Universities as Corporate Entities

The reason we all attend university is to gain a further education in a certain field that enables us to be more efficient contributors to society. We come to learn from people more knowledgable than us not only how to do well on a paper or an exam but to think critically and further our own ideas and learning by examining that of others. Universities have always been considered institutions of great learning, but it seems that they are now going toward a greedy capitalistic model of running things. Laurier in particular seems to have adopted this ideal and is making every move to not only further their initiatives but also conceal that they are doing so. The administration seems to present a front of things being 'status quo' and for the nurturing of faculty and students. In reality they take steps each year to cut down costs at great expense to the quality of education students receive and the appropriate compensation the contract faculty receive.

To me this type of corruption is the same that runs our political systems. Since when did someone who paid to have their name on a building also get to decide who sits on the board and makes executive decisions about the universities inner workings. Laurier claims to be at a deficit in order to have reason for the large amount of cuts to staff and faculty over the last few years, but there is much speculation whether they simply say that and then spend money on acquiring property. The university owns pretty much all the student housing buildings on Ezra street. If the school were in an extremely dire financial situation as they claim, then they would not be spending 60 million on buying apartment buildings. Why should Max Bluow, the president of the university be making almost 400, 000$ a year while most staff(being contract workers) be below the average poverty line making 22, 000, AFTER they have completed three degrees and have their doctorate. To me that seems insane, that those people exploiting staff and cutting back on student experience, can sleep at night while they line their pockets and spend the schools money on real estate. Students are leaving university 30, 000 in debt and barely have job prospects...but Laurier doesn't care as long as they are making more money and staying on top of the MacLean's top schools lists.

Have We Really Progressed?

The year of 2016 has been an eye opener for many people who had believed or assumed that as a society we made some progress. This was torn apart mostly by the 2016 presidential election which presented a clear message that someone who represents the opposite of multiculturalism and progressive ideals that North America is supposed to be built on the idea of Freedom and democracy. Increasingly, those in power continue efforts to restrict and control the lives of groups like women, racial and ethnic minorities, and those in vulnerable positions. Trump being elected sends a message everywhere that we don't care about women having equal rights and being able to make their own decisions regarding their reproductive rights,  we don't care about the insane number of people in the black community being shot down on the daily while being unarmed, or about the huge number of immigrants that have grown up in the states but fear them and their families being deported.

What is democracy if its systems are only run by a concentrated groups of rich white males? How is a democracy fair when it is rigged to only benefit those in control?

The media adds to this discourse being spread in our communities because of the normalization of racial class. If a terrorist act is committed by a white American, the news coverage claims this person had a mental illness and disputes theories as to how they were triggered by something else. If a racial minority like a black, or muslim person commits the same crime, they speak of their dangerous nature and how its their "culture" or race. As if they have a separate culture from those living in the same country. Yes faith can determine someone's views and values, but that is often times not the reason a mentally ill person would commit those kinds of crimes. This type of language and rhetoric is what divides people and breeds anger and animosity rather than acceptance. In my opinion, it is this type of division that created a situation where someone like Donald Trump could be deemed as an acceptable president.

American Governments Deafening Silence on DAPL

To start off with a little context:
 The Dakota Access Pipeline has been a situation of much contention in North America as of late. This is a proposition by Dakota Access LLC. to build an 1,172 oil pipeline starting in North Dakota running through South Dakota, Iowa, and ending in Illinois. The project has garnered much controversy based on concerns over its necessity and it's danger to the environment and the fact that it runs through several regions of sacred Native American land where there are burial site locations. Nevertheless it has proceeded, intending to be complete by January 2017. For the last several months there have been protests at the Standing Rock Native American Reservation in North Dakota. Police and local authorities have been blocking the protesters and essentially protecting the interests of the company rather than the safety and history of the people.

             

The question on everyones mind....what is the government doing to step in?

Well as of now, absolutely nothing. With the global warming crisis become more pressing and our necessity to act on it imperative, it is crazy that the Obama administration has so far done nothing to rectify or step in to the situation. They are literally drilling a pipeline into the ancestral grave sites of the indigenous people and they have put the drill pad half a mile from the main water source for the indigenous people. In an interview President Obama tip toed around the issue by saying police and officials need to be tolerant and show restraint. It seems very obvious that in reality he just doesn't want to get involved and damage relationships with large fossil fuel corporations. There has literally been so much citizen media and protest on the current state of things there but the government seems to ignore it even though this could have serious consequences for not only the environment, but the quality of life for those living in proximity to this pipeline. Most indigenous reserves already live in a condition without basic human needs like health care and clean water. Furthermore many of the protesters are seriously injured, one 21 year old woman had a concussion grenade thrown at her, severing her arm almost completely off and she will be fighting to keep her arm for the foreseeable future.

We live in a society where the law applies to everyone except for government officials and billionaire bankers....it seems like if there was a time to step in now would be it, when people are being brutalized simply for trying to protect their own land???

The year of 2016 has been one where I loose a little bit of faith in humanity every time something like this goes undefeated.