the University of Ottawa was signed recognizing the union as the representative of the university’s undergraduate students.

The young union’s first full term ran from 2020-21

can be difficult to navigate what resources are available to you as a student, but rest assured those resources are there.

with Babacar Faye elected the union’s first president. Since then Tim Gulliver (2021-22), Armaan Singh (2022-23) and Delphine Robitaille (2023-present) have served as the union’s presidents. A former chair of the Bridget Coady

In this first instalment of UOttaKnow, the Fulcrum explores the University of

ty of Ottawa (SFUO) was disbanded after numerous scandals came to light. Students voted to establish the UOSU in February 2019 and elected its executive committee in April. The same month, an agreement be-

Image: Kai holub/fulcrum.

board of directors (BOD), Robitaille was elected to the role in the 2023 by-election after the seat was left vacant with no one putting a candidacy forward in the 2023 general election.

In its time as a fledgling union, UOSU has struggled to gain student participation with elections regularly receiving less than 10 per cent voter turnout.

In its first term the executive had two vacancies when no candidates came forward; no general election has ever elected a full slate of executives. The union has also struggled to retain members of the executive committee as many have resigned part way through their terms.

Many former executives have cited low pay for the many hours worked as reasons for their departures. Vacancies are filled with interim coordinators who are typically hired by the president and a hiring committee made up of BOD directors. A proposed exec pay increase passed via general assembly vote at the 2024 Winter General Assembly (WGA).

University of Ottawa Students Union (UOSU) Services

UOSU has a number of services available to stu-

dents, many of which have staff and physical offices in the UCU. Find out more about each service from this 2022 Fulcrum article; note, some services have been cut following budget cuts.

Follow the Union on Instagram (@seuo_uosu) to keep up with events they put on through their services, past events have included tax clinics during tax season, galas to celebrate student accomplishments, and more.

UOSU

Board of Directors (BOD)

Outside of these services the UOSU also holds monthly public meetings of the BOD with 15 minutes allocated to statements from students where undergrad students are welcome to take up to a minute to voice concerns to the members of the board. The BOD is made up of students from each faculty elected annually, with general elections usually being held in March and by-elections in October to fill vacant seats. Find the makeup of the BOD here.

UOSU Executive Committee

UOSU’s executive committee is currently made up of seven positions; with six commissioners (equity, Francophone affairs, operations, student life, advo-

cacy, and communications) and a president, elected by students. Each position is compensated and requires a candidate to be bilingual.

UOSU General Assemblies

UOSU hosts two general meetings of members, open to all undergrad students where policy can be presented, discussed, and passed or rejected with participation from all members of the union.

The Autumn General Assembly (AGA) is hosted in November and the WGA is typically held in March. Previous GAs have run long into the evenings. This year’s AGA was held Nov. 17, starting at 10 a.m and wrapping up around 9 p.m. Find the 2024 AGA meeting documents here.

University of Ottawa professors union reaches deal avoiding possible strike

Two-year tentative agreement reached last Friday, Jan. 17, per the APUO.

The Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa (APUO) and the University of Ottawa

Conciliation meetings held in January led to the proposed agreement which includes improvements to member’s dental and health plans, reduction from the

who possess seven consecutive years at the university now being able to request a conversion to a Continuing Special Appointment Professor. A joint work group

reached a two-year tentative agreement last Friday, Jan. 17, per the APUO.

Both parties have been engaged in negotiations following the expiry of their previous collective bargaining agreement since June 12, 2024. Following unsuccessful meetings, the APUO organized protests on campus and passed a strike mandate vote with 80.9 per cent member approval in November.

baseline workload of five courses to four for some faculties, and administrative activities now awarded to U of O librarians.

Two “key demands” previously made by the APUO include addressing both the current employee workload and the protection of high-quality education and research.

The proposed deal improves current conditions with replacement professors

will now be used to monitor the support needs for both administration and teaching assistants.

Members of the APUO will be presented with greater details of the agreement at a special general meeting on Feb. 13, followed by an anonymous vote. If the union is in agreement, this will avoid a previously anticipated February strike.

Isabelle Jay

The APUO organized a protest on campus on Oct. 30 in anticipation of a strike mandate vote. Photo: Isabelle Jay/Fulcrum

How to get a naloxone kit and why you should

Pick up a free kit at participating pharmacies

Bridget Coady

With the government of Ontario having recently introduced new rules for safe consumption sites across the province, community groups are encouraging citizens to take the health and safety of their neighbours into their own hands by carrying naloxone kits.

Naloxone is an opioid antidote that can be administered to reverse the effects of an overdose. Due to the prevalence of overdoses, naloxone is available to anyone without prescription at participating pharmacies.

Ontario Minister of

Health Sylvia Jones announced new requirements for safe consumption sites to be no less than 200 meters from any school or childcare centre. This will lead to the closure of 10 of the 17 safe consumption sites in the province when the rules come into effect at the end of March. While addressing the media about these changes in August of 2024 Jones said “the cycle of addiction is not being broken by using drug consumption sites.”

carry one

However, safe consumption sites don’t claim to end the cycle of addiction. They exist to keep drug users alive, because dead people can not recover from addiction.

Between January and March 2024 the government of Canada recorded 1,906 deaths attributed to opioid toxicity, roughly 21 deaths per day. In that same period, there were 17 hospitalizations and 96 emergency medical services (EMS) responses per day.

Safe consumption sites allow for testing of drug supply before use and give users a space to use where they can dependably receive necessary materials and services to prevent undue harm from their use. With these impending changes front of mind, in December I got a naloxone

kit from a pharmacy in my neighbourhood. This was my second time getting a kit; I previously received the nasal spray, this time I received the injectable version.

If you do choose to pick up a kit you can famil-

iarise yourself with how to administer either the nasal spray or injectable naloxone here.

Should you come across someone they believe to be overdosing, first call 911. The kits operate to

give the people enough time to get to medical attention. Stay with the person until EMS arrives.

For for more information on how to obtain naloxone kits across Canada see this resource from CMAH.

An image of participating Ottawa pharmacies from a provincial government resource. The campus pharmacy at the University of Ottawa is one such participating pharmacy.

EDITORIAL STAFF

Editors-in-chief

Kavi “Can’t Skate” Vidya Achar

Andrew “ODR Season” Wilimek

managing director

Sydney “Frosty the Snowman” Grenier

visuals director

Kai “Seasonal Eczema” Holub

News Editor

Bridget “Salt and Slush” Coady

News Writer

Isabelle “Happy to hold your hand on the canal” Jay

Arts & Culture Editor

Daniel “Bundled in Eight Scarves” Jones

SportS Writers

Ana “I was not made for the cold” Sofia de la Parra

Liam “Snowboarding” Corbett

Business, Science & Tech Editor

Basant “Boots” Chawla

opinions/features editor

Amira “I can’t feel my toes” Benjamin

Staff Writers

Marjan “Rosy Cheeks” Massoom

Fejiro “Cozy Days” Mejire

Broadcast Editor

Azeeza “Frostbite” Kagzi

Online Editor

Ayai “Forever Shivering” Offor

videographer

Pavel “Frozone” Nangfack

photo: Pavel Nangfack/fulcrum

Govinda’s: Ottawa’s hidden gem since 1981

What is the little restaurant on Somerset St East?

“Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform – do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me”(Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 9, Verse 27).

tersection, there is an unsuspecting building that, for the last 43 years, has earned its place as an Ottawa institution.

free of charge.

Restaurant manager Mandala McAllister expounded, “I know some of the other centres don’t do it in Canada, maybe they just haven’t got that push. But, yeah, we’ve been kind of carrying on the torch for many years, and we’re going to keep it up. It’s kind of one of our main initiatives that’s awesome, especially since we’re centrally located to [the U of O], that students just love it, you know, they’re like, ‘yeah, free food!’” McAllister took over the restaurant from a man named Shankar Prabhu, Arya Gunde

A lotus symbol overlooks the corner of Somerset Street East and Henderson Avenue. Hidden in the nook of an apartment building where the wall panels connect to the roof, the symbol is the logo of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. A few steps down from the in-

Govinda’s is Ottawa’s oldest and longest-standing purely vegetarian restaurant. Opened in 1981, it is the affiliated restaurant of the ISKCON temple, which shares the same building. From Oct. 21–25, the restaurant took part in a larger ISKCON initiative called “Feed the World Week” alongside its counterparts worldwide. The goal of the initiative is to feed millions of people around the world completely

Restaurant manager Mandala McAllister outside Govinda’s during “Feed the World Week” in late October. Photo: Arya Gunde/Fulcrum.

who ran it for over 30 years. Since its inception, the restaurant’s mission has been to provide affordable, home-cooked, nourishing food to anyone who walks in the door. It is an embodiment of the values preached by ISKCON — sometimes referred to as the Hare Krishna movement — which started in New York City by Indian guru, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda in 1966.

ISKCON’s messages of unity and love spread rapidly at the time of civil unrest in the West, resonating with the youth. According to the ISKCON website, the movement “belongs to the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradāya, a monotheistic tradition within the Vedic or Hindu culture.” Its teachings centre around bhakti-yoga, a spiritual practice in which all human actions are dedicated to God, or in this case, Krishna.

