Cusa Executive Blog

Mix-(Tape) '06

2007-01-05T12:51:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, hopefully it will be a great year for us all. I thought I'd do a sort of MixTape list for 2006. The songs aren't all from '06, so maybe you're thinking what's the point, well... In any event here are 20 top-shelf tracks that I just couldn't stop listening to this past year;

K'Naan - In the Beginning
The Stills - Destroyer
Belle and Sebastien - White Collar Boy
The Riverboat Gamblers - Don't Bury Me...I'm Not Dead Yet
Bruce Springsteen - I'm Goin' Down
Desmond Dekker - Keep a Cool Head
The Methadones- Mess We Make
Snow Patrol - Hands Open
The Dixie Chicks - Not Ready To Make Nice
Greg Graffin - Don't Be Afraid To Run
Beyonce - Irreplaceable
The Hold Steady - Banging Camp
Lost Patrol - It's Alright
K-OS - Valhalla
Matisyahu - Time of Your Song
Camille - Ta Douleur
My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade
Hard-Fi - Hard To Beat
The Hellacopters - Go Easy Now
Surfjan Stevens - Decatur...

How'd I do?

Let me know what your MixTape '06 would look like...nothing wrong with some new music.

Cheers

Isaac Cockburn
VP Student Issues
vpsi@cusaonline.com

A Prediction

2006-12-11T12:47:00.000-05:00

It's no secret...I enjoy the occasional wager. As of yet it has not been problematic, time will tell I suppose, however such a sin in moderation is theoretical sustainable. That being said I quite relished the recent Liberal leadership info-mercial, where young Bob Rae was vanquished. You see I predicted this and scored a beer off it (thank you Mr. Boyko). In fact I predicted (albeit meekly) as early as July that Stephane Dion would win. Now, this was based purely on the fact that Ignatieff and Rae were unacceptable choices strategically for the power-savvy Libs. Whatever, I didn't advertise it then so I shouldn't expect credit now...fair.

So in that vein I'm publicly making this prediction: THERE WILL BE NO ELECTION THIS SPRING. Surely this public declaration will lead to my exposure as prognostically inept, so be it. That being said, my rationale is two-fold;

1) This country is on the precipice of election fatigue. The sense of irritation at another election was palpable last time and will be even worse this time. The 'Dion Renewal' will not be enough to overcome this. The strategy bigwigs would be wise to not position themselves as the one's who forced a spring election should there be one. Especially if its the Libs that bring down the House. How easy it will be for Harper to say, "We're just trying to govern, the power-mad Liberals won't even give us a chance."

2) I think Harper and crew actually aren't scared of Dion. More to that point I think Dion's alledged 'under-estimation' by the public/media is valid (although all the analysis of Dion being under-estimated by people is really a double negative, so I actually don't think he's been under-estimated after all - except I suppose by me). I'm not so sure Dion was the best choice. And when rumours swirl that the Harperites are less scared of Dion then say Ignatieff, it rings true in my ears. So then why would Harper want to rush into another electorale forray where the eventual outcome would likely return him with another minority. If he's not scared of Dion wouldn't he want to wait until he thought he was in a position to take the big cake?

So here's a bold prediction, the next federal election will be in the early summer of 2008, as next fall is out - there's an Ontario provincial election, and nobody like winter elections...

But what do I know?

Isaac Cockburn
VP Student Issues

Guest Blogger: Ashley Hunkin, Womyn's Centre Programming Coordinator

2006-11-22T23:28:00.000-05:00

CUSA creates a lot of posters each week, so might even say too many posters each week. We plaster the campus with brightly coloured posters in a mad dash to catch the eye of the average student, and gain their interest in our events or causes. The Service Centre’s are actively involved in this process, and the Womyn’s Centre is no exception.

Recently the Womyn’s Centre launched our “Is This Equality” poster campaign. The idea was simple… most people think that gender equality has been realised, but statistically the fight is far from over, therefore the Womyn’s Centre should share these statistics.

