Issue 15, Vol 143, The Brunswickan

MOVING FORWARD //FORWARD MUSIC GROUP MAKES WAVES >> pG. 12 Volume 143 • Issue 15 • January 13, 2010

thebruns.ca

brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.

UNB gets First Nations governance degree

UNB student may be kicked out of residence

Sarah Ratchford The Brunswickan Students at the University of New Brunswick are the first in the country to have an opportunity to study for a degree in First Nations governance and management.

The bachelor’s degree was announced on Jan. 6 as part of a series of Aboriginal post-secondary initiatives for the province of New Brunswick for which the government is allotting $1 million.

The standalone degree, the first of its kind in Canada, is being implemented at the request of First Nations communities, says Dr. Linda Doige, director of the Mi’kmaqMaliseet Institute at the UNB Fredericton campus.

She says the process that’s being followed to form this degree is just as important as the final product.

“We have already held a series of conversations with First Nations communities regarding the needs, the ideas, what the content might be for a degree, and what would be the topics that First Nations people feel are necessary to explore in a degree in governance.”

The degree, Doige says, will assist First Nations people to “govern themselves as opposed to being dependant on other forms of governance, by giving them understanding of how governance functions.

“This will assist First Nations people with self-governance within their own communities.”

Details of the degree are still in preliminary stages, but it will be interdisciplinary in nature, including courses from a variety of different faculties. The degree will be granted through the school’s faculty of education.

The First Nations education funding will be split between New Brunswick’s major post-secondary institutions, including UNB Fredericton and Saint John, St. Thomas University, l’Université de Moncton, the New Brunswick Community College campuses and the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design.

The money is intended to recruit and

SEE DEGREE PAGE 3

James Brown, above, is the executive director of Residential Life. He says grad student Chris Ian may be searching for another place to live following the fire in McLeod, in which Ian played a role. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan Chris Ian’s future in residence at the University of New Brunswick is unclear.

Ian, a graduate student and current resident of McLeod House, played a role in the fire that occurred in his residence on Nov. 17. The incident accumulated $25,000 in damages and was deemed an accident by emergency response authorities.

Though the incident occurred close to two months ago, problems are still ongoing between Ian and UNB Residential Life. Recently, Residential Life made the decision to evict Ian from the residence community, a decision Ian will be appealing this week.

Shortly after the incident, Ian said he

met with Angela Garnett, director of Residential Life for the university. Ian said that Garnett told him Residential Life had evaluated the reports from the police and fire department that deemed the fire an accident, but some action still had to occur from the incident.

“Near the end [of the conversation] she said, ‘But we’re going to move you.’

And I asked why and she told me that it was due to my shaky relationship with the proctors and the don of McLeod House, the fact that there needed to be “consequences” for my role in the fire, as well as the fact that the proctors had apparently gauged the mood of the house and determined that there were ‘feelings of lingering hostility’ towards myself and my role in the fire,” he said.

Ian was initially supposed to be moved to the suite style residence

shortly following the incident, however his family requested that he move in January.

Both James Brown, executive director of Residential Life and Conference Services, and Ian confirmed that proctors from McLeod House submitted statements about “feelings of lingering hostility” within the residence.

Both parties also said that the don of McLeod House approached Residential Life and claimed that Ian showed no true remorse for the fire, a claim that Ian disputes wholeheartedly.

“I told [the don of McLeod] specifically in that interview that I felt terrible about the fire and these are my words literally, about having disrupted peoples well-being, about having possibly destroyed many of my friends’ as well as other peoples property,” he said.

“I also mention, against my better judgement, that I have not been sleeping well since the incident, and when I heard [the don’s comment] the response was ‘How can anybody say that about another person?’”

Brown said that though Ian has accumulated several fines in residence, it is extremely rare for a resident to be evicted on these grounds alone and that Ian’s eviction revolves centrally around the fire.

“I believe that the appeal of his eviction will be completely sorted out

by Thursday and he’ll either move, you know we may still leave that open to him actually or we will change the locks and he will be evicted,” Brown said.

Ian’s fate in residence will be decided at an appeal on Thursday.

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brunswickannews

2 • Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143

In memory of Mike McAloon Sarah Ratchford The Brunswickan Mike McAloon was a music loving physics student at UNB, gregarious and well liked, and he will continue to be loved by many after the sad event of his passing.

Michael Joseph McAloon passed away on Dec. 30 in a motor vehicle accident.

The crash was due to icy road conditions, and it happened in the afternoon. Mike was 29 years old.

Darren Anderson, a friend of Mike’s, was kind enough to have a chat with the Brunswickan in memory of Mike.

“Well, he was an amazing drummer,” is the first thing Anderson can say about Mike, “but really modest. He was modest about everything. But you know, he played in bands...he had bands in high school. One was called The Dummies.

He didn’t really have one out west [in Edmonton]. “ “But he did let me use his drums quite a bit; he was teaching me how to play the drums, and drummers are usually pretty particular about who touches their drum kits. Not Mike. I’m left handed, so he’d switch the drum kit around for me,” Anderson reminisces.

Anderson met Mike when Mike

moved to Edmonton about five years ago. The two bonded over snowboarding and drinks.

“Mike was quite the drinker,” Anderson recalls, laughing. “But he was smart too. He’d party hard, but he’d work hard.”

Particularly special for Anderson is a trip he took with Mike and his brother to Banff. His brother was in possession of a school bus, and 15 friends took the trip together.

“It was just awesome. Mark and Mike... you could just really tell that they loved each other. They hung out a lot. That’s what I thought was really cool about Mike, he loved his family and friends so much. You felt like you were Mike’s brother when you hung out.

“He felt like family.”

Mike was in his second year of a masters of science degree in physics at UNB Fredericton.

“Michael had a strong passion for music, his family and the universe. He was from Saint John and worked as a tour guide for the UNB Physics Observatory,” states Dr. Eddy Campbell, UNB’s President, in a recent press release.

Anderson says that although this is a mournful time, it helps to remember Mike to family and friends, such as Mike’s

New UNB teaching contract in negotiations Lee Larrett The Brunswickan

Mike McAloon is gone too soon.

The victim of icy roads, McAloon died Dec. 30, 2009. A great drummer and UNB physics student, he will be missed. Submitted brother. He says this helps his spirits, as well as the spirits of others who miss Mike.

Mike is fondly remembered by Anderson as having “just loved life.”

Counseling services are available for students by calling 453-4820. Faculty and staff can access counseling services by calling 1-866-347-2067.

Mike’s family asks that, in lieu of sending flowers, a donation be made to the Saint John Arts Centre or a charity of the donor’s choice.

UNB is in negotiations with the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers (AUNBT) over a new contract to replace the old one from early 2006.

The union and the university have both agreed not to discuss the bargaining process with the media except by way of joint statements. A leaked email from the bargaining team of AUNBT to its members in December shed some light on the dealings.

David Bell of the AUNBT said that they are in “a cone of silence so as not to negotiate in the media,” and sent a joint press release to explain the bargaining.

UNB Communications could not be reached to comment on the negotiations.

The press release stated that, “AUNBT and UNB share the goal of supporting the communities around us and of making UNB a better place to study and work.”

“Negotiators have reached agreement on many issues, with several items still outstanding. In order to assist the parties to successfully conclude negotiations, UNB and AUNBT have applied jointly to the Minister of the Department of PostSecondary Education, Training and Labour of the Province of New Brunswick for the appointment of a conciliator,” it continued.

The Daily Gleaner reported content of the leaked email, sent on Dec. 24, 2009.

According to The Daily Gleaner, the email said that UNB presented an offer to

the union on Dec. 23 asking for a two year wage freeze retroactive to 2009 and into 2010. Following the freeze, the University offered 0.5 per cent July 1, 2011, and Jan. 1, 2012, and 0.75 per cent July 1, 2012, and Jan. 1, 2013.

The proposed increase amounts to a total salary increase over four years of 2.5 per cent, leaving UNB teachers 13 per cent behind the average wage package by the end of 2011.

The email was reported to have said that UNB already lags behind the pay scales of teachers at comparable post-secondary institutions. It also pointed out that such a difference in wages will make it harder to retain and recruit university professors at UNB. The offer was reported to have included a proposal to remove reference to a group of 13 national, comprehensive universities that the union has used as a gage for wage and benefit comparisons for the past 30 years.

The email was said to suggest that this proposal is tantamount to proclaiming that UNB is a lesser institution and that this change abandons UNB’s national status.

The union’s last agreement with UNB expired June 30, 2009 but will remain in effect until a new agreement is ratified.

In April 2009 approximately 650 nonunionized UNB employees saw their wages freeze as part of a university attempt to cut costs.

UNB is predicting it will face a $30-million deficit over the next three years.

Dear Bruns readers, Please note that the paper will hit the stands on Thursday, Jan. 21 next week as opposed to Wednesday.

thebruns.ca

brunswickannews

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143 • 3

Minimum wage is on the rise

Parking woes continue for UNB students Nick Howard The Brunswickan Parking at UNB is getting worse, thanks to winter and some new regulations.

The last thing UNB needs is more problems to compound its already congested parking situation. The Brunswickan published an article in October 2009 outlining the many problems with UNB parking – from quantity of space available to the quality of the parking lots. As winter sets in and snow removal becomes an issue, parking problems begin to compound. Snow is not the only issue complicating UNB’s parking problem this semester though, as a land owner in Fredericton recently made the decision to prevent students from parking in an empty lot on McLeod Avenue across from Queen Square Park. NoGo, a parking management company in Fredericton, has placed signs around the vacant lot warning

of an $88 fee should a car be found parked in the lot without authorization. The signs, however, seem superfluous as the five booted cars in the lot on Monday, Jan. 11 prove the seriousness of the claim.

The Brunswickan reached the owner of the property who said, “We’ve been trying to do it for five years; we’ve gotta stop people from going in there”. He refused to comment further, saying, “I don’t even want to talk about it.” His name is not included as The Brunswickan was unable to obtain permission to print his name in this story.

As the parking problem continues to frustrate students, some wonder if parking passes are worth the money. Nothing is forthcoming from the university’s administration on the topic of parking, but as the problem compounds further, it is becoming clear that land owners outside the university are no longer willing to accommodate students’ cars.

Students work a variety of jobs to put themselves through University. Many of the jobs available to students pay minimum wage, such as grocery store jobs.The schedueled increase to minimum wage will impact students who work low paying jobs to make ends meet. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan New Brunswick students with both part time and full time jobs are breathing sighs of relief following announcements that minimum wage is on the rise.

The Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour unveiled their plans for a gradual increase in minimum wage on Jan. 5. The wage will increase to match the average for Atlantic provinces by Sept. 1, 2011.

Minimum wage, which currently $8.25, will rise to $8.50 on April 1 of this year and again to $9 per hour in September. In 2011, minimum wage will increase 50 cents to $9.50 on April 1 and reach the Atlantic average of $10 on Sept. 1.

“We want employers to grow their businesses while providing a fair wage, which will enable employees to improve their standard of living,” said Donald Arseneault, Minister for Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour in New Brunswick, in a press release issued on the date of the announcement.

“This balanced approach will continue to move us forward on our path to selfsufficiency and build a better future for

New Brunswick.”

Minimum wage in New Brunswick has been among the lowest in the country for years, rivalled only by $8 per hour in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories also at $8.25. Minimum wage is highest in Ontario where employees currently make $10 an hour, a number that will rise by 25 cents this March.

Holly Steeves, a second year student, currently works four jobs outside of school. Working at Co-op, West 49, tutoring at the Math Help Centre at UNBSJ and marking for a first year pre-calculus course takes up 30 hours of Steeves’ week. She makes minimum wage at West 49.

She said she was excited to hear that minimum wage is on the rise.

“I’m pumped. My dad, in Ontario, is always like ‘Our minimum wage is close to 11 bucks. Why are you still in New Brunswick?’ So I’m glad they’re trying to make it more even. Plus, it’s awesome for us students who need cash,” she said.

Steeves said she believes it is really important for these wages to increase, especially for students, because they are working in these traditional minimum wage positions.

“Most jobs that are convenient enough

for students to have, like retail, fast food or call centres, which are usually the most flexible with hours, all pay minimum wage or like 50 cents above. So it’s great that we can actually get paid something that’s worth the travel time to pay for our tuition, books and transportation,” she said.

Kayla Brinston, an arts student, has worked at Sobeys since last March. She has moved up the payroll over time and no longer makes minimum wage. She was still interested to learn that minimum wages are on the rise in the province.

