Issue 2, Vol 141, The Brunswickan

13

arts

20

sports

opinions

07

The Brunswickan

volume 141 issue 2 • canada’s oldest student publication • UNB fredericton’s student paper • Sept. 12, 2007

Kiss cheap cabs goodbye

Get off the hill (please)

by Lauren Kennedy

As of Saturday, September 1, insurance premiums went up for cab companies, which is bad news for students because it means spending more of their hard-earned summer savings to get from Point A to Point B. This is because last month the New Brunswick Insurance Board approved a 25% increase for liability insurance, a 100% rise in accident benefits and to add to it, a 10% increase in uninsured car insurance for cabs.

From the insurance point of view, their companies were paying out more money in claims than they were bringing in from premiums.

In a recent Gleaner article, Lisa Ferguson, the Communications Director for the Insurance Board was quoted as saying that cabs are of a higher risk for insurance companies as they go non-stop.

Cabs are constantly on the road and there is often more than one driver using the same vehicle. The more they are out on the road, the higher the risk of something happening, she explained in the article.

Compared to most other cities in New Brunswick, the cost of calling a cab in Fredericton is relatively low.

Cab companies in Fredericton do not run on meters like cabs in Moncton.

Fredericton cabs also offer particularly appealing deals, such as the Checker Cab VIP card, which offers a small discount for students. Regardless, with the rising premiums, it costs students more to get around these days.

“The cost is definitely way too high, there’s no way it should cost me six dollars to go from Dundonald Street to the mall,” said Dan Houghton, a UNB student. “In a way, meters might be better for that, just because it is such a short distance and on shorter distances, meters would be cheaper.”

Melissa Galbraith, also a UNB student, has taken many cabs in her day, especially this summer, as cabs were her main transportation to and from her summer job. She noticed the gradual fee increase for cabs and is not pleased about it.

“It’s absurd that we have to pay so much. I went from my house (close to campus) to the Medical Clinic on Regent Street and I had to pay six dollars, normally it would have been anywhere from $4.50 to $5.50 with the previous rates,” she said.

While in reality six dollars really isn’t that much, if a student has to pay that pretty much everyday to get to where they have to go, it is going to add up.

Transportation costs are always expensive and this rising of cab fares will not help students financially and is just one more challenge they have to face.

Though most cab companies really don’t have a choice in the matter they are still trying to keep it as low as they can. Gas and insurance are the most costly items for cab companies to keep up with, and unfortunately in order to help pay it, the cost has to be passed on to their customers.

For some students, they don’t mind paying however much it costs to get a ride home. Patrick Nicholson is one of those students.

see Cabs page 5

This was the scene early Tuesday morning on Graham Avenue. City Councilor Cathy MacLaggan is speaking out against problematic activities on College Hill.

Council for three years now.

Graham Avenue has been the centre of media attention lately after a series of fires and vandalism struck the roadway City Councilor says she wants as the new school year began. This families in and students out of prompted MacLaggan to speak out College Hill houses about the need to fix the problem, which she suggests could be helped by converting the rooming houses on the College Hill back into family homes.

Graham, which long has been known as a ‘party street’, is at the core of the

by Josh O’Kane College Hill neighborhood. Many of the properties in this community are former family homes that have been converted into student housing; MacLaggan estimates that by now, there are only City Councilor Cathy MacLaggan three actual families that still reside on says that university students are highly Graham Avenue. valued citizens in the city of Fredericton More than 20 fires have been re- but that those living in rooming houses ported on the street since April, with on the College Hill numbers jumping in put a “hole in the last week as stu“Single family the neighborhood.” dents moved in for She says that prob- residences that the new school year. lems in the neighAs such, public reacare treated borhood began to tion has been geared rise in the mid ’90s, towards the univeras rooming with an onslaught of sity students living houses vandalism and disturin the area. This has bances. There have basically make pushed MacLaggan been many occasions to emphasize the need a hole in the for rooming houses where MacLaggan, who lives on Hanson neighborhood.” to leave the studentStreet, has found it heavy neighborhood. difficult to sleep for - City Councilor Incidentally, a nonnights on end. student was arrested Cathy MacLaggan “If it wasn’t for the in suspicion of arson issues in the neighrelated to some of borhood, and the realizing that there’s the fires on the corner of Graham and a real problem, and identifying with King’s College. the community issues and awaking to “I don’t know who is causing the them, I wouldn’t even be on council,” fires, but I am extremely upset and consays MacLaggan. cerned… I don’t care what’s diplomatic She has been on the Fredericton City to say, but the fires have got to stop, as it

is a public safety issue. Someone is going to get killed or hurt, and I have to do whatever I can to make it stop.”

Two issues in particular are the most pressing in the neighborhood, says MacLaggan. “One is the absentee landlord issue and the deterioration and destruction of the neighborhood, because the character of the neighborhood is disrupted by turning family homes into rooming houses. The other part turns to vandalism and thefts, and those sorts of things.”

MacLaggan believes that absentee landlords lead to more people than legally allowed living in many of rooming houses. Zoning laws state that no more than four non-related persons live in a household in R1-type housing, with up to an additional three in an additional apartment in R2-type housing. The easy money for landlords from overfilling these houses is tempting, she says. The clustering of students like this is believed by some to lead to the party neighborhood mindset of the College Hill, which has in turn driven families away.

“It just tears apart the sense of community,” says MacLaggan.

Of the existing housing, MacLaggan believes that 70% of Albert Street and Tweedsmuir are now rental properties, as well as over 80% of Graham.

Her concern is that the neighborhood isn’t a neighborhood anymore, thanks to the decline in family housing.

“A lot of people who still live there are seniors; there are very few families with young children. Forty years ago, over 200 kids were here.”

MacLaggan says that rooming hous-

see Graham page 2

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Joel’s Got Soul

Brian Munn / The Brunswickan

A Bruns writer finds out that Joel Plaskett is not only a great musician, but an awesome guy, too. For the story, see Arts & Entertainment page 13.

2 • Issue 2 • September 12, 2007

The Brunswickan

College Hill under fire

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

from Graham page 1 es, which, given the location are mostly occupied by students, put a “hole” in the neighborhood.

“What I’d like is to see is the neighborhood shift back to more homes that are occupied by single families, resident homeowners. I personally would love to see young families and working couples, or single working people move in here, because the location is absolutely perfect and it builds the neighborhood back.

“Single family residences that are treated as rooming houses basically make a hole in the neighborhood.

People with family or seniors do not want to live next door to a rooming house,” says MacLaggan.

Jordan Graham is the UNB Student Union’s VP External, and disagrees with MacLaggan’s statements. He says that students are just as much a part of the neighborhood as anyone else, despite the fact that they often live in rooming houses owned by absentee landlords.

“A neighborhood is not a collective group of families, it is not a collective

group of seniors, it is not as collective group of professionals,” says Graham.

“It is a collective group of citizens. For at least eight months of the year, and sometimes more, Fredericton students are part of a neighborhood.”

There aren’t a great deal of options for students who choose to leave the traditional undergraduate residence lifestyle. Housing in apartment complexes can be hard to find, leaving little option but to convert former family housing into apartments or rooming houses.

And given the College Hill is close to the city’s university campuses, it’s no surprise the neighborhood is privy to such housing.

Jordan Graham is disappointed that MacLaggan has made brash statements about the rooming houses – and thus the students.

“It’s sad when the city officials are jumping to conclusions and making statements about the constituents whom they are responsible to represent.”

He says that students give considerably more back to the city than they take away.

Graham explains that “the Cana-

dian Millennium Foundation recently released said that the average student spends a minimum of $16,000 in the municipality that they are in, including tuition and housing. With 9,000 students, UNB without STU is bringing $150 million into the community.

The prosperity of this city is anchored deeply within the foundation of the university.”

The VP External believes that everyone must be looked at equally – regardless of occupation or housing situation – in order to solve the College Hill’s disruptive and partying problems.

“No citizens have rights to debunk rights of other citizens, and until all citizens are treated with equal rights and respect nothing will be achieved,” says Graham. “We need constituents of this riding represented appropriately by their councilor.”

MacLaggan encourages everyone to work together to help rid the neighborhood of vandalism and disturbances, and to call 911 for emergencies or 4602300 for the police dispatch to report suspicious activities.

The Brunswickan We want your mind and your first born.

Bruns News Meeting 10:30 AM Fridays

News

Issue 2 • September 12, 2007 • 3

Unions seek inclusion of parttime instructors

by Naomi Osborne

Part-time UNB professors and librarians are speaking out to the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers (AUNBT) and Stipend and Sessional Instructors’ Union (SSIU) in attempts to achieve improved terms and conditions of employment. The unionization of both full time and part time employees will be a great benefit to the entire UNB academic workforce.

The union drive arose when members of the part time faculty began voicing their concerns to both associations.

Communications Director for SSIU, Graham Cox, has been organizing the union drive for a month now.

“The part-time stipend workers came to us last year,” said Cox. “They wanted to be protected and to be included in university agreements.”

Since, Cox and members of the SSIU have been working to make that happen.

SSIU is a national union with 165,000 members. As it is affiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress, they are able to operate under different laws than AUNBT. AUNBT is also representing the parttime employees in this union drive. Last Thursday, September 6, the AUNBT executive called simultaneous meetings in Fredericton and Saint John open only to members of the Association.

The outcome of the AUNBT meeting was a pleasant one for instructors vying to get in. The full-time faculty agreed to open membership to the part-time faculty. This gives AUNBT the permission to start getting people to sign up with them, which they have begun doing.

Their goal is to have sixty percent of all the professors sign up with them.

As soon as this goal is accomplished, that union will be able to present the signatures to the Labour Board, who in turn will declare said group a union.

Despite the long process, what needs to be understood is the primacy of the workers and the amicable relations between organizations, said Cox. SSIU is working to ensure that the stipend workers will be protected under them and will enjoy the same occupational security as full-time employees.

“Our main goal is to include stipend workers as a group within the union and not as a separate collective agreement,” said Cox. AUNBT’s past president, Francesca Holyoke, is emphasizing the effective-

ness of collective voices as opposed to individual requests. It is the lack of stability that hinders part-time faculty from having complete freedom in the classroom, says Holyoke. Developing courses without security or stability can become an insurmountable challenge, as the professor cannot expect continuity within that course.

“Some part-time professors never know from one year to the next if they will be offered the job again,” said Holyoke.

The role of the part-time staff at UNB is vital, as they teach over one third of UNB undergraduate courses.

However, until now they have lacked a unified voice, causing their exploitation and essentially preventing them from becoming unionized. One of the greatest problems is the inability to fully enjoy the academic rights that the full-time staff often takes for granted.

“They work with the students and the problem is that there is no office for the professors to meet with a student about an issue,” said Holyoke.

When it comes down to the basics, it is about professors respecting the work of their part-time colleagues, said Holyoke.

Part-time faculty lack academic independence, and as a result they are unable to exercise the same freedom of expression in the classroom as their unionized colleagues. Adding insult to injury, their lack of job security makes their role as teachers all the more difficult.

AUNBT’s executive has issued the proposal that the constitution and bylaws be enlarged to allow the association to represent a separate, part-time bargaining unit. This means that part-time faculty and librarians would be able to join AUNBT and have them as their bargaining unit.

If this was established, both fulltime and part-time faculty would be represented under AUNBT and would work as one to establish job security and academic freedom.

University administrators have been trying for years to separate the academic profession into different components, such as part-time academics, research only, teaching only, and technologically-mediated courses. If administrators succeed in dividing the components of knowledge, then all academics would suffer. This process of academic fragmentation will speed up if UNB’s part-time faculty was represented by a non-academic union.

With hope, the union drive will succeed in improving the jobs of part-time employees at UNB. Regardless the outcome, both organizations are working to do what is best for the employees.

Over 1400 students immunized against MMR in ballroom clinics

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

‘A Mumps, Measles and Rubella immunization clinic was held last week in the SUB ballroom. Nurse Kim Greechan prepares to administer a shot for a student. “We immunized over 1400 students in two days; an amazing response, so we plan to hold another clinic,” says Anne Forestall, Executive Director of Student Affairs & Services. The second clinic will be held this Thursday, September 13th, from 9am to 3:30pm in the SUB ballroom.’

Brutal sexual assaults shock university community in the capital city Unrelated attacks prompt awareness campaigns, increased security

by Precious Yutangco, The Excalibur (York University) and Nick Taylor-Vaisey, CUP Ottawa Bureau Chief

OTTAWA (CUP) -- Two sexual assaults in four days have prompted an increase in orientation week security and awareness campaigns at both of Ottawa’s universities.

The first incident occurred just after midnight on Sept. 1. A 23-year-old female student was beaten unconscious and sexually assaulted inside the Analytical Chemistry Research Lab in the Steacie Building at Carleton University.

The woman was working alone in the third-floor lab when the incident took place.

The woman was beaten and had her hands tied behind her back. She suffered a broken jaw and a dislocated shoulder that required hospitalization. She is in stable condition.

The suspect is described as a white

male in his 20s, standing five foot eight to five foot nine, with broad shoulders and a bald head. He was clean shaven, spoke English with no accent and wore jeans, running shoes and a blue hooded sweatshirt with small white lettering on the chest. He was carrying a plastic bag from Macy’s. He had been drinking.

Constable Isabelle Lemieux, a media relations officer for the Ottawa Police Service, added that after the assault the suspect cleaned the woman with a wet cloth before stealing her jeans, cell phone, a running shoe and her red- and white-coloured underwear.

The suspect was seen fleeing the scene on foot. “I don’t believe anyone has been identified as a suspect,” Lemieux said.

The police have not apprehended anyone in relation to the incident but are following up on several leads from the public as well as examining surveillance tapes from the area.

Only three days later, on Sept. 4, an 18-year-old University of Ottawa student was assaulted sometime before 4:30 a.m. while she was in Gatineau, Que. Ottawa police, who quickly confirmed that the two assaults were unrelated, arrested two suspects on the University of Ottawa campus only hours later, at approximately 7 a.m.

“There is no connection to the Carleton University sexual assault. And I

think that was important for everyone at the University of Ottawa [to know],” said Isabelle Lemieux, an Ottawa Police Services spokesperson. “We know how rumours can come very quickly, and we want to reassure people that this is not another attack from the same suspect.”

After determining that the incident itself occurred in Gatineau, Ottawa police transferred the suspects and the investigation to the Gatineau police.

Both universities have since stepped up security during orientation week activities.

At Carleton University, more than 200 posters with information about the assault and an eye-witness description of the assailant have been posted around campus. The information has also been sent to members of the community by e-mail and posted on the web.

The Carleton administration has conducted special presentations to residence students to make the community more aware of safety procedures on campus.

Carleton officials also discouraged students from going out alone.

“We’re emphasizing the idea that if you’re going out and partying, it’s a new time, new friends, new rules, so you should always have friends with you,” Len Boudreault, the safety director at Carleton University, told CTV on Sept. 3.

Claude Giroux, the director of Pro-

tection Services at the University of Ottawa, said his team is currently using all available resources to protect the campus, though he wouldn’t elaborate on the specific strength of the force.

“We have a full complement of security. We’re being very vigilant at this point,” he said. “I can’t really say the number of officers for security measures, but it’s a full complement — a full staff.”

Danika Brisson, vice-president of student affairs at the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, said that the executive was taken aback by the incident, and was contacting each of the organizers of each faculty’s orientation week activities.

“Everyone here is very distraught about what happened, and wants to make sure that it doesn’t happen at any of our events,” said Brisson. “I know that we’re trying to talk to all the vp socials and the executives, so that they’re more aware and more vigilant about everything.”

According to Foot Patrol coordinator Margaret Sliwinska, the service committed more resources than usual this week because of orientation week. She said that about 60 volunteers are involved during this time and 14 are on duty every night until 2 a.m. There is also an SUV — provided by Protection Services — available every night.

SUB renovations are out as long as the debt is still there

by Jessica Grzesik

The Student Union Building is in major need of repair and restoration, but with no funds available, students are going to have to make-do with the current condition of the building. The idea of change for the building is not a new one, but for every new idea the same problem persists: Money, or the lack thereof.

Reported by a group of master’s students and under the supervision of UNB’s Dean of Business, Daniel F. Coleman, designs for a year-long project surfaced: ‘The Student Union Building ‘Study and Analysis’. The group was asked to find ways in which to ameliorate the SUB’s aesthetics and to increase the building’s revenue. With the lack of money as a barrier to many of the project’s proposed ideas, they still needed to get their proposal approved by the SUB Board.

Changes in their initial plan were to move the UNB Student Union offices into the ballroom and the retail outlets into the current UNBSU hallway, among others. After the completion of the project in April, the report was brought to the SUB Board for approval.

The report caused considerable miscommunication between the SUB Board and businesses located in the building, as SUB members believed the project’s proposals were concrete plans.

Tensions were appeased as members quickly realized the report’s objective was only to give the Board sound ideas for potential upgrades. Budgets were never spoken of in the final report.

“Fixing the ballroom is a long-range plan; there are still too many steps to follow to bring a concrete plan into ac-

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

tion,” says SUB Board Director, Kim Norris.

The problem with any idea proposed to the Board is finances. The only way renovations to the SUB can be put into effect is if the Board receives enough money to fund repairs through donations or by raising student fees.

Any funds the SUB accumulates will be channeled towards reparations instead of renovations. As such, it is unlikely that the SUB will undergo any visible changes, seeing that the university does not want to waste any money it currently has.

“We do not know the funds available for renovations or repairs, but the whole building needs some maintenance. The roof leaks, there are key structural issues, and there are problems with the

building’s ventilation system,” says Student Union President, Brad Mullins.

“The goal of the SUB is initially to make the building financially sustainable and overall a benefit to the students.”

As it stands, Mullins would like to see the Student Union offices more accessible to students. Any move to increase the Student Union’s visibility would be beneficial, as the Union is more than willing to accommodate students with needs.

“It is frustrating because we’re in one little hallway that is basically inaccessible.

This section of the building (SU offices) is not accessible to handicap students, and also to regular students because it is so hidden,” says Mullins.

The report’s suggestion to use the ballroom as office space would fix the

visibility problem, although getting rid of space that is home to numerous activities throughout the year has stirred up trouble. Students should realize the main idea of the report was only to modernize the SUB. With the small fee students pay towards this building every year, the building lacks the necessary funds to accomplish much else.

“People need to understand the SUB has six more years of debt to repay. There is absolutely no funding for repairs until this debt has been repaid,” Norris says. Any plans for repair are long-range; the building needs to be attractive on the outside before work can be done on the inside.

“We work with what we have and people need to get together and help out,” Norris says. The reason why UNB

has new additions to campus is only because of donations.

All Canadian universities are seeing red when it comes to paying off their debts. This is partially due to provincial cutbacks, forcing universities to raise tuition. With the added financial weight students must endure, enrollment has hit an all-time low, thus decreasing the revenue that universities need to repair and renovate their older buildings.

The Grad Class is looking into fixing the balcony in the ballroom; “a great view of the city is going to waste,” adds Mullins. “We’re always open to new ideas; everything is always done with student consultation. These rooms that need renovation are begging to be used, and we need feedback to maximize its use. With no feedback we assume people

are OK with what we are doing,” Mullins says about the use of places like the ballroom.

Lack of use comes from it being an older room compared to other facilities.

“Look at the Wu Centre. More people want to go there for their conferences because it is technologically sound,” Mullins adds.

The Student Union needs more positive feedback to know if what they’re doing is what the students want. The more people in on the discussion, says Mullins, the better.

