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Talk about Racist and Sexist!

Hmm... the latest news report I heard was from the president who said they'd "reconsider the motion" at an upcoming meeting, but I didn't hear of it being all-out repealed.  Good job on the rash decision guys!
 
Well, I wouldn't say it's quite over yet.

CUSA president Brittany Smyth said she will table a motion at the next council meeting that would repeal the decision.

and

Smyth said that if the new motion passes, Shinerama will go ahead as planned next September.

My favorite:

As far as she knows, no CUSA members will face any disciplinary action following the controversy, Smyth said.

Yes, because, unfortunately, there's no discipline for being dumb enough to believe believing everything you hear (or read).  ::)
 
Well, I've found an online group of 500 students who feel otherwise.  I'd like to get a petition going to call for something different than simply getting away scott free without any sort of disciplinary action ;)
 
I have some first hand experience with university politics at Ryerson, and I can completely see this happening there too.  The same type of individuals seem to run most university student government and the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).  The CFS is somewhere to the left of Lenin and Mao.  Less than last year I was there 1500 out of 25 000 full time students voted.  The individuals that won did it by allying themselves with a certain ethno-centric student group that actively campaigned and brought out their members in large number to vote.  They even extended the election to 3 days and allowed campaigning beside polling stations. 

To thanks this group for powering them to victory, the new Ryerson Student Union added an "Anti-Occupation (Israel vs Palestinians)" element to every event, ie: Women's Day festivities had a booth spewing Palestinian propaganda.  I was disgusted that our student dollars ( or the CF's in my case) we going to fund this drivel.  Also, in the aftermath of the Asian Tsunami, the Tamil Students Association was allowed to raise money for the World Tamil Movement ( a terrorist group) for "relief efforts."  For the $150 a year I paid in student union fees I can honestly say I got nothing in return.
 
http://www.petitiononline.com/stopcusa/petition.html - petition is now online to ensure this is fixed.

The association is planning to create a separate motion to reverse their last one, so let's make sure this motion is one that is taken seriously and given by students who actually have input to give.
 
On the topic of student unions, are you required to join one at Civy U, and if you do not wish to what are the consequences?
 
D3 said:
... the Tamil Students Association was allowed to raise money for the World Tamil Movement ( a terrorist group) for "relief efforts."...

The WTM is considered more of a 'front' group than an actual terrorist group - but interpretation differs based on whose doing the interpretting...
 
Greymatters said:
The WTM is considered more of a 'front' group than an actual terrorist group - but interpretation differs based on whose doing the interpretting...

You are right they are a frot for the Tigers but that does not make raising money for them any less illegal.  And for the previous poster, no university that I know of in Canada allows you to opt out of the student union fees.
 
CEEBEE501 said:
On the topic of student unions, are you required to join one at Civy U, and if you do not wish to what are the consequences?

Where's Civi U?
 
Civilian universities in the context of the ROTP program
 
ARMY_101 said:
http://www.petitiononline.com/stopcusa/petition.html - petition is now online to ensure this is fixed.

The association is planning to create a separate motion to reverse their last one, so let's make sure this motion is one that is taken seriously and given by students who actually have input to give.

I signed.

Good work ARMY_101!  :cdn:
 
So,  they're canceling a charity event because the disease is more prominent in a particular ethnic group. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s11qyEMZoPQ

I think if someone doesn't like a particular ethnic group, it is sad for them.  I think when they take actions to adversely affect that group, or members of that group, they cross that thin line between personal opinion to discriminatory action. 

When people do stuff like this it tends to blow up in their face,  oppose them for sure but don't get too upset - The only time I've ever gotten really upset about racist comments is when it came from the Minister for Multiculturalism.  http://www.jameslunneymp.ca/news_detail.php?recordID=67  That was absurd.
 
Even with the "Retraction" they seem to fail to realize that what they did was not just against an illness, but was a very Racist and Sexist act.  They segregated a defined Race and Sex in their motion.  That was not an act of inclusion, but one of EXCLUSION.
 
Myabe this university should have its funding jerked back.

The CHRC should look into this....oh I forgot! CHRC isn't here to protect Caucasian males are they? ^-^
 
Carleton to repeal decision to scrap fundraiser
Updated Wed. Nov. 26 2008 2:13 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

The Carleton University Students Association is planning to repeal a motion that cancelled an annual cystic fibrosis fundraiser on the grounds that the disease affects only white males.

CUSA president Brittany Smyth said she will table a motion at the next council meeting that would repeal the decision.

