Xanthippa's Chamberpot

This is an update to yesteday’s post, which – among other things – linked to a story about how Carleton University Student Association (CUSA) had passed a resolution which warrants being quoted here in full:

Motion to Drop Shinerama Fundraising Campaign from Orientation Week
Whereas Orientation week strives to be [as] inclusive as possible;
Whereas all orientees and volunteers should feel like their fundraising efforts will serve the their diverse communities;
And Whereas Cystic fibrosis has been recently revealed to only affect white people, and primarily men
Be it resolved that: CUSA discontinue its support of this campaign
Be it Further Resolved that the CUSA representatives on the incoming Orientation Supervisory Board work to select a new broad reaching charity for orientation week.
Moved: Donnie Northrup           
Seconded: Meera Chander

‘Shinerama’ is part of ‘frosh week’:  students offer to shine people’s shoes in exchange for donations to charity – the Cystic Fibrosis Association….

Before we go further, it should be noted that this ‘motion’ was kept tightly under wraps until the meeting itself – the ‘agenda’ for the meeting was not made available even to those attending, etc.  In other words, it stunk a lot…  And, one of the two reps to vote against it (and who brought it to public attention) got TONS of emails from the ‘approving’ members criticizing him for his move and – yes, calling him ‘a racist’!!!

Well, here is a reaction from Carleton University’s own student newspaper, the Charlatan:

The unprecedented negative reaction that Shinerama-gate has brought to Carleton should show CUSA that it needs to take council operations more seriously.

In the future, CUSA needs to think before it acts.

But that is not all!!!

The Carleton University students have been very vocal in their criticism of CUSA – and demands that ALL the members of the Association who voted FOR this ‘proposition’ resign immediatelly!!!  (At least, that is the gist of the polite ones…)

In other words, Carleton University is kind of like our society at large:  most of us are actually quite decent folk who DO know right from wrong….but because we don’t have a strong desire to boss other people around, we don’t go ‘into government’.  The ones who have this strong desire to engineer the behaviour of others are not usually representative of the rest of us…but, as Douglas Adams said, we vote for them anyway because otherwise, the ‘wrong lizzard might get in’…

And, just like when most Canadians learned about the racist excesses Section 13(1) has been subverted to the service of, when most of the students at Carleton discovered the insanity of their leaders, they are very unanimous in demanding their heads (in the sense of ‘resignation’ – nothing more…..this IS Canada, after all!!!). 

To quote a great thinker, Carleton Students are saying:  Fire. Them. All.

This actually gives me hope!

UPDATE:  CUSA has reinstated Shinerama, with CF as the supported charity.  What is more, Donnie Northrup, the author of the motion, has resigned.  As for the rest of CUSA – they may still be impeached by the student body!