ISKCON makes it clear that they do not see a separation between the gods of any of the world’s religions. The movement follows the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu dialogue between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna at the onset of the Kurukshetra War, as part of the Epic Mahabharata.

“The hypothesis of the Bhagavad Gita is that you’re a conscious, spiritual being,” said McAllister. “You’re not the body. The body is temporary, it’s ever-changing, but you’re a soul. And ultimately, they say that’s a hypothesis. Then the experiment is you start to experiment with consciousness through yoga, meditation, and therefore you get the result to be able to perceive the self.”

The Bhagavad Gita

also outlines the basis of Govinda’s ideology when it comes to cooking food. “Our motto is kind of like cooking with consciousness,” says McAllister. “Let’s just give an example. Say, if you go to McDonald’s and eat a dirty burger, you’re going to feel like, ‘Okay, I’m going to eat it.’ But the people flipping the burgers there [are] like, ‘Man, I hate my job. I hate this. Why am I here doing this?’ And you know, that’s

The iconic lotus logo overlooks the corner of Henderson Ave. and Somerset St. E. Photo: Arya Gunde/Fulcrum

kind of going into the food, then you feel [it] afterward, you kind of feel like a gut rot, [and] your mind is kind of affected in a way. But let’s say you go home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Diwali, whatever it be, and your grandmother cooks a nice feast, cooked with so much care, so much love, attention, then that’s going to seep into the food. It’s going to make you feel much better. It’s going to uplift you.

And similarly, here, we’ll do that same thing.”

McAllister claims cooking is a devotional activity in its nature, and at Govinda’s, this devotion is directed towards Krishna, who he describes as “another name for god.” He stresses that the food at the restaurant is made with the utmost care and attention as a loving offering to Krishna.

Contrary to the stereotype about Indian food being

too spicy, Govinda’s follows a Sattvik diet, which places an emphasis on freshness, seasonal foods, fruits, nuts, seeds, oils, ripe vegetables, legumes, whole grains, dairy, and non-meat-based proteins. The diet is outlined in the Bhagavad Gita as a means to “increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction” (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 8). The flavours of a Sattvik diet are more subtle but still leave diners feeling stuffed and satisfied. Due to its close proximity to the University of Ottawa, Govinda’s has built a strong relationship with the student population and many clubs and initiatives on campus. It has maintained its reputation as a cheap place to get nourishing food without any large marketing campaigns or a social media presence.

Every day, the temple half of the building opens at 4:30 a.m. for Mangal Aarti, with breakfast service from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The regular restaurant hours are noon to 7 p.m. every day — excluding Sundays. On Sundays though, Govinda’s hosts a free lunch service from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., dubbed the “Sunday Love

McAllister wants to collaborate with university administrators on a program called Krishna lunches, which are $7 meals that include rice, vegetable curry, salad, salad dressing, tea, and an Indian sweet called halva.

The program is already in place at multiple universities across the United States, most notably at the University of Florida, where McAllister claims it serves over 1000 meals a day. Last year, Govinda’s ran a trial of the program and McAllister says it was a great success.

“Students love[d] it. The teachers were coming, and they were kind of surprised, like, ‘oh no, we’ll give more than seven dollars’ because they were preaching [about] the size of the portions.”

Aside from the temple and restaurant, Govinda’s doubles as a library and community centre for various cultural activities. Attached to the building, there are apartments for monks and volunteers. Students can take part in a “monk for a weekend program” where they are able to stay with ISKCON monks and participate in all their activities

from Friday to Sunday.

The temple also hosts a monthly Kirtan or musical meditation, with singing, dancing, and instruments. “Some people think that when you come to [a] temple, it’s still, it’s silent, it’s sober, but you’ll find in a Hare Krishna (ISKCON) temple, it’s the complete opposite.” McAllister encourages everyone to visit Govinda’s and ask as many questions as they like, highlighting the importance of inquiry on the path to discovery.

Govinda’s volunteer smiles while serving food Photo: Arya Gunde/Fulcrum.

A night at ByTowne: The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man

A comedic blend of absurdity and mock commentary, The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man pushes boundaries but lacks depth

Lucas Hermida

I first encountered The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man through cryptic yellow posters around Sandy Hill. The name alone piqued my curiosity enough for me to photograph the poster on my phone. I later visited the website displayed on the poster: the enigmatic peepeepoopooman. com. I was greeted with little more than a mysterious trailer for a film and screening dates. It was at this point that I made the deci-

Govinda’s volunteer smiles while serving food Photo: Arya Gunde/Fulcrum.

sion to watch The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man.

The film is loosely inspired by the real life of Samuel Opoku. Opoku was a 23 year old Toronto man, who was arrested and charged for “assault with a weapon” and “mischief interfering with property” in 2019. Opoku received the nickname of “Peepeepoopoo Man” by Toronto students.

The film, directed as a mockumentary, tells the story of Miguel (Rishi Rodriguez), the protagonist who is contacted by the CIA to dump raw sewage on civilians in Toronto.

The film paints Miguel as an isolated individual, struggling with mental health. He seeks the help of an online therapist but does not appear to find relief. Miguel seems to be suffering from psychotic symptoms (described as “paranoid” by the film’s promotional material) and struggles socially, leading to his unemployment. He seeks solace in the online world, endlessly ‘doomscroling’ on social media and enjoying vr porn of a snake simulating oral sex. Eventually, he gets a call informing him that he got hired for a job.

Miguel decides to celebrate by taking a tab of LSD. During his trip, Miguel is contacted by the CIA, where his mission is slowly revealed to involve dumping fecal matter onto the civilians of Toronto.

Miguel later travels to an abandoned church. Here while fully naked, he baptises himself in fecal matter making Miguel himself the first victim of the Pee Pee Poo Poo man. From this moment on, he embodies the “Pee Pee Poo Poo Man,” carrying out

his mission to dump sewage on unsuspecting passersby. Back in Toronto, we get many extravagant shots of the Pee Pee Poo Poo Man dumping brown liquid on people’s heads and bodies. These shitshots were certainly interesting, some shown in slow motion or as tracking shots with drones. These scenes bring a mesmerising, ethereal tone to the film, and did not fail to get an impressed and disgusted reaction from the crowd every time. They do, understandably, become somewhat repetitive. It is around this point that the film takes a tonal turn.

The previous scene cuts to a new intimate moment, a man professing his love for a friend and getting rejected. A throuple caught in a love triangle and so on. The film does a good job of showing moments of intimate and realistic conversations. But every time, the intimate conversation is interrupted by the protagonist dumping his scatological bucket onto the unsuspecting victims. There is a deep conversation that almost distracts the audience from what the film is about. Then the characters get shit on. Over and over again.

I found these intimate scenes incongruent with the rest of the film. It feels like a cheap hack to include personal and mundane conversations with little connection to the main plot of the film.

While the film touches on themes of mental illness, social isolation, the allure of conspiracy theories and “addiction” to social media, it never delves deep enough to offer meaningful commentary. Instead, these elements felt like surface-level references,

used more for humour than to provoke thought. As much as I wanted the film to say something significant about these topics, it seemed content with staying absurd for absurdity’s sake. Director and screenwriter, Braden Sitter, commented in an interview, “I think conspiracy theories are really fun as long as you take it lightly.” Ultimately, the film ends up mocking conspiracy theories, social media, porn, and drug use without offering any deeper insight into these topics by only having them played for laughs without saying anything of value. The film has a veil of social commentary that is transparent. The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man left me feeling conflicted. The film is creative, amusing and its absurdity did not fail to make me or the audience laugh. It certainly succeeded in creating a unique and memorable cinematic experience, but provided little more than that.

An interview with Yağmur Elçin, director of the UOTC’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

The University of Ottawa Theatre Club’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was weird and hilarious, but most importantly, iconic

Grace Kim-Shin

From Nov. 6 to 9, The University of Ottawa Theatre Club (UOTC) performed Tim Kelly’s adaptation Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a modern rewriting of Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel. A story that is greatly familiar and loved by many, exposed audiences at the Gladstone Theatre to Carroll’s timeless fantastical

a testament to his first time directing. But Elçin is far from unfamiliar with the logistics of running a show, as he comes from an experienced background working in creative direction, building sets to designing sounds.

Despite it being Elçin’s first directorship, he explained how he was able to integrate into the role smoothly, keeping a fine balance between managing and directing. He ensured to give his team spe-

nonsense and anthropomorphic imagination.

This year, Yağmur Elçin, a recent graduate from the U of O theatre program was selected to direct the UOTC’s fall show. Growing up, he was always encouraged by his father to pursue arts and over time he developed a passion for acting, and realized that he wanted to pursue it professionally. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with the UOTC was

cific direction in rehearsals, while also providing enough space for the cast to be creative with their characters.

“I really liked doing the auditions because it’s so critical. Your cast is determining how good your play is gonna be and I’ll tell you now…my cast is phenomenal. I feel like I’m working with all-star people…everybody is just top-notch,” explained Elçin. As somebody who isn’t

overly attached to the avant-garde nor old-school theatre, Elçin planned to transform the classic Alice in Wonderland into a contemporary story for audiences. But, what makes Elçin’s approach to this iconic childhood story special?

