A Strong Voice

Western has another President of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA). On Wednesday the USC’s VP UA Alysha Li was elected to be the President of OUSA for the 2012/13 year. Alysha’s Presidency will provide OUSA with a passionate leader with a vision for stable, consistent and effective advocacy efforts. Alysha’s belief in the importance of post-secondary education and her belief in the student population of Ontario will serve her well as OUSA President. Western and the USC will also greatly benefit from Alysha’s term as President. The USC will have a strong voice at the table to discuss the priorities of Western students. Myself and the entire USC Executive are incredibly proud of Alysha for showing such a strong commitment to representing Western and Ontario students. I can’t wait for the rest of the province to see the Alysha that all of us believe in. We have every confidence in her and know that her role at OUSA will give us an even stronger presence in the post-secondary community. Congratulations Alysha, you make us proud!

A Campus that Cares

There is something decidedly different about Western this year. I say this with some degree of caution because it is impossible for me to know whether this sense of difference is related to a change in Western or merely the result of a change in who I am. I think there is something universal about the process of leaving UWO for a summer and returning a changed person after a four month summer. Whether we physically leave campus or just merely check out of our regular routine, something changes about each of us by the time September roles around again. There is something surreal about returning to a place (UWO) full of people who have changed, but on some level expect you to be the same as when you left for the summer. I think that it takes each of us a few days to grow accustomed to how the new you fits into a place that seemed so familiar just four months prior.

Let’s assume for a second that part of the change I notice in Western has something to do with a change in how I see the place and that part of it is an actual change in the mood on campus. Admittedly I was fairly self-absorbed in my attempt to balance academics and the HUCSC last year and I honestly wonder whether this may have caused me to look right past some of the great things happening on campus. More importantly I wonder, if at times, I looked right past the people who make up the fabric of a Western that ‘cares’.

I have always known that there are people at Western, Huron, Brescia and Kings that are incredibly passionate about the communities that they live and educate themselves in. But I don’t think that I always took the time to evaluate and appreciate the depth of commitment that people on this campus have to the things that they care about. There is more to these people than just what they do. It’s the why, the motivation, the story and the journey that leave me in awe of the caring that one can find if you look hard enough at UWO. It’s one thing to be committed to representing a cause, but it is another thing entirely to invest your heart and soul into the personal journey found within the desire to make a difference.

Two experiences have changed the way that I look at the University of Western Ontario. One experience was the One Love Rally during this year’s Orientation Week. Most people didn’t know quite what to expect from the event, but within minutes of the opening lines from Lieutenant Choi and moments after the final notes of Steven Page’s moving performance I knew that I had just witnessed a game-changer. I don’t want to overrepresent the impact One Love, but I do think that it was a special event for the way that it broadened the scope of Orientation Week. Sometimes we search for complicated ways to let people know that we care about them, yet sometimes all we need to do is remember that One Love is enough and that we just have to say it. Whether One Love really is the start of something new at Western is for all of us to decide, but the very idea that each person in the audience left feeling like they were somebody is something to build on.

The second event that got me thinking about the idea of Western starting to care about one another was the re-opening of the USC Support Services Centre. For those who haven’t had a chance to visit the Centre, make sure to take time to visit Room 38 in the UCC Basement. It is an incredible space to hang out and meet great people. I didn’t spend a lot of time in the Support Services Centre last year and went to the re-opening on a bit of a whim. To be honest I felt a little bit apprehensive about putting myself out there to meet the commissioner, coordinators, execs and employees that form the backbone of the USC Support Services, but after spending the better part of two hours in the Centre I realized that my apprehension had been replaced by a true sense of acceptance. The people that I met in the Centre conveyed such genuine passion for the things that they were involved in that I couldn’t help but talk to them about it. I stopped feeling out of place and started to talk about the things that I care about. I mentioned earlier that it’s not so much about what these people do and that its almost more about the why and the journey. The sense I get from this group of people is that the things that the Support Services do are about becoming part of the journey each person at Western has to go through to find out who they are and want to be.

Maybe I’m reading too much into my first two weeks back at Western, but I’d like to think that this is the start, or at the very least, the continuation of becoming a campus that cares.