Norris wants to make sure students and faculty understand that the Director’s Office does not make decisions regarding the welfare of the SUB. Their responsibility is to ensure the building and its proprietors are following policy.

The decisions are reached through discussions among the SUB Board, students and the university. Norris has been on staff with UNB since 1982 and has heard many ideas that would be beneficial to both the students and the university, but knows any idea sprung onto him must first go through many hands and lots of money before he can dictate policy.

Students wanting to see change in the Student Union Building must know first and foremost the funds for any reparations will only come through fundraising and donations. Should the money be available at any point, change can only be reached after a student referendum.

The Social Club is also affected, as its bathroom facilities need to be renovated.

“The clubs and businesses are owned separately and will be re-negotiating their leases in two weeks. The leases for these businesses are up next June. There will be no changes to the clubs appearance until their leases are renewed; no business wants to start renovations before a lease is re-negotiated,” explains Norris.

News

4 • Issue 2•September 12, 2007

Int’l advisor aims to ease transition

by Lauren Kennedy

The University of New Brunswick Fredericton is host to more than 850 international students and as the new International Student Advisor, Kathryn Gates wants to help make the transition for international students easier.

Gates explains that not only do international students share the same concerns as domestic students, they also face additional challenges.

“All students can become overwhelmed by the transition to university.

However, many international students are faced with challenges of language barriers, jet lag, and cultural differences in food, weather and social customs.”

Gates is responsible for making this cultural change almost seamless. The

International Student Office works with students to help with accommodations as well as to provide information on visas, banking, health insurance, work opportunities, etc. Throughout the year the office will plan and promote social and cultural events, provide workshops and promote the awareness of international students to the community.

Gates says the community is key to the students’ overall experience.

“From my experience the thing that people miss the most is their families and part of my job is to get the community involved in making the students feel like part of the Fredericton family.”

Gates brings a wealth of cultural knowledge and experience to the university. In the past she was an International Education project Co-ordinator for the New Brunswick Government, a past international student advisor with Mount Allison university, taught English in Oman and has travelled to over 25 countries around the world.

Doing the Res Life shuffle Residential Life & Conference Services shuffles jobs and sells assets to avoid increasing fees

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

by Bruns News Department UNB Residential Life and Conference Services has undergone a few changes since students left last April. Staff has left, buildings have changed hands, and there have been various alterations in disciplinary processes.

In an effort to increase accessibility at UNB and to help work with Res Life’s ongoing deficit, Jones House will become home to a variety of divisions of Student Affairs & Services,

and equipped with an elevator. The rededication of the building will put $1.7M towards Res Life’s ongoing $2M deficit. Neville/Jones has become the official name of the former Neville House building, while the old Jones building will retain its original name.

“We just don’t have enough prospective occupants to continue to maintain empty buildings, which are extremely expensive,” says Director of Residential Life and Conference Services James Brown. “The only available means to meet that expense is residence fees.

The obvious way to get expense is to raise fees, but we did not raise fees - we

New library entrance still under construction

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

The Harriet Irving Library is still under construction, but the open space is already being taken advantage of by students. The grand opening of the new entryway is scheduled for October 17, 2007.

reduced expenses.”

Residence fees themselves are not up, says Brown, but the cost within the residence charge for meal plans with Sodexho has raised the overall price.

With beds still left to be filled, and a slew of staff and faculty from Carleton Hall without offices, Bridges House has had a half-conversion into office space for the Carleton refugees. The building will reopen as a fully functional residence in the fall of 2008. Joy Kidd House is one step closer to being fully reopened as well – last year, two full hallways were closed down, whereas only one third floor hallway is locked off this year.

Various middle management staff at Res Life have also seen shifting over the past four months. The departure of Matt Robinson and Erin Lee’s maternity leave has put Tana Geiger under the new consolidated position of Acting Coordinator (Residential Life). A second position to compliment Geiger may be hired in the future.

According to Geiger, “we’ve amalgamated all the positions in terms of overseeing all the training, providing resources for dons and proctors, overseeing house committee responsibilities, and programming.”

In the meantime, Res Life has announced an assistant to the coordinator (Residential Life) will be hired through the Work-Study program on campus.

A similar position was held by veteran proctor Ben Langille until this summer, and then by another graduated proctor, Jason Harley, until the beginning of Orientation Week. The need for a WorkStudy grant to hire a similar position shows the need by Res Life to cut down expenses at all costs.

In addition to those changes, many administrative issues previously held by the three coordinators have been divided up among the management in Res Life.

On the other hand, disciplinary issues will be handled by a special panel from within the Board of Dons. This panel will meet weekly to discuss disciplinary appeals and issues and should hopefully

provide swift answers and judgment on problems requiring immediate action.

Disciplinary issues were previously handled primarily by the Coordinator of Development & Conduct, Erin Lee. Proctors this year in the residence system have been spread somewhat thin. A full set of proctors was selected in the spring to be brought in for this fall; however, numbers have dwindled since then, and the entire pool of alternates was exhausted. Traditionally, Res Life does not offer second chances to individuals who decline positions. In this case, instead of offering positions to those who did not make the original cut for proctorship, Res Life has chosen to re-offer to any individuals who had initially declined.

However, only one person accepted.

Tana Geiger says that “all of our proctor positions are full right now, but in the event that somebody has to back out for some reason, we had already used our alternate list and our waitlist… We usually have about six alternates. Instead of going back to people who hadn’t even made the waitlist, we decided to first go to people who had turned down positions to see if they had different plans at this point so that they might want to be on the alternate list.”

James Brown says that in the event of needing to fill multiple positions, new proctors may need to be hired before the winter term. Traditionally, hopeful proctors go through a lengthy carousel interview session – but that may not be the case if more need to be hired.

“We probably wouldn’t go through the carousel process again,” says Brown.

“We’d probably recruit in some other expedient way. In a situation where you’re trying to be fair with everyone and there are people who haven’t yet declined, you want to treat them differently. In a situation where you have a gap, as long as everybody who declined has the same opportunity to come back, which is what we did do.”

“I think that preserves fairness.”

AIDS Walk promotes understanding in the community

by Lauren Kennedy

This year’s AIDS Walk raised $5,369 through a joint effort of AIDS New Brunswick and St. Thomas University.

This past Sunday morning in downtown Fredericton, you would have found over 300 participants walking for AIDS. HIV/AIDS is a preventable disease that has almost become an epidemic throughout the world. New cases of HIV/AIDS remain constant all over New Brunswick and Canada, and it continues to grow, especially for women, injection drug users, youth and other vulnerable communities. These groups are the focus of much of the research and education of AIDS New Brunswick’s efforts.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Fredericton Area AIDS walk.

AIDS Walk Coordinator Jennifer Weston’s main hope is to raise awareness and emphasize how important it is to understand the disease, especially because it is so close to home.

There were 66 local businesses sponsoring the event and supporting the cause, which she feels is a very important

step to increase awareness.

Proceeds from the Walk this year are being split 50/50 between AIDS NB and the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

This foundation helps ease the pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa by funding projects that help individuals, families and communities ravaged by the disease. Specifically for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the proceeds will be going towards Zambia, which is St. Thomas University’s partner country.

AIDS New Brunswick ensures that all money raised will go toward local efforts, such as the HIV/AIDS Info Line, walk in consultations, education and counseling sessions, and distributed over 14,000 printed materials throughout the province.

The honorary co-chairs for this year’s Walk are Kalin McCkuskey and Ronnia Shamaila. McCluskey has just finished her degree at UNB and is now at STU studying Human Rights and Religious Studies. She is also the president of the Canadian Catholic Student’s Association. Shamaila is an international student from Zambia attending STU. She is enrolled with the Social Work Program and is passionate about helping out in the community.

Together they send a joint message of hope for people living with HIV/ AIDS. “Millions of people today live with and are infected by AIDS and related diseases; however, we are all affected because this has been an intense disease that has changed lives as well as left many

widowed or orphaned. Above all, the impact of HIV/AIDS on our lives as humans is so immeasurable. It is for no other reason but great love, compassion, and commitment for and towards our loved ones that we gather to raise money and awareness on AIDS matters,” they say. “It is of good practice to Think Globally, but act locally. It is our goal that HIV/AIDS will be eradicated, by walking together in solidarity, we are increasing resources, but above all, we are increasing awareness and hope.”

Aitken House had the top team in the Walk, raising $579, followed by Vanier House at St. Thomas with $545. In all, this year’s AIDS Walk raised $5369.

Weston is very happy with the results.

“Everything went very smoothly, the speakers were great, the participants were great, everything was great. We really appreciate all the hard work from all the volunteers and everyone that supported the cause,” she said. “We got AIDS on everyone’s mind and that’s the most important thing.”

She explained that people are not aware of the fact that AIDS is a local issue and not just something that happens in a foreign country.

“It’s really important to promote understanding. People need to know how to protect themselves, and also the importance of getting tested,” she said.

“This event is really important because it is something that we have to deal with here in New Brunswick, not just in Africa.”

Submitted to The Brunswickan

News

Issue 2•September 12, 2007 • 5

Low enrollment plagues universities in Atlantic provinces

by Angela Wilson CUP Atlantic Bureau Chief

WOLFVILLE (CUP) – As fewer students graduate from high school in the Atlantic provinces, university enrolment is nose diving. But while some universities are struggling with up to a 30% decline in student numbers, others are experiencing a small boost.

The growth of community colleges, an aging population and the declining number of students graduating from high school in the Atlantic provinces have all contributed to declining university enrolment numbers.

But Mireille Duguay, Chief Executive Officer for the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC), said that the region has been hit harder than expected.

Acadia University’s student population has decreased by approximately 30% since 2000-01. St. Francis Xavier University lost over 450 of its normal 5,000 students since their numbers

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

peaked in 2004-05 and Mount Allison University’s enrollment has dipped by approximately 10% since 2004, according to preliminary data released by MPHEC. Peter Halpin, executive director for the Association of Atlantic Universities, is quick to comment, though, that the region is coming off a growth period where universities experienced a 30% increase in enrolment between 2000

and 2005.

“While some universities are experiencing increased enrolment, some are remaining stable, and some are experiencing declining numbers,” he explains.

Both Duguay and Halpin believe that the healthy Canadian economy is part of the cause for this decline, arguing that it has created jobs for high school graduates that do not require university

degrees.

“When the economy is strong,” Halpin said, “there is a tendency for fewer people to go to university. Therefore, some young people are delaying their decision to go to university, and plan to return after working out West.”

However, not all Maritime universities are suffering the trend. In fact, some are experiencing enrolment boosts.

Halpin explains that some universities have been ahead of the curve in terms of branding their institutions, which seems to be paying off.

“All Universities in Atlantic Canada are doing very well at developing institutional brands, although some are doing it better than others, and those that are working in niche markets — with a targeted recruitment strategy — are getting good results.”

Dalhousie University, Cape Breton University and the University of Prince Edward Island are among some universities that are experiencing higher enrolment numbers, according to a study conducted by MPHEC. Preliminary figures for UPEI also indicate that they are expecting a 5% increase this year over their 2006 numbers.

The number of students enrolled from Nova Scotia enrolled at UPEI is

expected to double over last year.

Memorial University of Newfoundland is also experiencing growth, despite declining high school graduation numbers in their own province.

For the past three years, the number of Nova Scotian students studying at Memorial has doubled every year, although it is expected to remain stable this year.

Sheila Devine, Memorial’s Director of University Recruitment, attributes this success to their focused recruitment strategy in the Maritimes, low tuition and an ability to attract a higher percentage of high school graduates, despite the declining graduation numbers.

Meanwhile, Acadia University has been trying to expand its horizons as well, building its profile in other parts of the country rather than focusing solely on students from the Atlantic provinces.

“We have experienced remarkable and sudden demographic changes in the Maritime provinces, especially with the boom in Alberta,” said Scott Roberts, a spokesman for Acadia. “Acadia has traditionally relied heavily on students in the Maritime Provinces for recruitment,” he continued, “now we are working on building a presence in other

parts of the country.”

Meanwhile, the Association of Atlantic Universities is focusing on improving access to post-secondary education to diversify participation, and maybe even boost enrolment.

According to a study published by the Organization for Economic CoOperation and Development (OECD), less than 30% of Canadians attain a university-level education, a figure lower than many other OECD countries.

“Canada is behind other OECD countries,” said Halpin, “We need to increase participation from groups who are currently underrepresented, such as aboriginal people, disabled people, and those living in rural regions.”

MPHEC is approaching enrolment as a “long-term issue,” according to Duguay, and is working to gather information and find solutions. Later this year, the organization will be hosting an open forum with post-secondary education stakeholders to see what should be done.

It is still too early to determine 200708 enrolment numbers in the Maritime provinces, although they are generally expected to be lower than last year. Most universities expect to release their figures by early October.

Holla back y’all to Rising cost of cab fare hits students hard get your revenge from Cabs page 1

Smile! Street harassers caught on candid camera

by Cynthia Shulak, The Link (Concordia University)

MONTREAL (CUP) -- 10:45 p.m.

You’ve just finished a heinous study session or a gabfest over drinks and you’re ready to call it a night.

You make your way over to the metro as fast as you can; you’ve been up since 9 a.m. and the thought of putting on a comfortable pair of sweatpants is literally making you salivate.

While waiting on the platform, you notice, out of the corner of your eye, someone approaching you. Slowly but surely they inch their way closer and closer until they have completely invaded your personal space. You look over at your uninvited friend and wonder what they’re smiling about . . . until you can glance down and -- oooh no.

No. No way!

If this doesn’t sound familiar, then perhaps catcalls in public areas may strike a chord. Every woman I know has fallen prey to street harassment at some point in her life. Individual reactions tend to vary from scared for life to a total brush-off, but now some women are fighting back.

Websites like hollabacknyc.com are encouraging victims of street harassment to document their experiences by submitting their stories and catching mug shots of their antagonists via whatever may be handy, like a camera phone.

The site was inspired by the actions of Thao Nguyen, a student who in 2005 was riding a train in New York City when a man got on, sat down, smiled and began to jerk off in front of her.

Instead of ignoring this gross invasion, she pulled out her camera phone and

snapped a shot of him to post on her blog. Within days the New York Daily News had that same photo of 43-year old chef Daniel Hoyt printed on their front page. Soon enough he was being identified as a serial public masturbator, all thanks to Nguyen’s candid camera.

Since 2005 and the birth of hollabacknyc.com, similar (though unaffiliated) sites have been popping up everywhere. Usually classified by region, these sites encourage locals to share their stories and photos with the online world in an effort to empower victims, band together and make the public more aware of how serious street harassment can be. The entries are moderated (by both men and women) in order to avoid publishing stories that don’t seem credible.

This kind of blog-tivism doesn’t seem to have picked up as much momentum here as it has with our neighbours to the south, and the feelings surrounding websites like this are mixed. Although there is a hollabackcanada.com listed, the entries are sparse and there are no photos. Rachel, a 24-year-old McGill student who only wanted to give her first name, says her experiences with street harassment left her unable to even think about taking blatant, on-the-spot action.

“There was a time when we didn’t have camera phones,” she says, “and even if we did I’d have been too scared to use one.”

Her friend Erin Zacc, 24-year-old student at Concordia, looks at it another way.

“There are some situations where I wish I’d had a camera on me, that way I could let other girls know that this creep was out there and they wouldn’t have to go through an experience like I did.”

The jury seems to be undecided: Is it safe to encourage women to photograph aggressors? The answer to that goes along the lines of “use at your own risk” -- if you feel as though you want to take power into your own hands, why not holla back?

For more info and links to similar sites, visit hollabacknyc.com.

Want to write?

Come and check out The Brunswickan Staff Meetings!

Every Wednesday @ 12:30 in the SUB Rm: 35

“To me, paying however much money is nothing. It’s not like I’m going to drink and drive and sometimes I really don’t feel like walking home from the bar, so I’ll pay any amount to whatever cab company I see first when I leave a bar. The price really doesn’t matter that much to me.”

There are over eight cab companies here in the Fredericton area and depending on the company, you may or may not see an increase. The Brunswickan contacted some of these companies, although most were unable to comment.

George Youssef, owner of Checker Cab Company was willing to comment.

Checker is one of the biggest cab companies in Fredericton and on one the busiest of days has about 28-30 cars on the road at one time. He explained that due to the increasing insurance his

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

company raised the price of a cab ride by fifty cents.

“When the insurance companies raise the price, there’s really nothing you can do,” he said.

Even when gas prices went up,

Checker still held firm and did not raise the price explained Youssef. “I know that it sounds bad that the prices went up just as students started coming into the city for school, but it’s purely a coincidence”.

“It was going up no matter what and I know that it sounds like it was planned to take advantage of students, but that’s not the case at all. Students are the majority of our business and we want to keep them as happy as possible.”

6 • The Brunswickan

September 12 • 2007

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.

TANNING SPECIALS

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

2 FREE TANS

20% OFF

WANTED Mexicali Rosa’s, The Back Nine, Brewbaker’s restaurants are looking for experienced kitchen staff to join are growing team. We are offering full and part time positions. Apply during the week between the hours of 2-4:00 p.m. or e-mail: bszmidt@ rvl.ca.

FOR SALE

10/31/07

Three seater chesterfield (multi colored) with matching coffee table $100. Loveseat (gold and brown colors multi colored) $75. Hardwood light colored dresser with mirror $60. Large comfy armchair $50. Large, student desk (wood) $50. Four drawer filing cabinet $65. Black computer chair on castors $35. Insignia 19” TV $85.

Two end tables $15 each. Several area rugs $25 each. Please call 4556450.

Laptop computers (IBM/HP Compaq) $200-$550; wireless router; PCMCIA/USB network adapter; iRiver 20GB MP3 player$125, Sony-Ericsson GSM unlocked world cellphone-$40, JVC DVD player -$30, B&D vacuum cleaner-$50, e-mail: one96one@hotmail.com or call 452-2012.

27” TV entertainment stand VG condition $75. Wood coffee table $15. Green metal futon VG condition $80. White digital microwave good working condition $20. Contacts are as follows: Kristin at 4553662 (H), 447-7942 (C), or klfanjoy@hotmail.com.

Blue wireless telephone with silver answer machine $15, Indoor grill $ 15, Stainless steel saucepan with Tefal coat $10, Brita $7, Cooking pot with cover $10, Cooking pot without cover $ 5, two year old cat vaccinated, neutered and spayed with cat litter and pet voyager $185 (price is negotiable), bicycle $20.

Please call 471-3544.

39” electric stove for sale. Fridgedaire brand, solid burners. Works great. $125 or obo. Phone 4527467.

ACCOMMODATIONS Free rent for September. Threebedroom apartment in bungalow house at 406 Lisgar. Short walk to campus/malls. Well-maintained, partially furnished, wired for cable TV, high-speed internet. $1050 per month or $350 per room, includes heat, lights, parking. Call 461-9986.

Furnished room for rent in a three bedroom apt, five minute walk to campus in skyline area. Bright, clean and spacious apt includes heat, lights, cable plus, high speed internet, washer/dryer, parking and shared phone. This is available to a mature, quite, non-smoking female tenant. Rent is $350 monthly, and eight month lease is available. Please call 454-4411 or e-mail: veronica. fequet@unb.ca.

One room for a four bedroom apartment on Graham Avenue is available immediately. Very close to campus. Laundry & parking. Call 459-5465.

Apartment for rent. Living room, kitchen, with fridge, new stove, washer and dryer. Equipped for three students. Fully renovated bathroom. Furnished, freshly painted. Three computer desks.Bedding isf needed. Utilities, cable, internet storage space. Five minutes to UNB by car. On bus route. Call 4570178 or e-mail: marianneduke@ hotmail.com.

