Issue 23, Vol 141, The Brunswickan

Road to repeat // Shipping up to moncton >> PG. 12

The Brunswickan

Volume 141 Issue 23 • Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication • UNB Fredericton’s Student Paper • Mar. 19, 2008

Strike Trends A closer look at campus walkouts News, page 4

A greener way

by Josh O’Kane

Next year, students at UNB are going to find recycling a lot easier – and will probably find parking a bit harder.

The University-Community Relations Committee, with members from the City, university administrations, and student unions of Fredericton’s two university campuses, is finishing plans to install a recycling station on campus at UNB. “The original idea came out of a concern that “A lot of came up during students campaigning recognized last year,” says that there UNB Student were no Union VP Exadequate ternal Jordan recycling Graham. “A Facilities...” lot of students - Jordan Graham recognized that there were no adequate recycling facilities for students… At the same time, the City Engineering Department had been looking at something similar for the area. There was unanimous consent [among the committee] supporting the idea.”

The depot will allow for recycling of paper, cardboard, metal cans, and

Picnicface: The voice behind

From the Top

Arts, page 14

Opinions, page 6

Comments on a canned tradition

Powerthirst

V-Reds cut six teams Women’s hockey team among those demoted to ‘competitive club’ status

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

by Naomi Osborne

Every university student has fallen victim to the embarrassment of slipping on ice and falling flat on their back for everyone on campus to see. Campus can be a dangerous place in the winter.

Third year business student, Melissa DeMerchant, recently experienced one of these embarrassing moments when she fell while reaching for the crosswalk button and nearly slid out into the busy intersection at the bottom of Windsor Street in front of Head Hall.

It is because of situations like this that she, like many students, is asking why more isn’t being done to provide safe accessibility on campus.

“I know there is a shortage of salt in New Brunswick, but they could be do-

see Slippery page 2

A feature-film about one of mankind’s oldest games kept audiences in stitches at UNB

by Ashley Bursey

see Green page 2

One slippery hill

To toss or not to toss

Former UNB varsity athletes Terri Ryerson, Cheryl Hamilton, Leslie Axford, Simon Pearn, Krista Betts, and Patrick Adam stand near the Aitken Centre.

Athletes from women’s hockey, men’s swimming, wrestling, and cross country were shocked last week when the Varsity Reds announced that these teams were being demoted to “competitive club status”.

“We were very excited about the possibilities over the next few years… [the timing] of this move is very disappointing.”

– Tim Randall,

Cross Country Coach

“I think Kevin Dickie did not take into consideration the impact this decision would have… he should have done something [...] to prepare people for it.”

I

n a surprising decision last Wednesday afternoon, the UNB Varsity Reds announced they were cutting six teams: men’s and women’s wrestling, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s swimming, and women’s hockey have all been reclassified as competitive sport clubs and now fall under the department of Campus Recreation.

The money saved from cutting the programs, approximately $150,000, will be reinvested into the remaining eight varsity teams: men’s hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s swimming.

The teams were ranked based on fourteen criteria, including categories such as their success on an Atlantic and national level, fan support, and the teams financial requirements.

The decision has infuriated some members of UNB’s sporting community, particularly members of the women’s hockey team who will not be able to continue competing at the AUS and CIS level, and feel as though the athletic department failed them with the announcement of this decision.

More inside....

– Terri Ryerson,

women’s hockey goaltender

“If you can’t [run a women’s hockey program] right, maybe you shouldn’t do it at all.”

– Terry Haggerty,

Dean of kinesiology

VARISTY BLUES: V-Reds defend the decision to cut teams; players and coaches respond. Pg. 10 THAT WAS QUICK: Sports Editor Brian Munn comments on how lightspeed decision hurts unb. Pg. 11 WRONG DECISION: Cutting six teams is a bad call, says Sports Columnist Tony von Richter in this week’s View from the Sidelines. Pg. 11 EDITORIAL: Editor-in-Chief, Jennifer McKenzie says this decision is just more proof unb is barely mediocre. Pg. 6

“Three certainties in life: best friends, true love, and Rock, Paper, Scissors.”

And with that begins a whirlwind trip into the world of competitive Rock, Paper, Scissors with a new mockumentary, “Rock, Paper, Scissors: The Way of the Tosser,” which screened at UNB and STU this past weekend.

The idea for the film, created by April Mullen and former Frederictonian Tim Doiron, was hatched a few years ago when Doiron, living in Toronto at the time, chanced upon an event being held in downtown Toronto: the RPS World Championships, featuring more than 500 competitors, thousands of spectators, and some of the most intense ‘tossers’ (players) around.

“We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if there was a movie about a guy who took this way too seriously?’” says Doiron.

“But then when we started looking at it, we realized the subculture of the game was so intense and so insane – we felt like we had tapped into something that was massive.”

“Well, Rock, Paper, Scissors is ageless, boundless, cultureless, with no language barriers”, Mullen agrees. “And all over the world it’s a known subject, so that’s a great hook for us, marketing wise, because we’re not huge directors and there are no big names in the film. So it’s a great catch that everyone can relate to – ‘oh, Rock, Paper, Scissors! Oh, I played that game!’”

Doiron’s character, Gary Brewer, who utters the philosophical opening words of the film, is the story’s main RPS competitor. His girlfriend, Holly Brewer (“no relation...yet”) had to quit playing some time ago when a disastrous incident with the game gave her an unnatural fear of scissors.

The movie, done in mockumentarystyle, was a challenge for the first-time filmmakers, but the gritty, realistic filming lends itself well to their candid “interviews” and heartfelt characters.

“It all stemmed from characters that we researched,” says Mullen. “We did a lot of research at the RPS tournament, so we would go there and compete and take notes at the same time and notice that there were really unique nemesis in the competition world and the cheating that happens, and we learned the rules and the different sorts of characters – we pulled a lot from real life.”

“And then when we were writing, we created a really strong group of charac-

see RPS page 15

News

2 • March 19, 2008 • Issue 23

Slippery: making it hard to get around from Slippery page 1

Internet

Something similar to these bins will be part of the installation of the recycling depot.

Green: working for the students from Green page 1 plastic bags.

Once proposed, the City of Fredericton took on feasibility testing and costs related to it to test the political waters of investing in a city service for the campus. The final proposition was presented to the University-Community Relations Committee several weeks ago, and now all that is left is to get through paperwork.

The cost of the project is to be divided five ways, among the City, and the student unions and administrations of both UNB and STU. The City of Fredericton has offered to pay for any ongoing pickup and maintenance, as it does for its existing depots in the city.

“All of the maintenance will be put forward by the City. The City is stepping up and helping out students on this one,” says Graham.

All parties are on board for the project, he says, with the exception of the STU administration, which has yet to voice its support.

The UNB Student Union initially intended to fund the whole project itself, says Graham, at a cost of about $18,000. Now split five ways, the onetime estimated cost for each group will be approximately $3,800.

“We currently have an environmental trust fund we established this year,” says Graham, “and the purpose of that is to

look forward to eco-friendly initiatives, to help the greenness on campus for students who want to participate. This is the type of initiative we’ve been waiting to invest in.”

Graham does not have an estimated timeline of the installation of the depot, as the implementation process is out of his hands.

“The City and Physical Plant have to enter negotiations as to how it will be installed, and when the best time period would be,” he says. “Probably after class ends to avoid high-density traffic. The allocation of space will have to be looked after by Physical Plant in collaboration with the Engineering Department from the City.”

The likely spot will be in the SUB parking lot, which could raise an issue with students concerned with parking space. However, Graham says that is only one spot, and potential locations continue to be examined. One possible location, he says, could be behind the NRC building.

City Councilor Tony Whalen, who co-chairs the University-Community Relations Committee with VP Academic Shirley Cleave, says the depot provides a welcome convenience for students.

“I think it’s beneficial because it gives students on campus an opportunity to participate in recycling. It’s sort of a continuation of our existing program; we have three depots around the city,

and it was a matter of allotting funds to add more bins or depots around the city,” explains Whalen.

“One of the things we looked at last year was giving students on campus the opportunity to recycle. We thought it was important to be accessible to students. We’re working with both UNB and St. Thomas to jointly fund the capital cost on the depot, and then the City would be responsible for the operation and maintenance of those depots in the future.”

The location of the depot still needs to be determined.

“It has to be somewhere that is accessible for the truck to load and unload the depots themselves. We have to work with UNB to find a suitable location,” says Whalen. “We’re looking at having something in place towards the end of the year. That’s several months to get the equipment and putting it in place.”

Jordan Graham calls the initiative an example of the Student Union working with the people necessary to get student issues looked after.

“I think this is really reflective of the union’s ability to negotiate and the ability to present students’ legitimate concerns with the different bodies that we need to work with,” says Graham.

It’s simply a matter of hearing students out and taking it to the powers who make the decisions to solve the problems we face.”

ing something to make it safer for us,” said DeMerchant.

It is not only the general walkways and paths on campus that have been neglected; DeMerchant also said the SUB parking lot is nearly pure ice.

“I always hear motorists saying they don’t know what to do when driving their cars in campus parking lots.”

Shirley Cleave is the chair of the accessibility committee at UNB; she has been working with her committee to form a new online survey to help address campus accessibility issues that students have had.

The committee receives a lot of complaints and suggestions from students, which is the reason they have formulated the survey to help improve and eliminate these problems.

Students have been sent information on the survey in their Student E-News letters and can access the survey and share their thoughts at www.unb.ca/ survey. The survey is anonymous and is centered on receiving feedback and learning how to improve overall accessibility on campus.

As for the conditions outdoors, “the weather has caused these conditions to be somewhat out of our control; winter is a large challenge to us,” said Cleave.

“We are making efforts to improve what we can.”

This is not the sole intent of the accessibility committee: it targets objectives that improve accessibility in general on campus.

Many of the buildings on campus are being renovated specifically to accommodate students with disabilities.

There is a new elevator being installed for the Student Services building in Jones House; MacLaggan Hall is being renovated, and the Marshall d’Avary Hall theatre is also being refurbished, Cleave said.

The accessibility committee is trying to improve not only physical access but other barriers that stand in the way of learning as well. They do this by providing alternatives for students who are hard of hearing and those who have

trouble writing exams.

For Cleave, the biggest accomplishments this year are based on improvements that will be beneficial in the long run.

“The elevator in Carleton Hall is a huge asset, and this is the first time we have ever done a survey for the students,” said Cleave.

The winter still proves harsh for students to get from point A to point B, however.

Third year civil engineering student, Lauren Scammell feels there is more that could be done to ensure safer walkways.

“Overall, they do a good job. It is better than Fredericton as a whole, but it still needs definite improvement, like more salt,” said Scammell.

One area around campus that seems to be giving students the most difficulty is Windsor Street.

“The worst place to walk on campus is at the corner of Windsor Street and Beaverbrook,” said Scammell. “The hill is always icy and it is never cleared or salted.”

The walking conditions are bad enough for students who are not in

wheelchairs, but what about those with disabilities?

“I don’t know of any areas that would be cleared right now to make them wheelchair accessible,” said Scammell.

Despite the fact that the winter storms have made campus difficult to access, the accessibility committee has been working to improve wheelchair access. Including the new elevators and ramps, there are also a number of disabled parking spots located on campus.

Cleave said that the focus is about listening to the concerns and keying in on the areas that need the most attention.

The online survey being conducted will be beneficial for the future, said Cleave, as the results from it will be used to make significant changes on campus.

The main thing the committee is asking for is student input.

Cleave said the important thing to remember is that anyone can easily become the person who needs access.

Already, she has seen several students walking around on crutches, and one can only assume that it might be somewhat related to the poor, icy conditions.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Winter storms have made getting around campus difficult for students and faculty alike.

Canada student loans can be “a financial penalty” Reform expected to ease students’ burden

by Ksenia Prints CUP Central Bureau Chief

WINNIPEG (CUP) -- Many students are forced to reduce their course loads to get involved with their university, to earn money to pay for their education or for medical reasons. But when they do, Canada Student Loans is often the largest barrier they face.

Students who switch to part-time status or drop out altogether quickly lose their eligibility to be a part of the national loan program, and immediately start accruing interest on their loans. Payments are then expected within six months.

When David Jacks was elected President of the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association, he still had another year left in his degree.

The union’s bylaws mandated that he drop most of his classes while he held the office.

As soon as that happened, Jacks lost his student loan and began accumulating interest on what he had previously borrowed. “[For] students who want to get involved on campus, it’s sacrificing a year of your academic life . . . and I certainly felt a financial penalty,” said Jacks.

“I will lose one year of my studies, and if I want to continue my studies, then the money I’ve made through this position is going directly to the student loan.”

CSLP has an interest relief line, which allows students to stop making payments on their loan, but to be eligible, a student’s family income is assessed and must fit the criteria established by CSLP. Karen, whose last name is protected for employment reasons, dropped out of school in 2006 after she was diag-

nosed with breast cancer.

She was denied interest relief based on her and her husband’s projected income. She was making $1,400 a month through private insurance, which she said did not even cover living expenses and medicine.

“Financially, we were in the shit.

That $1,400 was all I had to live on.”

Jacks, who took time off for a paid position, was also ineligible.

“I can’t start a new line of credit [with Canada Student Loans],” he said. “It is difficult to get the national and provincial bodies to recognize student activism and the student unions.”

The scenario is no longer rare.

10-40 people drop out of the University of Winnipeg every month, said Colin Russell, the director of academic advising in the faculties of arts and science.

Financial difficulty is one of the most common reasons for the move, he said.

“A fair number of students will cite the money that they have isn’t sustainable and they have to work more,” Russell said.

“Some students will make the decision to continue with courses and maintain funding, even if it’s not to their benefit academically,” he added.

“They might have a lower GPA that’s not indicative of their ability, or if they had more money, or time.”

Applying for interest relief or an additional loan upon returning to school doesn’t always work, either. Students are required to submit proof of enrolment in post-secondary studies, and to not have defaulted on any previous payments.

Many students have complained that paperwork gets lost, or the process takes too long and students are forced to find other ways to pay for their tuition while their files are being processed.

Karen’s medical forms were lost three times, she said.

After extensive complaints, the federal government placed the entire CSLP under review during 2007

and, in the 2008 budget, earmarked $123M to Canada Student Loans Program reform.

Over half the funds, $74M, are dedicated to improving the program’s responsiveness to borrowers’ economic circumstances.

“There’s not enough support when you phone student loans,” said Karen.

“It’s not a service oriented, humanistic culture.”

“We’ve heard complaints from students about this scenario,” said Julian Benedict, co-founder of the Coalition for Student Loan Fairness.

The CSLF recently filed an Access to Information Request to CSLP to find out how many people are charged interest while still in school. They are currently awaiting results.

Many students are unaware of this complication until they go into collection, said Benedict.

While CSLP’s original borrowing conditions state what happens if students change to part-time status, these documents are a confusing collection of rules and exceptions.

“The rules are more of a challenge than they need to be for students,” said Benedict.