A Few Thoughts on Jack

I don’t profess to be an expert on the topic of Jack Layton and would never attempt to provide definitive commentary on his passing. However, I do want to share a few things that Mr. Layton (Jack) made me think about. It strikes me that Jack Layton would have appreciated knowing that he made us all think a little bit today.

Jack’s letter to Canadians offered a number of beautifully written passages that seem to accurately portray the passion Mr. Layton had for our country and its people. However, the line that stood out to me the most was not the eloquent final paragraph that has already become a household quotation. What resonated with me was Jack’s reminder to “cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey.” He wrote this in reference to the many brave individuals who continue to fight cancer, but I think the phrase has universal application.

In our lives we are constantly racing towards the next goal or the next moment.We often wish fervently for the future and miss the beautiful things that happen in the present. It sounds a whole lot like ‘stopping to smell the roses’, but I think that there is a much deeper sentiment to consider. It’s not just enough to stop and appreciate the moment. You have to find a way to become it. To feel your heartbeat, appreciate beauty and accept love for yourself and others. You can’t just smell the roses or the moments. You have to let them fit into your world and begin to open yourself enough to understand how they have changed you.

I’ll never forget an exchange I overheard on a Tuesday morning in a coffee shop earlier this year. Out of the corner of my consciousness I heard someone say “Friday couldn’t come soon enough for me.” It’s an innocent enough phrase, something that I hear everyday and something that I have been guilty of saying from time to time. I didn’t think anything of it until I heard a second voice say, “I love Tuesdays because Tuesdays mean that I still have the rest of the week to live. Life is too precious to wish it away.” Under normal circumstances I might have thought the comment to be just a little bit pretentious, but at that moment I couldn’t help but think about how right this second voice was. I haven’t stopped thinking about that moment and I realized that we should take advantage of, or as Jack reminded us today, cherish every moment with the people and things that we love. Don’t forget about the future, because the future can be great, but don’t forget to live in the ‘now’ because it can be pretty special too.

Jack’s passing also presents us with an opportunity to remember an individual who used his voice as a citizen to the best of his ability. Jack Layton did not grumble in a corner or hide his desire to make change at any point in his life. He put his thoughts, ideas and opinions into action and helped to move our society forward. He didn’t always do this from a position of significant public profile. He recognized that his voice was worth something, whether he had a title or not, and that he had a responsibility as a citizen of Canada to encourage change where he identified a need for it. Hopefully Jack’s passing will stir people to speak up about the things that bother them and help them to move towards solutions. It seems to me that we all seem to be waiting for the right time, when we have less at stake, to make our voices heard. Why wait? Stand up for something now, because you never know how many more chances you will have to do it.

In closing, I look at Jack Layton as someone that we should all respect. His courage, determination and strength should be admired. I like to think that he would not want to be deified or remembered as a man of perfection, but I think that he would want us all to believe that a world with a few more ‘Jack Layton’s’ would be a place where we’d all want to live.

The Politics of Division

As of today there are 14 days left until Canadians take to the polls on May 2nd to elect its next federal parliament. The campaign has had its share of excitement by political standards. From Michael Ignatieff’s “Rise Up” speech to Jack Layton’s ‘hashtag fail’ and the Vote Mobs making waves across University campuses the campaign has provided some surprises. However, to this point the major parties have been unable to articulate a comprehensive and cohesive plan for Canada’s future. Instead of constructing campaign narratives of unity, the parties have spent the majority of their time developing and promoting targeted messages aimed at exploiting the divisions in the Canadian electorate. As a result, the current election cycle has done more to magnify the things that make Canadians different than it has to address any of the substantive issues facing the country. An unfortunate byproduct of this kind of targeted politicking is the limiting of discussion to issues that affect the largest groups of people. Some might see this as a validation of the majority, but in reality its impact is inherently negative for Canadian democracy.

By sectioning off the electorate into conquerable voting blocks political parties are able to avoid addressing the issues that cut across the politically defined cultural, ideological and demographic groups. Politicians appear to be uncomfortable with addressing these issues because they know that each voting block will splinter in reaction to movement on these items. As a result, political parties play it safe by only addressing the issues that allow them to keep the voting blocks intact. Each party has an interest in doing this because it means that potentially volatile political issues do not have to be dealt with. Instead, they adopt an incremental approach to politics that sees big problems go largely unaddressed and big ideas muzzled. The ideas big enough to solve the problems facing Canadian society often never see the light of day because they are deemed to controversial or electorally risky.