Councillors don't want people to think that the annual Shinerama fundraiser was cancelled because they believe, mistakenly, that cystic fibrosis only affects a specific segment of the population.

"Because of so much confusion, students don't want people to think that that's why we didn't want to go with the cystic fibrosis fundraiser," Smyth told CTV.ca in a phone interview Wednesday. "There seems to be a lot of support among council to just go back to how it was and then open up conversations with students to see what people would like to do in the future."

Smyth said that if the new motion passes, Shinerama will go ahead as planned next September.

Smyth said that councillors believe cystic fibrosis to be a very worthwhile cause and said the decision was a response to the idea some students had to simply switch charities.

"I think everyone at the council really did have the best intentions with it," Smyth said. "Nobody meant any ill will to anyone who has been affected or touched by cystic fibrosis at all. And we really do apologize for all of this confusion. It's not what we meant for Carleton students at all."

The controversy began on Monday night during a CUSA meeting when a councillor tabled a motion that called for the cancellation of Shinerama.

The motion claimed that the fundraiser benefits a disease that affects "white people and primarily men."

According to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, that statement is untrue. The disease primarily affects Caucasians, which includes South Asian, Arab and North African populations, and both genders equally.

The popular event takes place during the school's orientation week and has raised nearly $1 million for cystic fibrosis.

Nearly 60 university and college campuses across Canada hold Shinerama events and have raised nearly $19 million for the cause.

The motion said that students would be happier supporting a more inclusive charity before adding that cystic fibrosis affects only whites.

Smyth originally defended the move, saying it opened the door for next year's orientation week co-ordinators to choose another charity if students wanted a change.

Smyth said the part of the motion that justifies the cancellation of Shinerma is irrelevant and only reflects the rationale of the councillor who brought it forward.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Carleton president Roseann O'Reily Runte said that she personally regrets that the motion was adopted and said the language used to justify cancelling Shinerama was "not appropriate."

"The motion which was approved by the student association contained language which was not appropriate and which has raised considerable concern," O'Reilly Runte said. "I know that Carleton students are fine young scholars who wish to be responsible and considerate. I am sure that they did not intend to offend by the preamble to their motion, but I am also sure that they now understand the effects of that language."

O'Reilly Runte said she is pleased to hear that the student association intends to reconsider its decision.

"I am convinced that our students will do the right thing and take the appropriate course of action," she said.

As far as she knows, no CUSA members will face any disciplinary action following the controversy, Smyth said.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081126/carleton_shinerama_081126/20081126?hub=Canada


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I certainly hope we can get more people out to sign the petition, as its clearly outlined that the organization acted swiftly and on incorrect information.  It's not enough to hear the president say they're looking at reversing it, especially when they passed such a motion that defined a disease as being one only affecting white men.  Even the person who wrote the motion admitted he didn't put much thought into the motion, nor did he even know that Caucasian didn't mean white :confused:

If we woke up one morning and found out that the Conservatives quickly met and passed a bill to cut funding to the Canadian Breast Cancer Society we'd be right pissed off.  After all, it mostly affect women, and I'm sure we could find a "better" disease to support.  But hey, the next day Mr. Harper says he'll think about reconsidering, and everyone should be happy again.  Do you really think the public, let alone the other political parties, would let them get away with a simple "sorry" for their sexist and racist act?  That's the point of the petition, and I hope the university's Board of Directors above CUSA deals with them appropriately.
 
OldSolduer said:
Myabe this university should have its funding jerked back.

Woah here. This isn't the Universities decision. This is the Student Association. I've had two classes today, both profs have said they're ashamed to be associated with this madness. I expect my next prof will say the same. Hell, the President of the university sent an email out to the students saying how she felt this was a bad decision. So far I've seen 3 people collecting money for CF, a rally, and a march, all in the 4 hours I've been on campus.

This isn't the University. This is the idiots who were elected to CUSA. I am hoping that this wakes up the student body and we get some change in the future. These fools also claimed last year that a strike by University workers was a good thing, despite the fact it interrupted and even led to classes being canceled. They were not very popular on campus, even before this idiocy. Should have seen what happened last year when candidates went to classes to push for their election, twice I saw it becoming a shouting in which easily 50% of the students were screaming at the CUSA representatives. I hope next time we actually have a significant amount of students actually vote...
 
Then the students have to vote for change. I don't know what the stats are for student body participation for these elections, but this would be a good start for more participation.
 
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