J-school update

Apart from the few hiccups, j-school isn't all that bad. A somewhat dull (yet useful) class has suddenly been given a new life by a new, young instructor who'll be teaching us crime and court reporting for the second half of the semester. He warned us his class will be very difficult and that he rarely gives A's. So while we're mentally prepared for reporting hell, I think most of us are still looking forward to it because it's vibrant, hands-on and challenging. (Plus, he seems like a nice guy).

That's the "real education for the real world" we're looking for.

The theory-laden class that seems to be a popular topic of discussion on this blog is also rattling along. I think it has become slightly more interesting as we and the instructor get the hang of things, but I hate to think of what he and the department have coming their way via mid-term course evaluations.

Application deadlines for scholarships and internshipse be coming up soon. If any readers are aware of opportunities for newbies like us, please do let us know.

We were recently introduced to the CBC's Joan Donaldson scholarships. Early indications are that competition will be very tight, even within the department. There really is so much talent here that I don't even feel like applying. But as I've learned in life, it never hurts to try.

Advice on which internships to look forward to and which ones to dread is appreciated as well.

We also have the option of going for a one-week internship at one of seven media outlets. All but two are small local papers.

Let me throw this out there:

You're a second- or third-year student. You're into broadcast and have the option of spending a week at either CJAD (news talk) or at Radio Canada International.

Which one do you go for? Why?

Hapless state of democracy

The residents of my city, Vaudreuil-Dorion, were supposed to choose to a new mayor and a new councillor for each of the eight districts on November 6, 2005.

Residents in none but three districts will get that chance, and even then, only to choose one of two wanna-be councillors.

Why? Because no one could be bothered to mount a challenge.

The pattern extends all over Quebec. Over 500 mayors were re-elected on October 14 because they had no opponents.

Let's say you were a disgruntled resident in one of those 400+ municipalities. Unless you wanted to run for mayor yourself, you could pretty much consider yourself to be in Cuba or North Korea.

But for most people, it doesn't seem to be an issue. Who cares what they do in the council chamber anyway?

I've attended city council meetings where there were seven citizens present.

The passing of resolutions by the mayor and councilors sounded like an uncontested auction. I wonder what resolutions they would pass if not one citizen was to show up.

Something's got to be done about this. While this may technically be a democracy, for the average, disgruntled Joe, it's anything but. It could be argued that angry Joe can simply run for mayor if he's not happy. Sure he can, except it won't help Joe to spend his valuable time and money just so that he can cast a vote for himself, and still get the same mayor. He might as well not bother.

Have a bunch of dissatisfied Joes thinking that way and you have what we had on October 14.

Having a choice doesn't guarantee Joe a new mayor, but at least Joe should feel there is a reasonable chance for his vote to make a difference in getting a new mayor. Otherwise, Joe will have no reason to be engaged in the political process.

Heck, if all those people who run in federal elections with absolutely no chance of winning were to contest these local elections, I'm sure at least some of them would end up with a job.

As for my councillor (who I can remember since I opened my eyes to the world of local politics), he too went unchallenged.

I think political-savvy students should band together next time and attempt to give these unchallenged dictators a run for their money. If anything, it'll be good experience.

Let's get a province-wide students' movement going. We could all run under the same banner.