When asked about his creative take on the play, he explained, “This is actually such a funny play, let’s make it a comedy. We fully leaned into that weirdness and the comedy aspect.”

Despite loving all characters of the cast, some performances highlighted by Elçin include Caterpillar/Mouse (Curran Hall), the Mad Hatter (Khalid Seriki), and Cheshire Cat (Dahlya Gellner). Caterpillar/Mouse’s silly sounds, phenomenal acting by Seriki’s take on the Mad Hatter, and the unique depiction of the fantastical traits of Cheshire Cat, made the UOTC’s rendition especially unique.

Audiences saw a memorable performance filled with humour, fun, and fantasy with the UOTC at Gladstone theatre. If there’s three words to describe the club’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “it’s weird, hilarious… and it’s gonna be iconic,” said Elçin.

Caterpillar/Mouse (Curran Hall), the Mad Hatter (Khalid Seriki), and Cheshire Cat (Dahlya Gellner) starred in Elçin’s adaptation. Photo: UOTC/Provided

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Gee-Gees goalie Zach Dietz gets last-minute call to serve as Senators backup

Dietz wrote the newest chapter in the NHL’s EBUG novel on Saturday night

Andrew Wilimek

It took a run down Terry Fox Drive and a ride in a generous couple’s SUV, but Gee-Gees goalie Zach Dietz was not going to be stopped from getting to the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday night as the Ottawa Senators

Senator’s backup goaltender after the planned starter, Anton Forsberg, was injured.

It wasn’t the first time that Dietz had served as the emergency backup goaltender (EBUG), but it was the first time that he was next in line to go into the game for the Senators if the

commonplace across professional hockey leagues. A team uses a list of EBUGs throughout a season to attend each game and serve as the third-string goalie for both teams.

For the Senators, that list is made up of the three GeeGees goalies — Franky Lapen-

welcomed the Pittsburgh Penguins to town.

Dietz wasn’t going as a fan like any other second-year University of Ottawa student might have been, though. The 22-year-old Freelton native had been called upon to serve as the

new starter, Linus Ullmark, got injured.

What the hell is an EBUG?

Ok, time to backpedal for a second. To go any further, you should know what an EBUG is first. Emergency backups are

na, Jean-Philipe Tourigny, and Dietz. The three receive tickets to Senators games on a rotating basis in return for bringing their equipment and dressing if any of the four goaltenders in the game get hurt. EBUGs have become a

Zach Dietz used some ingenuity to make it to the Canadian Tire Centre when he was called upon by the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. Photos: Screenshot @muggers_hockey on Twitter, Zach Dietz/Provided

Dietz didn’t end up making his way onto the Senators bench — as he was still technically the emergency backup for both teams — but he did get his name stitched onto the back of a jersey, and pictures in it with Healey, after he signed an amateur tryout contract.

“You only really meet a few special people in your life when you’re at university,” said Dietz. “She was one of the people I would have wanted around for this moment, I was lucky to share this situation with her.”

A backup goalie is never out of work for long

Although Dietz has appeared in just six games, starting three, since he joined the GeeGees last season, that is about to change. Dietz’s games played may not jump off the page at you, but his stats tell a different story.

This season, he sits at 2-0, having won both of his starts, and allowing just one goal in each. If you add the game he appeared in relief of Lapenna against UQTR, that still only pushes his goalsagainst average to 1.72 and his save percentage to .930 — a figure identical to last year’s, in the same number of games.

With Lapenna set to travel to Torino, Italy, alongside an allstar team of U SPORTS players competing under the Team Canada banner at the 2024 FISU Winter World University Games, the net is Dietz’s to lose until the starter returns at the end of January.

Dietz credits Kyle Bergh, a mental performance coach with the Gee-Gees, for keeping him mentally sharp for when he does play. Dietz said that implementing his preparation from his days as a starter with the OJHL’s Burlington Cougars into every game,

no matter if he’s starting or not, and sometimes even in practice as well is key.

“I’ve honestly just remained pretty confident in myself, because it’s not a bad thing that I’m backing up one of the best goalies in the OUA,” added Dietz, noting that he has learned a lot from both Lapenna and Tourigny, a third-year who was the GeeGees’ starter before Lapenna arrived last year.

Both Lapenna and Dietz are excited for January, and excited for each other. “For him, being able to play at the FISU games, it’s probably the greatest or best opportunity you can get as an OUA or U SPORTS athlete,” said Dietz. “No one deserves it more than him to be along for that ride.” National championship in the nation’s capital University and college programs pull out all the tricks when it comes time to recruit potential

While Dietz hasn’t seen a lot of action with the Gee-Gees, he has been rock solid when called upon behind Franky Lapenna, the 2024 OUA East Goalie of the Year.

Photo: Matt Osborne/Fulcrum Archives.

Christmas break 10-6-1, good for fourth place in the talent-rich OUA East, with a pair of November losses to the crosstown Carleton Ravens sliding them just outside of the country’s top ten.

“Obviously we have a big bulk of the season coming up, so we have to focus on those games, but it’s in the back of everyone’s mind that we’re going to be at nationals no matter what, but obviously the focus is getting there

and earning a spot there, getting a good seed, finishing really well in the OUA, and then focusing on nationals when it comes.”

The Gee-Gees will resume their season at RMC on Jan. 7 before welcoming Carleton (Jan. 9), Nipissing (Jan. 17), and Windsor (Jan. 18) to Minto, where you can bet to see Dietz — actually in net, this time.

athletes. The Gee-Gees football program, for example, books a visit for the recruiting class during the Panda Game, which many players credit as a reason they chose Ottawa.

For the hockey team, there is no spectacle like the fight for the beloved Panda, but they have held an equally inviting tool to wow recruits for the last few seasons: the upcoming national championship, which will be hosted by the Gee-Gees at TD Place in March.

“When I committed here, obviously one of the perks was knowing that we were hosting a national championship,” Dietz said. “Being able to be a part of that in a small way, or however I’m apart of it, is something that I’ve been looking forward to, and our team’s been looking forward to.”

The Gee-Gees enter the

Dietz swapped the Norris jersey for a “Dietz” jersey, which the team kept in case his services are needed again this season.

Photo: Zach Dietz/Provided

Zach Dietz, wearing a number nine Josh Norris jersey, was escorted into the arena just before game time by Ian Mendes, the vice president of communications for the Senators. Photo: Zach Dietz/Provided

Men’s hockey team defeated at Colonel By Classic after third-period comeback

Six goals scored during the second period set the tone for this year’s penalty-filled rivalry match

On Saturday, the Ottawa Gee-Gees faced off against the Carleton Ravens in the annual Colonel By Classic at TD Arena. The game was insanity in itself, heavy on penalties, and thrilling by the numerous attempts at goals.

The first period did not define the game, as there were no goals. However, it did help set the tone of the match because as soon as the puck dropped, the rivalry could be seen across the ice and the stands surrounding it. Sixteen minutes before the period ends, a fight erupted, and no power play seemed to be rewarded at the beginning, though it later became a power play for Carleton.

The power play activated Carleton’s offensive side and led to multiple attempts at a goal. However, Ottawa’s penalty kill held it together, reassuring and resetting the team at their turn on offence. Honorable mention to Ottawa’s defence showing immense tactics and skill after three power plays against them and ending the first period 0-0.

Adrenaline rushed through the locker room because, starting the second period, there was a power play that ended with forward Bradley Chenier putting the puck into the net and putting Ottawa up in the lead with a power play goal.

Unfortunately, it did not last long, as it was followed by a

power goal by Oliver Castlemanduring Carleton’s power play, tying up the scoreboard 1-1. Another one fell within the power play, making Carleton the lead 2-1.

Gee-Gees rookie forward Andrew Belchamber showed his presence on the ice and made sure the Ravens’ lead didn’t last long with an impressive solo wrap-around goal, increasing the energy within the team and making the crowd stand up to rile the Gee-Gees even more. Additionally, Belchamber led the penalty kill and stayed crucial to the defence as well as the offence of the team, showing his versatility and skill.

Crowd enthusiasm is always important in a rivalry game, and Belchamber felt it, too. After being asked about the enthusiasm of the crowd on every block or shot he said in French, “It’s a bigger venue than we have played before, and the crowd was there.”

Continuously, off a good screen by Johnny Howie, Brendon Clavelle scored a power goal, his first of the season, as a snapshot from the blue line, raising the roof and putting the scoreboard on Ottawa’s side with a 3-2 scoreboard. 30 seconds left on the clock, and the Ravens bring it back to a tie with a wrist shot, prepping for an exciting start of the third period.

The third period bega, and before anyone had time to react, Carleton forward Reese Belton scored and upgraded the team’s

position into a lead, forcing the Ottawa team to be more physical, aggressive and accurate in their decisions.

