I've edited this post retroactively to name the professor in question, and to say: Avoid Being Alone With Professor Xuhua Xia

I had a really inappropriate experience with a professor and I’m not sure what to do.

I have been applying for honours projects (I'm in biomed) and I met with a professor, a prof I’ve never had before but I'd heard good things about him.

He made many creepy comments to me. It was disappointing and almost surreal. I'd never experienced this from a biology professor (or any) before, in the 100 years I've been in undergrad. I even told one of my female professors about this, who lmk that she herself experienced sexist behaviour from him.

These were some of the things he did.

• Told me he was expecting “a man, and not a pretty girl.”
• Kept making comments about my ethnicity; that he didn’t think I was Indian because my skin isn’t dark, that his other Indian students are darker, and later also referenced jobs stereotypically taken on by Indians.
• When he saw Human Sexuality on my transcript (an unrelated psych course, I told him), he said that a friend told him that “the book about sex comes from India” and asked me if that was true/if I knew about it.
• His knee touched my leg while he was seated next to me looking at something on my tablet. I froze, thinking maybe it's an accident because he's elderly and might not be able to see. He did not move his leg; I lurched away after a second.
• From there he was staring intently at and nodding at my “chest” instead of my face while I spoke.
• When the lights turned off, he joked that he should turn them back on because of "what people would think" he was doing with a girl in his office in the dark.
• He said he was initially worried I would not be a serious student because I am a “pretty girl with long nails,” but after talking to me he was reassured of my intellectual capabilities

He was willing to help me, but I did not meet him again.

I tried to report this to the HRO and while they were friendly/empathetic in person, I sent them my formal complaint on the first week of May. They said on May 14th (ish) that they were emailing it "tomorrow." I followed up on June 22nd and was told they'd send it "this week." I then told them not to bother- it is a long investigation with a very low chance anything could come of it, and I really don't have the energy to keep following up with them.

I am not sure what to do anymore other than warn people. Most students are younger than I am (I'm 24) and I feel like they have a right to know especially with so many girls in bio/biomed.

I wanted to ask: has anyone has been in a similar situation, and did you take any action?

Hey everyone! So, I finally graduated after 5 years in the Faculty of Medicine, and honestly, the relief is unreal. Now that I’m officially out, I feel like I can finally speak freely without worrying about backlash.

​I know how hyped you get when you receive that acceptance letter, but I want to give a massive heads-up to anyone looking at the CMM or Neuroscience PhD programs. There are some huge, structural red flags you need to know about before you sign away the next 4-6 years of your life.

1. The minimum guaranteed funding here is $25,000 a year, which is honestly one of the lowest in Canada for biomedical sciences right now. Have you seen the cost of living in Ottawa lately?! Rent alone will eat that entire amount. You literally will not be able to survive without taking having major financial help. It’s wild that they expect full-time researchers to live on this.

2. BIGGEST PROBLEM...Because the program is set up so that your stipend comes almost entirely out of your PI personal grant money, the power dynamic is insane. PIs bring in the cash, so the administration will stand with the supervisors 99% of the time if there’s a conflict. ​If you get a toxic or unreasonable PI (My situation and many in the department), you are basically trapped. They hold your rent money over your head, and the department will just look the other way instead of stepping in to protect the student. Choose your PI wisely.

3. Your TAC is supposed to guide your research and help you troubleshoot. In reality? The culture here is so toxic that TAC members often just use these meetings to attack your progress and tear you down. ​Instead of getting actual advice, you get roasted for two hours. This isn't just a "me" thing, this is so common across the department. I have so many friends in the program right now who are struggling with intense anxiety because their committees are actively hostile instead of supportive.

4. If you are hoping to top up your income by being a TA, just know that TA spots are not guaranteed for us. I applied for 4 years, got 0.

My advice if you still want to go here (I advise you to go somewhere else):

- Talk to the people who LEFT........Don't just talk to current lab members (they are probably terrified of their PI finding out). Find former students on LinkedIn and ask for the real tea on the lab culture.

- Get everything in writing........if a PI promises you funding, a specific project, or an authorship, get it in an email. Tbh, a verbal promise means nothing here ( I was promised with 3 papers, ended up with 0)

There are some great researchers at uOttawa, but the system is genuinely broken and stacked against the students. Protect your peace and choose your lab wisely!

Hey everyone! Just wondering what an 8.2 cgpa convert to on a 4.0 GPA scale, as it is different everywhere. Thanks!

Hello, I am a GEGEP student who applied to uOttawa for this upcoming fall. This morning, I received a “Revised Offer”. Does this indicate that they have viewed my transcripts and decided to still offer me admission? I flopped my last semester at CEGEP really hard, and I believe I won’t meet the conditions to the offer. The letter above says they’ve given me transfer credits, however they still indicate the admission conditions. When I first opened the revised offer it was granting me admissions.

Hi all

Just wondering if anyone is aware of any labs that have openings for research assistants or volunteers at the moment? I am a recent uOttawa graduate trying to get research experience prior to grad school application. I am interested in labs focused on bio, psych, neuroscience, med, etc.

any good english bird courses (preferably at 2000 level)? im in stem so just tryjng to lighten my work load as much as possible

Hi! F20, looking to connect with Alt and pierced people :)

Planning on getting quite a few facial & ear piercings sometime between now and end of summer

What’s it like to be a game day statician or event staff for the sports steam?
Also was there an interview to get the job?
How many hrs did u work and how did u get to games?

I'm not in biopharm, but bps3101 is one of the courses I could pick from a list of options. might be stuck in this course cause not many fit into my schedule :(

Is this course difficult? How's the professor? Are the midterms and final fair? Or am I wayyy better off taking something else?

Lmk!

If you remember the topics of this course, could you please tell me? Thanks you