charlatan the
Vol 39•Issue 22 • February 4-10, 2010
carleton’s independent independent weekly weekly -- since since 1945 1945 carleton’s
CANDIDATES PLAY THEIR CARDS p.
cover by
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Talbert Johnson
INSIDE: Hanging out with CDAC p. 8 • ONLINE: Ongoing CUSA elections coverage and candidate videos see charlatan.ca/elections
Donations will be taken for the DVD • All proceeds go toward Haiti relief efforts • 19+
February 9, 2010 • 10:00pm
DVD Release Party
Vote in the CUSA Elections & Referenda on February 10 & 11
CONSTRUCT your COUNCIL
www.cusaonline.com/elections
Want to be a
facil?
Applications will be available in the CUSA office (401 UC) and online: www.cusaonline.com Interested students can sign up for an interview. Interviews take place March 1-5, 2010 at the CUSA Office. For more information, contact Alex Sirois, VP Student Life: vpsl@cusaonline.com
News Students to have final say on U-Pass
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February 4-10, 2010 News Editors: Jeanne Armstrong and Joel Eastwood• news@charlatan.ca
by Sarah Thuswaldner A decade-long battle for a universal bus pass (U-Pass) in Ottawa is about to be resolved by the vote of Carleton students — some for it, some against it. On Feb. 10-11, Carleton students will vote in a referendum for or against an increase in tuition of $145 per semester, which would cover their bus passes. Erik Halliwell, the current president of Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), said he is in favour of the bus pass, and hopeful for a similar response from the student body. “A couple of weeks ago, the vote passed in city council for a pilot bus pass project, and if the student response is positive, we’ll try it for a year. But the city needs that student support,” Halliwell said. Students at the University of Ottawa would also be part of the pilot program next school year. A referendum must pass at both schools for the U-Pass to be brought in. However, not everyone is happy about this possibility. One
Students will vote on a $145 per semester U-Pass. || photo by Lasia Kretzel
main point of contention is the fact that the tuition increase would be mandatory, with no way to opt out. “That way the city makes more money,” said Chris Gillen, CUSA science councillor. He, along with other Carleton
students, is responsible for starting a Facebook group, “Citizens of Ottawa Against a Mandatory U Pass.” “There are about 800 people in it so far, and it only started last week,” Gillen said. “As soon as I heard the word ‘mandatory,’ I was opposed to it,” Eric Turcotte, another founder of the group, said. Turcotte, a regular bus rider, would benefit from the U-Pass, but said he objected on a matter of principle. “If it could be optional, I would be all for it. I think it would be great,” he said. Gillen said he objected to the argument that a U-Pass would be environmentally friendly. “Bus ridership will increase, yes, but only because people who live close by will decide to be lazy instead of walking or biking,” he said. Cameron McKenzie, CUSA vice-president (internal affairs), said he is in favour of the U-Pass. “There are a lot of reasons why this would be a good idea. It would be a cost-saving method for students, and it would also be good from an environmental standpoint,
Twitter grounded in election by Jennifer Pagliaro In the most recent Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) electoral ruling, Twitter has been added to the list of mediums banned for campaigning use. The ruling states that because the social networking site is difficult to monitor, candidates vying for spots on CUSA’s executive and council won’t be able to tweet campaign material. Chief electoral officer Sagal Osman said Facebook groups supporting candidates must make the “CUSA El Ection” user, a fabricated Facebook profile, an administrator, so the elections office can monitor the group and its outgoing messages. This administrative function doesn’t exist on Twitter, making the monitoring of campaigning on the site more problematic, Osman explained. “It’s a lot more tedious,” Osman said. “That’s not our job, to be sitting on the Internet all day.” According to the electoral code, the originator of campaigning material must be clearly identifiable. Osman said candidates can campaign using their Facebook statuses without prior approval from the elections office, as long as the statuses are updated within the campaigning period, which lasts five days and started Feb. 3. “In my opinion, using Twitter is no different than using Facebook,” said current computer science
councillor Nicholas Osborne, who said he is helping to co-ordinate social media campaigning for an unspecified slate. He equated 140-character-or-less tweets to Facebook status updates. Audio-visual material is also banned for campaigning purposes. This includes material such as YouTube videos, which became viral in other student elections across the country last school year.
No stripes for DC++ Once an election campaign battleground, Carleton’s DC++ hub chat has become a campaign-free zone under its new administration. When entering the hub chat users are informed that any use of the service for Carleton University Students’ Association election campaigning will result in a minimum punishment of a three-month ban from DC++. “Our main reason for disallowing campaigning on the hub is due to the actions of the previous hub’s admins, of which we felt were inappropriate,” said DC++ administrators who requested their identities not be revealed, in a statement issued to the Charlatan. The administrators said they didn’t believe the hub should be used “as a political tool to manipulate voters.” — Andrew Warham
“I’m really concerned they’re going to be banning one medium after the other,” Osborne said. “It’s hindering free speech and it’s oppressive.” Osborne said the elections office told him candidates were not banned from using their personal Twitter accounts, but he said the wide scope of what can be construed as campaigning makes any Twitter use problematic. Osman told the candidates at the all-candidates meeting Feb. 2 it would be best if candidates suspended Twitter use during the elections period. “Clearly Twitter is being used by lots of people,” said Christopher Waddell, director of the School of Journalism and Communications. He said it’s likely Twitter will be used in upcoming Ottawa municipal and federal elections. “It seems strange that [CUSA] would decide that somehow you can’t use it in an election campaign,” Waddell said. Campaigning violations related to media outlets were an issue in last year’s CUSA election, when the Demand Better slate received electoral offences after an ad appeared on Facebook that was targeted against three opposing executive candidates. Though the origins of the ad were not clear, it allegedly linked to a Shinerama Facebook group created by Nick Bergamini, who was running for his current position of vicepresident (student issues). q
instead of driving,” McKenzie said. Halliwell also expressed the hope that if more students use the bus system, it will reduce the congestion of cars on campus. Gillen disagreed, predicting that parking services will simply lower their prices to stay competitive, and car congestion will be as bad as ever. “I can’t see people not driving to school when they have that option, just because they have an extra bit of tuition,” Gillen said. Ottawa Capital Ward councillor Clive Doucet said he has great hopes for the vote going through. “It would be great for the students, and it would be great for the city. Students won’t have to worry about having money for transportation,” Doucet said. Despite the opposition, Halliwell said he remains optimistic about the vote. “We’re getting lots of support so far. Many students, especially ones from British Columbia, are surprised that we didn’t have it,” he said. Halliwell added that negotiating opt-out clauses with OC Transpo is
a possibility, but said that nothing can be done until they have the vote from the students. “I encourage everybody make an informed decision,” Halliwell said. “Weigh the pros and cons. Make the decision that you think is right. This is a 10-year fight, and it’s going to end one way or another.” q
Comparing U-Pass fares From across the country, here’s what the U-Pass costs for full-time undergrads: • University of Guelph: $60 per term • University of British Columbia: $23.75 per month • University of Western Ontario: $135.84 per year • University of Alberta: $97 per term • Dalhousie University: $118 per year • University of Toronto: No U-Pass offered
— list compiled by Nelly Lalany
Fake website burns Bergamini by Alexandra Stang Barely 24 hours into the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) election campaign, an electoral offence has been handed out to a presidential candidate. Nick Bergamini, candidate with the “A Better Deal” slate, has been found in violation of the electoral code after chief electoral officer (CEO) Sagal Osman was alerted to the website “cusaonline.ca” Feb. 3. The domain hosts a 2008 CBC article about the CUSA Shinerama scandal in which Bergamini is named and quoted. Bergamini said he didn’t know the website existed until 5:30 p.m., Feb. 3, when he received an e-mail from Osman telling him he was in violation of the electoral code. “I don’t know who did it,” he said. “I have absolutely nothing to gain [from the site].” According to the official ruling the “article has obviously been posted in an effort to reach students that mistakenly type in cusaonline.ca instead of going to the cusaonline.com website,” which is the official CUSA website. Osman considered the domain a form of campaigning because it directly promotes Bergamini. The CEO must approve all campaign materials, including websites, and this domain was not approved. In the notice of violation, Osman instructed Bergamini to take down
CUSA presidential candidate Nick Bergamini received an electoral violation Feb. 3. || file
the site, which Bergamini said he cannot do because he did not purchase the domain. “I literally can’t do anything about it,” he said. Bergamini said he isn’t blaming the elections office, but will be appealing the ruling. Candidates are disqualified after three electoral violations According to online domain registration information, the website was purchased Jan. 20, two weeks before campaigning began. q
Correction Incorrect information appeared in a Jan. 28 story about Carleton students travelling to Haiti. The Graduate Students’ Association did not offer the students clothes or medical contacts. The Charlatan regrets the error.
charlatannews
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February 4-10, 2010
CUSA VPs face off for presidential position by David Meffe Nick Bergamini, fourth-year journalism student and current Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) vice-president (student issues), will head the “A Better Deal” slate in hopes of becoming the association’s next president. Bergamini said he believes during his past term, along with the other CUSA executives, he has accomplished much, including abolishing the age limit on student bus passes, lobbying to make OC Transpo an essential service, and bringing the issue of the U-Pass to the attention of Ottawa’s city council. Bergamini said he prides himself on his experience in advocacy and event planning, which he said he is the only presidential candidate to possess. “A president needs to have the qualities that represent all of CUSA,” Bergamini said. As president, Bergamini said he would to address what he refers to as “bread and butter” issues: ones that affect everyday students. Although a supporter of the mandatory U-Pass, Bergamini said he agrees the proposed price of $145 is too high and should be significantly reduced. The
candidate also said he plans to double the funding for clubs and societies at Carleton. “Clubs and societies are inherently underfunded, and these are the people that really promote campus life. . . . Right now, their funding represents 3 per cent of the CUSA budget, which is a fraction of what executives get paid. What we propose is to cut executive salaries and reinvest that into the underfunded clubs.” Bergamini said he has raised the idea of a fall reading week with the school administration. This would give students much-needed time to relax and would reduce student stress, according to Bergamini. “Four years ago, the idea was passed in a referendum by CUSA, but the administration said it wasn’t possible and didn’t fit with the timetable,” Bergamini said. Now with a new administration, officials have agreed to once again review the issue and see if it is feasible. “Right now, everyone talks about ‘What is CUSA?’ and ‘What does it do?’ and that’s a problem. Everyone pays fees and it can do a lot more,” Bergamini said. “With what I have accomplished last year, I think my record speaks for itself.” q
by Tina Yazdani
Alex Sirois Alex Sirois (top) and Nick Bergamini (bottom) are the presidential candidates in this year’s Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) election. Candidates began campaigning Feb. 3, and voters will go to the polls Feb. 10-11 to elect a president, five vice-presidents and 25 faculty representatives. || photos by Andrew Nguyen
For profiles of all candidates, video pitches by executive candidates and the latest election coverage, see . . .
charlatan.ca Nick Bergamini
Alex Sirois, presidential candidate for the “United Carleton” slate, said he’s been involved with Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) since his very first year. “I have a lot to offer, I’ve been super involved and I care about the association. I care about its ideals,” Sirois said. He said he started off as a Frosh Week participant, and from there went on to be Frosh Week facilitator, assistant head and head in the years to follow. This year, he helped organize Frosh Week through his executive position as CUSA vice-president (student life). On top of this, he has worked at Oliver’s Pub and Patio, a CUSA-run business. “I became a bar-back at Oliver’s, so that’s how I mostly got involved with the association. The following year I became a bartender,” Sirois said. “It’s pretty cool to have somebody who was in the dish pit at Oliver’s to be able to rise to the top and have a chance at running for president.” Sirois said he has several ideas for the coming year. One is to advocate for a fall reading week.
“There’s a winter reading week, why shouldn’t there be a fall reading week?” He said his slate also wants to open up the orientation week concert to second, third and fourth years. “It’s a pretty big concert and we only have the first years coming. So if we sold tickets we could generate more revenue, and that way we could have a bigger concert and have more people attending,” Sirois said. Sirois’ team also wants to attain a bottled-water-free campus next year. “CUSA needs to go green. We’d order a whole bunch of water bottles and sell them subsidized, and have water stations all over campus,” Sirois said. Sirois said these are just a few of the many plans his slate has for the upcoming year. “Check out United Carleton, we have some really great people on our team. I feel that we’re united from across campus. . . . We just come from all areas of the spectrum,” he said. “We need to unite students and work together to get what’s needed for students. If we all work together, we can definitely get things accomplished.” q
charlatannews
February 4-10, 2010
Putting on their game faces by Mitch Vandenborn Students took part in a weekend full of video-game-related activities in the fourth annual Carleton Game Day, put on by the university’s School of Information Technology. The events began Fri., Jan. 29 and featured the Ottawa chapter of a global game design competition, as well as guest speakers from the video game industry. Ali Arya, an associate professor at Carleton who helped organize the event, said the weekend aimed to showcase video games as more than mindless entertainment devices. “We are trying to promote the culture of video games as not just casual entertainment, but as a serious area,” Arya said. “We want people to look at them in a more professional way.” The second annual Game Jam, a global video game design competition that took place over the weekend, gave teams of students from around the world the opportunity to bring a video game to life in less than 48 hours. Amanda Emmanuel, a fourthyear interactive multimedia and design student, took part in the competition and said she had a great experience. “I was a little intimidated at first, because I don’t really play games and I thought ‘oh, what do I know?’” she said. “It was a lot of work, but in the end, it was awesome seeing the fruits of your labour, and in a working state.” The end result of Emmanuel’s team’s work was Glitch, a puzzle game where a computer glitch releases a prisoner from his cell and the player must work their
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Cool Runnings, eng style by Jennie Russell
Carleton Game Day featured a range of guest speakers and competitions geared towards video game design. || photo by Lasia Kretzel
way through a jail where nothing is as it seems. Emmanuel said she enjoyed the global nature of the event. “I am an avid Twitterer, and I was tweeting about it and this guy from the Munich chapter asked ‘How’s it going over there?’” she said. Representatives from numerous leaders in the video game industry, including Microsoft, Akendi, and Ubisoft, spoke about topics ranging from game design to touch-screen technology and human-computer interaction. Arya said Anthony Whitehead, director of the information technology school, had the idea to bring the lecturers. “We have faculty here with ties to the game design industry, and we thought it would be of interest to both our students and other Carleton students,” Arya said. Emmanuel also said the event fostered a sense of community amongst students in Carleton’s
University of Ottawa
Bachelor of Information Technology program. “A lot of teams didn’t even know each other beforehand,” she said. “But the enthusiasm of the people who came and just plunged themselves into something and just [went] at it was kind of cool.” q
The Education of Charlie For more coverage . . . Banks
Campaign kicks off
Chris Herhalt follows up on SAIA’s divestment initiative.
Angela’s activism
Rosella Chibambo sat in on a lecture at Carleton by activist Angela Davis.
Voices heard in library Julia Green talks about the library’s latest way to receive student feedback.
charlatan.ca
On Jan. 30, Carleton student Chris Nicol watched as more than four months’ worth of dedication and hard work went downhill — literally. Joined by 23 members of his team, the third-year aerospace engineering student competed in the 37th annual Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. The engineering competition, which took place from Jan. 2730 and drew 20 teams from universities across Canada, has a set of strict guidelines for its participants. Toboggans must be able to transport five people, have working brake and steering systems, include a safety roll-cage, and not exceed 300 pounds — all while having a running surface made entirely of concrete. “Trying to find time to complete it is always challenging,” said Nicol, who has competed in the event for the past three years and was one of this year’s co-captains. “Especially because you can only work on it when [university] labs are open.” Carleton’s team — called “Carleton Runnings,” a play on the name of the Jamaican bobsled team in the movie Cool Runnings — finished fifth overall. Although the University of Alberta received the top honours, Carleton won in the category of “Best Technical Report” and took home the award for “People’s Champion,” which is granted to the crowd’s favourite. Nicol said the team formed
at the start of September, with construction of the toboggan beginning in October. “You end up putting all the time that you’re not in classes into the competition,” he said. He added that the construction process is a lengthy one, filled with planning, “the stress of designing,” calculations, experiments and test runs. Teams are judged based on their concrete mix, braking, technical exhibition display and report, written and oral presentations, team spirit and race times. Carleton Runnings completed three runs on Jan. 30, with five riders on each trip. Nicol said their toboggan reached a maximum speed of about 50 km/h. “This year, the hill was pretty spectacular,” he said. “It’s definitely a thrill, going down the thing.” One of the most memorable experiences, Nicol said, was the run that earned the University of Toronto team the award for “Most Spectacular Run.” The riders flipped their sled, which caused one team member to be ejected, and the toboggan to land on top of another. Fortunately, he said, no one was seriously injured. Carleton’s toboggan is currently being shipped back to the university and will be stored on campus for experimental purposes. Nicol said the toboggan’s performance at the competition was a source of pride for the Carleton team. “It was a great feeling, knowing that your design actually works,” he said. q
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National Conrad Black lectures from prison
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February 4-10, 2010 National Editor: Andrea Hill • national@charlatan.ca
by Tammy Murphy McGill University lecturer Adam Daifallah didn’t want just anyone to teach his students about Richard Nixon, he wanted someone with a connection to the man. And he found someone — thousands of kilometres away in a Florida prison. On Jan. 27, 20 political science undergraduates McGill were some of the first people north of the border to hear the voice of Conrad Black in more than two years. “Lord Black was invited to speak because he is Canada’s only serious Nixon scholar that I am aware of,” Daifallah said. “Black is one of the finest intellectuals this country has ever produced and the students should hear from someone who knew Nixon personally.” Black had a 1,000-page biography on Nixon published in 2007. Daifallah played a small research role in this biography and said he continued to keep in touch with Black via e-mail. The class listened to Black deliver a 15-minute lecture through a BlackBerry speakerphone from a Florida prison where he is currently serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence for diverting funds for personal benefit. Daifallah said the lecture was arranged as a surprise for the students. Students were asked to submit questions relating to Nixon but were not told who would be answering those questions. “Some of them figured out that the guest was Lord Black before I announced it, but most were quite surprised,” Daifallah said. In his brief talk, Black described Nixon’s challenges and how he felt the former president had been successful in withdrawing the American military from
Conrad Black delivered a lecture about Richard Nixon to McGill students. ||
Vietnam, bettering relations with China and Russia, improving conditions in the Middle East and lowering the United States’ crime rate. “He has the most successful four-year term as president of anyone in [the] history of the country, except [Abraham] Lincoln and [Theodore] Roosevelt’s first and third year terms,” Black said. Black also commented on the 1972 Watergate scandal and Nixon’s suspected cover-up of the burglary of the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters. “It was a terribly thin thread on which to remove a president from office,” which most likely would have happened if Nixon had not resigned in 1974, he said.
graphic by Talbert Johnson
Tom Velk, a professor of economics and chair of McGill’s North American studies program, was present during Black’s lecture. Velk, who had guest-lectured to the class the previous week, nodded as he listened to Black answer the students’ questions and defend Nixon. Black “didn’t behave completely properly, but on the other hand, he certainly doesn’t deserve what has happened to him. And I think it’s similar for Nixon,” Velk said. The class listened intently as Black struggled to get his message across in the last minute of the call. “The message was that Nixon had many interesting accomplishments as president, despite his flaws,” Daifallah said. q
UVic residence student extends 18-year stay by Jessica Chin A British Columbia Supreme Court judge ruled Jan. 5 that disabled University of Victoria student Alkis Gerd’son, who has lived on campus for the last 18 years, will be allowed to remain in residence despite the university’s attempts to evict him. Even with this ruling, Gerd’son is taking his case to the B.C. human rights tribunal because he has said the university is discriminating against him based on his disability. “For this student to have the hearing scheduled over several days suggests that there is some substance to his view that this eviction is discriminatory, and we await the outcome,” said Rose Mariana Robb, a UVic spokesperson. Robb said she was unable to comment further because of the upcoming hearing. “We want to respect that process,” she said. “Out of respect for the BC human rights tribunal we don’t want to add to anything that might affect the case.” There has been considerable confusion as to the end result of the B.C. Supreme Court ruling because articles published by Canwest incorrectly claimed Gerd’son would be evicted, while the Martlet, UVic’s student paper, reported Gerd’son will be allowed to stay. This is in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling. An online comment on the Martlet’s article praised the campus paper for reporting the
truth. “It’s nice to see that some journalists are actually capable of reading a short, simple court judgment and comprehending it. Too bad that the Times-Colonist doesn’t hire them,” posted Scott Hays. UVic took Gerd’son to court because the school wished to obtain an order of possession for the residence apartment he lives in. Gerd’son moved into residence in 1991 and obtained a bachelor of arts degree in 1993 and a bachelor of education degree in 1997. He is currently enrolled in a non-credit business management diploma program at UVic. The university has been trying to evict Gerd’son since summer 2008, saying he defaulted on his rent and wasn’t maintaining enrolment status, since his diploma courses are not credit courses. Gerd’son has provincial disability status and has been reported as saying the university’s attempts to evict him are discrimination based on his disability. According to court documents, B.C. Supreme Court Justice John Truscott dismissed the university’s application for an order of possession and ordered UVic to pay Gerd’son’s legal expenses. According to the ruling, Gerd’son “entered into a Residence Apartment Tenancy Agreement with the university that commenced on May 1, 2004 and continued thereafter month to month with no defined termination date.”
In August 2007, Gerd’son was asked to sign a new one-year tenancy agreement, which expired in 2008. No new agreement was signed, but the university continued to accept payments on Gerd’son’s behalf from a government ministry. The university has said that all payments received after September 2008 were not rent payments, but payments towards overholding charges specified in the 2007 agreement as 15 per cent of monthly rent per day plus legal costs. Grace Wong Sneddon, UVic’s diversity advisor to the provost, told the Martlet that the overholding charges grew to more than $41,000. Truscott dismissed UVic’s account of the rent payments. “The university has submitted no evidence that the defendant, or for that matter the government, has ever been told that the payments received after September 30, 2008 were being applied to overholding charges, until these affadavits were sworn,” the court document read. “I would expect that the university would have advised the defendant of these charges long before they became so large and told him that they were due and owing as overholding charges,” the said in the document. The documents cite Gerd’son’s claims that the 2004 Tenancy Agreement affirms he is “entitled to three months’ notice of termination from the university according to its terms.” q
Is that really you? Airports are not the only place upping security these days. An increasing number of professional programs now require students to give a digital print of their finger, thumb or veins in their palm to write high-stakes entrance tests for programs such as medicine and business. “In the middle of a test, we've had a student leave for a break and send someone else back in to write the next section that may have a different kind of focus,” said Karen Mitchell, senior director of admissions testing services for the Association of American Medical Colleges, which runs the Medical College Admissions Tests (MCATs). According to a Torstar News Service report, one test official said a husband once wrote a test for his wife wearing one of her dresses, but was discovered when his five-o'clock shadow began to show. The latest technology being used to prevent cheating on these tests is palm scanning which uses infrared scanning of the blood vessels in a person’s palm. These updated means of security are meant to prevent candidates from having someone else take the test for them. “It's unfortunate some people want to cheat to get the higher scores you need for better-known programs,” said Rick Powers, executive director of the University of Toronto's master of business administration (MBA) program. “For the integrity of the application process, we support this type of technology,” he said. However, many students view these new technologies as violations of privacy. At least three complaints to Canada’s privacy czar have been made against this change which will affect 266,000 students around the world, including 8,000 in Canada, who write the four-hour GMAT test each year for an MBA program. q — Kyra Springer
— graphic by Talbert Johnson
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charlatannational
February 4-10, 2010
UWO student cleared of charges Irnes Zeljkovic, the University of Western Ontario student whose violent arrest became famous on YouTube, has successfully completed a mental health assessment and the Crown has suspended all charges, according to Canwest publications. He may now return to school. “I don’t think he’s a danger to other students, personally,” second-year UWO student Andrew Helt said in an e-mail. “I’ve read articles that say he may have some mental health problems, but I personally am not concerned with him relapsing,” he said. “Plus from the sounds of the circumstances . . . he wasn’t having the best of days,” Helt added. “Not that the way he acted was justified, but I figure everyone should get a second chance.” Ian Millar, Zeljkovic’s lawyer, told the London Free Press that Zeljkovic participated willingly in the treatment plan. “He’s looking 100 times better than the first time I met him. He’s doing very well,” Millar said. Millar also told the Free Press that he will be looking into pursuing a civil suit due to the “traumatic” nature of Zeljkovic’s arrest. Zeljkovic will have to work with a treatment plan for a year, otherwise the Crown could resurrect the charges and continue with prosecution and sentencing.
— Monique Elliot
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Ontario college students fear strike by Maghen Quadrini On Jan. 13, 57 per cent of Ontario fulltime college faculty voted in favour of a strike mandate that would affect the education of 500,000 students. After a series of unsuccessful meetings, negotiations are still taking place, but a strike deadline has been set for Feb. 11. Many Ontario college students worry that a strike would result in a losing a semester. “In the case of a strike, I think the students should be reimbursed,” said LuAnn Pannunzio, a first-year advertising student at Mohawk College, one of the colleges that would affected by a strike. “It’s not fair that we have to be put in the middle of this for no reason when all we want to do is get an education.” First-year Fanshawe College police foundations student, Nick Luyten said he agrees. “I think we deserve a free semester of school, if not free books,” he said. “If a strike were to happen, students could end up in a longer semester that would cut into valuable time to work during the summer to pay for their education, therefore creating a lack of resources,” said Tyler Charlebois, director of advocacy for the College Student Alliance. He added that the teachers’ union wanted to strike during February or March because this is the most critical time for
students doing midterms and final projects and this would give the union the greatest leverage. After a 2006 faculty walkout, community colleges established a taskforce to give college faculty a bigger role in academic decisions and organizing workloads, as well as approving 13 other recommendations.
The union said it is also calling on the colleges to withdraw their terms and conditions of employment that were individually imposed in the absence of a negotiated settlement in November 2009. “It’s about power and control and money,” said Ted Montgomery, chair of the college faculty bargaining team.
”
It’s not fair that we have to be put in the middle of this for no reason when all we want to do is get an education.
— LuAnn Pannunzio, Mohawk College student A unanimous approved report in March 2009 indicated management agreed to the settlement. However, in the midst of these negotiations, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union said management has now gone back on its promises and is refusing to implement the task force into the new contract that they had previously approved. “I believe in a right to strike and we do not take the decision lightly. We know it affects a lot of people but I do believe in the democratic right to strike,” said Greg Hamara, the union’s media relations officer.
“Management is trying to put up a smoke screen but in reality they are trying to break their promise.” “The community college faculty has been in a strike position three times over the last 40 years, never for longer than a month. None of those cases resulted in a penalty towards the education of students,” Montgomery said. Montgomery said he did not think the government or college faculty would allow students to lose a full year in the event of a strike. The strike would affect 10,000 faculty members at 24 campus and community colleges in Ontario. q
Call for Submissions for the 9th Annual Diana Brebner Prize $500 Prize Arc: Canada’s National Poetry Magazine invites emerging Ottawa writers not yet published in book form to be recognized through this special award honouring the late Diana Brebner. *Entry fee is $23 for up to 2 unpublished poems and includes a one-year subscription to Arc *NEW DEADLINE: Must be postmarked no later than March 1, 2010. For detailed submission guidelines please see www.arc poetry.ca
Features
8 February 4-10, 2010 Features Editor: Brittany Mahaney • features@charlatan.ca
wheelchair and see someone with a personality equal parts aloofness, self-deprecation and hilarity. “I’ll be really blunt: I’m really, really disabled, and really, really ugly. People are very apprehensive because my disability is very evident,” Tim says. “I use humour for people to let their guard down — often horribly inappropriate humour, but it’s the best weapon.” As if to exemplify his unique but undeniably funny take on things, he adds, “I don’t swim; I frolic!” while miming the breaststroke as best as he possibly can. “The chicken-wing swim!” Graham interjects. Mohamed “Mo” Virji, a first-year law and philosophy major with cerebral palsy, doesn’t rely so much on humour as on openness to connect with new people, opting not to let anything get in the way. “I’ll talk to anybody,” he says. But breaking the ice can come with its bumps. Delaney Dunlop, a second-year, notes that people are hesitant at first. “You have to get in there. If they don’t like it, they don’t like it. You have to show them your disability doesn’t matter. You have to learn to work around it.”