Hope is now high that the new government funding will be used to make CSLP more approachable and flexible. $23M has been earmarked for an online service overhaul.

Benedict also suggested creating a national student loan ombudsman, a neutral third party to assist people with specific concerns. At the very least, he said, problems should be assigned to an individual who can handle the case.

Benedict also believes that part-time loans should be interest-free, and the interest-free grace period reinstated.

Interest relief should also not be decided based on projected income, said Karen, but case-by-case.

Overall, Benedict doubts that $123M will fix the CSLP. The final allocation will be brought to a vote in the House of Commons in the middle of March.

Monte Solberg, the minister responsible for CSLP, could not comment beyond the budget’s projection.

News

Issue 23 • March 19, 2008 • 3

A cool million

by Josh O’Kane

It happened to Jones House, it almost happened to Aitken, and it could happen to any other house in the near future.

Residential Life has put together its budget proposal for next year, which calls for a $1M deficit. That budget does not stipulate the closure of any houses – but if enrolment runs lower than has been projected, another residence building could see the axe.

“The million dollar deficit rides on no additional closures of houses. That doesn’t mean there couldn’t be additional closures, depending on occupancy,” says James Brown, Executive Director of Residential Life, Campus & Conference Services. “What I can say definitely at this point is that our budget goes to the Board of Finance and ultimately to the Board of Governors, which will occur in March and April.”

The budget consultation process has been in place for several weeks. The $1M deficit stands only for the Res Life portion of Residential Life, Campus & Conference Services; the Book Store, Aitken Centre, and SUB are separately budgeted.

If residence sees fewer applicants next year, a house could see a minimum year-long closure. In the past, two successful instances, Jones and Bridges, this decision was objectively based on the number of returning applicants with paid damage deposits in houses in the central cluster of residences.

The central cluster includes co-ed residences Harrison, Bridges, Neill, and Mackenzie, and all-male residences Aitken and Neville/Jones. The original Jones building is now being reconfig-

ured to become UNB’s Student Services building, and was acquired from Res Life by the university earlier this year in exchange for $1.7M. The choice of Aitken for (attempted) closure last year was based on different reasoning: Proximity.

“Within the master plan, the building that fit best in terms of conjunction with current student services and proximity to other offices was Aitken House,”

closed, enrolment at the Fredericton campus had fallen for the first time.

“It was a surprise we weren’t prepared for,” says Brown. “…We had no longterm trends. It was at that point that I started doing the analysis, linking occupancy to enrolment, seeing that 17% relationship back to 2003 and using that as a projection mechanism. All that was after the fact of the need to make a sudden decision [to recoup losses] as

“If Aitken had closed, Jones likely would have reopened.”

- james Brown executive Director, Residential Life, campus & Conference Services

says Brown. “That’s what really drove that decision initially. When the board in effect reversed that, we basically took the building that we had not used, and converted it into the building we were going to rededicate – the Jones building.

The university’s goals got substantially met by that. The opportunity got filled with Jones.”

The conversion of Jones was not in Brown’s initial plans when the house was first closed in 2006. “[The conversion] did mean that what I presented to the Jones guys, a closure with the possibility of reopening, turned into a permanent closure. But I think people understood through the process that it was a substitute for the closure of Aitken. That’s what happened from my perspective.”

At the point which Jones was initially

the year approached.”

Brown says the closure was always intended to be temporary, on the assumption that occupancy would someday rise again.

“I understand that it’s widely suspected that that temporary closure was always intended to be my way in so that I could make a rededication.

That’s not the case. That’s not consistent with what happened afterwards, either. When I said ‘for this year...’ it really was my intention to reopen it at the point that we had enough men to open another all male residence. And if Aitken had closed, Jones likely would have reopened.”

The decision behind any residence closures for next year will likely take place in June, when applicant numbers become available.

Energy and water at UNB Submitted by Becky Graham, Melissa Fulton, and Marc Girard Take a minute to think about energy consumption on campus. From powering the computer labs, heating the residences, and lighting the buildings, the energy demand is huge.

The Physical Plant that rests atop the hill is responsible for heating and uses an underground pipe system to transport steam. The Physical Plant on campus has taken good strides in recent years to increase efficiency and reduce emissions, but there is a gaping hole on the other end of the energy loop. LEED, a system that gives buildings “green” ratings, bestows a paltry rank of five or less out of a possible 69 for UNB buildings. This means the energy (and money) that is saved through innovations in the system seeps out our drafty windows.

UNB is making some progress in reducing electricity usage. The greatest stride, however, has gone largely unrecognized and is hidden on the roof of Head Hall. An electrical engineering class created solar panels that are now used to power an electrical lab. Consid-

The Brunswickan is still hiring for the positions of: Copy Editor Online Editor Send your resume and cover letter to

eic@unb.ca

ering that the computer labs on campus cost over $200,000 annually to power, imagine the impact such initiatives could have. So why haven’t you noticed these miraculous panels before? Well, that was the point. In deference to the historical architecture of UNB, the panels were approved only if located somewhere they wouldn’t detract from the appearance of the building. However, given an opportunity for hands-on education, environmental benefit, and financial savings, wouldn’t you hope your university would have the wisdom to opt for substance over style?

Energy consumption is on most people’s radar, especially in light of climate change. Unfortunately, water conservation is its forgotten cousin.

The average Canadian uses 350 litres of water every day. As engaged Canadians and UNB students, we can reduce our wasteful water practices.

A university of UNB’s size uses a lot of water through the course of a year, so it is especially important to look at our actions carefully. In 2002/2003, water consumption on campus was over 375 million litres.

The good news is there are ways to reduce consumption. For example, the science buildings on campus now

use a closed-loop system so that water restricted to lab use is continuously recycled.

There are many more improvements UNB could make to its water system.

For example, low-flow showerheads, dual-flush toilets, and low-flow faucets can replace older models as UNB upgrades old building infrastructure.

UNB could also investigate grey-water systems. Grey-water is waste water from sources like showers, laundry facilities, and dish water, which can be recycled.

For example, grey-water can be used for flushing toilets while heat from some grey water can be re-captured.

Despite what many think, action on a small scale is also important. You can run your dishwasher and washingmachine only when they have full loads, shorten your showers, or not water your lawn. We can make energy and water conservation, and sustainability in general, a higher priority for the university as well.

If you’d like to discuss your thoughts or concerns regarding energy, water, or sustainability, visit our Facebook group “University of New Brunswick Fredericton Campus Sustainability Project”, or e-mail water@unb.ca, energy@unb. ca, or engage@unb.ca.

New supercomputer to assist researchers UNB is one of the four universities in Atlantic Canada to house new computing infrastructure

by Naomi Osborne

A new computing infrastructure may be the answer to solving complicated problems and bridging communication gaps for researchers at four institutions across Atlantic Canada.

UNB became home last month to one of several high-performance supercomputers in the region. This computer is expected to enhance the quality of work and allow researchers to collaborate with others between four Atlantic Canadian institutions.

Among those universities are Memorial, St. Mary’s, and St. Francis Xavier universities.

UNB was selected to be part of the infrastructure because it has been a leader in the programming and design of the machine since 1974.

Dr. Virendra Bhavsar is the Dean of Computer Science at UNB and has devoted much of his career to this project.

He says this computer will significantly enhance the way researchers across Atlantic Canada communicate.

“It is all about connecting people in Atlantic Canada. We would like to create a community of researchers,” said Dr. Bhavsar.

This supercomputer is able to operate at a significantly faster speed than a regular desktop computer, considerably reducing the process of accessing information and allowing faster computation.

On a standard computer, it can take anywhere from a few days to a week for researchers to solve computational problems; this computer only takes a few hours to do the same thing, said Dr. Bhavsar.

“It can store more than 50,000 gigabytes of data, and it has roughly 200 processors, which means that it can ideally cut down the computing length by 200 times,” said Dr. Bhavsar.

Submitted

Last month this ”supercomputer” made its home at UNB. It is one of several within the region.

One of the major problems the researchers were having was projects taking two to six months to complete.

As this was much too long, the new computer will eliminate that problem by finishing the projects in a matter of hours.

Another major asset of the supercomputer is that it has been made accessible to everyone – not only researchers. Any student that is doing research and has an account can access the computer’s

“It can ideally cut down the computing length by 200 times.”

- Dr. Virendra Bhavsar, Dean of Computer Science

resources.

“Many students use it whether they are in arts, science, chemical engineering, or computer science – they all have access,” said Dr. Bhavsar. “However, it is not only open to students. Anybody doing research in an Atlantic university, in the province, or across the region can access it at no cost.”

The funding for this program came from a number of difference sources.

Among them are from the federal government, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and from the partnership

of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Atlantic Computational Excellence Network (ACEnet) is the group handling the infrastructure. It is a $26M corporation that is made up of nine institutions: UNB, St. Mary’s, University of Prince Edward Island, Memorial, St. Francis Xavier, Dalhousie, Mount Allison, Cape Breton, and Acadia.

Every researcher within these universities is able to access the ACEnet infrastructure.

The university upgrades their system every three to five years. The last supercomputer was received in 2004, and although it is still running, is considered old. Like any other computer, this new one will be obsolete in a few years as well.

In addition to this innovative research method, UNB now has a new stateof-the-art video conferencing system, which allows researchers to talk to and hold meetings with the other nine institutions.

“Another component is collaboration,” said Dr. Bhavsar. “We have a video conferencing system that goes coast to coast in Canada as a multi-site facility.”

This new equipment means a brighter future for UNB, its students, and researchers.

“It is unique to the province. The technology is the most important part of it,” said Dr. Bhavsar. “It has much more storage, so that means we can solve bigger problems.”

News

4 • March 19, 2008 • Issue 23

Striking trends: A closer look Considering how St. Thomas faculty was the most recent university to go on strike this year, does this “strike trend” seem to be more common than students think?

by Lauren Kennedy What do the University of Prince Edward Island, Dalhousie University, Acadia University, and St. Thomas have in common? Besides being well known institutions of higher learning, they have all (within the past eight years) have had members of their establishments go on strike.

With two of these universities alone having gone on strike this academic year, it raises the question if there is a growing university strike trend in Atlantic Canada.

However, Director of Publication and Communications from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), Lyse Huot, disagrees with the idea of a strike trend.

“There is no trend in faculty strikes. The fact that two universities had a faculty strike is a coincidence. Each strike is different – the issues, the players, etc,” she says.

Each strike is different and not one seems to be the same, but with each university group that does go on strike, it makes students question what is really going on. In some cases, there are issues left unresolved by the first strike and it leaves room for another possible strike to follow.

Strikes are only settled when both parties reach an agreement on a contract or whatever the main issue of the dispute is about. Sometimes it is solved through negotiating between parties, other times a mediator needs to be brought in, and in some situations binding arbitration is sought to solve the dispute.

Acadia University has had two previous labour disputes in the past between faculty and administration. The first being in February/ March of 2004 and lasted 13 days, according to Scott Roberts, the Senior Director of Communication and Public Affairs, and the second was in October of 2007.

The major issues in the most recent strike of the Acadia faculty was the issue of equity in hiring practices, salary, and benefits as they were the only faculty not to have a dental plan in Canada.

“Students that happen to be there when that process occurred do experience some of the negative consequences but ultimately the [strike] process maintains the overall quality of the institution.”

- Peter Williams, president of AUFA

“The difficulty that we were having was that everyone was on a different salary scale. Historically, our contracts have favoured one group over another. We were having a real hard time convincing our employer to get each group to have the same thing,” said Peter Williams, current President of the Acadia University Faculty Association (AUFA).

The AUFA represents a number of people including all academic staff, teaching professors, academic librarians, and instructors.

By the end of the 18-day long strike, both sides reached a negotiated settlement and agreed the best way to move forward with their issues was with the assistance of a provinciallyappointed mediator. The result for students was that four additional teaching days were added to the end of the term.

According to Williams, he feels the best way to resolve any conflict is through the powers of negotiating.

“It’s so important, in my mind, to avoid things like binding arbitration or what not.

You always get a much better situation if all

parties can agree on something as opposed to giving up on some kind of agreement and getting someone else to decide for you,” he explained.

“Inevitably, what happens then is that one party is happy, the other is not, and that’s not a good go-forward basis.”

St. Thomas University was the most recent faculty to go on strike this academic year with their work stoppage lasting from the time the faculty was locked out on December 27 of 2007 to the time when students finally got back to class on February 5 of this year. The semester for St. Thomas students was extended by 11 days.

The faculty’s main issues of conflict were workload and salary and the fact that they were the first faculty in Canada to have been locked out before a strike actually happened.

They went through two mediators and finally arbitration. The arbitration idea was suggested before but it was long before the faculty took the advice of the mediator. It ended with a joint application to seek binding arbitration. With the advice from a mediator, the parties sought binding arbitration with their collective agreements and together, they negotiated a back-to-work protocol.

The decision to go to arbitration eventually ended the strike so that students would be able to get back to the classroom, but it did not fully solve the issues between the faculty and administration. Having been in a similar situation with his university, Williams believes this was not the ideal solution for both parties.

“The difficulty that I see is that it’s quite pragmatic in that for a long time, students were out of classes and everyone seemed anxious to get the situation resolved. The concern now is what is going to happen next time because there will inevitably be some serious challenges created as a result of them failing to come to an agreement this time, which can lead to perpetual finger pointing.”

Simply put, when members of the university community decide to go on strike, it is because they are unhappy with something, whether it be with a clause in their contract or something else. But while parties are deciding and choosing to strike, where does that leave students?

For the most part, they are kept in relative

Is STU really back to normal?

It’s been three weeks since STU students have been back in class, and even though everything may seem “back to normal”, the reality is that the general feeling on campus has changed.

It’s not just students’ attitudes towards the professors that have changed, but towards the administration as well. Some students feel as though they will never get back the month of education they lost and feel they are still paying for it.

Second year student and proctor in Harrington Hall, David Turner says that there are better things he could have been doing for that month rather than waiting around for the strike to end.

“I was here for a month proctoring while I could have been back at home in Woodstock working,” said Turner.

The main concern of students seems to be how much money they lost in tuition and how much extra they have spent just on living expenses.

Jeff Cyr, a fourth year student, shared his thoughts on how the strike has affected him.

“The biggest effect the strike had on me was that I had to spend a lot more money on extra food during the month when I could have been home,” said Cyr. The university is now telling students they will receive compensation for what they have been through. The Committee on Student Compensation said in an e-mail to all STU students that there will be two different types of compensation for students.

The first type of compensation requires students to fill out an application form stating what they need compensation for and to provide receipts. Each application will be considered on an individual basis determined by “out-of-pocket expenses.”

Examples of things students could submit could be flight cancellations, medical reasons, or even expired visas. Complaints of spending money on food, rent, or bills were not accepted because that is a normal expense that would have been there even if the strike had not happened.

“To a large extent, it depends on how they [the students] both collectively and individually respond to the situation.”

-Peter Williams

Three weeks after the month-long STU strike has ended, students share what they have learned from the experience.

by Naomi Osborne

darkness about what is going on between negotiating parties, only becoming informed when an e-mail appears in their inbox.

