Issue 16, Vol 141, The Brunswickan

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pinions travel study programme heads to france pg.5

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ports canadian schools now able to join NCAA pg.10

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rts the secret to regifting pg.8

The Brunswickan

Volume 141 Issue 16 • Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication • UNB Fredericton’s Student Paper • Jan. 23, 2008

A class of his own: Hennigar new top gun at UNB

by Brian Munn

The UNB Varsity Reds men’s hockey team went 2-0 on home ice over the weekend, but huge victories over St. Francis Xavier and St. Mary’s weren’t the most impressive feat to happen on the Aitken Centre ice.

UNB forward Rob Hennigar entered action on Friday with 157 regular season points for the Reds, leaving him one point behind Dax MacLean for the most points all-time by a UNB player. Hennigar made short work of that record, tying MacLean’s 158 points with an assist on Hunter Tremblay’s goal on the first UNB power play of the game, just five minutes into the first period.

After UNB built up a 6-1 lead and had chased St. FX star goalie Danny Battochio, UNB hockey history unfolded.

Rob Hennigar fought through a St. FX defenseman in the defensive zone, going on a three-on-one attack with Tremblay and John Scott Dickson. Tremblay entered the zone on the left side, before dropping the puck to Hennigar in the high slot. Hennigar fired the puck over to Dickson at the right circle, who then went cross-ice to the rushing Tremblay

see Hennigar page 12

Brian Munn / The Brunswickan

Fourth year forward Rob Hennigar stood alone as the most prolific regular season scorer in Varsity Reds history on Friday night, tying and eclipsing former star Dax MacLean’s record of 158 points. While it took MacLean 108 games to set to record, Hennigar beat it in just his 100th game in a UNB sweater. Hennigar tied the record with an assist on Hunter Tremblay’s power play goal in the first period, before breaking it with an assist on Tremblay’s 2nd period goal. The forward now trails MacLean by 6 points on the regular season and playoff points list.

NB Liquor closing King Street location Fine

by Lauren Kennedy

As of closing time on Saturday, January 26, the NB Liquor store on King Street will be closing its doors for the last time.

On January 9, NB Liquor announced they will be closing two corporate stores, the King Street Fredericton store, as well as the King Street

Saint John store.

According to Nora Lacey, the media contact for NB Liquor, the closure is due to past reviews of the establishments.

“The bigger picture is that a complete review of the network was done recently. The last time it was done was 1993,” she explained. “We looked at which stores were over-served, which had the least traffic, etc., and we saw that Fredericton was the only major city that was really over-serviced, and it was the fourth out of all the stores (in Fredericton) that had the lowest traffic and lowest sales.”

This is part of a five-year plan.

“One of the goals of the new fiveyear strategic plan is to ensure we have the right mix of corporate and agency stores to best serve our urban centres and rural or smaller communities,” said Dana Clendenning, President and CEO of ANBL, in a press release.

“Corporately, we need to maintain an expense to sales ratio of less than 11.5% to ensure we deliver on our strategic goals. In order to do this, we need to operate as efficiently as possible.”

After the closure of the two King Street locations, the three major cities in New Brunswick (Moncton, Saint

John, and Fredericton) will only have four corporate stores each.

Improvements have been made to the other NB Liquor stores around the city, with the most recent being to the Prospect Street location, and as Lacey explained, stores like the Prospect and Smythe ones that are attached to grocery chains make it easier for people to shop.

“It’s has a one-stop convenience about it,” she said.

With the closing of any store comes the saving of money, and when the King Street location in Fredericton closes, it will save approximately

$300,000 per year. Lacey said those savings were being looked at to make room for salary increases.

All full and part-time staff at the location were given the option of moving to an alternative store to work.

But how will closing the King Street location affect students? According to Lacey, she says it won’t.

Looking at a demographic study of the stores, it was shown that the younger range of people shop most frequently at the Prospect Street location.

“We don’t think it will have much of an affect on students,” said Lacey.

Students raid shelves at Book Buy & Sell Over $55,000 in textbook sales goes back to students

by Josh O’Kane

As textbook prices continue to soar regardless of the strong Canadian dollar, students are continually moving towards buying used books. Unlike taking one trip to the bookstore, however, buying used books can be a lengthy process.

Trying to find the right author, edition, and quality of a textbook is no easy task.

The Student Union found a way around the hassle several years ago, when they instated a “Book Buy and Sell” at the beginning of each term.

There, students can drop off the text-

books they wish to sell and then stop by over the next several days to purchase the new books they need.

This year has been the most successful of its run, with over $55,000 in books sold back to students at the Book Buy and Sell. That profit in turn goes back to the students who brought the books in.

That’s a lot of money going back to students.

Bethany Vail, Student Union VP Academic, says that the Book Buy and Sell this year was a phenomenal success.

“Last year the total for both semesters might have been $20,000,” says Vail.

“This year it was a huge success, jumping to almost $60,000.”

She says a combination of factors led to the success of the Buy and Sell, with greater word spreading about it being one of the most notable.

“We really worked hard to get it out there to the students. We had it in The Brunswickan even before we left for the winter, there were e-mails sent out,

there were posters everywhere. We sent out e-mails to all professors and faculties to mention it in class. We put posters inside classrooms instead of just bulletin boards. We got the Student Union to do word of mouth advertising to tell students it was happening.”

A variety of changes went through this year to the Buy and Sell, which helped the event run smoothly. In fact, some were implemented just this semester, as last semester saw the Blue Room overflow as $28,000 worth of books was sold. This term saw the event being held in the SUB Ballroom for the first time, one-day Friday book pick-up, and a new inventory system.

“I did what they did last year and found that when you move all books from the Blue Room to the Student Union offices, it gets to be a bit of a mess and students have a hard time finding their books. We moved it up to the ballroom so students could move

see Books page 2

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

After some changes, this semester’s Book Buy & Sell was by far the SU’s most successful

Imports

by Ashley Bursey

It’s kind of like “The Beach” – five friends want to swim to a kick-ass little island for the hell of it.

But unlike the Leo Dicaprio blockbuster, the guys from The Imports have a very different tale to tell.

“There’s one crazy story that happened [on tour],” says Roydin Monteath, a guitarist and singer in the Toronto-based band. “I think it was in August. For some reason, we decided that we wanted to go swimming really bad. Long story short, we pretty much all almost drowned and had to save each other.”

He laughs now, but admits it wasn’t the greatest experience. “It was kinda cold too, but we just really wanted to swim to a little island, just for some kind of crazy tour story. Obviously we didn’t want to drown...it was a little lake; honestly, it wasn’t that hard to swim.

[But] one of the guys wasn’t a strong swimmer and he started to drown and it took us one by one.”

The group, which formed in high school, is made up of childhood friends: Earl Abalajon III (vocals), Heston Jones (guitar/vocals), Roydin Monteath (guitar/vocals), Liam Harasym (bass), Arthur Latoszek (drums/percussion) and Nathan Dumancas (keys/beat box).

And the band name comes from the amalgamation of cultures within the band. Although they all grew up in

see Imports page 9

News

2 • January 23, 2008 • Issue 16

Not just a Facebook application: Lolcats are everywhere

by Kerri Breen, The Muse (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

ST. JOHN'S (CUP) -- In a few months people are going to be talking about lolcats the way your out-of-touch relatives marvel at “the blogs.” It’s a little late for an introduction to lolcats, the captioned kitties with their own adorably bad spelling and grammar, but this is for your own good. If you want to appear modern and quick witted, then knowledge of wacky Internet fads is essential.

Lolcat history: I’m in ur forums, makin’ cat macros Once upon a time on the internet someone decided that the most poignant way of calling someone on their shit or conveying some other message was through a captioned picture. Some of these pictures contained – you guessed it – lovable cats.

The story goes that two individuals known as Cheezburger and Tofuburger fell in love with the image of a stocky British Blue cat named Happy Cat captioned with the phrase “I can has Cheezburger.” They decided to compile and tag the notable funny cat photos they discovered in online forums in one convenient spot: Icanhascheezburger. com.

That was in early 2007. Today, according to Ben Huh, Chief Cheezburger, the Seattle-based site gets an extraordinary amount of visits each day.

“We don’t like to disclose our actual traffic, but I’ll tell you this, we’ve dou-

Internet

bled in the last three months,” he said.

The site served as ground for the odd, yet captivating Internet subculture to grow. It’s not just about cats anymore, there are lolsloths, lolruses, the less idiomatic lolracoon, and lol versions of pretty much any other animal you can think of. Formerly awkward constructions like “I can has” have become normal sounding, and pluralizing nouns with Zs is acceptable, at least on your Facebook profile.

“So that’s what’s really fascinating, to watch people become fluent speakers of this thing that didn’t exist six months ago,” says Huh. What lolcats do (besides bring da lolz)

In lolcat land self-referentialism reaches new heights, as old inside jokes get a fresh coat of paint each week, and esoteric tidbits are compounded on top of each other so that only those in the know really can understand them.

Lolcats run on multiple levels, communicating much more than a simple photo and a grammatically challenged caption in Impact typeface appears to convey at first glance.

While everything from popular culture is lolcat reference material – see “Dumbledore is gay?!”– gaming and Internet culture references are the specialty of the cat macro world.

All your memes are belong to us According to Gerard Van Herk, Me-

morial University of Newfoundland linguistics professor and Canada Research Chair in oral language and oral text, the participation in the phenomenon functions as an assertion of in-group identity.

“Language has such a heavy social load in [the online] context,” he says.

“A lot of Internet humour is exclusionary in the sense that to demonstrate who you are, that you understand what’s going on, you’re pushing the boundaries of what other people understand.”

Despite its seeming as almost a language in and of itself with various conventions, Van Herk sees the phenomenon as only having a superficial impact on English. He suggests that people have throughout history errone-

ously predicted linguistic change with technological change.

Lolcats taught me quantum physics It’s the job of the icanhascheezburger (ICHC) administration to tease out the good lolcats from the masses of usersubmitted content. Most of the work done at ICHC is in the form of moderation and technology development.

“Your day is interrupted by monotonous boredom and hysteric laughter – those alternating things,” says Huh. “It’s like ‘Well, I’ve seen this before, seen this a million times, this is just not funny, I don’t get it.’ And then we’ll find that really funny one and we’ll just bust out laughing.”

This is Huh’s business. The site is

supported through ads, and he makes a modest amount of money off of the fad: “It’s enough to keep a business going, but by no means are we rich.”

According to Huh, lolcats can be about anything “There is no limit … as long as it is funny.” A good lolcat, he says, is often the result of when the caption carries the picture. He also enjoys lolcats that teach you something, like the quantum physics Schrodinger’s Law lolcat, who says “I’m in yr quantum box…maybe.”

“Not only was it a really good caption, again, cat in a box, nothing unusual about it, right, but it’s also … witty and it taught you something. It taught you quantum physics.”

UNB SU Book Buy & Sell was a big hit from Books page 1 more freely. Book pickup day was the Friday that same week. You bought books in the exact same spot. We had extended hours on that, 9am-6pm instead of 4pm.”

Every person who brought in a textbook in was also given a card with the details of the agreement - book, price, a contact e-mail, and a code assigned to the textbook. An inventory was kept with the codes showing whether the books were bought, which made finding the textbook or money at the end of the week easier.

“That was the first time we tried

that,” says Vail, “and I think it worked well, but I think it would be simpler to digitize it. If we could scan the textbook and have a label print out, that would do it automatically. That’s something I will look into and make suggestions for the VP Academic next year.”

She says that with the current labeling system, there were a few codes that were given to multiple textbooks. She believes that a digital labeling system would avoid this human error. One day they saw 1,500 books get dropped off, but with a more advanced labeling system, mistakes could be avoided. Regardless, says Vail, those students who had mix-ups had them solved within a few minutes.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

The January edition of the SU Book Buy & Sell helped students at the bank “We’re learning each year. Whoever comes in next year will be able to improve it.”

With the rise of the Canadian dollar not quite affecting textbook prices yet, Vail says events like this are extremely beneficial to students.

“I think expensive texts are ridiculous,” she says. “For example, for math textbooks, I don’t think there are a lot of new innovative things that happen in math every year. For some things I can see a new text be required, like for some

of my business courses, some principles and theories, like for marketing, change yearly.”

“For that I can understand, but for some of these texts it’s just ridiculous that there are these new editions coming out. It seems like it’s a way to get profit off the backs of students.”

Vail says that if anyone has comments or suggestions for the Book Buy and Sell, or has yet to pick up their money or book, to contact her at academic@ unb.ca.

The Brunswickan

Be a writer.

It’s fantastic.

Be a writer.

It’s fantastic.

Be a writer.

It’s fantastic.

News meets Fridays 11:30am SUB rm35

News

Issue 16 • January 23, 2008 • 3

reason’ to follow U.S. No plans for a return of stubby ‘No trends in copyright: professor

by Mitchell Bernard

A recent t-shirt released by Alpine has led some people to believe that the stubby beer bottle may return to shelves in the future. “Bring Back the Stubby” shirts are now available, along with other shirts with vintage logos from Alpine’s past.

But just because Alpine is using the slogan, does not mean they are endorsing it.

Joel Levesque, Vice-President of Public Affairs at Moosehead Breweries Limited, was quick to note that there are no plans to bring back the stubby.

“No, stubby is not coming back,” said Levesque. “A lot of people would like to see it but it’s not coming back.”

“It’s just a part of the nostalgia appeal of the campaign which focuses on former Alpine packaging and trademarks over the years. In fact, each of the t-shirts featured in the promotion has an old logo dating back right to the first Moosehead one in 1937.

“So it’s just a bit of a tongue-incheek thing,” noted Levesque.

The stubby beer bottles were widespread throughout Canada until the early 1980s. Some advantages of the stubby bottle are less breakage, less storage space needed, and less chilling time.

As well, in the stubby format, there is little chance of the beer foaming and creating a head, which causes the beer to overflow.

“The stubby was actually a very efficient model, but it wasn’t the most attractive in terms of mar-

Aidan McKenna / The Brunswickan

The Cellar stocks and sells Red Stripe stubby bottled beer keting packaging,” commented Levesque.

The stubby was shelved after an agreement among the breweries of Canada to use a uniform bottle across the industry.

“In those days we all agreed to use the same tall neck bottle. The bottle that is in use today is called ISB or Industry Standard Bottle, and we share that bottle as we did the stubby. All the brewers put in several millions bottles a year into the float, and we share the bottles.

So what was a bottle of Alpine last week might be a bottle of Labatt Blue tomorrow.

“It’s a very efficient, environment-friendly way of dealing with beverage containers. In fact, it’s the most environmentally responsible beverage container in the world.

There’s no other country in the world where beer bottles, or any beverage bottles, are recycled such as the Canadian beer bottle. Each one is used on average 17 times. We get about 97% of the bottles that go out to the consumer come back,” said Levesque.

The Brunswickan asked Irene Lane, Manager of Corporate Affairs in the Atlantic Division of Labatt Breweries of Canada, what Labatt’s

take was on the issue. Maybe it could be included in a novelty pack?

“We don't have any plans to reintroduce the stubby bottle. It would be difficult to just do a stubby as a novelty, as it would require some significant changes to packaging lines,” noted Lane via e-mail.

It would be an economical burden to manufacturers to include the stubby on the product line. Besides an overhaul of the entire manufacturing process, companies would also lose out on the environmentfriendly recycling among manufacturers, not to mention that most coolers would no longer accommodate the stubby model.

A spokesperson for the New Brunswick Liquor Commission also stated they have yet to hear of any manufacturers expressing interest in a return of the stubby model. They believe it just isn’t an idea that will be discussed across the board rooms of corporate brewing companies.

The only current product offered in a stubby bottle format in New Brunswick is Jamaican Red Stripe.

There is also one other product offered in Canada that follows the stubby bottle format, which is sold in Ontario.

Although the stubby bottle has seen its popularity rise since the introduction of the new Alpine campaign, it seems as though Canadians may never seen a return of the bottle.

If you are interested in seeing what your favourite beer product looked like in the stubby format, you can check out a webpage designed by Leonard Whistler. Stubby. ca features over 250 images of stubby models, including the date of production and which manufacturer brewed the product.

If you are really interested in seeing the stubby used widespread again, you will have to contact all the beer manufacturers in Canada.

Convince a few million of your closest friends to do the same and maybe, just maybe, we’ll see a return of the stubby.

UWO Professor stresses the imperative of maintaining sovereignty

by Uzma Khan The Concordian (Concordia University)

MONTREAL (CUP) -- Though Canada has already signed an international treaty for more stringent copyright regulations, a professor from the University of Western Ontario believes there is no reason for the government to pass a bill supporting it.

“Canada does not really have any treaty obligations until parliament decides that it is in Canada’s interest to oblige,” said Samuel Trosow, a professor in both the faculties of Law, and Information and Media Studies at the UWO. Trosow spoke about Canadian copyright law at Concordia University on Jan. 24, but he also discussed a recent copyright Bill that has caused quite a stir among academics and file-sharers alike.

The proposed Bill would bring Canada’s copyright laws more into line with those in the United States, effectively criminalizing online file sharing in Canada.

In 1996 Canada, along with dozens of other nations, Canada signed an international treaty on copyright administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a United Nations body that shapes information policy around the world.

The WIPO copyright treaty aims to protect the owners of copywritten works, available to people globally through electronic means, from infringement.

The U.S implementation of WIPO treaty is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. The Act implemented exhaustive protection measures for copywritten work, and critics have

claimed that it makes even the simplest of information sharing illegal.

“More and more people see copyright rules as potentially affecting their daily lives,” said Trosow, adding that Canadians are angry because they do not want to lose the chance to use the work of others to explore their own creativity.

“The modern information technologies have made it possible for many people to communicate their works to an unlimited audience,” he said.

In defense of those who aim to copyright their work, Trosow said, “If we’re really interested in helping creators, there are a lot of policy tools besides the expansion of intellectual property rules.”

Properly funding artists and resolving their contract issues are effective ways of encouraging emerging creators, he said.

According to Trosow, Canada’s proposed Bill is the result of pressure from the U.S. to bring its copyright rules in line with the WIPO treaty that Canada signed in 1996.

Trosow said that Canada has been placed on a U.S. trade-watch list to pressure our government to change its copyright rules. He said that entertainment lobby groups and other commercial interests were largely behind that pressure.

“This is how they operate around the world,” he added.

Trosow said that, “even if Canada does feel pressured to comply with WIPO, they should do so in a very measured way.”

Canadian copyright rules already comply, more or less, with the terms of the treaty, and nothing but a little “tweaking” is required, he said.

When asked which area requires tweaking, Trosow said, “That’s what I want to know. I want some government analysis with the Bill, saying that this is what needs to be done.”

Canada’s copyright Bill was supposed to be introduced in the fall session of Parliament but was delayed. It is expected to be among the first bills introduced when the House resumes sitting on Jan. 28.

Pedway will not guarantee safety of students: MLA The City of Fredericton still questions the necessity of the overpass, student safety project.

by Naomi Osborne

The proposal of a pedway linking students from Forrest Hill closer to campus may be the key to a safer route.

The UNB Student Union has been lobbying for an overpass across the highway, giving access to students living off campus in the Forrest Hill area.

The project is still in the initial stages and has not yet been approved by the major governments.

Rick Miles, MLA for FrederictonSilverwood, hopes the project will allow the true underlying issue to be revealed.

“This is a dangerous piece of highway for students to be crossing. I think the emphasis should be on encourag-

ing the students not to use the highway at all,” said Miles.

There are other alternatives to crossing the highway. Miles suggested that there might be other ways to provide students with quick and safe routes to campus. Another route he suggested would be to devise a path leading down from Forrest Hill road to campus.

The main idea is to create a path that would come down from the area’s subdivisions and lead out onto the Forrest Hill road. This would shave off a significant amount of time so students would still be able to get to campus in a hurry.

The Department of Transportation is working with the Student Union to provide a pedway for students who live in the area. The Brunswickan was not provided with any further comments from the provincial department.

One of the major concerns of the City was the worry that students would be reluctant to use the overpass once it was put in place.

“There is still no guarantee that students will use it. It is better just to inform students to stay away from the

highway altogether,” said Miles.

According to Miles, there has been documented proof that not all students use overpasses once they are put in place. Regardless, he is confident that the city, the department of transportation and the government will all work with the student union to see if they can find a solution to providing more adequate student safety.

“The main problem is that rather than using the stairs, or taking the long way around, students would rather run across the highway,” said Miles.

This is one of the main highways and it is dangerous enough as it is. Most students fail to calculate the speed of the vehicles coming around the corner.

Miles feels that it is because of this that the message should be enforced upon students of the severity of the act.

Miles is confident that if there were to be any overpass put up this is the most important place for one.At this point, funding along with a proposed time line for the project has not been decided upon. There is still progress to be made and in the meantime all parties will continue to discuss the issues surrounding the project.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

The highway behind the Aitken Centre is the focus of the third installment in our continuing series on the possibility of an overpass helping students to cross more safely

Introducing the UNB Kin Club The “Dazzling” Dr. Charles Lemert

by Amanda Fairley

Kin Canada is the nation’s largest allCanadian service organization that raises money for Cystic Fibrosis research and serves their community’s greatest needs. The first Kin Club was founded in 1920 in Hamilton, Ontario. The association has now grown to over 8,000 members.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a hereditary disease that affects primarily the lungs and the digestive system. Individuals who have the disease have difficulty breathing and are more susceptible to lung infections. Because of the many infections, the individual will most often experi-

Internet

The UNB Kin Club is helping to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis

ence early death. When Kin Canada was founded, individuals with CF were not expected to live past the age of four. But now, in part because of Kin Canada’s dedication, individuals can now live into their thirties and beyond.

The “UNB Kin Krew” plans to raise

as much money as possible for Cystic Fibrosis. In order to do that there will be a couple of events, one being a Pub Crawl to raise money for CF, and there are plans to work with the local Fredericton Kinsmen to help run some of their annual events. In addition, the Club is hoping to provide a UNB or STU student with a Kin Canada thousanddollar scholarship.

The Kin Club also does many other things within the community, as stated in the Kin Canada Mission Statement, "Kin Canada is a dynamic volunteer organization enriching our communities through service while embracing national pride, positive values, personal development, and lasting friendships."

The UNB Kin Krew plans to make our community, the University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University campuses, a better place while raising money to help those who suffer from Cystic Fibrosis.

speaks at UNB

by Lauren Kennedy

“Dazzling” was how Associate Professor of Sociology Dr. Gary Bowden introduced Dr. Charles Lemert at the 27th annual W.C Desmond Pacey Memorial Lecture.

Dr. Lemert spoke to a large crowd at the Wu Conference Centre on Wednesday, January 16, with a lecture titled “Bare Life and the Politics of Social Death”, dealing with the relationship between the wealthy North and the impoverished South. He spoke of the differences in cultures around the world, how the past has a great influence on the

present, and also how we live in an age of globalization.

“We live in a world where the structure of things is dramatically changing.

We must embrace the ghosts of the past and that will give us the certainty to embrace what is uncertain,” said Dr. Lemert.

Ghosts tended to be a running theme in his talk. Not the scary, typical Halloween ghosts, but he linked most of what he spoke of to the ghosts of the past.

“Currently we are in a state between what things once were and what they will be, rather we live in a time much like other times,” he explained.

In his introduction to Dr. Lemert, Dr. Bowden proposed to the crowd to think about the connection between local things that are happening right here in our own province.

“Aside from training workers for a Saint John energy hub, the Polytechnic

would also be training New Brunswicker’s for energy jobs in Alberta. Is this the government’s tacit strategy for “self-suffiency” to prepare our youth for good jobs elsewhere so they can migrate and send back remittances?”

It was examples like this that Dr. Lemert’s work raises, according to Dr. Bowden.