With a minute left in the third period, and two men down the garnet and grey called a time out to discuss tactics. Belchamber managed the unimaginable and proceeds to complete insanity with a three-on-five goal, tying the game and hopefully bringing an overtime. Five minutes left, and the Gee-Gees kill the penalty, reassembling the two players, making it five on five again. When asked about how he felt about the goal and the game in general, Belchamber answered, “Well, I was happy to score, that’s for sure, and then we killed penalties afterwards, so we were looking for a point.

You know, yes, we lost, but at the same time, we showed character at the end.”

Overtime began, and therefore, three on three were on the ice; however, Carleton decided it was time for the game to be over and showed off their moves with forward Gio Morneau going over one player and scoring the game finale, bringing this year’s Colonel By Classic to an end.

Ana Sofia de la Parra

Photo: Greg Mason/Gee-Gees

Athlete Profile: Maya Smith, women’s soccer captain

“These past four years have been amazing”

Liam Corbett

One may ask what it feels like to lead one of the best university soccer teams in the nation. If you were wondering, you might want to ask Maya Smith.

The health science major captains the Gees women’s soccer team, and since her ca-

Team All-Stars, once to the Second-Team All-Canadian team, has been a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian twice, and of course, has played a major role in Ottawa’s record breaking three OUA Championships in a row.

From playing high school soccer in Ottawa at St. Mother Teresa High School in Nepean,

from home — on or off the pitch. Smith, who is a key centre back on the most accomplished Gees team in the entire history of the program is ready and gearing up for a fifth and final season with the team.

Smith sat down with the Fulcrum to touch on the team’s recent historic season which

reer began in 2021 she has twice been selected to the OUA First

to playing for the Gee-Gee’s at U of O, Smith doesn’t stray far

capped off a successful OUA Championship three-peat — the

Maya Smith started 10 games in 2022, her second season with the Gee-Gees. Photo: Greg Kolz/Gee-Gees

Photo: Tim Austen/Gee-Gees

first in the conference’s history. “We went through a lot this year,” Smith said.

“[The team] grew together as people and as players. Winning the OUA three times in a row is a big achievement, no other team has ever done it. We are really proud of ourselves for that accomplishment.”

2021 — Smith’s Career Begins

Smith made her first career appearance Sept. 25, 2021, against the York Lions. Her second career start against Trent made an immediate impact, earning an assist while keeping Trent’s offence in check with no goals against, winning the game 5-0.

She would start the remaining games of the 2021 regular season, where they went on to go undefeated. 2022 was a special season for Smith, in an important game against the cross town rivals Carleton on October 2nd, Smith would score her first career goal. The team would go on to win an OUA championship, and never look back at second place.

Superstar status was calling Smith’s name after several successful seasons with the team, and earning the role of captain. A highlight of the 2024 season came against a tough matchup against a strong team in the Queen’s Gaels on Sept. 8. 36 minutes into the game, Smith would score the one and only goal of this game from a banging header from a cross from Nibo Dlamini.

Two weeks later in a game against TMU the team was fueled with revenge after being defeated by the Toronto Varsity Blues.

Smith would go on to score two clutch goals for the team to secure a 4-1 victory over TMU. However, as much as a goal scoring threat Smith can turn into, as a defender she shines when holding the back line, and facilitating the teams play style. The stats do not do Smith justice in describing how important of a role she played in her 2024 superstar season. Only conceding four goals against their opponents in the regular season, allowing the least amount of shots against, Smith and her defensive line were one to be reckoned with.

2024 — All Canadian Honours

After four years being a crucial part of the program, what is a big accomplishment for Smith is being selected to Second Team All-Canadian — an achievement that is reserved for the best of the best, and a spot well reserved for a crucial role in the teams success in the 2024 season.

Smith, a very humble and knowledgeable player said “It was an honour to be selected. I learned a lot from other centre backs in the OUA. It was nice to be recognized as a defender as we are usually not the ones scoring all the goals. It was special to be selected as an All-Canadian.”

It’s safe to say the Gee’s defence led by Smith is remarkably talented. After a successful 2024 season with the team, going 11-1 in the regular season, only allowing four goals, limiting their competition to the lowest amount of shots on net.

“Going into the season we made some goals as a team,” Smith said. “One of our goals was to have no goals against.

Obviously we wanted no goals against, but four goals is still pretty good. It was a team accomplishment, our midfield works really hard tracking back all the time.”

Smith noted that the loss of fellow fourth-year defender and Ottawa native Katie Brzozwski at the beginning of the season was challenging. “Her hard world never went unnoticed as a defender. Our midfield put in the work; it wasn’t just the back line. [Rookie] Ava Donohue played a big role and worked very hard in contributing to the defense and midfield.”

There are “too many” memories that Smith has from her time on the team. She is very grateful to be a part of a great program, and to hopefully finish off on a strong fifth year.

“These past four years have been amazing. Being a part of such a talented team, going to Mexico and winning [FISU Americas] was a lot of fun, and a great experience. Being fortunate to go to the National Tournament three times, we’ve been so close to winning the nationals. I am super proud of the team and what we have accomplished.”

Nothing is more assuring than a top talent and great leader returning to the team for a final season.

CONTRIBUTORS

THE FULCRUM WOULD LIKE THANK

Arya Gunde

Lucas Hermida

Grace Kim-Shin FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS PUBLICATION!

photo: Pavel Nangfack/fulcrum

To mask or not to mask: 2024 post-pandemic calm-mongering

As the U of O continuously fails to adequately accommodate disabled students, those most vulnerable to COVID-19 resign to giving up on schooling – or worse – altogether.

October 2024 greets us differently than the past few autumns have. The now-campus reminds me of my first year; bundled-up ants go from one class to

and wellness that is often based on wishful thinking and dubious reassurances. In the case of the largely-discarded, back-burner pandemic, calm-mongering techniques beg us to consider any and all COVID-esque symptoms

Hospital Unit. The outbreak ended on Oct. 23. Based on the data provided by the City of Ottawa, it is unknown as to how many patients, healthcare workers, and loved-ones alike were affected. Despite the case being recorded

the next, little drinks in hand. The U of O is booming with fresh faces; naked and unmasked.

My classmates’ sniffles are just allergies, or so they say. And my professors hack and cough and nearly project their souls out because of a minor cold, or so they say. My roommate has been intensely feverish for a week, but that’s just the aftermath of midterms… so they say.

“Calm-mongering” – a term I found while scrolling through the Reddit r/ZeroCovidCommunity – is a call-to-action tactic promoting safety, security,

as something else.

The world is, although never as it once was, back to some form of normal. Vaccines have supposedly done their job, and, according to Public Health Ontario, COVID-19 cases are projected to go on the decline between Oct. 20 and Nov. 2. Fast-forward to the end of surveillance week 47 on November 23, and only 228 people have died this year due to the coronavirus.

Ottawa’s latest COVID-19 outbreak was on Oct. 10, on the third floor of the Greystone Village Retirement Home’s Bruyère

merely a week from writing this, COVID-19 is passé, historical. On-campus mask dispensers, wall-mounted sanitizers, and physical distancing signages have become dust-collector decor. They linger in hallways. Visual pollution. If October 2024 welcomes most with pumpkin patches and midterm exams, it reminds disabled and immunocompromised students that their education, community, and overall care are conditional. They are reminded, time and again, that some “allies” are ready to drop them when al-

Kai Holub

Mask dispensers have become a part of the campus scenery. Photo: Bardia Boomer/Fulcrum Archives.

lyship becomes a chore.

Coordinator for the Centre for Students with Disabilities (CSD) Willow Robinson’s (who uses she/they pronouns) position entirely depends on them being an active student at the university, recounts feeling uneasy at the prospect of returning to in-person activities back in 2022. And she wasn’t the only one.

The reopening of full-time, on-campus activities started back in Fall 2022, leaving concerned students and staff to turn to social media to voice their frustrations. New technologies brought to the classroom by the lockdown benefited all students, and yet, those same advancements dwindled out of use. Disabled students, caretakers, and other high-risk individuals were quick to point out their loss of accommodations.

The University of Ottawa’s Student Union (UOSU) lat-

er published a statement on July 18, 2023, expressing “support for students with disabilities who are facing challenges due to the ongoing reduction of virtual and hybrid class options.” Robinson, who had also been the coordinator for CSD at the time, was not consulted regarding the statement in any way.

“I was hired for my experience to be a voice for the disabled community,” Robinson recalls, “but the previous people who were above me did not take that seriously [nor] take anything that I had to say seriously.”

The UOSU’s statement did little to sway the U of O from its push for hypernormalisation. Most classes today are strictly in-person, forcing able-bodied and disabled students alike to attend in spite of their health statuses. Even if these same students manage to get accommodation requests through Stu-

dents’ Accommodation Services (as either temporarily or permanently disabled), it is ultimately up to students to self-advocate and for professors to approve of those needs.

“So if you have an accommodation to record lectures, but [the professor] doesn’t want lectures recorded, that does not matter. It is a legal right to have that lecture recorded. Now, if [they don’t] want the recording disseminated, that’s fine.” Robinson says. “However, there needs to be some kind of trust. [If not] we wait a year and a half to get complaints filed [through lawyers].”

The alternative then, would be to get into the few 280-some undergraduate virtual courses instead of having to risk having a bad experience with a professor. Of course, 280 courses means nothing compared to the total of 1,724 course codes

228 people have died in Ontario due to COVID-19 this year. Image: Public Health Ontario

for Fall 2024.

For Robinson, an immunocompromised manual wheelchair-user who unfortunately needs specific classes in order to graduate, attending class could mean making their very last trip outside. “I have three courses left to finish my degree in the winter semester. So I’m going in with my giant N100 mask; the one used for cleaning up dead bodies. [It’s] a half mask that suctions to your face and bruises because it hurts so much.”

Robinson continues. “So I have to wear those, get down to campus, meet three professors, and then go home and decontaminate and then hope to every god that ever existed, I don’t get COVID from that one trip. Because if I get COVID, I will die.”

Robinson hopes that their professors will be kind enough to let them take in-person classes virtually. Other students, Robinson mentions, have opted to transfer to another university entirely. As of September 2024, Robinson and their colleagues at the CSD have helped a little over 150 students transfer out of the U of O due to poor accessibility measures.

As an unconfirmed response to the outcry, the Human Rights Office on campus shared its new initiative “uOaccessible” to the student body via email: “The University of Ottawa is committed to respecting the dignity and independence of all members of its support and teaching staff, its students and visitors” and ensuring that “persons with a disability truly enjoy free and unhindered access to University programs, services, facilities, housing and employment oppor-

Whether or not uOaccessible proves helpful to students is yet to be seen. Robinson, who is coincidentally also a part of this new initiative, says that they and the members of this new advisory board “can only offer so much advice, and it’s up to the University whether or not they actually take it. They rarely if ever do take the advice.”

Generally exasperated with the ways in which the U of O has treated disabled students thus far, Robinson pointed the Fulcrum in the direction of an organization that has proven to support disabled and COVID-conscious folks.

The Donate A Mask program, organized by Evidence-Based Social Enterprises Canada (EBSECan), was first established in January 2021 as a response to the developing pandemic. The volunteer-run charity continues to advocate for clean air and accessible respiratory protection through a donation shop and a free supplies service. They offer packs of N95 masks to anyone who might want or need them and, until October 2024, also enabled people to get access to free COVID rapid tests – a health assessment tool that’s growing harder and harder to acquire.

Still, despite the general populace roaming around unmasked, volunteer Gina Bernard says that “[Donate A Mask has] given away more pieces of respiratory protective equipment in the first nine months of 2024, than we did in all of 2023. So we’re seeing a stable, if not growing, demand over the last couple of years.”

A big part of those inter-

ests have come, unsurprisingly, from disabled and immunocompromised people. Bernard notes that, out of all of the groups using their services, about 60 per cent of requests come from people with disabilities and health conditions. Other vulnerable demographics such as persons with low income, LGBTQ folks, and the elderly are also frequent customers. That said, most requesting free N95s fit within multiple marginalized groups.

Bernard extends her and her team’s care to those who are still COVID-conscious in 2024. “The volunteer capacity we have is passionate, but we always could appreciate more support. Groups like ours who are still working in the space for COVID advocacy, clean air advocacy — it’s kind of a shrinking and shrinking group in some ways, but those that are still here still care very much, and are doing really great work.”

Unfortunately, large-scale masking, both in Ottawa and on campus, is unlikely to happen again despite the COVID Hazard Index forecast marking every one in 28 people across Ontario to be infected between Nov. 9 and 22.

For the safety of immunocompromised and disabled students, Robinson looks to the new staff of the UOSU. “What makes stories like this difficult is we want to blame UOSU for all the trauma that they put on the disabled community. [But] because of the transient nature of UOSU it is difficult to place blame or get any accountability. So it’s a matter of like, okay, here’s all the new people coming in. Gods, [disabled students] hope that one of them cares. Just one. I just need one.”

New U of O study suggests an already-approved medication could be repurposed to slow breast cancer

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA RESEARCHERS UNCOVER HOW MODIFYING CANCER CELLS’S ENERGY SOURCES COULD LIMIT THEIR DEADLY SPREAD

Basant Chawla

Under the direction of Dr Julie St-Pierre, a research team at the University of Ottawa is developing novel strategies to address metastasis (the spread of cancer cells to other body parts) — and the deadliest aspect of breast cancer.

Targeting mitochondrial dynamics—the ways that mitochondria alter their structure within cells—could be crucial in stopping the development of cancer, according to research just published in Science Advances on Nov. 7, by Dr. St-Pierre and her colleagues. For the millions

of people impacted by breast cancer every year, this research symbolizes a ray of hope.

Cancer’s Weak Spot

While mitochondria are best known as the powerhouses of the cell, their role extends far beyond energy production. Dr. St-Pierre’s team studied how mitochondria influence cancer cell behaviour through ongoing cycles of fusion (joining together) and fission (splitting apart).

According to the study, which was co-led by Dr. Mireille Khacho at the University of Ottawa and Dr. Peter Siegel at McGill

University, breast cancer cells with longer, more elongated mitochondria were much less likely to spread than those with fragmented mitochondria, implying that encouraging mitochondrial elongation may be a favourable way to slow the lethal progression of breast cancer.

The Power of Mitochondria

The team created strategies to increase mitochondrial elongation in metastatic breast cancer cells in order to better understand how mitochondrial shape influences the spread of cancer. By deleting certain mitochondrial fission proteins through

genetic alteration, they were able to stop mitochondria from breaking apart and lower the likelihood that the cells would spread. Slower development and decreased survival and motility—two characteristics necessary for the cells to spread throughout the body— were displayed by the modified cells.

As Dr. Lucía Minarrieta, the study’s first author and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, explained, “When we analyzed the mitochondrial morphology of different breast cancer cell lines, we observed that those with lower metastatic potential tend to have longer mitochondria. This suggests that a fragmented mitochondrial network could be associated with more aggressive presentations of the disease.”

Old Drugs, New Purpose

Amazingly, the team dis-

covered that leflunomide, a medication that has already received Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada approval, could be a viable option to prevent metastasis since it can encourage mitochondrial elongation.

Leflunomide, which is now used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has been found to successfully encourage mitochondrial fusion in breast cancer cells. Preliminary laboratory studies have also shown that it may be able to slow the development of cancer in animal models.

“We believe that promoting mitochondrial elongation in breast cancer cells could be used during the initial course of treatment to prevent metastatic recurrence in the long run,” said Dr. St-Pierre, professor in the faculty of medicine and University of Ottawa’s interim vice-president of research and innovation.

Toward a Future with Fewer Metastases

In order to ascertain whether leflunomide and related substances can successfully stop metastases in humans, Dr. St-Pierre and her team plan to further investigate their results in clinical studies. The goal of this research is to change the tide against breast cancer, which still claims thousands of lives every year, by developing a revolutionary treatment strategy.

In a world where breast cancer is still the most common disease diagnosed in women worldwide, this breakthrough is opening the possibility of novel, less invasive therapies that target the cellular level.

A research team at the University of Ottawa is developing novel strategies to address metastasis — the deadliest aspect of breast cancer. Image: Canva/Stock Image

A night at The Psychology of Serial Killers masterclass with Dr. Rachel Toles

THE EVENT ENCOURAGED ATTENDEES TO TACKLE CHALLENGING QUESTIONS: WHAT DRIVES INDIVIDUALS TO KILL REPEATEDLY? HOW DO THEY SELECT THEIR VICTIMS?

Marjan Massoom

The room buzzed with an uneasy anticipation as attendees gathered for The Psychology of Serial Killers, a 90-minute masterclass led by Dr. Rachel Toles, a prominent clinical and forensic psychologist. Dr. Toles invited us into the psychology of those who commit heinous acts, explaining what might drive ordinary individuals toward extraordinary darkness.

The Fulcrum had the chance to interview Dr. Toles ahead of the event, gaining further insight into her motivation for studying the minds of serial killers. When asked what drew her to this line of work, she shared a deeply personal story.

“As a young girl, I was fascinated by death,” explained Dr. Toles, “in part because I witnessed a young girl get hit and killed by a car. There was something about the fantasy and reality of death that merged in my psyche. That experience ignited a lifelong curiosity about what makes people tick, especially those we consider dangerous.” This early experience, she explained, led her to question what differentiates someone who stays on a conventional path from someone who becomes a serial killer.

She mentioned how as a young girl, she “fell in love with characters that were very misunderstood, like Boo Radley” from the novel and film, To Kill a Mock-

ingbird. Dr. Toles explains that her interest stems from exploring how individuals labeled as “monsters” often appear surprisingly normal in everyday life.

Dr. Toles emphasized that many serial killers share deeply troubled backgrounds,

She elaborated on her belief that simply labeling someone a “psychopath” is often misleading and unproductive. “If we just slap a label on them and hate them the way the world already has… how is that helpful?”

often marred by abuse or trauma. “These people didn’t have a chance,” she explained, stressing that their actions typically emerge from a complex interplay of genetics, trauma, and family dynamics.

Instead, she advocates for a more nuanced view: “I empathize with every human. These individuals — despite their horrendous actions — are still human beings, 99.9% genetically

Clinical psychologist Dr. Rachel Toles highlighted nine essential factors that contribute to the “formula” of a serial killer

identical to you and me.”