The administration at St. Thomas kept students informed through this manner. It seemed to some that every day, there were emails being sent out from the administration or the students’ union members attempting to keep students informed as best as they could. Because the Faculty Association of the University of St. Thomas (FAUST) members were unable to log in to their e-mail accounts, information was posted on their union website explaining their side of the story.

“Our website is a vehicle for delivering information to our members but also to our students and interested members of the community. Students deserve to hear both sides of the issue in order to understand it. Since the lockout began, students have been getting the administration's side of the story,” explained Jeanette Gaudet, who spoke on behalf of FAUST. “Students are technologically savvy, so the most efficient way of presenting the faculty's concerns was through the webpage.”

Students are stuck in the middle when a strike happens and it seems they are the ones who are either benefiting or losing from what the parties negotiate. Williams feels that it is up to the students to decide how to deal with the idea of a strike.

“To a large extent, it depends on how they [the students] both collectively and individually respond to the situation. In my mind it’s a rather interesting learning experience that could be taken advantage of. At Acadia, we had students who made movies about it, walking around and interviewing people, making projects and turning the strike into an educational experience,” Williams described. “However, it is true that some students will be caught in the middle. Students that happen to be there when that process occurred do experience some of the negative consequences but ultimately the process maintains the overall quality of the institution.”

The other type of compensation is expected to be more of a general one, where every full-time student will receive adequate financial compensation.

“The general compensation for full-time students will be determined pending the completion of the arbitration hearing with the Faculty Association and the decision of the arbitrator…

Until the ramifications of the collective agreements are known, it is impossible for the university to set a general compensation amount for students,” was the explanation given by the Committee on Student Compensation in their e-mail to students.

Unfortunately, this means full-time students will not know when or even how much money they will be receiving from the university, perhaps until the end of the term. For those students who sent in applications, the deadline was February 22.

Students like Brad Baker are looking forward to the compensation because he says he has really felt the financial blow.

“It burned a hole in my pocket; I definitely lost a lot of money,” said Baker.

Some students have different perspectives

on the strike. Andrew Kelly is a fourth year journalism student and his feeling is that professors failed to consider the students in the negotiations.

“I realized from what I read about the strike that the professors were only doing it for themselves and not for the students,” said Kelly. “We were put on the backburner and that’s unfortunate.”

Kelly is also a graduating this year and says that it was frustrating not knowing if he would be able to graduate when he planned.

“It’s good to know where people’s priorities lie,” said Kelly.

Some students even say that this experience made them realize the truth about the professors.

“The teachers are cheap and they don’t care about the students. They are just there for a paycheck,” said Turner.

It has been a difficult transition for STU students to get back into the groove, but for the most part, people are beginning to realize they will have to work on getting through the rest of the term.

March 19 •2008

The Brunswickan • 5

Comments & Letters

eic@unb.ca • March 19, 2008

From the Top

Neill House loses longstanding tradition to PR crunch

by Ed Cullinan

Jennifer McKenzie / The Brunswickan

With the cuts to the Varsity Reds, UNB has not only lost women’s hockey, it’s lost its integrity.

Barely Mediocre

by Jennifer McKenzie A UNB professor that I know fairly well told me she believed UNB was “barely mediocre.” I didn't give it a second thought until now.

I am not under some illusion that UNB is an outstanding or first class school, but we do have some good things going for us. There’s a great Forestry program, concurrent teaching, and until recently, an outstanding varsity sports program.

This isn't some sob story on how women's hockey deserves the same treatment as men's hockey. My best friend played Lady Red's hockey for her four-year stay at UNB, so I've seen well over my fair share of girls’ sports.

I understand why women's games are poorly attended and unprofitable.

I think the girls on the team will probably agree they put on a good show, but it doesn't compare to the men.

That isn't the point.

I am disappointed because I thought my school was better than this. I thought my school cared more about its students

than it did about the bottom line. This isn't just about women's hockey: it's about a shift in the institution and justifying unacceptable behavior. This move by the Varsity Reds was dirty and underhanded.

The men's basketball team lost 18 games this year. They won two. Games were poorly attended at best, especially towards the end of the season when fans realized they were watching a joke. Yet the program was not cut.

I could speculate that UNB needed a team to fill the soon-to-be built multimillion dollar Currie Centre complex – it would be foolish to spend millions on a complex and have no one to play in it.

When the men's “competitive club” baseball team won CIBA Nationals in October, the University didn't acknowledge them. Kevin Dickie and Maureen Sparks didn't send out a congratulatory press release, they didn't give them a basket of fruit. The first time UNB athletics mentioned or acknowledged the baseball team was when they thought it might benefit them as a justification for their decision to cut six teams. In the

press release that announced six teams would no longer hold varsity status, the example of a competitive club was UNB's baseball team.

UNB promises its students the school is big enough for their “biggest dreams” and small enough to help with their smallest needs.

Apparently, athletics was neither a small need nor a dream big enough for UNB, and if you're not going to make profits, you're not worth it.

My school puts profits before students, winning before growing, and championships as the only measure of achievement. I think “barely mediocre” is giving us too much credit.

In an attempt to explain the decision to cut women's hockey, Terry Haggerty, the Dean of Kinesiology, said, "If you can't do it right, maybe you shouldn't do it at all."

I think Haggerty, Kevin Dickie (Athletic Director), and Maureen Sparks (Athletics Coordinator) should heed this advice – if you’re not going to do your jobs right, you really only have one option.

Exchange programs create Misreprestilted view of academics sentation

by The Charlatan editorial staff, the Charlatan (Carleton University)

OTTAWA (CUP) -- While exchange programs can offer students an opportunity of a lifetime, they lack a certain degree of merit.

When students go on exchange, their semester or year turns into a time of fun, relaxation, and partying.

That’s not to say having a good time is a bad thing, but the focus of an exchange should be on both the cultural and academic aspects, with a greater emphasis on the latter.

Usually when students take courses at another university, a ‘pass or fail’ grade system is used. Since letter grades don't appear on a student’s transcript, this

can lead to a lack of motivation on the student’s part because the system gives them an easy way out.

Most universities claim that it's hard to convert grades between institutions because the marking systems and course guidelines differ. But a solution — perhaps using percentages to calculate grades — is needed.

Some exchange students take harder courses to prevent their overall averages from being affected. This is unfair to students who forgo ‘pass or fail’ courses at other universities or who are unable to do so.

This weakens the credibility of a student's degree because they can avoid having certain course marks factored into their grade point averages.

Universities, including Carleton, should re-evaluate the way it evaluates exchange students.

to GSA by future SU President Dear Editor, As you may or may not be aware, Bethany Vail sent a mass email to all graduate students at UNB. As pastpresident of the Graduate Student Association, I take exception to the claim that Ms. Vail worked with the GSA and took responsibility for ensuring that there was proper graduate representation on Fredericton Senate Committees. Ms. Vail met with me on a Grand total of one occasion (in May 2007), and was not responsible for filling graduate representation on Senate, as this was my job. As the SU has been outwardly hostile toward graduate students in the past year, I find her claim to representing the interests of Graduate Students hard to swallow. To my knowledge, she has not been working closely with the GSA on any issue.

Sincerely, Colin Curry

“Straight from the top” is what I’m told. The order coming from UNB’s Board of Govenors will see to it that Neill House will not be burning a couch this year at their annual “Raise A Little Hell” social. The event, which marks the culmination of eight months of fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society, is a golden mark on the calendars of all who have worked hard over the year to raise the money.

I want to give you another taste from the top. Being the president of a house can only be as good as you make it, and each and every person lucky enough to be put in the role knows this. As

president, you are responsible for the behaviour of your committee, which directly correlates to the behaviour of your housemates. The president is in charge of the public image of your residence, and as former Neill House President, I could not have been happier with our year in 2006-2007 – and we still burnt a couch.

So I’ll say this: from the top of the house committee of 2006-07 (arguably one of the most successful in recent memory), the slight that has been handed down to the house committee of 2007-08, and to the whole of Neill House by the university’s highest governing power, is nothing short of incredible. These are real people successfully contributing to the community, not your average losers that ruined it for everyone else with the arson that was strewn all over Graham Avenue this past summer. Yet, in the interest of public image, tradition is thrown to the dogs.

In 06-07 we raised close to $23,000, $14,000 the year before that. They’re

getting up there this year, too. These couches are burnt in celebration, not in anarchy or rebellion. This is a controlled situation, with safety precautions and the whole nine yards, not arson. Yeah, it’s weird – but that’s all it is.

When there is no torch to pass this year, certainly Neill House loses, but what does UNB really stand to gain?

Are we all supposed to sleep a little better knowing the image of our school has been saved from certain disaster? This small step forward for the greater good of this lumbering political machine has squashed a celebration of community, of goals accomplished, and of pride that these students pour themselves into.

I know the fire will continue to burn in the hearts and eyes of these talented individuals, whether or not furniture in an empty parking lot does the same.

Think about the needlessness of this decision and the wastefulness of your governing power – and consider this an appeal.

The old man rant an opinion from Dave Evans

I

have not watched Saturday morning cartoons in a long time...mainly because it’s common knowledge that I refuse to get out of bed before noon most days. It’s not that I want to waste time staying in bed, it’s just that I hate the sound of children laughing merrily when they’re not in school. Actually, on second thought, maybe I should start getting up early – then maybe I’d catch the little sons of bitches stealing my rhubarb. Anyway, I got up for some reason and turned on the television. Boy did I get pissed off. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were on, a staple of cartoon viewing in my youth...but they were using futuristic jackass weapons...in the future. What the hell is this crap? Leonardo does not use a light saber. He uses some sort of ninja sword that Splinter gave him (by the way, I don’t understand how Splinter got those weapons – he’s a poor rat). So incensed at this bastardization of my childhood, I flipped through the other channels: anime, anime, anime, Mighty Morphin’ Minto Rangers, anime, anime, anime...

Back in my day, we had quality shows like Duck Tails, Darkwing Duck, and Bucky O’Hare! Not shows with half-naked schoolgirls who make me wonder if I should turn myself over to the RCMP just for watching.

If you’re fed up about this too, join the fight. Lend me your Optimus Primes (the original one, not the superultra fire truck horseshit version)! Lend me your Ghostbusters! Thrust your He-Man to the sky and yell, “By the power of Grayskull! Take this crap off the air!” It’s time to tell the networks and those rhubarb-stealing, Dragonball-loving sons of bitches who’s boss.

The face of student journalism needs to change

by Laura Redpath, The Underground (University of Toronto, Scarborough)

TORONTO (CUP) -- One of the unofficial mottoes of all university students is to be “The change you wish to see in the world” - a phrase coined by Gandhi.

But in giving the future of student journalism this responsibility, it seems we aren't taking this mantra to heart.

And all it takes is one glance at student politics to see who we're

learning our new lessons from. Instead of questioning the real issues and seeking the answers we have a right to, we've developed the same attitude most student electorates have when they give their votes to friends or use them to get someone they don't like out of office. Just like them, we've become more sordid than the real world we imitate and we don't care how cutthroat it gets.

One issue that's always bandied about is the lack ethnic diversity in the newsroom. In the beginning, this was a white man's trade, but the seemingly unbeatable unions protecting that past still exist. If ethnic diversity, multiculturalism, and re-

flecting Canada’s mixed races is so important, how come this country's student journalists can't stand up and address these issues?

And when the future leaders of this craft are put on the spot to address ‘real world’ issues, why do they squirm and take deep breaths like what I saw at a conference two months ago: “What is your stance on diversity within [this organization]?”

“I don’t think [this organization] can get away from diversity, I think we have a lot of it at this conference and in this room."

Of the 60 people in the room to hear that answer, only five were visible minorities.

We want to hear from you!

Send us your letters deadline: friday at noon maximum 600 words eic@unb.ca

Comments & Letters

University Etiquette Dear Editor: I have a suggestion for a great new column in your great newspaper. This is one which every student at UNB will benefit from, either directly or indirectly, both while at University, and later in life when they step out into what can be a big bad world.

The column would deal with a subject that is apparently as rare as "hens teeth" yet without which we are would all get along like a bunch of clucking chickens in a crowded hen-house. The matter is that of "etiquette". Yes, I know, I am a mature student, and at the grand old age of 39, having worked for the past 22 years before finally deciding it was time to upgrade my hard drive, you will probably think I am just being an "old fuddy duddy".

Well….try telling that to your first "real" boss when you walk in late for meetings every day. You will not find them as sympathetic, or as tolerant as your university professor. I know we can all be late on the odd occasion, for our own reasons. For me it might be having to sort out my teenage daughter's school trip before heading off to my own class. But such times should be noticeable by their exception, not by their rule.

In one of my classes last term (the particular class will remain unnamed, so as to protect the not so innocent) one female student in particular arrived at every single class about 20 – 30 minutes late. Now if that was me, I would sneak in quiet as a mouse, taking my place in the very back shadowed corner of the classroom, hoping against hope that no one had seen me. This young woman, however, is clearly not so old school, or maybe she is just in training for the fashion runway. I cannot think what else would prompt her to make such grand entrances, as she sashayed across the room, causing maximum disruption and interruption to the class. As my British husband would say "Darhling… you're really not all that!" Then having gained her vantage point, fifteen minutes later we would be treated to the action replay, as clearly overwhelmed by her own success she had to leave again to go to the bathroom – giving her the opportunity to play the "double disrupter" gambit.

We all counted her on the way out - and we all counted her on the way in.

Bottom line – if you want to be disrespectful to your professor by being repeatedly late for class – then that is up to you. But at least have some consideration for others and make your entrances quiet and your exits even quieter. Oh… and go to the bathroom before you go into class!

Now, speaking of being in class, trying hard to hear the professor against a background of "fits and giggles" from the peanut gallery (girls… most of us really don't care about the latest gossip… er… well strictly we do but there really is a time and place for everything) while trying to overcome the sensory attack of "Dorito Boy" (dedicated to saving the planet through the endless consumption of that particular smelly and crunchy snack) it would be nice… please boys… and here I really must beg… buy some Kleenex and learn how to use them!!!

Then of course there are the IPODs. Which I think we all know stands for Insensitively Playing Our Ditties. I may or may not like your music – it is just I'd like to be able to choose when I listen to it. And as for the library. The sign that says "No eating, covered cups only" does not mean "bring a picnic and save your seat in between classes with your stuff on the chair".

In themselves these might all seem minor things; however, they are all examples of a lack of consideration for others that seems to be almost endemic at times. And it is not just me that thinks so. When I told some of my friends (all from UNB, and all younger than me, thanks for asking!) that I was going to write this article there was universal cheer and I was told I must. So next time, before you slam that door in the face of the person behind, because you can't be bothered to even look or hold it open. Just remember. One day you might open a door to find that person sitting behind a desk ready to interview you for the job you really wanted. Then you might find out what it really means to get the door slammed in your face.

Be considerate to people. It makes everyone's life easier!!!!

Miss Hettie Kett (Alex Carleton)

We’re looking for feedback. give us your thoughts on how we’re doing. the good, the bad, and the ugly.

eic@unb.ca

iewpoint V

Issue 23 • March 19, 2008 • 7

The

Brunswickan

Question: What do you think of the decision to cut varsity teams?

Sports should be for students Adam McLaughlin

Cheerleaders should have varsity status Adrienne Peacock

Cheap move Brett Marlo

I should have played men’s hockey Brian Beaudette

Pretty stupid Christian Hapgood

If baseball isn’t varsity, why should they be?

Jacob Smith

Save cross country Jill Griffiths

Sucks for the people on the teams Josh Fleck

They need to stop picking on individual sports Kari Densmore

It’s not good Mike Foster

What a joke Saffire Irving

Men can swim Travis McLaughlin

Comments & Letters

8 • March 19, 2008 • Issue 23

The Brunswickan Editorial Board

Editor-In-Chief • Jennifer McKenzie Managing Editor • Tony von Richter Co-News Editor • Josh O’Kane Co-News Editor • Lauren Kennedy Arts Editor • Ashley Bursey Photo Editor • Andrew Meade Sports Editor • Brian Munn Copy Editor • Alicia Del Frate Production Editor • Ed Cullinan

UNB administration consistently sets poor example for its students

Staff Advertising Sales Rep • Bill Traer Delivery • Mike Lee Contributors Christian Hapgood, Brad Conley, Alison Clack, Jordan Gill, Doug Estey, Dan Hagerman, Sean Horsley, Dave Briggs, Melanie Bell, Naomi Osborne, Mitchell Bernard, Ed Bowes, Jason Henry, Nick Ouellette About Us The Brunswickan, in its 141st year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication.

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

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

We publish weekly during the academic year with a circulation of 10,000.

Letters Must be submitted by e-mail including your name, letters with pseudonymns will not be printed. Letters must be 600 words maximum. Deadline for letters is Friday at noon.

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

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

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

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Mugwump by Tony von Richter

The handling of Varsity Reds situation another example of UNB’s ineptness and its uncaring nature The first reaction to last Wednesday's announcement that the Varsity Reds were reducing the number of varsity teams from 14 to 8 was that of shock, since very few people saw it coming.

While the content of the announcement was surprising, the UNB administration's handling of the situation was not as it was another unfortunate example of just how inept and disrespectful this supposed institution of “higher-learning” can be.

I could easily write thousands of words about all the previous examples of UNB's horrible planning and strategic decisions but we've got a limited amount of pages in this paper, so I'll have to save that for another time and just concentrate on the events of last week.

There are a number of problems with how the situation transpired last week, however the worst of which is how and when the information about the decision was distributed.

Rather than ensuring that every varsity athlete and coach that was directly affected by last week's decision was aware of the decision, UNB decided to send a press release to the media at

4:00 pm, about 30 minutes before the members of the women's hockey team were notified.

As much as everything else, that this decision was made in secret, that the teams and players affected by this had little to no input, that it appears that the decision was made so late into the year as to apparently minimize resistance to it, the fact that I knew before Leslie Axford or Terri Ryerson is inexcusable.

How would the Athletic department feel if in the midst of planning for next season, President John McLaughlin walked into their offices next week and told them not to bother since there would be no more funding for sports at UNB? Oh, and just to add insult to injury, the local media knew about this before they did.

Somehow, I doubt the department heads would stand for that or that the administration would treat their colleagues so poorly, so why is it acceptable for students to be treated in such a manner?

Unfortunately this is just the latest in a long series of examples of students being treated badly by the administration and has lead many to feel that the university doesn't care about us, that all we are is a student number with a dollar figure attached to us for how much tuition we still owe.

Of course, not everyone treats students in such an inconsiderate manner; luckily we've still got our professors and individual faculty administrations who care about us and our well-being, not just the well-being of our bank accounts.

If we're supposed to take pride in our school and respect those that run it, shouldn't the administration have that same pride and respect for us?

It should, but over the years, the UNB administration has routinely showed that it does not, and I can't think of a worse indictment of our university than that.

Blu-ray discs contribute to techno-affluence

by Kerri Breen, The Muse (Memorial University of Newfoundland) ST. JOHNS (CUP) -- I still watch the video of Kindergarten Cop my grandmother taped off channel 10 in 1993. I know it was 1993 because the commercial breaks are mostly screens of news feed.

Sure the picture quality is poor, the sound is fuzzy, and those commercials about the Blue Jays winning the World Series are downright annoying, but it still works. And when Kindergarten Cop comes out on Blu-ray disc, probably digitally re-mastered with Arnie’s outtakes and extra sparkles on the package, I’m totally going to spend my money on something else.

Buying stuff that you already can enjoy in another format is just plain wasteful. Gracefully side-stepping the movie collection overlap produced by another dreaded film format transition is a basic, painless way people can ever-so-slightly lighten the crippling load they place on the world’s resources as consumers of gazillions of dollars worth of hollow, inconsequential widgets.

But now, as a result of the end of a mini-format war, consumers will be encouraged to buy another special platinum edition of The Lion King sooner than expected.

On Feb. 18, Toshiba announced they were discontinuing their rival to Sony’s Blu-ray, the HD-DVD format.

The struggle between the two multinationals, ongoing since the early part of the decade, proved to delay the format change. Not long after, publications from the Globe and Mail to the New York Post heralded Sony’s product as victorious. The global dominance of the Blu-ray disc is now imminent As it’s been assumed, pretty soon, the once-omnipresent DVD format will be obsolete, just as our faithful childhood medium, VHS tapes, were thrown out like Jazz from Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. Not that Blu-ray isn’t an improvement on the DVD format – it holds much more information, it has better picture quality, and a catchy, yet dumb and futuristic sounding name.

To the casual viewer, these enhancements to your favorite films and television programs are probably negligible.

Instead, implicitly, what you pay for is the hope that the expensive and new product can positively amend your aura, and make you look fashionable, rich, young, and the list goes on. The possession of such coveted objects really does function as a social lubricant and a litmus test for affluence.

It’s no secret that advertisers spend a lot of money strengthening the connection between possessing fresh, shiny objects and being a desirable person.

This cycle of buying and temporary fulfillment (if you’re lucky enough to have money) drives the kind of progress that the Blu-ray disc represents.

Nowadays that pretty much goes without saying. But a less obvious extension of that is the creepy, sad fact that identity is both forged and honed in part by consumer preferences.

The worst part is that this message, this happiness-for-purchase arrangement, is exposed to people with, and without, the means to participate in vain consumption at the same time.

The result is the low-income government housing units near my apartment, decrepit, yet positively peppered with satellite dishes; and university students like myself, on the bus wondering whether my rent cheque is going to bounce, while listening to MP3s on my Bluetooth headphones. Because of the heavy social role these technologies play, and the high costs of not participating in consumer culture, many people sacrifice the basics just to compete.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not antitechnology. There have been many times when technological advancements have served to better the lives of the people who happen to be able to afford them.

But the socially and environmentally sketchy implications that mindless technologies such as Blu-ray have are enough for me to skip out on the craze, and stick to watching Nan’s old cassettes.

Comics, Funnies & Games!

VICTORIA (CUP) -- Legoworld comic.

By Adrian Binakaj Nexus (Camosun College)

Military ad Already sent up

Sports

brunswickansports@gmail.com • March 19, 2008

Varsity Blues U

by Tony von Richter

NB's sporting landscape will look quite different next season as the Varsity Reds announced last week that six teams – including men's and women's cross country, men's and women's wrestling, men's swimming, and women's hockey – have been stripped of varsity status. Beginning next season, they will be classified as “competitive sports clubs”.

The announcement came as a shock to most individuals involved with these programs, though Athletic Director Kevin Dickie says the process leading up to this decision has been going on for the past 14 months. The decision to cut programs was not made until

lence. For us, the one in particular was AUS competition.

"The other one is something called support. Support would be community support, attendance, alumni support, media support. Presumably sports that bring support from the greater community have more to bring to the university's overall image and perspective than those that don't.

"Another one usually relates to the financial aspects, the cost-benefit. To what extent is a team able to raise revenues to offset the costs? So if one team is very costly, is it able to raise revenue?”

Haggerty added that the Varsity Reds expect to save about $150,000 per year with this decision.

sports on the Varsity Reds scale, so last year we received $2,200 from the University of New Brunswick Athletic Program.”

This decision effectively ends women's hockey at UNB, as the team's budget was over $100,000 this past season. The drastic cutback in funding, combined with the fact that without varsity status the team cannot compete in the AUS,

“I feel like I have been stripped of my title as an athlete, as if I’ve been punished for something beyond my control.”

- Sylvia Bryson, Assistant Captain, Women’s Hockey

Jennifer McKenzie / The Brunswickan

the middle of February, with specific decisions about the affected teams being made just before the March break.

In a press release sent out last Wednesday, which The Brunswickan received before the teams were notified, Dickie said, “Many universities are investing more time, money, and human resources in fewer varsity teams. If UNB is to remain a strong competitor and if our varsity teams are to continue to excel, we must adapt to the changing environment and adjust our current varsity athletics program.

“This review is part of the long-term vision for the athletics program and is reflected in the program’s new slogan, ‘Champions of Academic and Athletic Excellence’.”

The handling of the announcement has been widely criticized, as teams losing their varsity status were not informed until after the press release had already been distributed to the media.

“Officially, nothing was ever told to us,” said Terri Ryerson, goaltender for the women’s hockey team. “Kevin Dickie neglected to say anything [prior to the announcement].”

Some, including swimming Coach Paula Crutcher, were never informed.

Instead, says Crutcher, she found out on the radio on Thursday morning.

According to Terry Haggerty, Dean of Kinesiology, the decision to cut teams was based upon a ranking of the Reds teams on 14 different criteria including things like funding, fan support, and performance (Editors Note: A comprehensive list of the criteria is included on this page).

“One relates to part of the mission of athletics would be athletic excellence.

Some [schools] take a look at competitiveness in the league, competitiveness nationally. Winning isn't the important thing, but in terms of pursuing excel-

"If your program's not sustainable, and it wasn't, the revenues that were available did not cover the expenses and we ran a deficit last year, I believe.

Looking ahead, we don't have a credit card that could pick up $50,000 a year, so how are you going to balance your budget?”

The decision was made in part because of what Kevin Dickie referred to as “minimal” effect on the teams, since, with the exception of women’s hockey, the student athletes would still be able to compete in the AUS and CIS "Every time we go through it we're going through 'how does this affect the student athletes or the coaches, what can we do that doesn't affect them as bad?'

We've been able to find a way for cross country runners that are excellent to be able to compete; we've found a way for the men's swimming team to still be able to continue at the AUS and CIS level, even though that club means that they have to engage their alumni to do scholarships themselves.

“We've thought about everything to minimize the impact."

Despite Dickie’s contention that the effect will indeed be minimal, many student athletes and coaches are unsure about what the future will hold.

Don Ryan, head coach of the men's and women's wrestling team and a UNB coach for the past 20 years, emphasized that it's unfortunate that his and other teams lost varsity status.

“To be honest, I'm really not sure what the changes will be. I'm trying to digest it and trying to talk to different partners and different people to try and figure out what's going forward,” said Ryan.

"The only definite change going forward from where we were last year and the last few years to next year is the name. We were one of the lower-tiered

leaves the women’s hockey team with no money and no place to play.

Details about the decision have been sketchy at best, leaving players unconvinced about the effectiveness of the Varsity Reds plans. Moreover, as former Varsity Reds women’s hockey captain Cheryl Hamilton said, players are feeling betrayed.

“I do not feel that we have had much support from the athletic department at all. No attendance at our games, not even a ‘good job’ or ‘nice try’ when seeing someone from the department," said Hamilton.

"That was mainly because they did not even know who most of us were.

One of the players commented after the meeting Wednesday that that was only her second time encountering our athletic director."

Haggerty acknowledged that the women's team was under funded for the past few years. In a half-hearted attempt to justify not only the decision, but the poor treatment of the women’s team over the past few years, Haggerty claimed that "If you can't do it right, maybe you shouldn't do it at all."

No matter the reason, the members of the women's hockey team are furious with the decision. In particular, the timing of the decision leaves players unable to apply to transfer to a different school, and many have already signed leases or made living arrangements for next year.

"I personally made plans for staying an additional year at UNB purely for hockey. My program is four and a half years, and rather than leaving in December, I enrolled in the TME Diploma for an additional 5 courses that would allow me to stay for an entire fifth year.

UNB is the only school east of Ontario to offer Geological Engineering so in a sense, I'm stuck here," said Sylvia Bry-

son, assistant captain of the women's hockey team.

"Since Wednesday I feel like I have been stripped of my title as an athlete, as if I've been punished for something beyond my control. I'm overwhelmed at the thought of not being a part of the Varsity Reds community next year."

Some team members think that the timing of the announcement was intentional, and that there is a more sinister reason for it coming so late in the academic year.

"I think it was [intentional]. I'm not completely clear on the situation that happened in Saskatchewan, they heard they were going to be cut, they took it to court and won. We were told that's it, it's over, the decision's made, the plan's done, that's it. We have nothing to fight – there's no time to fight. I do think it's intentional. Why was women's hockey the last to find out? People knew before we did," said Ryerson.

"We feel that because Kevin [Dickie] left this so late, he wasted a lot individuals’ time. Had we known even months previous that there were going to be cuts, we probably could have realized that there was a good chance that we would be cut. I feel that had he told us, we would have been able to prepare for it," added Ryerson.

The next step for the six former varsity teams is to prepare to make the switch to competitive sport club status and all that involves, which could include changing the team name, acquiring new jerseys, and becoming acquainted with the regulations of the campus recreation system.

The press release mentioned that a “transition plan” was in place to help the teams. As of press time, however, neither Dickie nor Haggerty were able to outline the structure or the details of the plan.

?

What are your thoughts on your team being relegated to club status?

“[It] hasn’t really sunk in yet.

I’m still trying to digest it...”

- Don Ryan, Head Coach, Wrestling

“The team is very disappointed in the move but I am trying to look at ways to make it as positive as possible.”

- Tim Randall, Head Coach, Cross Country

“There is no relegation in my mind. They are still UNB Swimming and will compete.”

- Paula Crutcher, Head coach, Swimming

“I’m glad that I got to finish off my career here, but I’m disappointed that I can’t say the same for my teammates.”

- Cheryl Hamilton, Captain,Women’s Hockey

“We feel [Kevin Dickie] neglected us, neglected other athletes in the school and I can’t speak for everybody, however I feel that he has let down a lot of people.”

-Terri Ryerson, Goaltender, Women’s Hockey

14 CriteriA used to rank UNB’s Varsity Teams_

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

AUS competition level Past success – AUS & CIS Recruited student athletes Past academic success Attendance Community interest Media coverage Success of team guarantees national exposure History and tradition Strength of the sport in New Brunswick Local & regional youth participation in sport Present alumni involvement Expense/revenue balance Human resource/administrative needs Enhancement of campus life and our facilities

Sports

Issue 23 • March 19, 2008 • 11

That was quick The Fifty Mission Cap by Brian Munn

Nothing at UNB ever seems to happen with a whole lot of urgency. Construction projects – and there are really too many to mention – seem to drag on and on, and promised facilities never seem to get finished.

When we’re talking about UNB athletics, the only ones concerned with speed are the (former) Varsity cross country runners. We have a multimillion dollar turf soccer field under about five feet of harsh Maritime winter, instead of, you know, that dome they promised. And the Currie Centre?

Ground is supposed to be broken this spring. But then again, ground was going to be broken last year, so take the deadline for what it’s worth.

So when I’m told something happened at UNB so quickly that there wasn’t time to notify the concerned parties, I frankly think it’s a load of manure (in huge supply, since you don’t need to fertilize turf). But according to the timeline presented by Athletic Director Kevin Dickie about the decision to

COM PET IT IVE

CLUBS

Hey V-Reds! If you need someplace to spend your $150,000 savings, we can sell you this cool new logo. I think it would be helpful with your “transition plan”… whenever you decide what that’s going to be. cut six of our varsity teams, this went down fast.

Dickie said the process leading up to this decision has been going on for the past 14 months. The decision to cut

decided it would be necessary to “reinvest” in eight sports. I guess that means they cut their losses with the other six teams.

I’m struggling to be articulate with

the Varsity Reds decided to “reinvest” in eight sports. I guess that means they cut their losses with the other six teams. programs was not made until the middle of February, with specific decisions about the affected teams being made just before the March break.

In the past three weeks – light speed,

by UNB standards – the Varsity Reds

this. I don’t want to scream and stomp my feet on paper, and I don’t want to get belligerent. But then again, we’re talking sports – and belligerence isn’t bad.

This whole deal fucking sucks.

It sucks for the former varsity teams,

it sucks for their players, it sucks for their fans. And to be honest, it sucks for all of UNB. The Varsity Reds program prides itself on being “Champions of Academic and Athletic Excellence”, and according to the Athletic Department, the “realignment” of the varsity program helps guide them towards this goal.

Really?

To strive towards athletic excellence, you cut two national wrestling medalists. You cut a competitive swimming program. And yet, the 2-18 men’s basketball team is still varsity.

Striving for excellence? You’re doing a pretty bad job.

I have heard Mr. Dickie and Mr. Haggerty try to justify their decision, but the generic answers are killing me.

To better an athletic program, you do not cut teams. You do not “reinvest”, and you do not “realign”. You support your players and your teams, and you let them work to the best of their abilities to be excellent.

The Varsity Reds are not professional teams – this is a university. Students and athletics come here to learn, grow, and compete. But instead of giving them the opportunity, we now have eight varsity teams, a few new clubs, and no women’s hockey program.

But I guess if you’re saving the $150,000 that Terry Haggerty is claiming we saved, it’s totally worth it. I mean, what university athletic program wouldn’t absolutely sell out its own athletes for $150,000?

Gillespie out as men’s basketball head coach

by Mitchell Bernard

An announcement released last week

by Maureen Sparks, the Athletic Coordinator at UNB, has left many people scratching their heads.

In a quick email at 7:54 pm, UNB announced that men’s basketball coach Thom Gillespie would not be returning for the 2008-2009 season.

“The University of New Brunswick announces that Thom Gillespie has stepped down as head coach of the Varsity Reds men's basketball team,” reads the press release.

“On behalf of the entire university community, Dean of Kinesiology Terry Haggerty, and Director of Athletics Kevin Dickie, express their appreciation to Thom for his efforts since taking over the program in 1999 and extend best wishes to him for success in his future endeavours.”

But what makes the situation even stranger is that Gillespie won’t speak on the issue. He has not returned numerous messages from the various media outlets in the area.

As well, the UNB Athletic Department is keeping their lips tight as to the

reason for Gillespie’s departure.

“We left it [the reason for Gillespie’s departure] because it’s a more personal issue for Thom to discuss. Same thing when Joyce Slipp [coach of UNB women’s basketball team from 1995-2006] retired. I mean, Joyce is a legend and we let Joyce discuss the reasons why [she left],” said Dickie via telephone.

In a sense, one can justify the reason for Gillespie to step down. The two-time AUS coach of the year struggled the past two seasons. The Reds were only 2-18 in league play this season. As well, Gillespie, a Fredericton native, has been criticized in the past for not recruiting players from far and wide.

Stress from a losing season and the constant criticism may have pushed Gillespie to the point of stepping down.

But when a coach leaves, the reasons for dismissal are usually disclosed and coaches are more than happy to comment on their tenure. This was not the case when Gillespie “stepped down.”

In an article published in last Friday’s issue of the Daily Gleaner, sports writer Bruce Hallihan takes an alternative outlook on the situation. He suggests that UNB is trying to hide the fact that Gillespie didn’t actually “step down.”

The UNB Athletic Department has yet to fire or terminate anyone, and Hallihan thinks it’s a reputation that

they want to keep.

“The fact that Gillespie hasn't returned calls means a. He's taken the high road, b. He really did step down from a program that's been a big part of his life for, what, one-third of his life or c. He's promised to keep quiet in exchange for a severance package,” wrote Hallihan.

In response to the Gleaner article, Dickie said, “We’re not going to talk about the situation with Thom. I mean obviously, it was a resignation. I think the press release said stepping down. If that wasn’t the case, then we wouldn’t have put it in there.”

Danya Bubar, a third-year guard for the Reds, was quick to note that Gillespie shouldn’t take all the slack for the team’s poor performance on the court this season.

“This was a hard season for us. We started out all right, winning two out of our first three games then we faced some adversity. We got hit with some injuries throughout the year and could never really get into a solid groove as a team.

At one point in the season, we only had eight guys to dress for a game, so it was tough for sure,” said Bubar.

“All of that aside, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that we didn’t perform as we expected we should have.

When a team doesn’t win, it’s often the coach to takes the brunt of the criticism, but when you point one finger at

someone; you have four more pointing back at you, so some of that rests on the players’ shoulders, too.”

Gillespie, a well-liked coach by his players, spent 12 seasons with the Reds coaching staff with nine of those seasons as head coach. An advocate of strong effort, Gillespie taught his players to work hard on and off the court.

“Coach has always wanted to see us succeed in all areas life; whether that be on the court or in the classroom, or wherever – he’s always wanted what’s best for us. It was kind of sad to see him go, especially for the veteran guys who’ve had him for a long time. But we know he’ll do well and we wish him all the best,” said Bubar.

“Right now, all we can do is train for next season and put efforts into turning this program around. We got a great core coming back next year and all the guys are committed to training hard over the summer, so we will be ready for next year,” said Bubar.

The search for a new coach to fill the Gillespie void is currently underway.

“It [the search for a new coach] will be straight ahead. Our goal is to grow basketball here at UNB and take it to a new level. Obviously, if we can be fortunate enough to hire on the men’s side as we did on the women’s side two years ago, I think we are in the right direction,” said Dickie.

McGill ends perfect season with CIS hockey title

by Andrew Hawley The Fulcrum (University of Ottawa)

OTTAWA (CUP) - The McGill Martlets women's hockey team made history on March 10, 2008.

In defeating the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 2-0 in Ottawa, they became the first McGill female team in any sport to win a CIS championship.

It was a fitting victory for the Martlets, who made it to the final last year but were defeated by the Alberta Pandas 4-0.

Defenseman Cathy Chartrand scored the game-winning goal for McGill on the power play while goaltender Charline Labonté stopped 23 shots to secure the 2-0 win and the 2007-08 CIS women's hockey championship. McGill went a combined 25-0 in the regular season and playoffs.

"To finally win the big one is obviously huge," beamed McGill Head Coach Peter Smith after the game. "We worked hard all year, and tonight was another hard fought game."

He also praised the Hawks.

"You have to give Laurier a lot of credit. They played hard and their goaltender had lots of energy tonight."

When asked about going undefeated, Smith simply replied with a laugh, "Well, it's pretty good."

The game was pretty good too, thanks to Laurier goaltender Liz Knox, who had to be exceptional the whole game. She stopped a barrage of 19 shots in the first period alone, and ended up stopping 43 out of 45 shots. She was named goaltender of the tournament all-star team.

"We're a team with many talented athletes and she is probably the best one," said Laurier Head Coach Rick Osborne after the game. He praised Knox for her effort, particularly in the first period where she made a breakaway save and many others during a 5-on-3

penalty kill. "McGill's best players really were their best players tonight and scoring the first goal was huge for them," he noted.

Osborne also had some comments on the officiating. "There seemed like a change in the standards throughout the game. I think there was some inconsistency there," he stated. Nevertheless, the coach added that it was not an excuse for the loss, and that McGill was simply the better team.

The Golden Hawks were coming off physically draining victories over the host-team Ottawa, 1-0, and defending champion Alberta 4-2. McGill made it to the final by defeating St. Francis Xavier 3-0 and Manitoba 6-0.

The final was an intense affair at the sold-out Sports Complex, with 1,000 yelling fans who sported flags, signs, pompoms and banged drums to cheer on their team. The physical tone of the game was set immediately, with a penalty called 17 seconds in – one of nine in the scoreless first period.

In the second, McGill took advantage

of a poor line change by a Laurier team already down two men to score the only goal they would need all game: Chartrand’s blast from the point which beat Knox glove-side.

Despite two power plays, the Golden Hawks could not solve Labonté in the third. And on a late McGill power play, Ann-Sophie Bettez scored on a rebound with 18 seconds to go. Labonté's three tournament wins were all shutouts.

"It is just amazing," she said afterwards, amidst hugging and photos. "We learned a lot from last year's final. We were nervous last year, but more calm and relaxed this time. Everyone was singing before the game."

And it proved to be the swan song for McGill captain Shauna Denis. Ironically, she admitted coming back to play a final year "was a last minute decision." The Ottawa-native ended up being rewarded with a win in her hometown. As she said smiling afterwards, "it is fantastic to be back."

Reds made the wrong decision View From the Sidelines by Tony von Richter

“Bullshit.”

That might have been the most common word around The Brunswickan offices last week, especially among those in the Sports Department, when the Varsity Reds announced that they were cutting the number of varsity teams from 14 to 8, and relegating the six squads to competitive sport club status.

When the Reds sent out the press release on Wednesday afternoon I, like everyone else, was shocked. This had come without warning. After thinking about it for a few minutes, the anger set in. I mean, how dare the Reds do this?

How could they just cut teams without informing people beforehand?

I proceed to get more and more upset with each athlete and coach that I spoke to, particularly with the way that news of the decision was distributed.

While the cross country and wrestling coaches were notified early in the day, the women's hockey team wasn’t notified until after the press release had been distributed to the media, and the swimming team found out through the campus wide e-mail sent out to students.

Coach Paula Crutcher learned of the decision while listening to the radio on Thursday morning.

Forgetting for a moment whether or not this was the right decision for UNB's athletics program, how the hell does a decision of this magnitude get released to the media and the public before all relevant parties are informed?

Obviously, it's a big task to arrange meetings with over a hundred people on a day's notice, but maybe you delay announcing it to the media until everyone has been told.

I think my biggest problem with all

of this, besides how the information was distributed, was that part of the reason teams were cut was because UNB wants to become "excellent."

There are a lot of ways to define excellence in life, however, in sports there is pretty much just – winning. If UNB wants to become excellent, why did they cut two of the three teams that consistently bring home medals? Why, after four straight losing seasons and a 2-18 season this year, is the men's basketball team considered excellent?

Year after year, the teams that win national or Atlantic championships are baseball, wrestling, and swimming.

Baseball has never been a varsity sport (and isn't supported by the CIS, so that makes sense), but now the Reds will lose a good portion of their medal winners since they've cut wrestling and men's swimming.

I like the idea of UNB further investing in their sports programs to ensure that they are consistently among the best in the country, and I can see the logic behind which teams were cut. If wrestling, cross-country, and swimming aren't going to be drastically affected and it will improve the quality of the remaining teams, then why wouldn't you cut them?

While I understand why UNB decided to cut these six teams, I don't agree. The money they are going to be saving is not enough to make a significant difference in the quality of our remaining programs. So rather than saving money to improve the quality of athletics at UNB which could help the school's image and reputation, the way this situation was handled turned this into another black eye for UNB. It's too bad that a year which featured medal winning wrestlers and swimmers, another national championship in baseball, the women's volleyball team hosting the national championships, and perhaps the best men's hockey team in UNB and CIS history will most likely be remembered for the decision announced late on a Wednesday afternoon in March.

Sports

12 • March 19, 2008 • Issue 23

Reds take AUS crown in OT thriller

V-Reds bring home individual hardware

by Hunter Gavin

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

The V-Reds won their first AUS title since 2003 in dramatic fashion, on the power of Kyle Bailey’s shootout winner in double-overtime against SMU.

by Brian Munn

As if the drama of double-overtime in the league finals wasn’t enough, the UNB Varsity Reds had to up the stakes a little more. After killing off two Saint Mary’s power play opportunities in overtime, Kyle Bailey beat SMU goalie Brandon Verge on a penalty shot to claim the team’s 10th Atlantic league title with a 3-2 victory, propelling the defending national champions to the CIS Championships in Moncton this weekend.

It was the biggest crowd of the season at the Halifax Forum, with 3,128 fans – including hundreds of UNB fans that made the trip from Fredericton – packing the stands to watch the Huskies try to stave off elimination in the best-ofthree series. It was a tight, scoreless first period, and penalty killing was front and

centre. The V-Reds had three power play opportunities and the Huskies had two.

Shots in the first 20 minutes saw the Huskies emerge with a 9-8 edge.

Early in the second period, Hunter Tremblay was called for checking from behind, earning a minor and a game misconduct. The absence of Tremblay – the league’s Rookie of the Year and UNB’s number two point man – forced Coach MacDougall to juggle his lines the rest of the match.

Cam Fergus opened the scoring at 6:07 of the second period, deflecting a shot past Michael Ouzas to put SMU up 1-0. UNB outshot the Huskies 9-5 in the period, but couldn’t solve Verge in the SMU goal.

David Bowman pulled UNB even just nine seconds into the third, firing home a pass from Rob Hennigar. Just 13 seconds later, however, Fergus notched his second goal of the game when UNB coughed up the puck in their own zone.

SMU couldn’t carry the momentum, however, as the teams went end-to-end

for the rest of the period.

Captain Dustin Friesen pulled UNB back even with just under five minutes remaining in the game, as he pinched in from the point to bury a loose puck past Verge. A ‘too many men on the ice’ penalty with just thirty seconds remaining had things looking bad for UNB, as the 2-2 game headed to overtime.

The first overtime saw SMU holding an edge, but the UNB defense and goalie Ouzas stood tall, making huge defensive plays to keep the V-Reds alive. With less than a minute remaining in the period, Nathan O’Nabigon took a hooking penalty to set UNB back heading into the second overtime.

After UNB managed to once again kill off the SMU man advantage, UNB carried the rush into the Huskies’ zone when Kyle Bailey got hauled down. The referee motioned towards centre ice, and Bailey got set to go one-on-one with Brandon Verge.

Bailey broke in quickly on Verge and snapped the winning goal high over

Verge’s glove. The V-Reds poured off onto the ice, and the UNB fans in attendance rocked the Forum as the team celebrated their AUS title.

“I’ve always believed a scare is more valuable than good advice and we had two scares in this series,” said Coach MacDougall, as he described the resiliency of his team after they had not been tested for most of the regular season.

UNB’s hero, Kyle Bailey, meanwhile, confessed that he’s never seen the character of this team that just kept digging down and coming back.

With the win, UNB has now clinched a trip to CIS Nationals in Moncton where they’ll look to defend their University Cup title. The tournament opens on Thursday, March 20, when UNB squares off with the OUA finalist Brock Badgers. UNB will also face the Canada West finalist Saskatchewan Huskies in the tournament. The Alberta Golden Bears, the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus, and the McGill Redmen will play in the other division.

The eight head coaches in Atlantic University Sport cast their ballots last week as the league handed out its major awards and announced the leagues allstar and all-rookie squads. And much like they have been all season long, the UNB Varsity Reds were front and centre.

Rob Hennigar was named Most Valuable Player, capping off an amazing season in which he shattered the UNB all-time scoring record. The fourth year forward from Jordan, Ontario, led the AUS and the CIS in scoring with 58 points, 43 assists, and four short-handed goals. He is the first V-Reds player to capture the league scoring since John LeBlanc won the title with 64 points in the 1985-86.

The 2007-08 recipient of the A.J. MacAdam Memorial Trophy as the Rookie of the Year is UNB’s Hunter Tremblay. Tremblay, who played his junior hockey with the OHL’s Barrie Colts, led all CIS freshmen in scoring this season with 16 goals and 34 assists for 50 points in 26 games, including five power-play goals, two short-handed goals, and three game-winners. Tremblay led the nation with a +28 rating, and became the fourth Varsity Red to be named the top rookie in the AUS in the past five seasons.

UNB Head Coach Gardiner MacDougall was the recipient of the Bob Boucher Memorial Coach of the Year Award. MacDougall guided the Reds to a 26-1-1 regular season record, and a 5-0 playoff run en route to an AUS title. MacDougall was also named the AUS Coach of the Year in 2003-04, and

will look to join Mike Kelly as the only UNB head coaches to win the Father George Kehoe Memorial Award as the CIS Coach of the Year.

Saint Mary’s Huskies forward and Captain Dan Rudisuela rounded out the major award winners, receiving both the Don Wells Most Sportsmanlike Player Award as well as the Godfrey Award.

The Godfrey award, named after Dr. Bill Godfrey, is given annually to the player who best represents the spirit of intercollegiate hockey by his leadership both on and off the ice and by his conduct throughout the season. Rudisuela was last season's league Most Valuable Player, a first team conference all-star and a first team all-Canadian. In 26 games this season, he scored 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points to finish tenth in league scoring and in 108 career regular season games with the Huskies, he has accumulated 106 points.

UNB also dominated the all-star and all-rookie teams, with a total of five players being recognized.

Rob Hennigar, Hunter Tremblay, and goalie Michael Ouzas were named AUS First Team All-Star, joining Scott Hotham and Marc Rancourt of Saint Mary’s and Francis Trudel of Moncton.

Captain Dustin Friesen was the lone V-Red named to the Second Team All-Star squad, joining Matt Davis, Justin Bowers, and Anthony Butera of St. Thomas, Pierre-Luc Laprise of Moncton, and Cody Thornton of Saint Mary’s.

The Varsity Reds were also well represented on the All-Rookie team, with Hunter Tremblay and goalie Derek Yeomans named to the team. Joining them were Andrew Hotham and Cody Thornton of Saint Mary’s, Nathan Welton of Acadia, and Brett Robertson of St. Francis Xavier.

Badgers capture second W.P. McGee trophy

by Bruns Sports Department For the first time since 1992 and the second time in history, the Brock Badgers are the champions of Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's basketball.

Fourth-year forward Dusty Bianchin of Niagara Falls scored the final four points of the national final, including a fade-away jumper with 11.4 seconds remaining, as no.7 Brock edged the no.5 Acadia Axemen 64-61 Sunday afternoon in front of 8,251 fans at Scotiabank Place to capture its second W.P. McGee Trophy.

Junior forward Mike Kemp, also of Niagara Falls, scored 15 of his gamehigh 23 points in the second half to earn game-MVP honours for the victors as the Badgers came back from a 10-point deficit to earn the crown.

Fourth-year guard Paulo Santana of Angola, Africa, replied with 18 points and five rebounds and was named Acadia player of the match in a losing cause.

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Brock Head Coach Ken Murray when asked about sharing the title with his son, fifth-year guard Scott, who was wearing the Badger uniform for the final time.

"I have been dreaming of this day since I was five years old and Dad won his last championship," said the younger Murray moments after sharing a celebratory hug with his father. "He was the first person I thought of when the buzzer went and I turned to him and just wanted to hug him."

Brock went 2-for-12 from beyond the three-point arc but maintained control of the quarter by dominating the glass, out rebounding the Axemen 15-9.

The Axemen, seeking their fourth national title and first since 1977, used the quarter-time break to recharge and came out running in the second frame.

Ottawa native and AUS player of the year, Leonel Saintil, sparked Acadia to a 16-4 run in the opening 15 seconds stealing a ball at mid-court and went in for an uncontested jam as the Axemen took a 24-18 lead with 2:46 to play in the half.

"We controlled the play in the second

quarter but we just didn't keep that going after the half," said Saintil, a firstteam all-Canadian this season.

Santana and Kemp each had eight points to lead all scorers at the break.

OUA West co-MVP Brad Rootes made sure he would be a factor in his final game as a member of the Badgers, scoring eight points in the third frame to help Brock square the contest at 51-51 after 30 minutes.

In the final quarter, the teams exchanged leads until Bianchin hit the eventual game-winning shot with 1:45 and then iced the game with the jumper in the dying seconds.

"I knew that the shot clock was running down and I had to put it up and the ball just fell through," said Bianchin.

"This was our last shot at the title and we can now call ourselves national champions."

Owen White of Brock claimed the Jack Donohue Trophy as the tournament MVP for his 12-point, ninerebound performance in the final, a 25-point tally against No.6-Western in the semi-final and a 22-point effort in the first round against No.2-UBC.

NCAA brackets announced

by Bruns Sports Department

North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas, and UCLA earned the top seeds in the NCAA tournament Sunday, and the top-ranked Tar Heels got the best deal of all: their road to the Final Four won’t veer more than two hours outside their Chapel Hill campus. The Tar Heels (32-2) are the top seed in the east, with their first and second-round games scheduled for Raleigh and the next two rounds in Charlotte.

North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, and Memphis won their conference tournaments to seal their top spots – Memphis in the South, Kansas in the Midwest, and UCLA in the West.

Absent from the tournament are last year’s finalists, Ohio State and two-time defending champion Florida Gators.

The Buckeyes were a bubble team, and the rebuilding Gators saw their chances

die with a first-round loss in the Southeastern Conference tournament.

They're the first defending champs to miss the tournament since Kansas in 1989, when the Jayhawks were on probation.

March Madness officially begins Tuesday with an opening-round game between Coppin State and Mount St. Mary’s, then with first-round games Thursday and Friday.

In the east region, North Carolina will open against the winner of the Coppin State-Mount St. Mary's game, while no. 2 seed Tennessee will open against no. 15 American.

By defeating Texas in the Big 12 title game, Kansas earned its top seed in the Midwest, a short trip to Omaha, Nebraska, and a first-round game against Big Sky champion Portland State.

The marquee match up in that region, however, will be between no. 6 Southern California and no. 11 Kansas State – a meeting of top freshmen O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley.

In the south region, Memphis opens

against no. 16 Texas-Arlington, no. 8 Mississippi State plays no. 9 Oregon, no.

5 Michigan State plays no. 12 Temple and no. 4 Pittsburgh plays no. 13 Oral Roberts.

In the west, UCLA plays no. 16 Mississippi Valley State, no. 8 BYU plays no.

9 Texas A&M, no. 5 Drake plays no. 12 Western Kentucky and no. 4 Connecticut plays no. 13 San Diego.

Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Mississippi, and Ohio State were the bigconference teams that got left out. With eight teams, the Big East placed the most schools in the tournament. The Pac-10, Big 12, and SEC followed with six each, while the Atlantic Coast and Big Ten conferences had four apiece.

For the second straight year, only six of the 34 at-large bids went to teams from smaller conferences. That included St. Joe's, which earned one of the final spots in the bracket and Gonzaga, which made it despite losing to San Diego in the final of the West Coast Conference tournament.

March 19 •2008

The Brunswickan • 13

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.

FOR SALE

Eureka upright bagless vacuum cleaner only $40, excellent condition, won’t last. call 449-0101.

Small computer desk $40. Caned seat rocker $75. Child’s dresser $80. Two Lyre back chairs $50 each. Cherrywood corner computer desk $125 obo. Duncan Phyffe table $200. Green leather/vinyl recliner & ottoman $90. Phone 454-6096.

ACCOMMODATIONS Renting now for September 08. Five bedroom house, two minute walk to UNB. All utilities included. Laundry, parking. Call 461-2500.

Two rooms for rent, in excellent condition. Very pleasantly furnished. Separate kitchen and entrance. Heat, lights and cable included. Near bus. Lease, damage deposit. Please call 472-7294.

Rooms for rent. Five minute walk from UNB & STU. Share a large den, kitchen, dining area. Furnished, heat, cable TV, laundry, wireless internet. Air conditioning, private entry and washrooms. Rent: $250 May to August. $375 Sept-April.

Female students only. Call 452-7293 or 470-5554.

Three bedroom apartment (top floor of a house) for rent. York St. close to campus. $800 per month. Utilities extra. Call 454-8825 or 476-3959.

Renting now for September 08. Two bedroom apartment, five minute walk to UNB. All utilities included. Parking. Call 461-2500.

A nice four bedroom apartment on Graham Avenue available for rent until the end of August, 2008. Three minutes to campus. Laundry, parking and air exchanger.

Please call 459-5465.

Subletter wanted. Looking for mature student for the months of May, June and July The apartment is: Three bedroom, big apartment, roomy living room, furnished.

Close to bus that goes to campus, mall, and downtown. $433 a month of rent (with heat, power, hydro, furniture, snow clearing, internet and cable). If you are interested please email me at y2ai6@unb.ca.

Room to rent: InterSession and summer session – May to August – serious, mature students only-furnished bedroom, separate kitchen, bath, laundry and entrance. Utilities included. Cable and Internet available.

Five minute walk to UNB. Five rooms available on Kitchen St. $90 week Phone 455-1979 or 451-2979.

Eight month lease. Great deal for students.

Three or four bedroom apartment for rent.

Scully St., literally at the bottom of campus. $1200 per month for four bedroom or $1000 for three bedroom - everything included. Call 454-8825 or 476-3959.

Nice, spacious two bedroom apartment, available May 1, 2008, Montgomery Street, heat, laundry, hot water, parking space. Please call 454-0282.

Rooms to rent: Now taking deposits for rooms for the college year 2008-2009 commencing Sept. 1/08 and ending April 30/09 – serious, mature male students only- furnished bedroom, separate kitchen, bath, laundry and entrance. Utilities included. Cable and internet available.

Five minute walk to UNB. Five rooms available on Kitchen St. Phone 455-1979 or 451-2979.

For September - Three bedroom basement apartment in a private house in Skyline Acres. Electricity, cable connection, some furniture and off-street parking included in rent of $1,065 a month. Near bus stop on nearby Forest Hill Road. Quiet tenants wanted. No smoking and no pets. Call 471-5624.

PSAs Julien Le Blanc performs on Wednesday, March 26, 8:00 p.m. at Memorial Hall, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. After several appearances this season with other musicians, UNB’s Resident Musician will take the stage alone in a solo recital of piano works by Schumann, Ravel, and Dutilleux. This concert is part of Music on the Hill’s 50th anniversary series. Tickets, $23 for adults, $21 for seniors, and $7 for students, are available at Westminster Books, Gallery 78, The Paper Trail and at the door. For more information call 453-4697.

The Fredericton Chapter of Parkinson Society Maritime Region invites you to attend their 6th annual “Porridge For Parkinson’s” breakfast on Saturday, April 19th from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Christ Church (Parish) Church on the corner of Westmorland and Charlotte Streets, Fredericton.

A Good Friday concert will be given by the Fredericton Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of David Adams, and the UNB Chorale, directed by Björn Runefors. Soloists for the performance are soprano Lisa Roy and baritone Paul Bustin.

The featured work is the Requiem by Gabriel Fauré. Solos from Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Bach’s St. John Passion will be performed as well. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students. They can be purchased at Westminster Books, from orchestra and choir members, and at the door. The March 21 performance is at Wilmot United Church at 8:00 p.m.

The Wilmot United Church Senior Choir, under the direction of Steven Peacock, performs John Stainer’s The Crucifixion (A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer) on Easter Eve Saturday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of Wilmot United Church, at the corner of King and Carleton Streets. This one-

For rent five bedroom house near UNB. House has two bathrooms, two kitchens, laundry, parking, yard and back deck.

Available May 1st for a one year lease. Call 450-9315.

For rent: Three bedroom house near UNB. Large eat in kitchen, laundry, parking, large bedrooms in this bright and spacious house with a nice yard and front deck. Available May 1st for a one year lease. Call 450-9315 Three bedroom apartment and a bachelor apartment at 796 Hanson Street. Call 453-9188.

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hour work is scored for tenor and bass soli, SATB choir and organ, and includes hymns for congregational singing. Soloists are David Steeves (tenor) and Tom Fetter (bass); theorganist is Peter Waterhouse.

Admission is by voluntary contribution, with all proceeds going to the Wilmot United Church Benevolent Fund.

The Multicultural Association of Fredericton, in partnership with community ethnocultural organizations and a variety of community groups, will host a Multicultural Festival at the Boyce Farmers’ Market on March 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free of charge. Many countries and cultures are represented in this celebration of diversity, which includes exhibits, music, dance, food, costume, and crafts from around the world. Approximately 600 school children visit the event each year on organized school visits. The event marks the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which commemorates the “Sharpeville Massacre” of March 21, 1960, when 69 protestors were killed and 180 wounded for peacefully protesting apartheid laws in South Africa.

Spring Choral Fest, the biggest choral music event of the year in New Brunswick, is coming to Fredericton the weekend of March 28-30. Over 100 choristers from community and church choirs around the province will be gathering at Wilmot United Church in the capital city to rehearse and perform, at a public concert on March 30, Mozart’s beautiful Solemn Vespers.

The guest conductor for Spring Choral Fest 2008 is Dr. Victoria Meredith, director of the renowned University of Western Ontario Singers and author of the bestselling new book Sing Better As You Age (Santa Barbara Music Publishing). The

score she has chosen for this year’s provincial celebration of singing is regarded as one of Mozart’s most elegant and satisfying choral works and was written when he was just 24. Accompanying the massed choir will be organist Michael Capon, formerly of Fredericton and presently director of music at Glenview Presbyterian Church in Toronto. The four soloists, all in their early 20s, are New Brunswick’s newly announced representatives to National Youth Choir 2008: UNB student Angelyn McNeil of Fredericton (soprano), April Boudreau of Memramcook (alto), Shawn Potter of Sackville (tenor) and Alexander Clark of Riverview (bass). The public concert for Spring Choral Fest 2008 will be held on Sunday, March 30, at 2:30 p.m., at Wilmot United Church in downtown Fredericton.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, and are available at the door starting at 1:30 p.m. In addition to the massed choir’s performance of the Solemn Vespers, this unique afternoon concert will feature special guest Cantabile, an award-winning all-women choir from Saint John directed

by Gisele Roy, and an organ program by Michael Capon, featuring works by J.S. Bach, Oliver Messiaen (1908-1992) and Dan Locklair (b. 1949). Spring Choral Fest 2008 is hosted by the New Brunswick

Choral Federation, with support from the City of Fredericton’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Funding program. For more information, please contact (506) 453-3731 or e-mail: nbcf@nbnet.nb.ca

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

1 FREE GAME

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

Student I.D. Required.

Valid Until April 15/2008

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

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

Arts & Entertainment

bruns.arts@gmail.com • February 27, 2008

“A deafening roar of people screaming our catchphrases” Picnicface, a Halifax comedy troupe, hits it big with ‘loud voices and Arial font’

by Ashley Bursey

From bear-blasting to ridiculous amounts of babies to a very unique game of bingo, Picnicface.com is the place to find some of the funniest videos on the web. The troupe, who are based out of Halifax, are kings of the catchphrase. The Brunswickan called up Scott Vrooman of Picnicface to talk about their recent YouTube award nomination, political correctness, and Pizza Pops.

The Brunswickan: So, the obvious question...how did Picnicface get started?

Scott Vrooman: It was a gradual thing. Mark and Kyle started as an improv duo, which soon became an improv trio with Evany. They met Cheryl through the standup scene (we all do standup). Andy came from Toronto where he had been filming some sketches of his own, and he's the one who introduced video into the group.

Brian was in acting at Dalhousie and started to perform at the live shows, and then Bill was introduced through Andy and I was the last to come on board, about a year ago, again through the standup scene. We just seemed to gel as a group. The same sort of things make all of us laugh.

B: You guys blew up across Canada

Submitted

Picnicface are known around Halifax for their comedy sketches, and they’ve just been nominated for Best YouTube Comedy of 2007. For their hilarious skits, check out www.picnicface.com. with some of your sketches, including Powerthirst. Did you ever expect it to get that big, to hear people quoting your stuff in the mall or on the street?

SV: I have never heard people quoting our stuff, but then again I haven't been in a mall lately. Maybe the malls are filled with a constant, deafening roar of people screaming our catchphrases. The Internet has a way of making you seem more famous than you really are, and I

think until we're on TV, we won't really feel like we are that big. That being said, it was a nice surprise that so many people like our stuff.

B: Where do you get most of the ideas for your videos? Do you actually have story meetings?

SV: Our ideas just come out of trial and error. You come up with something (anything) and then say one of three things: that's funny, that's not funny, or that's kind of funny but it's been done before or something is missing. Then you keep it, chuck it, or tweak it until it's usable.

For example, our last video was a commercial parody for a video game called NFL Crunch Time. We were trying to come up with funny stores where you could buy this video game. I thought we should do something really weird.

David Bowie is weird, so I looked for a picture of him. I found one on Google images that was a painting of him with a white circle on his forehead like a window into his mind. So let's make "David Bowie's Mind" a store. But it still has to make sense, so I thought it needed an actual vendor in his mind to physically sell you the game. So I thought it could be Henry Kissinger, because Henry Kissinger looks and sounds funny. So then I found an image of him with some big huge smiling guy, and Henry looked like he was tolerant of the picture-taking but really didn't want to be there, and the other guy was just thrilled. It was funny. So I put them both in there….in David Bowie's mind. But it still wasn't really clear that these guys were vendors – they didn't have uniforms. And I also thought it would be funny if they were just some sketchy dudes that were selling stolen video games. So I did a voiceover of them saying "Well we don't have it right here right now…uh" and Henry chimes in and says "We have to go get it" and the other guy says "Do you have the money?" So that's one example. I'm still not sure if it works as a joke, but it made Mark and I laugh.

We have meetings before each of our live shows to hammer out sketches, but a lot of the writing is done individually, or in pairs. It really improves sketches when you can let everyone throw in their suggestions. The key is in the editing,

knowing what to keep and what to SV: Thanks! For the speech, the first cut. We keep changing and improving thing we would do is make clear that sketches right up to the last minute be- God and Jesus had absolutely nothing fore they are performed, so the meetings to do with us winning the award. We are really just one step in the process. would probably be drunk and swear a B: What are your feelings on the lot (think Guns and Roses at the 1988 “Truck Month” commercial? Do you American Music Awards). And then consider it homage or a ripoff? Will you we would all spit in disgust and walk take legal action – or can you? away, but our spit would explode and SV: It's flattering. As far as I know, set the stage on fire. Man, it's going to none of us really care. Someone e- be something to see… mailed us from England saying they B: Have you guys ever wanted to could hook us up with a lawyer for free, veer towards politics in your videos? but I don't see the point. We don't own Will that be something to consider in the rights to talking in a loud voice or the future?

Arial font.

SV: There are well-established venB: Would you consider turning your ues for political humour if that's what sketches into a television show if an offer people want to see. There will always be came up? demand for the mockSV: A television ing of politicians. But “The image show is our goal we're more interested of multiand something in exploring the abwe're actively worksurd. Politics seems coloured ing on right now. absurd, depending on bear heads We've been in touch your assumptions, but coming out not absurd enough for with a number of producers in the of my crotch our tastes. We like our U.S. and Canada, absurdity spicy….like and will soon have and knocking a pepper. a pilot done that B: What about poover a bear we'll send out to litical correctness? Do is framed on you think people are some of them. A my bedroom too concerned about TV show would be the only way we being PC these days? wall.” could do this full SV: I'm not even - Scot Vrooman, time, so it seems to really sure what poPicnicface be the natural thing litical correctness is, to work towards, but it seems to be a because we can't local currency. There imagine a better job than this. are things that are horribly offensive in B: What are some personal favourite some countries and cultures and aren't videos? What about favourite lines? at all in others. But in our rich, Western SV: My personal favourite videos are culture, we seem to be very afraid of apthe ones that feature me, and my favou- pearing racist or sexist, so some of our rite lines are the ones I wrote. In truth, videos play off of this by making it seem I'd say my favourite video is Powerthirst like we are those things. We're not that or Powerthirst 2. My favourite line racist, though. is "Holy fuck a fuckin' puppy!" That B: Everything's all about the Youwas Mark Little's. And the image of Tube video right now – even commulti-coloured bear heads coming out mercials (like Pizza Pops) are trying to of my crotch and knocking over a bear capture the same idea. Why do you think is framed on my bedroom wall. That it's so appealing? was also Mark's.

SV: I'm not sure. I mean, I know B: You just got a Best YouTube why Pizza Pops are appealing. They're Comedy of 2007 nomination. Con- convenient, delicious, and full of protein grats... What's your speech going to be and calcium, vital nutrients that sustain if you win? us throughout the day.

Advertisers and producers go wherever the eyes go. If something is getting a lot of attention, they find some way to latch themselves onto it (if it's profitable). As for viewers, Internet videos are appealing because they're more convenient and controllable. I can set up my Mac and spend half an hour showing my friends all of the funniest videos I've come across in the past two weeks. I can make my own little show.

And you don't have to sit through a commercial break.

B: What are some of the best – or worst – e-mails or comments you've gotten about your work?

SV: The vast majority are positive.

My favourite e-mail was from a guy that was probably my dad's age saying that he really liked our stuff. I think the best comedy is the stuff that tickles something inside people across all ages, so I took it as a sign at least some of our stuff has the potential for that. My favourite comment was the guy that said "Go fuck yourselves Picnicface.

Seriously. Go fuck yourselves." It was in the initial comments after one of our colleghumor.com exclusive videos went up, or as we like to call it, the "wave of hate." The viewers at that site want more Powerthirsts, and we continue to disappoint many of them. We're cool with that.

B: How many people do you think have become fans of the Moist Towelettes entirely because of you?

SV: Hopefully several; they kick ass.

We do what we can to promote the bands that befriend us. Rich Aucoin is a really talented Halifax musican, and he helps us with tech at our live shows.

And I'll take any opportunity I can to tell people to check out his stuff, including this one.

B: Lastly, what's next for Picnicface?

SV: We're going to continue to do live shows in Halifax and around Atlantic Canada for the foreseeable future, while continuing to develop ideas and material for a TV show. There's so many hoops to jump through to get on TV, it's a very slow process. We'll keep filming the odd short along the way to post on YouTube. And beyond that we'll just keep having fun, because if it isn't fun, why bother?

Monday Night Movie Series Atonement March 24, 2008 8 pm Room 102, Tilley Hall Director: Joe Wright Cast: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan, Vanessa Redgrave Run Time: 123 minutes Country: United Kingdom Language: English Ian McEwan‘s bestselling and critically praised novel “Atonement” has been brought to the screen by the duo of director Joe Wright (whose debut film “Pride and Prejudice” was a Gala Presentation at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival) and playwright Christopher Hampton (best known

for “Les liaisons dangereuses”). Fully mining the emotional terrain of the novel, the film, which was a Special Presentation at the 2007 Festival, also effectively visualizes pre- and post-war British society, as well as the harrowing events of the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation.

Hampton has also managed to find a structure in which to contain McEwan‘s extraordinary story of a young girl‘s indiscretion, which rips apart many lives and ultimately scars her own.

Atonement spans several decades and captures its characters at different points in their lives. It begins in 1935, amid the rural beauty of a Britain unaware of future horrors. Still, uncertainty troubles this idyllic surface. The well-to-

do Tallis family awaits the return of their eldest son to their country estate. Especially eager to see him is their youngest daughter, Briony (Saoirse Ronan from “Death Defying Acts”), the precocious thirteen-year-old who centres the film.

Meanwhile, Cecilia (Keira Knightley from “Silk”, “Pride and Prejudice”), Briony’s elder sister, wrestles with suppressed emotions she feels for Robbie (James McAvoy from “Becoming Jane”, “The Last King of Scotland”), a man who does not belong to her social class.

He is the son of one of the family’s servants, and Mr. Tallis has paid for his Cambridge education.

When events come to a dramatic head, the fallout profoundly changes the

lives of everyone at the family mansion.

Briony finds herself in the midst of the drama that unfolds, but her childish involvement has long-term repercussions. While the drama of the war with Germany overshadows the characters’ private troubles, Briony, Cecilia, and Robbie discover, in their different ways, that the past can never go away. As Robbie gets caught up in the horrors of the retreat to Dunkirk, the sisters must try to put their lives back together. Wright has done a superb job lifting prose from page to screen. He has also surrounded himself with a cast who relish the emotional complexities of McEwan‘s tale of youthful jealousy.

Arts & Entertainment

Issue 23 • March 19, 2008 • 15

An Ode to Smash Brothers Brawl The Final Score by Dan Hagerman

Internet

Rob Stewart’s award-winning documentary, “Sharkwater”, hits the DVD stands on April 8.

“The most badass animal”

by Ashley Bursey

When filmmaker Rob Stewart found himself in hospital with flesh-eating disease and a debt of more than $200 000, he almost decided to turn tail and quit filmmaking for good. A wildlife photographer specializing in underwater shots, this was his first attempt at a documentary: A film about sharks as friend instead of foe.

But things went horribly wrong.

“It was a nightmare,” he said. “I mean, I started trying to make the movie as a pretty underwater film and there weren’t supposed to be any people in it. But as you saw in the movie, everything went catastrophically wrong and we started filming ourselves to keep ourselves out of prison.”

The film, Sharkwater, ultimately turned out to be one of the most successful documentaries in Canadian history. But, as the film’s website explains, it wasn’t an easy journey: the whole thing began with a “battle between the Sea Shepherd (who had teamed up with Stewart) and shark poachers in Guatemala, resulting in pirate boat rammings, gunboat chases, mafia espionage, corrupt court systems, and attempted

murder charges, forcing them to flee for their lives.”

So much for the pretty shots.

“It was infuriating for me, because I just wanted to get underwater...I didn’t think the stuff we were shooting would ever be in the movie...I was banking on my ability to take pretty underwater pictures. It didn’t occur to me way after when I was back that what I shot was actually going to be in the movie. At the time, it was a series of worst-case scenarios. I was like, ‘what the fuck’s going on here?’”

And Stewart landed in hospital a couple of times, too – for flesh-eating disease, West Nile, and tuberculosis, among other things.

Despite this, his documentary recently made history as the largest opening weekend of any Canadian documentary.

And no wonder: visually stunning, the opening sequences of underwater shots (including Stewart feeding sharks and swimming with whales) are breathtaking. And if they don’t reel you in, the documentary’s story, with its dark undertones, certainly will.

“I came back and had no underwater footage, but I had murder, espionage, and hospitalization,” says Stewart. “I had to tell the story. And we figured that what happened to me while I was trying

to make the movie was textbook story structure...We had something that no documentary has ever had, a story that you couldn’t write in fiction.”

A compelling story, Sharkwater is complemented by shots of what Stewart calls “the most badass” animal.

“They’re the cruelest. Simply put. As a kid, I grew up chasing fish and lizards and frogs and I had a goldfish from the time I was zero. As a little boy, if I could have had a pet dragon, I would have had a pet dragon,” he says. “Sharks were the next best thing. They came from a world we knew nothing about and rarely got to see. Everything about them was just amazing. As I grew older, photographing sharks was probably the coolest thing I could have been doing.

“It was important for us to show a totally different relationship with sharks, counter to they’re going to eat you, rip you to shreds. We needed to show me swimming with sharks, feeding them, them looking like puppy dogs, everything. Every time you see a shark doc on TV, all they show you is ‘Danger, danger: look at this white shark biting the camera!’

“They’re not playful or friendly, but they’re not death fish from hell, either.”

Sharkwater will be released on DVD on April 8.

RPS: College-style

Submitted

After a screening of “Rock, Paper, Scissors: The Way of the Tosser”, Lisa Ivany won the RPS tounament at the Cellar. She stands here with the film’s creators, Tim Doiron and April Mullen, in costume as their characters.

from RPS page 1 ters, because in a mockumentary, you need really strong characters to carry it through,” Doiron adds. “There’s a lot of truth and a lot of heart to the characters...and with the characters as well, there’s a big east-coast flavour. I based the main trio out of Zealand, New Brunswick. I played on this whole joke – Gary Brewer, Holly Brewer, no relation, and the other guy, Trevor Morehouse... the east coast flavour was really important in the writing of the film.”