We started with one of the most important, and startling facts. As found by StatsCan in 2003, Canadian Women earn 63cents for every $1 Canadian Men earn. In less then a week someone had replied… literally… by writing their opinion on the poster. In response to the statistic the person had written that this was misleading because female doctors earn more then male tradespeople, and that its people in the trades who earn less money, not women.

Interesting… and frankly that’s kinda the point of this statistic. The statistic does not say that all female doctors earn almost 40 cents less then male doctors, it says that the average wage of Canadian women is 63% of the average wage of Canadian men. So if we have equal pay for equal work why is this so? Firstly its because of the type of careers women end up in. Women are predominantly found in the lower paying service sector of the economy. They are far less likely to hold executive positions then men, and are more likely to live below the poverty line.

So here’s my question. If we know that the average wage of Canadian women is 37% lower then that of men, why do you think this is? Why is it that in a society which values gender equality women as a group are earning such dramatically lower wages then men?

Also, what do you think would fix the problem?

Hate Hurts Week was awesome... and I have the pictures to proove it

2006-11-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

Hello again everyone!
Well, Hate Hurts Week was a huge success. There was lots of discussion, lots of sharing and lots of motivation for action that arose from the week. The posters, the tree and the events raised a lot of discussion and provoked many students to get more involved in thier campus community. But, hey, I know you just wanna see the pictures. Here goes:

Here's the fabulous "Tree of Respect". I think they're still kicking around the Unicentre Hallways but I'm doing what I can to get them to pass into Tree Heaven.

Here's a few of the leaves written by students. It was so amazing to see the honest testimonies or ideas that students were putting forth and volunteering. Whether it was cathartic or inspiring, the tree really got a lot of students talking.

Here's the whole slew of "Hate Huts Me" posters. They were so popular, but at first it was so hard to find people to volunteer for them! The week before, I spent hours trying to get people to volunteer to be on a poster around school and after a while, I managed to convince a few people. An hour after they went up, however, everyone wanted to be on one! Maybe we'll do another run some day...

Anyways, that's all for now. Keep posted for AIDS Awareness Week happenings!

Love, Katy

The Sens Are All Right

2006-11-08T10:52:00.000-05:00

It's hard to be a sports fan in Ottawa. There's the tragic comedy that is the on-again/off-again Canadian football franchise, a wicked Triple-A baseball team noone watches, not to mention the legions of obnoxious Leaf fans. So its been a wonderful respite to have the mighty Ottawa Senators tear up the NHL (in the regular season) for the past decade. But this year, man, its just not going good. Redden's been hurt, Spezza thinks he's back in the OHL (enough with the drop passes!), Alfie's got the same disease Markus Naslund had last year, Fisher's got no finish, Gerber can't seem to find any glove oil (lets go trainers, seriously). But for all that, I'm hear to re-assure the skittish among you...the Sens will be just fine. More than anything this early adversity might be just what we need, a little less Harlem Globetrotters a little more elbow grease, worked for Edmonton last year. More than any other league the NHL rewards co-ordinated team work which is what makes it so good. And hey, I'd rather endure a trying regular season with a long playoff run, then the traditional Sens flame-out we've all grown so accustomed to. That being said...PICK IT UP SENS!

...go see Borat

...don't be afraid to like the new My Chemical Romance disc 'Welcome to the Black Parade' it's freaking sweet

Isaac Cockburn
VPSI

Hate Hurts Week: it's not as lame as you think it is

2006-11-07T13:41:00.000-05:00

So, this week is Hate Hurts Week in the Service Centres. It's not, as many people have tried to guess, a week long love-in or a end all solution to racism / homophobia / agism / etc. It is, however, an open forum in which we students can address and take action against issues of discrimination that arise on campus.

We're lucky that at Carleton there are not truly scary hate crimes or incidents of discrimination, however, just because we don't have those, dosen't mean that hate doesn't still happen on our campus. The Service Centres are hoping this week to bring awareness and discussion of how hate still happens and offer students a forum to change things up.

We're doing it in 3 main ways:

POSTER CAMPAIGN: Hate Hurts Me… check out the 7 different posters featuring Carleton students who have experienced hate in their lives. Interested? Intrigued? Come meet them at the table in the Atrium and share your story.

TREE OF RESPECT: Respect grows from knowledge so join us in the atrium to add to our art installation piece. We've made a Tree of Respect that will fill up throughout the week with students ideas on how to end discrimination and testimonies form thier lives. So drop by to add your own testimonies or ideas and also find out more about the CUSA Service Centres.

HATE HURTS WEEK FILM FEST: Come out and join us for 8 films that address issues of discrimination and hate. After each movie will be a brief discussions about the issues raised in the films, so join us for some great films and free popcorn. A full listing of the films are on all of the posters.

So that's the run down. I hope you come out, get involved and start thinking of how you view other students. Respect grows from knowledge, so ask questions and learn more.

Cheers,
Katy

Trick or Eat... yay!

2006-11-07T13:35:00.000-05:00

I just thought I'd put this up here as a big thank you to all of the students who came out for Trick or Eat this year! We collected a tonne of food... literally! 1000lbs for the Ottawa Food Bank. Big thanks have to be given to Adrian Brett who orgainized all of the event: way to go.

For anyone else who wants to get involved in another creative food drive, contact the Food Centre at foodcentre@cusaonline.com to help out for the holiday drive.

Plus, I also realized that putting this picture online would really piss of James Pratt. Huzzah!

Thursday, Thursday... can't trust that day...

2006-11-02T18:47:00.000-05:00

So, it’s Thursday again, which means another issue of the Charlatan. Today, I thought I’d offer my perspective on a couple points raised so that you can draw your own conclusions through balancing the information you gather.
___________________________________________

1. Report versus Review: Okay, let’s start off with the basics. I wrote a report, not a review. As charged by CUSA council, my mandate over the past month has been to compose a report on the Hiring practices employed since the beginning of my term. I was to prepare this document so that council and students could review it when the document was made public. The Charlatan bashed me for not reviewing, just reporting. However, it would be irresponsible if I were the only one reviewing the practices? That’s why we made it a discussion item at council: so it could be reviewed.

2. Recomendations? The Charlatan seemed displeased that I didn’t make any recommendations within the report. Well, to be honest, I didn’t. That’s because I don’t believe that I should sit on making change when change needs to be made. I have been in office since March and I haven’t been sitting on my recommendations for changes in Hiring procedures, I’ve been putting them into action. I made motions in August to amend Bylaw IX to make the Hiring Board composition more accountable to students. I updated deliberation and interview practices of the board to increase consistency and transparency. I have been making these changes all spring and summer, so I’m sorry if I didn’t wait until I was called upon to do so. I’m the kind of person who fixes things as I see them, not wait until it’s politically apt to do so. I think it would have been irresponsible not to make changes as they needed to be made.

3. Past Procedure The Charlatan made a big issue out of the fact that there were no hiring procedures in the past. Well, they’re wrong about this. Firstly, if you see the Hiring Report, I did cite two other written reports on Hiring Practices. Secondly, they were not reported publicly because, quite frankly, no one asked. However, they have been the hiring practices that have been used for the past 7 years that this position has existed. I was more than happy, however, to expand on them as council charged me to do.

4. Self-glorifying? Please.The Charlatan also accused me of “patting [myself] on the back” and “self-glorifying” the report. Well, I take great offence to this. I take my charge from students. What they want me to do, I do. They wanted me to write this report, I did it and was pleased to do so. I did, however, mention that I was proud of and confident in every single one of the coordinators that we have working for CUSA Services. They do fantastic work and they work their tails off for Carleton students. If that is the “patting” on the back they want me to stop, I’m sorry, I’m not going to do that. We have the best staff in CUSA Services and I’m so glad to be able to work with them.

5. Committee? The Charlatan editorial also suggested that a hiring committee be struck to review the report. This, to me, seems a little redundant as the entire council reviewed the report at the last meeting. However, if any student or councillor wants to amend our hiring practices, they can do that any time throughout the year through our Constitution and Policy committee or council.

6. Womyn's Centre Collective Seat The Charlatan article also accused me of removing the seat of a Womyn’s Centre collective member from the hiring board the same year the board selected a non-collective member for a coordinator. Well, this is completely false. The seat was removed due to the preferential hiring treatment it caused in 2002, many years before I was at Carleton and quite before this non-collective member could have applied. This accusation is foolish and misleading.
________________________________________________________________

But hey, this is just some point of clarification I wanted to make. It’s your right to make up your mind for yourself. I do want to say though that my door is always open. I really mean that. I usually only close my door when I go home at night. I’m literally always at school and I’m always willing to sit down and talk to students. Or, if you prefer, you can also e-mail or call me.

Please, though, don’t hide behind a paper to make criticism. If you are concerned about something, come talk to me. I’m here to represent you. If you want me to do something different, you need to let me know; I can’t change things I don’t know about. I’m really passionate about the work that I do in the service centres and I want you to get passionate about them to.

Thanks for reading, and visit me any time.

Sincerely,
Katy

Read it for yourself:
CUSA VPSS Hiring Report http://www.cusaonline.com/exec.html
(look under my profile)

Kenny Rogers?

2006-10-25T12:39:00.000-04:00

There seems to be a little stink about Kenny Rogers cheating in game 2 of the World Series. There are countless pictures that show a brown substance on his hand in the first inning, a substance that was removed before the second innning at the Cardinals' and umpires request. It seems people want to make a big deal out of it, where as I prefer to focus on the 7 scoreless innings he pitched after removing the shit from his hand.
Now I'll start out by saying I am not a Tigers fan, but being as they sucked for so long I've decided to follow them this post season, since my Red Sox and their $120 million payroll didn't even make it into the playoffs. At the same time people hate athletes as much as they love them, and people like Rogers' are called cheaters. Or how about guys like Ricky Williams who are villianized because they like to smoke a joint? Then there are legitimate cheaters like Mark MaGuire who wont testify in front of Congress, this may not mean he is guilty of any use of banned substance, but if you chart his physique from his early days with the A's to the end of his career, it's hard to believe that he wasn't on the juice. On the flip side there are assholes like T.O. who are cancers on any time they play on, sure they don't cheat and their stars, but tell me Ricky Williams is as much as a pissant as Owens is?

Where am I going with this, nowhere really, but let's just relax and watch some good sports.

Blake.

The snail returns.

2006-10-24T11:22:00.000-04:00

So, after recieving much feedback about the snail I thought that I would post up some pics of what the little guy looks like. As you can see, he's quite large and slimy but also quite endearing.

And as interesting as the snail is (and as adorable as he is) I also want to use this oppertunity to talk for a minute about the Food Centre.

Lots of students know it exists but many more don't. What does it do exactly? Well, we certainly use it an a centre for advocating for food security and anti-poverty issues but it's most important function is that it has an emergency food assistance service. And it's open to all students; yes, even you.

There seems to be a stigma about using a food bank but I'd like to propose that there shouldn't be. Especially for students who are already burdened with high tuition fees, high cost of living expenses and not a lot of free time to make extra money. You're here in school to learn, so use the services available and let us help with grocieres. All you have to do is pick up a form from the door and return it to the food centre or CUSA office.

Although it's frusterating that student use of food banks is increasing across Canada, we'd rather have you worry about your next test than your next meal. Not all of us are like my snail who can go without eating for days. There's a reason the Food Centre is here on campus at Carleton so don't be afraid to use it.

Cheers,
Katy

Of Caesar's and Voiceboxes

2006-10-18T16:58:00.000-04:00

Those who know me well realize that I have an undying affection for a certain drink. It's the type of unique drink that has a different taste in every pub, bar, club and even at home. It is typically a summer drink but is great at any time (especially the next day after a night out on the town). Caesar's come in all shapes and sizes but have quickly become my favourite Canadian cultural fad. Why the cultural fad you ask? That’s because Caesar's are made with clamato juice, which is ubiquitous with Canadian grocery stores but not in many other countries.