The event’s format encouraged attendees to tackle challenging questions: What drives individuals to kill repeatedly? How do they select their victims? Dr. Toles proposed that serial killers often make chillingly calculated choices, frequently targeting people who remind them of figures from their past or appear vulnerable.

Dr. Toles explained that the roots of serial killers’ violent tendencies often trace back

tribute to the “formula” of a serial killer: generational trauma, the mother, the father, their home environment, ages three-to-five, brain injury, bullying, ages eightto-eleven, and hormones.

During the lecture, a fascinating concept Dr. Toles introduced was the idea of paraphilias, a recurrent sexual interest marked by objects, activities, or events atypical in nature. An example of this concept she gave was the case of Jerome Brudos, known as the Shoe Fetish Slayer.

to specific early-life experiences and formative relationships, shaping their future actions in profound ways. She highlighted nine essential factors that con-

She explained how Brudos had a fascination with high heels which grew from his mother’s resentment for him not being born a girl. The pressures from

his mother he faced as a young child illustrates how certain fixations can later evolve into disturbing behaviors. She suggests that early psychological trauma or unmet desires could play a pivotal role in shaping these later violent obsessions. Dr. Toles’ perspective highlights how these atypical interests can manifest early and influence a killer’s motives, almost as if these childhood fixations become part of their identity.

Dr. Toles was candid about the mixed consequences of the recent cultural trend of the media’s fascination with true crime. “The media has given these killers celebrity status, romanticizing their stories in ways that can be harmful,” she noted. Yet she acknowledged that this public intrigue can also promote awareness, helping people understand signs of concerning behavior that might lead to intervention.

In her Q&A session, Dr. Toles’s audience explored these points further, posing questions about the ethical limits of empathy and the future of forensic psychology. For students interested in the field, she told the Fulcrum a piece of wisdom: “Stay curious and don’t just accept the old narratives. In forensic psychology, more than anything, you have to ask why.”

In unmasking the psychology of serial killers, Dr. Toles left us with more questions than answers—a powerful reminder that understanding the human psyche is a complex journey, one that demands a blend of courage, empathy, and, as she put it, “the willingness to see beyond the label.”

killer on Nov. 7 at Centrepointe Theatre. Photo: Marjan Massoom/Fulcrum

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

Keelan Buck

ChaiR & fulcrum alumna

Emma Godmere

Secretary Devin Beauregard

Treasurer

Ria Kunkulol

University Representative

Bhanu Bhakta Acharya

Contributor Representative

Siena Domaradzki-Kim

Student RepresentativeS

Gabrielle Douglas

David Okengwu

Agape Williams

Tsungai Mazarire

Executive Director

Vaishali Thapliyal

Editors-in-chief

Kavi Vidya Achar

Andrew Wilimek

If you are interested in joining our Board of Directors, we would love to hear from you. Please contact president@thefulcrum.ca for more information.

photo: Pavel Nangfack/fulcrum

Where is Café Nostalgica?

GENERAL MANAGER DAVE BREITENHERDT SAYS RENOVATED NOSTALGICA WILL OPEN IN JANUARY

Andrew Wilimek

Ok, we know where Café Nostalgica is physically. It’s located just steps from Thompson and Pérez Hall on the north-eastern outskirts of the University of Ottawa’s campus. But, like… where is Café Nostalgica metaphorically? The latter is the question that students on the university’s campus ponder every time they walk to class and pass by the unused building.

The Graduate Student’ Association (GSAÉD) pub closed in March 2020 at the onset of the

interviewed Nostalgica general manager Dave Breitenherdt about a potential opening.

“That would be a [GSAÉD] Board of Directors decision, I guess … it could be January, it could also be October,” said Breitenherdt at the time. Flash forward to December 2024, and Nostalgica remains closed.

Breitenherdt, who has been employed in the restaurant and bar industry for about 40 years, now says the pub will open in January 2025 — after some extensive renovations. “We had various [re-opening] scenar-

vember.

The general manager explained there was “consensus” not to attempt to re-open after the first lockdown and noted that the decision was made by GSAÉD to change the restaurant’s features for the eventual re-opening. “2022, we finally came to a plan that GSAÉD liked, to some rendering that they liked,” said Breitenherdt.

After the rendering was finalized and the final plans were approved in 2023, there were still hoops to jump through. “We had a lot of back-and-forth with the

COVID-19 pandemic and has remained shuttered ever since. In September 2021, the Fulcrum

ios,” explained Breitenherdt as he took me on a tour of the under-renovation space in late No-

university because although our plans were up-to-date according to Ontario building code stan-

Run by the Graduate Students’ Association, the pub was enjoyed by many students, faculty, and employees at the U of O. Photo: Andrew Wilimek/Fulcrum

dards … the university has higher standards.”

Finally, after being approved by the university this past summer, the physical renovations could start, which include a new bar, flooring, and a stage. “Most of the stuff is being built off-site,” said Breitenherdt, adding that the interior was the “smallest part of the project,” a nod at the bigger plans for the patio.

What is Café Nostalgica?

Considering that the last class of undergraduate students who co-existed on the University of Ottawa’s campus at the same time as Nostalgica began to graduate in May 2023, maybe a more relevant question would be ‘What is Café Nostalgica?’

GSAÉD is the sole shareholder of 1070434 Ontario Inc. — operating as Café Nostalgica — and is responsible for its operation. Breitenherdt has served as general manager since 2013.

As for funding, since 2013 “there has been no [GSAÉD] subsidies” before a cash injection this fall when GSAÉD invested in Nostalgica to see the renovations through. “Until then, we were self-sufficient,” said Breitenherdt.

The Fulcrum reached out to GSAÉD repeatedly for their latest budget and about Nostalgica in specific, but received no response. The last budget available on the association’s website is from 2020.

Students, professors, and U of O employees have been missing the former campus staple. “Time to bring something back to this space!” says Megan McMeekin, a librarian at the university. “It was a great place to gather with colleagues [and for] work lunches and even holiday parties. I know a lot of colleagues have hoped it would re-open. “What Nostalgica?” asked one student when asked if they miss it, while another called to “bring back the bar.” Kaitlyn, a

second-year biology student, said she was “nostalgic for a pub [she] never even got the chance to use.” Others stated dissatisfaction with GSAÉD’s management of the bar.

A New Vision for an Old Hangout Breitenherdt took me on a tour of the under-construction building, which he said “will still feel like Nostalgica” when complete. Planned new features include the stage being moved to the east wall and a new bar. Most of the fixtures, like the tables, chairs, and decorations will remain.

“The inside is not a big project,” said Breitenherdt. “It’s just taking us so long because it’s tagged onto the outside.” The outside will feel new not just to undergraduates who have never been to the pub, but also to older students, staff, and professors — who have.

After tearing up the concrete pavers that layered the pa-

Nostalgica general manager Dave Breitenherdt took the Fulcrum on a tour of the under-renovation restaurant. Photo: Andrew Wilimek/Fulcrum

tio, plans call for a 20-foot stage with full lighting and a sound system to be placed on part of the patio closest to the street corner. The patio will then be extended to the full property line on the east — along with being covered and heated, to make it a four-season lounge.

On the east side of the outdoor space, Breitenherdt said he is excited to bring in local food vendors. “I want to bring more food diversity to campus, because [currently] it’s a lot of corporations,” pointing to the Indian food truck that opened by CRX as an example of a vendor he would like to see on the patio. “You can order from us or from here, or from there, alcohol will be done by us.”

The general manager says that the plan is to make two distinct settings, for, say, concerts running simultaneously inside and outside, noting that the inside did not have much room to expand but the patio does.

“This basically came all out of my head,” Breitenherdt explained. “But based upon the guidelines that [GSAÉD] said … we looked at different configurations of multiple businesses, that didn’t work. Then we’re like, ‘what can we do outside?’ We can have food trucks outside, we can change parking lots.

‘University doesn’t want food trucks,’ okay, what do we do then? We want more entertainment, when I think about pubs, I think about games. Well, okay, we can’t do games [inside] because we need all of our seats … I need to generate income so we can keep the place open, so [Nostalgica] can be a good employer to make sure everybody

can keep their hours.”

That was when Breitenherdt zeroed in on the unused space to the east of the patio and building. “We have space that we don’t use, can we create a games area there?” trucks,’ okay, what do we do then? We want more entertainment, when I think about pubs, I think about games. Well, okay, we can’t do games [inside] because we need all of our seats … I need to generate income so we can keep the place open, so [Nostalgica] can be a good employer to make sure everybody can keep their hours.”

That was when Breitenherdt zeroed in on the unused space to the east of the patio and building. “We have space that we don’t use, can we create a games area there?”

The new games area, with fixtures like ping-pong and chess, will accompany a garden, in which fruit and vegetables are set to be grown. The garden, says Breitenherdt, is part of a plan to add a lot of greenery to offset emissions, including planter boxes around the perimeter of the patio.