The characters are vibrant and overthe-top, but genuine. The film has been compared pretty accurately to a mix between The Office and Napoleon Dynamite – but with way cooler costumes (think a handlebar moustache for Gary

and thigh-high black-and-pink socks for Holly).

“The first day of shooting, we had four cameras at the RPS tournament in Toronto and Gary Brewer and Baxter Pound competed as their characters, and nobody had any idea that we were shooting a film,” says Mullen. “No one noticed whatsoever. The competition itself is so full of colourful, extravagant characters, if you go dressed up in an RPS sort of persona, you fit right in.”

At the UNB and STU screenings, about 150 people came out to see the film, and to meet at The Cellar afterwards for an impromptu RPS tournament, which saw four girls as finalists (“That’s never happened before!”

Mullen, in character as Holly, said) and one of them walking away with a cool hundred bucks as first prize for Tosser

of the Hill.

The first female champion in the university RPS circuit, Lisa Ivany broke into the psychology of the game with nickname “I’m Gonna Win” and now stands as our Rock, Paper, Scissors UNB Grand Champion. Lisa is a strong strategical player. She only lost a total of two tosses during the 16-person the whole competition. Caroline Savoie aka C Dog took second, and Shawna Singer placed third. Nation wide University tour winners and upcoming competitions will be posted in the Tosser of Fame at www. wayofthetosser.com Mullen and Doiron plan to release the film on DVD as well, with lots of special features. For more info or clips from “Rock, Paper, Scissors: The Way of the Tosser,” check out their website at www.wayofthetosser.com.

What’s your favourite thing in our paper? let us know if you think one of our staff or volunteers deserves recognition.

eic@unb.ca

Dearest Smash Brothers Brawl for the Wii, I know that that I’ve only known you for a little over a week, but I can’t hold back any longer. I am infatuated with you. You are everything a gamer like me could ever want. When you are together with my Wii, I feel complete.

The first thing I noticed about you was how pretty you looked. Your older sisters, Smash Brothers and Smash Brothers Melee, were easy on the eyes, but you have even more than they do. In your game settings, you can either dress sharply and stand out, or dress softer and be a little less jagged on the eyes.

Most other games out there don’t give me the choice, and I like you for that.

But don’t get me wrong. I don’t just love you for your looks – that would be superficial of me. To be honest, it’s hard for me to find anything about you that I don’t like. For one thing, you’re really fun to be with. You always give me things to do when I’m alone with you, whether it’s Classic Mode, the Subspace Emissary Adventure Mode, or just randomly duking it out with various Nintendo characters.

But you don’t just show up and let me do my own thing. You stand up for yourself, too. Instead of just letting me do whatever I want, you motivate me to perform challenges. Hitting a sandbag 1,500 feet, completing you on Hard mode, or just playing with you for excessive periods of time; these things and more keep me coming back to you.

You’re not just fun to be with when I’m alone with you, either. When my friends come over, you’re still the life of any party. With four-player Brawls or even 32-player Tournaments, you can

handle all the fun we can throw at you and more!

Another thing that I like about you so much is that you have so much character about you. One moment, you remind me of a ruthless intergalactic bounty hunter named Samus, the next you can be Princess Peach. And if you’re feeling especially sneaky, you even remind me a bit of Solid Snake… minus the beard and mullet, hopefully.

And if my friends aren’t around, I can always go online with you. I can play with my friends, or people I don’t know, or I can just watch other matches if I really want to. And you’re not afraid to share when we’re online either, whether it be custom levels, pictures, or even replays of other people having fun with you.

And the things you do for me that I don’t even ask for make me feel special.

I’ll wake up one morning, turn on my Wii, and discover that you’ve downloaded a new level for me to play. To quote Blink 182, surprises let me know you care.

While one new level a day may seem generous, you prove to be even more generous by letting me make my own levels. If that’s not enough, I can send them to my friends and even have the chance of Nintendo choosing my levels to send to other people.

But for all the things you do, it wouldn’t matter much if you didn’t

handle great. Which you do. And even if you didn’t, you still offer me complete control over what buttons do what, and let me save my settings to my personal name, with four different types of controllers.

And your voice! Oh, how lovely you sound! You come with a multitude of historical Nintendo songs – either in their original forms or remixed for a sense of newness. But, what’s more is that I can unlock even more songs to listen to. You truly are the gift that keeps on giving.

You’re even well-learned, too! Your knowledge of old Nintendo products, be it from historical releases of games to three-dimensional trophies commemorating different aspects of games, you almost have too much for me. I could get lost in your depths forever.

Smash Brothers Brawl, you have something for everyone. Well, everyone with a Wii, that is. No matter how much I play with you, you’ll never get bored of me, and you’ll always have something fun and exciting to try. And I’ll let you know that I appreciate it by giving you my undivided attention while I do it.

The only thing that annoys me about you is that sometimes you take longer than I’d like to load. But even though you’re slow to start, once you get going there’s no end to the fun we can have!

Smash Brothers Brawl, if I give you 9.5 out of 10 coins. Will you be mine?

Arts & Entertainment

16 • March 19, 2008 • Issue 23

A not-so-small Small Press Fair Man-thongs, the solar system, and everything in between at the Fredericton Small Press Fair

by Ed Bowes Submitted by Andrew Kelly

God Made Me Funky played at Nicky Zee`s in Fredericton on March 9.

Losing the funk

by Mitchell Bernard “Man, you have to check out this sweet band,” said a friend of mine. “They put on a pretty stellar show.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it out to the show. It was a busy night for me when they made their stop in the capital city.

Luckily, though, I was able to catch a glimpse of what the Toronto-based nufunk group, “God Made Me Funky”, is all about from their latest album.

God Made Me Funky’s third album, “Enter the Beat”, was released early last week across Canada. A mix of R&B, hiphop, funk, and rock, the album provides a new groove that promises to keep you bopping to the beat.

Hot off the release of the Juno-nominated album, “We Can All Be Free”, God Made Me Funky swung through Atlantic Canada to display their funky fusion sounds.

The eight-piece troupe pleased the “NuFunktonians” of Fredericton when they landed at Nicky Zee’s a few weeks back.

Although I couldn’t make the show, God Made Me Funky was kind enough to hook me up with a copy of their latest album. Since I heard so much about the

band, I was excited to give the album a listen.

Now, maybe it was just me, but I didn’t feel quite as funky as I should have after listening to the album. In fact, I felt more like I was listening to an album from my little sister’s collection rather than an album that would appeal to the university crowd.

A little confused, I asked a few friends of mine who are fans of God Made Me Funky to give it a listen. They, too, thought the album was more pop-ish than what the band had produced in the past.

Hmm, maybe it just wasn’t me after all.

That being said, I’m not really a huge fan of pop-radio. However, I’ll try to touch base on why I feel the album isn’t quite as great as it could have been.

On the new record, God Made Me Funky has taken a new, more mainstream approach to their music. Their first single, “Enter the Beat”, has received radio airplay across the nation. The pop-ish single resonates with sounds familiar to bands such as the Black Eyed Peas.

Speaking of pop radio airplay, a great indicator of a pop-radio song is one that often repeats lyrics. This way, fans, as young as they may be, can easily remember the lyrics and sing along to

their new favourite tune.

Don’t believe me? Well, I decided to do a little research and check out the Billboard Hot 100 list to try to support my theory.

At the time of print, the number one single was Usher featuring Young Jeezy with “Love in this Club”. I gave the song a listen and to no surprise, the entire chorus consisted of, “I wanna make love in this club,” repeatedly.

On their new album, God Made Me Funky uses this technique frequently.

For example, the seventh track “Getter Done” repeats those exact words almost twenty times each chorus. The song sounds more like a Larry the Cable Guy recording than a funk fusion band influenced by Stevie Wonder.

Maybe this is the direction GMMF wants to head. If so, they will probably do a great job attracting fans that prefer mainstream music. And their heavy rotation on MuchMusic is going to go a long way to help the funk group climb the popularity ladder.

But with a new sound, some of the original fans may begin to lose their funkiness. I guess a band can’t please all of its fans, though.

But hey, I’m a believer in being open to all music. The album didn’t stick with me, but check it out for yourself at godmademefunky.com

This past Saturday, I had the chance to attend the Fredericton Small Press Fair, which welcomed a variety of companies and individuals from across the Atlantic provinces. This year's event saw such Fredericton enterprises as The

“Hey, I like things, maybe me and the author both like the same things.” The book was a collection of photos taken in downtown Halifax of t-shirt designs worn by passing bystanders.

The next one I looked at was a book of poetry entitled “Eurotrip”. It was filled with travel memorabilia such as scans of passport stamps, Euro train tickets, and photos. Interesting stuff. I mean I am no poetry connoisseur, but what I read sounded pretty cool. My favorite was a short piece which told the story of an American who wore a Canadian flag patch on his book bag so people wouldn't know he was from the States – very patriotic.

As I perused the rest of the tables and booths, I came across some other very interesting works. One of which that really stuck out in my mind was a

after his death. He was found guilty.

All of the comics are written, illustrated, and published by Denis himself. The artwork is hand-drawn using a Sharpie, then scanned into the computer where color is added through the use of Photoshop. If you would like to learn more or make an order, you can visit Denis's website www.genghisthedog.com.

One of my other favorites, and perhaps the most eye-catching booth of the day, was a setup by the one-woman army that is Angela Black. Her company, Random Paper and Fabric, specializes in freelance graphic art, note cards, and basically anything else that can be done with paper or fabric. The possibilities are clearly endless. All of her cards are made by hand but have a distinctly professional look to them. On a psychedelic background of water color, she

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

The Small Press Fair, held at Gallery Connexion on March 15, featured local businesses showing comic books, freelance graphic art, poetry, and micro presses.

Fiddlehead, AB Publishing, and Broken Jaw Press, as well as EyeLevel Gallery, Anchor Archives, and S.A.G.S.R.I from Halifax.

The event was held at Gallery Connexion, Fredericton's only artist-run center exhibiting contemporary and experimental works of art. The industry showcase included a variety of local talent in categories such as comics, books, magazines, art works, indie publishing, as well as micro and small presses. The fair gave these artists, authors, and publishers a chance to promote and sell their products as well as important networking opportunities.

As I first entered the gallery, I really had no idea what to expect. I walked in during a poetry reading and everyone in the room turned and starred. Clearly I stuck out like a sore thumb in my jogging pants and hoodie. I tried to keep myself on the down-low as I wandered from table to table, each filled with books, magazines, and art prints.

I avoided the thick books that looked either too academic or just too long for me to read and opted for the most eye-catching covers. I picked up one book titled “Things Like”. I figured,

young man who had created a series of flags for each one of the planets in our solar system; a national identity, if you will, for Earth, Saturn, Neptune, and the rest of them. The designs were brilliant in their use of bright colors and imagery and I remarked to him that they would make for great looking t-shirts or posters. Behind him hung a couple of works by a Montreal artist, one of which was a hand bag covered in men wearing man-thongs – perfectly creepy.

Another booth that caught my eye immediately was the work of cartoonist and Frederictonian Erik Denis, who has created a comic series based around his Beagle, Genghis Dhag, and the fictional land of Squaresbourg. He gave me a handful of freebies including four of his recent comics, which are pretty damn hilarious.

My favorite was titled, “Book II: Strange but True Facts” which, just as the name implies, is a collection of the strangest tidbits history has to offer (but of course, with a comedic edge). My favorite story was “The Cadaver Synod”, which tells the story of Pope Formosus, who was so hated by the Church that they actually ordered a trial against him

has created pop-up cards with amazing creatures, flowers, and objects good for any occasion. On Saturday, she also had numerous pieces of her clothing, a line of women’s t-shirts and tanks tops with stylized artwork holding the same powerful artist look as her print designs.

She informed me that she is currently in the works to enter the male clothing market with a line of menswear holding on to these same design characteristics.

There is really no way to describe these amazing designs in words that would do them any justice, so I suggest going down to the Farmers Market on Saturday and visiting her booth. You won’t be disappointed.

All in all, it was quite a day. I had no idea that many of these companies existed, and was surprised at the high level of creativity of many of the graphic artists. I am going to pay a lot closer attention to these “little guys” and their independent companies. Next time you see a small magazine or newspaper that looks indie, pick it up and give it a chance. It's sure to inspire you, plus it's refreshing to see press that is not under the control of New Brunswick's favorite monopoly – the Irvings!

A big religious mishmash

by Ashley Bursey

With a background in religious studies and anthropology, Mae Whyte calls photography “a welcome divergence.”

Whyte, who is largely self-taught, has married her interests and created “Urban Tarot/ Fredericton Faces”, a photography exhibit that stemmed from an anthropology project during her years at Wilfred Laurier in Ontario.

“I’ve always been interested in tarot.

I did a major research project with a certified grand master who lived in Kitchener-Waterloo,” she says. “She talked about her feminist interpretations...especially in the Major Arcana.

I guess it’s been fermenting a while in my brain. This originally came out of a series of storyboards that were inspired by my interview with her.”

The exhibit features local models and scenes, and each photograph is Whyte’s interpretation of one of the 22 cards of the Major Arcana.

Using black and white and colour photography, Whyte tried to capture the essence of each card, ultimately hoping to create a full deck by January of next year.

“It started with the basic symbolism for each card and trying to represent that in a way that was meaningful to me but still had a greater resonance for the general public,” she says. “A lot of it had to do with the venues that I chose,

Submitted

‘The Hanged Man’ (left) and ‘The Star’ are two pieces from Mae Whyte’s latest collection, “Urban Tarot/Fredericton Faces.” because I’m inspired a great deal by nature as well...so yeah, any crazy angle that could incorporate the subject as well as their natural environment was the one I went for. Some cards require an outside shot, like the hanged man pictures, for example – in that case, it was a heck of a lot easier to do it outside! I wanted a stark contrast of subject and background.”

The pictures run the gamut of whimsical (like the Star card) to dark and ominous, like some of the black and white photos.

For Whyte, a fascination with divination is what drew her to the project.

“I suppose I’d be considered a novice tarot reader myself, but in terms of divination there are different forms I enjoy more than tarot,” she says. “It’s just the symbolism of the tarot has that

archetypal resonance; most people can identify with it and from a psychological point of view. The tarot grand master that I interviewed talked a lot about the fool’s journey towards enlightenment.

It’s a spiritual journey.”

With her background in religious studies, the tarot was an interesting spiritual parallel.

“They’re definitely linked. I ended up cobbling together, for the tarot, different systems of knowledge, different elements from different faith traditions.

For instance, the hangman card is normally just a man hanging from a tree but I took more of a perspective from Odin (the chief god in Norse mythology)...it’s a big religious mishmash.”

Urban Tarot/Fredericton Faces will be at the East and West Galleries of the Playhouse until March 31.