Dr. Lemert has written over 18 books with another seven he is currently working on, has been involved with over six different editorial projects responsible for the production of approximately 50 books, and has taught over 50 courses, among many other notable achievements.

The Pacey Lecture happens at UNB Fredericton every year, and named in honour of William Cyril Desmond Pacey a scholar, teacher, writer, and administrator.

eic@unb.ca • January 16, 2008

Comments & Letters

“Strike-Out”: What if it was UNB? Bethany’s Briefing

Rousing the Rabbles

by Bethany Vail VP Academic

Unless you have been avoiding the news since Christmas, you’ve probably heard that there is a labour disruption at St. Thomas University. The Brunswickan in the past two weeks has featured coverage of the fact that the St. Thomas faculty is both locked out and on strike. This dispute has caught the attention of most UNB students—some are even taking classes at STU and are affected by the dispute. However, some of us have gone into a lull and created a false sense of security. We might say to ourselves, “That will never happen to us; not at UNB.” The fact of the matter is that Acadia’s faculty went on strike in the fall semester, STU’s faculty strike is ongoing, and UNB could be in line as well.

The collective agreement between UNB and its faculty association, AUNBT, will be up in June 2009. This means that the agreement that the university will employ faculty, and that faculty will work for the university under a given set conditions, will be up for renewal after negotiation. The collective agreement includes details on academic freedom, stipulations on workload, and the salary structure for faculty and instructors. These issues are not taken lightly and take co-operation on all parties to negotiate.

STU has been at the bargaining table for over ten months. Hopefully it will not take UNB and AUNBT almost a year to hash out a new agreement.

Hopefully UNB students will not be caught in the crossfire like STU students

So much for democracy

by Nick Ouellette Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

St. Thomas University students have still not returned to classes are. As much as we hope that there will be no labour disruption at UNB, though, we need to rely on concrete actions by the university and its faculty leading into contract negotiations to avoid it. This is the only way to make sure that UNB students are not faced with the same uncertainty about when their next class will be.

Currently, UNB has no regulations or mechanisms for managing a labour disruption’s impact on students. What’s worse, the academic calendar is packed, with no wiggle room as it is. The Senates had to shuffle around reading days from the exam period just to provide a reading day for Remembrance Day this year. Also, there is no set minimum number of teaching days currently at UNB, but it is something the Senate Curriculum Committee is thinking about looking into. The implications of setting a minimum number of teaching days could lead to a semester being cancelled if UNB were to experience a labour disruption that delays classes as long as they have been delayed at either Acadia or STU. Who are the parties that must take action in this matter? There certainly is a way to effectively manage collective bargaining in order to avoid volatile situations. It is clear that the University of New Brunswick administration will be responsible for being proactive in the negations. They must ensure that what happened at Acadia and STU does not

happen at UNB. The Association of the University of New Brunswick Teachers, AUNBT, will also have to make sure they are in a position to negotiate. They will have to come to the table with reasonable requests. These requests should be costed, so that it is clear how much money students should pay in tuition increases to meet the faculty demands.

UNB already has one of the highest tuitions in Canada; raising tuition even more may be catastrophic.

The students of UNB also will have to step up to the plate to make sure their voices are heard during the time of negotiations. UNB has a history of disregarding students during negotiations; the last time one of its unions approached strike status, the administration censored messages from the Student Union to students that were intended to keep them informed. To avoid this, and to ensure that students have an active role in the process, student representatives on the Board of the Governors, the Senates, and the Student Union will all have to work to ensure the university and its faculty is on the ball.

UNB has time to work through problems that might arise. They can be ready for negotiation when the time comes.

But that’s just the point. STU had time as well. Problems will only be avoided if we work to avoid them. If everyone plays their part, we can make sure that UNB does not end up in a situation like Acadia or STU in January 2010.

Earlier this month, an officer of the Alberta Human Rights Commission questioned Ezra Levant. Levant co-founded the Western Standard, a conservative and libertarian publication. Meanwhile, Maclean’s magazine is now the subject of human rights investigations after they quoted passages from a book by Mark Steyn, author of “America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It.” Steyn himself has been called in under separate investigations to defend his own comments.

In each case, the complaints relate to the treatment of Muslims and Islam by the content published by the Western Standard and Maclean’s. In early 2006, the Western Standard republished the Jyllands-Posten Mohammed cartoons.

Most of us will know these as the Danish cartoons that sparked widespread debate for depicting various images of the prophet Mohammed. The most offensive of these cartoons depicted the prophet wearing a bomb as a headdress.

acceptability of the views expressed in the Danish cartoons or Steyn’s writings.

Each reader is more than able to find each of the cartoons, Steyn’s book, and the Maclean’s articles, and make their own assessment on the matter. In fact, I encourage you to do so.

However, I do find it peculiar, and even alarming, that a number of Canadian human rights commissions are now investigating those who have published this content, offensive or not. We are a country that professes to value certain underlying freedoms—including the freedoms of expression and the press.

Yet, here we see government agencies that purport to expose human rights violations calling forward publishers to explain the content they have published.

These investigations strike curiously at those freedoms enshrined in our Charter, and points in many ways toward censorship. This is poignantly evident in the presence of commission questions to the publishers that seek to determine the intent behind publishing the cartoons and quotes.

The most disturbing aspect of this situation is that these commissions do not bill the complainants for the investigations they undertake; taxpayers fund the commissions and their activities. However, those against whom complaints have been filed are on their own in retaining legal counsel and in preparing for and appearing before the commission’s investigators and panels.

As Levant argued before the Human Rights Commission investigator, the punishment is not anything that comes out of the process, but rather the process itself. By simply lodging the complaints, the complainants subject the publishers and the author to their own personal

tions afforded in court. Human rights tribunals do not offer the same stringent expectations.

However, at least in the case of Levant, police have declined to investigate whether a hate crime has occurred. This can only make sense, and it is a relief that officers recognized that Levant and the Western Standard legitimately published political commentary. By political commentary, I refer to Levant’s statements that the cartoons were printed in order to demonstrate the freedom of press enjoyed in a democratic society such as Canada. Unfortunately, the Alberta Human Rights Commission is apparently not interested in affording the same reasonable leniency. The same rejection of freedom of expression appears to be in the works in relation to the complaints against Steyn and Maclean’s.

In light of all this, it might seem odd that Levant made known to the investigator from the Alberta Human Rights Commission that, not only does he hope that the complaint against him goes to a Commission tribunal for adjudication, but he also hopes that he loses at such a tribunal. Why? He hopes to seek an appeal against the Commission’s claimed jurisdiction over the area of thought policing. This dispute certainly has the potential to make its way up the judicial ladder to the Supreme Court.

If it does, one wonders how the high court will consider the Commission’s intervention in the content of Canada’s publishers. I sincerely hope that it determines that these matters should not be the subject of human rights complaints; any other outcome might cause newspapers and magazines to unduly censor themselves prior to print for fear

Internet

Ezra Lavant, the co-founder of The Western Standard, is the subject of a human rights investigation by the Government of Alberta In a less pictorial fashion, the Maclean’s excerpt from Steyn contained passes such as, “The number of Muslims [in Europe] is expanding like mosquitoes,” although Steyn has publicly noted that these are not his words but rather the words of a European Islamic leader in commenting on the growth of the Muslim population in Europe.

Notwithstanding this distinction, the complainants allege generally that the publications are offensive and that they might incite hatred or discrimination against Muslims.

I can accept that some find these publications offensive. The Danish cartoons poke fun at stereotypes about a religion. The published words of Steyn are found in a chapter titled “The future belongs to Islam,” in which Steyn argues that Europe is “too enfeebled to resist its transformation into Eurabia”—that is, Europe under the Arab influence. It isn’t even surprising that some Muslims find these comments and drawings offensive, and the complainants who brought these issues forward do, in fact, follow Islam.

I am not going to comment on whether I find these publications offensive. They are what they are, and it is not my place to convince you of the

and religious views at the hands of a state-established and state-funded organization, and impose unjustified costs.

Since when is it the role of a government agency to determine whether the intent behind a publication is appropriate? I won’t quarrel with a human rights commission’s role in determining whether an action by government or even an employer discriminates against somebody; this is properly within its purview. However, the thoughts and opinions of authors and publishers should not be subject to review by anything other than public scrutiny and debate. Anything less than such a high standard leaves us open to a trend toward thought policing that Levant described as “Orwellian” before the Alberta Human Rights Commission. I agree with his less-than-subtle reference to 1984’s Big Brother.

This is not to say that we should accept all speech. In fact, the hate speech dilemma is certainly a large part of the debate over freedom of expression, but human rights commissions are not the tools to pursue language that one considers a hate crime. A criminal prosecution is the proper forum for such scrutiny, particularly because a trial guarantees an accused the usual protec-

of punishment by process.

Those of you who read my column last week will know the deference I have for Rex Murphy, who had this to offer earlier this month: “[Publishers] should not have to defend themselves for doing what a good magazine does: start debate, express opinion, and stir thought.

And most certainly they should not have to abide the threatened censorship of any of Canada's increasingly interfering, state appointed, and paradoxically labelled human rights commissions.”

Yes, Rex, I agree. As one of the cornerstones of our society, the free press must be preserved. The question is, does our agreement matter? There is certainly a risk that arguments that subject our legitimate opinions to the feelings of others will prevail. The failure of the freedom of the press will send us down the slippery slope on which private citizens who want to avoid these kinds of complaints will censor their own public comments. If that’s the case, then so much for democracy.

Nick Ouellette, a UNB law student, has served on the UNB Student Union Council and the UNB Board of Governors, and now serves on the UNB Fredericton Senate and as an Assistant Don in UNB’s Residence Community.

Comments & Letters The Brunswickan Editorial Board

Editor-In-Chief • Jennifer McKenzie Managing Editor • Tony von Richter Co-News Editor • Josh O’Kane Co-News Editor • Lauren Kennedy Arts Editor • Ashley Bursey Photo Editor • Andrew Meade Sports Editor • Brian Munn Copy Editor • Alicia Del Frate Production Editor • Ed Cullinan Staff Advertising Sales Rep • Bill Traer Delivery • Mike Lee Contributors Christian Hapgood, Brad Conley, Alison Clack, Jordan Gill, Doug Estey, Dan Hagerman, Sean Horsley, Dave Briggs, Melanie Bell, Naomi Osborne, Mitchell Bernard, Ed Bowes, Jason Henry, Nick Ouellette

Issue 16 • January 23, 2008 • 5

Memories of Paris!

Dear Editor, Tired of the snow! Do you want to get away from Fredericton? Do you dream of traveling and earning UNB credits?

Well, UNB is offering Summer Courses in France from June 29 to July 21. Participants will stay in Poitiers and in Paris while being taught by professors from UNB. Classes will not be held in stuffy classrooms, but in museums, churches, cafés and gardens. Go where the action is, go to Poitiers and Paris! Situated in

the West of France, Poitiers offers all the advantages of a great city in a small area. Its cobbled streets lead to a series of romanesque and gothic churches dating from the Middle Ages. Far from being a city fixed in stone, Poitiers is a University town and seduces made Paris famous: Chanel, Vuitton, DiorS Sarkozy. We can't promise that you will also see his ex-top-model girlfriend Carla Bruni, but we can always hope. With specialists who know Poitiers and Paris, you won't

lose your time and you will experience the trip of a lifetime (if you don't believe us, talk to the students who went last year). Enrolment for the Summer Session in France is limited to twenty-five spots and it is filling up fast. For more information about the course and about how to register, please visit <http:// www.cel.unb.ca/travelstudy/france/ english.php>http://www.cel.unb.ca/ travelstudy/france/english.php Sincerely, Robert Viau and Constantine Passaris

About Us The Brunswickan, in its 141st year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication.

We are an autonomous student newspaper owned and operated by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a nonprofit, independant 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 10,000.

What would you most like to know about a stranger?

How often they masturbate Sarah Alcorn & Reese Travers

Would they like to chat about ethics Trevor Mitten, Matt Lavigne & Speedbump

Red or brown nipples?

Sam Gildiner

Are you a Leafs fan?

Mike Gillis

If they like muddin’ Daniel MacFarlane

Not an f’in thing Evan Patkai

Letters Must be submitted by e-mail including your name, letters with pseudonymns will not be printed. Letters must be 200 words maximum. Deadline for letters is Friday at noon.

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 Editor-in-Chief.

Submitted

A group of UNB students participate in the Travel Study programme in Paris, France

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

Why do I know more about Barrack Obama than I do about Greg Thompson?

Mugwump by Tony von Richter

In last week's Brunswickan Nick Ouellette penned a column spotlighting some of Canada's brightest political figures and something occurred to me: for some reason, I know much more about American politics than those in my own backyard.

Somehow I doubt I'm the only one, since in one of my classes where the majority of the class described ourselves as “not political,” a number of people had an opinion on who would win the upcoming presidential election, with Barrack Obama being the consensus pick.

So how is it that in a group of students who seemingly have no interest in politics, we somehow have an opinion on the election in a foreign country?

Of course, a big reason would be the amount of American media that we have available to us through cable television and the Internet, so we have no choice but to have an opinion since we are bombarded with the issue on a daily basis, but I believe another reason is that the American presidential election is seen as being very important and worthy of attention.

There are a billion reasons why the

American election is seen as important, but the biggest could be a desire for change in the policies and actions in our southern neighbour.

I believe that is the biggest reason that many of us non-political types are aware of the American presidential election since politics don't seem that important when things are going well and everyone is happy, because if things are going well then the politicians must be doing a good job.

While it's great that people are paying attention to the presidential election, it shouldn't take a political figure to have near record low approval ratings to get people interested in the political process, especially the political process here at home.

I'm just as guilty of it as anyone, as I know very little about the politicians that run our province, which is not a position that anyone of voting age should be in.

So here's a call to action, let's have more people our age get interested and involved with the political process in New Brunswick. Now I'm not saying that we should become hard-boiled political analysts over night and begin every day with a discussion on the merits of the Canada Pension Plan, but that we just need to be aware of the issues and the people involved, regardless of whether or not it's election time.

That way, if we are on top of the issues maybe we could force politicians to make some kind of change instead of just waiting for the next election to vote them out of office.

Besides, if we're aware enough to have an opinion on the race between presidential candidates, we should at least know who Greg Thompson is.

COMMENTS & LETTERS got a thought to share?

keep it under 600 words and you’ll be heard.

eic@unb.ca

Comments & Letters

6 â&#x20AC;˘ January 23, 2008 â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 16

Feedback on the iClicker story

The Brunswickan

Internet

This little gagdet is listed at about $34 USD and has been tested around the UNB campus in different faculties Dear Editor; Thank-you for running the article "IClicker misses the mark" (Jan 16, 2008). I can empathize with the author's feeling about pointless gadgetry in classes, but I think he is letting the tacky buttons keep him from seeing the potential benefits.

What we have found from using clickers on campus at UNB is that they make students more invested in the question answers. The act of committing to an answer option by clicking gives students more of a stake in the outcome, whereas otherwise they may just be mentally coasting during class, tuning in and out, and raising their hands when they see others do so.

Also, clickers can make students aware that they are not "getting" certain concepts they might otherwise think they know, and they find this out before losing marks on a test. Clickers help instructors tell whether students "get it" and it's time to move on to another topic, or whether more time or a different approach is needed on the current one.

In addition, the multiple choice format the article author decries doesn't have to mean "low-level," regurgitatewhat-you-memorized questions. You can ask application, analysis and synthesis questions in multiple choice formatit's not the question type, but the way it's used that matters.

Clickers can also be used for thoughtprovoking questions, polling class opinions free from peer pressure or personal embarrassment, small group work, etc.

Most studies on clicker effectiveness show significant improvement in test scores (see a collection of such studies by subject area at: http://www.unbf. ca/cetl/resources/ClickerEffectiveness. html and UNB's clicker site: http:// www.unbf.ca/cetl/resources/ClickersWebSite.html).

Clickers were first used with peer instruction techniques at Harvard by Eric Mazur in Physics, to help students inter-

act meaningfully with key concepts.

We shouldn't use educational technology just because it exists, but rather to solve a problem or confer a benefit. An instructor facing a large class where no one will participate is one problem clickers can help overcome.

Bev Bramble, Instructional Designer UNB Teaching and Learning Services

Send us ur storiez (boo yah)

eic@unb.ca

Arts & Entertainment

bruns.arts@gmail.com • January 23, 2008

Women Fully Clothed are set to unleash their hilarity on Fredericton

It’s a veritable who’s who of Canadian comedy

by Ashley Bursey

They’ve got the seal of approval from the granddaddy of raunchy teenage comedy – Eugene Levy calls them “the five funniest women in Canada” – and for Teresa Pavlinek, that’s just one of the reasons she loves being a part of the all-female comedy show, “Women Fully Clothed”.

“I’m in awe of the people I’m onstage with,” says the comedian, who got her start at “Second City” and, after a slew of Dora-nominated scripts, recently wrote and starred in “The Jane Show” on Global Television. She also co-wrote and starred in her own half-hour TV special, “As I Was Saying”, for The Comedy Network, as well as starred in five seasons of the Gemini nominated History Channel/PBS series, “History Bites”.

Women Fully Clothed is her latest venture; after working in television and film for a while, it was refreshing to get back to live comedy, Pavlinek says.

And the troupe, featuring Kathryn Greenwood, Jayne Eastwood, Debra McGrath, Robin Duke, and Pavlinek is a veritable who’s who of Canadian comedians.

And after a stint touring smaller Ontario cities – “we got a lot of free pierogies in Sudbury, we get that all the time,” Pavlinek laughs – they’ve decided to go national, with a show at the Playhouse in Fredericton on January 31.

“I think people want to laugh, especially if they've had hard times or this life has given them a crappy hand,” she adds.

“I think laughter is definitely the best

Internet

Women Fully Clothed, featuring Kathryn Greenwood, Jayne Eastwood, Debra McGrath, Robin Duke, and Teresa Pavlinek bring their comedy to the Playhouse on January 31. way to put things in perspective. You think, as a comic actor, what do I offer the world? I'm not curing cancer, but it's made me realize that laughter brings a lot to people...we've had people come to the show who have gone through horrible things or have been ill and they say, ‘you have no idea what this brought to me’.”

The show, which, ironically, had a nine-month incubation period from the date of inception, gives the fabulous fivesome a chance to really branch out.

They tackle subjects from preschool to colonial living without the stereotypical feminist man-bashing that seems so de rigueur for female comics these days.

“It's definitely a show for everybody, and men: don't be scared,” she says.

“We're not going to make fun of you. We always joke; we love men! It's definitely not a show about menopause and periods. It's not that show. Although that

can be funny, we're not about that, and we really think it's a show you can enjoy with your girlfriends or your husband or partner or whatever.”

And it’s genuinely relatable: jokes about everyday life run rampant, and the actors draw from their own experiences for most of the material.

“People tell us, “Oh my god, it was like I was watching my life flash before my eyes. We [write about] the relationships we see and the situations. People tell us they were hysterical, to the point where they couldn't breathe. I love that – when people say they were weeping with laughter. How often does that happen? It’s great to unite an audience like that.

“And men relate, too, because they've got women in their lives. Someone said that anyone who's ever encountered a woman before should see that show, and that's basically it.... We hear from men,

‘oh wow, I learned something.’ Because they see [women] from a different perspective; they see it being poked fun at, which is great. We laugh at ourselves in the show; we don't call men and women stupid.”

Feedback for the show has been wonderful, she adds, remembering an experience in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the show received kudos from an A-list of comedic actors.

“Edinburgh was amazing, it was incredible,” Pavlinek says. “A cool story is Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, and Nia Vardalos, [who attended the Scotland show]. We always joke to come see our show, because you'll see famous people – not onstage, but in the audience. And that's been awesome, too. When there are peers you really respect coming to see our show...to hear Tom Hanks say, ‘Wow, it was incredible’.... that’s definitely been our highlight.”

Goodness, gracious, great wheels of fire!

The Final Score by Dan Hagerman

CALL FOR WRITERS

“Stuntman: Ignition” (Xbox 360/PS3) An action film just isn’t an action film without a lot of cool car stunts.

Everything from James Bond films, to anything directed by Michael Bay, to my most anticipated movie of the summer, “The Dark Knight,” have sweet chases and crashes. And, while watching these car scenes, haven’t you ever said to yourself, “Boy, they sure make that look easy!

I bet I could do that!” or, “The only way I’d feel safe doing that is if it was in a videogame!” Well, either way, you happen to be in luck with “Stuntman: Ignition.”

Stuntman: Ignition, as the title would suggest, puts you in the role of a stunt driver working their way from smallbudget films and commercials up to summer blockbusters. Inside this game you’ll find explosions, gratuitous slow motion, and enough heart-pounding action to keep you on the edge of your seat for hours. Well, if you think you can put up with your distressingly demanding directors, that is.

Graphics: From the opening movie all the way up to the closing credits, it’s pretty clear

Internet

Columnist Dan Hagerman has a good time playing Stuntman: Ignition that the creators of this game had their eyes on the best of the best of action movies. The cars all look incredibly slick and even the camera angles from your completed scenes look like they’re straight out of a movie. From start to finish, your car will get dinged up from all that you’ll be putting it through, too. The environments that you’re in also show a lot of detail, which is good because some stages will have you repeat sections as a different character.

Gameplay: This is the one part of the game you're either going to love or hate. In order to perform stunts, you’re going to have to listen to your stunt coordinator, who sounds the same no matter which movie you’re in. Your goal is to follow the instructions, which are made clear by yellow graphics on the screen showing you what to do and where to do it, within an allotted time period. You’re allowed to mess up five stunts altogether in a run before you have to start over.

Five stunts sounds like a lot, but there

are some scenes that allow you to do up to 100 stunts in the course of a couple of minutes. Not only that, but if you want to unlock all of the cars for freeplay modes, you’ll have to get a significantly high score, and the only way to do this is to continue doing stunts without being interrupted, which can get really hard if you haven’t memorized a level.

But, to the game's credit, when you finish your run, and if you’ve done everything reasonably right, you’ll be treated to a theatrical-quality scene of your work. Because the runs are the same no matter what, the game’s developers were able to make every scene look good no matter what. When you finish all of the scenes for a given movie, you’ll be given a movie trailer, which has some of your best stunts spliced right into the video! The effect of having your “work” show up in a trailer is quite fantastic, and something that kept me quite excited throughout the game.

But what happens when you finish your movies? Think it ends there? Did

I also mention that you can race and stunt online against other people? Or even create your own stunt areas using stunt objects? Because you totally can. It adds to the value of the game, and offers a little bit more competition once you think that you’re the Sultan of Stunting.

Sound: Considering the entire game is about pyrotechnic explosions and car engines, the sounds are all unique and very powerful. The music tracks in each level sound appropriate to the type of movie that you’re in (banjo music for the Dukes of Hazzard rip-off, epic score for the Batman rip-off, etc.), and each director has their own individual character that comes across, giving a little bit of a humourous edge to everything.

The Final Score: This isn’t a game for everyone. The sheer difficulty and repetitive nature of re-doing your scenes often will turn some people away. But I’m a perfectionist, and re-doing things until they’re perfect is right up my alley, and is especially gratifying considering the finished product. The graphics may not be 100% perfect, but when you’re driving really fast and trying to hit specific markers, it becomes less of an issue.

In many ways, this game is a lot better than the first Stuntman game due to the increased power and storage of the Xbox 360 and PS3, but the big driving force behind the game (pun most definitely intended) is doing stunts and looking cool while doing them, and the game achieves that without a doubt.

Plus, this game gets bonus points just for having a movie inspired by the new Batman film.

7 out of 10 burning tires.

So here’s the deal.

After a weekend at the Canadian University Press conference, taking seminars about heteronormative reporting, Jack Layton’s stance on marijuana possession, the indie album phenomenon, copyright laws, and open source (I’m looking at you, Doug Estey) and the journalista syndrome, as well as hearing from the nation’s entire hipster population (please, please, please, I’m so sick of pashminas and ankle boots), I’ve realized that I could write a kick-ass column full of fascinating things I learned – or, I could do something a little bit better.

I could ask you guys what you want to learn.

That’s right. We’ve got a small staff at The Brunswickan, so I’m going to be honest with you. I try to cover stuff happening around town and on campus.

I’m not funny, so I try to bring in writers who tickle a funny bone or two. I want to focus as much on popular culture, the fine arts, music, books, television, movies, and technological entertainment as I can. With some newspapers across the country going so far as to appoint a ‘Culture’ editor, or separate “Arts” and “Entertainment” into two distinct entities, I realize that there may be something severely lacking in my own coverage of the stuff you read.

So I have a plan: Write to me. Tell me what you love and what you absolutely despise. Tell me what I should cover, what you’d read about, what would get you riled up. Tell me if you’d like to write for me. Direct me to that killer book you read, the phenomenal movie you saw, the jaw-dropping art exhibition, the amazing band, or the terrible webcomic that’s just so bad, it’s good (can we say Powerthirst?)

Come visit me at the Bruns office in the SUB or drop me a line at bruns.arts@gmail.com. We’ve got a full semester left and we want to make the Bruns as kick-ass as we can. Oh, and Jack Layton? Let’s just say he’s very grassroots.

As for the show itself, a range of experiences light up the stage, including a Heritage-Minute-type skit with a lot more kick.

“I love them all, but I’d have to say the funniest one to do is a sketch that Kathy [Greenwood] and I do that she wrote called Sisters of the Wilderness.”

It’s about Susanna Moody and colonial pioneers settling in Canada. It’s a historical piece, but with the characteristic glee that made the group famous.

“Basically, Kathy read the book about their life and their struggles and she was like, how did these women do it? We complain about, ‘oh, I didn't get my latte this morning’...and these women were, like, cutting down trees and clearing land and having babies and writing books.

“So [Kathy] wrote this hilarious scene about these two women and how they do everything and still something's miss-

ing. It’s basically a mirror about what we do today, trying to have it all, [to be] the mom and the partner and the career person, all of those things. Men and women really relate to it, because it poked fun at the fact that [our lives] really aren’t that bad. Our lives are okay, actually.”

She laughs, adding, “That's my favorite to perform because we get to have funny accents and run around the stage in bonnets.”

And the sorority syndrome? Pavlinek says it’s pretty much nonexistent; great actors and great friends, the five women constantly feed off each others’ energy.

“I want to make stuff up [about our life on the road], like, ‘Oh, we're desperate housewives,’ but it's been amazing,” she says. “The thing that we love is that it's such a giving mentality, it really is.

To a fault, almost. We can sometimes be too polite, and then it's like, no really, someone make a stand here. We're five very strong personalities, as well. You're not going to get comic actresses together without butting heads.

“But we love traveling. We have such a fun time traveling together. It's such a fun thing for us to be able to leave that behind and have this really fun, rock and roll-esque show. We're not doing the blow and the heroin, but we get this chance to kind of be away and enjoy each other's company and play these phenomenal shows...we really revel in that, as opposed to [saying], ‘I want the biggest dressing room.’”

And now, performing out East for the first time, Pavlinek has high hopes for the show.

“We're friends with [comedian] Ron James who tours a lot through Canada and talks about the different areas. He does so well out East...he's said to us, ‘I'm sure you will.’ [But] you never know, right? You do a show somewhere and think it's universal but different towns are different, just the mentality, and stuff they're looking for and things like that.

She pauses. “But comedy's comedy.

You hope that it's universal enough that if people are out to enjoy themselves, they’ll have a good time.”

Neill House presents

the Annual Coffee House and Silent Auction Local Talent for a Great Cause Neill House’s Annual Coffee House is a major fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society and features many young talented people from the residence community at UNB as well as local acts. Look forward to musicians, poets, actors and comedy as this year’s show draws close again. For information on the show or on how to donate call 457-3191.

What: Coffee House and Silent Auction When: Friday, January 25, 2008 Where: SUB Ballroom, UNB Cost: $5.00 Time: Doors open at 6 pm

Auction closes after the intermission Other: In support of the Canadian Cancer Society

Arts & Entertainment

8 • January 23, 2008 • Issue 16

A student’s guide to the art of recycling gifts

by Melanie Bell

So Aunt Myrtle has sent you another hand-knitted sweater that could only flatter your German Shepherd. A pile of loofahs has accumulated on your dresser.

And what in heaven’s sweet name can you do with that leftover fruitcake?

Friends, don’t despair! It’s out with the old and in with the new. With the recent shift of global consciousness towards the state of the environment, even the sanctity of Christmas gifts, possibly among our world’s few remaining havens of unscathed wrapper-glorying revelry, is under attack. And you can lead the assault. May the force be with you.

First target: Wrappings and trappings.

Tinsel, bows, ribbons, the blissful crinkling of paper bedecked with mutant moose—er, reindeer. Chances are, you’ve thrown out the majority of these remainders. If you’re one of those thrifty souls who saved some of the above, on the off chance that you might find a use for it sometime, or if you want a head start for next Christmas, then you’re lucky: such things have a myriad of uses.

Tubes of wrapping paper, artfully taped together, make an adorable skirt-overjeans for the next costume party. Match with a leftover bow in your hair.

For men, it can be fashioned into a Tarzan-style off-the-shoulder sarong— or even a loincloth. Bonus points to whoever can stick a candy cane into a stranger’s ponytail without being noticed. The photo ops provided by this tactic are impressive.

If the snow outside is the wrong kind for packing, wrapping paper makes for one awesome snowball fight. Just crumple up a ball and launch it at an unsuspecting relative when their head is turned. It won’t take them long to catch on. Cats love this, too.

What’s more, wrapping paper is the season’s best stress reliever. Gather your pile together in the quiet of your room and jump on it! Stomp it! Scrunch it!

All the while, shout “I’m so glad the holidays are over!!!” If the magnitude of stress impairs your ability for such civilized response, try “Aaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!”

If the stress level is still high, the occasion calls for ripping. Tear those vile Christmas beasts to shreds! Once they have been mutilated to your satisfaction, arrange the scraps in patterns on large paper bags for next year’s Christmas wrapping paper. You will be sure to be praised for your efforts, possibly even meriting an extra cookie.

Monday Night Movie Series In the Valley of Elah “In the Valley of Elah,” a special presentation at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, marks director Paul Haggis' triumphant return to the Festival, following the extraordinary success of his first feature film, the Academy Award-winning “Crash.”

His astute observations regarding the wrenching social tensions that mark contemporary America and his belief in our shared humanity have once again been employed to create courageous, powerful cinema.

This time Haggis turns his attention to one of the most explosive issues in the news today: the effects of the Iraq war on returning veterans and their families.

It is an enthralling story based on actual events surrounding the disappearance of a young American soldier who was stationed in that war torn nation.

When model soldier Mike Deerfield (Jonathan Tucker, “Six Feet Under,” “Hostage”) mysteriously goes AWOL after returning to his hometown in New Mexico at the end of a tour on the front lines in Iraq, his career officer father, Hank (Tommy Lee Jones, “A Prairie Home Companion,” “No Country for Old Men”), and his mother, Joan

(Susan Sarandon, “Elizabethtown,” “Emotional Arithmetic”), begin a search to find him. Hank enlists the aid of police detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron, “Monster,” “North Country”) in the hunt.

The harrowing investigation drops a bomb on the family. Mike has been murdered. Hank becomes even more consumed with the case, desperate to find out what really happened to his son after he went out on the town with the members of his former platoon. When puzzling details are revealed about the shell-shocked young soldier's last night alive, they offer no solace, and leave an indelible mark on the family and friends who knew him. Named for the storied location of the Biblical battle between David and Goliath, In the Valley of Elah resonates with the hopes and fears of a generation that feels itself caught in a fight it cannot possibly win. Boasting a stellar cast, this is a moving and eloquent commentary on the sociological and psychological effects of war, a deft portrait of our times crafted by one of the most provocative filmmakers in America today.

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With Christmas over and a few extra gifts you just don’t need, sometimes regifting is the obvious choice As a bonus, ribbons make superb nooses for those obnoxious holiday teddy bears. Suspend one from your ceiling as a statement of your prowess in taking casualties.

Second target: The gifts themselves.

As a preliminary tactic, gather a bunch of friends together and have a trade-off.

That holiday tie not your thing? Maybe your best friend is a fan of skiing snowmen. To spread the cheer out all year long, start a borrowing club and gather

monthly to exchange possessions until the excitement wears off. It could be like Christmas all over again, only this time, you’d get to see the presents without having to infiltrate the closet.

If the tie still didn’t fly, your next approach is the longstanding holiday tradition known as re-gifting. When done correctly, few acquaintances will suspect that their new treasures come secondhand. The surest bet is to wait until the next holiday season, to ensure

sufficient lapse of memory.

Be sure not to package gifts in the same bags that accompanied their delivery, a technique which has a high success rate for triggering relatives’ memories. To avoid this undesirable side effect, experts recommend using the same gift bag for an unrelated person during an unrelated event. If such an occasion does not arise (you do not, after all, want to give your beloved their Valentine token wrapped in a Grinch

bag), store previously received gift bags in a private file with tags marked by the following model: “Exhibit 1.2: 5x10”, Santa pattern. December 25, 2007.

Aunt Martha.” Such a labeling system ensures meticulousness of records for quick decision-making. If Aunt Martha is on your dad’s side of the family, give another gift in that same bag to Uncle Bob on your mom’s.

If the item is singularly purposeless, it may still be appropriate for re-gifting.

This is where creativity comes in. Transform that extra loofah into a cushiony iPod holder. Carve a slit in that coaster and superglue it to a mug to make a piggy bank. Heck, you might like some of these new gifts so much that you’ll decide to keep them. If this mission fails, you have one consolation: at least they’re unique.

Don’t forget pets! If the aforementioned sweater really would look better on your German Shepherd, why postpone the inevitable? Those cozy sleeves, once chopped off, can be converted into a lovely quartet of canine leg warmers.

Just don’t blame me if Fido decides that he prefers them as chew toys. At least they’re appreciated.

Note: it is not advisable to try this technique with fruitcake. This favourite family relic can instead be employed as a bookend or a large and fragrant paperweight. If all else fails, it makes an excellent doorstop.

Ultra sounds are just what the doctor prescribed A musical fundraiser for the Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Centre aims to raise $10,000 for a therapeutic park

by Mitchell Bernard

When Dr. Jennifer Russell’s brother suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident at 17, the Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Centre was a key player in turning his life around.

And since then, the Centre has had a special place in her heart – so much, in fact, that when she was approached to join the Centre’s fundraising team, she jumped at the chance.

“Well, I work out at the base [Gagetown]. One of my colleagues had said that the Stan Cassidy Centre was looking for people to join their fundraising team, so I was looking to do some fundraising. I decided to join

them,” she said.

“I have a personal connection because my brother is a former patient [from] there way back when it was the Forest Hills Rehabilitation Centre. It is almost all of the same stuff when he was there. He had been in a car accident when he was 17 and had a spinal cord injury and became a quadriplegic.”

Russell mentioned that the rehab centre helped her brother so much that she wanted to raise awareness for the Centre. Being a musician, she could see no better way to help out her community.

And on January 27, other doctors from across the province will be turning off their pagers and picking up their instruments to support the Centre for Rehabilitation with “Ultra Sounds”, a musical fundraiser at the Playhouse.

The evening will begin with the “Dream Again Art” silent auction, along with a wine and cheese social at 6pm. The auction includes many pieces donated by local artists. The musical portion of the evening will kick off at 7:30.

A full list of performers has already

been set, most of which are doctors from Fredericton and Saint John. A number of local musicians have been added to round up the bill.

Russell is excited for the first of what she hopes to be an annual event, as well as a member of The Cottagers, a Celtic group from Bathurst.

“The money is going to go towards the therapeutic park that they are building. This is something that would help [the centre]. We all know the world is not flat so when people come out of Stan Cassidy in wheelchairs they are not going on to a flat surface and going up curbs and ramps and rough terrain like in a church parking lot. They can’t always be on complete flat surfaces.

“The therapeutic park will give them that experience and training and also give confidence that they can go out and on to these surfaces. And there’s also going to be flower gardens.

It’s designed by a local architect by the name of Dan Glenn.”

“There is no other place that can offer those facilities or those types of services to pediatric patients,” noted Russell.

The therapeutic park is the only pe-

diatric facility in all of the Maritimes.

Any children from Nova Scotia, PEI, or New Brunswick who have serious injuries may receive therapy at the facility.

Dermatologist Dr. Doug Keeling and neurologist Dr. Greg MacLean will be performing. Both are members of a Saint John rock band and are ready to deliver.

Other local physicians who will be performing include Alan Patrick, John Keddy, Laura-Lee McKay, Steve Marrisette, David Addleman, and Gordon Plummer.

Rounding off the bill is Daryl Grant, formerly of the Frederictonbased Modabo, UNB professor Stephen Peacock, local singer/songwriter Sheldon Gordon, and other great local talent.

Brian MacKinnon, a family physician at the Nashwaaksis Medical Clinic, will be the master of ceremonies for the evening.

If all goes well, Russell said they hope to raise $10,000 for the therapeutic park. For more information, contact The Fredericton Playhouse at (506) 458-8344.

Imported to the Cellar

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The Imports bring their special brand of tunes to the Cellar on January 25

from Imports page 1 Canada, “all of our parents moved here from different places, one from India and the Middle East, two from the Philippines, one from Ireland, and one from Poland. We all came here when we were young.”

With their backgrounds as diverse as their musical tastes, ranging from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Incubus to the Beatles to John Mayer, The Imports’ tunes are a fusion of everything on their iPods, a mélange of influences that Monteath thinks the East Coast, in particular, will definitely approve of.

“From what we’ve heard in the past from other bands, the East Coast is definitely the type of music we make,” he says. “People are very into hearing something different. From my understanding, the East Coast really loves originality and we’re really excited to be going out there.”

The interest in generating fresh, innovative music comes from a childhood of checking out shows in Toronto, a hotbed for some pretty damn good – and pretty bad – bands straddling the musical spectrum.

“When I was growing up, there weren’t a lot of progressive rock bands,

but we were trying to look for a lot of different bands,” he says. “You had to make sure the band you were watching was worth seeing, especially when you’re young and you don’t have much money.

“Ill Scarlet were pretty much one of the bands we started to see growing up... now they’re a little bit bigger. It was just interesting because they sort of blew up in a year’s time. Honestly, there are a lot of bands that people haven’t heard of that they should check out. There’s so much going on, in Canada, in general.

But just playing around the greater Toronto area and stuff and seeing so many great bands, I can only imagine how many we’re missing out on.”

As a kid, music was one of Monteath’s great loves – that, and a great chicken parmigiana. Wanting to become a chef as a kid, Monteath works in a bar and grill and acts as one of the on-tour cooks for the band.

“We bring along a George Foreman grill and cook as much as we can, but that was back when it wasn’t snowing as much,” he says. “We definitely take turns cooking…one time we made a creamy alfredo pasta. It was pretty good for a band on tour, I guess.”

Check out The Imports at the Cellar on January 25.

January 23 • 2008

The Brunswickan • 9

Classifieds

Classifieds are a FREE service for members of the university community. Please try to limit submissions to 35 words or less. Your name, student number, and phone number are required at submission, but will not be published. We can accept them at Room 35, SUB, 453-5073 (Fax), or e-mail: bruns-ad@unb.ca. Please do not submit by phone. We reserve the right to edit or refuse publication. All classifieds are subject to available space. For display advertising contact Bill at 447-3388. Classified deadline is Monday at noon.

WANTED

Looking for part-time caretaker for 1 year-old Thursdays and Fridays. References requested. 474-0421 FOR SALE Boys Columbia one piece snowsuit for sale, size 7/8, is navy in color with red/green on the shoulders. Paid $130 and asking $50. Worn only once, excellent condition. Moffatt Platinum washer and dryer for sale.

Approx 12 years old and is in good working condition. $75 each. Call 454-4411.

Double bed, box spring and mattress, metal frame $99. Three seater sofa and chair, wooden frame $90. Computer chair, black with armrest, arms swivel, on casters $45. Wooden student desk, two drawers on either side $50. Four drawer metal filing cabinet $45. Black and brass coffee table with glass top $35. Four ft toboggan $25. Childs wooded sleigh for hauling child $25.

Please phone 455-6450.

Four foot wooden toboggan; $20 child’s sleigh (wooden)$20. Six drawer dresser with large mirror (wood) $65. Small round kitchen table and two chairs (not wood) ideal for small apt $45. Computer chair black swivel with arms and back rest, different elevations $45. Small wooden desk with world atlas on surface (drawers on either side $50). Please call 455-6450 and leave message.

ACCOMMODATIONS A nice spacious four bedroom apartment on Graham Avenue available for rent. Three minutes to campus.

Laundry, parking, and air exchanger.

One year lease. Please call 459-5465.

Rare vacancy in open concept one bedroom apt available immediately.

Separate entrance, parking and own laundry. Freshly painted in a very quiet neighborhood. Will only rent to mature quiet adult. No smoking or pets. $575 heat and lights included Call 455 – 0289.

A five bedroom house available for rent. Very close to campus. Laundry and parking available. One year lease from September 1st, 2008. Please call 459-5465.

Room for rent in private house, furnished, heat and lights included, internet, parking, TV, frig, apt size frig, microwave, toaster, privacy, telephone jack, two bathrooms, non smokers.

Rent $350 monthly. International students welcome. Phone 455-6450.

Room to rent: Intersession and summer session – May to August – serious, mature students only— furnished bedroom, separate kitchen, bath, laundry and entrance. Utilities included. Cable and Internet available. Five minute walk to UNB. Five rooms available on Kitchen St. $90 per week. Phone 455-1979 or 451-2979.

Spacious four bedroom apartment on Graham Avenue for rent. Three minutes to campus. Laundry, parking, air exchanger. Available May 1. One year lease. Please call 459-5465.

dent wanted. $275 per month. Call 459-0002.

Rooms to rent: Now taking deposits for rooms for the college year 2008-2009 commencing Sept. 1/08 and ending April 30/09 – serious, mature male students only— furnished bedroom, separate kitchen, bath, laundry and entrance. Utilities included. Cable and internet available. Five minute walk to UNB. Five rooms available on Kitchen St. Phone 455-1979 or 451-2979.

Three bedroom apartment on Albert street just minutes from UNB/STU. $1200 per month. Heat, lights, wireless internet, fridge, stove, washer and dryer included. Parking for one vehicle. Please call 470-5422.

Room for rent: Graduating student leaving in December/07. Furnished room available January 1/08 in private supervised home on Kitchen St. All utilities included. Share bath and kitchen with one other student.

Five minute walk to campus. Call 455-1979 or 451-2979.

PSAs Snowarama 2008 & Guinness World Record Attempt. Come out and help us set a Guiness World Record® of more than 820 snowmobiles traveling in a single line! Remember, bring a friend with a snowmobile. Easter Seals NB and the New Brunswick Federation of Snowmobile Club’s are inviting all NB Snowmobile enthusiasts on Saturday Feb 16th to Mactaquac Provincial Park. A carnival of winter fun for the whole family awaits: cross country skiing, skating, snowshoeing, sliding, sleigh rides all free of charge.

All proceeds raised stays in NB and helps open doors for children with disabilities. For more information, please call ESNB (506) 458-8739.

Fredericton Transition House will be hosting a performance of The Vagina Monologues on February 1 and 2, 2008, 8:00 p.m. each night, at the Fredericton Playhouse. Tickets are $30 each and available at the Play-

house box office. All proceeds will be in support of Women In Transition House, Inc. A Special Evening with David Adams Richards. The Lorenzo Reading Series and Doubleday Canada proudly present mutli- award-winning author David Adams Richards reading from his brand new novel, “The Lost Highway”, on Friday, February 1 at 7 pm, Ganong Hall Lecture Theatre, UNB Saint John.

Will Ferrell movie night double feature: Anchorman and Talladega Nights $5.00 for both films Friday, January 25 at 7:00 p.m. Join us in Tilley Hall, Room 102 for a night of laughs! Popcorn and beverages may be purchased.

UNB/STU Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge thanks you for your continued support.

TANNING SPECIALS

3 LOCATIONS

2 FREE TANS

530 Queen St. 458-9771 1113 Regent St. 454-8267 154 Main St. 472-5048

20% OFF 02/15/08

Available immediately. Furnished room with heat, lights, laundry, parking and kitchen and bathroom privileges. On bus route. Centrally locates. Quiet home. No smoking. Call 454-4550.

Room for rent. Small bedroom.

Shared kitchen, bath and laundry with two others. Completely furnished. Near universities. Mature stu-

Main Street Bowl-A-Drome 301 Main Street 472-2361

1 FREE GAME

• Shoe Rental Included • Birthday Parties a Speciality • Restaurant – Licensed Lounge • Air Conditioned • Student Rates

Student I.D. Required.

Valid Until April 15/2008

Limit 1 per person per day. During public bowling times.

Cannot be combined with other offers. Not valid with group booking. No cash value

Sports

brunswickansports@gmail.com • January 23, 2008

NCAA opens membership to Canadian schools

by Hunter Gavin

In a landmark decision, NCAA Division II paved the way for Canadian institutions to seek active Division II membership when they approved a 10-year pilot program at the 2008 NCAA Convention in Nashville, on January 14, with the council voting over 97% in favor of the program.

The program takes effect immediately and Canadian schools may apply for membership as soon as June 1, 2008.

Schools that meet the June 1 application deadline could start the process of joining Division II as soon as the 2008-2009 academic year.

Several schools in Canada have expressed interest in membership, including Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, and Ontario’s St. Claire College.

Schools must apply for membership

by June 1.

Any school looking to make the move would have to deal with substantial changes in recruiting of athletes, with the major difference between membership in the CIS and the NCAA being the way athletic scholarships are awarded. In the NCAA, a Canadian university would be able to award a full scholarship, while in the CIS first-year students are able to receive a maximum of having tuition covered – but only if their academic

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After a landslide vote, it is only a matter of time before Canadian schools join NCAA Divison II competition, and their athletes are represented in the NCAA Hall of Fame averages are high enough.

There would also be eligibility issues with hockey teams, as any player with past major junior experience would be ineligible to play in the NCAA. Many former Canadian Hockey League players now suit up for their Canadian schools.

There is a provision in Division II that allows a school to have a maximum of one men’s and one women’s team participate in Division I athletics. This is particularly appealing to Canadian schools with strong hockey programs, as there is no Division II hockey pro-

gram.

Faced with the possibility of schools leaving the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks, CIS officials responded to the NCAA’s decision to allow universities from outside the United States to seek active Division II membership.

According to the CIS, the feedback from Canadian universities suggests that a very small number of universities might pursue the NCAA option. CIS membership has grown in recent years and indications are it will continue to do so, so the potential loss of one or two members is offset by recent expansion.

CIS has also announced that it will conduct a membership satisfaction survey to identify issues that require attention, and plans to confront issues and to build on the strengths of being a Canadian league that celebrates and supports academics and athletics.

CIS officials announced intentions to hold discussions with Canadian universities considering joining the NCAA, in large part to express that CIS values all its members and would prefer that none migrate south of the border. They also pointed out that if a Canadian university chooses to apply and is accepted

as a NCAA member, there would be a lot of issues to resolve as the process plays out.

One alternative proposal to schools completely severing ties with the CIS is to allow CIS member schools to compete in the NCAA. A decision on this proposal will be reached by the CIS membership in June 2008. However, the philosophical position taken by the CIS Board of Directors that will be advanced to the CIS membership for their discussion and decision recommends against a joint CIS-NCAA membership scenario – meaning this proposal will likely die on the table. ”This can be considered a defining moment for CIS,” the organization announced in a press release in response to the NCAA decision. “At the end of the day the CIS membership is an expression of who we are and what we value.

As CIS goes forward, the CIS Board of Directors wants the CIS membership to be composed of universities who are fully committed to a Canadian league and proud of the Canadian roots and keeping it in Canada. The Canadian identity and the Canadian model are important and integral values of who we are.”

“Our niche is a Canadian organization with a Canadian identity and a commitment to quality education and athletics. We are proud of our Canadian identity, and our Canadian commitment to quality education and athletics.”

While no schools have yet applied to join the NCAA, all applications are due

by June 1. Some suggest that UBC will apply to join competition in fall 2008, while other interested school may gauge their interest based on the success of UBC.

CIS Women’s Volleyball Championship honourary chair named

by Hunter Gavin

At a special reception held last Friday in Fredericton, the University of New Brunswick, host of the 2008 and 2009 CIS Women’s Volleyball Championships, announced that Monica Hitchcock will serve as Honourary Chair of the 2008 event.

“We are very proud to be able to recognize Monica as the Honourary Chair of this year's championship,” said Kevin Dickie, UNB’s Athletic Director.

“Monica is a terrific ambassador for the

Brian Munn / The Brunswickan

UNB is preparing to host two consecutive CIS volleyball championships sport of volleyball and the Province of New Brunswick; she is also a great role model for young women.”

Hitchcock is a UNB alumnus, having competed for the UNB volleyball team in 1976-1977. She also started playing

for the Junior National Team in 1976.

She was a member of the Canadian National Senior Women's Team from 1977 to 1985. During that time, Hitchcock competed in the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico and the 1983 Pan

Amazing dance workouts Dance classes at UNB provide unique opportunities for all dancers, from newcomers to the most experienced.

by Naomi Osborne

UNB is once again offering its renowned dance classes to students and the public.

The dance classes are in their first sessions as second semester takes off.

Students can bust a move with hip hop, get down with urban/break dancing, rock out with rock ‘n’ roll dance, get up to date with modern dance or learn how to shake what their mamma gave them with Latin dancing lessons. They also offer a children’s creative dance class, as well.

Whatever the style, UNB provides it. The fitness and wellness coordinator from the Campus Recreation Centre, Dawn Dunfield-Whitters, says these classes provide a perfect opportunity for those who are not accustomed to regular gym exercise.

“Some people are not comfortable in gyms or have physical limitations that prevent them from participating in sports,” said Dunfield-Whitters. “Dance offers a chance to improve fitness levels in an atmosphere that is relaxed, fun, and non-competitive.”

The cost of each class varies, from $45 to $100. The pricing depends on the type of class and its duration. All students and campus recreation members

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Dance program costs at UNB are discounted for students and staff get a discounted rate.

The great thing about these classes is that they are not only limited to UNB and STU students, faculty, and staff but they are also open to the general public.

These dance classes give people the opportunity to meet others and experience new things. It can also be the perfect break to a busy day by dancing your stress away.

“In addition to physical activity, they are a great way to meet new people or connect with people you may not see regularly,” said Dunfield-Whitters.

“We have many people who come to the dance classes as a fun night out either with friends or a spouse/family member.”

These classes have been offered at UNB for years, and over time they have grown in both the number of people attending and the types of classes offered.

“We make an effort to keep up with the current trends, and the popularity

of reality dance competitions television shows which have bolstered the popularity of dance classes,” said DunfieldWhitters.

The good thing about these classes is that you don’t even need to have a partner to join, so anyone is able to sign up.

All of the instructors have years of experience and come referred to the Campus Recreation Center. They also encourage anyone who has any experience teaching any style of dance at all to contact them.

“Variety is the key to keeping people interested and motivated and we are always open to new ideas,” said DunfieldWhitters.

The types of classes offered depend on how many instructors they have and what styles of dancing they teach. In the past, UNB has been able to offer various styles of dancing such as belly dancing.

Some of the instructors are students, but most have full-time jobs and teach dancing on the side. Most of them have grown up dancing and just want to share their passion for dance said DunfieldWhitters.

All of the dance programs are beneficial in a variety of different ways. They offer a wide range of dance styles, and the first class is free for people who want to try out several different types before paying for the whole program. This way it is easier for people to know what they are paying for so that they are not disappointed.

These classes are a fun and new way to get a fantastic workout without even going to the gym.

Said Dunfield-Whitters, “often you are getting a fantastic workout without even realizing that you’re exercising!”

American Games in Caracas, Venezuela.

She also competed in the World Championships in Leningrad in 1978 and a tour of the Orient to Japan, China and Korea in 1979.

In addition, she competed in three World Student Games in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1977, Bucharest, Romania, in 1981 and in Edmonton in 1983. In 1984, Hitchcock was selected as the captain of the Canadian team that competed in the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

“I am extremely honoured and very proud to be the Honourary Chair of the 2008 CIS Women’s Volleyball Championships and I really look forward to watching the top volleyball players in the country as this event is a stepping stone for future National Team athletes,” commented Hitchcock.

The 2008 CIS Women’s Volleyball Championship will be the fourth

championship that the University of New Brunswick has hosted in six years.

“UNB will be showcasing its strength in hosting a national championship and I know the Varsity Reds team is preparing to meet the powerhouse teams of the country,” continued Hitchcock.

Following her retirement from the National Team in 1985, Hitchcock returned to Saint John where she continues to contribute to volleyball in New Brunswick. In September she was recognized by Volleyball New Brunswick as she was inducted into Hall of Fame.

“What a great opportunity for our provincial grass root volleyball athletes to witness this very high level of competition, right here at home,” commented Hitchcock. “The volleyball community of NB is very fortunate to have this event for two consecutive years. What a bonus!”

V-Red women drop key points at home

V-Reds Results

Friday, January 18th Men’s Hockey St. FX – 2 UNB – 7 Men’s Volleyball Laval - 3 UNB - 0 Women’s Volleyball U de M - 1 UNB -3 Saturday, January 19th Men’s Volleyball Sherbrooke – 2 UNB – 3

Women’s Hockey UNB – 1 St. FX – 3

Women’s Basketball SMU – 59 UNB – 66

Men’s Volleyball UNB – 3 Montreal – 2

Men’s Hockey UNB – 4 SMU – 1

Men’s Basketball SMU – 90 UNB – 60 Sunday, January 20th Men’s Volleyball UNB – 3 McGill – 0

Women’s Hockey UNB – 2 Dal – 3

Upcominig V-Reds Events Wednesday, January 23rd Men’s Hockey STU @ UNB 7:00pm @ AUC Friday, January 25th Women’s Volleyball UNB @ MUN Men’s Volleyball UNB @ MUN Men’s Hockey UNB @ STU 7:00pm @ LBR Saturday, January 26th Women’s Volleyball UNB @ MUN Men’s Volleyball UNB @ MUN Women’s Basketball UNB @ MUN Men’s Basketball UNB @ MUN Women’s Hockey UNB @ UPEI Sunday, January 27th Women’s Basketball UNB @ MUN Men’s Basketball UNB @ MUN

Athletes of the Week

Brian Munn / The Brunswickan

Sarah Belmore and Terri Ryerson had a great weekend for the Varsity Reds women’s hockey team, but they were about the only bright spots for the Reds. UNB dropped two important games on home ice, losing 3-1 to St. Francis Xavier on Saturday afternoon and dropping a tough 3-2 loss to the Dalhousie Tigers on Sunday. Terri Ryerson looked impressive for UNB on Saturday, turning aside 37 shots to keep the Reds in the game. Belmore’s goal in the third cut St. FX’s lead in half, but an insurance marker by St. FX with just two minutes left ended the Reds comeback bid. The V-Reds were outshot again on Sunday, and relied on Ryerson’s timely saves to keep the game close into the third. Ryerson made 30 saves and Belmore notched two goals in the loss, which dropped UNB three points behind Dalhousie in the standings. At 3-10-1, UNB now sits sixth in the Atlantic Conference with 7 points. The team is in action next Saturday at UPEI, who sit one spot back of UNB with 4 points.

Tyler Veenhuis Men’s Volleyball

Angela Aydon

Women’s Basketball

Sports

Issue 16 • January 23, 2008 • 11

Western schools abandoning CIS could be a big mistake

View From the Sidelines by Tony von Richter

This past week the latest hurdle blocking the admission of Canadian schools to the United States' National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) was cleared when the NCAA approved a ten-year program that would allow a limited number of teams from outside the United States to join the Association.

So far, such prominent institutions such as the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Alberta have announced their interest in joining the NCAA, with UBC and Simon Fraser potentially becoming members as early as the fall of 2008.

If their applications are accepted, the schools would play in Division II, home to smaller schools such as Southern Connecticut State University and Arkansas Tech University – all great institutions I'm sure, but not exactly the most publicized members of the athletic world.

While a Canadian school joining the NCAA would make for an exciting headline, that's all it would be as I think UBC, SFU, and U of A would be making a huge mistake by leaving the CIS for Division II athletics.

First off, outside of the initial excitement and attention that joining the NCAA would bring, the teams would probably receive just as much or less media coverage than they do now since the vast majority of coverage of college sports in the United States is focused on Division I play. And even then, outside of football and basketball, most sports only see sporadic coverage, usually around their year-end tournaments.

In addition to a potential loss of media coverage, particularly in the rest

of Canada, the costs of competing with American schools would be huge, particularly because of scholarships.

Unlike the CIS where athletic scholarships are tied to a specific grade point average, NCAA schools can give dozens of full athletic scholarships which helps them to recruit the best talent possible, including hundreds of Canadian athletes who head south due to the financial incentive.

This loss of talent is a prime reason that UBC and the rest want to join the NCAA. They want to be able to offer Canadian athletes the same advantages as their American counterparts.

One of the criticisms often levied at the NCAA though, is that due in large part to their scholarship system, their student-athletes are athletes first, students second, and that athletics always take precedence over academics.

This isn't the case in the CIS, and especially not here at UNB, where we had 51 Academic All-Canadians last year. That's roughly 25% of all our student-athletes having a GPA of over 3.7 while attending full-time classes and playing a varsity sport. Compare that to many of the top sports programs at NCAA schools, where graduation rates are always a concern.

Now, that's not to say that there aren't great programs and student-athletes in the US that place equal emphasis on academics and athletics, but why go to a league where some programs may be focused on developing true studentathletes with a focus on their education while others would just be concerned with fielding the best team possible and letting academics fall by the wayside?

Since they've been pursuing it for years, I’m sure UBC and Simon Fraser will be playing in Division II this fall, while Alberta will wait and see if the transition is a successful one and then make their decision about which organization to support.

While there are some positives to switching to the NCAA (it'd be great if CIS scholarships were on par with NCAA scholarships, as long as the CIS academic standards were maintained) in the long run it will have a drastic effect on the schools and their athletic programs – and probably not for the better.

Dirty undies and other superstitions

by Brad Conley an opinion

My roommate claims to have worn the same underwear for over a week, just because he said that if he changed them, the Red Sox may have lost the World Series this year. To his credit, he stuck with it and the Sox did win the series. Is there a correlation there? I don’t know. Thankfully I am not quite that superstitious, but mainly because I enjoy clean underwear.

All sorts of athletes are superstitious when it comes to sports; heck, even fans are superstitious.

Wade Boggs however, is quite a bit more superstitious than your Average Joe. Although he was a New York Yankee, and I don’t like to talk about the Yankees, he did seem to have a fairly solid routine. Before each game, he needed to eat chicken, which earned him his

name of “Chicken Man.” From there, he would have to field 150 grounders in every pre game warm-up and step into the batting cage at exactly 5:17pm. He also had to run wind sprints at exactly 7:17 pm, and these are only his pregame superstitions; he had more than a few in game superstitions.

How exactly did doing this effect Boggs’ routine? You can be the judge, but he did end up with over 3,000 hits, a career batting average of .328, twelve all-star appearances, and a World Series title to go with his Cooperstown induction. In my books, that isn’t bad at all, even for someone who once wore pinstripes.

Next you have Patrick Roy, the Hall of Fame goaltender who spent his career with the Montreal Canadiens and the Colorado Avalanche, winning two Stanley Cups with both teams.

While playing for the Canadiens, one reporter noticed the puck often seemed to hit Roy’s goalposts and that he often had favourable bounces. When he asked Roy about it, Roy told him that the goalposts are his friends, and on occasion he talked to them, and as a result

the goalposts were nice to him. Making conversation with his goalposts were not Roy’s only quirky superstition, he also had a fairly strict pre-game ritual that included him skating out to the blue line and then staring down the net he was about to protect, envisioning the net shrinking and him stopping every puck that came towards the net. Roy also made it a point to never consciously step on a blue or red line. Although this sounds absolutely ridiculous, it really is hard to argue with Roy’s four Stanley Cups and other numerous accomplishments.

Does superstition actually have any bearing on the outcome of a game?

Almost everyone knows the old saying that sports are 10% physical, and 90% mental, and there have been a few cases that prove this.

Take Rick Ankiel for instance. Ankiel, who began his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, pitched in the big leagues for just a few years until he had a serious mental block. For some reason, he was unable to take command of his pitches and throw strikes. Ankiel struggled with his command for a few years before com-

ing to terms with the fact that he was unable to throw strikes and eventually had to change positions.

So we have no idea how players seem to come up with these mental blocks, but we do have a name for them. They are called Steve Blass Disease. Blass, an ace with the Pittsburgh Pirates back in the ’60s and ’70s, pitched two perfect games in the 1971 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles and finished second in MVP votes for the series, but this success did not last much longer. After the 1972 season, Blass inexplicably lost control of his pitches and had to retire just a few short seasons after.

So maybe in the end, superstitions really do play a large part in the way one plays a sport. Whether superstitions actually change the way things are supposed to go by manipulating the future, or really just play with a player’s head we will probably never know.

But if you are in the business of playing sports, it never really hurts to practice a couple superstitions of your own, but please, for everyone’s sake, change your underwear.

The Jackie Robinson of hockey The Fifty Mission Cap by Brian Munn

Every sports fan knows about Jackie Robinson. He’s the man who opened professional sports to black athletes, and who, in the face of great adversity, changed the way we see not only athletes, but people.

Willie O’Ree doesn’t get the same recognition. In fact, most hockey fans wouldn’t recognize the name. O’Ree wasn’t the superstar that Robinson was – he spent most of his pro career

Jennnifer McKenzie / The Brunswickan

Willie O’Ree Place was officially named last Wednesday, recognizing one of Fredericton’s greatest sons and a National Hockey League trailblazer. outside of the NHL, playing in San Diego – but his impact on hockey cannot be discounted.

Finally, fifty years after he broke the NHL’s colour barrier, O’Ree is getting the respect and recognition he deserves, right here in his hometown.

Born and raised in Fredericton, O’Ree played just a few seasons with the Bruins before becoming a star in the Western Hockey League with the LA Blades and

the San Diego Gulls.

But it’s his legacy, not his playing accomplishments, which set O’Ree apart as a true hockey hero.

Back in his hometown for the official naming of the “Willie O’Ree Place,” the world got a glimpse of the impact this man has had. It was a night of tributes, capped off by video clips that were played in the arena from such hockey icons as Don Cherry and Ron MacLean,

Wayne Gretzky, Gus and John Mazzuca, and representatives from the NHL, Hockey Canada, the Boston Bruins, and all levels of Canadian government were on hand.

The words of remembrance were heartfelt and inspiring, and painted a spectacular picture of a man that most of us never knew. MP Greg Thompson, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, commented that “sports don’t build character; sports reveal our character. Future generations should truly be inspired by this man who never gave up on himself.”

Ken Martin, Jr., a representative of the NHL, said O’Ree has touched over 40,000 children through NHL outreach projects that allow underprivileged kids the chance to get on the ice.

“But if Fredericton has a population of 65,000,” added Martin, “I’d have to say Willie has touched 105,000 people.”

But as impressive as the comments about O’Ree were, what was more impressive was the presence of the man himself when he approached the podium with a packed arena on its feet, cheering him on.

“I’m so proud to be from Fredericton,” he began, “and I want people to get as much enjoyment out of this complex as I did when I stepped onto the ice at the York Arena.”

Breaking the colour barrier wasn’t easy, he said. “Not a game went by that I didn’t hear racial remarks.”

“But they didn’t need to tell me I was a black man. I knew I was a black man.

I just closed my ears to it, and played hockey.”

It takes a special breed of human to have the tenacity and drive to change the world. Willie O’Ree is one of them.

With every game he played, he worked to break down racial stereotypes and to open the door for players like Grant Fuhr, Jarome Iginla, and a long list of others.

It’s easy to see why Willie O’Ree could be dubbed “the Jackie Robinson of Hockey.” There are similarities between these two trailblazers, after all.

But at least in Fredericton, to pay respect to a true hometown hero, perhaps Jackie Robinson should be known as “the Willie O’Ree of baseball.”

Robinson was great, but O’Ree is one of us.

Sports

12 • January 23, 2008 • Issue 16

Hennigar tops regular season list; six back in all-time points from Hennigar page 1 at the net for the goal. With the assist, Rob Hennigar became the new UNB points leader: 158 points in 100 career regular season games.

The Aitken Centre crowd rose to their feat in a standing ovation, and UNB Athletics officials halted the game as Hennigar was presented a commemorative plaque by previous record holder Dax MacLean and UNB’s Director of Athletics, Kevin Dickie.

UNB scored a convincing 7-2 victory in the game, out shooting St. FX 37-21.

To the surprise of no one in attendance, Rob Hennigar was recognized as the player of the game.

The V-Reds were back on the ice on Saturday night, squaring off with the second-place Huskies, the team that seems to pose the only threat to UNB, running away with first place in the Atlantic conference.

But if SMU was looking to make a statement against the Reds, they failed miserably. UNB controlled the game from the opening face-off, jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first period, as Lachlan MacIntosh scored twice and Kyle Bailey and Brad Efthimiou added singles. After MacIntosh’s second goal,

which gave the Varisty Reds a 3-0 lead, the shots were 16-0 in favour of UNB. The second period marked a change of pace from the first, as SMU managed to keep the puck out of their net and to get a few towards the UNB goal. The shots were closer, too, as UNB held only a 7-6 advantage.

UNB got into penalty trouble in the third, but sacrificed only one goal with Cody Thorton, left all alone in the slot, beating Mike Ouzas. This sparked the Reds, who started to carry the play but couldn’t manage to beat SMU goalie Brandon Verge.

The Reds out shot the Huskies 37-23 en route to a 4-1 victory in front of 1,809 fans, giving UNB 37 points in 20 games this season. It was the fourth time the Reds have beaten the Huskies.

Also, with the win, the Reds officially clinched a playoff berth.

UNB will be back in action at the Aitken Centre on Wednesday, January 23 for the next rendition of the “Battle of the Hill” where they will host the St. Thomas Tommies at 7:00pm. The teams will wrap up the home-and-home on Friday night at the Lady Beaverbrook Rink at 7:00pm. This will be the last meeting of the cross-campus rivals in the regular season.

Rob Hennigar: Player Profile UNB V-Reds #11 Hometown: Jordan, Ontario Height: 5’11” Weight: 174 lbs.

4th Year, BRSS Drafted by Windsor Spitfires, 3rd Round (51st Overall) in 2000 OHL Entry Draft

UNB Regular Season Points GP G 1.

2.

3.

4.

Rob Hennigar Dax MacLean Toby Burkitt George Wood

100 108 128 101

37 77 61 68

A

122 81 96 78

Tot. 159 159 157 146

UNB Regular Season Points plus Playoffs GP G A Tot. 1.

2.

3.

4.

Dax MacLean Rob Hennigar Toby Burkitt Jeff Andrews

133 121 153 122

96 45 67 57

90 135 106 112

AUS Active Regular Season Points GP G A Brian Munn / The Brunswickan

While Rob Hennigar was front and centre at the Aitken Centre this weekend, the Varsity Reds also recorded two big wins in Atlantic Conference play. Wins over St. FX and SMU gave the Reds 37 points in 20 games, leaving them in first in the AUS and clinching a playoff berth for the UNB squad.

1. Rob Hennigar

University of New Brunswick

100

2. Pierre-Luc Laprise 120 Université de Moncton

37 51

3. Sebastien Strozynski 112 50 Université de Moncton

186 180 173 169

Tot.

122 159 84 54

135 104

CIS quarterbacks face great hurdles for CFL career

by Ben Myers The Fulcrum (University of Ottawa) OTTAWA (CUP) – Ever heard of Tommy Denison? Besides those familiar with the Queen’s Golden Gaels’ recent football history, not many have.

Denison was the last Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) quarterback to play in a CFL game — in June 2004.

As a two-time Hec Crighton award winner as CIS MVP, Denison could be considered one of the best quarterbacks in the past 10 years of Canadian university football. Sadly, he barely got a chance in the CFL. Less than a week after playing, Denison was cut from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ roster when they added future star quarterback Kevin Glenn, a product of Illinois State University. Since then, many CIS players have found success in

the CFL, such as Gee-Gees wide receiver Adam Nicolson, who completed a successful season with the B.C. Lions in 2007, and former Western Mustangs slotback Andy Fantuz. Fantuz recently faced Glenn’s Bombers in the Grey Cup as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

This year in the CFL, not a single starting quarterback hailed from Canada’s university system. What is holding Canadians back from succeeding at the

quarterback position in their nation’s professional league?

Three-time Grey Cup champion and McMaster University graduate Russ Jackson believes it’s a matter of versatility, understanding and opportunity for Canadians to succeed.

“I think kids coming out of college today ... don’t have the versatility that I was lucky enough to have,” he said. “I played defensive back and quarterback when I was at McMaster University.

And therefore, I could make a professional team at another position other than quarterback.”

Indeed, Jackson was drafted first overall in 1958 by Ottawa as a slotback and got to play quarterback only because of a couple “big breaks” when Ottawa’s other QBs were injured.

“One of them broke his arm, the other broke his leg,” Jackson said. “I was the only show in town.”

“I got the chance ... and won a few games, and all of a sudden, I got noticed.

But if those injuries hadn’t happened, who knows whether Russ Jackson ever would have gotten discovered?”

Noting that quarterbacks are trained for their positions throughout their football careers, Jackson thinks that some variety would benefit Canadians looking to become professional players. “[Quarterbacks today] don’t have another skill to offer, or another position to offer, and I just think that, overall ... the kids coming out of American colleges at that position are better trained and have more knowledge of the position than a Canadian [quarterback].”

He added that the coaching in the CIS today is “terrific” and “a heck of a lot better than when [he] played.”

“I would say that if some of the QBs that are playing in the CIS now went down to American universities and played down there through their career, they would come back with more knowledge.”

Doug Falconer, a member of the

undefeated 1975 Vanier Cup-champion Ottawa Gee-Gees and 1976 Grey Cup-champion Ottawa Rough Riders, thinks that CFL clubs hardly give CIS quarterbacks a chance.

According to Falconer, CFL teams are more comfortable selecting QBs from the U.S. and using their Canadian college draft picks on positions where Canadians have already had success.

“Because of the stigma that goes with the CFL, and the preference that they have towards drafting Canadians at specific positions, a quarterback is never really given the opportunity,” Falconer said.

“The problem is being [drafted] — [CFL teams] don’t go into the draft thinking that they’re going to be looking at quarterbacks ... Even when they draft a quarterback, they ask, ‘How good is this athlete, and can we use him somewhere else?’

“I think [CFL teams] say to themselves, ‘If he’s such a great quarterback, why didn’t he get a scholarship, and why isn’t he playing [NCAA] Division-I?’” he said.

As 2007 football squads take their training inside for the winter, the thought of a CFL career is likely weighing on the minds of more than a few players. Like Denison, they will have to struggle to make a career of their university passion.

All things considered, it may come down to a couple of “big breaks” and a CFL team taking a leap of faith.