THE WEATHER: FOR better or for worse, it dominates our lives. It’s an integral part of small talk amongst strangers, has a permanent place in the news, and helps us answer the timeless question “What should I wear today?” But amidst the extremes of each season, another question emerges: which season is best? The Fulcrum faces off over blossoms and golden leaves, heat waves and snow days, to reveal—once and for all—which three months of the year are the most...

No, I don’t hate the beautiful game, but some South Africans might

LAST SUMMER, I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in one of the University of Ottawa’s field research projects in South Africa. Like many students studying international development, this was my first time travelling to a developing country—and along with my luggage, I...

VICTORIA (CUP) — THE $1.9-BILLION weekend of madness and finger-pointing that was the G20 is over, leaving the city of Toronto to pick itself up groggily like a college student after a 48-hour drinking binge. The G20 protests brought all of the expected violence and theatrics to our living rooms, giving us insight into the mentality of disapproving Canadians across the country. Now, here’s your chance to meet the stars of the G20 protests—or any protest for that matter. The...

Open Letter to the VP of Student Affairs, Amy Hammett ---------------------------------------- IT IS MY understanding that for the G20 Summit on June 26th and 27th, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa organized for at least one bus load of students to go down to Toronto to protest the summit. My concern is that it has been alleged that funds were taken from the budgets of at least four student services—the Women's Resource Centre, the Pride Centre, the Student...

CLOSE YOUR EYES and imagine this: you have a class at 8:30 in the morning—drag—but you have to go. You can’t miss it because you vowed to ace this semester, unlike last. So you finally get there—late, of course—sit down, pull out your laptop and get ready to take some rockin' notes. But then—the prof is monotonously reading off the slides! Slides that you also realize are posted online! Then you check out the syllabus: midterm 25 per cent, essay...

IF THERE’S ONE thing I learned over my five years at the University of Ottawa (aside from the definition of gentrification and far more about permafrost than I ever wanted to know), it’s that a post-secondary education is what you make of it. Whether you want your time to be spent in a drunken haze, ensconced in a bubble of academia, or somewhere in between, the choice is entirely up to you. But what should you do with that choice?...

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. (CUP) – IT’S THE LAST five minutes of class, possibly the most important part, and the professor is just beginning to make an important announcement about an upcoming exam. Suddenly his or her voice is overshadowed by a cacophony of zippers and the flutter of rustling papers. The early exit manoeuvre and similar discourtesies happen daily and they are the best examples of the terrible classroom etiquette displayed by a certain contingent of students in every class....

STUDENTS AT THE University of Ottawa will finish off this academic year facing an interesting situation. In short, it is entirely unclear how we are ending this semester. This year, there was no banner campaign that brought students together. There was no sweeping event that summarized 2009–10. There were no inspiring circumstances that have encapsulated the last 12 months. At this point, the only memory students may take with them into the summer is of the March 23 Ann Coulter...

An open ransom letter to the Student Association of the Faculty of Arts - Final words on Coulter -

A procrastinator’s guide to writing an essay in 32 hours

IT’S THAT TIME of year again. Just as the weather starts getting nicer and patios open, it’s final paper season. Sitting down and writing that 12-page paper is a drag when there’s always something better going on, but never fear—the Fulcrum is here. Created for...

“RIPPED TO PIECES.” “Disgraces itself.” “The University of Ottawa failed.” Newspaper columnists and commentators from across the country have unequivocally—and almost unanimously—blacklisted our campus and supported right-wing U.S. pundit Ann Coulter’s name-calling in our direction. If they haven’t said it in their own words, they have republished her “bush league” and “U of Zero” quips after her U of O speaking engagement was cancelled following student protests March 23. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but after the actions of...

Readers weigh in on ‘free speech’ editorial - Response to ‘letter of denigration’ -

‘Who is to judge?’ - A ‘misinformed’ criticism - On Ann Coulter: ‘Let her speak’ - Shouting ‘fire’ in a crowded theatre - To the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa