“all the news you need, this week”
5, 2011 1/no. 2
october vol.
INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER NEWS
A UWI student who applied for the bloggers project. Students later discovered it was a pro-government operation.
Students face fees
Increased dorm and meal fees force USC students to make tough decisions. Page 4.
OPINION
No transparency
The Campus Chronicle editorial board condemns the controversial bloggers project. Page 9.
ARTS&CULTURE
Sexy talk
Erotic Art Week evokes strong reaction despite economic struggles this year. Page 15
SPORTS
Come sail away
Andrew Lewis looks to bring Olympic glory to T&T. Page 24.
Andrew Lewis
Ricky Singh
BLOGGERS FOR DOLLARS
MARK GELLINEAU STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
GROUP ALLEGEDLY PAYING STUDENTS TO POST PRO-GOVERNMENT COMMENTS By Faine Richards Staff Reporter
A
n organisation purporting to work for the People’s Partnership is allegedly paying university students to inundate newspaper websites and Internet chat forums with pro-government sentiment. A Campus Chronicle investigation found that the organisation — known only as ‘tntgoodblogs’— hires students to post reader comments below news stories on the Trinidad Express, Trinidad Guardian and Newsday websites in praise of Prime
Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her government. University students recruited for the covert propaganda campaign who spoke to the Campus Chronicle on the condition of anonymity, said students are also paid to author comments or ‘blogs’ that attack the Opposition and counter anti-government opinions expressed by other bloggers. In addition to receiving monetary payment, student bloggers are also promised a free Blackberry with unlimited internet to allow them to frequently post comments online during classes.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communication, Dr. Suruj Rambachan, told the Campus Chronicle he was unaware that any such operation exists. The “bloggers project” targets students at the University of the West Indies (UWI) through a series of flyers posted on notice boards across the St. Augustine campus. The flyers invite resumes from students who are “intelligent, patriotic and enjoy sharing [their] views” and who seek to “have a sense of power associated with the please see
BLOGGERS / p. 7
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Government’s role in, effectiveness of state of emergency hotly debated By Faine Richards Staff Reporter
“Trinidad has been in a state of siege, a state of war, even, and the enemy is among us.” With this dose of smelling salts, Professor Patrick Watson commenced a debate on the question the country has wrangled with for the past month: Is the state of emergency (SOE) a necessary evil? The ensuing discourse offered rare moments in academia when intellectual discussion encompasses not abstract theory, but a troubling reality extending far beyond the walls of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES). Watson acknowledged that the SOE forces citizens to sacrifice their rights (albeit temporarily) on the altar of national security. But, recalling the horrific gang rape of a mother and daughter in Longdenville last month, the professor was unapologetic for his insistence that an SOE is long overdue. “We cannot deal with this thing unless we respond in kind,” declared Watson, the director of SALISES. “In my view, a state of emergency is one of the most potent weapons we have at our disposal to do so and I do believe that the state of siege criminals have us under warrants the use of
this weapon.” The debate then transitioned to the political battleground. Opposition Sen. Terrence Deyalsingh agreed that crime has escalated to alarming levels, but questioned the need for drastic government measures to tackle it. “Outstanding warrants, 796 (persons arrested). You don’t need a state of emergency to arrest people for outstanding warrants,” the senator said. “That is normal, typical, everyday police work.” He said not a single person has been detained under the emergency regulations. Instead, the state has made arrests on the basis of legislation – such as the Anti-Gang Act – that can be enforced without an SOE. The government minister in attendance never addressed that criticism. But Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communications Dr. Surujrattan Rambachan insisted that a manpower shortage has handicapped the work of the police. Defending the need for the SOE, he said it bolstered the police service by extending the power of arrest to the army. Pressed by the Campus Chronicle to respond to concerns about the effectiveness of regular police work, Rambachan said, “The police feel
Leadership conference focuses on women in the workplace By Staff Reporter Female leaders in the workplace, and women’s roles in the dynamics of an organisation, will take centre stage during the Women In Leadership 2011 Conference on Oct. 18. The forum, organised by the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, will facilitate discussion on the issues women face in leadership roles. In a press release, the graduate school of business announced that this year’s conference to take place at the Hyatt will focus on the theme “Advancing Women in Business.” International speakers
Dr. Carol Kinsey Goman and Dr. Lois Frankel will deliver keynote addresses during the forum. Goman is a business coach, author and former adjunct professor for the International MBA programme at the John F. Kennedy University. Frankel is credited with having an extensive client list comprising multinational corporations, including British Petroleum, GE, KMPG, Ernst and Young, and Microsoft. Everyone is invited to attend. Register in advance at www. lokjackgsb.org or call 6456700, ext. 299.
MARK GELLINEAU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communications Dr. Surujrattan Rambachan responds to a question during the SALISES forum.
empowered now in a way that they never felt empowered … Success breeds success, the police were in a very demotivated state, let’s face it. They were very demotivated and the police needed a boost. I certainly believe that this boost to the police service will cause them to be a better police service.” After two hours of discussion, student observers said it was still difficult to decide whether the SOE is justified. “It gave me some insight, but I can’t say it has given me concrete reasons for the SOE,” remarked
Sarah Rambaran, a postgraduate student at the University of the West Indies. “At the same time, I can’t criticise the government, because they saw a need for it. We have one of the highest crime rates in the CARICOM region …” The one argument which found consensus was that violent crime has dramatically declined during the SOE. But observers were left wondering about the potentially temporary nature of this respite. “Consider the possibility that the gang murders originally scheduled
to take place between September and November (have been) merely postponed because of the current conditions,” said former senior lecturer Dr. Merle Hodge. “And imagine all of that being carried out anyway when the heightened policing is withdrawn … just consider that possible backlog added to the murders and other criminal activity that will take place when we go back to ‘normalcy.’” It is a possibility the nation, and the government, must brace for when the SOE finally ends. faine@mycampuschronicle.com
Prominent writer challenges role of university in transforming society By Ruth Osman Staff Reporter
Caribbean writer and intellectual, George Lamming, issued a challenge to the students and staff of the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine, during a recent lecture there. “What role does this university play? Does it further the status quo … or does it transform it?” he asked, raising his head – framed by the characteristic shock of white hair – to peer into the audience. Transformation of the individual and society, Lamming said, should be the primary focus of tertiary institutions and the students who attend them. He quoted from sources as diverse as Rex Nettleford, Joseph Conrad and Brazilian educator Paolo Freire to prove his point. But first, he issued a disclaimer: “I’m assuming that since you are here, there is a certain accepted and acceptable level of literacy.” Lamming, a prominent figure
in the development of Caribbean literature and thought, is the author of the West Indian classic “In the Castle of My Skin” and other acclaimed works. He is a strong proponent of Caribbean unity and sovereignty, two themes which were evident in his lecture at UWI’s Learning Resource Centre. Speaking of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as Barbados, Lamming said: “We have an independence that is devoid of sovereignty because sovereignty has to be fought for.” His take on Caribbean integration is just as uncompromising. “My observation is that the regional movement has been abandoned by the political leaders … there is not one of them whose immediate concern is not the next election,” he said, growing more impassioned as he continued. “It (Caribbean integration) will not come on the agenda unless
there is mass movement that demands that it be restored.” The lecture on Sept. 16 was the first of a series of events celebrating the 25th anniversary of UWI’s Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA). Rawle Gibbons, former head of department of the DCFA and moderator for the event, remarked that Lamming’s presentation encouraged the audience to challenge conventional ways of thinking. “We can take a creative approach to language,” he said. “We don’t have to accept the definitions given … we can interrogate, test, invent new ways of looking at things and shape the kind of reality that we want to see in the Caribbean.” He said that Lamming was one of the many cultural icons who helped shape a Caribbean identity and noted that the aim of the DCFA was to make students aware of their contributions. ruth@mycampuschronicle.com
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Government funding cut off for students taking longer to graduate By Abby Brathwaite Staff Reporter
This semester, several students have found themselves without Government Assistance for Tertiary Education (GATE) to complete their studies because they have exceeded their funding allotment. Dayne Brizan of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education (STTE) told the Campus Chronicle recently that his office was inundated in the first two weeks of the academic year with requests for additional funding. Brizan, an investigating officer at the Funding and Grants Administration Division, STTE, said the bulk of these requests have been denied. “The majority of the requests are coming from full-time students who should have completed their
degree in three years. They got an additional year of funding and still did not finish, and now they are asking for more money,” Brizan said. “We have received a directive since the beginning of the year to clamp down on fifth-year students, and with the help of the universities we are able to so.” He said students should be aware that the agreement between the government and the various tertiary education institutions is for funding for four years per student per degree programme. Brizan said he is dealing with requests on a case-by-case basis, as there are some students who, for legitimate reasons, have had to extend their stay at university. He said some students have been able to provide documents that
validate a need for additional time and that these students have been given additional funding. The Campus Chronicle has also been told that the Ministry is clamping down on students who do not meet the minimum performance standard at their tertiarylevel institutions. These students will not be eligible to continue receiving free tuition. Teresa Davidson, director of funding and grants at STTE, said schools are being asked to closely monitor their students’ performance. Davidson said that from the first week in October, schools began receiving letters from her ministry reminding them of their obligation under the (GATE) system. “It’s not a change, but enforcing the policy that is already there.
Under the agreement that they (students) have been signing since 2005, the public institutions were supposed to monitor performance for us,” she said. “We are just really now saying to the public institutions, ‘You need to tighten up with your performance management for the students accessing GATE.’” Clause eight of the GATE agreement states: “Any breach of this Agreement or withdrawal from the programme by failure on his/ her part to attain the required performance standard as established in respect of the specified programme, will deny the Student further eligibility for funding by the Government unless approved by the Ministry.” Davidson said that while GATE has provided funding to students
who have failed some courses, there were still limitations that must be observed. If a student at the end of an academic year does not maintain their school’s minimum standard, they will no longer be eligible for the grant. “So what we said is that a student might fail, but they will still be meeting minimum performance, so at the end of the three years they might still be trailing three courses or four courses or maybe a full year, but that’s OK,” she said. “If you are flunking at .36 GPA in year one, I don’t think the Government should be carrying you another day.” abby@mycampuschronicle.com
Fee increases lead to hard decisions at USC
Software delays irk graphic design students
By Ruth Osman
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
Lorenzo Kensuil, a final-year student in the BSc Accounts programme at the University of the Southern Caribbean, used to live on campus. Not anymore. Kensuil, a Suriname national, told the Campus Chronicle that recent increases in dorm and meal fees instituted by the university’s administration have forced him to find alternative living and eating arrangements. He explained: “I started registration in July. We have a computerised system, so I clicked for two meals a day and realised that I have to pay $5,250 when it was $4,050 before. And the dorm fees increased from $1,250 to $1,872. That really surprised me.” Kensuil said the university had announced that the new academic year would bring a 10 percent across-the-board increase in fees. But the reality that faced students during registration was far different. “When the figures were released, it didn’t seem to be 10 percent,” said Associate Student Body President Kershelle Hilaire. “It looked like 33 1/3 percent. The students were upset.” Their outrage sparked a Facebook group called “USC unfair increase in tuition.” The group has, to date, a membership of 763. Hilaire said this semester there was also an increase of $300 in the registration fee. “We expected the 10 percent increase ($90),
MARK GELLINEAU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
LORENZO KENSUIL moved out of this USC dorm because of the fee increase.
but they added another $210 for a shuttle service,” she said. She noted that while all students are finding it difficult to pay the new fees, the international students are the ones who are affected the most. One such student, who does not want to be named, said that, like Kensuil, he has moved off campus because of the recent hike in fees. “I believe that with quantity should come quality,” the thirdyear Theology major said. “And I don’t believe that the dorms or the food would get better.” “In a recent press release the university said that the increases were necessary. “The University realised an increase in relevant program offerings, qualified faculty, infra-
structural development, facility upgrades and social programs geared toward the benefit of the USC community,” the release said, noting that there had been no increase in student fees since 2005. The release also sought to explain the additional $210 mentioned by Hilaire: “The administration felt the need to specifically address the incidences where students were attacked during their travels to and from school. Consequently, the implementation of a reliable student shuttle service is one of the actions to provide safety and security for our students.” The shuttle service was implemented when classes began on Sept. 7 ruth@mycampuschronicle.com
By Faine Richards Graphic design students are frustrated over delays in the acquisition of software programmes for two courses offered by the College of Science and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT). Students at the Melville Lane campus said that animation programmes required for “Introduction to 3D” and “Introduction to Motion Graphics” are yet to be installed on the computers there – four weeks into the new academic year. “The lecturers kind of making up stuff to do,” lamented a graphic design student who asked the Campus Chronicle not to reveal his identity. “It’s almost a waste of a whole class. We ended up using other software to simulate the 3D thing so you can get an idea of what it’s supposed to be. But it’s not really the material we need to be learning.” The course outline for “Intro to 3D” lists the design programme, Maya, as the principal software that students will work with throughout the semester. But the programme reportedly could not be installed because it is incompatible with the operating system on the computers. A similar problem arose with the Adobe After EFX software required for “Intro to Motion Graphics.” “We’re hearing now that because of the incompatibility problems, they (the college administration) want to bring in a substitute 3D programme that’s of a lower standard than the Maya for us to learn on. Mind you, a quarter of the semester has already passed,” a