In addition, this election has seen the political parties avoid seriously discussing the concerns of groups that do not carry a significant amount of electoral sway. The youth vote has received symbolic attention from the major parties in the form of post-secondary education plans but the overwhelming sense is that this block will not vote anyway. Hopefully this thinking will be proven wrong on May 2nd, but it is too early to say whether videos like Pat Searle’s “Vote Day” or Rick Mercer’s Rant will actually inspire Canadian youth to vote. The only way that this group will ever be taken seriously is if it goes out and votes in the next election.

The lack of attention paid to the opinions of young voters relies upon the underlying assumption that they will not exercise the right to vote. The political parties understand that this group holds electoral potential but for the time being are willing to take a chance on it not showing up. The situation is entirely different for other groups across Canada. Take the First Nations demographic. Some of the most significant human rights issues in Canada are those that feature the government’s approach to First Nations communities. However, not a single party has shown any interest in having a substantive debate on how these issues should be addressed. They understand that the average Canadian is not going to cast his or her vote based on a plan for First Nations communities and therefore feel comfortable leaving it out of the campaign entirely. The First Nations voter base is not numerically large and holds little electoral influence. As a result, the parties seem to only offer small token gestures of support. This doesn’t sound like the Canada that stands up for its diversity and for the rights of those who need it. Instead, it sounds like a country that is afraid to address the things that make it uncomfortable.

The question we must ask ourselves is why the electorate allows this strategy of targeted campaigning to continue to exist. It would be unfair to blame the political parties and the politicians for this phenomenon.There are good people running for federal office who have admirable goals for Canada’s future, but they find themselves forced into the system for the purpose of getting elected. Can we really blame them for this? Many candidates have strong passions for public service and have a desire to influence change in Canada and the world. If faced with a choice between committing the sin of running a populist election campaign and the prospect of losing the opportunity to change the country for the better would any of us really do anything different than what our politicians are doing? I for one believe that there are good politicians out there like London-North Centre MP Glen Pearson who has, in my view, gone into the ‘system’ with the intention of changing it. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read Glen’s blog I suggest that you take a moment to scan a few of his entries. No matter what your political affiliation, reading what Glen has to say will remind you that politicians are human and have the same frustrations and dreams as the average citizen. It seems to me that the fault for the current state of politics lies at the feet of the electorate and the selfish desire to have our individual problems targeted quickly. This approach often comes at the expense of a comprehensive national strategy. If we were to demand that politicians solve not only our problems, but the underlying societal issues that have led to them, we could change the way that political campaigns unfold. It appears to me that society’s need for immediate solutions often results in band-aids that do not address the real problems in our communities.

In summation, I think that it is important for all of us to go out and vote on May 2nd and to vote for the candidate who has articulated the most coherent vision for Canada’s future. This however is only the start of our democratic responsibility. If we want to truly change the way that politics is done in our country we are going to need to spend the next session of parliament resisting the urge to be wooed by partisan pandering. We need to demand comprehensive solutions to the root causes of the individual issues that we discover on a day to day basis and consider the broad scope of what our local problems represent on a national scale.

Engagement: More Than a Buzz Word

Okay, so last issue I got the formal welcome thing out of the way. From now on I’m not going to give you some sort of generic Students’ Council missive. In fact, what I want to do is give you a window into some of the things that I’m passionate about. Ultimately, you probably don’t really want to hear about every one of the issues that I stand for, but I think that I can communicate many of them within a Huron context.

One thing that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is the idea of political engagement. WAIT! Don’t just turn the page because of that horrendously boring catch phrase. The word ‘engagement’ is, without a doubt, one of the most overused words in today’s political discourse. Unfortunately, it has been tossed around so much that it doesn’t really mean anything anymore. I myself have been guilty of using the word as a crutch to explain the concerning level of apathy towards all levels of politics.