PSAs Kate Green of USC (The Unitarian Service Committee) in Ottawa will be speaking after the 11am service at the Unitarian Fellowship at 874 York Street in Fredericton on Sunday Sept 16th. There will be an informal potluck with Kate immediately after the service and a presentation starting at 12:45. Her topic will be the USC Seeds of Survival program and the general issue of

food security. Kate has working in India , Nepal and Ethiopia. More information about USC programs is available on the website: www.uff. ca. All welcome. Fair trade coffee will be served Angels in Motion Get Moving!

October 6, 2007 1-4 p.m. Officer’s Square, Fredericton. This event will launch a new fitness program made possible through funding and the consultative assistance of the Department of Wellness Culture and Sport for women in Samaria House. Samaria House is a residential facility that provides a home and training for women who have been incarcerated or who have been suffering from addictions or other life controlling problems and who wish to restore their lives and become productive members of society. It is the only one of its kind in Atlantic Canada. The program is holistic and focuses on the healing of body, mind and spirit.

For this event, individuals and groups will participate and get sponsors for one-hour of continuous motion (running, walking, skipping, dancing etc.) anytime during the two weeks prior to, or on the day of, the event. The results of these activities will be announced between 3 – 4 p.m. on the day of the event live on “Positive Hits” radio.

In the Square, a Pilate’s instructor will demonstrate the kind of exercise program that will be introduced at Samaria House. In addition, there will be other various age groups on site demonstrating that “getting active” can meet anyone’s interests and/or abilities. Special musical entertainment will be provided by local artists Sheldon Gordon, Twila Estey & Donna Knappe.

Participants and volunteers are still needed. The top three individuals raising the most money will receive prizes. The top prize is a home computer from Future Shop. Pledge forms are available at the Olive Branch in New Maryland, the Lighthouse bookstore on Bishop Drive in Fredericton and at The Jewel Box in Oromocto as well as through the Events Chairperson for God Is Able Ministries Inc. Eve Mills Nash is the Events Chairper-

son. You can contact Eve at 3682337 or 470-4837 or by e-mail: eve@nb.sympatico.ca.

Yard Sale Store: You can outfit your entire apartment for the best prices in town on second hand furniture, from couches and chairs, to tables and desks, from antiques to funky retro style. We also have every kind of knick knack imaginable, seasonal decorations for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, fall, summer and winter, paintings, decorations, candles, books, bedding, lamps, everything – including the kitchen sink!

All are Welcome! Help us help our constituency in the capital region by shopping at our year round Yard Sale Store at 242 Gibson Street, at our Yard Sale Warehouse at 140 Canada Street or our Furniture Center at 207 Canada Street.

How to get there: From the South side, by bus, take 16 N to Gibson Street, get out at Jackie’s Store and take a right to 242 Gibson. Taxi from the south side approximately $7, or walk the Trans Canada Trail Train Bridge to the North Side.

Open Monday to Saturday. Call 458-9102. Part of the Fredericton community since 1983.

The Stepping-Stone Forum for Wednesday, September 19 presents Ed Caissie who will talk about “The New Brunswick Internment Camp Museum”. He will bring a number of artifacts from the museum in Minto, of which he is Project Coordinator and Chair of the Museum Committee. The camp housed 711 Jews from Germany from 1940-41 and 1200 German and Italian Merchant Marines from 1941-45. The Forum meets every Wednesday 2:00 p.m. at The Stepping Stone Centre 15, Saunders Street, Fredericton. It’s free, and open to all.

New classes. Tai Chi, the mind and body exercise, Qi Gong (Chi Kung), the energy building exercise, Kung Fu, the Chinese martial arts, and Chinese cooking classes are now available at UNB Fredericton. These classes will start on September 13 separately. Both students and non-students are welcome.

Students will get a 20% discount off the monthly fee. For detailed information please call Mr. Chen at 472-2020.

The Arthritis Society presents “Ask the Expert”, a free Public Forum Wednesday September 19, 7:009:00 p.m. at the Delta Fredericton.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Rheumatologist Dr. Jamie Henderson and pharmacist Mr. Ayub Chishti will speak and host a Question and Answer session. Pre-registration is required. Phone 452-7191 or e-mail: info@nb.arthritis.ca.

Comments & Letters Jefferson Airplane- Not the ‘60s rock band.

by Jennifer McKenzie I’m throwing a birthday party on Saturday afternoon. It’s a first birthday, with all the trimmings. Cupcakes, balloons, maybe some pin the tail on the donkey and clearly some presents. Also yarn and kitty treats.

I’m throwing this party for my oneyear-old kitten.

He’s been my roommate for a little less than a year now. He moved in early last October, as a gift and a pick me up.

Octobers suck but kittens most certainly do not. I’m not really even a fan of cats, but I fell for this one.

He was abandoned on the East Side of Saint John and I found him tiny and needy at the SPCA. My kitten was smaller than the rest and curled right up to me as soon as I picked him up- Clearly I was immediately smitten.

So he came home with me, a first time pet owner. And he was named: Jefferson Airplane. Yes, after the ‘60s and ‘70s pop sensation Jefferson and I were happy right off the bat, though he was never perfect, and I guess neither was I. He would attack my feet while I was sleeping, spill his food all over the floor and knocked almost everything, in the apartment, over. I made my own mistakes. Getting frustrated with him, sometimes forgetting to get him fresh water and once accidentally locking him in the closet for over an hour.

Regardless of our issues, we worked things out and worked out a routine.

He slept in bed with me, every night.

And I cried when I had to leave him at Christmas time. Cried hard. Jefferson and I were meant to be.

My boyfriend sometimes jokes that I love the kitten more than I love him. I remind my boyfriend that it’s not a jokethe kitten comes first. He pretty much is the most important thing in my life.

Lately Mr. Airplane and I have not

exactly been seeing eye to eye. He has been seeing fit to pee on my clothing. I see that as a problem.

I’ve tried a few things- not leaving my clothing on the floor (he pees on them when their on a chair); changing his litter more often; changing the type of litter I use and then back again. I’ve not gotten angry at him for not using the litter box, praised him when he has.

I’ve read Internet article, after Internet article on what to do to help persuade him to stop using my laundry as a urinal. Nothing has seemed to help.

So now I’m asking you, UNB community, if you have any ideas.

Improper eliminating (or urinating outside of the litter box) is the number one reason cats are brought to shelters, according to several SPCA websites.

Obviously giving up Jefferson is not an option for me, but I’m running out patience (and quarters).

Send me emails; give me a call, if you have any thoughts on what I can do to keep my baby kitten from wrecking anymore of my clothing.

Julianne Philpott / The Brunswickan

eic@unb.ca • September 12, 2007

The greenest part of biofuels is the marketing Pollution and carbon dioxide just as much of a problem with biofuels

by Nadya Bell, CUP Ottawa Bureau Chief

OTTAWA (CUP) -- Topia Green Stop gas station in Ottawa sells fairly traded crafts from Guatemala and organic sandwiches next to the windshield wiper fluid and ice scrapers.

A bank of glossy green pamphlets -- “Ethanol - the American Fuel” and “Biodiesel and you” -- extol the virtues of the plant-based fuels they sell outside. Supporters of alternative fuels say everyone should run fuel made from plant material, either the alcohol-based ethanol that runs in gasoline engines, or oil-based biodiesel in a diesel engine.

On the surface these fuels seem like environmentally friendly alternatives to gasoline that will let everyone keep driving their cars, but the reality is much dirtier.

Recent research has found that biofuels have worse pollutant emissions than regular gas or diesel, and their carbon dioxide emissions are not initially lower.

The economic implications of using corn or food products to create fuel are only beginning to be felt.

Scientists at the National Research Council in Ottawa have been testing biodiesel in a big backhoe diesel engine.

They have found corn or soybean biofuels have more toxic nitrous oxide emissions than regular diesel. As for solid particles -- the black stuff belching out of the old diesel trucks -- biodiesel has slightly better or the same emissions.

Most cars today are running about a hundred times cleaner than they did 20 years ago. Soot emissions are greatly reduced and emission control systems like

Internet

catalytic converters take out a number of other toxic chemicals. So car exhaust is pretty clean already, but the green fuels are slightly worse for chemical emissions than regular fuels.

Carbon dioxide, or CO2, emissions are widely believed to be a contributor towards global warming. As far as CO2 is concerned, there is no immediate advantage in burning a biofuel over gasoline. Any combustion engine will produce carbon dioxide -- that’s just the nature of fire.

Plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere when they grow, and so burning fuel from a natural source is only returning that much CO2 into the air. But this analysis ignores the energy used in making biofuel. Energy intensive processes for making biodiesel or ethanol need to get their power from somewhere, and a strain on energy sources -- often producers of CO2 themselves -- won’t put us any further ahead in fixing the planet.

There is no perfect solution with our current technology. Greg Smallwood, an emissions specialist at the National Research Council, says the best answer for driving a combustion engine today is running a properly tuned diesel engine.

Diesels use a third of the fuel that a gasoline engine needs. With less fuel burned you have less emissions -- of all varieties. Smallwood is working with a specially designed diesel engine that runs at low temperatures and can be so finely tuned that its pollution emissions can be only measured in the trillions of parts per million.

The average diesel engine will run on straight waste vegetable oil in warm climates. For a little extra work you can build a home reactor to make pure biofuel. All you need is an old hot water

Sketchy Comic #1 By Melanie Friesen Nexus (Camosun College) VICTORIA (CUP) -- Sketchy comic

boiler and a few pumps. This makes a fuel that is liquid at lower temperatures and has fewer impurities. Still, with a doit-yourself fuel it is much harder to keep the engine burning cleanly. The hippie bus may be running for free, but chances are they won’t pass an emissions test.

Biofuels don’t offer a clear or clean solution to pollution or CO2 emissions.

Even more concerning is the effects that are already being felt on world markets from the increased demand for corn to make ethanol. The price of corn around the world has doubled since last year as a result of increased demand in the U.S. for ethanol production. In Mexico a rise in price of the staple food -- and main ingredient in tortillas -- has led to food riots this year. People who drive cars can afford to pay a higher price to make fuel out of the same products that are feeding the world’s poor.

Farmers will naturally react to these higher prices by planting more, but even if they can fully satisfy the demand, much of the increased production will come from planting in virgin forest. The rain forest plays a huge role in removing CO2 from the atmosphere and destroying it to plant “green fuels” is more harmful in the long run.

Scrounging for waste fryer fat from McDonald’s is not a solution for the whole society of car drivers -- there isn’t enough grease in all the fast food joints of North America. The green packaging and organic nut bars may be a good way to sell plant-based fuels, but when it comes down to it, biofuels are only a feel-good alternative. Perfectly clean transport can’t be done with a combustion engine.

Comments & Letters

8 • Issue 2 •September 12, 2007

Save the UNB Woodlot Dear Editor: Attention all UNB Alumni across North America. Will the UNB Woodlot in Fredericton become a public relations disaster or showcase for the University of New Brunswick.

Go to YouTube.com and search for “UNB Woodlot” to learn about this issue. UNB is the oldest public university in North America but this great institution needs our help. This responsibility/stewardship rests with all of us – students, alumni, corporate stakeholders like Home Depot and Tim Hortons, the general public, environmental and animal rights organizations, and Ducks Unlimited. UNB’s own stated guidelines promise that the UNB Woodlot would be developed with a very sustainable, long-term, comprehensive plan, with extensive public consultation every step of the way. But the reality is quite different.

No EIA was conducted for the 3.5 hectare Ducks Unlimited Marsh, a stone’s throw from the Home Depot and 2 more pending Corbett Centre developments. UNB Woodlot lands were sold that were granted to this public institution in 1800 in the trust of UNB forever. The public is still told “there is no plan in place” even after 3

years of planning. And the systematic killing of beavers in the UNB Woodlot – the very animal on the UNB emblem - confirmed by the NB Department of Natural Resources.

So UNB needs to hear from all of us to tell them to follow their own stated promises. And together our voices can stop the killing of UNB’s own emblem.

Go to smartgrowthUNB.ca and make a promise to pledge 5 dollars or more on the condition that UNB follows through on their stated promises - think of this as a petition with a financial message to UNB. Your name will never be made public if you wish to remain anonymous. Also, please submit any information anonymously using the “Share an Issue” feature.

Together we can make a difference.

The President of UNB can turn the UNB Woodlot into a very positive public relations tool for the recruitment of new students and for increased fund-raising. Dr. John McLaughlin should call a moratorium on development in the Woodlot and launch an international design competition for a sustainable “University Town”, just like the University of British Columbia in Vancouver did for the edges of their woodlot. (see how well UBC promotes their ongoing development at www.

universitytown.ubc.ca).

UNB’s faculty could judge the submissions for this competition. This mixed, high-density, low sprawl development would preserve the majority of the UNB Woodlot as an uninterrupted wildlife refuge and outdoor teaching lab.

Also, this development would become a showcase for the UNB Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management by taking a leadership role in smart growth and LEED certification construction, that is “green buildings”.

You can’t build without a comprehensive land use plan. Let’s plan first and lead with smart growth. And let’s put an end to beaver killing in the UNB Woodlot.

Mark D’Arcy (Work - 506.458-8533) Dr. Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy (Work 506.454-1230) 379 Northumberland Street Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 3K2 Home - 506-454-5119 E-mail: markandcaroline@gmail.com

UNB at a turning point The Brunswickan between greatness and mediocrity Editorial Board

Mugwump

by Tony von Richter

Hello and welcome to the first edition of Mugwump for the 2007-08 school year. Now I know what a lot of you must be thinking: What the hell is Mugwump?

Well, first off, it’s a tradition. Since at least the 1970s every Managing Editor of The Brunswickan has penned a regular column and it’s always been known as Mugwump. Usually it’s been a lighter column, one to offset the more serious editorials written by the Editor-in-Chief that were used to let the public know what we as a paper stood for.

As for the name itself, dictionary.com defines mugwump as: a Republican who refused to support the party nominee, James G. Blaine, in the presidential campaign of 1884; or a person who is unable to make up his or her mind on an issue, especially in politics; a person who is neutral on a controversial issue.

So the first definition doesn’t apply here since I wasn’t actually a member of the Republican party in 1884, since I wouldn’t be born for another 100 years or so, but the third definition does fit, and that’s what this column will be the vast majority of the time: neutral.

Of course from time to time I’ll take a strong stand on a particular issue, but for the most part this column will just present both sides of an argument and then leave it up to you to decide which side you’re on.

Okay so with all the introductory stuff out of the way, let’s get on to the topic at hand, and that’s the future of UNB. Back in January, NB Premier Shawn Graham announced that there was going to be a review of the province’s postsecondary education system. Citing low enrolment at universities and waitlisted enrolment at community colleges, Graham said that post-secondary education system needed “more than a tweaking” in order to remain competitive.

Fast forward to this past week and all the new students arriving for orientation and the inevitable question of “why did you choose UNB?” and the variety of answers that comes with it, the most common that I heard was some combination of ‘I’m from town, and it’s cheaper to live at home.’ This got me to wondering: is UNB a competitive national university?

Well let’s look at the positives and negatives of our fair school.

On the positive side we’ve got faculties like Business Administration, Kinesiology, Renaissance College, and Engineering putting out exciting and

innovative academic programs and opportunities, and our Law School is one of the best in the nation.

Class sizes are relatively small (excluding things like the intro sciences and Arts 1000) so it’s pretty easy to form a good relationship with your classmates and professors.

There are a wide variety of sport and recreation options on campus, both at the varsity and intramural level and there are also numerous clubs and societies to get involved with if you’re not into sports.

Since we are one of the oldest universities in North America we’ve got a rich and interesting history and we have a nice campus, even if it’s built on a hill.

Also, since Fredericton is a smaller city the cost of living is lower than it would be elsewhere.

On the negative side, we’ve got constantly rising tuition costs to where tuition is about $1000 more than it was four years ago. Obviously this isn’t a problem that’s exclusive to UNB, but it seems that our costs keep going up and we see no positive benefit from them.

Despite spending around $200,000 to improve the kitchens in the SUB cafeteria, the quality of food hasn’t increased and the speed of service seems like it may have gone down a little.

Construction projects, no matter how big or small, are never finished on time, and are often started at strange, illogical dates, so that it appears that no one in the university administration knows how to operate a calendar.

Finally, there is the perception that outside of their individual faculties, the university doesn’t care about its students. For the most part it isn’t true, but the perception is there and unfortunately, perception is reality.

Decisions like trying to close down the most spirited residence on campus, failing to improve what’s largely seen as a poor food selection in the SUB, and having constant construction delays that either prevent facilities from being used or blocking off student parking (which is already scarce as it is) all add to the perception of the university administration being an uncaring, faceless entity.

Is UNB competitive on a national level? Honestly, I don’t know. I fall into the ‘it’s cheaper since I’m from here’ category so it was a no-brainer to attend either UNB or STU, and from my experience, that is the deciding factor for a lot of students who come here. However, there are other students (mostly upper and graduate level) who have told me that they came here because of a specific program that UNB offers so there are programs that draw students to the university.

So with the report on the province’s post-secondary education system due towards the end of this month this has become a crucial time for UNB. Does the school begin to accentuate its positives, eliminate some of the negatives and become an important school on the national scene? Or does the school begin to falter to eventually be seen as just another school?

Again, I don’t know. At this point UNB has the potential to become a top-flight institution worthy of being one of the oldest universities in North America but it could just as easily falter and become an average run-of-the-mill school, and it’ll be a few years before we know the answer.

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 Naomi Osbourne, Jessica Grzesik, Brian Greenpants, Hunter Gavin, Sean M.H., Dan Hagerman,

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 non-profit, 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.

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 Editorin-Chief.

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

Comments & Letters

Issue 2 •September 12, 2007• 9

Canada’s Unexplained Military Presence in Afghanistan

What are you most excited about at school this year?

Internet

Dear Editor, Since Ottawa sent military support to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, Canadian public opinion has generally hovered in a state of confusion, with many people unsure of exactly why troops have been sent there in the first place.

Now, however, that befuddlement is steadily being combined, if not replaced, with a sense of distrust and agitation.

And understandably so. Canadians largely remain perplexed as to why Ottawa has sent troops to a war which many see as unjustified, and even more seem to feel is still unexplained. No solid reasoning has come from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to elaborate on the very general statements released this far, which have simply declared that Canada is now “committed” to the war. Despite the rising military and civilian death toll overseas, he claims that Canada now has a “better military” from the experience.

Contrasting with the tranquil and vague rationalization from the federal government has been a rabidly defensive outcry by the armed forces. Conveniently disregarding the large number of innocent people killed in the invasion and consequent occupation, military officials have been quick to respond to anti-war sentiments by offering up the suggestion that the public often forgets about “all the good things” which Canadian soldiers contribute to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

An intensified pro-military advertising campaign in Canada over recent years has been coupled with corporate media refusing to carry out a critical analysis of the political and economic reality of Canadian troops in Afghanistan. This has fostered the conditions for at least partial support of the war by working class Canadians.

But the attempts at winning over public opinion have not been as successful as some political leaders and military brass had hoped. According to recent polls, nearly 50 per cent of Canadians are opposed to the war in Afghanistan. Public demonstrations against the occupation are still strong, with thousands protesting in the streets throughout 37 cities last October 25, in order to spread the truth about the Conservatives’ agenda.

When examined, the often ignored numbers don’t lie either. Canada entered a war that aroused international popular condemnation, which is now responsible for the deaths of between 20,000 and 49,600 Afghanis, according to Jonathan Steele of The Guardian.

Canada’s participation in Afghanistan provides essential logistical support to the simultaneous US war in Iraq.

