Her Campus at U Ottawa acknowledges that we are located on the stolen and unsurrendered land of the Algonquin people.
As this year comes to a close, there are many memories to reflect on. That being said, there were many memorable moments for the university in particular—like these 5 special moments in 2022.
“FREEDOM” FIGHTERS
Starting off strong is the convoy. Remember when the city was under literal siege by a bunch of angry truck drivers and labelled it as a freedom movement? Not to mention the absolute HELL many students living near campus had to go through since the noise pollution was crazy. I remember walking to my night class and hearing the constant honking. Additionally, the ridiculousness of the situation was that it took over a month for authorities to do something about it.
FROSH WEEK
Frosh week was a success this year—from the cruises to the engineering students carrying a couch across campus. It was great to see so many great faces this year on campus. It finally felt normal after a whole year of social distancing due to pandemic safety measures. Though the giant clumps of people were intimidating, frosh week provided that authentic university experience that students look for. It showed that there was actual campus life and activities to do!
panda
The Panda game this year was GREAT. It wasn’t rainy like in 2021 and again, seeing the house and block parties was so fun. The university also was able to prove itself compared to the previous year by students restraining themselves to NOT flip over cars. Additionally, we kicked our rival school Carleton’s butts horrendously with a 20-point difference. It was great to see so many people show up! Not to mention there was one heck of a gold coin toss. Panda 2022 was definitely a prominent memory.
FIT FOR ALL
One of the best things to happen this year for me was that we didn’t need to book time slots to go to the campus gyms anymore! All summer I would be booking or forgetting to book slots and it was extremely inconvenient. However, when I found out that I didn’t need to book anymore, I started going to the university gym more often. Speaking of campus gyms, Montpetit should be open soon after the renovations, meaning that you don’t have to go to Minto where all the gym bros are.
ucu VAriety
This year UCU was able to SHOW UP! Starting off with Bento and Pivik centre. It was great to finally have a spot to get food that was on campus that didn’t require people to go outside during cold days. Additionally, it was very helpful—especially during a study session in the library since it’s just a staircase away. Also, so much community engagement happened during the World Cup at UCU! It was great to see so many different people from the uOttawa community support their favourite teams. Honourable mention to the Moroccan team supporters; they knew how to celebrate wins the right way. I remember telling a friend, “if you hear honking by campus, just know Morocco won.” It was awesome to sit at one of the viewing parties with friends (with a snack from Pivik too, of course) and watch the game after class. It was a great way to end the semester.
Overall, this year was great! There were so many original and once-in-a-blue-moon moments that most wouldn’t expect to happen. Here’s to an eventful 2022 and an even more eventful 2023!