Gavin MacVicar
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” – John Adams
So as some of the OPUS’s brighter readers may have realized my last issue didn’t really come out the way it was intended. That’s because it actually wasn’t my issue at all, West unilaterally took it over right before print. West put the dogs in the kennel so to speak. Luckily The Argus contacted me to LET THE DOGS OUT!! (they like to party more than they let on Joe).
If anybody picked up the last issue of the OPUS which Ryan West took over, he wrote a particularly irritating letter to the editor.  Ryan, I will you give you some advice, next time you feel the need to write a letter to yourself, you should ensure that the contents are accurate. You said that I was the editor-in-chief and that I belonged to the board. You were the editor-in-chief and I had resigned from the board before that issue went to print, so the letter was erroneous on both counts.
I didn’t refer to you as being “gutless” for standing up for what you believe in. I was referring to the ambush tactics that you employ. Needless to say the “gutless” accusations were figurative and not literal.
It is disturbing that Ryan would put the muzzle on the “tell-all” issue only days before he was up for re-election. This is a bigger cover up than that whole Richard Nixon incident (Watergate). I like to refer to this scandal as West-gate. But coincidental names aside, there is something seriously wrong with the student government at Confederation College.

So now that you’ve all read page 7 about The Opus, the actual happenings from the interviews and all the craziness that’s going on, I thought I would offer my thoughts. The fact is simple: the takeover of the paper was inexcusable. There are no documented complaints officially against Gavin MacVicar, nor has there been much deliberation on the content of the paper within the paper itself.
Even if people disagree with the content, Gavin would have published those letters to the editor; however, he did not receive any – except the ones in these recent issues. So what really happened? And who gets to decide what is published in a student paper?
Although our paper is owned by LUSU, we maintain our editorial rights, as we should. However, if students have issues, we address those issues. We make apologies, we write retractions or corrections, and sometimes we even delete certain controversial columns to forfeit legal issues. Yes, this is how a student paper works and how it always will, I assume.
What is the point of a student paper if it doesn’t contain diverse, debatable topics? This does not mean I agree with everything student papers put in the paper, but it does mean that I get it; I get why controversial photos and topics are published and why students enjoy those papers.
The Argus, however, is currently not one of those radical student papers. I think the paper follows the trends of the staff, and this year, The Argus staff is fun and energetic, but also not so into legal battles and having people complain. Maybe another year will be different, but there are still the guidelines to follow in the constitution in regard to discrimination of any person. In the past, The Argus has been extreme activist oriented in some years, but again, student papers go through seasons, and the editor still maintains editorial autonomy, even though there is no financial autonomy.
I both appreciate and flinch when I read that Brennen Van Brenk wants The Argus in the college’s ACE building because we are more professional. Mixed emotions no doubt. I am not swayed one-way or the other on the matter, but the basic reasoning is this: a cancellation of ad contracts and overall student numbers is required to stop delivering to a place. If you do not like it, do not read it. One person cannot speak for all; opinions are valid and need to be taken with respect and thoughtfulness, but to stop delivering to the building, there needs to be more channels flipped through, more students writing in with official complaints, and the board has to have a ruling on the matter after the fact.
Transparency, when covering a student union’s meetings, is important for the students to know what is going on with their money and their votes. Editorial autonomy is much different than an autonomous newspaper; student newspapers are always torn on their content.

Brandi Cameron
Editor-in-Chief

Well hello everyone, if I’ve fooled you into thinking that this letter will be about NCAA basketball, I’m sorry… Hopefully everyone is surviving their March. It is a busy time for school work, and the pinch is hard painful.
A few sports updates, the mens basketball team played a tough game against Windsor – but unfortunately did not come away with the win. The Thunderwolves hockey team beat up on Western again Saturday night, eliminating them from the playoffs.
What’s up around LU? Well I am hiring a new chief returning officer. The CRO responsible for overseeing elections. If you are interested contact me, my info is provided below. In Orillia we will be hiring an events and campaigns commissioner. Also, we have surveyed Orillia students in regards to paying additional fee’s health and athletics. Updates will be provided soon on that. City transit has approved the bus pass for the city of Orillia, and discussion of the contract will take place this Monday.
The LUSU strategic planning committee will be meeting soon. So if you have criticisms or ideas about the direction of the student union, start writing it down. We will soon be asking for input from the student body on the LUSU strat plan.
That is all for this week. So in case I don’t see you, good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight.

Dave Grad

343-8550, president@lusu.ca

This week, Pride Central is resuming its regular social programming. On Tuesday, March 9, we have Gayme Night. If you haven’t heard of this yet, allow me to explain: Gayme Night is an opportunity to hang out in our centre and play board games. It’s a casual yet fun experience, and there’s always food, so don’t be shy!