“Since I’m a student, and I don’t want my grades to suffer, I only work two or three days a week, and that means my pay cheque covers the bare minimum: food and rent. If I’m lucky I’ll have some left over,” she said.

“I think that’s great [that minimum wage is increasing]. I can work the few days I want and everything will be covered.”

The increase in minimum wage is related to the province’s Overcoming Poverty Together: The New Brunswick Economic and Social Inclusion Plan that was adopted in November. This plan aims to reduce poverty in the province by 50 per cent by 2015.

New UNB degree first of kind in Canada FROM DEGREE PAGE 1 retain Aboriginal students, as well as developing programs to help them pursue an education.

Donald Arsenault is New Brunswick’s minister of post-secondary education, training and labour. He says the making of this degree program goes along with the province’s action plan to “transform post secondary education” in the province.

“Part of the action plan is to give access to more individuals,” says Arsenault. “The Aboriginal community has tremendous opportunities. This program respects that community and gives them a wealth of opportunity. It’s also the first of its kind in Canada, so that speaks volumes as well. I’m very proud to provide the funding in order to do this.”

Jonathan Dutcher is part of New Brunswick’s Maliseet community and is currently pursuing a degree in music at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. He says the creation of this degree is an important step forward.

“I think it’s a good initiative. There hasn’t

been a real attempt towards First Nations governance anywhere in Canada. It’s a big step forward for UNB to be doing that,” says Dutcher. “Aboriginal communities need better educated leaders.”

Jaden Keitlah, national aboriginal caucus chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), says he “applauds the government for recruiting,” but that there are funding problems at the federal level.

“Status First Nations and Inuit paying for school only have a 2 per cent increase per year since ’96. The government has failed to keep pace with a rising cost in education,” he says.

Despite this, Keitlah calls the developments in New Brunswick “a huge step towards getting First Nations in the door.”

Arati Sharma, national director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), says the new degree is a step in the right direction.

“From CASA’s perspective, we think this is great. It fulfills the need for a unique program. It’s filling a niche for underrepresented students. Inuit, First Nations, Métis –aboriginal students need access; any sort of programs catered towards their group is fantastic.”

Doige says that UNB has also been given

funding to evaluate and design a pre-service teacher curriculum in core subjects such as English, math and science that would be “culturally appropriate for First Nations students.”

Anyone planning to teach First Nations students would take these courses, the details of which would be developed in the same way as the governance and leadership degree.

“We’ll be asking First Nations people what exactly should be in these courses.

What we’re doing is decolonizing content.”

Doige says that material currently being taught in public schools will have to be looked at from a different perspective and taught in a different way in order to respect First Nations cultures.

“This is not a bunch of people who know about governance saying ‘This is what it should be.’ It’s First Nations people saying ‘We want this, this is what’s important to us.’

It’s been listening, not talking.”

The degree will be kept inclusive, and it will be open to all students interested in learning about its subject matter, not only First Nations students.

The First Nations governance and leadership degree is expected to be available for enrolment in the next two years.

A lack of available parking on campus can lead to unexpected, and demobilizing, situations like the one above. Andrew Meade/ The Brunswickan

brunswickannews

4 • Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143

Raised parking fees announced

SU bylaw ammendments spark hot debate Lee Larrett The Brunswickan

City wide parking meter rates and parking fines are going up as part of the 2010 Fredericton City Budget.The fine for parking at an expired parking meter will run you $5 more. Hoursly meter rates will be increasing to $1.50, the same rate as in Halifax, Moncton, and Saint John. Sandy Chase / The Brunswickan

Lee Larrett The Brunswickan Reducing spending was the key objective for the Fredericton City Council as they approved the 2010 operating and capital budgets.

The $93.2 million general fund budget and a $12.1 million water and sewer budget was presented by Councillor Mike O’Brien, Chair of the City of Fredericton’s Finance and Administration Committee, at a council meeting on Dec. 16, 2009.

O’Brien said in an information release from the City of Fredericton that it was a tough budget process this year.

“Our challenge was to find a sustainable way to balance economic growth and new capital projects while maintaining existing infrastructure and programs.”

The budget balances cutbacks and tax and fee increases across the city with continued municipal grants and increases for capital projects. In the first tax increase in seven years, property tax will rise 0.85 cents per $100 of the homes connected to municipal water and sewer services, and 0.64 cents for homes that are not. This, coupled with other market driven factors will result in

new revenue of $4,009,806.

The expired parking meter fine increased by $5 on Jan. 1 of this year, bringing it to $15. Effective May. 1 the rates on the meters will be increasing as well by 25 cents, and the meter hours will be extended to 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Monday to Friday. The one hour meter rate is now the same in Fredericton as in Halifax, Moncton, and Saint John.

Monthly student transit fees as of Jan. 1 have jumped from $40 to $42 for a monthly pass; however, this will not affect the STU students’ bus passes or the UNB Graduate Student Association pass. Also, the Two Nations Crossing transit route pilot has been postponed and will not be renewed until population and business density in that area increase and provincial Department of Transportation infrastructure is in place on Ring Road.

Adult and Minor ice time rentals will increase by $12.50 per hour as of April 1 at city arenas.

By postponing the Two Nations Crossing pilot, and restructuring in Engineering and Public Works and Police Departments, the city is seeing salary savings equivalent to five full time salaries. Training, conference, and travel budgets for the city have been cut by $130,000.

The city will not be hiring any new positions in 2010, and O’Brien explained, “existing positions that become vacant during the year can be replaced, and student hiring is not impacted. In fact, the city just ran an ad for summer engineer and technical students. There will also be the standard recreation, parks and trees, public works, and tourism summer job offerings.”

Community grants are down this year by $3,500, but the remaining $612,017 will reach the city in many ways including $50,000 per year for the next five years for the new YMCA building. O’Brien pointed out that although the city is scaling back grants, “our previous commitment to the UNB Forging Our Futures campaign remains at $1,500,000 over 15 years (2010 being year three of 15).”

Capital projects for various departments were increased this year and include road work, upgraded trails, tennis courts, and sporting fields, as well as outdoor, indoor and wading pools. City parking lots will be repaired, and funds will be invested in tourism infrastructure.

Police and Fire will be able to buy new safety and necessary equipment as part of this budget, to a total investment in those services of almost $8.5 million.

2010 got off to a hot start for the Student Union as Council debated a controversial set of bylaw amendments.

Multiple guests to council came to speak their mind about online voting. Up for debate was the bylaw amendment motion that reads: “be it resolved that: The UNB Student Union keep voting online and conduct a biennial code audit.”

Arts Representative Tom Cheney passed his speaking rights to Craig Mazerolle, a STU student. Mazerolle told council of his campaign to become STU President and a ballot cropping error that had resulting in his name being partially or completely removed from 20-30 ballots. He stressed that because the ballots physically existed they could be examined and revisited.

Law Representative Dave Steele suggested that paper voting is the most accountable way to run an election.

Information Technology Services (ITS) provides the SU with the code for online voting, and Steele suggested that this is allowing the University administration to run the election.

Later, Steele passed his speaking rights to Shane Martinez, who spoke at length about how he felt paper ballots appear more professional. He compared the online election system used by the SU to online voting for American Idol. He also suggested that online voting is too easy and students uninformed on the issues would vote simply because it is readily accessible.

Computer Science Representative Ash Furrow was a strong voice for online voting. Having read the 92 pages of code for the voting system, he spoke to how glitches could be resolved through reviewing the code.

President Jon O’Kane told council of his experience as Deputy Returning Officer when a glitch in voting happened.

An outside party was called in to examine the code and the problem was resolved.

Furrow also pointed out that ITS is separate from UNB Administration and provides the Deputy and Chief Returning Officers with access to the code, and it is the D.R.O. and C.R.O. who run the election. Furrow also explained that switching to a paper ballot would make elections more expensive, and there is no evidence that paper ballots are more just, transparent, or professional as Martinez, Mazerolle, and Steele had suggested.

Just prior to voting on this amendment Furrow expressed his frustration that people who had such strong feelings about these issues had not participated in the Governance Review Committee. Frequently he mentioned that the issues brought to discussion by other councilors had been debated at length by the GRC. He suggested they were consuming council time with something that could have been dealt with at the committee level.

Also up for debate was a motion allowing candidates to run on a slate, but

limiting their resources to that of an individual’s, treating all members of a slate as an individual also in respect to fines.

The motion passed.

A motion followed to exclude slate names on ballots. The current bylaws don’t have any regulations about slate names on ballots, leaving the decision to include or exclude them up to the election officials. Council voted 10-9 in favour of the motion, but because a two thirds majority is needed to move forward bylaw amendments, no amendment will be made.

The amendment that “The UNB Student Union implement a campaign freeze during the voting period, requiring all campaigning to cease or become static,” was debated. VP Student Services Stephanie Lord pointed out that should claims be made about a candidate just prior to the campaign freeze, or illegally during the campaign freeze, this bylaw would render the candidate incapable of responding.

Lord stressed that the election week is a critical time for campaigning. Furrow explained the intent of the bylaw to ensure the candidates are there to promote themselves and the SU be there to promote the election.

Steele felt it was problematic to have the SU promote an election period in which some of its members might be running.

He also pointed out that this rule would be hard to enforce, and punishment would end up being arbitrarily assigned.

Illegal campaigning can be done inconspicuously and go unreported.

Renaissance College Representative Sam Perlmutter pointed out that if the bylaw isn’t enforced in all cases it could act as a disadvantage to candidates who follow the rules. The motion failed in a vote of 9-10.

Council also debated the motion that the SU strike the restriction on campaigning within ten meters of a computer terminal. The issue with this bylaw is that there are computers everywhere on campus, and with laptops and smart phones, students can vote virtually anywhere on campus. The motion passed.

The final amendment met with significant debate. The motion that the bylaws read, “the UNB Student Union have one polling station with a minimum number of hours at dedicated locations of the Student Union Building Cafeteria.”

Currently ten polling stations are mandatory on campus, but with no set locations or hours. Steele said that multiple amendments seemed to be part of a package and he felt that they were all going in the wrong direction. He said that this amendment was reducing democracy on campus. Furrow mentioned that in the seven elections he has seen at UNB, he has never seen a polling station. The suggestion is that one information booth with set and publicized hours would be a better resource for students. The motion carried by a vote of 17 to 2.

At the end of the meeting, council ratified Fredericton Improvist & Enthusiasts of Random Creative Expression (FIERCE).

brunswickanopinion

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143 • 5

editor@thebruns.ca

Are we leading ourselves into starvation?

Tanner Phillips The Brunswickan It’s 2030, and you need a quart of milk.

As you saunter down to the bus stop, you fondly remember the days when you could afford a car of your own, before oil hit $350 a barrel after the Israeli-Iranian war.

The bus is late as usual and as packed as ever (public transportation having gone through a renaissance of sorts with peak oil). Upon reaching the supermarket, an odd craving for pineapple overtakes you, before you recall grocery stores outside of Toronto and Montreal haven’t had pineapple for five years. It doesn’t take you long to locate the diary aisle; the supermarket only carries staple foods these days and the place is nearly empty. You can’t decide between 1 per cent or 2 per cent, but it doesn’t really matter. Both cost $20 for a paltry quart. ‘Hell,’ you think to yourself, ‘I can afford it with the tax rebates I get for growing a vegetable garden in the backyard.’

Although the above scenario seems quite implausible right now, odds are the way we produce, transport, and consume food is going to change over the next few decades. Britain recently released a new food security plan, titled Food 2030. However, like Canada’s 1998 food security plan, Food 2030 skips on actual policy and only provides broad outlines for future action.

Climate change, exploding populations, peak oil, and global instability will all combine to wreak havoc on the future global food supply system.

By 2030, the world’s population will have hit at least 8 billion and food demands will have increased by 50 per cent.

The majority of the planet’s arable land is already in use; in fact, climate change will in all likelihood destroy a substantial chunk of fertile areas, specifically in the tropics. East Africa, for example, is already going through an extended drought and scientists point to global warming as the

If we continue with our unsustainable modes of procuring food, we very may well find ourselves in a position where staples like milk are next to impossible to come by. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan main culprit. The debate is still out on whether or not a changing climate will provide more land suitable for farming in northern regions, like Canada.

‘No problem,’ some of you might say.

‘Introduce more efficient farming methods worldwide, continue to industrialise food production.’

Unfortunately, the industrialisation of farming is probably going to be a bigger hurdle to overcome than climate change.

