I am often asked why we call ourselves "Canada's university." Sometimes I get the impression (especially when speaking with colleagues from other campuses) that people regard the term as presumptuous or even arrogant. Let me explain why it is neither, but rather just a statement of fact.

Not only are we situated in the heart of Canada's capital, at the very meeting point of francophones and anglophones in Canada, but we also embody and reflect some of the defining characteristics of our country:

• We operate in both official languages, offering courses in both French and English in the vast majority of our 360 undergraduate programs. No other university in Canada even comes close to our record for bilingualism;

• Many of our faculties have a distinctly national character. For example, our Faculty of Law has sections for both systems of law used in Canada-Droit Civil and Common Law-and each system is taught in both French and English. (And by the way, we provide a large number of the law clerks hired by the Supreme Court of Canada judges every year.) Our faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences lead the National Consortium (funded by the Government of Canada) training health care professionals to offer services to francophone minorities outside Quebec;

• We were chosen by the Canadian government as the headquarters for Language Rights Support Program in 2009;

• Our location has allowed us to develop a special relationship with the federal public service, some examples of which include research partnerships with the National Research Council, the hundreds of CO-OP students we place in various federal departments and the 5,000 federal public servants who took continuing education courses here last year; and

• Our professors provide policy advice and insightful research to senior federal officials in fields as diverse as foreign affairs, public health and the environment.

So the next time someone asks you why we are known as "Canada's university," don't hesitate to tell them that it's a title we deserve!

This week, uOttawa students have been enjoying their first annual fall Study Week, an initiative of the student associations that has been discussed over the last few years. We are one of the only Ontario universities to offer this opportunity in the fall to catch up, get some rest and prepare for the papers and exams at the end of the term. We're well aware of how busy you are and that many of you are feeling the pressure of your academic workload, often combined with part-time jobs. I hope you take advantage of the break and come back with renewed energy for the busy weeks ahead!

Maybe you remember having to walk to the University two years ago because of the bus strike. Maybe you want to bike to the campus but there aren’t enough bike paths. Or maybe you don’t like how your neighbourhood is being developed.

All of these issues and more are decided by municipal politicians. From garbage collection to zoning decisions and traffic control, municipal politicians make decisions that affect your daily life. This coming Monday, if you live in Ontario, you’ll have the opportunity to choose who will make these decisions, by voting in the municipal elections.

Need to find out about the issues? Just google "[name of your municipality] municipal elections," and you’ll get everything from news sites to blogs to links to candidates’ websites. For information on how to vote if you live in Ottawa, check out the City of Ottawa’s elections website.

Above all, show that you value democracy and care about your city: vote!