VIEWPOINT
breaking the ice with CDAC
here is a strange yet earnest sort of equality that abounds in the Carleton Disability Awareness Centre (CDAC) office. A few minutes’ lounging on the couch and one is likely to see punishment meted out for contrariness, regardless of how able-bodied the perpetrator might be. CDAC co-ordinator Graham Perrin strolls across the room, kicks Tim Rose’s wheelchair into manual and wheels him over to the corner to face the wall. “Tim loves getting his face out there. He’s shameless,” John McRae, a second-year, says. John often has a smile on his face and jokingly says he has no shortage of stories that make CDAC look bad. Tim and John are part of a small group gathered in the
According to Dina Skvirsky, another CDAC coordinator, the most potent obstacle in a disabled-able-bodied relationship is not so much physical as it is psychological. “People see the wheelchair before they see the person,” Dina says. “They don’t think they have a personality.” Hollis Pierce, a second-year history major with muscular dystrophy, agrees. The disability “is definitely a minor part of your personality,” he says. “I’d say I’m a people person.” Indeed, it’s hard to say that any of the regular visitors to the CDAC office are lacking in personality, with no greater example of this being Tim. A former CDAC co-ordinator himself, Tim says it’s no difficult task to look past his
Yet a barrier persists — not so much prejudice as simple tentativeness, such as not knowing what boundaries there are, if any, and a desire to avoid awkwardness, even though some attempts to do so can ironically add to or even cause discomfort. Tim notes a natural tendency for professors or other ablebodied people to speak to his attendant first rather than to him. He supposes this indirect interaction is a product of how disabled people are portrayed in the media. “There’s an expectation that disabled people are wallflowers,” he says. “I’m not a wallflower. I’m a train.” “. . . wreck,” Dina adds. According to Tim, the media also has an unfortunate tendency to make the disability the central aspect of disabled characters — such as Joe Swanson of Family Guy, or Timmy and Jimmy of South Park. He also dislikes “fragile” traits being associated with some characters, and how these perceptions carry over to day-to-day life. “How many times have I heard, ‘Good for you for going to university.’ Really? Have you seen my grades?” There’s “an expectation for us to appreciate everything we have,” Delaney adds. “But if it’s not help, it’s not appreciated.” This idea of fragile appreciation can carry over to even the most mundane circumstances.
My sex is on fire
Tim says as a teenager he had to go out of his way not to look asexual. He says he had the same urges as any 18-year-old. But now Tim lets people think what they want. “There’s not a lot of knowledge about [disabled sexuality] because it’s not mainstream,” he says. “It’s something niche.” Yes, sexuality is as big a deal for these students as it is for anyone else. Graham Perrin, CDAC’s co-ordinator, throws out a question about how men with disabilities feel picking girls up at the bar. Tim jokes that when you’re sitting down, it’s hard to pick up girls, engage them and try to “play the game.” Tim and John both say they felt more conscious when it came to pursuing relationships in contrast to others. They felt some people could not look past the chair. Other times, it’s just too hard to get to the bar when it’s packed
or positioned lower to the ground. Sometimes the girl assumes they need help to reach a drink or they need to be pushed. Tim describes this difficulty as an environmental barrier. While Tim says he feels frustrated and angry sometimes, at other times he doesn’t think his disability is the reason certain relationships don’t work out. “Even if I was a 6-foot, lean hunk, the relationship might not work,” Tim says. “Some just don’t work, disability or no disability.” “A big perspective we were trying to get [at the panel] was if disabled people end up dating only other disabled people,” John says about why CDAC held the panel. “There’s a big misconception that just because we have similar situations we tend to know everyone on a wheelchair. Yeah, it’s true, we understand each other better but that doesn’t
Counter-clockwise from left: Tim Rose, Sam Whittel, Graham Perrin and John McRae. ||
Sitting around in the Carleton Disability Awareness Centre (CDAC) speaking with Tim Rose, John McRae and a few facilitators, I realized something. I was one of those people who didn’t see beyond the chair. I really didn’t know how sexuality played a role in the lives of disabled people. How many people have regarded them as sexual beings? On Jan. 28, CDAC held a panel discussion on disabilities and dating.
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CDAC office, swapping stories and taking cracks at each other. The subject at hand is the occasionally tumultuous nature of relationships between disabled and able-bodied people.
MAKING THE CONNECTION
W CO IN UL N D BE ER A !!!
The Charlatan’s Sarah Jean Maher attended the Jan. 28 panel on disabilities and sexuality in the GLBTQ centre.
photo by
“When I’m introduced to someone, they only grab the tip of my finger, as if it’s going to snap off,” Hollis says. He prefers when people shake his hand, especially when some others have resorted to patting his head in the past. As well intentioned of a gesture it may be, it’s nonetheless regarded with contempt in the CDAC office by disabled and able-bodied people alike. As Delaney says: “I’m not an animal!” Tim can’t help but agree. He likes his hand to be firmly shaken, even though it has been left somewhat contorted due to his disability. “His groping hand,” Graham comments, but Tim snaps back in an instant: “That was between you and I in the basement!”
empty, provocative way, without context or any attempt to explore the issue in a constructive fashion. I fought back tears and, as I calmed down, began to re-evaluate my lack of romantic history. The way the chips have fallen so far, it’s just never happened for me. But reading those words, I began to wonder if this reality is out of my control. What if others see my disability as a barrier to romance? I began to reflect upon the role every significant male has played in my life, wondering why each relationship has followed more or less the same path. I have wonderful men in my life, all of whom E D I T O R I A L many LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX I love dearly. It’s not like I curse my friendships. I’m not Another assumption is that mad at this guy or that guy for not falling in a disability can occupy and love with me, or asking me out on a date. even replace the more romantic But why am I always the best friend and — Tim Rose aspects of a person’s character. never the one who is seen as just a bit more “Girls come up to me and than that? ask, ‘How do you have sex?’” Tim says he’ll joke back: Recently I’ve come to a rather startling “Why? Are you interested? Need a diagram?” conclusion: it might not matter how outgoing “I think [dating] is one of the most interesting things,” he I am, how many offers of coffee or lunch I says. “People assume that disability means asexuality. I have extend or how many phone numbers I ask the same urges.” for (and receive). Tim is in the process of writing an informative book or If there is a mental block on the part pamphlet called The Cripple Sutra, the content of which of the other person, that stops him from should be clear from its title. thinking of me in a romantic light, then “I get the best looks of my life when I go to buy condoms. there’s nothing I can do. ‘They have sex?’ They assumed my ex-girlfriend was my I can only be the one who sends the nurse.” signals out for so long before it becomes “First dates are always awkward,” John says. “I’ve never less about the signals put out by me, and had a disabled girlfriend. I think they’re going to be more more about how they’re received by the apprehensive than they actually are. Some people can’t get person on the other end. past it. There are some things about people you can’t get Flirting is a two-way street. There might past in any relationship. As long as we are open about [our] be nothing I can do about how people feelings, what else can we do?” perceive me. If there’s a mental block Tim says his current friendships and relationships are because of the disability, I might be limited founded on the fact that others aren’t afraid of his wheelchair. in my ability to affect how far past it others Delaney says she feels it’s essential to ask questions, are able to see. which is always preferable to awkwardness. Am I doomed then, to never know what To Mo, being oneself is important. it’s like to be in love with a man, and have “Don’t try to fit yourself a group,” he says. “If people that man be in love with me? I hope not. don’t like the personality that you have, move on.” But I worry. “The key [is not to] be in denial about your disability, but There’s a stupid and unfounded don’t let it define you,” John says. assumption that people with disabilities are “I’m going to steal that line,” Tim quips. asexual, that they have no urges or desires Like any working relationship there has to be mutual at all. Or, if not asexual, then there seems to respect and an absence of condescension. This means seeing be this idea that one with a disability would the person rather than the wheelchair, being open in one’s only ever fall in love with another with a thoughts and feelings, and always — always — avoiding disability. pats on the head. There are numerous couples where both In John’s words: “Don’t put the ‘pat’ in ‘patronizing.’” q Layla Guse Salah (above) has a bone to pick with the Charlatan after involved are disabled. But able-bodiedit printed an Overheard at Carleton that she believes disabled relationships exist too, just as interracial relationships do. fuels negative stereotypes about disabled people. Reading about the probability of someone with a disability being necessarily mean I have to date them. I have dated both raped makes me extremely sad. handicapped and able-bodied girls.” Back in December the Charlatan printed a comment in its I started worrying long before I saw that quote in the Charlatan Tim shares his story of how when he went to get condoms “Overheard at Carleton” section that read: “I’m sure there are that I was broken and unlovable. I cursed my disability for keeping at the drugstore, he received puzzled looks from the cashier. people who have raped the disabled.” me from an aspect of life I believed, and still do believe, it is holding “She couldn’t believe a guy in a wheelchair could be buying As a disabled young woman, I was heartbroken and outraged to me back from. condoms,” he says. see that type of comment But I began to think: Tim says there’s not a lot of disabled porn or a discussion published in my school’s I cursed my disability for keeping me from an aspect of life I what if it’s true? I want about sexuality for disabled people during sex ed. in school. paper for 20,000-plus to wash my brain out John says he hopes the girls he dated in the past were driven students to see. believed, and still do believe, it is holding me back from. even as I think it, but to date him for the fact they liked him and accepted him as he is. I struggle with selfwhat if I never get to In some situations, John says he has seen people with esteem issues that are experience intimacy in disabilities turn to being gay because it was easier to delve into. centred on my disability and I often wonder whether or not it’s even a loving way? What if rape or being taken advantage of is the Sexuality for people with disabilities is a topic that people possible to meet someone who’ll see past it and fall in love with me. closest I could come? It makes me sick but I can’t make the 1390 Prince Wales that Dr. (at Hogs Back) need to discuss more, Tim says. He says it’s important not to I was ofenraged I had to see this private battle taunting thought away. Iof wish I didn’tDr. think way. Back) I wish I could stop 1390go Prince Wales (atthat Hogs || photo by Rebecca Phillips make the chair prominent, and to think beyond it. q me in my student newspaper. It didn’t belong there in such an myself, but I can’t. q
Get caught reading the Charlatan and win great prizes, including free Charlatan gear, tickets to the Mayfair and gift certificates to Thai Cocount!
Y O U
T
9
I’ll be really blunt: I’m really, really disabled, and really, really ugly. People are very apprehensive because my disability is very evident.
DEBUNKING STEREOTYPES
Ever wonder what it’s like to live with a disability? The Charlatan’s Daniel Link sat down with students living with disabilities and got the inside scoop on everything from combating stereotypes to sex and relationships.
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February 4-10, 2010
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charlatanop/ed
Consequences of pulling pension funds RE: “SAIA urges university to pull portfolio,” Jan. 28 – Feb. 4, 2010 In last week’s Charlatan, an article was printed regarding the Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) calling on Carleton to withdraw its pension plan funds from companies that support weapons manufactured in Israel. As one SAIA member remarked, “We don’t want Carleton to be invested in war and violations of human rights.” I wholeheartedly agree with this, but a plan to pull investment away from Israel’s defence forces only ensures the level of terror will remain high. For those not entirely in the know, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has revolved around Palestinian citizens taking aggressive actions against Israelis, attempting to annihilate civilians to obtain statehood. The use of terrorism for these means is a “crime against humanity.” Furthermore, Palestinian terrorists have used their own civilians as shields — another violation of international law — in instances such as last winter’s war in Gaza. On the other side, the Israeli army has responded to these attacks by bombing military targets on the Palestinian side — as a means to defend their citizens. This complies with the laws of war. The only way to prevent Palestinian terrorists from succeeding is to prevent their acts of violence. This can be done by investing in Israel’s defence. If Israelis cannot stop this terrorism, their nation will be destroyed. Yet SAIA calls to divest from Israel — a nation constantly in peril from violent aggression. Israel is not a perfect state and it’s made
its share of wartime blunders. One is free to criticize Israel and demand that international law is obeyed. But to single out Israel for “violating human rights” while ignoring its vital means to defend itself from violence and aggression — by a more-powerful and intrinsically violent realm of terrorist groups — is bigotry, pure and simple. If Carleton wills to withdraw these funds, a country in dissaray will have fewer resources available to defend their citizens from terror. And this will ensure that human rights violations will continue to be committed against Israel.
February 4-10, 2010
voicebox
10
Hi — I just have a comment regarding the bake sale last week for the student whose apartment was burned in the Glebe. I just want to say that there were 16 people whose apartments were burned down, but only one student had a big huge sale. And it’s not fair. That’s why I didn’t buy anything and I didn’t give them a penny because if there’s a bake sale for one student there should be a bake sale for all 16 because they are all students. Bye!
love with you since we were in diapers but yeah, as for the love story, you can totally be my best friend and help me out ‘cause I’m going to go gay and I’m going to go all the way. OK bye.
Hey, Voicebox. I just wanted to say I was at Rez Idol last night and the stripper chick who said she was hot shit, well, we’re glad to know you’re so modest. That’s it. Buhbye.
BLEEP!
Hey, this is D here. I just wanted to say, I don’t think it’s going to work out ’cause I’m going gay and everything. I’ve been in
— Jordan Adler first-year journalism and film
BLEEP! Um, uh, Voicebox, I’m not actually D. The last message, I hope that doesn’t break anyone’s heart. So, uh, yeah.
BLEEP!
Will we ever find the real D? Call: 613-520-7500
Overheard at Carleton Girl 1: Happy Groundhog Day! Girl 2: No! That fucker saw his shadow and went right back in.
When in England, it’s probably you who’s driving on the wrong side of the road.
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Promoting student success
At Carleton University your success matters. The Office of Student Affairs helps to create a living and learning environment that promotes student success in both academic and extra-curricular activities. As the mid-term examination period approaches, it is important for all students to be aware of rules that govern academic behavior. The Academic Integrity policy covers: ■
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cheating on tests and exams; and
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Academic integrity is everyone’s business
Do you know the rules? Visit the Student Affairs website at carleton.ca/studentaffairs to find a list of examples of violations and sanctions under the Academic Integrity policy. You can also drop by Learning Support Services to participate in exam preparation info sessions on topics like reducing exam anxiety and preparing for essay and multiple-choice exams. Visit carleton.ca/lss for schedule details. The Office of Student Affairs provides centralized support for the Academic Integrity Policy. Find out more at carleton.ca/studentaffairs.
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Opinions/Editorial
11
February 4-10, 2010 Op/Ed Editor: Kayla Calder • oped@charlatan.ca
@CUSA: Live in the now “And so Carleton rolls around to another election week . . . Wherever you look, you can see a mass of campaign posters, all blending into one huge anonymous display.” Sadly, this portrait of campus is just as accurate now as when it was originally published in 1955 in the Carleton, the Charlatan’s predecessor. And that is because Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) has unfortunately chosen to shy away from moden technology for elections. The latest barrier to progress was erected by Sagal Osman, the chief electoral officer of the CUSA elections, who banned candidates from using Twitter for campaign purposes. The portion of the electoral code being used to justify the decision requires all campaign material to be submitted for approval by the CEO, and to bear the stamp of her office. This rule is a relic from simpler, sepia-toned times. But we’re in the 21st century, and candidates need to campaign accordingly. Political campaigning is all about spreading information: precisely what Twitter was designed for. Not to mention that today’s technologically savvy students educate themselves online, not off dead trees plastered in hallways. The candidates can still use personal Twitter accounts, but not to campaign. This poses the tricky question: what constitutes campaigning? Candidates shouldn’t have to censor their tweets for fear of being slammed with an electoral violation. Worst of all, the rule is being applied inconsistently. Candidates can still campaign on Facebook, even though status updates are identical to tweets. And what’s to stop malicious campaigners from creating a Twitter account in an opposing candidate’s name, and racking up violations on their behalf? Twitter is a free, environmentally friendly and effective form of campaigning. CUSA cannot ban every media innovation. It’s not 1955 anymore. q
UVic’s right to evict For some students, leaving home to attend university can be a daunting experience. This transition is often made easier by moving into residence with peers similarly new to the university game. Residence is often offered specifically to new students taking credit courses. The University of Victoria has a solid argument for attempting to evict its longest-staying tenant, Alkis Gerd’son, who has occupied the residence for the past 18 years despite not taking a credit course since 1997. Universities have regulations in place to ensure residence goes to the most deserving students. At UVic, residence is normally available to students enrolled in a minimum of nine units of a credit program for that year, and students are expected to move out when they complete classes. At the moment, Gerd’son is enrolled in a non-credit business program, making him ineligible to remain on campus based on UVic residence regulations. Allowing Gerd’son to remain could set a dangerous precedent for students with hardly any courses or those taking a break between studies to live in housing generally reserved for new students. Many universities, including UVic, have student services that help look for off-campus housing for students having trouble finding a place of their own. However, if a student refuses to use these services, it is not the university’s responsibility to provide housing. UVic is not acting out of discrimination. Rather, the university is treating Gerd’son like any other student. This provides more opportunities for new students — similar to the ones he was offered in his first year. q
charlatan poll the
Does UVic have the right to evict its long-time resident? Vote online at www.charlatan.ca Last issue: Would you join a fight club?
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February 4 - 10, 2010 Volume 39, Issue 22
You don’t talk about fight club: 73 per cent
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CUSA CEO bans Twitter as a campaigning tool — p. 3
Proroguing political publicity people who made up this protest were not merely citizens; they were branded citizens, supporters of the opposition who had come to see their leaders speak. It was also interesting how large the protest was. It was Harrison Lowman is a first-year my understanding that we had a terrible voter turnout in journalism student who says the antithis past election. I have to wonder whether these people prorogation movement is being taken really cared about what went on in Parliament. advantage of by opposition parties. Were they active voters, or were they just dying to construct a papier-mâché Harper that they could toss around in the air? There was a reason why Michael Ignatieff chose to In no way was this protest unbiased; it was a wear a red scarf on the morning of the prorogation rally chance for party leaders to criticize the Conservatives. Jan. 23, and not a blue or black one. It’s not because it’s his Statements made by the speakers were lost in the favourite colour — it’s because he’s a Liberal. winter wind, as they had nothing to ground or support Canada’s Parliament will sit again on March 3, 2010. them. It was more theatrics than anything else. This is not the result of the cries of students who fought Each one took their turn to stand up in front of the the cold and protested in our nation’s capital, not because microphone and voice their opinion, yet all of them the idea of prorogation goes against our constitution, and seemed to be making the same accusations and grandiose not because of Ignatieff, Elizabeth May or Jack Layton. statements. One could almost say it was election time; Parliament is resuming all it needed was some campaign because that is when our signs. One could almost say it was prime minister has decided it How can someone speak clearly will resume. to Canadians about democracy when election time; all it needed While walking through they are affiliated with a political was some campaign signs. the tunnels at Carleton last party? The answer: they can’t. week, I was surprised to Yes, many claimed that they see the signs for the protest were not there for their party’s scheduled to take place at the Parliament buildings. benefit, but simply saying something doesn’t make it true. Upon first glance it seemed legitimate, and something to Over the past few decades it seems like Canadians have be proud of. Students were going to actively make use come to expect little from their politicians, and I find this of the rights and freedoms they had gained through the depressing. democratic system this country offers us. No matter who is in power, it appears that everyone is But as I learned more about it, I began to realize what dying to jump at the opportunity to jab their opponents it truly was: a chance for opposing parties to grab a and desperately announce their own party’s platform to 30-second clip that would float next to Peter Mansbridge’s anyone who is willing to listen. head on the newscast shown that night. We heard the same meaningless banter on Parliament It was a chance to make a neutral issue a partisan issue. Hill that we hear during Question Period every day. I have to admit that I watched this newscast, and what a Therefore, prorogation has brought about little if any publicity stunt it was. change. There were the figureheads standing behind the podium, Politicians are still taking part in the activities they fists pumping in the air. There they were, yelling at a normally participate in while sitting in the House of nonexistent Stephen Harper, shouts of “dictator!” echoing Commons. The only change is that they are now doing so through the crowd. Below them stood an audience decked outside of its doors, in the cold. Who said they weren’t still out in orange, red and green. For you see, the majority of at work? q by Harrison Lowman
Features Editor
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Perspectives Editor
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Contributors:
Juanita Bawagan, Katelynn Beaudette, Angela Brock, Jacqueline Chen, Jessica Chin, Sally S. Ding, Sabrina Jade Doyle, Monique Elliot, Katelynn Enright, Chelsea Fahey, Nikki Gladstone, Jane Gerster, Julia Green, Colin Harris, Alyshah Hasham, Chris Herhalt, Rosanna Haratounian, Iris Hug, Carol Kan, Lucas Kittmer, Laura Larcher, Daniel Link, Harrison Lowman, Teevi Mackay, Sarah Jean Maher, David Meffe, Ashley Metzger, Tammy Murphy, Andrew Nguyen, Jennifer Pagliaro, Rebecca Phillips, Grace Protopapas, Maghen Quadrini, Jennie Russell, Layla Guse Salah, Jill Simmonds, Kyra Springer, Alexandra Stang, Colin Sutherland, Veronica Tang, Sarah Thuswaldner, Mitch Vandenborn, Andrew Warham, Andrea Wrobel, Tina Yazdani
The Charlatan’s photos are produced exclusively by the photo editor, the photo assistant and volunteer members, unless otherwise noted as a provided photograph. The Charlatan is Carleton University’s independent student newspaper. It is an editorially and financially autonomous journal published weekly during the fall and winter semesters, and monthly during the summer. Charlatan Publications Incorporated, Ottawa, Ontario, is a non-profit corporation registered under the Canada Corporations Act and is the publisher of the Charlatan. Editorial content is the sole responsibility of editorial staff members, but may not reflect the beliefs of all members. The Charlatan reserves the right to edit letters for length and grammar. The Charlatan’s official slave labour is done by its volunteers — thanks for all the hard work team!. Contents are copyright 2009. No article or photograph or other content may be duplicated or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the editor-in-chief. All rights reserved. ISSN 0315-1859. National advertising for the Charlatan is handled through the Campus Network, 145 Berkeley Street, Suite 500, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 2X1: (416) 922-9392.
Perspectives
12 February 4-10, 2010 Perspectives Editor: Wyatt Danowski • perspectives@charlatan.ca
Carleton’s magical students by
Juanita Bawagan
Sawing your assistant in half just doesn’t cut it for Carleton’s magicians. For Christopher James Ouellette and Chris Pilsworth, to be a magician is to be a psychologist, a performer, a designer and so much more. “I’m not a big fan of magicians that go about it like they’re just presenting a trick, because it removes the responsibility of them to improve the art form of what they do . . . and the impact it has on people,” Pilsworth says. He pulls out a white silk scarf and then tucks it into the fist of his other hand. When he opens his palm it is gone — but he explains that it has merely come apart into little particles. His hands move through the air picking up seemingly invisible particles and pushing them back into his fist. When he opens his hand again, he smiles as he produces the scarf, completely intact. Pilsworth performs a variety of magic, including sleight of hand, but he’s most famous for his stage magic and unique props. He says many magicians have more problems with their tricks because they don’t have a background in design and magic. He graduated from Carleton’s industrial design program in 1986 and has been a professional magician for more than 20 years. He grew up in Ottawa and says he has always been interested in magic. Ouellette, 18, has gotten into magic more recently — picking it up in November 2007 — and is just starting his bachelor’s degree in languages at Carleton. He says he considers Comox, a small town in British Columbia, his hometown. Ouellette says he has moved about 15 times because both of his parents work in the air force. He says he already knows he wants to get a master’s degree in psychology and study neuro linguistic programming (NLP) to treat patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. NLP is a form of psychotherapy that uses language to change people’s patterns of mental and emotional behaviour. Ouellette has researched and practiced NLP for his magic but says he hopes to be able to use it to do different things. “So instead of, ‘I’m locking your arms together and you can’t pull them apart,’ it’s now, ‘I’m helping you get over a traumatic
Chris Pilsworth has been perfecting the ‘cactus in the balloon’ trick for 15 years. ||
A new memory came up in her mind. This wasn’t supposed to happen and Ouellette says he discovered she had been cheating on her husband. event,’” Ouellette explains. He also says he does mind readings and explains that the NLP he uses in his magic is essentially just a bad form of therapy. However, some participants have shared more with him than he would have liked. Ouellette is clean-cut in a collared burgundy shirt, matching tie, dress pants and black leather loafers even though it’s a Saturday. He looks down as he recounts the story of the last time he included the mindreading of personal information in a show. Ouellette says one time he invited a woman on stage for a routine where he asked her to write a memory on a piece of paper and keep her mind focused on it. He asked her questions while scanning her reaction for voice inflections, the orientation of her hips, where she looked or any other changes. A new memory came up in her mind. This wasn’t supposed to happen and Ouellette says he discovered she had been cheating on her husband. He stopped the routine, pulled her aside
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and said, “Listen, I can’t do this kind of thing. I’m getting into your deep dark secrets and I don’t want to.” Now, he only does mind-reading with cards. With any power comes responsibility, so Ouellette says he tries not to use his skills as a mentalist, and never reads the mind of someone who is not willing. No matter what you do, the “human element” is always at the core of it, and everything else comes second, according to Pilsworth. Pilsworth says whenever he is making a new trick or updating an old one he tries to make it fit to the audience and their needs. He says he is a firm believer that there is always room for improvement, and he improves by adopting an approach of “evolution, not revolution” to the design of his tricks to have a better impact on the spectator. Pilsworth has a trick where he has a clear balloon in one box and a cactus in the other. When he pushes the balloon-filled box on top of the cactus, the cactus ends up inside the
balloon. He has been making adjustments to this trick for 15 years. “People try to lift whatever they’re doing to a level which transcends what their profession is,” Pilsworth says. This transcendence, according to Pilsworth, applies to magic in the way it can engage people and make them forget about their troubles. About a year ago someone from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, or CHEO, called and asked him if he could do a show for a seven-year-old leukemia patient who was interested in magic. Pilsworth says he gladly came in, performed and gave the boy a DVD that explained some simple tricks. The boy wanted to put on a show with Pilsworth for his family, so Pilsworth came back two weeks later. He says it was obvious that they weren’t going to be performing together because of the young boy’s condition. Pilsworth did the show on his own and said the boy was laughing and smiling the entire time. When Pilsworth was leaving with his equipment, the patient’s father came out and said, “Thank you ever so much. I saw my son again.” “It’s a gift that’s been given to me in doing that. There’s an experience that can be shared with these people, so things like that come up which are a really nice blessing for everyone involved,” Pilsworth says. Ouellette says he tries to take people out of their day-to-day ruts with his magic and show them something they didn’t think possible. He says he wants his magic to get people to challenge themselves to do more, just like it has for him. When he started doing magic he was 175 centimetres tall, and weighed 50 kilograms (5”10’, 110-pounds) and described himself as “a skinny little dweeby guy,” which is a far cry from who he is today. He says doing magic gave him a bit of confidence, and from there he decided to join the football team, after gaining some weight. He says he feels he excelled because of that confidence which he now brings to whatever he does and wherever he goes. “I’ve moved a lot of times in my life so I’ve been hurt . . . but [magic has] helped me realize that I don’t have to be,” Ouellette says. “It’s given me strength and given me confidence to push through and become who I am today.” h
Arts Two’s company, three’s a noon-hour rehearsal 13 February 4-10, 2010 Arts Editor: Larissa Robyn Johnston • arts@charlatan.ca
by Colin Harris It is important to remember why you started doing something, especially when you’re still doing it years later. For The Trillium Trio, this means the love of performing music — whether together in practice or in front of a crowd. The members of the Ottawa trio, consisting of Cathy Baerg on flute, Joan Milliken on piano and cellist Steven E. Smith, are all experienced musicians and there is no doubt that their love of performing is as strong as ever. “This is our 11th year,” Milliken said. “I can be dead tired, but at the end of the week on a Friday night practice we just feel so energized once we start in.” The Trillium Trio performed to an audience of friends and students on the ninth floor of the Loeb Building Jan. 29. The performance was to raise funds for Carleton music initiatives. The set consisted of mostly 20th-century art music, but the group has performed other music in the past. “We love the romantics and the lyrical, but we also love Bach. We have some beautiful Bach flute sonatas that we’ve done,” Milliken said. Friday’s performance showcased the chemistry that 11 years can create. While being totally engrossed in the moment, all three musicians remained tight and focused on the pieces and each other. “It’s like wine, it’s almost telepathic now,” Milliken said. “We don’t even have to look at
Of the Blue Colour of the Sky OK Go Capitol Records
Mention the band OK Go in conversation and it will be instantly remembered as those guys on the treadmills in the music video.
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The Trillium Trio shared its love of music with the Carleton music department Jan. 29. ||
photo by
Angela Brock
each other, we know each other so well.” The final piece of the performance had a special significance to the trio. “Adios Nonino” by Argentinian composer Ástor Piazzolla was arranged by Baerg’s brother-in-law Rob Lussier, and Lussier added an original piano cadenza in the middle of the song. “He had us in mind when arranging the piece,” Baerg said.
“That piece was originally performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1988, and it sounded very different [due to the instruments used],” Smith said. Lussier “took that piece apart and reassembled it in a beautiful arrangement.” “Adios Nonino” takes you on an emotional trip, with extreme highs and lows including the aforementioned cadenza, and with what Baerg describes as “an angry tango.”
While that was a good start for the group, the indie rockers from Chicago, Ill. are working on putting the distinctive sound and image from their first two albums behind them. Their latest release Of the Blue Colour of the Sky is a complete departure from the poppy rock sound and treadmill antics that once defined the group. Based on an 1876 book entitled The Influence of the Blue Ray of the Sunlight and of the Blue Colour of the Sky, the record was conceptualized based on a passage from the book. The album cover represents themes from the lyrics, and each colour is representative of a different idea from the lyrics and the book passage.
As a concept album, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky is incredibly cohesive. The sound is evidently the result of the influence of the pseudoscience extolled in The Influence of the Blue Ray, and features a wider range of sound and instrumentation than OK Go’s previous efforts. The single “WTF?” starts the album out with a bang, with spunky distorted guitar and a sound that recalls the sound of Prince in his ’80s heyday. “End Love” continues the ’80s revival, echoing both Prince and The Cars, and producing a more mature sound for the band. Moving beyond a bare-bones rock sound has allowed OK Go to experiment with new sounds and create a more diverse sounding
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All the passion of young musicians discovering their craft is still present in the hearts of these three pros, which is evident with their performance. But they say relationships that have grown between the three are just as important. “I’d be lost as a solo musician,” Milliken said. “I’d rather do this with these guys. It’s my favourite thing of all.” q album. Combining the influence of Prince and spectral vocal experimentations, “Last Leaf” is a short but very sweet acoustic track. Songs like “While You Were Asleep” and “In the Glass” are full of strange, ethereal sounds and chimes, and a falsetto vocal performance from frontman Damian Kulash. Although OK Go’s signature handclaps are revived on “Asleep,” this is a more mature sound for the band. Despite the potentially restricting label of “concept album,” OK Go has managed to create a sound that is both grown up and never dull.
-— Katelynn Enright
charlatanarts
14
February 4-10, 2010
A poem a day means poetry ’til May Carleton student Andrea Wrobel shares her experience with the 100 Poems in 100 Days program Commentary by Andrea Wrobel We’re living in the age of the Internet and it’s only becoming more and more pervasive in our lives, whether we like it or not. When I stumbled upon British independent actor Mark Ruddick’s initiative to bring poetry to the world through the web, I jumped on the idea to take part. Ruddick opened a casual Facebook group called 100 Poems in 100 Days that appeared on my news feed last fall. He described the group simply as a “collaborative project for poets to have their word heard over the Internet.” I was attracted to the idea to bring spoken word and poetry to the Internet because, if the Internet is going to be such a big part of our lives, we should make it worthwhile. Instead of having a night at a local pub, we have daily poetry from poets around the world, January to April. To be honest though, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to practice my rusty spoken word in my bedroom and share it with the world from the comfort of my
own home. I asked Ruddick what encouraged him to start the project. “I am dyslexic but I have always enjoyed literature because of its ability to teach people without them even knowing it. If knowledge is acquired in an interesting way, through a poem or story, it has a life and context which takes it out of the mundane and into the real world,” Ruddick said. As fall turned into winter, Ruddick’s messages to the group grew enthused as poets from England, Canada, the United States, China, Israel, Palestine and Germany signed up for dates. I managed to convince a few fellow Carleton students to sign up as well. It’s a great opportunity for those, like myself, who want to get their work out there but haven’t quite reached the stage requiring public-appearance confidence. That’s where the Internet comes into play. Social networking sites allow us to connect to people around the globe with whom we may never have crossed paths. “The idea [for 100 Poems in 100 Days] struck me while I was naked in my old bedroom at my parents’ house feeling sorry for myself. I don’t know why my being naked
is important but I won’t lie to you,” Ruddick said. Ruddick graduated from university last year where he met Isley Lynn, another performer in 100 Poems, who encouraged him to start performing poetry. He quickly lost creative interest after moving home, but with the help of YouTube clips of Henry Rollins and The Suicide Kings, he realized “long words and big ideas don’t make you intelligent.” “The project was originally a very selfish venture,” he said. “I originally thought that only about three people would sign up and so I would have to continually write to fill the quota and this would keep me writing.” A month after the challenge began, there were 10 days left to be filled, one poet for each day and the project has become much bigger than Ruddick initially imagined. It has grown into a bigger multinational success than he expected. “As one of my literary heroes states, ‘knowledge without mileage is bullshit,’” Ruddick said. “The Internet offers those important first steps into getting out and trying new things.” q
Perogies against prorogation by Katelynn Beaudette With the prorogation of Parliament weighing heavily on many Canadians’ minds, the comedic improv group Insensitivity Training has taken it upon themselves to lighten the mood. The group will be hosting the Anti-Prorogue Free Perogies Party/ Show — because who doesn’t think of perogies when they hear the word prorogue? — to deal with the serious issue of prorogation in a comedic atmosphere. “We couldn’t resist the antiprorogue-perogie joke,” said Phil Genest, a member of Insensitivity Training. The performance will be modelled after the TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? For every round, audience members call out topics for the comedians to act out. “The show is not totally politically themed,” Genest said. “But because we live in Ottawa, we can be more involved.” The cast includes academics, tradesmen, actors, roadies and a
Museum Exhibit Review Hungry Planet Science and Technology Museum Jan. 15 - April 18
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The Ottawa Science and Technology Museum is opening its doors to a culinary atlas entitled Hungry Planet, an exhibition produced by the Montreal Science Centre that focuses on food sustainability and the eating patterns of families all over the world. The exhibit covers the eating expenses of 25 families in 21 countries across the different continents. The exhibit is based on Faith D’Aluisio’s book Hungry Planet: What The World Eats, photographed by Peter Menzel. The exhibit is a hallway of large photographs of families with their week-long food supply. The exhibit highlighted the family name, the country of origin as well as the amount they spend on food, in American dollars, every week. The best part of the exhibit was the arrangement of the photographs from the lowest grocery bill to the highest. The comparison between the most expensive and the least expensive was outrageous and certainly eyeopening. The organization of each family portrait was ideal because it allowed for a visual representation, not simply dollar figures. The fact that
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Laughter and perogies may be the best medicine to cure prorogation. || photo by Lasia Kretzel
hotel security clerk. In 2008, the group improvised a 50-minute show at the Ottawa Fringe Festival. After performing for the sold-out audience, they won Best in Venue. The fun starts at 9 p.m. Feb. 7 at Yuk Yuk’s comedy club on Elgin Street. Tickets are $5 each, or two for one with student I.D. q each amount was organized in American dollars allowed for better comprehension and comparison of the enormous differences in price. For instance, the Aboubaker family from a Chad refugee camp spent the least amount of all families — $1 US. This dollar allowed them rice, grains, beans and a small jug of water. The Melander family, from Germany, spent $500 US a week on food and large amounts of beer and wine. It sends the message desired by the creators: that dietary changes are worldwide and caused by issues such as globalization, migration and refugees. Another interesting factor was the varying food products that each family consumed. It seemed the more the family paid for food, the more packaging there was. The exhibit proved true various stereotypes about eating habits in multiple countries. An American diet was compromised of almost all packaged items and many boxes of take out, including Chinese food and pizza, while the Australian family had large amounts of various meats. A helpful addition would have been to indicate how many members were included in each family. More information from the study and a caption describing where the families got their food would have been more informative and would have allowed for a better understanding of family finance and what factors affect eating patterns.
— by Nikki Gladstone
Sports
15
February 4-10, 2010 Sports Editor: Erin Walkinshaw • sports@charlatan.ca
Ravens record mixed results on home ice The men’s team falls to UQTR before rebounding against McGill
After losing to McGill, strong Raven defence snags the ladies a win against Concordia by Colin Sutherland
Raven goalie Alexander Archibald made 37 saves Jan. 29 against McGill University. ||
by Alyshah Hasham The Carleton men’s varsity hockey team failed to avenge its previous loss to Université du Quebec à Trois Rivieres Jan. 22, posting a 6-3 loss Jan. 30 despite coming off an impressive 4-2 win over McGill University the night before. In the first game, both sides came out strong, but it was the visiting Patriotes that dominated the first period, with Etienne Bellavance-Martin getting past Raven goaltender Alexander Archibald five minutes in on a power play. UQTR’s Guillame Chicoine brought it to 2-0 nine minutes later. The Ravens failed to capitalize on a number of scoring chances, including a half minute five-on-three that brought their shots on goal to 15, compared to UQTR’s 12 at the end of the period. The Ravens continued to struggle in the second, with the puck constantly ricocheting out of their possession, and missed an early power-play advantage. The Patriotes clinched their second power-play goal at the five-minute mark as Chicoine found the back of the net again, bringing the Patriotes’ lead to 4-0. This heralded a switch of goalies for the Ravens when Ryan Dube replaced Archibald in net. But it was to no avail, as UQTR’s Andre Joanisse made it 5-0 all too soon, scoring the Patriotes’ third power-play goal.
photo by
Carol Kan
It was only at the tail end of the period that a glimmer of hope was brought onto the ice by Carleton’s first goal of the game, hammered into the Patriotes’ net by forward Andrew Self. Coming into the third at 5-1, Carleton picked up its game in the last six minutes with a flurry of shots on goal, resulting in Raven Yves Bastien netting a short-handed goal. The Ravens added to their offensive pressure when Self scored the Ravens’ third goal three minutes later, bringing the score to a not-so-bad 5-3. But less than a minute later, Patriote Alexandre Demers neatly deflected a shot into the net, effectively ending the game at 6-3. “We started off OK, but they got in a few quick goals and we deteriorated for a period . . . maybe a bit more than a period and then we were down five-nothing. It was like Groundhog Day,” said head coach Fred Parker, comparing the game to the Ravens’ last clash with UQTR. “We’ll be working on our defensive play and penalty-killing. It’s going back to the drawing board.” Despite the team’s inconsistent performance Jan.29-30, Ravens centre Derek Wells said the team is shaping up well for the playoffs. “Everyone’s feeling really confident. We went on that little bit of a stretch where we won five in a row. . . . We have all the tools we just need to be able to put it all together on any given night,” Wells said. q
The Carleton women’s varsity hockey team defeated the Concordia University Stingers 2-0 in the Ice House Jan. 31. The game was the second of the weekend, following a disappointing, but well-fought 4-1 loss Jan. 30 against McGill University. The first period of the game was testament to both the power of the Ravens’ offence and the Stingers’ defence. The periodwas scoreless, but the Ravens managed to rack up 15 shots on net, while the Stingers only had three. Although stronger in the first period, the Ravens managed to keep pace with Concordia in the second by keeping the puck mostly out of the Raven zone. The stars of the game were definitely on the defensive side. Defence duo Melanie McKnight and Kristen Marson ensured that no Stinger could last long in the Raven zone. The Stingers had plenty of chances in the second period to come out on top, but failed to take advantage of power plays in the second and third periods. The strong Raven defence gave way to a strong offence at the end of the second period. With less than two minutes left in the second period, Raven captain Tara O’Reilly gave the Ravens a 1-0 lead. Both teams brought strategy and brute force to the third period. The Stingers managed to follow through with some well thought-out plays, forcing Raven goalie Valerie Charbonneau to step up her net-minding in the the third. Charbonneau is clearly a key player on the Raven roster for this season, always coming through for the team when called upon. Although the third period saw 11 shots on the Raven net, Raven offence refused to let up, eventually leading Michelle Zimmer to score the Ravens’ second of the night, bringing their lead to two over Concordia. The Ravens showed no mercy in the final minutes of the game. Although the Stingers managed to bring up their game, it was too late for Concordia. Overall the Ravens seemed to have control over the game — taking control of
power plays, having a strong forecheck and keeping the puck out of the Raven zone. “I feel like Carleton really outplayed them. There were some points where it was really sloppy hockey, but for the most part they had really good pressure,” said Carleton student and Raven fan Jen Meisner. “I think they will have a pretty good chance at playoffs.” The team “played a more solid game against McGill, but today we had more shots on net,” said Carleton head coach Shelley Coolidge. Coolidge said she has high expectations for playoffs. The Ravens will meet McGill and Concordia Feb. 6-7 for a pair of rematches when Carleton will attempt to conquer topranked McGill and once again knock out Concordia. q
RAVENS SCOREBOARD MEN’S BASKETBALL JAN. 29
Carleton 75 Toronto 53
JAN. 30
Carleton 78 Ryerson 70
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL JAN. 29
Carleton 73 Toronto 55
JAN. 30
Carleton 60 Ryerson 39
MEN’S HOCKEY JAN. 22
Carleton 3 UQTR 6
JAN. 30
Carleton 4 McGill 2
WOMEN’S HOCKEY JAN. 30
Carleton 1 McGill 4
JAN. 31
Carleton 2 Concordia 0
||
photo by
Carol Kan
CU Nordic skiers clinch five gold medals by Chelsea Fahey Carleton’s varsity Nordic ski team captured five of six gold medals in North Bay Jan. 30-31, continuing what is shaping up to be a very successful season. The Ravens competed at the Ontario University Athletics’ (OUA) races held at Nipissing University, taking eight medals in total. The team experienced race delays on Jan. 30 due to the extreme cold weather. “It was downright unpleasant,” said head coach John Langstone. “[Cold weather] can be painful and destroys focus, but I didn’t hear any complaining.”
The cold weather wasn’t the Ravens only obstacle. The team is also down two key skiers, Steffan Lloyd and Kyle Power, who are forerunners for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Lloyd and Power “will be missed, but we have a ton of depth and there are people who will step up to the game,” said Alana Thomas, who picked up gold in the women’s free race. Raven veterans Colin Abbott and Matthias Purdon also started the weekend off right, with respective gold and silver medals in the men’s 10-kilometre free race. Icy conditions didn’t slow the Ravens down the next day either when Abbott
captured another gold in the men’s 30-kilometre classic, followed closely by teammate Purdon, who finished second. The Raven women were similarly successful. In the women’s 15-kilometre classic, Thomas came in second and Adele Lay placed fourth. In the junior men’s 15-kilometre classic, Logan Potter and Lee Hawkings finished first and third respectively. “A significant part of our team is rookies and how we do this year depends on their performances,” Langstone said. The Ravens are now preparing diligently for the OUA championships. Hopes are high for strong medal finishes.
“The team is the strongest it’s been in the last three years,” Thomas said. “We have a chance of doing really well.” The Nordic Skiing OUA Championship will being hosted by the University of Guelph Feb. 20-21 in Orangeville, Ont. q
The Education of Charlie Banks
For live footage Fred Durst
...
Ravens on YouTube Visit the website for photos and a YouTube video link of the ski team competing in North Bay.
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charlatansports
16
February 4-10, 2010
Ravens to be hunted after grabbing top spot by Grace Protopapas The Carleton women’s varsity basketball team finished their last home games on a high note Jan. 29 and 30 when they defeated both the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the Ryerson University Rams respectively. The Ravens started the weekend by defeating the Varsity Blues 7355 in what at first seemed like a potential blowout. In the first quarter the Ravens hooped 26 points, only letting the Blues score nine in return. Second-year guard Alyson Bush scored the first six points alone, hitting a lay-up, one foul shot and finally, a three-point shot. “We came out really hard and determined,” Bush said. The Ravens dominated the remainder of the first and continued to keep the momentum going into the second quarter, where they dropped another 20 points while the Blues scored only 12. They ended the half with a solid 46-21 lead. Both Bush and rookie Jennifer Stoqua netted nine points each, closely followed by Courtney Smith and Jessica Resch with eight UNI_AD_Carleton_Layout 1 29/01/10
Five-year veteran Ines Jelic, featured above at the Capital Hoops Classic, played her final regular-season home game as a Raven Jan. 30. || photo by Adam Dietrich
points each. “We came out with a good focus and jumped on them early,” said head coach Taffe Charles. “But then they came out and played harder 2:02 PMthan Pageus.” 1
40 YEARS
The tide started to turn after half and in the third quarter the Blues scored 19 points and held the Ravens to a close 17 points. “We got attacked in the second half, ” Charles said. “If they had
come out that hard at the beginning of the game, we would have been in trouble.” Charles went on to say he was not impressed by the way the Ravens handled the sudden Toronto surge in the second half. He said the team needs to realize their first-place position in the Ontario University Athletics’ East Division is going to make teams do whatever it takes to put them off their game. “We’re in a position of being hunted instead of being the hunters,” Charles said. “And I don’t know how well we’re handling it.” The Ravens only netted 10 points in the final quarter to the Blues’ 15. However, this wasn’t enough for the Blues to upset the Ravens who took the game by 18 points, 73-55. “Obviously the results are good,” Charles said, “but I’m not happy with how the results actually happened.” The following night, the lady hoopsters came out against the Ryerson Rams and proved what they were made of, defeating the Rams 60-49. “We had a chip on our shoulder because [Ryerson] had already beaten us,” Bush said.
Despite what was clearly a very aggressive opponent, the Ravens kept on top of their game, outrebounding the Rams 41-27 in the second half and outscoring them 37-21. “Anytime a team is hacking you it definitely adds another factor to the game,” said co-captain Ines Jelic. Charles recognized five-year Raven Jelic this weekend with a presentation and having her jersey framed in honour of her final home game with the Ravens. “She’s a great leader for our team,” Bush said. “She always plays hard and she’s someone I look up to.” Jelic contributed 12 points to the win against Ryerson. q
The Education of Charlies
For more coverage . . .
Fred Durst
Close call in the Nest Grace Protopapas covered the men’s weekend wins Jan. 29-30, including a narrow eightpoint victory over the Ryerson University Rams.
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IDRC >> online e-books
International development is complicated, but getting free e-books about it is easy. Canada’s International Development Research Centre offers free e-books on a wide range
of global development topics, from promoting democracy to making health care more accessible, to giving women equal access to opportunities. Check them out at www.idrc.ca/e-books.
International Development Week 2010