Carleton students to re-examine drop of CF charity
Canada.com
Published: Monday, December 01, 2008
OTTAWA – Carleton University Students' Association will vote Monday night to re-examine a motion that cancelled the school's annual charity drive in support of cystic fibrosis.
The motion, which incorrectly stated the disease “has been recently revealed to only affect white people, and primarily men,” created a nationwide storm of controversy.
Thousands have joined Facebook groups and signed a petition that will be presented during the meeting calling for impeachment of the association's president and also the author of the original motion.
According to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, about one in 3,600 children is born with the disease in Canada, and girls and boys are equally affected. “Caucasians” do have a greater chance of carrying the abnormal gene that causes the disease, but that demographic includes people in the Middle East, South America, North Africa and the Indian subcontinent, as well as western countries.
The original motion said the charity would be dropped to allow for other fundraising efforts that served “diverse communities.”
Student association president Brittany Smyth said that during Monday's emergency meeting, she'll try to rescind the decision to pull support for the fundraiser.