But seriously, what does it even mean to be engaged? I mean, aren’t we all to some extent engaged in politics, just by virtue of living our lives? Does engagement really mean that we have to religiously follow the news or subscribe to the latest updates from CPAC (that random channel that broadcasts the House of Commons debates)? Is it possible that being politically engaged is actually just observing the problems that face our friends, our families and us? Instead of putting politics on a pedestal I think that it might be valuable for us to realize that at a basic level, politics are merely the representation of the natural challenges of our lives.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that we should absolve ourselves of our civic responsibility just because we experience politics everyday. In fact, what I’m saying is the opposite. Shouldn’t political engagement, or whatever you want to call it, be intuitive and the easiest thing that you’ve ever done?

Think of it this way. When you were in kindergarten, to whom did you go when your friends were being mean to you? Well, unless you were one of those kids who took justice into your own hands, you probably ran to your teacher. You knew that she or he was going to be your best support and best help for solving the problem at hand. In a rudimentary sense, this expression of concern was your first foray into the political process. You had a problem, you recognized it, and then you asked someone to fix it. Shouldn’t this be the way that we look at politics in the broader sense?

Follow me for about three more paragraphs…

The way I see it, our role, as the Huron University College Students’ Council, is to somehow make you believe in us enough to trust that we are your best support; or at least one of many good supports that can help you when you need to solve a problem in your life. Obviously, it would be ridiculous for me to suggest that we can solve every problem that you encounter during your time at Huron, but I will say with absolute confidence that we care too much to let any problem go unaddressed. Just the other day, someone mentioned to me that there really needed to be a Canadian flag flown outside of the College. In this case, an individual stepped up and spoke to me because they knew that I might have a decent chance of solving their problem. I have since contacted the College administration, which has begun to explore the possibility of having a Canadian flag flown.

This one little example isn’t meant to act as a self-inflicted pat on the back, it’s designed to illustrate just how easy political engagement can be. All it takes to be engaged is an expression of concern to the right person about something that bothers you. Somehow we have to get people to start doing this at Huron. If you have a problem, don’t just sit on it. Come and talk to us. Knock on my door until I can’t ignore you any longer or get in touch with me in anyway you can, because we do have the ability to help you reach your goals and solve your problems.

Okay, well, there you have it. I don’t know whether I’ve been interesting or thought provoking, but at least I’ve given you something other than the generic babble that comes out of most Students’ Council messages. I don’t deny I’ve babbled, but to be honest, I don’t think that it has been generic. Anyway, if you’ve read this far in the article, thank you. I’m very grateful for your dedication to reading, however, I am only going to be truly proud of you if I see you in my office or read an email about something that you are passionate about.

Talk to you soon!

 

Adam

 

 

 

Welcome to Huron

Welcome to, or welcome back to Huron University College for the 2010/11 year. I know that the start of the year is kind of a crazy time for everyone and that there are a million people and organizations competing for your attention, but I wanted to make sure that you heard from your Students’ Council.

If you’re reading this article it means that you have discovered one of Huron’s many exciting involvement opportunities. The Grapevine is a fantastic source of information for Huron students and has given many budding journalists and photographers an opportunity to develop their skills. If you want to get involved get in touch with this year’s very capable editor Whitney Slightham.

I want to take a moment to recognize a few people who have held the HUCSC together over the summer. I am very proud of the Vice Presidents, Coordinators and Commissioners who have spent the summer working towards making this a great year for Huron. I also need to give a huge shout out to the Orientation Soph Team. Under the leadership of Adam Gawn, Dave Tompkins and Chelsea Smith this group of dedicated individuals were able to create the best Huron O-Week I have ever seen.

I am tempted to spend a lot of time talking about all of the great things that we have planned for the year ahead, and I will spend a few words talking about it. However, I think the more important message here is that we are here to work for you. Our office is always open to new ideas and the wants and needs of Huron students. Do not hesitate to walk in at any time. I am going to make a personal promise to attend as many different Huron events and to get to know as many people around the College as possible. I’ll do my best to find out about what’s going on, but if there is something that you think I should know about, please stop by or send me an email at president@myhuron.ca.

Alright, here’s the part where I tell you a little bit about the things that we have planned for the year. As a stakeholder in the HUCSC you can join our intramural sports teams, a club, a committee, promotions crew, photo crew, yearbook committee or come up with your own way to get involved. Stop by myhuron.ca to find a full list of our involvement opportunities. See the calendar in this issue of the Grapevine for event details.

Okay, so there you have it, the official 2010/11 welcome from the HUCSC. Enjoy the year and don’t hesitate to stop by!

Adam