Referendum?

Let's get political!

So. Most of you may have noticed there is a student referendum going on on campus. It's kind of hard to miss, what with it being right in the joint entrance to the university and college. I'm going to assume most of you know what the referendum is about. Even the pictures out front will show you it's about the student centre. The general gist is this: NUSU and CSRC want control of money they claim the university should be giving them to do the expansion the way they want, but the university claims it is following protocol.

But there's no way to hide from this issue. We can't hide our heads in our books! And it's partly because no one will let us, which should be a good thing. But I have some quibbles with this situation which I am going to divulge, at the expense of potentially receiving some backlash for my opinions.

My first issue is the approach that NUSU and CSRC are taking to make students aware of what is going on. Yes, students need to be informed, but not harassed. If I would like to walk past the people handing out flyers without taking one, please let me walk casually by. I am aware of the politics and arguments. I have read the official Nipissing email, I have read the comments on the Facebook group, and I have developed opinions. I realize some people haven't, and I have always been a supporter of freedom of expression (e.g., Jesus Coke blog post from last year), but I also believe that I have a right to get to my class on time, and being blocked by those who inform us has infringed on that ability for me for much of the past week. In one instance, three spokespeople literally trapped me.

It's not just the general student populace who is feeling the brunt of this. I know that some students who are connected to NUSU in various ways have been pressured into wearing the referendum shirts, even without being fully educated on the topic.

So I voted. I shant say which way, I don't want to sway things, but when I showed my student card and got my voting paper, I was given an additional little bright yellow slip. It was *suspense* a coupon for a free fry at the Wall. Not only that, but it's only valid on voting days. This disturbed me. Voting should not have incentives attached to it. This is democracy. Democracy shouldn't be tainted by promises of fast food. It influences the votes. It may get more people to vote, but it can sway the votes that are given. This tactic bothers me. It's seems to verge on nepotism to me. The NUSU, CSRC, and Wall facebook walls all encourage students to vote and get free fries. For all we know, these are false promises built on free coffee, donuts, and french fries.

When I vote, I'd also like a little booth so I know my vote is confidential. The table is just that--a table with two boxes. There was someone behind me when I voted. It was awkward. This wouldn't be permitted in real elections. If the student unions are taking this as seriously as they claim, measures to ensure confidentiality should be a given.

We've received a biased perception. This is normal in politics, but I personally don't want to take for granted that the student unions are acting in my best interest. It's a difficult time, too, because the elected executive shifts over the summer, when most students aren't even here. It's hard enough figuring out what is going on when you're on campus. They have compared the university to a parent, controlling the money they feel they have a right to. But the university says they do give the money, on request. Perhaps, if the student unions are not behaving appropriately in their tactics, they do need a parent to keep them in check. As always with politics though, it is difficult to know which is the best option.

Either way, the student centre is going to be changed, no matter who is in control of those funds, and I think that is what is most important. We just want to know our money is not being misappropriated, but instead of hearing about where those funds are going, we hear who is in control of the money. That would be in the students' best interests. Apparently, in this case, money is power.

[Photo by author; no license infringement]

Environ-mental

Do you remember Flip a Cup? No, not the drinking game. The drinking caffeine environmental initiative!

If yes, skip the following paragraph in square brackets.

[If no, read me! Flip a Cup was an environmentally savvy program at Nipissing involving Tim Hortons and bright lime green travel mugs. If you wanted to be environmentally friendly (and who doesn't want to be, especially when it's convenient?), you could pick up one of said attractive mugs, order your hot Tim Hortons beverage, then return the cup to designated bins around the campus. The travel mugs were washed and reused continuously.]

Great concept, right? I thought so. Except it had its flaw. A fatal flaw, if you will. People just took the mugs home with them ... mug after mug. Just pick one up, get your coffee, take the mug home. This method still would have worked if the students had brought the mugs back and reused them. But alas, it was not to be.

I have to say I was quite disappointed when this initiative failed. So, I have decided to give you a couple environmental tips for both those of us who bring travel mugs and those of us who don't.

1. If you bring a travel mug, the Tims on campus only charge you for a medium when you get a coffee refill. Great, eh? On days when I know I'm going to need coffee, I bring the biggest travel mug I have and just order "coffee, one milk, one sugar" and they fill it right up to the brim for the price of a medium, when it would actually be a lot more like a XXL (which I don't think is even an option for non-travel-mug customers). So using your travel mug will save you money!