The second last Pink Questions of 2009-2010 is also this week. As of writing, we haven’t yet determined where to have our open-minded discussion group. However, we have a few ideas, and our final decision will be available at the calendar on our web site, pride.lusu.ca. Regardless, since Pride in the North is still fresh in our minds, we’d like to focus the Thursday, March 11 Pink Questions on queer pride. The hour long discussion will begin at 7:30 PM.

And on Friday (the 12th), we’re going to resume Queer Film Friday. We’ll start with “A Beautiful Thing,” winner of the 1996 Cannes Film Festival Director’s Fortnight. In this queer film, two Londoner boys are drawn to each other in the midst of urban adolescence. Like Pink Questions, we’ve yet to confirm where to screen this movie, but you can count on our web site to tell you as soon as we know! Remember, Queer Film Friday is an admission free event, and it starts at 7 PM.

Pride Central is a safe space for everyone with an open mind. You’re welcome to visit us in UC 0019, phone 343-8813, click pride.lusu.ca, and check out our Facebook group. Have a fabulous week!

Dexter Darrah
Director, Pride Central
pridecentral@lusu.ca
(807) 343-8813

Soapbox on a standstill

The Argus is firing up the search for next year’s staff. It seems early, but really it is needed. For instance, whoever is hired as EIC (Editor-in-Chief) gets the privilege of shadowing me for 2 weeks and writing an editorial in the final issue beside my farewell editorial. It is important that we hire early so we can properly train the 2010-2011 staff.

Here’s the deal: you email us, or come to the office [UC 2014B], and we will give you copies of the job description, what is entailed for applying, as well as a nomination form to get 15 student signatures.

Then, depending on the position, you will hand it all in before the interview date with copies of writing photos, design, or comics, etc.

The interview process is interesting for our team; we are serious in voting, but also have a lot of fun during the interview process. Teams need a good vibe, on top of attaining qualified members.

Also, there are some positions people are unaware of: EIC, Design and Layout Business Manager, Photo and Graphics Editor, Copy Editor, News Editor, News Writer, Feature Editor/ Writer, A&E Editor, Sports Editor, and Circulation Manager. The Argus staff of 2009-2010 will be going through our constitution and making amendments and changed to be approved by LUSU. Because of this, we would also like to have the new staff involved in the process this year. This way the new staff understands the changes, how constitutions work, and how voting happens. This also will include in-camera sessions, as well as basic happenings and working of an organization ran by LUSU.

We will begin advertising officially next issue, the Sex Issue by the way, but I am giving students a heads-up because it does take some preparation, and we will only be advertising for two weeks (in the paper and around campus via posters).

Any questions can be emailed to arguseditor@lakeheadu.ca and I will be glad to provide any information requested.I would also like to add that the Olympic men’s hockey game between USA and Canada just ended as I finish this editorial. I am unhappy, unimpressed, and wondering why our boys lost their skills and teamwork tonight. Good thing they’re still in the running, otherwise you’d be reading my own rant for the first 300 words.

If you want to write for the Sex Issue send me an email by Thursday afternoon, I am taking them in later thought, just let me know it’s coming in, the title, and the word link. Also include if you need a photo or are providing one (with a caption and who took the photo). Rock on. Keep procrastinating.

Brandi Cameron

Editor-in-Chief

I’d like to thank those who supported the Haiti Relief concert held in the study the other week. We had a lot of great artists come out and play, and the support from the audience was unbelievable. By the end of the night, the total amount raised was $1,105. The night started out shaky due to sound problems, but thankfully Jocelyn was there to fix everything – and the crowd stayed patient as we worked it out. By the end of the night there was a full-blown band with keyboard, drums, and everything.

The student body seems to have collectively raised close to $6,000 now. $2,400 of which has come from Orillia – which is incredibly impressive, considering the population of that campus. We are still currently collecting money, and will be making a donation to Life Waters, but I would like to mention that we have made a donation of $3,000 to the Canadian Red Cross. We donated the money in time to be matched by the Canadian government, so it will be nice to see the government double our efforts.

In other news, if you want to attend the Cavendish Cup for Thunderwolves hockey – make sure you buy your ticket from the LUSU office! We will be selling Cavendish Cup tickets for Friday March 26^th, and Saturday March 27^th for only $5. That five bucks gets you much more than a hockey game though, it also gets you a bus ride to the game, and a pregame party in the Outpost on Friday, and at the wolves den on Saturday. SO BE THERE!

If you’re looking for a graduation photo in March, make sure you sign up for that in the LUSU office as well. If you like Alexisonfire – GET YOUR TICKETS FROM THE POST ASAP! This show is guaranteed to sell out.

Finally, if you’re looking to get involved next year with the student movement, we have several positions available: events commissioner, campaigns commissioner, and several coordinators, including Pride Central Coordinator, Aboriginal Awareness Coordinator, and Food Bank Coordinator. Apply with the LUSU office if any of these titles interest you, or you require more info about the respective positions.

Dave Grad

LUSU President