How do I make my own Caesar you ask? Well………

-Cut up a piece of lemon or lime (I prefer lemon) and slide it around the top of the glass so that it forms a ring of juice
-Turn the glass upside down and rim it with celery salt
-Next, put in ice cubes filling the glass half-way and drop a shot of Worcester sauce in as well as a few drops of tabasco (more if you like it really spicy).
-I like putting Olives in there too and eating them afterwards
-Next pour 1 shot (or more) of vodka in
-Fill the glass to the rim with Mott’s clamato juice “the works”
-Some people put a celery stick in there as well

Some places in Ottawa to get a Caesar:

-Quinn’s on bank street: Great Caesar’s. Very different because they use pickle juice and horseradish
-Blue cactus in the market: One of the best in O-town
-The Keg: Ask for their keg size and you won’t be disappointed
-Hard Rock café: But only if you ask a guy named Noah Goddard to make it.
-The fox and the feather on Elgin St: You can get pitchers of Caesar’s here!
-Thirsty toad: they boast “the best Caesar’s in Ottawa”. They are damn good but I don’t know about the best.
-Oliver’s: ??? I may have to go down after work today and find out!

Peace,

Shawn

ps. Lets bring back the voicebox people....it must live on....

An Economic Argument

2006-10-16T17:41:00.000-04:00

I believe education is a right. In a country as great as Canada, there's no way to justify denying young Canadians a chance to excell through education. Just like health care, sound foreign policy and road maintenance the government should allow for young Canadians to get a shot at quality, accesible education. This is currently not the state of affairs. Able students are turning away because the price tag is just too high. A recent StatsCan survey entitled 'Youth in Transition' asked graduating High School students who chose not to further their education why this was: more than 70% said it was financial barriers. That's what we call an overwhelming majority. When you put that stat beside the stat that shows that over 70% of new Canadian jobs require some form of post-secondary education, a distressing trend emerges. The appeal for quality, accesible education does not rest solely on moral ground, it's an economic issue as well.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently released it annual 'competitiveness' rankings. Canada slipped again this year, all the way to 16th place. Among the 15 countries ahead of us, if there was a common trend among an admitedly diverse group, it's the amount of governmental investment in education. It seems the remedy for Canada's underperformance in global competitiveness is not tax cuts, as the CanNeo-Cons would have us believe. In a refreshing bit of economic analysis it seems investment in education is the ticket for a more competitive economy. Who knew, investment in education makes economic sense.

Isaac Cockburn
VP Student Issues

People are reading this!

2006-10-10T17:34:00.000-04:00

First things first...KRS-One is fan-freaking-nominal, hip-hop shows have generally been a let down in my experience, not KRS-One. Insanity I say, insanity! Words do not do justice...WOW. Those who caught the show are lucky folks indeed. Looking forward to Lewis Black this Sunday at the NAC.

As for the response to the Ignatieff post, its genuinely exciting people felt compelled to engage. I am by no means an Ignatieff expert, nor do I have any vested interest in who becomes the next Liberal leader. But honestly, from what I've read it seems Ignatieff supports torture, perhaps his view is more nuanced than, say, D. Rumsfeld's, don't give him a lot of credit for that however. I believe torture is wrong full stop. According to very reputable and knowing sources it doesn't work, furthermore the idea of spreading democracy through torture seems like a bad gameplan.

If Ignatieff and/or his supporters don't want people talking about how he supports torture, then he shouldn't support torture.

Sometimes I don't manage to check the blog as often as I should, if anyone would like to send me a direct email feel free to do so at...vpsi@cusaonline.com

Happy belated Thanksgiving

Big respect to all the turkey basters out there, for me this year it was my dad's girlfriend (Andrea) and my girlfriend's mom (Jean)...love it!

Isaac Cockburn
VP Student Issues

Ignatieff Supports Torture

2006-09-28T11:04:00.000-04:00

Think what you want about Canadian politics. Support whoever you think will do the best job for your riding and country. But always remember what politicians really stand for. Michael Ignatieff supports the use of torture. This, in my opinion, should be something to consider when forming an opinion about the very recently re-patriated ex-pat. In very stark terms torture doesn't seem to work. Don't take my word for it, ask Vietnam POW John McCain or the multitude of other authoritative voices who know best. How does Michael Ignatieff have a better read on the torture issues than John McCain? The would-be Liberal leader (whom Carleton seems to be endorsing) seems to think that torture is OK in certain circumstances. Is this what we want from a potential political leader? I would say definitively no. I feel it is important to keep attention on this aspect of Mr. Ignatieff's character. As his presence in the public eye continues it is my fear that his extreme views on international relations will fade into the shadows. This is not right. Mr. Ignatieff supports torture. Mr. Ignatieff, like Mr. Harper, supports the current American war in Iraq. I believe he is wrong on both these issues. I hope the public doesn't let 'these things he believes' escape the public eye.

Isaac Cockburn
VP Student Issues

Listen To Good Music

2006-09-21T13:38:00.000-04:00

Bad Religion is awesome! If for some reason you've never heard Bad Religion, stop disrespecting yourself and go get some. Bad Religion is so good it sometimes makes me wonder why I bother listening to other music at all. So if you've never heard them get up, and go out to buy a CD, download a track, steal a live DVD...whatever. They played last night at the Civic Centre (with Dropkick Murphys, who are actually a lot better then I give them credit for - at least live) and, man, they're just really good. Music at its finest...

For the record I have no doubt Greg Graffin thinks tuition fees are way too high!

Isaac Cockburn
VP Student Issues

Oliver's is coming!

2006-09-21T12:04:00.000-04:00

Alot of people have been asking about this one, and I post in the hopes the word gets spread even further.

Oliver's is on it's way, for those of you on campus in the Unicentre you can see the progress everyday, the hype is starting to build, and by the looks of the world of facebook, people are excited. I know there are a lot of displaced people every thursday in September - hold tight it's coming.

So with that in mind the first week of October is approaching and things are going well. Opening week is going to be crazy with a couple of Leafs/Sens games, and a banging Thursday night.

We've got an all new dance floor, 2 brand new 42" plasma tv's, all new interior, an expanded kitchen, and oh yeah, a kick ass new patio.

I can't wait.

Learning to love those who hurt you.

2006-09-19T13:09:00.000-04:00

So, I have this snail. And we're not talking a tiny, typical garden snail here, my snail is about the size of your fist and actually quite terrifying. It is for these reasons - and frankly, because it sounded good - that we named him "Chainsaw".

Chainsaw lived in my fish tank with a plethora of fish of all different varieties. He was an interesting addition to the tank because he offset the fast, playful movements of the fish with his slow, steady pace.

However, one morning, my appreciation for his graceful movements turned sour when I noticed that I couldn’t find one of my fish. After searching the tank, surrounding areas, tiny plastic castle crevices and the inner workings of the filter, I called the pet store to gently inquire if snails ate fish.

“Oh yes,” the polite cashier informed me, “I once had one that ate a whole family of guppies.” Horrified at the news I have just received, I dragged the old, dirty aquarium out of storage and banished the snail to its own solitude in a crappy tank and then sent packing to live in my partner’s apartment.

After months of giving the snail the silent treatment, I have begun to come round again. To be fair, the snail was just doing what it thought it must do; it’s in a snail’s nature to eat fish.

So what have I learned? You can’t be mad at someone if you haven’t given them a chance; if I had learned a little more about snails before I had bought one, perhaps I would have know that they eat fish and would have set up the snail in a nice new tank so it could thrive from the start. Instead, I dwelled on the sadness the snail had caused me, despite the fact that I had set it up to do what it did.