Our food supply system is just as globalized as the rest of the economy. We buy food from all over the world just down the street at Sobeys. This system depends on only a few huge distribution centers and countless numbers of diesel-fuelled transport trucks.

Over the last two years, food prices

have risen quite significantly for one simple reason: fuel costs. Rising transportation costs will lead to our present food supply system becoming unfeasible and eventually downright impossible.

But we have only touched the tip of the iceberg. If no significant new oil deposits are found and we continue the present upwards trend, say hello to $15 bananas, then no bananas at all outside of expensive speciality shops.

I won’t even get into the fact that farming equipment needs fuel too.

To give you an idea of just how sensitive our supply system truly is, consider the case of Hurricane Katrina. The US government ordered thousands of 18 wheelers diverted to assist in the relief operations.

Within days supermarkets throughout the

Eastern Seaboard of the United States were on the verge of displaying empty shelves.

The only sensible solution is to increase local production, which is easier said than done. Decrease the distance our food has to travel, increase the availability. The “200 km radius” approach is a great idea; only buy food products produced within a few hundred kilometres of your home.

Localised farming means you need independent farmers, a not-so-lucrative trade these days. Rural Canada is dying out at an unprecedented pace. In New Brunswick, for example, the number of operating farms declined by 629 from 2001 to 2006, an 8.5 per cent decrease.

The number of farm operators (farmers for all intents and purposes) fell by 5.1 per cent.

The numbers are similar nationwide.

Farmed land actually increased, due to the fact that small family owned farms are being swallowed by huge conglomerates that buy into an unsustainable globalized food system. The knowledge is dying out.

I for one have no idea how to grow crops, and I don’t even know a farmer. The fact of the matter, however, is that these skills need to return if we are to successfully feed ourselves in an era of crippling environmental, production and transportation costs.

We all need to promote more sustainable and efficient food production. We will probably find a way; in the early 1970s futurists predicted that by the year 2000 Japan and China would have starved themselves to death. We overcame that prediction by turning farming into a heavy industry. Let us beat the future again.

Our parents’ cheerleaders The Opinionator Nick Howard We are supposed to save the world. You, me and everyone else currently under the age of 35 are tasked with ending poverty, fixing the environment, ending world hunger and curing cancer. It seems that everywhere I turn “youth” are being told that we are the leaders and entrepreneurs of the future. In the same breath we are told that our current contributions amount to youthful enthusiasm and

idealism. I think FDR best described this phenomenon in a speech in 1936: “Many older people seem to take unmerited pride in the mere fact that they are adults. When youth come crashing in on them with enthusiasms and ideals, they put on their most patronizing smiles, and pat the young man or the young woman on the shoulder, and in a worldly wise sort of way send them out with what they call their blessing. But—as every young person knows - that is not a blessing; it is a cold shower. What they have really said to you is this: “You’re young. Enjoy your enthusiasms and your ideals while you can.

For when you grow up and get out in the world you will know better.”

Our idealism and enthusiasm, attributed to us whether we like it or not, seems to signify the role we are being told to take

– cheerleaders for our parents’ generation.

The enchanting allure of “experience” continues to prevent the current CEOs and leaders from sharing power with the future CEOs and leaders. As we begin to understand the systemic nature of many of the world’s problems (poverty for instance), “experience” should be the least of our concerns. Working for years in a single system, using a specific vocabulary, interacting with the same people – experience will not solve our problems. Innovation, creative thinking and a lack of direct experience coupled with knowledge, skill, passion and idealism; these are the traits we need. Dear Moms and Dads, we have those traits.

This is a question of power. Baby boomers run the world, they have the power today and they earned it. But, as much

as we need their guidance, they need ours. We will live the lessons of rampant overconsumption and high-level corporate corruption. Youth need to be included in some decision making today. We will be making the decisions soon, one way or another, so why not start now? The boomers can show us the way the world is, and we can show them how it could be. Their experience can give us wisdom and our inexperience can open eyes.

Youth are given little credit; no compliment, it seems, can go unpatronized.

“Youth have accomplished so much…for such young lives”. Our parents are right, though, we have more opportunities than were dreamt of 40 years ago. They worked hard and sacrificed so we could have extraordinary experiences; now we need a way to bring our experience into the halls of

power. Just because we have the luxury of international travel and increased rates of education does not make us less capable of making important decisions. Are hardship and good decision making somehow intrinsically linked? Maybe the emotional hardening that youth are seen to lack is exactly what has caused the problems we face today. Dear parents, being jaded is a choice, not an inevitability; that choice is ours to make.

The discreditation of the work and experience of youth is causing the apathy, dependence and insecurity that so often characterize young people in the eyes of our parents. Why don’t we vote? It’s not because we’re not involved; we turn out in droves to charitable events and raise millions for causes that matter. We don’t vote because we know that our voices are heard by those in power simply and deafly as “enthusiastic and idealistic”.

When faced with a system where public money buys $400,000 worth of executive spa retreats, youth “idealism” looks pretty pragmatic to me. Our knowledge, skills and experience should not be crammed into a box labeled “idealistic”; rather they should be labeled, “future realistic”.

Obama woke a sleeping giant in the youth demographic to win the last U.S election; yet, the average age of federal employees is 50 and the average age of those with internships or fellowships in the White House is 35. Where are the “bright, young minds”, the “future leaders and entrepreneurs”? We’re on the sidelines, pom-poms in hand, getting tired of the same old cheers.

brunswickanopinion

6 • Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143

UNB accessibility fail

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief • Sarah Ratchford Managing • Alex Duncan News • Lee Larrett Arts • Doug Estey Sports • Colin McPhail Photo • Andrew Meade Copy •Nick Howard Production • Christian Hapgood Online • Alison Clack

The Looking Glass Sarah Ratchford Here in Canada, a university education is supposed to be available to everyone, as universities are public institutions.

The category of ‘everyone’ includes men, women, international students, and people with disabilities.

Unfortunately, it often seems as though those with physical disabilities are literally left out in the cold when it comes to inclusiveness. The percentage of students in wheelchairs, for example, is so low that it seems like this group is often forgotten about.

This is certainly the case here at UNB. Don’t get me wrong. As I’ve said before, I love this school, and I will miss it desperately when I graduate in May. But that does not mean that I won’t be vocal about important issues while I’m here.

The Brunswickan office is on the first floor of the Student Union Building, in room 35. The St. Thomas Students’ Union shares this hallway as well. A window in our office looks out toward the Harriet Irving Library, as well as the door leading out of the hallway.

This is my second winter working at the Bruns, and that wheelchair ramp has not been cleared of snow in the past two years.

I find this perplexing. I know that there is a lot of rhetoric about inclusiveness and accessibility floating around the university. There is even a strong element of political correctness involved with discussing disabilities. People with disabilities are to be spoken of as exactly

the brunswickan

Staff Advertising Sales Rep • Bill Traer Delivery • Dan Gallagher Contributors Zaheer Abbas, Stephanie Allen, Danielle Bodie, Chris Cameron, Kathryn Chase, Sandy Chase, Alison Clack, Maggie DeWolfe, Dave Evans, Sarah Farquhar, Josh Fleck, Kennie Gathuru, Dan Hagerman, Ayat Abed Isiad, Cody Jack, Jacques Landry, Brandon MacNeil, Cameron Mitchell, Matthew Murray, Sam Perlmutter, Jon Salmon, Brian Savoie, Hilary Paige Smith, Ysabelle Vautour, Alex Wickwire & Valerie Woodman.

UNB prides itself on being inclusive to all students. How inclusive is it, then, when a person with a disability cannot so much as enter some buildings on campus? Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan that: people first, disabilities second.

These rules of wording are found in both the Canadian Press Stylebook and the university’s website. If you go to http://www.unbf.ca/studentaccessibility/accessibilityguide/word_choices. html, you will find that the page specifies the importance of sensitivity when it comes to speaking about people who have disabilities.

Instead of saying things like “Suzie is confined to a wheelchair,” we should simply say that she uses a wheelchair.

Wheelchairs provide mobility for people; they do not take it away.

If UNB can take the time to specify

proper wording about wheelchairs, why can the institution not clear off a wheelchair ramp for those wheelchair users it attempts to protect in everyday conversation?

Actions speak louder than words.

This is a lesson that we all have drilled into our heads from the age of about two onwards. It’s disconcerting, the frequency with which people persist to ignore this lesson.

It would take about 15 or 20 minutes to shovel off a path down the wheelchair ramp so that users would be able to use this entrance and exit of the SUB. Honestly, what if the SUB caught fire and the only exit that could be used was that door? How would someone in a wheelchair get out? Hopefully someone would help that person, because otherwise they are trapped. That certainly isn’t very enabling or inclusive. Being unable to get into or out of a building would be frustrating, especially in times of danger. By not clearing off wheelchair ramps, UNB is essentially making the people in wheelchairs feel confined, which is exactly the opposite of what the school says it wants.

I don’t think that there is one person at UNB, between all of its students, staff and faculty, who thinks that people in wheelchairs are less important than those who are not. I think we would all agree that someone who uses a wheelchair has as much of a right to enter and exit the student union building, and indeed any other building on campus, as those who are fully able bodied. Why is this message not being sent?

Everybody has the right to take part in the university community and not feel frustrated or shunned doing so.

The university says it is committed to being inclusive. If you take the time to go to http://www.unb.ca/accessibility/, you will find the following statement: “The University of New Brunswick must be known as an institution of inclusion. In accordance with this objective, the University will make its best efforts to ensure there is barrier-free access to learning and employment for qualified people who have different types of disabilities. The University accepts as a priority that future construction of campus facilities, including buildings, parking areas, pedestrian routes, and related infrastructure, will incorporate principles of universal design and barrierfree access.”

Buildings with wheelchair ramps already have the potential to be barrier free. What is the point of a wheelchair ramp that is covered in snow? We live in Canada: snow is a barrier, and we are used to removing it. There is no need for these buildings to be suddenly inaccessible in the winter.

The message UNB is sending about inclusiveness and acceptance isn’t being illustrated, and I, for one, would be a lot more comfortable if it were.

I hope somebody with the power to improve this situation is reading this. If nothing is done about it within a week, I solemnly swear to the wheelchair users of UNB that I will personally drag a shovel up to campus and do it myself.

The Brunswickan relies primarily on a volunteer base to produce its issues every week. Volunteers can drop by room 35 of the SUB at any time to find out how they can get involved.

About Us The Brunswickan, in its 143rd year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication.

We are an autonomous student newspaper owned and operated

by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a non-profit, independent body.

We are a founding member of the Canadian University Press, and love it so. We are also members of U-Wire, a media exchange of university media throughout North America.

We publish weekly during the academic year with a circulation of 6,000.

Letters Must be submitted by e-mail including your name, letters with pseudonymns will not be printed.

Letters must be 400 words at maximum. Deadline for letters is Friday at 5 p.m. before each issue.

Editorial Policy While we endeavour to provide an open forum for a variety of viewpoints and ideas, we may refuse any submission considered by the editorial board to be racist, sexist, libellous, or in any way discriminatory.

The opinions and views expressed in this newspaper are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Brunswickan, its Editorial Board, or its Board of Directors.

All editorial content appearing in The Brunswickan is the property of Brunswickan Publishing Inc. Stories, photographs, and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the express, written permission of the Editorin-Chief.

21 Pacey Drive, SUB Suite 35 Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3 main office • (506) 447-3388 advertising • (506) 452-6099 fax • (506) 453-5073 email • editor@thebruns.ca www.thebruns.ca

brunswickanopinion

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 115 • Volume 143 • 7

Resolutions are for wimps

Strange ramblings of a disgruntled sports fan Jon Salmon The Brunswickan

What’s the point in waiting until New Years to resolve to make a life changing resolution? Sandy Chase / The Brunswickan

The Global Eye Sam Perlmutter New Years Day might be my favourite day of the year.

After a long night of binge drinking I can wake up and, once my hangover subsides, be a significantly better person than I was the year before. All I have to do is stick to my New Years resolutions.

Just like that, one magical second ticks off the clock and poof, with my resolutions made and my resolve cemented, I can become the person I wished I was last year (and the year before, and the one before that).

The only problem, New Years resolutions don’t actually work. New Years resolutions are for quitters. Not only are people trying to quit their bad habits, but most people end up quitting on quitting. Funny how that works.

I am currently batting a solid 0 for 3 on my resolutions. ‘No cigarettes’ didn’t last until the first sunrise of the New Year. This article was meant for last week’s paper, and probably could have been there if I had kept my ‘Get things done on time’ resolution. I also failed miserably at my ‘no more than three McDonald’s burgers at a time’. My taste buds quickly eroded my arteries’ resolve.