2. I also want to give the Tims on campus special recognition. In my experience, if you take a travel mug to the Tims chains in town, they use a regular cup to measure your coffee, then have to throw the cup out anyway. They may not do this at all places, but they definitely do it at some, and to me that just entirely defeats the purpose and intent of most travel mug users. So props to NipU's Tims peeps.

3. Now, I know double cupping can be necessary sometimes. It makes sense; you don't want to burn your hands and the Tims cups don't exactly have handles you can hold onto. So if you have to double cup your drink, or even if you don't, I just want to make more people aware that Tims cups are actually recyclable. Yep! RECYCLABLE! Isn't that exciting?! So double cup, single cup, iced cap cup--none of them have to be thrown in the trash! I find not many people are aware of this and would prefer to recycle if they were aware of the option.

Well, I'm off to grab a "coffee, one milk, one sugar" on my way to class. Happy Caffeine!

[Photo by and of author; no license infringement]

I am becoming an alien

After writing the midterm for my honours seminar this afternoon, I have opted to write a post today in a form of celebratory writing. Based on the comment by Anonymous in the post below, I have decided to tell a little tale ... a tale involving English, movies, and gruesome images. Prepare yourself.

Last semester, my honours seminar was about apartheid literature from South Africa. As part of the class, we actually watched two movies, which was neato! One of those movies was District 9. For those of you who have not seen it, I now give a selective brief summary. Aliens come to earth above the Townships in South Africa (Township = designated area for coloured people during apartheid. Apartheid = split between whites and coloureds that we hopefully now all recognize was horrible). Well! This dude named Wikus is put in charge of moving all the aliens into District 9 from the makeshift huts they currently inhabit. Of course this is intertwined with a love plot and a father-in-law who wants to destroy Wikus, but that is beside the point. Wikus becomes contaminated by alien fluids. *Cue dramatic music* He slowly starts to change after this, into AN ALIEN! Of course a lot of dramatic things happen after this, including capture, explosions, cool weapons, and suits that look like the Transformers; there are racial undertones and symbolic statements about apartheid, etc.

At the same time in my own life, for an unknown reason (which is still undetermined, but

may be resolved after a specialist appointment next Monday), two of my fingernails were slowly detaching themselves from their nail beds. Yep, I am telling you this embarrassing life story for the sake of entertainment. Enjoy. Now, in District 9, one of the first indicators that Wikus is becoming an alien is that his fingernails fall off. That's right, I was becoming an alien. It was just one event in a series of ironies called my life. Talk about getting involved with your class! But, needless to say, it was quite disturbing. Teachers out there: Text-to-self connection. So, of course I told the class, and my fellow students and professor gave me possible causes, all of which had been disproved by doctors. If you hear of some crazy person who slowly became an alien, it was probably me. It'll make a good party story for you! Or even just library talk. Maybe there will be a plaque, dedicating the library to me instead of the other option, something catchy with Alien in the title . . .

(As a clarification, said condition is not contagious, and has been improving. One fingernail is now fully returned to normal, and the other appears to be on the same path. Do not fear me, earthlings, I am not actually an alien and cannot infect you with a foreign parasite).

Furniture Update!

I just sat down in the lounge of the library, and have discovered a new large grey boxy chair and two footstools, as well as a random table/desk in the lounge! Seems peculiar, since I would assume the new library would be getting all new furniture anyway, but I suppose this library has to have new furniture when the new library opens as well . . .

Also odd colour choice, given the beige/taupe colour palette of the current decor ...

Brown + Blue = Green?

Hello Everyone!

It has been quite some time since I have posted on here! I have plenty of things to talk about, but I'm sure you can relate to the way assignments, social events, and an actual social life all seem to pile up at once sometimes. But never fear--I have returned!

Please excuse the fact that this commentary is quite delayed, but I encounter confusion on this topic quite often since its occurrence. You're probably sitting there thinking "what the HECK is she TALKING ABOUT?! Get to the POINT already!" Well. It concerns the Green Lounge--previously named the Brown Lounge. When we were leaving for Christmas break, some of you may have noticed that the Brown Lounge suddenly became void of furniture, albeit that furniture was looking pretty old and well-sat-in (as opposed to well-worn). It was also blue. So the Brown Lounge had blue furniture, but then had none.

During the exam period, new furniture was slowly brought in ... nice leather couches, leather chairs, barista tables and chairs, etc. So I saw this new furniture and thought, "Well, that's nice! Those look comfy! It'll be a new hot spot!" And I was right. I used to only see a few stragglers sitting in the couches in the Brown Lounge (with the blue chairs), but now I wouldn't be able to find a seat 75% of the time that I go through there. However, I am slightly confused as to a naming decision.

The Brown Lounge with the blue chairs is now named the Green Lounge and has brown chairs ... does this defy anyone else's logic? It was re-named after Murray Green (click here for the information on Nipissing's website about the re-naming), but the whole colour change really makes me think every time I walk through there. Don't get me wrong, the furniture is nice; it just all seems so ironic! Brown with blue to Green with Brown ... and what are the chances that both surnames after which the lounges were named would be colours?!

Anyone have any comments of their own? Do you use the lounge a lot more? Were you even aware of the name change?

Also, final sidenote, we have now had hits from: America, Denmark, Malaysia, Germany, France, Russia, and Singapore! Interesting.

The Bathroom Cricket

Yesterday, I went to the bathroom. This is something I tend to do on a daily basis--go figure. However, this was no ordinary bathroom experience. Before you start forming your own idea in your mind, I better get to the point of this story quickly.

There was a cricket in the bathroom. Yes, a cricket in the women's bathroom by the large cafeteria. I walked through the bathroom doors (which I think have been painted recently - a nice fuchsia pink colour), searched out a relatively clean stall with a flushed toilet, latched the door, and heard the unmistakable "chirp chirp" of a cricket. Initially, I thought I was hearing things. Classes can make you go a little stir crazy, as can sitting for hours in the library doing readings or studying; so, of course, I thought I was hearing noises or maybe regressing to a childhood mental state which hopefully would not end catatonically (this would be very inconvenient and embarrassing to have happen whilst using the facilities - I'm sure you can imagine why). But no, the noise was definitely real.

My next theory was that someone had an interesting ringtone and was receiving many texts in the stall next to me. I have heard frog ringtones, so I assume there are cricket ones as well. I thought said person must miss summer and was living vicariously through her ringtone. Each time she received a text she was transported away from the -37 weather and back to her favourite summer evening, sitting in a rainforest in the Amazon, surrounded by the soothing chirp of thousands of crickets - or something similar anyway. But no. My stall neighbour left and the noise continued. I then saw the cricket. She (it WAS a women's bathroom) was sitting in the corner of my stall, contently chirping away.

I think the washrooms should have nature CDs playing when we enter. It would make my cricket friend feel more at home during these winter months and create a more soothing atmosphere; a trip to the washroom could feel like a mini vacation!

Eat Nothing, Do Something.

The other day I was waiting for the bus, and I saw the back of someone's tshirt. It said "Eat nothing, do something." I was quite shocked, considering I had seen her come from the gym, and was thinking about the post I was going to make on this blog about the current state of societal body type expectations, the effects of media and photoshop on youth and self-perceptions of body image; I thought of extravagant ways to express my disgust with the fact that a tshirt actually presented that slogan, let alone the irony of it being worn at the gym for a work out; I was going to do outside research, have stats about body images, maybe mention the new TV show "Village on a Diet," and discuss the distortions of body image and types spanning from tiny body frames to the obesity epidemic; there was the potential for specific stats about northern Ontario, a few anecdotes about my own gym experiences, and how much I do, in fact, enjoy going to the gym myself, but feel there are limits and health concerns when taken too far to the extreme. Essentially, there was to be a discussion about individual health and finding balance without going to either extremity of the spectrum.

However, I luckily decided to Google said slogan before my extensive discussion on the topic. What did I find, you may ask? That it is the slogan for World Vision's 12 hour famine, meant to draw attention to world hunger. After all that, all I could think was: "What a fantastic slogan!" I mean, it not only got my attention, but all the emotions and the internal discussion I had with myself basically focused on the choices we make and how both extreme starvation or extreme overeating of unhealthy food are not positive choices. But the whole point of the 12 hour famine is to bring awareness to the fact that those who are starving and impoverished simply do not have that choice at all. End of story. So thank you, random fellow Nipissing student, for grounding my thoughts.