Watching American Experience on RFK.
This is an important quote this is very true and it is a quote that he lived by:
“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality” – Dante Alighieri

The MSU on Friday decided to take a step back, cool down, and stop being angry at students for petitioning for a meeting of the SRA.  To the credit of some members of the SRA, they are now asking for student input:

Could something similar be going on here at McMaster?  It would explain why the MSU lead by the, not elected by the student body, Vice President Education is in favour of the University’s proposal to increase student fees.  We all know the MSU is in the University’s backpocket on this issue here.

Pruden accused of buying off CSU

Graduate students say CSU kept silent over fee increase for $50 000

By Giuseppe Valiante

A letter sent to the Link by dean of students Keith Pruden last week has ignited a debate about CSU-administration collusion over this year’s fee increase and $50,000 earmarked for the seventh floor student lounge.
Pruden wrote his letter in reply to another letter by Veronique Allard, former Graduate Student Association vice president, where she accuses the CSU of staying quiet about a fee increase in order to get $50,000 to pay for furnishing the seventh floor.
“Collusion between the admin and the CSU has reached truly outrageous proportions,” she wrote to the Link on Nov. 7.
Last semester, graduate students representatives complained that they were not properly informed about a student service fee increase until the very last minute—leaving them no time to effectively inform graduate students.
Bianca Mugyenyi, who sat on the Concordia Council for Student Life—the body that motioned for the student services fee increase—as a grad student representative said she found out about the fee increase “seconds before” she was supposed to vote on it.
She, along with the president of the GSA at the time, David Bernans, maintain that the undergraduate student reps knew about the fee increase in advance and deliberately kept the information from the graduate students. They also suggest that there was not any real effort in mobilizing undergrads or to inform them about the increase.
In his letter, Pruden admits to a request of $50,000 by the CSU to pay for the furnishing of the seventh floor lounge being “approved” by the special project funding subcommittee of CCSL, which he chaired.

Source: The Link: Concordia’s Independent Newspaper

 Good Job UOttawa students!   I have to also give a tip of the hat to the courts for not charging these students the filing fee.  I have gain a lot of confidence in the courts just for that.  They are allowing these citizens to seek what they believe is justice.  This case has the potential to be a landmark ruling and I will be watching it.

Ottawa students sue for more teaching assistants

Last Updated: Monday, November 27, 2006 | 1:22 PM ET

CBC News

Students taking “the activism course” at the University of Ottawa say they don’t have enough teaching assistants, so they are taking action — in the form of a lawsuit.

Six out of 113 students in the course formally called “SCI1101: Science in Society” are claiming the university breached a contract by not providing enough trained people to lead tutorials for the class, which is in its first year.

The course is taught by physics professor Denis Rancourt.

Students call it the “activism course” because each class begins with a lecture by a guest speaker such as an animal-rights or anti-arms activist, said Valérie Duchesnau, one of the students in the class.

The university-approved description of the course says it “critically examines the role of science and scientists in society and the responsibility of citizens having to deal with the complex socio-economic, environmental, political, and ethical issues raised by advances in science and technology.”

Duchesnau, 19, filed the lawsuit papers Thursday in small claims court.

Continue Article

Source: CBC News: Ottawa students sue for more teaching assistants

Freedom of Speech is under attack.  The place that it is most under attack is on university campuses.   The most recent example is at Carleton (CFS Local 1) where Council is about to ban completely any debate on the abortion issue.  This instead of promoting debate and letting people decide where they stand on issues.  This is becoming more and more common for students’ union in Canada to do; assume students are stupid and that the Students’ Union must treat them like children.  (No Ice Cream for You!)

There is the famous saying on the New England Holocaust Memorial:

They came first for the Communists,

and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

and by that time no one was left to speak up.

This poem laments the all too common, the government is not coming for me so I do not speak up for civil liberties.  To me, this issue is not about abortion, or any other issue for that matter.  It about freedoms, freedom of speech includes speech that I disagree with.  As a Pennsylvania state legislator, Rep. Mark B. Cohen of Philadelphia, once argued in a legislative debate, “Freedom of speech which is limited to freedom to say whatever a majority of the Pennsylvania legislature agrees with is not real freedom of speech”  That is how I feel about the limiting of speech by students’ union across Canada. 

Carleton student council moves to halt abortion debate

Last Updated: Monday, November 27, 2006 | 5:46 PM ET

CBC News

An anti-abortion group at Carleton University is crying “discrimination” over a proposed change to the student society’s discrimination policy.

Katy McIntyre, vice-president of services for the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), tabled a motion last week to amend the policy, saying “no CUSA resources, space, recognition or funding be allocated for anti-choice purposes.”

Shawn Menard, president of the association, said the motion was a response to complaints from a women’s group on campus, who reacted after a student club called Carleton Lifeline organized a debate on campus on whether elective abortion should be legal.

“It’s discriminatory to not provide a female with a choice surrounding her body,” Menard said.

Elective abortion has been legal in Canada for more than a decade.

Menard added that it’s not the first time the association has taken a stand — it has also opposed tuition hikes and racism.

But Sarah Fletcher, the president of Lifeline Carleton, said the motion discriminates against her beliefs and threatens religious clubs on campus.

“There are students at Carleton who do have a pro-life point of view, and those students need to be represented,” she said. “We feel it’s an infringement on our basic rights.”

Debaters baffled

The student council’s move has baffled members the Carleton University Debate Society, said Garnett Genius, the society’s vice president external.

“We believe strongly in free speech. We think that good ideas win fair debates,” he said.

“And we don’t really understand why it would be in the student union’s or the student body’s interests to suppress debate, around particularly … an issue that is so important.”

Menard said Carleton students are free to have that debate, but not in CUSA space and not with CUSA money.

The council will vote on the proposal on Dec. 5

Source: CBC News: Carleton student council moves to halt abortion debate

I got a mention in this weeks Toban for my work almost two years ago on UMSU Council:

I miss my UMSU Council days, great debate, great people I represented (That includes Caleb despite the recall, btw I lost your email man, get in touch), the other members of Council both on the left and right wings of Council.  Mostly, I miss the good food at Degree’s followed closely by the DDR sessions at IQs.  I am definitely looking at returning for my Grad Studies (sorry UManitoba Admin) or if the MSU gets it way (they want McMaster University to ban me from attending) I may return sooner.
Probably the best part about UMSU is how people are so professional.  I have been a vocal critic of certain policies or decisions taken there.  Never once has anyone threatened me or not talked to me or anything like that.  Instead, they agree to disagree. 
This includes Amanda Aziz.  Amanda is a great person, there is no if and or but about it.  We strongly disagree about the CFS.  She is the National Chair (the highest political position) and I am one of the leading (if not the leading) critic of the CFS.  Never once have we attacked each other personally.  Actually, we still talk (both being busy it has become less often, something I am responsible for in not getting back to all my emails) because that is the way things work.  I will however state that the idea that some student reporters have expressed to me be funny.  The idea is a graphic of Amanda and I versus each other.  It is untrue in the personal sense, but still be amusing.  Maybe I find it amusing because of how it would appear be that the graphic be of two people not necessarily two ideas. 

Now, in terms of Food Services at UManitoba.  I cannot take much of the credit at all.  There are many people that deserve much much much more credit than me.  I know I am going to leave so many people out if I made a list and it would take me hours to make the list. 

I will end this post with a list of links to my posts on Food Services during the time I was privileged to serve on UMSU Council:

• The Month Ahead (Feb 1/05) – a brief mention that I was working on food services
• Food Services Research (Feb 4/05) -  Announcing that I was booking the UMSU Council Chambers for my presentation to students and to get student input/feedback.
• Back from Meetings … working on Food Services (Feb 17/05) – a rant about how UManitoba was ripping off resident students and that one of the main reasons I was leaving UManitoba was the poor food.  Originally had pictures from my food services research which I lost at some point.
• Food Services Consultation Hearing (Feb 18/05) – The posting of the poster I had all over campus announcing the consultation hearing I was holding on Food Services. I have added the poster to the end of this blog post.
• The Students’ Union – We failed to step up this week (Feb 20/05) – A post where I lenient the fact that students on campus at UManitoba during reading week were unable to get any dinner on campus.  I felt that UMSU should have had our diner open for dinner.  This was done the following year (the diner being open for dinner).
• The Food Services Poster – Causing a Stir (Feb 22/05) – a post about the posters being ripped down in University controlled residence.  Turned out that it was a senior member of RSAC at the time that was doing the ripping down.  RSAC did not condone the actions of the member.
• The Posters and the Logo (Feb 22/05) – a post about my poster.  The University complained that the use of the UMSU logo was not authorized by UMSU Council.  I mistakenly (along with others on UMSU Council) thought that I could use the logo as a member.  Without the logo, the University banned the poster from rez.  Four days later, RSAC posted it in rez on the doors of residents.
• New Posters are Up (Feb 26/05) – a post saying that the new posters were up.
• Food Services Presentation (Mar 2/05) – a post I made right after my open house presentation.  My food services presentation was made available online at that point: Here is the link to the PowerPoint Presentation
• Another Aramark / UofM Rip-off (Mar 3/05) – a post about a meal that Aramark charged resident students $32 – 34 for but only $19 for non-resident students.
• Progress on Food Services (Mar 4/05) – announcement that the University would be meeting with me and UMSU on food services.
• Food Services the Latest Updates (Mar 5/05) – a post explaining the structure of the meeting
• Making News Instead of Commenting on It. (Mar 16/05) – The Manitoban publishes an extensive article about my work.
• U of M – Highest Meal Rates in The Country and Still Climbing (Mar 21/05) – announcement that the BoG had approved a hike to meal rates.  I also detail the cost of a meal and what you get for that cost.
• UMSU Council - (Mar 23/05) – the post where I announced my resignation from Council.  I did so in order to speak my mind freely in the meeting between UMSU and Administration.  I would be saying things that neither said would like and did not want them confused with being the position of SACSA or UMSU Council.
• Another Day - (Mar 30/05) – a clarification on my presentation is posted here.&n
  bsp; I spoke of how nice it was to have passed on the Food Service portfolio to others at UMSU.

The SFU Biology Grad Caucus Blog has an update from one of their leaders on the SFU court case today:

SFSS – 1st day in court

I attended the SFSS court hearing earlier today. Don Crane (attorney for the Petitioners – the impeached Directors) presented his arguments to the judge, and Susan Coristine (attorney for Respondent Jan Gunn and unimpeached Directors) presented the first half of her arguments. Court adjourned for the day at approximately 4 pm, and will resume tomorrow at 10 am. Tomorrow, Coristine will present the remainder of her arguments, Ulf Ottho (attorney for Respondents Titus Gregory and Bryan Jones) will present his arguments, and Don Crane will present his reply to the arguments of Coristine and Ottho. It’s possible – but unlikely – that the judge will deliver his ruling tomorrow. More likely, he will take a few days to consider the arguments, and issue a ruling sometime next week.

- Clea

posted by Bisc Grad Caucus at 5:56 PM

It is amazing how much the students leaders at SFU communicate with their members.  Keep up the good work!

Source: SFU Biology Grad Caucus: SFSS – 1st day in court

 The Green Party campaigned heavily in the recent by-election in the riding of London-North-Centre, this included campaigning on the campus of UWO.  Credit should be given for at least entering a campus to campaign, however as the Gazette news story on the issue and the Editorial on the issue state; the Green Party went too far.

Source: The Gazette :: Pushy campaigns help no one

The McGill Daily reports today that the vote held three weeks ago at McGill has resulted in a 73.9% vote in favour of withdrawl of SSMU from the FEUQ.  However, the J-Board of SSMU did point how the question was bias and a perfect example of the kind of question to avoid.  It, however, was not a violation of the rules governing SSMU.  As such, the J-Board ruled the vote valid.

Source: The McGill Daily

Someone was kind enough to point this out.  I am not surprised with Kyle Park not liking my position.  He hates the idea of being accountable.  His statements prove this time and time again.  I will comment to this conversation between these SRA members. 

That is correct, there will be a ‘show’ as Kyle Park states.  I will continue to press for open accountable and transparent governance.
For the record, I have no critism of Ms. Roberts.  She puts ‘show’ in quotes clearly showing she is not of the same opinion as Mr. Park.  I also enjoy that Mr. Park has taken a copyrighted image without permission from The Varsity.  This is the same Kyle Park who is ranting along with Paul Jones that the MSU should look into charging me with slander for my column in The Silhouette and for this blog.  For the record, I could care less that he uses a copyrighted photo.  I am just pointing out the irony. 
Also, here is (yes I am using the copyrighted photo, but this falls under the definition of ‘fair dealing’) the entire photo which was taken when Kyle Park was challenging the Speaker on behalf of the Executive and the Executive is hundling together to try to overrule fair process: