Putting education front and centre
Michael Barkman, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students – MB, weighs in on U of M budget cuts.
Articles by Comment Editor
The lack of indigenous student engagement
Boozhoo, Waabishkigaabo nindizhinikaaz Biizu ndoodem, Wauzhushk Onigum Indoonji-baa. I am writing this article in response to there being no candidate to fill the Aboriginal student representative position on UMSU council during this year’s election. I hope to provide encouraging words for our current indigenous students who are thinking about getting involved, and for those who have no wish to be involved.
Marijuana legalization in Canada is coming…eventually
Since Justin Trudeau’s election there has been mounting pressure to see fulfilled his promise to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Although the criminalization of…
A vote for Clinton isn’t a vote for equality for women
The U.S. presidential hopefuls have begun their countrywide campaign to determine who will represent the Republican and Democratic parties in the upcoming election. The two…
Waverley underpass panders to wealthy suburbanites
City council has officially approved the Waverley St. railway underpass, the price tag of which is a staggering $155 million. All but one member of…
Academic integrity needs a more nuanced approach
Academic dishonesty has been a recent point of focus for the Manitoban. In particular, the articles “Academic dishonesty on the rise” (Feb 10) and “The…
Say ‘yes’ to UMFM
During this year’s UMSU election, campus radio station 101.5 UMFM will be asking the student body to raise its levy by $1.50 per student, per…
Urban beekeeping: legal at last
Local food production in the form of urban agriculture is one of those things that is very hard to formulate a coherent argument against. Producing your own food benefits you in money saved and costs avoided, and benefits the city as a whole in energy saved on transportation costs and increased local food security. It’s also just plain healthier, for the body and the soul, to grow what you consume.
Beekeeping is actually even more beneficial than plain old food production. Not only does it provide honey for the people keeping the bees (and usually enough extra for them to share or sell), but the bees provide an important ecological service – the pollination of flowers – for the entire neighbourhood. The entire city is made a little bit more robust and sustainable as a living system, at no cost whatsoever to anyone other than the beekeepers.
Aboriginal History Month: essential, unknown
February is Black History Month. During February we reflect on the historical treatment of black people, who were taken from their homeland and carted across the Atlantic and, for those who survived the voyage, sold into slavery. That was just the beginning of the ill treatment of black people in North America, which continued well past the abolition of slavery and is still very much present today.
During Black History Month, we are encouraged to read books and watch movies that teach about the struggles that black people faced, and to reflect on and celebrate the accomplishments they have fought hard to achieve, such as the right to vote, access to education, and the desegregation of public spaces
An open letter to prospective deans
As the three short-listed candidates, all from outside Manitoba, I would like to first welcome you to our province. I hope that you enjoy your visit.
Students do not have much meaningful input into your appointment (a process that is opaque at best) but I hope that you will hear me out nonetheless.
It is clear, so far, that the issue of a tuition increase is not on your radar. I don’t blame you. The faculty may have forgotten to mention it. In case you are interested, here is my perspective.