Canada’s death count in the Afghan

“theater of operations” is now at over 70 troops, with an additional 150+ injured.

In analyzing the number of dead, the math paints a dreary picture which is difficult to understand. Great Britain, which currently has 4,700 soldiers serving in Afghanistan, has had fewer troops killed than Canada, which has fewer than half the number of British soldiers stationed there. Meaning that Canada’s casualty rate is double that of the British. Yet these realities do not penetrate Canadian media.

Further displaying the success of wartime propaganda at work, an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CanWest News Service this past September showed that of just over 1,000 Canadians questioned, 80 per cent actually believe that Canadian forces are conducting a “vital humanitarian mission” in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the truth is far different from this common misconception of the Canadian military as being one of peacekeepers eager to reconstruct war-torn communities.

Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan currently have approximately 90 per cent of their work consisting of combat missions, and only 10 per cent allocated to humanitarian projects – a scandalous injustice when it is considered that 1.5 million people in Afghanistan are suffering from imminent starvation. Canada’s participation in this US-instigated war helps maintain the annual deaths of 268,000 Afghani children under the age of five who pass away from easily treatable diseases such as diarrhea and pulmonary conditions.

Since Canadian forces arrived in the region in late 2001 (and actively engaged in on-ground missions beginning in early 2002), the US government has been able to utilize more of its military resources in the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Mainstream press in Canada has been largely silent on this matter.

There was an equal lack of publication on the confirmation from Ottawa in April, 2003 that over 50 Canadians were actually fighting in Iraq, placed there via exchange programs with the “allied” forces.

Canadians are faced with the challenge of choosing between blind nationalism and a critical perspective on the economic realities underlying the occupation of Afghanistan, through which Canada has enrolled itself as a military junior partner of the US global empire.

As the body count of both Afghanis and Canadians grows higher, the facts are becoming clearer as to the true intentions behind the war, and the necessary illusions which cloak them.

Shane Ruttle Martinez

Almost being done my degree.

Alicia Douttouze

End of the semester.

Anthony Brooks

Finishing my degree.

Genaldine Chitate

Flying.

Matt Chaisson

To be finished.

Mike Wright & Michelle Dewitt

To be back in class.

Patrick Proctor

By Sheharzad Arshad Excalibur (York University)

UNB’s parking problem getting worse Dear Editor, Why can’t I park my car on campus?

I paid $75 for the right to do so, yet anytime after 9 AM I’m lucky if I can find parking anywhere but the Aitken Centre. I understand that it’s the start of the year and everyone is eager to go to class, pay their fees, and spend money at the bookstore but this is ridiculous.

Over the past few years like many others I’ve come to accept that if you arrive on campus between the hours of 9:30 and 12:30 you won’t be parking anywhere but Chapman Field, but this year you can’t even do that because no one on this campus can schedule a construction project properly.

So here’s what I’m thinking: if we have to pay $75 for the right to park on campus and get ticketed for parking without a pass (when Campus Security manages to get out of their car and actu-

ally do such a thing, which can be rare if its cold. Or hot. Or raining. Or kind of foggy) maybe we should be able to get some money back everyday we can’t find a parking spot.

Because if we have to pay for the ‘privilage’ of parking on campus we should actually be able to do it.

Randall Cranston

10 • Issue 1 • September 12, 2007

The Brunswickan

Comments & Letters

Issue 2 • September 12, 2007 • 11

Vietnam Vet

By Andrew Reeves The Peak (Simon Fraser University)

Canada puts international poverty on the back burner

by Christina Barfitt, The Muse (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

ST. JOHN’S (CUP) -- To the disappointment of many, and to the surprise of some, Canada’s Senate adjourned last June without passing the foreign aid bill, C-293.

In May 2006, Liberal MP John McKay introduced the Development Assistance Accountability Act in the House of Commons as a private member’s bill. At nearly every stage it was met with opposition, but took almost a year to pass the House.

Despite a heartfelt plea from Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire to political leadership to legislate Bill C-293, it has yet to pass the Senate.

Sadly, the calls of almost 230,000 Canadians and 700 non-governmental organizations who signed the Make Poverty History petition, urging Parliament to enact legislation to provide more and better aid, have gone unanswered as the bill remains lost in committee. Dallaire has suggested that dithering by the Senate could lead to the death of the bill.

The intent of Bill C-293 is simply to improve accountability and create transparency in Canada’s foreign aid spending. If passed, the bill would help to ensure Canada’s development assistance meets Official Development Assistance standards.

That means all assistance must contribute to poverty reduction, take into account the perspective of the poor and be consistent with international human rights standards. Foreign aid must benefit the poor, not the donors.

The bill isn’t an abstract or confusing piece of legislation either. At least seven other countries including the UK, Sweden and Switzerland have passed similar laws.

The idea that Canada needs a separate piece of legislation to ensure development assistance funds are used to aid the poor, rather than serve Canadian ends, may seem strange to some, but a quick glance at Canada’s track record suggests otherwise.

Canada is failing to meet its pledge to devote 0.7 per cent of gross national product to battle world poverty. In fact, the country hasn’t even taken steps to fulfill Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s campaign promise to reach the average donor country Official Development Assistance levels of approximately 0.5 per cent by 2010. Shamefully, the level of gross national product Canada currently devotes to the goal of poverty reduction just 0.33, despite the level of economic growth.

The United Nations notes 1.2 billion people continue to live in abject poverty.

17 million people will die this year from curable diseases, and over 800 million people will go hungry today. Most upsetting of all, 50,000 people will die today from poverty-related causes that are entirely preventable.

Yet Senate has decided this issue can wait until the fall. How many more will die from poverty related issues before Canadians have the opportunity to debate this issue once more?

Send your letters to eic@unb.ca

Bruns Arts

September 12, 2007

The trendiest bag ladies in town Purse design company ‘message in a bag’ celebrates its one-year anniversary with something a little different: a clothing line

by Ashley Bursey

“Your butt looks great,” designers Shallan Gagnon and Sara Murray say – and purse lovers from here to Australia are totally buying it.

Literally.

Gagnon and Murray are the creators of ‘message in a bag’, a purse design company that had its start a year ago when the girls were trying to raise funds to create their own clothing line.

“Shallan and I graduated from the [New Brunswick College of Craft and Design] together and we were working on a fashion line…So Shallan had been working on some purse designs, and we decided to go in and do purses,” says

Ashley Bursey / The Brunswickan

Murray. “Anyway, the purses took off, and we ended up doing just purses, and that’s all we had a time for.”

The bags sold at a feverish pace. Only a year later, the two can’t believe how popular ‘message in a bag’ has been.

“We jut graduated in May. That’s what’s so shocking. It picked up right away,” Shallan says. She points to an article in the local paper from when the girls were still in design school.

“There aren’t even buttons on that purse,” Sara remembers, glancing at the photo. “We had an inventory of, like, 20 bags then.”

“It’s been a total whirlwind,” Shallan adds. “Everything has happened so quickly, now our inventory that we keep on hand is 200, where before it was 12!”

“And we were thinking, ‘Whoo!”

Shallan finishes. “12!”

The purses, vinyl and each handmade, are kitschy – think fish skeletons or bright flowers – and unique. Each know it’s there, kind of that hidden one features a message silk-screened message.”

It’s not just the hidden message, on the inside: ‘Suck it up, princess’, ‘Does this bag make me look fat?’, and, although the girls have seen fans stop one another on the of course, the prostreet to compare derrière comment are “It’s been (“what did you all big hits. And the get?”). The long “Love you” message a total life of the bags, plus is a boyfriend’s best whirlwind, the variety – small, friend: “Brownie points!” the girls Everything large, fanny pack, even a Pilates-mat giggle.

“We were talking has happened carrier – have led to the creation of “over about secret things,” so quickly, a thousand bags” in says Gagnon, sitting now our the past year. in the girls’ studio “It’s fun,” Gagnon on the North side of inventory says. “When you see Fredericton, a roll of clear packing tape that we keep that first [bag on arm], around her upper on hand is 200, someone’s you’re just like – I arm. “You know if you have a secret where before remember Sara and I being in the mall and pocket, or sometimes it was 12.”

Sara was like, ‘there’s if your jeans have a bag, there’s a bag!’ that little flowered - Shallan Gagnon And so we’re hiding ribbon on the inside in a store, so excited. that no one else can see? There’s something really cute I always want to stop them and say, I about that; nobody can see it, but you like your bag.”

Ashley Bursey / The Brunswickan

“Or, I made that,” Murray adds.

The girls begin to talk over each other. “It’s very exciting. It’s still exciting.”

“It just shows that people wear them. If you like something enough to wear it…” Sara trails off and shrugs.

by Brad Conley

I’ve already got my brother’s Christmas present, and it’s all because of the skinniest man in rock and roll.

But before we get into that, let’s rewind a little bit. Friday night. Uptown Fredericton. The liquor store.

Our night started with a quest to find some cases of Moose Light. After checking that liquor store, we headed downtown to King Street, on one of the hottest nights of the year.

We needed a cold one for the night’s festivities, and we needed one fast.

After a few minutes hanging out in the cooler, we packed up our 12-pack and popped a few caps in preparation for Plaskett.

sweet view.

I saw Plaskett and the Emergency last year, at the Harvest Jazz and Blues. It lit a spark in me, a Plaskett-fueled fire that is burning to his very day.

And tonight, after a year of playing the group’s records on repeat and singing along at the top of my lungs as I drove down Highway 101, I was ready.

So ready, I can’t even remember what they opened with. Shivers racing down the spine and the entire first few minutes a blur of pounding drums and heavy riffs and familiar vocals, I couldn’t even wrap my head around the whole thing until the second song.

Which, as my friend shouted over the music, is “the best. Song. Ever!”

It was “A Million Dollars,” one of my favorite tracks. And the rest of the concert was like that – sing-along song after song, old standbys and new tunes.

It couldn’t have been better, I thought, wiping sweat off my brow when the

Brian Munn / The Brunswickan

A Bruns writer finds out that Joel Plaskett is not only a great musician, but an awesome guy, too

Gallagher.

“It’s funny how things take you in different directions,” Gagnon says.

“When we first started our fashion line, this jersey line, we decided we’re just going to do it when we have time, just to keep it fun or whatever. We’ve gotten such a great response that I think we’ll end up doing that full-time now, along with the purses. We’re not going to get rid of the purses.”

Murray laughs. “We just doubled our work.”

And the clothes have that same secret message on the back.

“I’ve had people in lineups behind me at different places tap me on the shoulder and say, ‘Oh, isn’t that cute’”, Murray remembers. “It’s like, again, that secret message that you don’t really know you’re giving to someone, but it’s always nice to see.”

And Sara’s dress, in a deep navy blue, is true to the point. “No ordinary woman,” a patch over her left shoulder proclaims – and for both designers, nothing could say it better.

For more information, check out www.shallanandsara.com. Their designs can be found at the studio on 149 Station Road on the North side.

Ashley Bursey / The Brunswickan

Joel Plaskett rocks the SUB and my world. Slightly drunk.

That’s right. This was the night I’d been anxiously counting down on my calendar for weeks; the night where I would finally make the acquaintance of the Maritime’s Great One, Joel Plaskett himself.

My fellow die-hard and I sat for two hours in our apartment, hunched over our beer, old Plaskett tunes blaring on the stereo. We were psyching ourselves up for a great show, the minutes ticking away to eight o’clock, when we would make our way over to the SUB cafeteria for the UNB/STU Orientation Week concert.

Fast-forward to the front row. The lights dimmed. The crowd roared. We were too busy poring over Plaskett paraphernalia to even catch the entire opening act, but it was worth it.

And me, with my arm in a sling, ready to rock out - but forced to stand beside the stage as the band mounted the stairs, instruments in hand...I couldn’t crowd-surf, but it was still a pretty

Enough said.

And now, the girls have finally begun what they originally started: their own line of jersey dresses, capelets, tanks, and tees. Today, Shallan’s in black and Sara’s in blue, both in comfy, airy, dresses with that signature silkscreen photo in black and white, the dress slouching trendily over one shoulder.

“You feel like you’re wearing pajamas, but you don’t look like you’re wearing pajamas,” says Gagnon of the fashions, which she has already showed in Moncton and will bring to Christmas shows and the Farmer’s Market this year.

“The way we cut the lines, and we designed them so they feel dressy but you’re very comfortable. And the colour – with our bags and our clothes, we have a bright colour range and good colours, so we get a lot of comments on our bright colours.”

The clothing also has silk screens of friends, family, and even Shallan’s grandmother, when she was 28, the day she caught her first fish.

And in the coming months, the two designers will also be featured on a TV show about fashion on the East coast, called Fashionistas, hosted by Trudy

encore ended.

Until I met Joel Plaskett hanging out in the SUB. So after the concert, we were just hanging out in an office downstairs, uploading photos from the concert (“Yes! That was so great,” high-fives as we relived it over again) when we heard a commotion down the hall.

I went to check it out and saw, around the corner, Joel Plaskett just hanging out in one of the offices.

I ran back without a second thought, grabbed the vinyl and DVD I had just bought for my little brother, and backtracked to meet Joel.

I tiptoed into the office and asked, nonchalant, if Joel happened to be around. Someone pointed him out.

After a few seconds, he noticed me and made a beeline for where I was standing.

“How’s it going?” He asked.

“Pretty good,” I said, trying to play it cool.

He asked me if I enjoyed the show, and I tried not to drop too many superlatives (“Amazing! Fantastic!”) I told him where I was from and about the record I’d bought for my brother.

He thought that was pretty cool, and he wanted to sign it. So, of course, still pretty cool on my part, I let him.

“Awesome,” he said. “Hope you had a great night.”

“Thanks, I definitely did,” I told him, trying to leave with my pride intact.

I couldn’t believe how cool a guy he was, how super amazingly awesome of a guy he was. How down to earth.

How willing to just chat with a fan, take time after an exhausting show to visit with someone and still be so friendly and open.

It wasn’t until later I got a good look at the record. “Rock on, Brodie,” it said, a little speech balloon on the back on the vinyl.

No. Rock on, Joel.

The Final Score

by Dan Hagerman

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie (Super Nintendo) There was a time when a group of teenagers would take a break from typical high school loitering and actually do something for the community. But it wasn’t by volunteering at the local food bank. Instead, they chose to pick fights with total strangers.

There was a movie made about these Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, but the game that shares its name has nothing to do with it. Yes, there is punching and kicking, and the special effects are still awful, but this game is almost undeserving of the Power Rangers name. Except for the primary villain of the film, Ivan Ooze (whose name is cleverly trademarked on the title screen), this could very well just be any old Power Rangers game.

Graphics: On the mid-range of mediocre. For one, the character I chose to play as, the Blue Ranger, Billy, wears overalls and appears to have a gut going on. Perpetuating the stereotype that all intelligent people wearing glasses are overweight is one thing, but when playing as Billy, there is no power in this Power Ranger. When he punches Putties, he looks directly at the screen as if to say, “Why, User? Why are you making me do this? Don’t you realize I have better things to do, like check over my Computer Science homework?”

Also, when poor, stereotyped Billy transforms into the Blue Ranger, he loses about 20 pounds from his gut, and can also now run where he couldn’t before and punch twice as hard. And many of you remember the morphing sequences from the show, where the Rangers would hold up their power coins and lightning would flash.

Thankfully, this sequence is kept in the game, except the graphics are so awful it

looks like the sequence is from The Ring more than Power Rangers. (3/5) Gameplay: If you’ve played Final Fight, Streets of Rage, or any of those side-scrolling Beat-‘Em-Ups, you’ve got a pretty good idea of what to expect, here. You move to the right, punching and ducking, until you fight the boss, whom you must also defeat. The game throws in one neat innovation: you can either fight in the foreground or background of a scene. What advantage this gives you is clearly irrelevant, as the Putties can do this too.

You may be wondering why the only enemies I’ve mentioned in this game thus far are Putties. Well, aside from the odd laser cannon, they are the only enemies. And they all do the same thing.

Sure, after a while, they try mixing things up by colouring them differently, but, you guessed it, you can still punch and duck your way to freedom with these more powerful versions.

And if you can find someone who loves Power Rangers just as much as you do, there’s a two-player mode! (3/5) Sound: The most pleasing thing about this game is that it actually plays the Power Rangers theme from the show at the title screen, even though the sound effects are your generic punches and ‘zap’ noises. On the plus side, this is probably one of those games that you could mute and substitute your own sound effects for a much better experience. (2.5/5) The Final Score: Maybe I was a little too harsh on this game at first. Any character other than the Blue Ranger actually looks like they belong in a fight with evil monsters. And the graphics are colourful, if somewhat uninspired (a supermarket fight? Sweet.) On the other hand, the game plays like many games before it, with much less variety and much slower action.

For the nostalgia factor, I’ll give this game a solid 3 out of 5.

Issue 2 • September 12, 2007 • 15

14 • The Brunswickan

Books & Bytes

by Leanne Wells

A warm welcome to all new and returning students! Over the summer, the libraries on our Fredericton campus have been busy acquiring some excellent new resources that are now available to you. Students should be aware of the following: News from Harriet Irving Library (HIL) The front doors of the HIL are open once again! The Commons Café (serving Starbucks coffee) is also back in business. Cafe Mocha anyone?

Newbies take note – it’s the place to meet friends for coffee, study and to get help with your research.

Drop by and see how the HIL’s new Learning Commons is taking shape. The Commons renovation has taken approximately eight months to complete, although a few areas are still in the process of getting their finishing touches.

Alongside the latest in library and IT resources and services, the new space provides additional seating for 200 students. I’m looking forward to reading in the comfy chairs by the fireplace. No kidding!

John Teskey, Director of UNB Libraries, and all library staff wish to pass on their thanks to everyone for your continued patience during the transformation.

New Library Borrowing Policy All library borrowers need to know that a new borrowing policy came into effect on July 16. The most notable changes are: 1. A two-week loan period for undergraduate borrowers 2. A daily fine system of $1 per day, per item up to a maximum of $10 Feel free to check with staff at the Circulation Desks in the HIL, Science & Forestry or the Engineering libraries for details.

Book Review To complement our biweekly Books & Bytes column, we’re going to toss a few book reviews your way. Interested in reading great new literature and then telling the whole world what you think about it? Drop us a line at bruns.arts@ gmail.com!

Novel: “Belle de Jour” “There is very little in life, the kitchen,

or indeed the bedroom that could not be improved with the liberal application of chocolate sauce from a squeezy bottle.”

-Belle de Jour She’s a blogger. That’s how it all began. But two books later, the London callgirl and self-proclaimed sex addict (who uses Belle de Jour as her pseudonym), is still delighting readers with her quirky, candid humour and perhaps too-detailed (yet impossible to put down) accounts of her exploits as a ‘working girl’, while most certainly including plenty of chocolate sauce.

I read her first novel, The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl, last year, before it had really begun to pick up steam. It’s written as a daily firstperson diary, and you realize right away that, fiction or fact, the girl’s got brains.

She was educated at ‘uni’, but became a working girl because the pay and hours are fantastic (and the fact that she’s a clotheshorse and lingerie lover to the nth degree can’t hurt). Our heroine alleges she would rather have spent her entire university tuition at the bookstore, devouring tome after tome rather than in a classroom – hence, quite evidently, the eloquent writing skills and distinct, refreshing lack of euphemisms.

For the interim between novels, Belle’s website (http://belledejouruk.blogspot.com/) has been a godsend, delivering touching, funny and downto-earth stories. But now, with The Further Adventures of a London Call Girl, I have been able to sit back in a comfy chair and enjoy Belle’s new life as an ex-call girl, minus much of the raunchy details, and delivering more of a well-rounded, poignant tale of selfactualization (believe it or not) and a fresh take on relationships. It runs the gamut of her life in London, a move down south to live with a recently rehabbed cousin (and involves a series of interludes with a local restaurateur and a visit from her personal boy du jour, whom she refers to conveniently as The Boy), her attempt to deal with the divorce of her parents, and her inability to muddle through several messy relationships (one of which, ironically, involved The Boy cheating on her while she was unbendingly faithful…if you don’t count the clientele).

Take a test run with the website. If you think it’s clever and witty – which you undoubtedly will – it can only follow that the books will be a nice companion for an evening read. It’s laugh-out-loud British humour (the driest, most selfdeprecating kind) at its absolute best, and the heroine is such a gem you can’t help but fall in love with her – and be secretly fascinated by her life.

It’s late. You’re sitting in a dark room, sliding that favorite vinyl from its careworn package. The song ends. Turning a knob, you flick the switch to open the airwaves to your voice and lift the needle on the record player to your left. It’s your music, it’s your voice. You’ve got students and residents across the province’s capital city tuning in with their hip-hop, punk, country, indie, or even radio commentary requests, questions, and comments. It’s your show, and you’re calling the shots. You push the volume control a notch higher before you play that favorite song.

The year of the Canuck

“Good evening, folks – you’re listening to CHSR.” For the UNB campus/community radio station, CHSR FM, this dream could become an airwave-ready reality. All it takes is a quick visit to the CHSR offices and you could eventually be hosting and playing the tunes or scheduling the programming for your very own weekly radio show.

Scott Kitchen, the CHSR Program Director, is psyched to welcome a new crop of students into the hallowed halls of CHSR.

Don’t switch that dial On The Wire

by Scott Kitchen

Welcome to all new and returning students! This column is intended to serve as an introduction and a weekly bulletin for CHSR FM. Located in room 223 of the SUB (above the UNB SU offices), CHSR FM has been open to any and all interested in radio broadcasting for over 40 years.

Whether you’re interested in producing your own program or working behind the scenes, we’ll provide all the training you need. All you need to do is drop by the station, become a member and sign up for orientation and training.

Twenty dollars gets you all the access and training you want for the whole year, as well as all the membership benefits.

Check this space each week to see what’s going on at CHSR. We’ll have various events and notices here throughout the year, along with programming notes and more. Our first general membership meeting this year is taking place September 18, at

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

6:00 pm, room 103 of the SUB. If you are a new member, or are interested in getting involvedat the station, or maybe just curious about what goes on at CHSR, this meeting will be a great place to start. Also, keep an eye out for us at some of the events happening around both campuses during the first week of classes!

To get you started with our programs, here are a few listener favourites, returning again this year: Seismic Sound - 2 solid hours of uncompromising metal, with host Luc DeLong, Fridays and Saturdays 10:00 pm - 12:00 am.

Waxing Deep - Funk, soul, psych, jazz and more. Obscure cuts and rare groove, with host Dan Zacks, Friday afternoons 3:00 - 5:00. www.waxingdeep.org Falls Count Anywhere - Fredericton’s premiere pro wrestling commentary radio show! Wednesday evenings, 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Democracy Now! - A daily look at global news and issues. Awardwinning alternativejournalism. Monday - Friday 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm. www. democracynow.org And there’s tons more. Be sure to pick up a program schedule at the station or in the display case in the SUB lobby (just outside of Sub Towne) and take a look at the programming we’ve got to offer!

If you don’t see what you’re looking for, you can always sign up to do your own show!

CHSR’s Recruitment Information Meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 18th at 6pm in Room 103 of the SUB. Join us to get the scoop on the internal workings of the Club, hear about the many cool departments within the station where you could leave your mark, and grill current members on anything you want to know about CHSR. Find out what”Your Access to the Airwaves” can be!

Questions? chsrpd@unb.ca www.chsrfm.ca

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This year’s TIFF includes more Canadian contributions than ever

by Kevin Harper Excalibur (York University) TORONTO (CUP) -- The end of summer yields glee for Toronto moviegoers, as the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is quickly approaching.

Starting on Sept. 6 and running until Sept. 15, the 32nd annual festival boasts a total of 349 films being screened this year. Out of these, 95 are Canadian productions or co-productions, making the festival the largest showcase of Canadian filmmaking among the international film festivals. Films from 55 countries are represented this year, with 85 per cent of the films international or North American premieres.

Keeping with the theme of being progressively Canadian, the festival was named one of Canada’s top 100 employers by Maclean’s magazine earlier this year. It was the only arts group to be included on the list.

The festival has also gained notice for its continual use of volunteers for various tasks surrounding the festival, from taking tickets at screenings to greeting international guests as they arrive at the airport.

But despite the spotlight shone on the festival’s organization, its essence remains to bring together great films and film aficionados.

Screenings at this year’s festival are abundant as per usual, but some of the year’s most anticipated films will be shown for the first time on Toronto

screens.

Peter Greenaway’s Nightwatching is a biopic about the legendary Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. It is Greenaway’s first feature film in eight years, being screened as a special presentation.

Listed in the fare is David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises—the director’s first film since his highly acclaimed A History of Violence. The film revolves around a Russian gangster (History’s Viggo Mortensen) who becomes entangled with a midwife (Naomi Watts) with the potential to bring down his organization.

Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of the Anthony Shaffer play, Sleuth, features the duality of Michael Caine and Jude Law. The screenplay is by playwright Harold Pinter, making the film a combination of formidable British talents.

Special presentations include Jonathan Demme’s Man From Plains, which focuses on Jimmy Carter’s postpresidential voyages as he toured for his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.

Another film with a political conscience is Ted Braun’s documentary Darfur Now, which deals with the Darfur genocide through the eyes of six passionate activists.

On the musical spectrum, Lou Reed’s Berlin, directed by Julian Schnabel, focuses on the performance of Reed’s 1973 album Berlin in its entirety. It was filmed in 2006 and produced by famed Canadian producer Bob Ezrin.

The festival’s official website, www. tiff07.ca, is your best resource for keeping up with the latest announcements and information. It also features schedules, ticket information, and film and director profiles. Tickets are on sale now, but beware that many of the films may be sold out already — you will likely have to wait until they make it to the good old-fashioned silver screen.

Arts & Entertainment

Pages of passion

by Erin McIntyre The Uniter (University of Winnipeg) WINNIPEG (CUP) -- Susan felt the passion rise within her, could she . . . would she? Juan moved forward, Susan felt herself move towards him. Her heart swelled with anticipation within her breast as he embraced her, and she knew there was no turning back now.

Be honest. You were totally into it.

The Manitoba Writers’ Guild is, too.

Together with the Millennium Public Library and Place Louis Riel, the guild held ‘Romancing Winnipeg’, an event focused on the romance genre.

Accounting for 53.3 per cent of all popular fiction paperbacks sold and generating approximately $1.63 billion in sales a year, romance novels are clearly a popular literary genre. But what gives

“there’s a huge range in romances.”

Brenna is new to the world of romance. She actually has her degree in accounting, but decided to stay home when her daughter turned two.

Writing romance novels became a way to pass the time while her daughter took her afternoon naps, with no particular intention except to “just to see where it would go.” Now her daughter is 17 and Brenna recently singed a three-book deal with Harlequin.

Jamis Paulson, the programming and outreach director at the Manitoba Writers’ Guild, also has something good to say about romance novels.

“Romance is not one size fits all.

There are so many different flavours . . . Romance writing gets snubbed and people say it’s just a formula, but those people are missing out.”

The romance novel is almost a rite of passage, sort of like getting your driver’s license or your first kiss. Seventy-one

Issue 2 • September 12, 2007 • 15

Moncton psychedelia goes ‘Into the 4th Dimension’ Ashley Bursey chats with Moncton recording artist Jason Betts, a.k.a. Zwerg, about everything from smell memories to spirituality to his latest album, Into The 4th Dimension Brunswickan: So, is that really you on your MySpace page in those medieval outfits?

Zwerg: [laughs] Yeah, it’s me. Those costumes all came from my high school drama teacher at Moncton High…That album was kind of about the spiritual realm, so I wanted a kind of like supernatural warrior kind of look for the band, so there’s lots of shininess and medieval themes, but still some kind of extravagant rock element.

B: Wait, there’s a band?

Z: No. It’s actually just me now. I kind of always had a romantic idea of having a band but it never works out.

I’m too tyrannical. [laughs] Not really.

Zwerg has always kind of been me, since I was 18, and I just found it was hard getting everybody together, and they were all getting degrees and having babies and getting married…

B: So how did it all start?

Z: Zwerg started when I was going to university here and I was taking German at university. I’m part German.

I wanted some kind of word that kind of incorporated those northern European ideals, like stoicism and harshness, associated with Germany, and also something that was kind of a mythical reference. ‘Zwerg’ means dwarf, so I thought of it not as the politically correct little people, but as the mythical creatures, who were very strong warriors even though they were small.

B: And when did you start playing music?

Z: I guess I’ve always responded really favorable to music because when I was little….I remember the smell of the 8-track machine, the plastic, it was the most exciting smell in the world. You know when you get a smell memory?

They take you back to a time in your life you forgot about? I ran around the house listening to the BeeGees in nothing but training pants with big ol’ ’70s headphones and ate Cheese Nips.

B: Really?

Z: I’ve also been doing a lot of genealogical research. One line of my dad’s family was traveling musicians…

My mom played piano and dad played violin and sang; on the other side my grandpa played trumpet. I was in the Betts Family Band when I was little. I was derided for that a lot at school.

B: So tell me about your new album. What’s it like?

Z: It’s just kind of an amalgam of all the styles of music that I like. I’d love

to say that it’s really accessible to all people but a lot of people kind of turn their head and go, ‘huh?’ when they hear it. So it’s kind of avant-garde and more European than North American.

It’s not as digestible, I don’t think, as modern pop radio, but it’s a fusion of a lot of genres that people like – dream pop, classical, rock influences, a lot of electronic elements, too. It’s kind of a hodgepodge.

B: And songwriting? What about that?

Z: I think the song kind of knows where it’s going to go itself. I can’t explain it. I find when I try to force it and be really cerebral about it, it sounds really strained and forced…you develop that visceral instinct, ‘this sounds like a bridge’. Just through listening to music critically you start to develop an innate instinct, but it’s kind of sharpened [now].

B: So thematically, what’s the new album all about?

Z: [When] I was out on my own in Toronto [for 6 years], I just felt this need to explore or come to terms with religion, the very strict Christian religion that I was brought up in… I believe my grandfather is still in existence, and [I wanted to] kind of explore all of that and express my feelings about it sonically. So I would say it’s kind of a spiritual journey, this album.

But that’s this album. The next album

will probably deal more with the physical repression within religion. I know religion will probably always colour everything because I was bought up in such a Chritian household. The word [religion] has a negative connotation.

I would not say I’m religious in the least, but I’m definitely spiritual and I do believe in life after death; I’m more open than I used to be.

B: So what’s it like to be back home [in Moncton]?

Z: I’m just such a nature boy. I’m so inspired by it, and I missed aspects of Toronto but I don’t miss the commute.

It’s great if you’re wealthy and can live downtown in a nice place, but in order for me to have a decent-sized apartment I had to live outside of downtown…it would take me an hour and a half to get downtown and back.

I never realized what kind of identity we have as Atlantic Canadians until I got there and people would of course always call New Brunswick, Nova Scotia or Newfoundland, and ask, ‘Wow, what’s it like there? Is it igloos, fishing shacks and stuff?’ And I would play it up: ‘Let me put it this way: one time a partridge flew into our sliding glass door and we ate it.’

The vegans didn’t like me after that.

Zwerg’s newest CD, Into the 4th Dimension, will be released in Moncton at the Manhattan on September 13.

Check out www.myspace.com/ zwergband for more information.

Losing everything but lunch at the Frex

by Ashley Bursey

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them their mass appeal today?

Maybe 50 years ago, the titillating language served as a release for pent-up sexuality, with no risk of social exile. But in 2007, in a society infused with sex in every facet of media, what can a romance novel bring to the table?

Harlequin romance novelist Helen Brenna thinks she has the answer.

“People want to be entertained, and the most entertaining kind of story is one you know that by the end of it you will be happy, you will be satisfied.”

Brenna is also quick to point out that romance is not the “cookie-cutter fiction” many accuse it of being.

“There are things you expect from any kind of book you read. Every genre, by definition, is a type of book with certain expected features.” But, she adds,

per cent of romance novel readers read their first romance at 16 or younger, and a 2002 study found that one in five women have read a romance novel. The same study said 51.1 million Americans read romance novels and 51 per cent of those readers read between one and five romances a year.

Whether or not we choose to be aware of it, romance novels are a fixture of North American culture. Who doesn’t know Fabio? Who hasn’t heard the phrase ‘throbbing member’? And who is offended by the fact that they are familiar with either?

As Brenna points out, “At least people are reading! It’s not hurting anyone, so get off the high horse!”

Back home, in Newfoundland, we get a midway coming through our hometown a couple times a year. It’s got a Tilt-a-Whirl, a Tornado, a handful of games, and a terrifying Ferris-Wheeltype ride called the Cage (which I’ve seen mysterious, partially-digested-food-type liquid splashing from numerous times as the wheel turns and the cages flip).

Weirdly enough, in a city a third the size of my hometown, the fair comes knocking – and it’s twice as big (and twice as deliciously old-school) as our little midway back home.

So, of course I had to go. I’m a sucker for carnival rides and obnoxious carnies and the saliva-inducing smells of transfat-laden carnival food.

We went on a Wednesday night, just as twilight was settling in and the lights and colours burned against the darkening backdrop. To kick it all off, I was coerced into playing a game where I had to shoot some sort of water-pistol into a ridiculous orange target to make

my ‘player’ move – and lost miserably.

And so it began. Let’s put it this way: I have zero luck at carnival games.

I tried a dart game, one I was almost guaranteed to win; no dice. I tried a game where I had to throw rolls of toilet paper through a fake toilet seat; the carnie looked at me pitifully when I lost that one, too.

And then I saw it.

It was a duct-taped rope ladder with wooden steps. A Survivor-type game, forcing players to balance step by step over a squishy, rejected bouncy mat.

My eyes lingered as I was dragged past it to a swinging boat…and then again as I boarded the Scrambler…and then again as I munched my candy apple and snatched handfuls of salty, buttery popcorn.

Ashley Bursey / The Brunswickan

The Bruns’ Arts Editor takes a spin at the FREX.

That was it. I had to do it.

We raced back to the game. My friend took a chance first, paying her toonie and attempting to balance on the ladder’s shaky steps.

“Was it hard?” I asked, anxiously, as she tumbled off.

The carnie – a young, masculinelooking girl – stared at me like I had three heads. “Of course it’s hard.”

Oh, I see. A challenge, eh? Is that really where you want to go, girlfriend?

I rubbed my hands together in anticipation. Yanking two loonies out of my pocket and shoving them at her, I snarled, “Here. I’m doin’ it.’

This was it, the moment of truth.

Grasping the taped handles, my feet on the wooden slats, I started my ascent.

One. Two. Three. I felt like I was soaring, going further and further, until – Slam. And it was over.

I wandered away, dejected. The carnie was sniggering at me behind my back, and my pocket was two bucks lighter.

I may have lost the battle. But next year, I’m gonna be ready: hiking shoes, palm-chalk, the whole nine yards. I definitely plan to win the war.

Arts & Entertainment

16 • September 12, 2007 • Issue 2

Harvest Jazz &

It’s the largest and most musically diverse festival in Atlantic Canada, bringing in close to 70 000 music-lovers every year. With acts ranging from the folksy tunes of Grand Dérangement to jazz diva Molly Johnson to the legendary, New York-based Gov’t Mule to the latin jazz and salsa of Cimarron - to a whole host of local favorites, including Matt Mays and El Torpedo and Grand Theft Bus - it’s the Fredericton entertainment event of the year. Concerts span six nights, from Sept 11th to 16th over four city blocks in the downtown heart of New Brunswick’s capital city.

Chillin’ Room applauds the yearly Harvest

by Chillin’ Room

The Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival has been a big stepping stone for Chillin’Room throughout the years.

Our first show as a band took place four years ago, during the Galaxie Rising Star Competition. Since then we have been growing with the festival, and it’s been

really great to see it grow just as we have as a band.

This year marks the release of our first album ‘The Melting Pot’ and after two tours into Upper Canada this past summer we are looking forward to showcasing new sounds to an enthusiastic Harvest crowd. We will be playing four shows this year, and are excited to share the stage with our friends Grand Theft Bus and the Fussy Part, as well as out-of-town friends, Vanderpark.

We feel it’s important as local artists to really make an impact and play well

during the Harvest. Big crowds mean new fans and a chance to expose them to unique-sounding local music with a main stage feel. People who know Fredericton know that Harvest week is the biggest week of the year, musicwise. Everyone is hyped on the event and anxious to put their concert passes to work. With such a diverse line-up of international and local talent, who wouldn’t be?

Chillin’ Room will be playing The Barracks Stage on September 14 with GTB and Fussy Part and September 15 at the Capital with Vanderpark.

Harvest Jazz & Blues ‘is the best festival we’ve played, period’ God Made Me Funky will be returning to Fredericton to play the Harvest Jazz and Blues

by Ashley Bursey

For Toronto funk band God Made Me Funky, getting balls-deep in apple pie was the highlight of their summer.

“We got a message on MySpace saying that a production company was looking for music from a Toronto funk band,” says the group’s emcee, Phatt Al. “But we got in touch with them, found out there were about 150 bands who had responded, and [the company] just whittled it down and said they would take our song [for an upcoming movie].

“And then they went on MySpace and said they liked the way the band looked… [And they asked] ‘Would you like to be in a movie?’”

The movie was American Pie Presents: The Beta House, the sixth film in the

series. The group performs two songs, ‘Won More Time’, and ‘Luv T’Day’, to what Phatt Al says was an appreciative crowd of partiers – and they didn’t actually get to experience the apple pie thing.

“It was a toga party scene. We were all in togas,” he says, with his signature belly laugh. “The set was different from every movie set I’d been on before. It wasn’t stodgy; there was a real camaraderie between the actors and crew.

He puts on British accent. “[Not like], ‘Oh, I’m here, and you’re the crew.’ It was like a party, up at this mansion for a couple days of shooting, a huge backyard with this gigantic pool, and we just had a lot of fun.”

And the songs, a special hi-octane brand of nu-funk that makes dancing shoes mandatory, had partygoers buying CDs from the group on-set – just what this self-proclaimed ‘party band’ likes.

“We were running the tunes for two or three hours straight. [By that point], you expect people to be hating the tunes, [but] every time we finished there would be people cheering and it would be two, three o’clock in the morning and [everyone] would be really amped and hyped. We were like, ‘this is really cool, we’re putting on a mini concert’ [Maybe] the Guinness World Record for the longest concert with two songs.”

The band loves concerts, too, with a whole slew of different CDs in the tour bus’ player.

“There’s so much stuff out there but really, we’re a weird band because most of the time we are listening to older stuff,” he says. “I’m listening to a lot of retro stuff in terms of Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen; always listening to old school hip hop, RUN DMC, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 and stuff.

“We tend to listen to Michael Jackson on the road – what can we agree on?

Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai…we just like that musically.”

He adds: “Greening the songwriting element of it all, each musical form has a really strong pocket, and we just get into that pocket and say, that’s really so amazing…you really don’t need to get the latest keyboard or the latest drum machine and [need to] emulate Akon

to get a good sounding thing.”

