I'm tired of talking about this, and I'm sure you have all been keeping up on the other blogs and
La Rotonde with regards to the SAC decision. So, I'm going to talk about a few other things.
Regardless of what side I was on, or the ruling by the SAC, what really upset me during the past few weeks was the actions taken by the SFUO, the SFUO-elect, and the supporters of either side of the appeal.
First, the original SAC "hearing", where the incoming executive walked out on their students, our president failed to take action to maintain any semblance of order, and members of the BOA (representatives of the student body) sunk so low as to make signs accusing the appellants of being racists & chanting insults. The response by some students was to throw paper at the chanters and make insulting signs in response, effectively reducing the hearing to something out of a 3rd grade classroom. The culmination of this mockery of a meeting was when Protection was finally called and the hearing was adjourned.
Second, the BOA where the Chair
decided that, despite the fact that more than 1/3 of the Directors abstained from voting, a motion presented by Dean Haldenby regarding the procedures of the appeal was passed based on "advice" from the SFUO's lawyer. This was followed by a
burning of the constitution and the start of a
petition to impeach the executive.
Third, the clusterfuck of blogs, letters, facebook statuses, videos, and emails that ripped through our campus over the past month and a half, personally attacking certain individuals and ruining a multitude of relationships/friendships.
Fourth, the hearing on Saturday, where members of the incoming executive badgered, attacked the character of, and outright
demanded to know why the appellants and their witnesses felt they could question them & their alleged participation in a slate. This hearing where, our incoming VP Social (a bilingual position, might I add), refused a request by one of the appellants to speak English. A hearing where it was made incredibly difficult for interested students to watch/listen, since
it was closed to the public, the "viewing room" was the lobby of a busy building with bad speakers, and there was no place to sit or even attempt to watch the 8-hour appeal comfortably.
In sum, I'm disappointed and tired. This year, I saw the campus divide and come together in ways I never would have dreamt possible. I truly hope that next year's SFUO executive puts their egos aside and "gets back to working for students". This appeal has shown that students
can question the elections results, that they can get their voices heard if they have something to say.
Congratulations to the brave who stepped up and lasted throughout this lengthy process.
Congratulations to the executive-elect. I hope you learn from this, recognize that
it did matter, and remember that you were once the students who were unhappy with the system. Despite our harsh criticisms, I truly hope that you will work next year to
" regroup all undergraduate students of the University of Ottawa" and help all students (including those with differing political views) to "speak with one voice".
Finally, thank you to our readers who have followed us through this entire process.
