On Campus

What students are talking about today (October 29th edition)

Hurricane Sandy, a masculinities prof & a brawl in Toronto

Hurricane Sandy Tracking Map from weatheroffice.gc.ca

1. Frankenstorm, a.k.a. Hurricane Sandy, has shut down much of New York City and is prompting warnings from Environment Canada for eastern Canada. Ontarians can expect wind gusts of up to 90 km/h and maybe as strong as 100 km/h in the southwestern part of the province near Sarnia and Niagara. Universities are open—for now. Pay attention to your university’s website for updates.

2. The other potential disaster this weekend was a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in British Columbia that triggered tsunami alerts as far away as Hawaii. It didn’t end up doing much damage, but British Columbians are angry that their official warning came 42 minutes after the U.S. warning.

3. The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has thrown out the complaint of a former Carleton University student who alleged that his masculinities professor was racist and sexist toward men. Angry e-mails were exchanged and the situation escalated to the point that the student was told by the university to stop attending his class. I have only one question—what’s a masculinities professor?

4. Also at Carleton, 8,258 students voted in a referendum on whether to have a fall reading break. About 70 per cent of students voted yes, reports The Charlatan. I’m surprised it wasn’t more.

5. A brawl broke out at Pho Xe Lua, a restaurant in Toronto’s Chinatown, on Saturday around 3 a.m. A video of the fight is spreading quickly on Facebook. At one point, a man in a SWAT uniform looks like he’s going to break up the fight. Instead, he sends a plate flying at someone’s head.

6. Nearly 100 Canada National Research Council employees may be laid off. Union president Gary Corbett warned that sacking the scientists and researchers means that, “future NRC activities will be dictated by market demands and by what can be commercialized.”

7. The Dalhousie Women’s Centre (DWC) is changing its name to the South House Gender and Sexual Resource Centre. It’s an effort to be more inclusive. The DWC is known for the annual Take Back the Night march, Consent Fest, and an erotica reading group, reports the Dalhousie Gazette.

8. It’s flu shot season and students are considering whether to get the jab, just as some forms of the vaccine are being recalled due to clumps of viruses. Meanwhile, the Canadian Medical Association Journal says doctors and nurses shouldn’t even get a choice; they want it to be mandatory.

9. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is planning to join Movember, a fundraiser in which men grow mustaches to raise funds for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health. It’s unclear if western Canada’s other two premiers, Alison Redford and Christy Clark, will follow his lead.

10. Justin Bieber will perform in the half-time show planned for the 100th anniversary of the Grey Cup in Toronto on Nov. 25th alongside Gordon Lightfoot, Marianas Trench and Carly Rae Jepsen.

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