Student Federation of the University of Ottawa
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| Established | 1969 |
|---|---|
| Institution | University of Ottawa |
| President | Dean Haldenby |
| Location | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Members | |
| Affiliations | |
| Bilingual | English/French |
| Homepage | www.sfuo.ca |
The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (also known as The SFUO or The Fed) is the official student-federated body of the University of Ottawa. It is a not-for-profit organization, incorporated under the Corporations' Act of Ontario since September 1, 1969. The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa is a bilingual entity, and is also known as La Fédération Étudiante de l'Université d'Ottawa
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[edit] Businesses
The SFUO currently owns four businesses:
The Pivik, a convenience store located in the University Centre, which sells an assortment of snack foods, groceries, magazines and some school supplies. Because it is owned by the SFUO, and does not have to post a large profit, the Pivik is able to sell items at a cheaper price than competing stores near the university, thanks in large part to renovations which were paid for by tobacco companies. Those tobacco companies were reimbursed later on in the year, after the SFUO met larger than expected sales. Many claim that the Pivik runs deficits, which are covered by commissions on Coca-Cola product sales, as per the exclusivity contract signed with Coca-Cola in 1997. The relevant numbers are as follow: the "U of O Pouring Rights Distribution" document from the Coca-Cola contract attributes $787,353 to the SFUO, $78,735 per year. The Pivik had a profit of $52,659 in 2004-2005 and $79,988 in 2005-2006.
The Agora Bookstore and Internet Cafe was created through a referendum in order to force the University of Ottawa Bookstore to lower its prices on textbooks. The original referendum created a subsidy for the Agora of $10 per full time student per semester. This subsidy allowed the Agora to sell books below the suggested retail price. This referendum was set to end at the conclusion of the 2005-2006 academic year, and a new referendum was passed allocating $9 per student per semester to the Agora. While the Agora is not allowed to sell textbooks on campus, it is located only a few blocks away on Besserer Street, making its location accessible and convenient for most students.
Campus Print offers a variety of printing services at reduced costs to students. It is used mostly by the SFUO, it's businesses, services, initiatives, federated bodies, clubs and departments. Campus Print provides a viable alternative to competing printing services, such as the University's Reprography service.
The SFUO briefly opened a bar called The Universe City Lounge above the Agora Bookstore. Universe City was closed after one year of operation. The Nox was another bar that closed briefly after its inauguration. In 2006, the SFUO opened a student bar called 1848 in the University Centre. The bar is gaining popularity, especially as a Tuesday and Wednesday night hang-out. The word about 1848 is spreading quickly since management established "Toonie Tuesdays" and "Wednesday Night Recess." Lovefest and Oktoberfest are among the Wednesday events that created a buzz around campus. Throughout the week, 1848 also features "Poker Mondays" and "Get Drunk Before and During Class and Work Days."
[edit] Trivia
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The Student Federation had a building named after one of its executive members. Francis-James "Jock" Turcot was President at the time and he envisioned a student centre; a space that was owned, operated, and maintained by students. Unfortunately, Jock Turcot died in a car accident on Christmas Day, 1965. To celebrate his memory, the University Centre, built a few years later, was named Jock-Turcot University Centre. However, contrary to Jock's vision, the administration controls the uses of the spaces and consistently works to minimize the SFUO's presence; opting and proposing for greater commercialized space. In spite of the administration and the ironically named "Community Life Services", the Student Federation opted to renovate the Unicentre, installing an elevator so that students with reduced mobility could access the basement. Sadly, the Student Federation, it's associations, clubs, and services generally have to pay to use the lower concourse to promote student-related events and activities.
Several past white hetero able bodied male SFUO Presidents have gone on to have high profile political careers in Canada. Alan Rock was a Cabinet Minister under Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and was Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations. Hugh Segal is a member of the Canadian Senate for the Conservative Party, and Mauril Belanger is the Liberal Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier, the federal riding in which the University's main campus is located.
In the 2004-2005 academic year, the SFUO launched the U of O Students' Speaker Series, with the goal of bringing non-traditional academics into a university setting to speak to students. The first speaker in the series was Canadian hip-hop star K-OS. The event marked K-OS' first university lecture, entitled "The Politics of life of Hip-Hop." Other speakers have included George Stroumboulopoulos, Avi Lewis, Sue Johansson, and Quebec hip-hop group Loco Locass.
The SFUO logo was inspired by benches that used to be located all over campus. The shape of the logo is an overhead view of the way the benches were set up. The last set of these benches, located near the University Centre, were recently removed.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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