God Made Me Funky’s musicians are no strangers to Fredericton, either.

“When we first started coming out east, we didn’t know what to expect.

We’re a party band, fundamentally, and we come to get down and bring that nu-funk,” says Al. “At the end of the day, we hope whoever’s coming out is willing to leave their problems at the door, and have a good time.

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“It’s been amazing; the East coast knows how to have a good time, how to relax. It’s like a working vacation for us, because there’s no stress. We’ve always had a good time.”

And the group, who’s alternating between touring and working on a new album, says that’s what it’s all about. “[Harvest Jazz and Blues] is the best festival we’ve played, period,” says Al, who was here for last year’s event.

For now, they’re concentrating on bringing fans a little something different.

“When we started [recording the new album], we were thinking of doing real futuristic, electro-funk stuff,” he says, “but what’s come out is kind of like the ’80s, just real fun shit from the ’80s, but not –” he starts singing – “in a do do do do dooo silly pop way.

“It’s more heavier stuff from the ’80s, but combined with a lot of old school hip hop scenes and old school rock, and it’s just really…pounding it out, having a good time with it.”

In typical God Made Me Funky style, he adds, “It’s been like, ‘yeah, this is it, this is what’s happening, but let’s not fight this. Let’s roll with this.’”

God Made Me Funky will be playing with Vanderpark and Dub Antenna at 8 pm at the Barracks Tent on September 13.

Arts & Entertainment

Issue 2 • September 12, 2007 • 17

Blues Festival

Take a walk in the Park then get a Room Vanderpark talks about Facebook, Freddy, and ridiculous band names

by Ashley Bursey They run the musical gamut from songs about life experiences, says Dave Stulberg, to catchy songs about none other than Internet networking phenomenon: Facebook.

“Because as we evolve as individuals, so does the world around us, and I think [Facebook and other pop culture phenomena] play a big part in every day life,” the Vanderpark singer and guitarist says. “It’s also another way for people to be more interested in your original music.”

Vanderpark, from Toronto, has been together since 2001. Named after an old bassist’s mother, who had a Dutch maiden name, they’re catchy, poprock-but-not-quite-top-40 (think John Mayer or Maroon Five, Stulberg says), and they love Fredericton.

“We’ve played there like six times,” he explains. “It’s like my favorite place in the world. It’s kind of a second home, because we’ve made so many really good friends there. [Like local artists] Chillin Room, we really formed a nice relationship with them, so we share each other’s homes when we’re touring.”

of recognized that if we wanted to make a career out of it, we had to be competitive with the market.

“We’ve evolved over time… [Now we] extend stuff onstage [in more of a jam-band style]. On our album now, it’s totally like, all about the tunes. We spent a lot of time focusing on that.”

And the lyrics, he adds. “Thematically, it touches on a whole lot of different stuff. It’s not just about love or whatever,” Stulberg explains. “I find some mainstream bands [talk about] getting it on with a girl and all that, but ours is more so the life experiences the band has been through. Like in life there’s good times and there’s bad times…so we wrote about that.”

And the sound is simple and fresh, kind of like their name. “We all live by parks, in the suburbs,” Stulberg admits, but it’s more than that.

“Everyone tells us [the name is] pretty cool. It’s growing on me,” he adds. “It’s not long.” He throws out an example. “And You Will Know Us By the Trail Of Dead? I mean, who’s going to remember that?”

Right now, Vanderpark is gearing up for Harvest Jazz and Blues, as well as a bunch of other shows around New Brunswick, including Saint John and Edmunston. Then it’s down to the eastern United States for a few shows, and back home to work part-time as they “nickel and dime” it.

But they have big dreams, including running off to Amsterdam to play a

Rocking the Harvest Jazz & Blues once again

This year’s festival features 125+ performers, rocks 20+ stages over 4 city blocks spanning 6 incredible days.

‘They’re massively great moments’ Molly Johnson takes on Fredericton with smoky voice and incredible songwriting

by Molly Johnson

“I don’t even need directions to get there anymore. I just get in a car and drive from Toronto.”

Vanderpark started as a jam band for the college set, traveling around Montreal and Toronto. The members were spaced out at different universities, so they drove from city to city to play shows in each other’s prospective locales.

“We had very limited practice time,” Stulberg says, but it worked out, and years later, Vanderpark has evolved into something that isn’t so much for “drunk college kids who like to dance” anymore.

Instead, it’s become something more sophisticated, but still fun; a rock-ready sensation with an ear for complex melodies and musical technicality.

“Over time we developed our sound, kind of mainstream, pop rock.

I wouldn’t say it competes with top 40, but we’re heading in a more mainstream direction,” Stulberg says. “We just kind

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show in – where else – a park, where “everyone’s going to show up,” Stulberg laughs.

For now, it’s more about the tour thing; getting their name out there and playing chill shows in East coast towns, targeting the college rock market. Until now, audiences have been more than receptive.

“I think we’re going to do a month on, month off, work random jobs to get by,” says Stulberg, who is a freelance video editor. “Nothing super exciting. I guess that’s kind of how you have to do it right now.”

But he’s got some good advice for the folks of Fredericton.

“In short, I want to tell people: ‘I don’t know, come listen to us play and enjoy our music’,” he says, before adding, “Oh. And take some vitamins.”

Vanderpark will be playing at 8 pm on September 13 at the Barracks Tent with Dub Antenna and God Made Me Funky.

Writers Wanted

Open staff meetings Wednesdays at 12:30 PM rm 35 of SUB

File Photo

For the one they call ‘Canada’s Jazz Diva’, it all began on a very different stage: a theatrical one.

Molly Johnson started her performing career as a budding child starlet, acting and singing in Porgy and Bess and South Pacific in Ontario. From there she was enrolled in the National Ballet School, but soon ditched that idea in favor of songwriting and jumping at the chance to front a disco band, of all things, called Chocolate Affair.

Several failed groups later, Johnson was left feeling out of sorts. She had been offered record deals by companies that eventually lost interest in her music, a snub to her hard work and dedication.

In “direct retaliation” to the music industry, she has said, she created Kumbaya, a star-studded benefit concert to raise money for charities working with HIV and AIDS, which lasted four years and raised over a million dollars – for which she was awarded as a recipient of the Order of Canada for her philanthropic work.

Johnson turned back to music years later, even after having been burned by companies who ultimately turned

their back on her unique brand of throaty vocals and smooth harmonies.

She eventually recorded two critically acclaimed jazz-pop albums, including her latest, from 2003, Messin’ Around, which was recorded in fourteen days with a core band, and has been hailed as “mature, engaging pop for a sophisticated audience…with artful Tin Pan Alley style lyrics, jazz phrasing, and overall pop sensibility.”

And now, Johnson’s smoky, liquid sassiness is going to be headlining two shows at Harvest Jazz and Blues.

She played the festival five years ago, in 2002, but admits she can’t really

to have at parties.”

For Johnson, it’s all about the music – and her two young boys, who “know all my lyrics,” she says. “They think I’m great. I’m their mom, for crying out loud. I don’t have to brush my teeth and they think I’m great,” she says, laughing.

“That’s one of the great things about being a parent: unconditional love.”

For Johnson, that vibrancy and personality is apparent in her music; a breadth of songs that span genres from coy pop to bossa nova to a hybrid of funk and jazz.

“I’ve been writing songs for a really, really long time. I get my inspiration

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Molly Johnson, from Toronto, will be playing Harvest Jazz and Blues on Saturday, September 15 at the Playhouse. remember the city, even though she “loves the East coast.”

“The East coast is a lively place. I would say it’s very lively,” she says.

“Musicians that I know that now live in Toronto, who are from all over the East coast – they’re always a fun bunch

from all over, listening, eavesdropping, that sort of thing,” she says. “I try and write songs that many people can see themselves in; I don’t really write about myself. I try to write about common experiences, you might see yourself there.”

And, of course, when the audience does see themselves in her lyrics, that’s Johnson’s idea of a perfect show.

“I love the audience. The way they respond to the material…” she says.

“Audiences are completely critical to a good show. If they’re flat, your show’s flat. If they’re not, you’re not. It has a lot to do with it – well for me, anyhow, how the show goes, whether [the audience is] digging it or not.”

But it’s tough not to be jaded, she says, and she’s not quite sure if she wants her own sons – who “love singing”, and are big fans of Hilary Duff and the Beatles – to follow in her footsteps.

“It’s a terrible business, the music business. You’ve gotta be made of Teflon,” she says. “I don’t want my boys to be made of Teflon. I want them to be sensitive and sweet. It’s a difficult business. I was in it from a young age. Not that I had a terrible time or anything… “[But with] the Internet, and the whole way the music industry has gone, it doesn’t hurt so much people like me – I make the kind of music that my audience doesn’t really download. It’s a jazz thing. I do a lot of philanthropy and a lot of stuff for others and I get much more satisfaction out of that. I love writing songs, I love recording them.

It’s all the crap in between.”

But, she adds, “I don’t want to be depressing. I love writing, and I love the musicians I work with. There are great moments…they’re massively great moments.”

Johnson will be performing September 15 at 3pm & 7:30pm for the Winners Jazz Series at the Playhouse.

Arts & Entertainment

18 • September 12, 2007 • Issue 2

Trigger-happy and proud of it Another four-letter F-word You’ll be able to pull an Annie Leibovitz with even a pointand-shoot if you follow these photo-taking tips

by Andrew Meade, Bruns Photo Editor They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and as many of you have learned or soon will, a little bit of extra effort goes a long way towards handing in an A+ paper instead of a C. The same thing applies to taking photos: putting in a little thought before pressing the button will make the moment all that much more enjoyable to look back on, be it the next morning or years down the road.

Here are a few tips and things to keep in mind to help guide you down the road to capturing that perfect shot.

Light: Seeing as photography is the very art of capturing light rays, this is the foremost element to keep in mind.

A good light source can make or break a photo. Fluorescent lights cast a greenish hue, incandescent lights will make your subject look yellow, and the straight-on on-camera flash produces harsh shadows and red eyes.

The best way to combat boring flash lighting is to get the flash off of

ruined by an unsuspecting bystander or passing truck. Remember, less is often more and a cluttered picture can be easily remedied by waiting for the crowd behind you to disperse.

Location. Just like in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location.

Why take a photo inside a crowded room when you could step outside and find an infinitely more interesting backdrop, with everyone you want

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Movie Review: “Fired!”

by Gabe Sigler The Link (Concordia University) MONTREAL (CUP) -- Woody Allen exclaiming that you “look like a retard” in a scene would be a blow to any serious actor. But for a Jewish actress from New York, it is akin to being bitch-slapped by the Lord himself.

The blow was especially hard on actress Annabelle Gurwitch, as Allen then summarily fired her from the play he was directing. The humiliating experience led Gurwitch to create ‘Fired!’, a documentary that examines the consequences of being fired by “a cultural icon,” as she puts it.

By relaying her story to friends in the industry, Gurwitch realized that the tales she was hearing about people being fired were often more entertaining than the very projects they had been fired from.

With that in mind, the first half of the film consists of Gurwitch soliciting demoralizing stories of being fired from a number of industry vets, including comedians David Cross, Sarah Silverman

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

the camera; it’s surprising how much difference it makes to hold the flash at arm’s length. Another option to eliminate harsh shadows is to bounce the flash off of a wall or ceiling, which softens the light and fills in the shadows.

actually in the photo instead of people that you don’t?

Or, when taking landscapes try and keep the foreground uncluttered and the image balanced; take into consideration the time of day, as the position of the sun in the sky can drastically change the scene from flat and boring to lively and dynamic. The best time to take landscapes is generally earlier morning or early evening and dusk, as midday sun can be rather unexciting (and creates a lot of shadows).

These are just a few suggestions to think about next time you’re out on a drive and come across a breathtaking landscape, or if you’re walking downtown on the weekend with friends and snapping shots of your adventures. Those few extra seconds might transform a mediocre photo into one that you and your friends will remember for years to come, so go out and shoot away. Practice makes perfect!

Try these steps: Turn the flash off, set your camera to nighttime mode, and put the camera on a steady surface with the self-timer on. This will prevent shaking the camera when pressing the button.

Composition. The subject does not have to be in the middle of the picture.

In fact, moving the main subject of your photo to one side of the frame or the other can make the image more visually interesting. This is called the Rule of Thirds. Try to divide the frame into thirds, vertically and horizontally, and place your subjects in the image with this imaginary grid.

And when taking pictures, be sure to be mindful of the background; an otherwise perfect shot can easily be

gives an actor some work (who was hastily fired from Saturday Night Live after just one season, via fax to boot), and in one of the funniest bits, Jeff Garlin of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The number of great stories led Gurwitch to write a book and launch a stage production featuring people telling some of their most memorable accounts of being laid off. The highlights of this short film mainly come from clips of these performances, including an amazing story of a former Facts of Life writer who was fired because, as he was told at the time, he “just didn’t quite get” the apparently nuanced characterization of ‘Tootie’.

However, Gurwitch doesn’t solely rely on her show-biz friends for sympathy and understanding. She also solicits advice from everyone including her rabbi and a whack of “crisis management” professionals, all in effort to come to grips with her feelings of shame and embarrassment.

This is where the film unexpectedly takes a turn towards more traditional documentary fare, with decidedly mixed results. Gurwitch eventually comes to the realization that -- wait for it -millions of ordinary people are being laid off all the time! There are actually people who are in worse positions than temporarily out-of-work actors!

The film then goes completely off the

rails as Gurwitch begins interviewing automobile union reps and even noted economist (and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off star) Ben Stein about the state of the workforce in America. What she discovers (to her apparent amazement) is that the top one per cent of the population keeps getting richer, while jobs are being cut at an ever-increasing rate.

While this is obviously a condemnable practice, it’s the sort of ‘revelatory’ message that is generally reserved for high school students taking their first economics class. As Gurwitch parades around the country like a cut-rate Michael Moore (even stopping in Moore’s home state of Michigan), the film drags on and often feels like an overstretched episode of Nightline.

Shallow as it sounds, stories of unemployed autoworkers are a dime a dozen. What this flick needs is more footage of Hollywood-gone-bad, like the perpetually out-of-his-mind Andy Dick manning a Mexican-food truck (don’t ask). If all this needless footage was simply Gurwitch worrying about making a one-dimensional film, she need only have looked to the success of The Aristocrats, a far more entertaining picture that had no qualms with focusing solely on comedians making asses of themselves for 90 minutes.

Scene-ic Fredericton Sheet Music

by James Boyle, of The Interest

Wow, what a year it is going to be!

Fredericton’s music scene is alive and kicking this year and I am so excited to see where this crazy little town takes us all in its musical adventures. The best Harvest Jazz and Blues festival line up to date, the East Coast Music Awards, a kickass line up in all the bars; if you are a music fan, this is where it’s at.

So really, what does all this mean?

Not only does it mean that Fredericton is bringing the best underground and mainstream musical talent that Canada has to offer, but it also shows huge growth in not only the independent music scene in Canada but all the East Coast. Our scene here in beautiful Fredericton, New Brunswick is becoming the music Mecca of the Maritimes.

It’s been hard to convince people of this. How possibly can little old Fredericton outdo a city like Halifax?

There are more people, larger venues and amazing music coming out of Nova Scotia.

What makes Fredericton the hot spot?

The answer is heart. We care about our scene and what it has to offer. Sure, we don’t have a 1000 person venue but remember that amazing show when you couldn’t move and all you could do was sweat? How about 200 people for the

Most Serene Republic? These shows are magic in our tiny, dark little venues; the fans jammed wall to wall, just waiting for a glimpse of the stage. We work for our music and shows after shows keep coming, and we keep working.

Fredericton is turning into the little city that could. The amazing venues.

The incredible festivals. Look at what is happening. It really is becoming the stop for music on the East Coast. So what do you have to do? JUST SUPPORT IT! Come out, party and have fun! Be part of something...something big. I am calling on everyone to help build on the important foundation that is already laid. Believe me, this is going to be BIG if everyone does their part.

For more information on the Fredericton music scene visit www.frederictonlocals.com

Monday Night Movie Series Gracie Director: Davis Guggenheim Cast: Carly Schroeder, Elisabeth Shue, Dermott Mulroney, Andrew Shue, Jesse Lee Soffer Runtime: 90 minutes Country: United Kingdom/Belgium/ France Year: 2007 Language: English Distributor: TVA Films Gracie is a truly rare film experience – a winning and inspirational film for the whole family. Based loosely on the history and passions of the Shue family, Gracie tells the triumphant tale of one family’s struggle to overcome loss, and one courageous young woman’s fight to follow her dreams.

Academy Award®-nominated actress Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas) stars in and produced the film and helped conceive the story along with her brother Andrew Shue (“Melrose Place”). Gracie is directed and co-

written by Elisabeth Shue’s husband, Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, “Deadwood”).

Gracie tells the story of the Bowen family; living in South Orange, New Jersey, in the seventies. Their three sons and one daughter have inherited an intense love of soccer from their father, Bryan (Dermott Mulroney, My Best Friend’s Wedding) a former star of the game. As their gentle, supportive mother Lindsay (Elisabeth Shue) looks on, they spend hours every day scrapping for goals and honing their skills in a makeshift field in their yard.

Eldest brother Johnny (Jesse Lee Soffer) is the star of the high-school varsity team and a fierce champion of his sister Gracie (Carly Schroeder). But when Johnny dies in a car accident, the family begins to tear at the seams.

Carly boldly declares that she will honour her brother by carrying on in his place on the all-boy team. No one believes she can do it and countless obstacles – both in the community’s perceptions and in fundamental rules

and policies – stand in her way. But Gracie refuses to admit defeat: she not only fights to get tough enough to compete, but also to win the faith and support of her father, who was crushed by Johnny’s sudden death.

Schroeder is riveting as Gracie: she provides a very real role model for young people, a celebration of tenacity and spirit. Mulroney and Shue give multidimensional, impassioned performances as the Bowens as they endure the loss of one child and learn to trust in the strength of another.

The film was shot around the Shues’ picturesque childhood haunts in New Jersey and features a brilliant period soundtrack – including the work of the state’s most famous musical son, Bruce Springsteen. But the heart of Gracie is the thrill of the sport and this young woman’s quest to prove to the world – and to herself – that her dreams are within her own grasp.

September 12, 2007

The Brunswickan • 19

Part-time Faculty, Instructors, and Librarians. . .

Colleagues: Over the summer AUNBT’s executive committee worked with part-timer activists to plan a unionization campaign and secure bargaining rights for UNB’s part-time faculty and librarians.

The first phase of that project culminated on September 6th, when AUNBT members voted 111 to transform the organization’s structure such that academic part-timers at UNB can choose to become full voting members of the Association.

Once a sufficient number of part-time librarians and faculty join, AUNBT will apply to the Labour Relations Board to have a second bargaining unit certified. Each bargaining units’ members would have exclusive authority to ratify their own collective agreements but otherwise would pool resources and coordinate efforts to advance the situation for all academic staff on campus.

Unionization is neither given nor sold. It is chosen. In selecting the union that will better represent their interests, UNB’s part-timers have more than one option. We believe that the experience and expertise of AUNBT and its national affiliate, the Canadian Association of University Teachers [CAUT], can serve the interests of part-timers at UNB in just the same way that CAUT and its locals elsewhere have markedly improved the conditions of employment for contract academic staff at 24 of Canada’s other universities.

The next step is up to you.

As you weigh your options, please consider: • AUNBT has been bargaining contracts at UNB for nearly three decades.We bring to the table a wealth of local experience, and we have the financial reserves to back us up when necessary.

• The Canadian Association of University Teachers is concerned with higher education exclusively. All of its political, financial, and intellectual efforts are directed towards improving Canada’s universities and the lives of the academics who make them work.

• AUNBT has already bargained successfully many of the issues that are of concern to part-time academics. Negotiating parallel language for a part-timers’ unit should be facilitated by the fact that we can build on work done already on a wide range of issues.

• As an active member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, AUNBT is engaged in the national conversation on academic practices and standards. Part-timers in an AUNBT bargaining unit would become participants in the CAUT’s policy work, developing the benchmarks for collective bargaining and standards of professionalism that are critical for a self-governing profession.

• CAUT locals already represent the majority of Canada’s unionized contract academic staff.

UNB’s part-timers can be assured of CAUT’s continued commitment to this constituency, to events like its Contract Academic Staff conferences (2002, 2005 and 2007), and to the ongoing work of its national Contract Academic Staff committee. To learn more about the advantages of becoming a member of AUNBT and CAUT, contact the part-timers’ organizing committee at cas.unb@gmail.com or visit www.aunbt.ca/CAS

Sports

brunswickansports@gmail.com • September 12, 2007

Council approves arena names Women’s soccer go 2-0 in On September 7, the city of Fredericton voted in favour of naming two new arenas after local hockey legends.

Fredericton’s new sports complex on the north side was unanimously voted by Fredericton City Council to be named after local hockey legend Willie O’Ree. O’Ree, born and raised in Fredericton, went on to be the first black player in the

community first.”

There is another arena that has been proposed and is being designed for the south side of the city. This facility, proposed to be built in the Kimble Drive area, has been named after former Detroit Red Wings Captain Danny Grant.

To many members of the community, these buildings are much more than arenas.

“It is my personal feeling that it is more than an arena, it is a multi-use facility,” said Kenny. “It is more of a sports complex than anything else.”

Both O’Ree and Grant represent a part of Fredericton’s history as a city.

O’Ree’s accomplishments show youth

hide the injury from the Bruins.

O’Ree is now 71 years old and is the director of the NHL’s Diversity Program. He travels across North America, encouraging the involvement of children from different cultural backgrounds to participate in the sport.

His solution for ensuring more diversity in pro hockey is to have more arenas in both Canada and the United States.

Naming the newest facility in Fredericton after him is a fitting tribute to both the man and the cause.

Danny Grant, who once scored 50 goals with the Detroit Red Wings, also has roots in Fredericton. He is known in hockey circles as the Iron Man, after he played 566 consecutive games.

National Hockey League.

Fredericton lawyer Bob Kenny was the one who helped make it happen.

After years of discussion over coffee and beer, Kenny finally came to a decision after reading an inspiring piece by Charlotte Gray that stated, “We don’t do our idols well.” Kenny then decided it was necessary to take the opportunity to pay tribute to Fredericton’s hockey legends.

The new arena will receive its official name in January, on the closest date possible to the anniversary of O’Ree’s official debut in the NHL. O’Ree suited up for his first game with the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958, breaking the NHL’s colour barrier.

Kenny and a group of citizens lobbied for the names and presented their case to the mayor and councilors last Tuesday evening. At first, not all of the council members were persuaded.

“Some of the council members had reservations, but we went to talk to them and they came on board,” said Kenny. “They were not against the idea but I believe they only wanted to do what was proper by hearing from the

of all different cultural backgrounds that not only does everyone have the opportunity to get involved in pro hockey, that they can also overcome cultural divides and racial tension to achieve their goals.

When he first stepped onto the ice, O’Ree was proclaimed hockey’s version of Jackie Robinson.

O’Ree only played two games with the Bruins in 1968, to be later sent to the minors for the following two years.

He did not return to the NHL until 1961. He recorded a total of 14 points (four goals and 10 assists) in his NHL career, all during the 1961 season.

O’Ree did not stay in the NHL long, and after winning the scoring title twice he never returned to the NHL again.

Along with that, no other black athlete followed his lead until 1974 for the NHL. What was even more remarkable about O’Ree playing in the NHL is that he was 95% blind in his right eye after being hit by an errant puck during the 1956 season. Normally, such an injury would have prevented him from ever playing in the league, but he was able to

Grant first came to the NHL in 1968, when he played with the Montreal Canadians. He was traded to the Minnesota North Stars in 1969 where he won the Calder Memorial Trophy for being the league’s most outstanding rookie.

He was later traded to the Red Wings, where he enjoyed his most productive seasons.

From 1995 to 1996, Grant coached the UNB Varsity Reds Men’s hockey team. He later coached the Halifax Mooseheads in 1998.

Grant is still very much involved in the Fredericton hockey scene, as he has been an assistant coach for the St. Thomas University Tommies men’s hockey team since the 2002-03 season.

These arenas are a way to recognize and honor two of Fredericton’s most ground-breaking athletes. It is also one step closer in recognizing our idols, as they should be.

“This is a great part of Canadian history and a good opportunity to recognize their accomplishments,” said Kenny.

by Naomi Osborne

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

season’s opening weekend

by Bruns Sports Department

The V-Reds women’s soccer team kicked off its season last weekend, visiting both Mt. Allison and the Université de Moncton in AUS soccer action.

The season opener was played against Mt. A. in perfect playing conditions as the field was in great shape and the weather was sunny and hot. The start of the game saw Mt. A. put some pressure on the UNB team with a chance in tactics from previous years. The Mt. A. team attacked with three strikers up front, instead of their traditional two.

UNB dealt with the pressure very well, but were unable to generate much in attack. Twenty minutes into the action, Amy Vaillancourt got free on the left side with the ball and cut inside with room to dribble. She moved to about 30 yards from goal and unleashed a blast that beat the Mt. A. keeper.

The goal put Mt. A. on their heels a bit as they changed there formation to a 4-5-1, attempting to contain the UNB mid-field.

However, Ashley McAllister managed to turn on her defender up front, driving a ball off the crossbar and into the goal, putting UNB up 2-0 before the half.

The first 20 minutes of the second half were dominated by UNB as they started to open up the Mt. A. defense.

Ten minutes into the half, Ashley McAllister got free again and slid the ball pass the keeper to her right side just inside the post.

At the 20 minute mark, after a nice build-up through mid-field, the ball was played into Amy Vaillancourt, who got free and placed another perfectly struck ball past the Mt. A. keeper.

After 70 minutes the UNB team was up by 4-0 and dominating the game.

This allowed Coach Cameron to get all of the substitutes into the game to experience the standard and quickness of playing in the AUS. Late in the game Maura Carter scored on a free kick from 35 yards to put UNB up by 5. The final was a 5-0 UNB victory.

On Saturday, the team travelled to play an improved U de M team.

Atlantic University Sport unveils new logo and branding philosphy in regional launch

by Bruns Sports Department

At an inter-regional video press conference held on September 5 in Halifax, Moncton, Fredericton, Charlottetown, and Sydney, Atlantic University Sport kicked off the 200708 playing season by unveiling a new conference visual identity, website, plans for a magazine and a renewed commitment to the Atlantic University Sport brand.

“This launch is indicative of the philosophy behind the organizations’ new identity,” commented Mr. Phil Currie, Executive Director of Atlantic University Sport. “While we have always aspired to be strategic, proactive, collaborative and as ‘open door’ as possible, our new visual identity will mark the beginning of a time where we reach out to our stakeholders and the community at large.”

The Atlantic University Sport marketing committee, led by Marc Boudreau of U. de M. and Leo MacPherson of St. FX University were instrumental in moving the new vision forward.

didn’t represent anything to me, and I don’t think too many people really identified with it.”

“I think the logo is good, and the direction the conference is taking in promoting itself is fantastic, and they’ll have big impacts over the next few years.”

AUS officials also launched the new look Atlantic University Sport website as a part of a new outreach approach for the conference. The address, www. atlanticuniversitysport.com has not changed, but the site will now have an updated, fresh look and increased functionality.

In addition to being a great resource for up-to-date news, accurate stats, archived historical information and more, some of the new features will include an online library of coaching and playing tips, video highlights, and interviews, among others, powered by EastLink Television, a weekly ‘Photo of the Week’ section, showcasing some of the great images captured around the conference throughout the season, and online polls and contesting where visitors can make their opinions known

and also have the opportunity to win prizes throughout the season.

The site has also been redesigned with an effort to be friendly to corporate sponsors and advertisers. For the first time, the website will provide valuable space to the business community, wishing to reach key university publics.

With between 45,000 and 60,000 unique visitors per month (2.5 million and 6 million hits monthly) the Atlantic University Sport website is positioned to deliver all the benefits and opportunities the corporate community is seeking.

Our member university communities have been the first to support and embrace this new philosophy, as new AUS moniker will be incorporated throughout Atlantic Canadian campuses this season.

The new logo will be incorporated immediately into each of the 11 member websites. In football and men’s and women’s hockey, the helmets of the student-athletes will showcase the new logo. As the season progresses, uniforms and jerseys, ice surfaces and rink boards, playing fields and gym courts will all proudly carry the new brand as well.

For the first time in the history of the conference, a comprehensive studentathlete-focused publication will be produced.

This exciting new product will be distributed to over 20,000 students four times a year. It will be officially launched in January 2008. Of note, this is not solely a sports magazine, but will mostly focus on lifestyle and healthy university living, with activity features, nutrition articles, campus life stories, sport features, etc.

“In Motion is written and designed for our most important stakeholders, the students,” said Currie. “The reader is a dynamic young individual who is success-minded and largely in the 18to-34 demographic with a desire to improve their financial, physical and cultural well-being. They are future decision-makers in their households and businesses. They drive trends and actively pursue technology; they are today’s and tomorrow’s consumers.”

Dr. David Murphy, Director of Athletics at Saint Mary’s University and President of Atlantic University Sport was among the Athletic Directors on hand to celebrate today’s announcements.

“I am extremely pleased and excited to be a part of this new chapter in the evolution of Atlantic University Sport,” said Dr. Murphy. “We are focused on becoming more accessible and present as a regional conference that leverages the power of sport and ultimately the visibility necessary to appropriately position what we believe is the premium product. In the end, our sport programs, the coaches and our world-class athletes will be the big winners with these initiatives.”

Soccer coach excited about new field, opportunities

by Bruns Sports Department

While the artificial turf may still be weeks from being rolled out on the construction site that has overtaken Chapman Field, at least one member of the Varsity Red’s coaching community has great hopes for the field.

Miles Pinsent, the head coach of the defending Atlantic University Sport

conference UNB Varisty Reds Men’s soccer champions, thinks the field will not only strengthen the university’s soccer programs, but will kick start growth of the game all around New Brunswick’s capital region.

In an interview with The Brunswickan, Coach Pinsent was enthusiastic in his discussion of the field, and how crucial it is to the University of New Brunswick.

“The field is really coming along,” said Pinsent.

“Everything up to this point has been getting ready for the laying of the

see Soccer page 23

Submitted to The Brunswickan

AUS kicks off new season with fresh look “The right logo, with the right characteristics, will boost our visibility, credibility, and memorability,” said MacPherson. “We believe in this image and are confident the benefits to the conference and its members that will come as a result will be significant.”

The new Atlantic University Sport logo was developed with a number of key elements in mind.

The conference has moved towards an acronym-based image with a bold, easy to read font, which has great impact and is strong enough to stand-alone in both French and English.

The ‘AUS’ or ‘SUA’ letters themselves are leaning forward which symbolizes progress, being on the move, and riding a wave of success.

The torch in the middle of the logo is a traditional symbol of education and higher learning, which appears to be burning bright and strong. It stands for the joy of athletic competition and, among other things, the flame represents purity, endeavour for perfection, struggle for victory, peace, and friendship.

Finally, the wave is a symbol for the Atlantic Ocean that touches our shores and is the common bond of all four Atlantic provinces.

Miles Pinsent, Head Coach of the Varsity Reds men’s soccer team, was pleased with the new logo as the cornerstone of promoting the conference.

“It seems like [Atlantic University Sport has] put a lot of thought into it and they’re taking a lot of positive steps and they’re pushing the conference forward in a number of positive ways,” said Pinsent.

“I agreed with the comments about the old logo – it was nothing to me. It

Moncton has usually been a tough opponent early in the season, as UNB struggled against U de M last season.

The game started with Moncton putting a lot of pressure on us in midfield and this forced us to turn over the ball far too often.

Similar to the game against Mt. A., UNB held tight through the first half and waited for its chances. Ashley McAllister got that chance with a ball played over the U de M defense, winning the foot race to the ball and poking it past the Moncton keeper.

This seemed to slow the Moncton team down, which allowed the UNB team to play a bit. Ashley McAllister was again allowed a chance to get to a ball played behind the Moncton defense and while holding off a defender on her left side was able to strike a ball from 30 yards and clearly beat the Moncton keeper. UNB went into the half with a 2-0 advantage.

The second half turned out to be a bit of a struggle for both teams as the 30-degree heat started to wear the players down. Moncton continued to have good possession but never proved dangerous.

field, and now they’re at that point. So I think over the next couple of weeks, every day you’re going to see progress on it, whether it’s leveling, digging, laying the turf, or working on some of the other features of the facility, such as the lighting.”

Despite the delays in completing the project, Pinsent maintains that the importance of the facility will be immeasurable.

“I really don’t think I can express how important the new field is going to be. Everyone says, you know, the training conditions will be great, great

conditions for your games, and it’ll be nice to have a state-of-the-art facility, but that’s not all it’s going to add to UNB and Reds soccer.

“I think the impact will be even greater, once you take into account the programs we’ll be able to offer, the caliber of the student athletes we’ll be able to attract, and the events we’ll be able to host.

“All of those things will benefit the UNB soccer program, and, I think, the individual UNB soccer players,” explains Pinsent.

While the impact the facility will have

on the UNB campus amd community is obvious, Pinsent believes it will go far beyond just campus.

“I think it’s really going to have a huge impact on the game of soccer itself locally in Fredericton,” said Pinsent.

“What it all comes down to is that I don’t think people can really appreciate the impact that the field is going to have, or at least that I hope it has.”

Until construction on the field is completed, men’s and women’s V-Reds soccer is being played at College Field.

The home openers for both teams are slated for September 15 against UPEI.

Upcoming V-Reds Events Saturday, September 15th Women’s Cross Country Exhibition Meet #1 5k @ SMU – 12:00pm Men’s Cross Country Exhibition Meet #1 8k @ SMU – 12:45pm Women’s Soccer UPEI @ UNB 1:00pm (College Field) Men’s Soccer UPEI @ UNB 3:00pm (College Field) Sunday, September 16th Women’s Soccer Mt. A @ UNB 1:00pm (College Field) Men’s Soccer Mt. A @ UNB 3:00pm (College Field)

The Brunswickan Bruns Sports Meeting Thursday 2 PM Bring your athletic support.

Sports

Issue 2•September 12, 2007 • 21

Men’s soccer hits field in title defense

by Brian Munn

The excitement level is high going into the 2007-08 men’s soccer season, as the V-Reds have set their sights on not only a repeat as AUS champions, but on a trip to the CIS Championships at the University of British Columbia.

Coach Miles Pinsent, who spent much of his summer coaching a team in the Maritime Senior League that includes 12 of his current Varsity Reds players, said it is the experience of winning last year that is one of the strongest aspects of this year’s club.

“We can really use the experience of being defending champions to help us understand what it takes, and we’ll be able to gauge our progress over the next two and a half months to know if we’re on the right track,” said Pinsent.

That experience will come mainly from a strong core group of returning players, many of whom are entering their third, fourth, and fifth years.

“They understand what the league is all about, they understand how I coach, and they’ve got a good understanding of the system we’re going to try to use and how to execute it,” said Pinsent of his returning players.

Much of the back end will be returning, as keeper Matt Lally and backs Ken Morrison and Karel Prickett will be back to solidify the back end.

Morrison was a 2006 AUS Second Team All-Star, and he, along with Lally and Prickett, were large contributors to UNB allowing the fewest goals against in the Atlantic University Sport conference.

In the midfield, Paapa Abekah, Eric Karosan and Michael O’Brecht will be returning. On the front end, Ali Devereaux will be returning as striker.

He will provide the main threat on offense for a solid V-Reds squad.

In addition to the returning group, there are several new recruits joining the program for the upcoming season.

In the midfield, Michael Brydges, a native of Victoria, BC, will joint the club. An attacking midfielder, Brydges has been completing at a high level in his home province, performing well enough

File Photo

to convince Coach Pinsent to start the rookie in the centre of the field.

“The fact that he’ll be starting as a rookie is a testament to his skill, and really just shows how highly I think of this young man,” said Pinsent of Brydges.

Jon Hawco, a twenty-one year old hailing from St. John’s, Newfoundland, will add a sensational scoring touch to the team as well. That scoring touch has led to him being twice named the Most Valuable Player of the Newfoundland Senior League, to go along with leading the league in scoring twice.

“For our new guys, John Hawco is going to be key. He gives us pace and the ability to get behind the other team’s back lines, which is an aspect of our game that perhaps we haven’t had in recent years, so that’ll add a nice little wrinkle to our attack,” said Pinsent of the rookie striker.

The team is also welcoming three new local products in Peter Tryphonopoulos and Philip Demers from Fredericton.

Demers was recently an under-aged player on the New Brunswick team that won a silver medal in the Canada Games.

Pinsent applauded the effort of the local recruits, saying “Our local guys have shown extremely well throughout training camp and in our exhibition game. It’s good to see the local products being able to step up and playing at

this level.”

Loaded with hot new recruits and veteran talent, the V-Reds will be able to play what Pinsent calls a ‘composed’ style. “Probably more so that most teams in the league, we try to play a composed game, to keep possession and push the ball around, and with probably more passing and possession than most teams in the league.”

“Quite a few teams in the league are pretty direct, and play hard and physical.

We can go that way if we need to, but I think we also have the ability to keep the ball and to keep our opportunities through ball movement as opposed to just kick and run.”

While it is early in the season, the team is geared towards an AUS repeat, and another run at the national title.

However, asserts Pinsent, the team must keep these goals in perspective.

“The team has set it as a goal to repeat as AUS champions, but obviously all teams in the league have set that as a goal and we’re all tied for first place in the league right now.”

“It’s not a coaching cliché, but this is a different year. We have had changes, and every other team in the league has had similar changes. I think we’re definitely one of the three or four teams that are in with a good chance to win.”

“If people are laying their money on the table, we’re one of the teams they’ll be betting on.”

Weekend split for men’s soccer

by Bruns Sports Department

The Varsity Reds Men’s soccer team traveled to Sackville to kick-off the 2007 AUS season against Mount Allion last Saturday. It was a great setting for a game as the small pitch was lighted up and surrounded by vocal Mountie fans.

The game remained stalemate until the fifteenth minute mark, when Eric Karosan cut in from his wing and drove a shot past the Mounties keeper. UNB quickly took control of the game from there and never looked back.

Paapa Abekah looked to add to the lead when he cut back onto his left foot and from 25 yards out crushed a shot off of the post.

At the thirty minute mark, V-Reds keeper Matt Lally launched the attack with a long punt that Ali Devereaux got on the end of and neatly headed to Jon Hawco at the edge of the box.

The first year St. John’s native made no mistakes and scored his first AUS goal.

Just before the half, Eric Karosan switched the ball into rookie midfielder Michael Brydges who deftly sent a through ball to a streaking Mike O’Brecht. The speedy winger cut past the challenging Mountie keeper who was forced to take Mike down.

Ali Devereaux calmly converted the resulting penalty kick.

Just two minutes into the second frame and O’Brecht again got in oneon-one with the keeper and this time slid the ball home himself.