I still have some hope though. Research shows that people only keep 10 per cent of the New Years resolutions they make. So I made 30. I figure three successful resolutions for the year won’t be too bad. I just hope ‘Finish my degree’ is one of the successful ones.

It’s a good thing I don’t put too much stock into resolutions, because probabilities say that one of ‘Graduate’, ‘Get a job’, ‘Travel somewhere really

cool’, or ‘Save enough money for a Phil Kessel jersey’ (all very important things) are bound to fail.

I have always found new years resolutions themselves to be a pretty ridiculous notion.

People go through the entire year living their lives normally. During the year people start to identify flaws or weaknesses they have, things they want to improve about themselves, but lack the willpower or commitment to do.

As December nears, a list begins to formulate. And then when New Years hits, that super special second ticks off the clock, and everyone has a fresh start, a clean slate.

A year (or usually more) of bad habits will simply stop. All year long a smoker may have wanted to quit smoking, or realized how terrible it is for them, but been unable to. But when that clock strikes midnight, they are certainly going to start to crave healthy lungs more than nicotine.

People identify things they want to change about themselves all the time.

We are always our own harshest critics.

Some people act on those immediately.

People make ‘New Years’ resolutions everyday, they just don’t make such a big deal about it. Most people are always seeking to improve themselves throughout the year. People start diets, buy the patch, start to exercise regularly.

For everyone else who lacks the motivation or commitment, there are New Years resolutions. Instead of trying to deal with issues as they occur, people bundle them up all year and save selfimprovement for one magnificent day.

There’s nothing special about New Years (other than the party, but I digress). When the clock strikes midnight, it’s just another new day, like every other one the year before. The only difference is, for this day, more numbers on the calendar change, which makes it pretty unreasonable to think that this will

somehow empower people to make the changes to their lifestyles that they’ve contemplated all year.

Really though, anything that is important enough to merit a New Years resolution shouldn’t have to wait until New Years.

I look at New Years resolutions as a cop-out. People identify things they want to change about themselves all year, but, for whatever reason, are unable to do so. To assuage their guilt they (along with most of the population) pick a random ‘fix everything’ day (ironically the day after what is usually the largest binge of the year). All the guilt and shame built up all year for not going on that diet or getting that job can be alleviated with a New Years resolution.

Since you made a new years resolution you don’t have to feel bad about your behaviour the previous year - because now you’re different. People can feel better looking in the mirror knowing that they are trying to improve themselves.

The truth is, you shouldn’t have to wait until New Years. Doing it on New Years is just a way to not feel so bad about not doing it the rest of the year. If something is important enough to merit a ‘resolution’, it should not require a random date on the calendar.

If someone is truly committed to their resolution, you would think they would be able start it instantly.

Resolution-makers who break their resolutions year after year should just listen to Nike (pre-2010 rebranding). If you want to change something about yourself, don’t wait for a date on the calendar, just do it.

11:42 p.m. Wednesday Jan. 6 Well this is the first time I have ever had to retract a statement I have printed, but I suppose I better get used to it in this business. I recently— and by recently, I mean before the previous issue of this newspaper was printed—stated that once Russia was finished in the World Junior Hockey Championships, Canada would be a shoe-in to win. And a shoe-in was a legitimate term to use at the time.

However, I have learned tonight that I underestimated the neighbors from across the border once again. They have a squadron that is able to match our power, although I still feel the need to type in print that the Americans are way too cocky given their dismal and diminishing power within the state of affairs in this world - especially on the world hockey stage. And might I add in an already drunken haze…

That the United States has no business meddling in the affairs of hockey…. Yes, Indeed.

As for now, Canada has already come out to a disappointing beginning to the ‘Year of Canuck’, so I feel as though now is as good a time as ever to drink myself into a stupor before my 9:30 a.m. class.

3:18 a.m. Friday Jan. 8.

And what a day it was…awoken to

the grueling sound of defeat emanating from CBC Radio Two. I felt a heavy strain that following day, one which many Canadians more than likely felt as well. A key factor that already heightens the importance of this year’s Winter Olympics on the psyche of Canadian sports fans. For as we know, by the time the best of the best take the ice in February, the fact that Canada has won the previous five World Juniors will not be the topic of discussion. What will be in high heat is the question, ‘How could they possibly have bobbled it to their rivals from the South in such a devastating loss?’

Ah, the repetitive sequence of Sports Media.

Alas, this seems somehow fitting to the gamblers of the nation. Come Olympic time, it will be a proverbial double or nothing. Perhaps the opponent will be in the form of the Russians, but underestimating US hockey is precisely what got me into hot water in the first place.

In closing this article, I feel it quite important to defend the honor of this nation and reiterate that the miniCanucks could have defeated the mini-Yankees and ultimately destroyed their hockey minds, yet being the peacemakers we are, other nations were allowed to join in the fun of winning an international hockey championship, and a half a decade’s streak of gold is not something to wave a finger at.

A la prochaine.

thebruns.ca

brunswickanopinion

8 • Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143

letters to the editor.

New Student Union should work on food options on campus To the editor, The last time I checked, the province of New Brunswick was a democracy.

The people elect representatives who act in their interest. I am not sure who we elected in September of 2006, but they sure haven’t acted in our interest.

Self-sufficiency.

Uranium exploration.

UNB SJ as a technical college.

French immersion.

The sale of our public utility is the last straw.

There are absolutely no benefits to the people of New Brunswick in the NB Power deal. The only real beneficiary of this deal in New Brunswick is big business. Shawn Graham’s government has hired a fancy PR firm to “spin” the deal so that it sounds good to New Brunswickers.

Let’s review.

Rates. According to the “spin,” our electricity rates would be frozen for five years. The truth is that in the sixth and subsequent years, there is no limit to what our rates might be. And, the cost of any improvements made by Hydro-Quebec over the first five years can be added to our power bills as soon as the five years are up. Furthermore, our Quebec neighbours will still be enjoying electricity rates that are far lower than ours.

Debt. According to the “spin,” NB Power’s debt would be entirely eliminated. The truth is that NB Power has a debt comparable to other public utilities, including Hydro-Quebec. And, since NB Power sells electricity to a stable market, it will always have income to service its debt. Not to mention the fact that our provincial debt would not be affected because NB Power’s debt is not included in the provincial debt.

Environment. According to the “spin,” this deal would reduce our dependence on fossil fuels that cause climate change. The truth is there are many other ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels without selling our public utility.

How about purchasing clean power from Hydro-Quebec? How about developing our own forms of clean power, which would also provide economic development to our province? Clean power owned and managed by New Brunswickers? Sounds like self-sufficiency to me.

In some countries, an unpopular government deal would lead to a coup d’etat. Coups don’t have to happen in democracies like this one. In democracies like this one, we can take to the streets, demand what we want, and our elected representatives have to listen.

It’s our democracy. Let’s make it work…for us.

Raissa Marks Riverview, NB

Cost of PSE still too high This is an open letter to Premier Shawn Graham and the Government of NB, These days, education is anything but cheap. This is a lesson that I am learning the hard way, along with many other people my age getting a post secondary education.

I’m in my third year of university at UNB, and have been using student loans to finance my education-- or at least, I’m trying to finance my education through student loans. In my second year of university my loan was cut after I had submitted my Certificate of Employment (COE) to SFS, because apparently I had made too much money during the summer while I was working.

The National Student Loans office encourages those who are applying for a student loan to work and save money; however, if one makes too much money according to those who determine how much loan a student gets, your loan is cut.

Now, I don’t know about others, but I didn’t make enough money working over the summer to pay for my university education. Luckily I did have some savings, as I ended up having to pay $2,500 out of my own pocket to the university to cover my fees and tuition. This year,

my loan was cut again after I submitted my COE to SFS. What I don’t understand is that I made less significantly less money this summer than I did last summer, and yet my loans were still cut. The grand total that I will have to pay out of my own pocket this year to cover my university tuition and fees is well over $3,000. Like many others in my situation, I don’t have enough money saved to pay this much.

So, I went to the bank to look into a student line of credit, and found out that the government loan that I receive is deducted from the maximum amount that the bank could give me, so I did not qualify for the line of credit.

Luckily my parents are able to loan me some money to help me out, but unfortunately there are many students in this kind of situation whose parents cannot help them out with the cost of university as mine can. I am not the first person to be in this situation, and unfortunately I will not be the last, especially with the climbing costs of university tuition and university fees.

Now my question is, why would the government encourage young people to get a post secondary education, and then make it so that we cannot afford to attend? If my parents had not been able to loan me some money, my only option would have been to drop out of school and hope that in a few years I would have enough money to continue my education.

This is the situation that many people like myself find themselves in every year.

Many students, myself included, cannot work while they are going to school, so they must live off their student loan, which is hard when every penny of it goes to the university they are attending.

For the last two years my loan has gone completely to UNB, leaving me to pay the remaining balance owing to the university with my savings as well as trying to live off of what is left over.

The government encourages people to attend a post secondary institution and yet the costs are astronomically high, and students don’t receive enough money to pay for the ridiculously high tuition. I can appreciate the fact that the government wouldn’t want young people to be crushed by the debt that we will have after we graduate, but the debt is inevitable with the cost of acquiring a post secondary education. So, why not make sure that any person who wants to attend a university or college can afford to?

Why continue giving us the ultimatum of somehow coming up with enough money to pay for our post secondary education, or not going at all?

Welcome to the dark side: a look at BDSM Michelle Gordon The Pheonix KELOWNA, B.C. (CUP) – when it comes to sexuality, there are many alternative lifestyles that range from mild to wild. But are any of them as overlooked as BDSM? This is a multilevel lifestyle that encompasses all that a person is – whether they are a bedroom kinkster or a full-blown pervert.

The actual term BDSM is a layered acronym. The B and D stand for bondage and discipline, while D and S stand for dominance and submission.

A commonly related acronym, S&M, stands for sadism and masochism.

Many people attach a bad stigma to the BDSM world, and especially to the term S&M. The news continually points out misguided people who commit heinous crimes as being “sadistic.” This is due to the fact that a sadist does enjoy watching their partner suffer, whether it is through sensation or pain. Any reasonable sadist knows, however, that this must be done consensually. Hence, the BDSM catchphrase of “safe, sane and consensual.”

Within the BDSM community there are a wide variety of subcultures.

Every person who chooses to live this lifestyle lives by a different dynamic.

There are groups who choose to live as a “family” with a central head and counterparts. Some just like to throw some kink into their lives or into their bedroom scene. Others live by a 100 per cent slave and master dynamic.

Everything is done with understanding and acceptance on both sides – or every side – of the equation.

Often before a scene or play session is set up, limits and rules are agreed upon. The bottom (the person to be giving up control) is likely to have a “safe word” they can say to halt activities at any time. This is used when they feel their wishes are not being respected, or if they become uncomfortable with the direction that their session is going. A top (the person taking complete control) is universally

expected to respect their partner and their wishes.

Even when a couple decides that it is time for them to move into a master/slave dynamic, there are still some things that need to take place.

Sometimes both parties sign contracts that clearly state what can and cannot happen during their BDSM activities.

Often these contracts are held just as closely as wedding contracts, with couples feeling much more bonded together than they would in any normal marriage. There are often ceremonies that can happen alone or with family and friends as the couple goes through their transitions as a BDSM couple together.

These ceremonies are often referred to as “collaring” or “roses” ceremonies.

Many people frown uncomfortably at the idea of BDSM lifestyles and insist that it is just an excuse to abuse others with no penalties. For the most part, the BDSM community as a whole frowns strongly on the idea of nonconsensual cruelty. The community wants to see no one harmed emotionally or physically. The main point of the BDSM lifestyle is for everyone to have a comfortable niche while still being an indulgent individual. Here is a fitting quote from an anonymous friend that explains this well: “Have you ever felt the joy and affection of resting your head on a man’s thigh with him stroking your hair? Or the peace and contentment or having the man sleep soundly with you in his arms? Or the excitement and thrill when he traps you between himself and a wall and looks at you with lust in his eyes? Or perhaps the safety and assurance of when he holds you tightly in an embrace? It is these feelings that make me glad that I am a slave.”

BDSM is often a misunderstood subculture, but with awareness we can beat unwarranted stigmas and educate the world. Know that the BDSM community practices the art of “safe, sane and consensual” play. Most of us don’t bite — unless asked to, of course.

Jaden Fitzherbert

Have ideas or an opinion you need to get out?

Send us Letters!

editor@thebruns.ca

Whips and chains may be seen as violent and cruel to the majority, but as long as their use is safe and consensual, they can be fun for some crowds. Flickr CC

brunswickanopinion

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 115 • Volume 143 • 9

Student

Viewpoint.

What is your favorite internet time waster?

Let everyone know whats on your mind.

“Porn.”

Alex Harvey

“Facebook.”

Brendan Wahl

“Facebook.”

Kristen Raymond

Flash Harmon

“NHL.com.”

“MSN.”

“Facebook.”

Maura Carter

David MacSwain

“Searching for somthing witty”

“aluc.org.”

Ed

“CNN.”

Megan Steeves

Mitchel Hoar

brunswickaninternational

10 • Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143

International recipe of the week

Dating: are Canadian men too passive?

Patacones (Fried Green Plantain)

Ingredients: •

Large, green plantain(s)

•

Salt

•

Cooking oil

Preparation: Heat a frying pan on high with about an inch of oil.

Peel the plantain. This will be a little more difficult than peeling bananas.

First, pierce the skin with a knife and cut the skin open lengthwise down the plantain. Loosen the peel until you can pull it off with ease.

Next, cut up the plantain into roughly 1 inch slices.

After the oil has heated up – carefully – place the slices of plantain

into the pan. Cook on each side for about a minute and remove the slice from heat.

Transfer the pieces of plantain to a sheet of wax paper, cover it with another piece, then use something hard with a flat bottom (a glass for instance) and flatten the slice until it’s the thickness of a small pancake.

Place the flattened slices of plantain into the oil again and cook until golden.

Once golden, remove from heat again. Place pieces on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Season with salt to taste.

Note: Patacones should be served immediately. This dish does not reheat well, so only prepare as much as you intend on eating right away.

Couples from different geographical regions may face issues when it comes to dating, as different cultures have different notions of what’s polite and accepted. Flickr CC

Culture Shock Danielle Bodie

The UNB International Student Advisor’s Centre has recently hosted workshops focused on the basics of dating in Canada for both male and female international students. Since moving to Canada I have noticed a lot of differences in the Canadian dating world in comparison to home.

One of the major differences I have noticed is that most Canadian men are pretty passive and laid back when it comes to dating. It seems as though it is apparently the woman’s job to show that she is interested instead of being approached by the man.

This is a major difference to what I’m used to at home. The dating scene at home is quite basic: once you are out of

your home you are fair game. Bahamian men are straight forward with their interest and don’t hesitate to say if they are attracted to a girl. The display their interest by verbal communication such as “Hey pretty girl can I have those digits,” meaning they want your number, or by hand motions indicating that they want you to come over and talk. Or the infamous “seek” which sounds like a catcall and is often heard through the streets of the Bahamas.

So, as you can imagin,e coming from an environment where men are pretty aggressive and then moving to a place where a guy can stare at you the whole night and not say a word is pretty different to say the least. When I first moved to Canada I had a pretty open mind about dating, I thought ‘New place, there must be tons of guys to go around.’

I was wrong. Well, there was a ton of guys, but very few of them spoke much. Sure, they would look at you, but that was it. All I would get was random stares and whispers, and to me that just wasn’t productive. After a while I gave up on dating in Canada until I met my current boyfriend who is from the Ba-

hamas as well. Oddly enough, we met in Fredericton even though we’re from the same place and his approach to dating was more of what I’m used to, he didn’t even have to be that aggressive. The fact that he talked and said that he was interested was an improvement.

Some may think that aggressive men are no longer appealing and are a thing of the past. Personally, I feel that if a woman wants to be aggressive and make the first move that is her choice, but I enjoy being asked out by a guy. There is nothing wrong with being the chaser, but I’m sure it makes a woman feel good to sometimes be chased.

Each international student I’m sure has had a different experience with dating in Canada. Dating etiquette can diversify from place to place so it is definitely a new experience wherever you may go. This is a topic that has come up during many international students’ conversations because many of us don’t understand the cultural differences of dating until we travel abroad. Whether it is a positive dating experience or a negative one, each experience is one to learn from and apply for the future.

this week in international.

CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUP @ Magee House Playroom Starting Jan. 7, every Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The Fredericton Regional Family Resource Centre is hosting a weekly playgroup for international students’ parents and children (ages 0-6), featuring free play, songs, stories, games, crafts and snacks. REGISTER: by email isao@unb.ca

Dating B.A.S.I.C.S. Workshop for Women @ Alumni Memorial Building Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. (pizza served) An opportunity to learn about and discuss Canadian dating norms and issues. To Register: Email isao@unb.ca

Dating B.A.S.I.C.S. Workshop for Men @ Alumni Memorial Building Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. (pizza served) An opportunity to learn about and discuss Canadian dating norms and issues. To Register: Email isao@unb.ca

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMME Jan. 5 – April 7, 2010 / Jan. 5 – Feb. 19, 2010 The UNB English Language Programme offers a variety of formats to students whose first language is not English.

The following formats are available to students of all proficiency levels: Intensive English Term Format - English for Academic Purposes - 23 hours per week Jan. 5 – April 7, 2010 Intensive English Term Segment - English for Academic Purposes - 23 hours per week Jan. 5 – Feb. 19, 2010 Designed to provide maximum benefit to students wishing to upgrade their English for university study.

Please contact ELP for details. Phone: 453-3564

brunswickaninternational

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143 • 11

brunswickanarts arts@thebruns.ca

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143 • 12

Growing older and moving forward

The ECMAs have given several nods to Forward Music Group this year.The label itself and a number of its musicians including Share (pictured above),The Motorleague, Paiens, and the Slate Pacific have all been nominated for the awards which will be handed out in early March. Submitted Alison Clack The Brunswickan They may only be a toddler in the music industry, but Forward Music Group is already taking big steps.

In the past few years the independent label has signed nearly a dozen artists, including local favourites Share, Sleepless Nights and Grand Theft Bus. This hardworking label’s staff does double the work of most major labels, with a number of the staff also being members of a number of the bands on the label’s roster.

Kyle Cunjak, agent for the label and bassist for Olympic Symphonium and Share, explains that though the label is just a baby it doesn’t mean they haven’t been running with the big boys.

Case in point for this assertion is the label’s ECMA nomination for Record Company/Distributor/Independent Label of the Year, a category that includes big names in the music industry like Warner Music and Sonic Records.

“It’s funny that we’re up against

Warner Music and Sonic Records who’ve done quite a lot more than us, but I think what we’ve accomplished over the past three years is actually pretty impressive when you consider our ages and where we’re from. I guess the committee and the jury thought we deserved it too, so that’s pretty cool,” says Cunjak.

And the label, which entered its third year of business this January, made a number of strides over the past few years, promoting New Brunswick music to the rest of the Maritimes and the country.

“A lot of people still don’t know who [Forward Music Group] is because New Brunswick is pretty isolated in the music scene,” explains Cunjak.

“In the Maritimes, Halifax is obviously the epicentre of it all, so a lot of the time it takes awhile for the industry folk in Nova Scotia – and PEI and Newfoundland for that matter – to take notice of New Brunswick. So, to have this kind of recognition helps other people and bands in the industry to take notice.”

And it’s not just the label that was nominated for an ECMA this year. A

number of the label’s bands received music award nominations as well.

“This year we have a huge amount of nominations. We have one for Share, Motorleague has four, Slate Pacific has one, and Paiens has one. All in all we have eight with the label, which is awesome.”

While this is the first year the label has received this many nominations at once, they are by no means strangers to the conference.

At last year’s conference in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, the label had a showcase concert to show off their artists’ talent.

Forward isn’t stopping with showcasing to the Maritimes though.

The group has had a history of sending artists on cross-Canada tours by train, a method of travel that includes free concerts for the passengers in addition to the Canadian landscape’s sights.

“Andrew [Sisk] of Share is doing a tour of Canada on the Via Rail trains in March. We’ve sent a few artists from Forward to do that,” says Cunjak.

Cunjak explains that it is a great

partnership for the label as the railways pays for their travel in exchange for the performances.

“You save a lot of money on transportation and gas. Plus, it’s better travelling [by train] than in cars because it’s less dangerous. Travelling in March through the Rockies can be like hell.”

The method of travelling also provides some entertainment for bands when they would otherwise be bored on some stretches of the renowned TransCanada highway.

“The TransCanada, especially around Southern Ontario, is not very glamorous at all. It’s actually pretty boring. It was really nice to take the train and see the country. It’s a pretty romantic idea to travel by train across the country and play music. Everybody latches on, especially musicians, to this idea and we’ve been getting a very positive response,” says Cunjak.

And the positive response has interested some other musicians in the area.

Cunjak explains that Sackville band Shotgun Jimmie and local favourite

Owen Steel are planning on doing Via Rail tours.

The new year will see Forward Music Group venturing out again, this time a little further from home.

“In the last year we did a lot trying to develop our work in Europe. We did a lot of touring and releasing a lot of albums.

Just laying a lot of ground work that needed to be done,” Cunjak explains.

And the new decade brings the label the goal of breaking into the American market.

“The biggest thing that we’re trying to do this year is break into the U.S. It takes a lot of time to actually work in the U.S. because you need to apply for visas, which is a pretty lengthy process. Our next goal is to try and get some shows in New York, Vermont, and Massachsetts, because they’re so close.”

The label plans on moving ever forward, but for right now the closest thing in sight is the ECMAs. This year’s award ceremony will be hosted in Cape Breton, N.S. The conference will take place over several days from March 4 to March 7.

We’re going to Canada: Sleepless Nights hit Fredericton Andrew Olsvik The Brunswickan Brace yourselves, here come the Sleepless Nights.

With two full length albums under their belt, a covers EP and a handful of appearances on compilations from across the East Coast, Halifax’s Sleepless Nights have proven from their success that there is still a thirst amongst Canadians for the indie rock / power pop sound that reigned in this region a decade and a half ago.

Although catchy pop melodies lie at the heart of many Sleepless Nights songs and cause most audience members to move their body whether they like it or not, the Nights maintain an edgier sound with ef-

fective use of keyboards and synths, a slew of guitar pedals and an all around talent for bringing out the best things about rock music without even touching on the bad.

Back in 2007 the band released their defining album Turn Into Vapour, which later received an ECMA nomination under Alternative Recording of the Year. These days the band members have their minds on a series of free downloadable EPs being released through their website over the course of the year.

The first, King Diamond, was released late last year and showcased the band’s heavier side through studio versions of a number of live favourites including “Radio Silence” ,“Going to Canada” and “Coup d’Etat”.

The beginning of 2010 will see the continuation of the free EP series with the release of the next installment, The Phone Booth Outside The Video Store, and will take the band on a tour of Ontario after playing a few shows to home crowds.

The East Coast part of the tour will take place in four cities over four days starting with a show at Gus’ Pub in Halifax on Jan. 28 then an appearance in Fredericton at the Capital the following night, a stop in Sackville, and a show at the Blue Olive in Saint John before heading to Ontario.

All of the East Coast tour dates will feature opening acts, The Hamilton Trading Co. and the Wooden Sky. The Hamilton Trading Co. is the solo recording work of Keith Hamilton of The

Diableros and is a drastic departure from the Diableros’ vintage indie rock sound that echoes the best the genre had to offer in the nineties as well as the influential greats like the Talking Heads and Television.

The music of The Hamilton Trading Co. is stripped down considerably and what remains is a remarkable combination of folk and rock that stands apart from the bulk of the genre by introducing gospel influences and performing live with a choir.

Of all the excellent bands that pass through our region supporting established local acts, few have had me more excited than The Wooden Sky – and that’s saying something.

Currently touring Canada in support of their fantastic 2009 album If I Don’t

Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone, the band has earned national acclaim and a spot on Halifax blog Herohill’s top Canadian LPs of 2009. With a sound that trembles on the line between roaring Toronto indie rock and countryside folk, in the same vein as colleagues the Rural Alberta Advantage, and with fan testimonies claiming they are one of the best live acts on the road, this is one act you will surely regret missing.

Clear your schedules - the Fredericton show featuring The Hamilton Trading Company, The Wooden Sky and Sleepless Nights happens Friday, Jan. 29 at The Capital Complex beginning at 11 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door although $8 advance tickets are also available at Read’s News Stand and Backstreet Records.

brunswickanarts

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 14 • Volume 143 • 13

Olympic Symphonium are headed to the Olympics The Fredericton trio lives up to their name and heads out west in February

cd releases by andrew olsvik.