Breitenherdt says the feedback he’s received along the way has been extremely useful to getting this project to its current state. “How can we build something that as the university, as [graduate] students, as any student, as anybody, can look at, like, this is awesome,” Breitenherdt recalled asking himself, adding that the expensive real estate on campus should be used as a student space.

“It’s kind of trying to create like a green, fun, oasis where people can just come, hang out, have a beer, have a good bite

to eat, [and] not get gouged [on] pricing.”

Students have good reason to only believe a planned second-semester re-opening when they see it, though Breitenherdt has gone so far as to point to Jan. 27 as the date students can once again grab a pint on campus.

“It’s kind of trying to create like a green, fun, oasis where people can just come, hang out, have a beer, have a good bite to eat, [and] not get gouged [on] pricing.”

photo: Pavel Nangfack/fulcrum

Voter apathy isn’t cool, FYI

Do yourself a favour, and make sure you’re registered to vote

Amira Benjamin

2025 is already shaping up to be a contentious year for Canadian politics, with an impactful federal election slated to occur. With the Prime Minister’s highly-demanded resignation, a Conservative stronghold in the polls, and the aggressive teasing of a certain returning president, it

can be difficult to not assume the world is ending and everything in the country is doomed. I’m not here to convince you that everything is doomed, but I will suggest easing your doom scrolling. I’m not here to tell you all is doomed — your doom-scrolling is doing that for me. Rather, I’m bringing you a bit of hope. I’m here to make sure

you’re registered to vote! For a basic civics course reminder, Canada uses a firstpast-the-post model for its federal elections. Although this model maintains its own issues with equitable representation, this means that you are directly electing a Member of Parliament for your riding — not just a vote for your federal leader.

Youth voter turnout has been an issue in Canadian politics for the past 20 years, and it’s not hard to see why. When you’re in school (or just graduated), you have a job, bills, and courses to worry about — who cares about the future of the country when you need to scrounge up money for rent next week?

According to Statistics Canada, the two most common reasons Canadians aged 18-24 did not vote in the 2021 federal elections are “everyday life or health reasons” (42 per cent) such as work or travelling; followed by “political reasons” (36 per cent), meaning a lack of interest in candidates or their platformed issues. And if you can recall, that was a snap election as well.

You, as a student from out of town, might also feel as though your vote holds less weight. Sure you live and work in this city, but you can’t even figure out what classes you need to take next year — much less what you want out of your riding for the next four. How are you supposed to know what your neighbourhood needs, much less five different candidates? You’re thinking of just going home after graduation anyhow.

Let’s be honest — there’s a lot of political contention over nearly every issue that does affect your everyday life. Housing, affordability, immigration (who are affecting your international student friends the most), education, and job opportunities are all issues that I’m sure are already affecting you to some degree. Based on your own experiences, how would you change these? Who deserves special attention?

Would you prefer more timely OSAP payments or student loan relief? Maybe less expensive rent for students in your neighbourhood? These all count as political issues that you can (and should) advocate for, whether at the municipal, provincial or federal level.

Where do I even start? Politics is overwhelming

Start with what you know, or at least what you know you care about. Do you care about the climate and how it’s affecting the country? Or maybe a crumbling health care system that you’ll have to tackle without insurance? You already know what your values are and what issues mean to you most, even if you say otherwise.

Although the actual date of the federal election is undetermined, you should at least take the steps to register yourself as a voter, which is possible as long as you’re 18 and a Canadian citizen. You can check on Elections Canada whether you’re an eligible voter — but make sure you have an appropriate address on hand. If you plan to live in residence, or you’re slated to move out, try to keep that address updated the next time someone asks you about the election. Even if you’re studying abroad, you can update your voter information!

The next step is to commit to your voting method. If you can’t commit to finding a polling station — maybe you’ll have a full day of class or you’re working — you should register to vote by mail (oh hey, updated addresses are important!). You can also vote ahead on advance polling days at your assigned stations or

early at any Elections Canada office, once the election is formally called.

There are plenty of resources that can guide you in the right direction for first getting involved with voting, such as this brief overview. The Public Service Alliance of Canada also compares the key issues of each major political party’s platform, so you can get a brief look of how they are committed to different issues.

Politics, especially federal, feel a bit distant for some students as well. But saying your vote does not matter is not true. Whether it’s with the student union elections occurring next month, or the federal contests pending a fall arrival — the importance of your vote cannot be understated.

Does the Canadian education system support students’ jump from high school to university?

Do high schools prepare Canadians for university? Do universities bridge the gaps high schools may create?

Fejiro Mejire

The difference in the environment in high school versus university cannot be overstated. Everything is different: expectations for academic performance, degree of student autonomy, level of guidance available to students and so much more. If a person decides to pursue a post-secondary education, they will inevitably have to make this jump. This begs the question

examining if the average Canadian high school (excluding Quebec and CEGEP) and average Canadian university support students’ transition from academic expectation in high school to that of universities.

The average Canadian high school focuses on providing students knowledge in core subjects: English, Mathematics, Science, Canadian History, Canadian Geography and a few others. In Grade 12, some students write

Does this system prepare students for university?

According to Canada, it does. The Canadian Association of Public Schools-International (CAPS-I) says “graduating from a Canadian high school puts students in a good position for further education.” Similarly, EduCanada states that Canada has one of the “strongest records of student achievement in the world”. In the most recent review by the Organization for Economic

of whether students feel adequately prepared to successfully transition to university life. There are many facets of this conversation, but this article will focus on

their provincial Grade 12 test and their final exams. They apply to the university of their choice and are off to higher education.

Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Canadian education system ranked ahead of the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom in reading, math and

Image: Kai holub/fulcrum.

science.

Moreover, Canada also had the second highest rate of

high school completion worldwide. Going by these statistics, Canadian high school students

seem more than prepared academically for the average Canadian university.

Image: Caleb HoldenUnsplash

However, not all Canadian students agree with this conclusion. News articles pre and postCOVID echo similar sentiments: while the students interviewed largely felt prepared content-wise for university, they believed they were largely under-prepared in other aspects. Cultivating proper study behaviours, meeting deadlines and managing stress were the top areas high school students felt unready to handle. This feeling affected several decisions the students eventually made, including the universities they attended and their decision to take a gap year.

These worries also reflected a larger issue found throughout the educational system: does a Canadian education prepare students for the real world? A student in an interview with Global News remarked, “I know how to solve a derivative, but I have no idea how to do tax returns or set up an account at the bank or anything like that.” Those are not the skills you learn from university and since those are the skills you need in real life, it raises the question of whether there is a need to change the university system entirely.

Here at the U of O, the Fulcrum asked students if they felt their high school prepared them for university life here.

Sofia Zaynullina, a fifthyear physics student remarked, “High school did not prepare me for managing my routine and living alone in university. With regards to school work, while my high school did a good job preparing me for the STEM-oriented subjects, it didn’t do as great a job in history and geography. The focus on Canada in those subjects

doesn’t properly equip you for a future in law or political studies. However, I know that experiences vary in different high schools.”

Similarly, Nina Barbosa, second-year PhD anthropology student commented, “I don’t think high school prepared me to face university-level evaluations. In high school, evaluations are really simple and grading is flexible. At university, the speed at which we learn is much faster, and the evaluations are more complex. It’s very easy to go off track.”

While high schools play a huge role in ensuring students feel prepared for university, they do not bear the burden alone. Universities are aware that there is a large difference between high school culture and university culture. They are also aware that students may be unaware of how large that difference is. As a result, they too have a responsibility to help students adapt to university life.

The University of Waterloo’s website page ‘Seven differences between high school and university’ is dedicated to addressing this issue and guiding new students to some helpful resources. While the U of O may not have the exact same setup, it does have resources to assist new students who may be struggling integrating to university culture. The Academic Writing Help Centre, the Faculty Mentoring Centres and the Regional Mentoring Centre are a few of the tools provided by the university to that end. However, is this support enough and should the university be doing more?

Having the resources available for students is not the end of the conversation. It opens

the doors for opportunities for further development. Are these resources adequate? Are they easily accessible? Do students know about them?

Second-year computer science student Ahmud Hossain said, “I’ve heard of some resources but I’m not completely sure about the details. I never really used them myself.”

Similarly, Eden Samson, fourth-year health science student, noted the existence of these services, but didn’t personally use them. “I’ve heard that resources exist but I haven’t really interacted with them. I think they could be better advertised.”

While these resources exist, it is unclear whether their targeted audience utilizes them or are aware of their functions. With this reality, can the U of O say for certain that it is doing enough to support students trying to adapt to post-secondary education life?

It is evident that while Canadian high schools equip students for Canadian universities in some regard, the system leaves students unprepared for other aspects of university that are essential to their success. On the other hand, while Canadian universities are aware that students struggle to adapt to university culture, they do not provide enough support to facilitate a smooth transition for students. Overall, supporting students’ transition from high school to university is complex. It requires work from all stakeholders in the issue: students, high schools, universities and school boards.

A real Christmas tree or an artificial one? The quintessential Christmas question.

Which would you rather have in your home?

As the Christmas holiday season draws nearer and people bring out their cards to begin their holiday shopping, observers of the holiday divide into two distinct groups: people who bring in real trees from Christmas tree farms and people who bring out their artificial trees from their storage spaces.