A few minutes later, a mental lapse led to some miscommunication between the V-Reds backline and keeper. A Mountie striker took advantage of UNB’s one blunder to score for Mt. A. However, the V-Reds were able to regroup and controlled the play for the rest of the game. Devereaux scored the last goal of the game when he headed home a free kick played in

by Ken Morrison.

The final score was 5-1 in favor of UNB. Mike O’Brecht was named the Player of the Game for the V-Reds, while the ‘Irving Hard Hat’ Players of the Game were Ali Devereaux and Paapa Abekah.

Just 17 hours later, the V-Reds were back on the pitch facing a

solid Université de Moncton squad.

While the Varsity Reds had shown tremendous energy and focus the night before, they showed up in Moncton, as Coach Miles Pinsent said, “lacking the passion required to succeed in the very competitive AUS.” The short recovery time and the 35 degree heat were the excuses used for what would be a very uninspired and lackluster effort.

UNB backs turned the ball over twice in the opening moments and were fortunate when the Moncton strikers failed to capitalize on the resulting breakaways.

UNB did manage to generate a few chances. Ali Devereaux and then Eric Karosan set up Jon Hawco, but he was denied first by the goalpost and then by a hand ball call.

In the second half the UNB boys had the majority of play but were unwilling to put in the effort required to break down the determined U de M backline.

The final result was a 0-0 draw.

Paapa Abekah was recognized as the UNB Player of the Game, while Ali Devereaux was the ‘Irving Hard Hat’ Player of the Game for the second straight match.

Coach Pinsent was pleased with his team’s efforts, but noted that the team’s inconsistencies need to be improved upon.

“The players and I were really looking forward to finally getting into league-action,” said Pinsent. “I believe this weekend’s performances clearly demonstrate where we are at as a team. At times we are capable of playing a very exciting and successful brand of soccer. We are inconsistent in our effort and focus though.”

“I was pleased with the efforts of veteran players such as Mike O’Brecht, Paapa Abekah, and Ali Devereaux. It was also nice to see that new players such as Jon Hawco and Michael Brydges have much that they add to our program.”

“So for the first weekend we saw many things to be excited about and many things that need to be improved upon.”

The V-Reds return to the field this weekend, opening their home schedule at College Field on September 15 against UPEI. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00pm. The next day, the team hosts Mt. A at 3:00pm.

I need to take a shower...

The Fifty Mission Cap

by Brian Munn

It doesn’t happen very often, and when it does, it’s like drinking warm beer or walk in on your roommate and... umm… himself – simply unpleasant.

It’s the one time in a sport’s fans life when you feel dirty about yourself, even though you’re pretty sure you might be doing the right thing.

It’s cheering for the enemy. Whether it’s a Sox fan cheering for the Yankees or UNBers cheering for the Tommies, it hurts, it stinks, but sometimes, it happens. And it has to.

Travel with me, if you will, to the hypothetical final days of the 2008-09 NHL season. The Maple Leafs, after playing all 82 games, are just one point up on the Islanders for the last playoff

spot. The Islanders have one game left, against the Ottawa Senators.

A Senators victory would ensure a playoff spot for the Leafs, but would also clinch the Northeast Division title for the Sens. Is another banner in the rafters of Scotiabank Place worth a playoff spot for the Leafs?

To be brief, yes. Yes it is. So you swallow your pride and that little bit of lunch that just found it’s way back into your mouth, and you cheer. “ G o H e a t e r ! Wo o o o o o o o Alfredsson!”

Okay, maybe not so far as to cheer for Alfredsson, but you get the point.

There are certain situations when you just have to suck it up and cheer. Five situations, to be exact.

When your team’s playoff hopes hinge on a victory by the enemy, as in the example already given. AUS playoffs, same thing. You can bleed red (more specifically, UNB red), but you can cheer for the Tommies to beat X if it’s going to benefit UNB. When you have money riding on the enemy’s game, you can cheer. Being in it for the money doesn’t make you a fan (or a player, in A-Rod’s case), so no

worries. One of the best examples of this is the Super Bowl. Sure, the Pats didn’t make it, so you put down $20 on Peyton and the Colts. You may say it’s selling out for $20, but I say it’s taking $20 from your buddy for three hours of uncomfortable fan-dom.

When the enemy is playing a team that, for the moment, you hate more than the enemy. The stage is set for a Senators vs. Devils game, a couple weeks after that filthy Cam Janssen hit on Tomas Kaberle last season left the Leafs without the best defenseman in the Eastern Conference for part of the stretch run. Yes, I hate Ottawa, but yeah, I’d love to see Chris Neil or Brian McGrattan (or both) pound the snot out of Janssen. And you don’t have to be a fan of Neil or McGrattan. You just have to be a fan of cold blooded revenge – and really, what sports fan isn’t?

When the enemy is playing your buddy’s team, it’s not only permissible, but encouraged to cheer for the enemy.

The stipulation on this one is that it’s usually after a few beers. Mike loves the Canucks and you’re an Oilers fan, but when the Flames and Vancouver face each other in the Hockey Night late game, it is your duty to make Mike’s life miserable.

The final situation in which you’re allowed to cheer for the enemy, regardless of their opponent, is if you can win some free stuff: pizza, Big Macs, free carwash, whatever. It’s free. I was at a Leafs/Sens game in Ottawa last season, and the Leafs were down 5-1 late in the third. The PA guy at Scotiabank Place informed the crowd that if the Sens were to score six goals in a winning effort, we could redeem our tickets for free pizza at Pizza Pizza. This is an extreme example, because I was cheering against the Leafs, but I was hungry. And to be honest, when Chris Neil hit the crossbar with a snapshot from the slot, I was a little disappointed.

There are limits, of course. No wearing the enemy’s colours, no referencing team stars, and never, under any circumstances, can you act like a real fan. You are not. They are the enemy.

The dark side of the force is strong, but you must be stronger.

You can cheer for the enemy sarcastically to protest a terrible coach or a rotten GM, but we know you’re not serious. You’re just mad. It’s OK, buddy. There’s always next year.

It’s not something you ever want to do, but who could say no to enjoying pizza, the playoffs, and some sweet revenge? No one, that’s who. You’re only human.

Sports

22 • Issue 2 • September 12, 2007

Athletes using steroids Should we even care?

View From The Sidelines

by Tony von Richter Steroids.

Just the word is enough to set off a firestorm of discussion and controversy these days, as it seems like everyday another athlete is revealed to be using some form of performance enhancing drugs – be they anabolic steroids, human growth hormone (HGH) or some other cocktail designed to gain an edge over their opponents.

Of course, with every new instance of cheating that is revealed we see columns and talk shows about how horrible the cheating is and how we should be appalled that these people are cheating and are hurting the integrity of their sport, and sports in general.

Should we even care, though? Should it matter to us what a bunch of grown men and women are willing to do to themselves in order to be successful?

The answer to that is an emphatic yes.

While the argument could be made that these athletes are grown men and women and as such, are aware of the tremendous risks that they are undertaking, the decision to take performance-enhancing drugs affects not only the athletes themselves, but all who play with or against them by creating an uneven playing field.

Of course, one could argue that there has always been a certain degree of unfairness in sports. From NFL kickers that play in domed stadiums not having to deal with the elements like their outdoor counterparts, to some franchises being able to afford better talent than others, the playing field isn’t always even.

The difference between those inequities and the ones caused by performanceenhancing drugs is that the above differences are largely coincidental and that once the players get onto the field, things are even again. Sure, having more games with no wind could help a team win, but for each of those games the other team has the same advantage, thus canceling each other out.

The same goes for teams with bigger budgets, as although they might be able to afford a more talented team, the players still have to perform on the field, and regardless of whether they are making 20 million a season or 2 million, it’s the players’ natural level of talent that decides

the outcome of a game.

That’s what makes things different when talking about steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs; they alter the natural abilities of the athletes using them so that it changes the competitive balance of the game.

Even worse than that however, is that they can create a domino effect that could spread across an entire team or sport.

High-level athletes are often taught that winning is the most important thing, that sacrifice is necessary to succeed, and to gain an edge on their opponents whenever they can. Imagine then that someone on another team that they hear is using steroids to gain this competitive advantage is consistently beating an athlete.

The athlete then begins to use performance-enhancing drugs to keep up and make the playing field equal again.

Eventually, the athlete catches up to their opponent and things are seemingly back to normal. Except now, there are two artificially enhanced athletes on the field, and they’ve raised the bar for everyone else who may decide to follow the same path and put their health at risk. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that all athletes would resort to cheating and take steroids, but the possibly exists that something similar to that described above could occur.

To me that’s why we should care about athletes using performance-enhancing drugs. While players cheating and sometimes having their names written in the record books through illicit means is a good enough reason to try and stamp out these drugs, the long-term health issues of the athletes is an even better reason.

If we decide that we don’t care and let athletes take anything they want, we could end up with an entire generation of athletes dying well before their time.

As fans are we willing to watch and celebrate athletes knowing full well that they might be dead within a few years? I don’t think we are, which means that we should pressure the bodies that govern sports to develop a policy that does as much as possible to eliminate the usage of performance-enhancing drugs.

If I had any control I’d suggest that all sports work with the World AntiDoping Agency to develop a consistent policy against these drugs that everyone from football players to figure skaters to professional wrestlers (and yes I know they don’t compete in a legitimate athletic competition but they are still athletes) would have to abide by.

Would that totally eliminate drugs from sports? No, but it would be a good start.

It’s like football, minus the helmets

by Jessica Grzesik

It is that time of year again. Students are beginning to search for ways to not only enjoy their free time, but also to relieve the stresses that schoolwork and employment offer. They are looking for some sort of illustrious activity that promotes a sense of family, is well known, and generally acceptable.

These students should look no further, as university rugby is already up-andrunning for the fall 2007 season.

Both the men and women’s teams are geared up for the rough and tumble of what is said to be a potential highlight

year. After a calm 2006 season, both teams are ready to shake up the field and put a few more wins to UNB’s name.

Both the men and women are looking for a good starting line for the upcoming season and as such, are more than willing, in fact encourage, all students who have an interest in the sport to try out for the teams. To do so, please contact the club presidents or do not hesitate to attend one of the numerous practices being held around campus.

Each team is looking for fresh faces to grace the field and score more wins for UNB. The UNB Ironmen have already started their 2007 season. Practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Buchanan Field. Interested students (regardless of skill or size) are encouraged to drop by for practice and meet the other players.

The UNB Ironmen hold a strong reputation for success. They were the

Maritime champions in 2005, and because of their success, toured South America in 2006. The Ironmen are roaring to remain victorious in 2007.

For ladies, woman’s rugby hosts a fantastic, competitive team which competes both in New Brunswick as well as Nova Scotia. The team is always looking for new members to strengthen the already vibrant lineup. As with the men’s team, all ability levels and sizes are welcome to come join one of the biggest non-varsity sports on campus.

Please visit the UNB website for more information, or for direct contact, please e-mail Claire MacLean, Club President, at wrfc@unb.ca.

Equipment costs for the sport are minimal, as the only protection used on the field are cleats and a mouthguard.

The lack of required equipment makes rugby one of the cheapest sports in which to participate, especially when compared to equipment-heavy sports

such as hockey. Other costs can be shared within the team, such as travel/ transportation and team clothing.

For those who remain in the dark regarding the background of the sport, it has a long history, dating back to the 1800s. Sometimes referred as ‘backwards football’, rugby is played in over 90 countries, and originated a most great things do: purely by accident.

While playing soccer at school in England around 1823, William Webb Ellis picked up the ball with his hands and ran with it; despite his disobedience, he became fascinated with this methodology. Henceforth, rugby was born. From there, Cambridge University embraced the new sport, and popularity ensued.

Students can visit www.rugbycanada. ca to learn more about rugby, such as the rules and other long-standing traditions of the muddiest, roughest, and most enthralling of sports.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

The UNB Ironmen pratice on Buchanan Field last week. Both teams are still having open tryouts. All interested students are encouraged to contact the club presidents, or to stop by the field during practise.

Sports

Issue 2 • September 12, 2007 • 23

Keeping the CIS clean The CIS Doping Control Program sets university sports apart from the pros

by Brian Munn

We have all heard the same story too many times: ‘Athlete wants an edge’; ‘Athlete wants to boost stats’; ‘Athlete wants to make more money’; ‘Athlete uses performance-enhancing drugs’…

It is far too common an occurrence in professional sports today. It has become such a large problem that Major League Baseball – which seems to be hit hardest in the Steroid Era – has set up a semi-independent probe, headed up by former Senator George Mitchell, to sniff out and investigate steroid users.

Over the past week, two new names have emerged as well. Toronto Blue Jays slugging third baseman Troy Glaus, seen as a solid, clean-cut player, is reported to have received shipments of performance-enhancing drugs between September 2003 and May 2004.

Rick Ankiel, the star pitcher-turnedstar outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, is reported to have received shipments of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) in 2004. Ankiel, easily the feel-good story of the 2007 MLB season, has denied the report.

Interestingly, HGH was not banned

by Major League Baseball until 2005, so Ankiel did not violate any MLB antidoping regulations. The types of drugs allegedly received by Glaus include

Nandrolone and testosterone.

These, of course, were not the first incidents involving drug use in sports.

Bill Romanowski, a former football player with the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos, Jose Canseco, a slugger mainly in with the Oakland Athletics, and a long, impressive list of others have either been found to have used steroids, or have admitted to it.

Steroids are not the only problem.

Illegal drug use is also a problem in sports. At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebegliatti, the first individual to win a gold medal in Olympic snowboarding, temporarily had his medal stripped after testing positive for marijuana.

To avoid similar problems in the university ranks, Canadian Interuniversity Sport adopted a comprehensive, intense anti-doping policy in January 2000. Over the six years since its adoption, the CIS Doping Control Program has been reviewed at least once annually. Amendments, if necessary, have also been made.

According to the CIS, the organization, in cooperation with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), “coordinates a doping control program that incorporates both ‘incompetition’ and ‘out-of-competition’ testing, as well as ‘event’ testing.”

The purpose behind the doping control policy is simple. The introduction of the document reads as follows: “Canadian Interuniversity Sport is unequivocally opposed to the use by athletes of any prohibited substances.”

The program has a broad mandate, policing the consumption of not only illegal and performance-enhancing drugs, but of prescribed medication, nutritional supplements, and other herbal products.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

In addition, the CIS policy is geared towards “educating university level athletes and coaching staffs of the hazards and consequences of the use of prohibited substances” by those in positions of leadership in university sports, and by the athletes themselves.

Student athletes in the CIS are tested in accordance with the Canadian AntiDoping Program (CADP), which was established and adopted by the CIS in June 2004. All student athletes are eligible to be tested under the Program, which tests, on average, one in 25 student athletes each year. The testing itself occurs in all sports, throughout the calendar year, both in and out of competition.

One of the most interesting facets of the CIS program is that it allows for ‘target testing’. That is, the CIS and the CCES are able to focus testing on a specific athlete or a group of athletes based on information received from a “legitimate, identifiable source.”

All information is to be submitted in writing, in accordance with protocol outlined in the policy.

This is a feature that is not present in the testing policies of most professional sports leagues, most notably Major League Baseball. MLB sticks to a “random testing” policy, in which athletes are tested at random no matter what information may be present to suggest wrongdoing.

The CIS policy also contains the provision to allow them to conduct unannounced or ‘short notice’ drug tests.

In addition, they conduct announced testing during competitions.

This is another impressive feature for a policy pertaining to amateur sports, as athletes are not given the opportunity to work around the system by taking measures to clean out their systems in time for scheduled tests.

Once a violation is identified through the CIS/CADP policy and confirmed by the organization’s Doping Tribunal, Canadian Interuniversity Sport then reserves the right to suspend the athlete and strip them of any CIS records or awards they may hold. In the case of a team sport, if one athlete is found to have committed a violation, the team shall not have its awards revoked.

Overall, the CIS Doping Control Program is an impressively comprehensive policy. Unlike the policies utilized by many other sports organizations, it takes steps to ensure the integrity of not only university sports, but of amateur sports as a whole.

UNB/Coastal Graphics

Snapshot Athlete of the Week: 2006-07 Ashley McAllister

Ashley McAllister, Soccer 1st year MBA student Cornwall, Ontario #9 –Forward

The first female athlete of the week for the 2007-08 season is soccer standout Ashley McAllister.

In the Varsity Reds league opener at Mount Allison against the Mounties on Friday, Ashley scored two goals in the first 60 minutes before coming off the pitch for a breather. UNB went on to win the game 5-0. In their second game of the season at UdeM on Saturday, Ashley scored three times to lead the team to a 4-1 victory. Ashley gets a head start in the scoring standings with five of UNB’s nine goals scored on the weekend.

“Ashley showed the grit and determination we are looking for in all our players and it certainly provided dividends in the form of five goals and two important victories to start the season” stated UNB coach, Andy Cameron.

Ashley is in her fifth year of eligibility with the Varsity Reds and hails from Cornwall, Ontario.

The following is a snapshot of the Varsity Reds outstanding year: National Championships - 1 Atlantic Conference Championships - 1 Teams Advancing to Playoffs - 7 World University Champions 4 Athletes/2 Staff From Men’s Hockey: CIS All-Canadians - 2 CIS Major Award Winners - 5 CIS Nationals/ Individual Competitors - 15 CIS Nationals/ Individual Medallists - 2 Teams Ranked in CIS Top Ten - 7 AUS All Stars - 35 AUS Major Award Winners - 9 AUS Coaches of the Year - 3 James Bayer Award - 1 (First time for UNB in 17 years) Major Events Hosted - 11 Academic All Canadians - 56 (28.4 % of student-athlete population) CIS Athletes of the Week - 2 AUS Athletes of the Week - 3

V-Red Women top Mt.A, UdeM from Soccer page 20 Moncton did make an effort to get back in the game about 30 minutes into the second half with a ball played in from 25 yards that just fell under the crossbar to beat UNB keeper Jackie Fitt.

UNB was not able to create much, but they were able to take advantage of the individual match ups. Again, Ashley McAllister was able to win a foot race and made no mistake to score her third goal of the game and her fifth for the weekend.

Late in the game Michelle Rae was also allowed to get in alone and she calmly tucked the ball low to the keeper’s left to finished the scoring for UNB. The final score was UNB 4, U de M 1.

This year’s edition of the women’s soccer team shows the potential to build on last season’s 8-4-1 record, which was capped off with a berth in the playoffs.

This season, the team welcomes back nearly all of their 11 starters from last year, which is sure to provide an edge in both game experience, and in the leadership these players can provide to the team’s new additions.

Heading into the opening weekend, however, the V-Reds were more concerned with their own preparation for the upcoming season than about what changes other clubs had made.

This sentiment was echoed by Andy Cameron, the head coach of the women’s team.

“Early in the season there is so much work to get done, you have to worry about your own team’s preparation and see what the outcomes are after the first weekend,” stated Cameron.

The V-Reds offense will rely on two fifth year players, Ashley McAllister and Amy Vaillancourt, who the team hope can provide some scoring punch.

Jackie Fitt and Isabelle Miles, who

were named as All-Conference players last season, will also be returning this year.

Fitt will play a dominant role in the back as the V-Reds’ keeper, while Miles will be the key to the team’s ball movement in the midfield.

The atmosphere in camp was relaxed as the players are looking forward to getting into the season. Getting the season started does not mean the work is over, however.

The team is determined to keep building as they move towards the playoffs, and to building on last season’s strong finish as they push for an AUS title.

Next weekend, September 15, is the season home opener at College Field. UNN plays UPEI at 1pm. The team continues the home stand with a 1pm start against Mt. A. on Sunday, September 16.