Alison Clack The Brunswickan Hibernation is not a word in Olympic Symphonium’s vocabulary.

While most people would rather take it easy in the winter months, eschewing the cold and bundling up inside, Olympic Symphonium has decided to get some serious work done during these winter months.

“Winter is pretty much the best time to record because you don’t really want to be touring as much in the winter.

[The roads] are kind of dangerous and the shows aren’t as good. The vibe of recording is a lot better in the winter.

So, we realized we had two weeks free in January so we said, ‘Let’s get to it!’ says Kyle Cunjak, bassist for the band.

Along with Cunjak the band is made up of Nick Cobham and Graeme Walker.

While Cunjak says that the decision to record was a little bit impulsive, he also says it was about time for them to sit down and record.

“Well, we had a bunch of new songs – we’re always writing new songs. And because the band has three different song writers, we get a lot of new material out pretty quick. So, we had a bunch of new tunes and we kind of looked at our schedules for the next six months, realized it was very quickly filling up and that we soon wouldn’t have time to record.”

And it’s not just recording a new album that’s taking up the band’s time this winter. The group also has a number of shows planned for the end of January.

They will be playing shows in St.

Andrews, Fredericton, and Saint John on Jan. 21, 22, and 23. As well as opening for City & Colour when they play in Halifax Feb. 2.

As if a touring schedule and recording an album weren’t enough for the ambitious band, the group will be making a trip out to Vancouver in February to play at the Olympics.

“We’re playing at this Atlantic Canada House that they’re having on Granville Island in Vancouver. The Olympic Committee is organizing it and putting us all up. So we’re going to get to go to Vancouver for a bit in February,” explains an excited Cunjak.

And the band will be in good company in terms of Atlantic Canadian music.

“Catherine MacLellan is going, along with Matt Anderson, Jill Barber, Samantha Robichaud from Moncton, Grand Theft Bus. Jenn Grant is going too.”

Cunjak is excited for a little more than the music though.

“I’ve always wanted to see bobsledding, so my dream is going to come true,” he laughs.

Don’t expect the band to take a break as the weather warms up though.

The band will be taking another trip out west in late April and early May to tour with Catherine MacLellan.

Tickets for the band’s upcoming show at the Charlotte Street Arts Center with Catherine MacLellan on Jan. 22 are still available. Tickets can be bought for $20 at the door or in advance at Read’s or Backstreet Records. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.

Midlake – The Courage of Others (Texas, Bella Union, Feb. 2, 2010) Three years ago Midlake brought us the ‘70s soft rock influenced album The Trials of Van Occupanther and gathered a following of fans internationally. To their dismay, the band spent a very careful three years thinking about what to do next and have recently recorded Van Occupanther’s follow-up, The Courage of Others, due out on Feb. 2. The album is said to feature a sound influenced by the late ‘60s British folk scene and to be “slower, darker and more carved” and “both eerier and dreamier” than Van Occupanther. Hopefully Midlake will not be the ones to release the first disappointment of the year.

Olympic Symphonium’s Graeme Walker, Kyle Cunjak, and Nick Cobham got together at the beginning of this month to start work on a new album. Submitted

Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks (Scotland, Fat Cat, March 9, 2010) Frightened Rabbit tugged on the heart strings of thousands worldwide last year with the release of The Midnight Organ Fight and the spotlight has been following them over the past few months as they have grown into one of Scotland’s defining bands. The Winter of Mixed Drinks finds the band with a new member and, if the singles and B-sides are any indication, new twists on familiar sounds.

The first single, “Swim Until You Can’t See Land” has grown from a rough acoustic demo premiered months ago by frontman Scott Hutchinson into an explosive full band affair that, to its advantage, still sounds slightly unpolished. Expectations are high as Frightened Rabbit prepare to release the album in North America on March 9.

14 • Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143

the brunswickan presents

a photo essay.

By Doug Estey

Sometimes a night out to see a show is the best way to warm up from the deep winter cold.This past thursday night Charlottetown rockers New Royalty (top left) played to an energetic audience at the Capital.The night’s bill was bolstered by opening acts Pervert (bottom left and center) as well as Bruns alumni and Fredericton electronic stand-by, The Trick. Doug Estey / The Brunswickan

visit us on the tubes!

thebruns.ca

brunswickanarts

brunswickanarts

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 14 • Volume 143 • 15

DJ Bones, exploring “uncharted” territory Sarah Ratchford The Brunswickan Dj Bones is the self-described black sheep of the DJ world on the east coast.

Marc Leblanc, aka DJ Bones, is a long time champion of indie music here in the Atlantic region of Canada; he runs the infamous Indie Pop Night events in cities throughout the Maritimes. Bones is based out of Moncton, where he runs a photography studio with his partner, but he graces other Maritime cities with his presence once per month.

Something long-time lovers of ((IPN)) events will notice is that they are no longer quite so indie. The events are actually becoming popular, at least in their Fredericton installments. The change in crowd hasn’t escaped Bones.

“I’ve noticed about the crowds, but that’s what happens when something gets popular... it’s become more of a cool place to hang out, not necessarily about the music, and people just go cause it’s the place to be and hang out with friends. Hopefully I’ll introduce them to a few good bands and they’ll become more indie,” he says.

“IPN has gone a bit more mainstream in the crowds I guess.”

Bones jokingly compares the rising popularity of ((IPN)) events to “any indie band that makes it big and becomes mainstream.”

Despite this, DJ Bones is no indie

snob when it comes to people. He says he doesn’t mind the mixed crowd, and that he has fun finding out what kind of stuff individual crowds will want to listen to.

“I like to mix the mainstream with underground, and that’s the driving force of what I do,” he explains.

Although IPN is becoming popular now, the event has quite humble beginnings. Young Bones went to U de M for his degree in photography and graphic design. About 15 years ago, Bones started doing a show at U de M’s campus bar. The show started on Wednesday nights, but it became so popular at the underground bar— there’s a paradox for you—that it was moved to Friday or Saturday nights, becoming a featured event.

Today, the father of ((IPN)) makes it a point to play with a lot of different bands from the East Coast, including Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees, The Hidden Cameras, Rich Aucoin, Julie Doiron, The First Aid Kit and The Superfantastics, among others.

“I love introducing these bands to people who may not usually go out to see bands. It’s like the best of both worlds—live music and DJing.

In fact, during his interview with the Brunswickan, which took place in the early hours of the evening at the Capital Bar before his most recent ((IPN)) event, he stopped to have a conversation with Owen Steel about getting his hands on some new music

In addition to hosting one of the most popular monthly events in the Maritimes, Marc Leblanc is also a photographer based out of Moncton and hosts a radio show on Radio Canada. Marc Leblanc / Submitted to play at an upcoming gig.

That gig is the Olympic Games in Vancouver, where Bones will play on a stage devoted to New Brunswick music.

He says he plans to play a lot of local stuff in order to get the word out about some of the East Coast’s best music.

Although Bones makes it a priority

DJ Bones hosts monthly events in bars across the Maritimes, visiting Charlottetown, Fredericton, and Moncton, as well as a bi-monthly show in Halifax. Marc Leblanc / Submitted

to keep up with new and innovative music, his exposure to the musical world started out with material a little more traditional.

“I’ve always felt passionate about music, and that started with my dad’s vinyl collection,” he says.

The collection, some of which Bones now dubs “cheesy” and “typical”, includes the Beatles, Elvis and Kenny Rogers.

Little Bones would frequently lipsync to tunes like “Hound dog,” and he later grew up to collect music himself.

Bones attributes his success to both his dad’s musical background and his mom’s support and creativity.

“My mom was the one behind my artistic upbringing... she pushed me to be creative, thus my photo background.

Both my parents were super supportive and pushed me to be who I am and not someone who would be stuck in a job they didn’t like for the rest of their life,” he explains.

His interest in electronic music, he says, was piqued by a band called Perrey and Kingsley.

“They were way ahead of their time and I’m surprised more people weren’t influenced by them,” he says.

Looking to the future, Bones has several recommendations for everyone to check out in 2010: Phoenix “Wolfgang Amadeaus Phoenix”, The Sounds of Arrows “Into the Clouds”, YACHT “See Mystery Lights”, Milks and Rectangles “Civic Virtues”, The Raveonettes with “In and Out of Control”, 011 “Calcul Désintégral” and Dent May “The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele”.

He’s also looking forward to new albums from Rich Aucoin, FanDeath, Radio Radio and New Royalty to name a few.

Bones regularly visits the Capital Bar in Fredericton, Baba’s Lounge in PEI, the Paramount Lounge in Moncton, and occasionally Gus’ Pub in Halifax.

Bones also hints that he will be attending some “Big, good, upcoming East Coast music festivals” this summer.

A coffeeshop review: Cedar Tree Cafe Andrew Meade & Mike Erb The Brunswickan Coffee is a beverage ingrained in the university lifestyle, second, perhaps, only to those beverages sold to students of legal age. We urge our student body caffeine addicts to try coffee off campus if they have not yet done so; Fredericton has a fair amount to offer. We are just like you, and rely on caffeine to help us stay up all night finishing that last minute assignment.

Mike has worked in a coffee shop here in Fredericton, and another in Guelph, Ontario. He is no stranger to knowing what makes a cup of coffee good or bad. Andrew, while not a professionally trained barista, is a highly caffeinated university student, who fancies himself to have a palate refined to the finer points of coffee intake.

Our first week took us to Cedar Tree Café, located on 343 York St. The restaurant has recently undergone a change in management and now offers

new items on their menu, including gourmet coffee, while maintaining their traditional Lebanese food that has been enjoyed by the city in its location for several decades.

We arrived at 2:35 p.m. and learned that closing time was 3:00 p.m., but were welcomed warmly and were told to take a seat. We each ordered a coffee, but this was not your typical pot of drip coffee.

We were served a Canadiano, a double shot of fresh ground espresso beans, run twice through the machine and then topped up with hot water, to give a subtle, strong flavor while avoiding caffeine induced convulsions that might be equated with an equal amount of straight espresso.

The restaurant’s owner served us at our table. The final product was a standard mug about three quarters full, with plenty of room for your preferred fixings. The espresso was also pulled correctly, as it was topped with a thick and creamy golden brown crema.

Coffee is a very personal bever-

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age; everyone takes his or her coffee differently. Andrew prefers his black, unadulterated by milk and sugar, resulting in a strong cup that pleased his palate. Mike, obviously being less of a man, opted for milk and sugar, and was glad to see the friendly alternative of cane sugar provided. The owner, David Wilby, even mixed Mike’s coffee to his satisfaction.

We were instantly impressed with the quality and flavor of the coffee. We were impressed by how bold the coffee was compared to generic espresso, especially where it had been run long.

Usually espresso leaves both of our mouths dry, but this was not the case today. Cedar Tree’s coffee offered a pleasant aftertaste, and it did not leave a bitter taste in our mouths.

Cedar Tree Café has set the bar high for our first review, leaving much to be expected from coffee shops to come.

We gave our experience at Cedar an impressive 5 beans.

Baristas be warned, Your fine establishment may be next.

arts@thebruns.ca

A carefully chosen, locally roasted blend of beans and careful preparation help make Cedar Tree Cafe the home of great food and great coffee. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

brunswickansports

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143 • 16

sports@thebruns.ca

Reds drop Tommies and Panthers

UNB’s Daine Todd (right) and Luke Gallant (centre) defend against Tommies forward Alex Labonte (left) during UNB’s 4-3 win Friday night. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Valerie Woodman The Brunswickan Canadians are often related to their supposed passion for hockey. Although Canada has many great aspects, hockey is definitely one of the greatest Canadian pastimes. On Friday, Jan. 8, the Canadian hockey spirit was apparent when the Aitken Centre was nearly sold out in the rival game between UNB and STU. The tension between the cross-campus rival schools was one of the reasons why the Aitken Centre was packed, the other being the Varsity Reds’ success this year. Both teams played well and had leads that were broken, and

the crowd loved the suspense. UNB ended up winning with a final score of 4-3. On Saturday, UNB won their battle with UPEI by two at 5-3. The Varsity Reds are still undefeated, with a record of 17-0-0.

In the STU-UNB match the first goal came early in the first by Devin Praught, giving St. Thomas the lead. Five minutes later, UNB’s Josh Kidd scored on a power play to even things up. However three minutes later, STU’s Matt Eagles scored to regain the lead and chased UNB netminder Derek Yeomans from the goal. However, Travis Fullerton then shut the door. In the second period, UNB scored three times to double the

the brunswickan presents

the panel voice your opinion

Tommies 4-2. Ben Shutron, Bretton Stamler and Ryan Seymour rallied for the Reds. In the third period, STU was trying their hardest to fight back, but ended up getting only five shots on Fullerton. The Tommies managed to cut the lead in half late in the third, but would fail to equalize.

The rivalry was evident as the two teams ended up having 52 penalty minutes combined for the game. There were frequent slashing and tripping calls, the crowd getting more and more rowdy with each one. St. Thomas put up a great fight, the Reds managed to win another one goal game. Fullerton notched the win for the Reds.

UNB’s Kyle Bailey and Jeff Lee

scored twice to give UNB an early lead in Saturday’s match against UPEI. The second period had no scoring, but the third had plenty. The Panthers scored 24 seconds into the period, but the Reds answered back with two quick markers by Daine Todd and John Scott Dickson. UPEI then scored twice, and pulled their goalie within the last two minutes to attempt to even the score up, but failed when Dion Campbell got the empty net goal for UNB. Fullerton tallied the win again for the Reds.

Although both games ended up being close, the Varsity Reds yet again pulled through both times. It seems as if the Reds are not getting by through

Will the Varsity basketball squads make the AUS playoffs?

Colin McPhail

Tony von Richter

Alex Wickwire

After a disappointing first leg of the 2009-10, both the men’s and women’s teams are still in the hunt, oddly enough. That being said, if they keep up their poor play, UNB will not see postseason action. If Speedy and Baker can rally the troops, who knows what could happen. The only thing stopping the teams from making the playoffs is themselves.

I think both teams will make it, and the women’s team could jump up significantly in the standings this half. The men’s team has a bit of a tougher climb considering the other teams have at least one game in hand, however their play improved during the second half of last season and I expect that will be the case this year as well.

The second half of the season is longer than the first, but I don’t think this is their year.

Sports Editor

luck, but pure talent. Although the Reds are on top in the standings right now, they keep winning because every game sees an improvement in their play. The UNB fans are swarming into the games, packing the Aitken Centre frequently not only because they love hockey or because the Reds are undefeated, but because their team keeps improving every week.

UNB will take their perfect record on the road this weekend as they travel to Saint Mary’s on Friday and Acadia on Saturday. The Varsity Reds will remain on the road until the last weekend in January, where they play back-to-back home games against St. Mary’s and Acadia.

CUP Sports Bureau Chief

Sports Reporter

Christopher Cameron Sports Writer

No, the likelihood of the basketball teams making the playoffs is quiite low, but if I was going say one was going to make it the women’s team will.

brunswickansports

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143 • 17

Race to the podium One Man Advantage

Matt Lee The Peak

Colin McPhail

The Olympic men’s hockey rosters have been announced and for the most part will remain as they currently are. Here are my pre-tournament rankings and my picks for who will end up on the podium.

12: Norway is lacking talent and will only ice one NHLer, Ole Kristian Tollefsen.

Look for the Norwegians to lose all four matches.

11: Latvia is in the same boat as the Norwegians. The tiny talent pool they have to work with is not enough to compete with the stronger nations. It’s good exposure for some Latvian players, but that’s about it.

10: Remember the exceptional Belarusian squad that upset the Swedes in Salt Lake City? Well that won’t be the case in Vancouver. The team will be led by Mikhail Grabovsky and the Kostitsyn brothers – not promising. Don’t expect too much from Belarus.

9: The German squad is very similar to the Belarus team: a few NHLers, but none who can carry the team to victory. I’d be surprised to see Germany move past the quarters.

8: The Swiss won’t pull off another upset similar to their win over Canada in Torino.

However, good preliminary play would mean taking on one of the bottom four and a berth in the semis, but don’t count the Swiss as medal contenders.

7: Slovakia has the potential to be a sleeper team and will pose as a potential threat to take the bronze. However, they’ll need to put the load on their stars. If Jaroslav Halak and Marian Gaborik can keep up their solid play, they might steal a few games. Yet too many ifs and not enough depth will usually

Even though the Canadians’ had a lousy performance in Torino, the home nation will be the number one contender going into Vancouver. Action begins on Feb. 16. Flickr CC mean not a great showing.

6: The Czechs are also a strong competitor for the bronze, but unless their top six forwards steal the show, you won’t see them in medal contention. The potential is there when you have Jagr, Elias, Plekanec, Havlat, Erat and Fleischmann headlining your top six, but only consider them as a sleeper.

5: I’m going to make a bold prediction here and say that the Russians will lose in the semis and fail to get on the podium. Russia is 100 per cent offence; even their defence is offensive. They probably have the best six forwards in the tournament, but their defensive skills are lacking and it will be the main source of their demise.

4: The Fins will be motivated by their heartbreaking loss to their bitter rivals in Torino, and come out flying. They have strong goaltending, a good mix of veterans and youth and should produce a potent offence. Slotting them in fourth is not a knock against them, but instead it just means that the other squads will be better. Yet if they want to win, this is the year because most of the squad will be too old next time around.

3: My sleeper pick to succeed is the United States. The Americans are going younger and faster. The U.S. developmental

program has improved significantly over the past couple of decades and it’s showing already with a big win over the Canadians in the WJC final. The Americans are solid on all fronts. Their only fault is a lack of experience. This transitional year for the Americans is just the beginning the upswing for U.S. hockey and a bronze would be a good start.

2: The Swedish hockey program has progressed the most in the last quarter of the century and will be a strong contender for gold. Henrik Lundqvist and Sweden’s strong defence led by Nick Lidstrom will keep their goals against to a minimum. The Swedish offence is extremely potent with the Sedin twins always a threat to explode offensively. If the Canadians don’t win, they Swedes will.

1: Steve Yzerman has used the pros and cons of the past and has created a well-rounded Canadian squad jam-packed with all stars. Every forward line is not only defensively strong, but can score on a moment’s notice. The same goes for the seven blueliners. Did I mention they have the best goaltender lineup in the world? The sheer force that is Team Canada coupled with the home ice advantage will surely result in gold.

Farewell to the Big Unit Alex Wickwire The Brunswickan Remember the internet viral video everybody forwarded through emails of the pitcher chucking a fastball that hit a bird, making the bird explode? Remember who threw the ball? He is one of the most dominant pitchers ever to toe the rubber in the major leagues, and his name in Randy Johnson. RJ retired recently, walking away from baseball after 22 seasons. Known for his height (6’10”) and his deceptive left handed delivery, Johnson was feared by many hitters. Leaving the game with an impressive resume, Johnson is in an elite club of pitchers that have recorded over 300 wins. Most will remember the Big Unit for his time in Arizona. The duo of Curt Schilling and the lanky lefty took home Cy Young awards and a world series title, bringing life and validity to the young expansion team.

Former All-Canadian and UNB Cougar ball player Jake Waugh saw Randy Johnson in action at the Skydome (back when it was called the Skydome) and had a few interesting things to say about the Big Unit.

“We had seats about eight rows back right behind the plate…I don’t actually even remember the score but I do remember how tall he was. Everything he threw curved. He threw from crazy angles being a left handed, sidearm pitcher.”

It was not uncommon for MLB players to wake up with mysterious injuries on days where they were scheduled to face Johnson. He was such a unique player, his pitches and style baffled managers every time he made a start. His career was filled with unusual highlights, aside from hitting the bird with a fastball that was flying close to 100 mph, Johnson will be remember

This was a decade of debauchery

Randy Johnson, a.k.a. the Big Unit, was one of the game’s all-time best pitchers and his successes on the field will forever overshadow any off-field incident. Wikimedia for his hilarious magazine ads endorsing SKOAL chewing tobacco, punching out a camera man on a New York street, and, most importantly, his perfect game. RJ, at forty years young, mowed down the Atlanta Braves on a casual May evening and stamped his ticket to the hall of fame by not allowing a single batter to reach first base. It remains to be seen if the camera man incident will overshadow perfection.

However, in today’s media world nothing is certain.

When asked about how he would remember Randy Johnson, UNB pitcher Peter Shaw explained that he doesn’t think of a guy in a dirty white t-shirt slugging a reporter, and said that it should not taint his legacy.

“Athletes do dumb stuff sometimes, but I don’t think it should knock their greatness at the sport.”

Waugh explained that he’ll remember RJ for his phenomenal career, and the adjustments he made to stay effective as old age caught up with him.

“Later in his career, Johnson relied mainly on his deception and breaking pitches to get outs due to arm troubles, showing how good of a pitcher he actually was.”

Randy Johnson leaves baseball with a .490 winning percentage, 4875 strikeouts and an average of just over one strikeout per inning (1.06). He has played for both leagues, and pitched in a total of 10 all star games. He has defeated every major league team at least once and collected five Cy Young awards. He never tested positive for steroids, HGH or any other performance enhancing drug. Farewell to a legend in baseball, it won’t be too long before he is inducted into the hall of fame.

BURNABY, B.C. (CUP) - It seems like the past decade has come and gone with its fair share of decadence, successes, and scandals.

If this decade was any indication, we’re in for another wild ride in the world of sports, so it’s time to count down some of the moments that stood out in the first decade of the 21st century.

7. The NHL Lockout: Hockey fans in North America were deprived of professional hockey in 2004-05 due to a labour dispute that cancelled the whole season, the first time one of the four major North American team sports lost an entire season. Players and owners pitted themselves in a fight to the death until the players succumbed to the owners’ demands of a salary cap. Amazingly, salaries are seemingly as high as ever.

6. Michael Vick goes to the dogs: From 2000 to 2006 when he was with Virginia Tech and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, Michael Vick changed everything that entailed the quarterback position as he was one of the fastest pivots in the game and talented to boot. In 2007, however, Vick pleaded guilty to running a dog-fighting ring and served 23 months in prison. He has since returned to the Philadelphia Eagles but is now on the short leash of football fans.

5. The Lake Show returns to the NBA: The Los Angeles Lakers won more championship titles than any other professional sports team in the decade, registering the elusive “three-peat” after winning in 2000, 2001, and 2002 before winning the NBA Championship once more in 2009. Before their friendship turned sour, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal had the kind of dominance which is so rare in basketball outside of Michael Jordan.

4. Michael Phelps swims into the record books: It takes a rare kind of person to win an Olympic gold medal, but swimmer Michael Phelps won an eye-popping 14 in the 2000s.

He won a record-breaking eight gold medals in his eight events in the 2008 Games in Beijing to add to the six he won in 2004.

Perhaps his name has been surrounded by the smoke of a certain green plant, but you don’t need to be high to know just how great he was in 2008.

3. The rise and fall of Tiger Woods: For the majority of the decade, Woods was not just the superstar of golf, but the superstar of sport itself. He won 12 major championships and while dominating his sport, kept a quiet confidence while maintaining a clean reputation. But in the last two months he has taken an indefinite leave from golf, admitted to problems in his personal life, and has been ditched by many of his sponsors. Suddenly this Tiger has earned some pretty bad stripes.

2. Lance Armstrong beats cancer and everyone else on a bike: Whether you consider cycling a sport or not, Lance Armstrong overcame tremendous odds to dominate his ‘sport’ in the past decade. In 1996, the legendary cyclist was diagnosed with cancer and given only a 50 per cent chance of survival. He didn’t just beat cancer, he beat everyone in the Tour de France – seven times in a row (1999 to 2005).

1. Steroids in baseball taints the sport’s reputation: It was, without a doubt, the mosttalked about story in sport the last decade.

No other story became synonymous with a sport quite like steroids and baseball. As fans grew up idolizing Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens, little did they know the ugly truth: steroids were being used and baseball players were far from pure athletes.

The story evolved into such a debacle that United States Congress even called baseball players in to testify. As investigators delved deeper into the scandal, it became known that steroids had been used in the sport for decades and league officials, owners, and players did little about it because of the increased popularity of the sport and all the money that was being raked in. Everything baseball embodied was in question.

brunswickansports

18 • Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143

the brunswickan presents

behind the scenes. an inside look at an olympic experience

By Colin McPhail

The moment the world, especially Canadians, has been waiting for is nearly upon us. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games are just over a month away and the organizing committee, along with the many participating nations, are feverishly preparing for this massive collaboration of people and sport. The Canadian delegation is no exception and, unbeknownst to most, one of the key individuals resides just down the street from UNB. Betty Norris, the Director of Team Operations, was kind enough to sit down with The Brunswickan and talk about her experiences with the Olympic Games.

Norris has risen in the ranks of Olympic organizers from the grassroots level. She played an important role in managing the New Brunswick rowing team in the 1985 Canada Games in Saint John and was approached by a manager from the national squad. Her managerial skills developed as she worked with the national rowing team where she was able to experience World Championships and the Pan-American Games, where her skills were noticed yet again.

“They did ‘87 Pan-American Games in Indianapolis and the ‘91 Games in Havana, and I fostered a good relationship with the Canadian Olympic Association, now the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the staff working at the time. Leading up to the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, I got a call a year before and it was the Canadian Olympic Association. They were recruiting volunteers to be a part of their mission team.”

Immediately, Norris was thrilled and jumped at the opportunity. The experience was a positive one for both her and the Olympic Committee, and she was recruited for the ‘96 in Atlanta, the ‘98 games in Nagano, and was appointed the assistant chef de mission for the 2000 Games in Sydney.

“Leading the team in Opening Ceremonies of the Games [in Sydney] with the chef de mission, Diane Jones Konihowski, I thought ‘Nothing is better than this. This is the ultimate.’ I thought in terms of international experience that this was the pinnacle, but two months after the Games was over I got a call from Mark Lowry, the Executive Director for the Games Unit. He asked if I would be interested in doing a secondment with them leading into the Salt Lake City Game.”

The Olympic Committee was going through some turnover in staff, and Norris was asked to fill one of the vacant positions. Taking a leave of absence from her government job, she then proceeded to manage all village operations in Salt Lake City.

“I got bit the by the bug. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I had to make a decision to stay with the province or the organization, but I just felt I was ready for a change in my career. So, I started working with [the COC] full time and my role has evolved in terms of being in a management position.

I’m now the Director of Team Operations.”

With her new position, Norris has reaped the benefits of working for the Canadian Olympic Committee.

“Having the opportunity to travel all over the world is great. Mind you, during a lot of the visits you see the airport, the hotel, the meeting room and you’re back home. But I do take advantage sometimes to spend a few extra days to get familiar with the community and the environment

we’re going in. Also, the people -- for me it’s just amazing.

Although, there are a lot of differences in terms of culture and whatnot, human beings are human beings and it’s those long-lasting friendships that you develop with people.

I was particularly moved by the people of China and how open and forthcoming they were with us. Those are the special moments. I learn and I grow from watching what other people do. I’m in constant awe with the team that is supporting me and their skill set.”

She recalls meeting, interacting, and aiding some of the top athletes.

“One of our high profile medal athletes came to our office one night asking if we had an extra pillow. Even though they were very stringent with the allocation of pillows, this athlete with medal potential needed an extra pillow and you go searching for that pillow. And at the end of the day, he wins that medal and I wonder if that extra pillow helped.

And it probably did.”

Even though Norris experienced many wonderful aspects of her job, she still feels the toll of traveling and being away from her husband Kim and her dog Max. “Traveling does take a lot out of you and being away from family. But I have an incredible amount of support from Kim. It gets on you sometimes, but when I’m away, I’m in Games mode, and your adrenaline sets in and the next thing you know you’re traveling back home because it goes by very quickly. Over the past few years I have been away for quite some time, but that’s my choice.”

The Committee asked her to move to Ottawa for her job, but she was able to remain in Fredericton with her family and currently works out of a home office that could only be described as cozy. Technology has helped her close the gap and has let her work from home. Technology has drastically changed in the past twenty-five years, and Norris was able to watch the progression first hand.

“I remember my first Games in Barcelona where we didn’t have access to computers. In terms of communication, we only had landline telephones or those large military monstrosity walkie-talkies. Things were done through photocopies. We would get results only on paper and in our mail slots. The progression is incredible. In terms of what we do now, everything is instant.”

The Olympics are becoming a viral market and the

technology being used to broadcast and report the Games is moving steadily in that direction. However, broadcast technology is not the only technology to progress.

“The other thing from a sports perspective is performance technology. This is an area that we’ve been moving into since Torino and we’ve been working very closely with the Own the Podium Program. We’ll have people capturing the run of an alpine skier, and within minutes the coach will be able to watch the run on camera and take that clip and superimpose it on the leading athletes and actually watch them run side by side and do an analysis.

Performance technology is critical now.”

Today, safety issues have risen to the forefront of concerns when organizing the Olympics. Norris recalls being at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, the first Games after the 1972 Munich Games terrorist attack, and seeing the intense security blanketing the events. From then on, issues of security have grown and Norris advised spectators to be patient. “[Security] has evolved over time because of world events. The level of security at every Games goes up a number of notches. The progression has made things much tighter and you must be patient. If you’re coming into the village and there’s lineup to get in, don’t lose patience. They’re doing the checks for obvious reasons.”

Protests revolving around the Olympics have increased in the past few years as well. Recently, protesters forced the Olympic Torch Marathon to alter its course as they created a blockade in downtown Toronto. However, Norris feels that if the appropriate measures are taken, they Canadian Team will not have to be affected.

“They don’t hinder what we need to do, but we are very sensitive to it. We need to prepare our athletes and spokespeople to address the issues when they do come up. It was quite prevalent leading into Beijing with the Tibet and Human Rights issues. We need to provide all the facts to our spokespeople and our athletes so if they are approached on an issue, they can answer appropriately.”

Norris has received a wealth of experience in her travels and work. From discussing how the Olympic uniform fits with Sidney Crosby to hiding a Loonie in the Great Wall of China, she has been very grateful and appreciative of her good fortune and success.

brunswickansports Upcoming V-Reds Events Friday, January 15h Women’s basketball SMU @ UNB 6:00 p.m. @ LB Gym Men’s Basketball SMU @ UNB 8:00 p.m. @ LB Gym Hockey UNB @ SMU 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 16th Women’s basketbal SMU @ UNB 1:00 p.m. @ LB Gym Men’s basketball SMU@ UNB 3:00 p.m. @ LB Gym Hockey UNB @ Acadia 7:00 p.m.

Women’s volleyball CBU @ UNB 7:00 p.m. @ LB Gym Sunday, January 17th Women’s volleyball StFX @ UNB 2:00 p.m. @ LB Gym Friday, January 22nd Women’s basketball UNB @ UPEI 6:00 p.m.

Men’s volleyball Interlock Tournament @ McGill Hockey UNB @ Moncton 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 23rd Women’s basketbal UNB @ UPEI 4:00 p.m.

Men’s volleyball Interlock Tournament @ McGill Hockey UNB @ STU 7:00 p.m.

Women’s volleyball UNB @ CBU 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 24th Men’s volleyball Interlock Tournament @ McGill Women’s volleyball UNB @ StFX 2:00 p.m.

sports briefs.

Women’s hockey take third leg of Challenge Cup The UNB Red Blazers won all five matches in weekend action to claim the third installment of the Maritime Challenge Cup. They defeated Holland College 3-2 to open the tournament. Then defeated CBU 5-1, Acadia 4-2 and closed out the round robin defeating Sainte-Anne 2-1. In the Championship match, UNB netminder Alysha Manderson shutout Acadia 2-0 to win their first tournament of the year. Head Coach Andrew Lavoie was extremely pleased with his team’s performance. “This team really knows how to overcome adversity,” said Lavoie. “This past weekend we had a shorter bench, two injured players and we showed why we are a team and not individuals. The role players exceeded our expectations by raising up everyones level of play by a lot of hard work, they were able to contribute on the score board...The coaching staff couldn’t have asked for anything more out of this group... We are now four points out of first place and have brought home our leagues first weekend championship banner. We are a team full of heart and hard work, this makes for a very dangerous combination.”

Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143 • 19

Reds’ struggles continue After a 1-6 first half record, the Varsity Reds men’s basketball team was looking to start the season off on the right foot. Unfortunately, the Reds fell into old habits losing too CBU 91-73 and 99-75 on the road this past weekend. The women’s squad didn’t fare any better losing 78-50 and 75-61 to the Capers. The men now sit two points of out the playoffs in 7th spot, while the women are holding on the final playoff spot in 6th place. Both teams have yet to win a road game.

brunswickansports

20 • Jan. 13, 2010 • Issue 15 • Volume 143

Men’s basketball: mid-season report Alex Wickwire The Brunswickan As the Varsity Reds Men’s basketball team grinds through another building year, the overall record of 1-6 makes the first half of the season look like a disappointment. A stellar performance in preseason scrimmages and the Eric Garland tournament have been the high points of the year so far. Aside from a victory in the Lady Beaverbrook Gym opening game against UPEI, the team has been less than impressive in regular season AUS play, and opened 2010 by being dropped 91-73 and 99-75 by Cape Breton doesn’t help things.

Consistency from veterans Alex DesRoches, Colton Wilson and Michael Anderson has been a bright spot through a tough campaign. DesRoches and Anderson lead the team in floor time, playing a total of 31 minutes per game, and the only Red to make the AUS top 20 for scoring average is Alex DesRoches, who sits at eleventh overall, scoring 15 points a game. Michael Anderson is UNB’s own Jose Calderon, leading the league in free throw percentage, sinking an impressive 42-50 shots from the charity stripe.

Outside of the veteran presence, the Varsity Reds are once again the youngest team in the Atlantic division and possibly the entire country. Players returning from last season are shouldering a much more important workload in the team’s production. Returning guard Antwaan Parks is still working to bring his game and New York style of play to full potential in the AUS, posting an efficient assist/ turnover ratio of 1.29.

In a season where sometimes four of five players on the court are rookies, it’s tough to expect a lot of success. Emerging players like Daniel Quirion show flashes

Road record holding back Reds Alex Wickwire The Brunswickan

If the Varsity Reds want to see postseason play, they will need to rely on the leadership and play veterans like Michael Anderson (above).

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan of potential stardom, and the team as a whole can sometimes execute brilliant plays, but inexperience ultimately leads the Reds to fall into double digit point deficits they are unable to recover from.

Other impressive rookies are Colin Adams and Gamuchau Ibrahim, each making use of their limited playing time with hustle points and occasionally stellar defensive plays. At the halfway point of their rookie year, it is very unpredictable what lies ahead for the young V-Reds

visit us on the tubes!

in 2010.

A playoff spot seems farfetched, however with plenty of games remaining and talented players just getting settled in CIS basketball, anything can happen.

At this point last season, UNB was yet to win a game.

The next home games for the Reds are Jan. 15 and Jan. 16 when the Saint Mary’s Huskies visit the pit. Last season UNB took one of two matches at home against the Huskies.

thebruns.ca

The first half of the 2009-2010 season was productive for a squad struggling to find it’s strengths and weaknesses.

Finishing 2009 undefeated at home, the UNB Women’s Varsity Reds basketball team sits with a three to four record as they head into the second semester and final stretch of the season.

Already described as an improvement from last season, the team looks to compete for a playoff spot in a tight CIS division.

The Lady Reds don’t have a single player in the Atlantic University Sport top 10 for minutes played per game.

Head coach Jeff Speedy manages player minutes very efficiently and uses the advantage of a deep bench. This effective rotation is reflected in the team’s points per game statistics, the Reds score 71.7 and allow 69.4, keeping games close even when behind. This is a great improvement from last season when they scored only 61.9 points every contest.

Team leaders in scoring include Amanda Sharpe with 15.7 points per game, fourth overall in AUS, and Jessica Steed with 10.4 ppg. Sharpe also anchors the front court with Emma Russell, and the six footers pull down 7.7 rebounds per game, tied for third overall on the east coast.

Guard Tashina Van Vlack has im-

proved this season, bringing her assist/ turnover ratio to practically even. This year’s 0.96 is a huge step up from last season’s 0.74 ratio with turnovers in triple figures.

With a very young and athletic team-- seven players in either year one or year two of eligibility-- the V-Reds are impressive with the strides of improvement they’ve made since last year. Known league-wide as being a poor team against the full court press, they made the necessary adjustments to shake off that weakness and improve their guard play. They’ve minimized their team turnovers to only 135 so far this season, which is third best overall and a great improvement from the near 200 they had at this point last year.

Statistics aside, this team has what it takes to win any match they play. It remains to be seen if they reach their potential this year. The Lady Reds are a legitimate contender this season, and if they can improve their tough road record as well as continue to play well at home, they have an excellent shot at making the post season.

The Reds dropped two road games this weekend in Cape Breton. UNB lost 78-50 and 75-61 to the Capers.

Those good first half statistics will be all for naught unless the Reds can improve their game away from home.

The Reds look to remain unbeaten in the pit when they host Saint Mary’s on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16.