So, before you ignore or write someone off for wronging you, consider their perspective and their history. Perhaps they’re acting in the only way the know; perhaps you can help them act in a positive, productive fashion they have not employed before. Give them a chance is all I’m saying.

And, you’ll be glad to know that I’ve welcomed the snail back into my abode. It’s happy and well fed… although, it’s still in its own, separate tank.

Love Katy
Your VPSS

Our Deepest Sympathies

2006-09-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

On behalf of the Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA) executive, the staff here in the office, and the greater CUSA family at large, we would like to express our deepest sympathies to those affected by the horrific events that took place yesterday at Dawson College in Montreal. Never should an educational institution be a place of fear. We applaud the bravery of the students and staff who suffered through the ordeal, the paramedics who were on the scene as well as the Montreal police. Only by working together can we assure a tradgedy like this never happens again.

The Carleton University Students' Association

My Love Affair With Warren Kinsella

2006-09-13T09:07:00.000-04:00

I'll premise this one by saying my bias towards Mr. Kinsella stems out of our common interest in punk rock, and not because of his work for the Right Honourable Jean Chretien and a handful of other Liberals. Kinsella for those of you who dn't know, was the former special assistant to Chretien and perhaps most impressive, a graduate of Carleton University. A lawyer by trade, Kinsella has recently completed a book on the punk music scene, which I find far more valuable than his work on the Liberal campaign in 1993, albeit in 1993 I was ten years old and had just discovered there was more to music than my mother's Genesis records. I am also toeing a fine line even blogging about Kinsella given his attacks and lawsuit on some bloggers for words the wrote about his alleged involvement in the Liberal sponsorship scandal. Regardless, I am not here to attack or defend the man, just to outline my sheer interest and respect for his ability to 'keep it real' in an age when politicians and political advisors alike are afraid to show a human face. Currently Kinsella plays in a punk band called Shit From Hell while at the same time continuing to write about the media and politics in general. I don't really know where I'm going with this, maybe just that he's a little more fresh then most of the current and former Parliament hill yuppies who don't have a clue. He's the kind of guy I would vote for [although not the kind of guy Canadians could vote for in 1997]. On Kinsella's website [www.warrenkinsella.com]they even managed to dig up a quote from the Right Honourable Stephen Harper saying ""I really think that Warren guy is on to something." I think he is. If a guy can work for Chretien while simultaneously writing a book on Bad Religion and the Buzzcocks he's alright in my books.

Music is life.

Blake Brooks
VP External

Check Your Local Listings

2006-09-12T11:16:00.000-04:00

Question: where were you Sunday night? If you answered waiting in line at Barrymore's this blog entry is directed at you. Nothing specifically against Barrymore's but what's up with waiting in line, or in a broader sense why do people in Ottawa love waiting in line so much? I sense my personal preferences are surely of interest to you so I'll share this little morcel; I won't wait in line. Won't do it! Call me what you like, but I refuse to wait in line for a club. If there was anyway to avoid line-ups at airport security I'd skip those too. In fact, financial capacity assumed, I would re-route a trip through freaking Anchorage, if I could be assured there would be no line waiting. Now, since I intend this to be a positive campaign against waiting in line, I'd like to present an alternative: if ever the line is too long at a particular club...go somewhere else! This way you'll spend less time waiting outside to get into a bar where you won't be able to move/get drinks. In fact, you may even discover a new place, an interesting place, a place where you can talk or even purchase drinks without having an aneurysm. For example on the aforementioned Sunday night there was a pretty cool show at Babylon (the French Kicks and the Sound Team), however, there was no line outside the club, and henceforth it was not that highly attended. Perhaps a marketing major out there can explain to me why people love waiting in line so much. But in the meantime Ottawa...stop waiting in line.

To avoid waiting in line check out the XPress every week for solid concert and club listings. And hey if you know of any cool nights or shows that are coming up post'em is the comments section.

Plus this...TUITION FEES ARE WAY TOO HIGH!!!!!!

