This letter has been selected by the editor to offer commentary on the role of a students’ union. The letter was in response to the March 3 article “Stage two completed in market research project.”

The purpose of a students’ union

Many thanks to The Cord for reporting on the progress of the students’ union’s market research project. The results, as reported, show that advocacy is the top priority for the surveyed student body.

These results should not be surprising...

As parliamentarians get back to work, let’s remember the conservative government continues to stall in calling for a full independent public inquiry into Canadian complicity in torture in Afghanistan.

Richard Colvin, former Canadian diplomat in Kandahar, testified on Nov. 18, 2009, that: “According to our information, the likelihood is that all the Afghan [detainees] we handed over were tortured.”

It is time to demand a full independent public inquiry into Canadian complicity in torture since 2002.  

Re: “Prof struggles to defend heritage buildings”, March 3

As a former student at Wilfrid Laurier University and a present instructional assistant at WLU, I’m writing to applaud Dr. Lisa Wood’s stand against the destruction of the 41 buildings on the south side of Colborne Street in Brantford.

I believe strongly in the need for academics to participate in the communities where they work.

There have been several other noted organizations rallying against this, including the Architectural Conservancy of...

Re: “Naked snow woman is not controversial”, March 3 

I feel that the editorial board has shown ambivalence to the legitimate concerns regarding the “snow babe” sculpture.

While many complaints may be based on troubled neighborly relations, the problematic nature of the statue is based on its inherent sexism. Firstly, the position of the sculpture is overtly sexualized, distinguishing it from most public sculptures/paintings.

The fact that there is no head reflects that the ‘artists’ could not recognize that...

Poor funding for a university degree makes access to education unequal across income gaps

A student who relies solely on OSAP is required to live well below the poverty line.

There is no doubt that a university degree will enhance your life long after your dorm room days are over. 

Not only will your life be augmented by the...

The “Friday strategy” of evading fallout by burying bad news ahead of the weekend is perhaps the longest-standing PR strategy in Ottawa.

Accordingly, as Canadians left work Friday to watch Montgomery’s thrilling gold-medal skeleton performance, it was quietly announced that Canada was pulling out of a $139-million partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop HIV vaccines for clinical trials.

With some 33.4 million people in the world afflicted with HIV/AIDS, the weight of Mr. Harper’s decision could...

I am highly disappointed at The Cord’s Editorial Board for their dramatic show of apathy toward the enormous economic, social, environmental and cultural costs of the Winter Olympics as presented in the last issue of The Cord.  

The global convergence to protest the Olympic games and the groundswell of dissatisfaction among ordinary Canadians is not merely a by-product of malcontents who have an axe to grind with the capitalist system, it is deeply rooted in the blatant human rights...

As we progress into the 2010s I still wonder why we have a chaplain here at Laurier.

Brian Bork speaks of his childhood Sundays as being quiet and peaceful.

But he is painfully unaware of the fact that back in those times the Lord’s Day Act prohibited businesses from operating on the Sabbath.

It was an offence against freedom of religion and was discriminatory towards non-Christians.

Thankfully, with the application of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms section on religious...

Laurier Chaplain has become obsolete Re: Have a subversive Sabbath, Feb. 10

As we progress into the 2010s I still wonder why we have a chaplain here at Laurier.

Brian Bork speaks of his childhood Sundays as being quiet and peaceful.

But he is painfully unaware of the fact that back in those times the Lord’s Day Act prohibited businesses from operating on the Sabbath. It was an offence against freedom of religion and was discriminatory towards non-Christians.

Thankfully, with...

With impending questions directed toward his government in the House of Commons, Stephen Harper should not have prorogued Parliament in order to stifle debate and investigation into alleged misconduct on the part of ministers of the Crown.

Prorogation is typically a tool used to renew sessions after a government’s legislative agenda has all but completed its course; about 30 bills were canned due to prorogation, which is about the same amount of legislation this Parliament has passed in total.

Prorogation...

Amalgamation disadvantages Kitchener, not just Waterloo Re: “What would you think of a possible amalgamation of Kitchener and Waterloo?” Vocal Cord, Jan. 13

As an individual that has grown-up in the region and know it well that the question of whether Kitchener and Waterloo should amalgamate is a terrible idea. 

It is correct that Waterloo has a better reputation than Kitchener; however, Waterloo has the highest taxes, worst roads, and property prices are astronomical due to a lack of space. ...

Bookstore should help students save

As a student at WLU, I spend a lot of money on my textbooks.

In previous years, when the booklist was released, it contained the ISBN number of every book, and I saved myself about one month’s worth of rent by purchasing my textbooks used.

This year however, the policy has been changed, and the list contains only the title and price of each book.

I made a call to the bookstore and spoke to...