What students are talking about today (November 7th edition)

1. Barack Obama got a second chance, winning the presidency for another four years with 50 per cent of the popular vote to Mitt Romney’s 48 per cent plus victory in battleground states like Ohio. From Obama’s victory speech: “Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.” Full text here.

2. Upon hearing the election results, Donald Trump threw a tantrum on Twitter and threatened to “March on Washington,” the site of this democratic “travesty.”

3. Washington and Colorado passed ballot initiatives during Tuesday’s election that legalize marijuana for recreational use. But pot-heads shouldn’t pack their bags for Denver or Seattle just yet. Legalization may lead to a Supreme Court challenge from the federal government.

4. Same-sex marriage ballot initiatives passed in at least two states on Tuesday, Maryland and Maine, while an initiative to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota failed. Gay marriage rights have been achieved through the courts in six states, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York, and D.C. This is the first time such ballot initiatives succeeded.

5. The number of students taking performance enhancing like drugs at England’s Cambridge University is so high that a professor there says they may need a screening program to find cheaters at exam time. Drugs like Modafinil and Ritalin, which boost attention spans and thus marks, are used by 10 per cent of Cambridge students, according to a survey. See The Telegraph.

6. Here at home, the City of North Bay has approved a plan to have an Ontario Hockey League team, the Brampton Battalion, relocate to the northern Ontario city. Some locals aren’t happy with the plan, because of the competition it would bring for junior teams and Nipissing University’s Lakers. Nipissing University itself says it welcomes the Battalion.

7. In a referendum, students at Brock University widely rejected a $2.75 per credit fee to fund the Brock Student Sexual Violence Support Center.

8. The Harper government’s recent ban on face coverings during violent protests is opposed by at least one student newspaper columnist, who argues that problems with the law outweigh benefits. “Many innocent people would be wrongfully accused, and could even serve jail time, just for being in the area. The people already breaking the law in riots don’t seem like the kind of people worried about breaking one more law,” writes Alexander Sorochan in the University of Alberta’s Gateway.

9. The University of Manitoba Student Union is considering creating a position for a “racialized representative.” Spencer Fernando argues against it: “As we consider this issue, let’s ask ourselves a few questions: First, should there be an UMSU rep elected on the basis of their skin colour? Second, is it fair to create a position that could exclude white students and discourage them from running or voting for it? Third, should every non-white student be grouped into one category and represented by one person? My answer to these questions is no.” More in The Manitoban.

10. With the election behind us, we Canadians can resume talking about things that truly impact us, like the NHL lockout. The status: “After a bargaining session that stretched well into the night, the NHL and NHLPA were expected to get right back at it Wednesday,” reports The Canadian Press.