University of Ottawa Students' Union

Template:Infobox Canadian Student Association 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

Businesses

The SFUO currently owns five businesses (updated nov. 2008):

The PIVIK, a convenience store located in the University Centre, which sells an assortment of snack foods, groceries, magazines and some school supplies. It has a new coffee and sandwiches section as well as an organic section. 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 in 1999 by the SFUO to provide students with a lower cost textbook source than the campus store, which is run by Follett Corporation a large American textbook retailer. It also has a consignment store for students to resell their books. The Agora sold textbooks at 7% below the suggested retail price and the Follet-run campus store sold textbooks at 5% above the suggested retail price. In 2003, students voted in a referendum to invest $10 per full time student per semester to allow for the expansion of the Agora. This investment allowed the Agora to move to a new larger location and expand the services provided to students. In response to the show of support by students for the Agora, the campus store reduced their prices by 10% to 5% below 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 took a green turn this year, using Gilmore Printing as main provider for promo materials. 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." On Thursdays a particular effort is put in bilingual music. 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."

Finally the newest business of the SFUO is the Café Alt, which is located in the basement of Simard Hall. In the corner of that student space once was a student run café, later taken over by Chartwells, and then abandonned in 2006. It opened this October 2008 as a green and fair-trade student café with a great deli sandwich bar as well as a variety of fair trade coffees. The space in which the Café (the business) is located was newly renovated and its bookings are managed by the Student Association of the Faculty of Arts.

Canadian Federation of Students affiliation

In November 2008, the SFUO joined the Canadian Federation of Students in a referendum question that brought out 22% of the voting population.

Elections

The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa elects its executive council annually, usually in the February general elections. At that time, the positions of President, Vice President Student Affairs, Vice President Finance, Vice President University Affairs, Vice President Communication and Vice President Social are elected as well as the faculty director positions on the Board of Administration.

2009 Elections

In February 2009, the SFUO elected the following individuals: President : Seamus Wolfe VP Finance : Roxanne Dubois VP Social : Jean-Sorphia Guillaume VP University Affairs : Ted Horton VP Communication : Julie Séguin VP Student Affairs : Michèle Lamarche

The elections attracted a participation rate of 27.2%, which is the highest participation rate in recent institutional memory. The vote was conducted electronically using the company Everyone Counts, and despite much criticism was conducted without any major issues reported.

Past Presidents

2007-2008 Pam Hrick

2005-2007 André Brazeau

2004-2005 Phillipe Laliberté

2003-2004 Apoorve Chokshi

2002-2003 Caen Suni

2001-2002 Adam Brown

2000-2001 Claude Dubois

1999-2000 Patrick Pichette

1998-1999 Scott Annan-Kalar

1996-1998 Alain Gauthier

See also

• List of Ontario students' associations

External links

• Official site
• University site