The corner of this debate presided over by the lovers of real Christmas trees. They believe that the traditions of Christmas must be kept alive. They grew up with real Christmas trees, their kids grew up with real Christmas trees and their grandkids will grow up with real Christmas trees. It is so bad that a real Christmas tree lover will refuse to date anyone who uses an artificial tree!

While the last paragraph is untrue, it is accurate to say that shopping for a real Christmas tree at a Christmas tree farm is a part of the holiday experience for some families. Going to the lot, selecting a tree, bringing it home, and having the house enveloped with the woody fragrance of the tree all season long is as important to the holiday as the gift-exchanging for some families.

Besides the sentimental value and memories associated with having a real tree for the holidays, there are also practical benefits. Real trees are more environmentally friendly and the Christmas tree industry provides thousands of Canadians with

jobs. Moreover, these trees can be recycled after the season — planting them in your back yard, or turning them to mulch are but a few ways you can recycle your tree after the holidays. An additional bonus is that a real tree ties nicely into the idyllic Christmas vision for your holiday videos and photographs.

However, the picturesque scene comes at a cost. Real Christmas trees require constant maintenance: vacuuming pines, cleaning up tree sap, trimming branches and constant watering. Even worse, purchasing real trees for indoor use always has the risk of inviting fungi, mould or pests into your home. Finding bugs or getting house mould in the middle of the holidays is a surefire way to ruin the festive season. Nevertheless, a pest invasion can be prevented with a thorough tree cleaning before bringing it into your house.

In the other corner of the debate, lies the artificial Christmas tree camp. For this group of people, comfort and convenience is the name of the game. Artificial Christmas trees are preferred by some people for reasons like long-term affordability, allergies and convenience. Unlike real Christmas trees, artificial ones are easy to put up, take down and store. Moreover, they can be reused for multiple years, are petsafe, hypoallergenic and do not require constant maintenance throughout the holiday period. This method is perfect for people

who want a traditional Christmas feel to their home without the added stress.

However, there are issues associated with artificial trees. The plastic used in making them, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), are non-biodegradable and are made from hazardous items that may be harmful to people. This means that artificial trees are made from material that can be toxic and, once discarded, remain in landfills forever.

In all this debate, there is a hidden third group that does not want to put up Christmas trees at all … and for good reason. While artificial trees are more cost-effective in the long run because they can be reused for years, they are a more expensive upfront buy. Moreover, both kinds of trees are fire hazards, bear the risk of being toxic to humans, and are an additional expense for the season.

All camps make valid arguments for their corners and it all boils down to the outcomes you want.

Are you interested in a holiday with the vibes of a Hallmark movie?

A real Christmas tree may be your best bet.

Do you want a homey Christmas feel without the additional stress?

You may want to consider

Fejiro Mejire

an artificial tree. Are you uncaring about this debate and just want to relax for the holidays? Maybe you are better off with no tree at all.

While the decision is not always this clear-cut depending on your personal preferences, it is a good starting point. All in all, while trees are important, they are not what the holiday is all about. So, enjoy your break and happy holidays from the Fulcrum publishing team!

Image: Kai Holub/Fulcrum

NCC installs speed cameras on Rideau Canal to raise money

Speed cameras recognize speeding skaters based on a proprietary facial recognition software dubbed “NCSEEYOU”

Andrew Wilimek

On Friday night, National Capital Commission (NCC) officials quietly installed speed cameras on the Rideau Canal in anticipation of the canal’s opening Saturday morning, sources close

nue.

The source explained that the speed cameras recognize speeding skaters based on a proprietary facial recognition software that is shrouded in mystery, which employees have allegedly dubbed “NCSeeYou.”

The move is leaving some

you in court, NCC.”

While some students are upset, others are excited. The U of O speed skating team is treating the fines as a unique method in which to conduct tryouts, team captain Frank Lee Fast explained to the Tomato. “We have had issues booking tryouts because it’s

to the commission told the Tomato. The sources are not being identified because they had not been authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

After a 2023 season in which the canal did not open for skating and a 2024 season where only short stretches of the canal were open for short periods of time, the commission is wasting no time making up for lost reve-

already budget-strapped University of Ottawa students in the lurch. “I had already paid $33 dollars to rent skates,” said first-year Chris P. Ice. “Now they’re extorting me for all I’m worth!”

Other students are upset, but doubtful that the unusual charges will stick in a court of law. “This violates my Charter right to mobility,” contended political science student Max Speed. “I’ll see

hard to find ice time around campus,” the fourth-year student said on Monday.

“Since the canal is open to the public [twenty-four hours a day], we don’t actually need to book any ice. And since we can’t be there to evaluate the skaters, we are simply asking them to send us a picture of their speeding tickets as proof they are fast enough for the team.”

Following the loss of a 2023 skating season and a shortened 2024 skating season, the NCC is resorting to speed cameras to make up for lost revenue. Image: Andrew Wilimek/Fulcrum

Rats gain voting rights after decades-long struggle

Union of Ottawa Critters narrowly votes in R‘Coon’s motion

In arguably the most important election in recent memory, the Union of Ottawa Critters (UOC) voted to extend voting rights to rats on Nov. 13.

In a 20-19 vote split, the motion proposed by Councillor R‘Coon, a longtime rat ally, passed, after three hours of heated debate. The motion rat-ified the affirmative result of Proposition 9 on last month’s ballot, which included the establishment of a formalized rat constituency and the formation of a Specialized Committee on Rat Rights and Wrongs.

The UOC’s primary membership criteria, as outlined in their constitution, includes the distinction of “outdoor critters” and “indoor critters” — only the former of which are afforded membership and representation. As rats have historically straddled the line between outdoor and indoor creatures, the UOC has allowed membership but not voting rights for rats in its organization for the past 30 years.

This will change starting Dec. 25, 2024, when all rodents will be able to vote in the general election. In a press release, the UOC cited the timing of their voting rights extension as “perfect for the holidays” and explained that the holidays are “the best time to show critter dominance and strengthen our numbers.”

The Otter Super PAC (the Rats’ primary opponent) has been notorious for funding anti-rat politicians, and its Critter-Purist pol-

icies have been called out by many pro-rat groups. The Otters, who believe that critters must “pick a location— either indoor or outdoor” have been lobbying against the rat vote since the UOC’s inception in 1942.

However, intense lobbying from the Democratic Rodents Advocating for Territorial Supremacy (DRATS) began this year following World Rat Day on April 4, where rodents across the country made their presence known on Parliament Hill in a series of protests that saw multiple divisions of Pest Control deployed.

With more businesses closing their doors in Ottawa, rats have been displaced from bakeries across the city, and have ended up on the streets. Their

newfound status as primarily outdoor critters, DRATS argued, entitles rats to the right to vote in the UOC.

In an interview with the Tomato, DRATS emphasized the inequality rats face in the critter hierarchy, stating, “Nobody has a problem with raccoons, even though they sometimes enter houses; it doesn’t compromise their [voting] status in any way. But, when it comes to us rats, it’s suddenly a big issue.”

Rats across Ottawa will be celebrating this victory, but some otters have claimed that rat party members, including one executive, have indicated plans to propose anti-otter bills in the spring. DRATS denied these allegations.

Kavi Vidya Achar

Image: Kai Holub/Fulcrum

Where does my boyfriend get off to during the holidays?

HO HO HO… JUST WHAT IS MY BOYFRIEND DOING EVERY YEAR?

Dear Di,

First off, OMG, big fan of yours! Anyways, I’ve got a bit of a problem… I think my boyfriend might be seeing another, well, Mrs. Claus if you know what I mean? We’ve been going out for a few years now and every holiday season he gets distant and busy, like he’s preoccupied with something — is gift shopping for the holiday season that stressful? It gets even worse on Christmas Eve, where he’ll just disappear for the whole day! I haven’t spent a Christmas with him since we got together.

Please help,

Frosty the Girlfriend

I hear you Frosty — things can get chilly in a relationship when there’s only one under the mistletoe.. These things come down to showing up, being involved, and saying sorry for little bumps in the road. Problems like these tend to snowball if they aren’t addressed quickly. Resentment and frustration sure can sour the Christmas mood. Plus, doesn’t everyone wish their special someone would be home for the holidays, even if only in a dream?

What I suggest is to have a quick chat with him, tell him that you don’t think he’s found his place on the nice list this year and why. A lot of problems can be solved by making them clearer than ice. The distance around the holidays is a bit concerning, so telling him you miss him and wanna do stuff together might help. I don’t think we’ve quite reached “red-nose reindeer” red flags here just yet.

On the other hand, if you think little old Saint Nick here is going out and down some other chimney, then you’ll wanna catch him and end it fast. I think one way to catch him sneaking in and out is to put out some milk and cookies – home baked, the good stuff. He won’t be able to resist, and then you’ll have proof he snuck out! Your time is too valuable to be catching him buying Tiffany for another gal.

Remember, this is the most wonderful time of year if things don’t work out, you find another person with elf-like features to hunker the winter down

Di Daniels