Isaac Cockburn
VPSI

Save $ on Books

2006-09-11T12:56:00.000-04:00

There is a new federal tax credit for the cost of textbooks, which will provide a tax reduction of about $80 per year for post secondary students who are enrolled full time. All you have to do is save your reciepts and when your T4 comes in, there will be a section to claim the tax credit.

Take advantage of that......k?

Next time I post I'll give all you people the best places to get Caesar's in O-town and maybe some other CUSA-related stuff ;)

Shawn

Here It Comes...

2006-09-08T13:06:00.000-04:00

Welcome Back!

It's nice to have everyone around here again, this campus was getting a little ghost like over the summer, although it sure wasn't any quieter with all the construction going on. By now, if you are like me, you're already starting to stress about classes and money and everything else, I suppose that's natural. With that in mind there are still a few ways to relax.

1. Come check out the BBQ for AIDS in the Tory Quad on Wednesday September 13th. This is for a solid cause, and $5 gets you pretty much the cheapest lunch on campus starting at 11:30 AM and running to 2 PM

2. Go see a show: MOBILE and KARDINAL OFFISHALL with MISSION DISTRICT on Tuesday September 19th in Porter Hall (on the 2nd floor of the Unicentre between Mike's Place and Ziggy's). Tickets are $15 and they go on sale Monday September 11th at the CUSA and RRRA offices.

These are only a couple that come to mind. Take 'er easy and don't forget to keep your cigarettes in the DSA's.

Cheers!

Blake Brooks
VP External

The Beauty of 80%

2006-09-07T18:16:00.000-04:00

Some issues are very controversial. I'll spare myself identifying which I think are the most likely to start a drunken pub debate. That being said, it's awfully encouraging to read a public opinion surevey that shows that over 80% of Ontarians believe tuition fees are too high. With such overwhelming approval it's a bit curious that Premier McGuinty would introduce an education package that will see tuition fees in this province RISE any where form 20-36% over the next four years, thereby dubiously annointing Ontario as the most expensive place to get a post-secondary education anywhere in our great country. It's bewildering, the voting citizens of Ontario already think tuition fees are too high and now the distinguished Premier is making fees higher? Odd, no?

The facts are facts, the vast majority of Ontarians are in agreement - TUITION FEES ARE WAY TOO HIGH! It's nice to see an issue that nearly everyone in the province can agree on, it might even bring people closer together. No left-wing/right-wing divide here, no great ideological schism in the populus, on this one issue there is concensus. It's a refreshing change. And hey, it's no reason for the government to panic. All they need to do is reverse their bone-headed education 'framework' in favour of one that increases accessibility without saddling aspiring students with a crippling debtload...

4 out of 5 Ontarians can't be wrong...can they Premier?

Isaac Cockburn
VP Student Issues

Welcome to CUSA

2006-08-29T14:27:00.000-04:00

Hello there,

just a quick welcome and update for students:

The executive and staff have been working all summer for students on great initiatives. CUSA will be leading the fight for an accessible, quality post-secondary education system through the February 7th coalition. The coalition will be the organising committee to oppose the Provincial Liberal plan to increase tuition fees by 20%-36%.

As well, we will be opening a brand new Oliver’s pub and patio in late September, prioritizing more funds for areas where most students utilize CUSA such as clubs and societies, service centres and an expanded programming budget for more bands, comedians and speakers, all at a lower cost.

We are looking into a fall reading week with the potential of a referendum to be held this year on the issue and, as promised, the opening of a brand new aboriginal service centre will occur. We also lowered the cost to participate in orientation by 25%.

This year’s CUSA executive has put a high priority on getting out of our office and letting you know what we’ve been up to. In addition to the union (a CUSA publication starting in September) we will be showing up in your classes, keeping up to date blogs on cusaonline.com and showcasing the new roaming CUSA kiosk.

We look forward to seeing you around campus and look for us handing out free Roosters coffee with The Union every month!

Sincerely,

Shawn Menard
CUSA President

The First One

2006-08-24T12:19:00.000-04:00

Alright, so this is the first blog from the CUSA executive. This is just a test.