student complained. The student said that in the interim, lecturers have distributed worksheets describing how the software is supposed to work. It’s the first time both courses are being offered, since this is the first cohort of students in the history of the college to enroll for the Associate in Applied Science Degree in Graphic Design. But according to the students, this setback could have been avoided long before the inaugural semester began. “They (the lecturers) say that they’ve been begging for this programme for a while. They say, ‘Talk to the higher ups about it,” another student said. With both courses only being offered once a week, students are concerned that the loss of four sessions in a 15-week semester will undermine their ability to do well in final examinations. When the Campus Chronicle contacted COSTAATT for a response, Vice President for Institutional Advancement June Alexis-Matthew wrote in an email: “Relevant software for both courses has been sourced and in the case of Adobe Effects, has been installed in the College’s Mac labs at both campuses where the degree programme is being offered. This will be rolled out to students as necessary.” She said COSTAATT has invested resources into a state-of-theart Mac laboratory for the graphic design students. She reiterated that the college stands by its degree programme, saying it is in “keeping with global industry standards and will adequately prepare the graduate.” faine@mycampuschronicle.com
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5, 2011
NEWS
Renting, downloading textbooks leaves more money in students’ checkbooks By Faine Richards Staff Reporter
A booming underground marketplace for textbooks is generating hefty savings and lucrative sales for students. With the academic year only a few weeks old, the hunt for books continues. And enterprising students are finding ways to avoid paying retail price. “(I haven’t purchased a new textbook) since the first semester of school. I’m in my last semester now,” confessed Leiselle Maraj, who attends the School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS). At the same time, students want to recover the money they spent on textbooks in previous semesters. The two objectives have forged a symbiotic relationship, spawning an informal “book bazaar.” Notice boards across campus are choking with flyers in every colour, font and design – all vying for your attention and, more importantly, your dollar. “There’s a lot of competition with other secondhand book sellers,” said Amrit Mahadeo, an economics student at the University of the West Indies. Nevertheless, customers scooped up his merchandise. “Everything sold out in one day. I sold three books for $300 each.” Surprisingly, though, the largest profit margin may not come from selling textbooks. The Campus Chronicle found people who make a small fortune renting books to others. “I don’t sell a textbook, because you lose the value of it,” Nyasha Nhlangano explained. “If you rent it over, each semester, you make a profit.” In the early stages of doing her psychology degree at the University of the Southern Caribbean, Nhlangano devised a system to fund her textbook purchases almost exclusively with the income she earns from rental fees. “Usually I have 10 or 11 books in circulation, and most of them cost about $300 [a]to purchase new. If I get every textbook rented every semester, I would make a $700 to $800 profit per book by the end of my three years.” Still, the cost of secondhand books adds up. That’s why many students make a new best friend: the copy machine. In accordance with copyright laws, universities prohibit students from photocopying an entire textbook. But students insist they sometimes have no other choice because certain textbooks just aren’t available in bookstores. “About 75 percent of the people in my class photocopy books,” a female UWI student (who declined to give her name) casually remarked. “Lecturers notice sometimes, but they don’t really do anything.” Photocopies have resale value, too. That’s where the “black market” comes in. Cyberspace provides a meeting place for students who want to buy and sell textbook reproductions away from the prying eyes of university authorities. Savvy suppliers even throw in extras to enhance the value of their product. “Management Information Systems textbook (COPIED)...inclusive of all the lecture notes and
MARK GELLINEAU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
ABOVE: SBCS student Leiselle Maraj never purchases new books. TOP: Textbook advertisements crowd the UWI notice boards.
past papers for $150,” one user posted in the Facebook group “UWI Book Exchange.” Of course, in the digital age, the question arises in the minds of some students: Why pay anything for a textbook? “Everything is free on the Internet, down to movies. At the end of the day, that’s the world we live in,” said a year-two student at SBCS who asked not to be identified. Through a file-sharing website, he can download PDF formats for all of his textbooks. He recently downloaded a 449-page textbook that costs $325 in the SBCS bookstore. There are myriad ways to beat the system, as innovative students have discovered. Still, there are those who want to pay top dollar for their books. “For me, it was a love of math books,” UWI student Damir Ali explained. “I did not mind shelling out extra cash. Then again, I don’t drink, so I save a lot.” faine@mycampuschronicle.com
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Edgy ads for forum on sexuality raise eyebrows, discussion By Abby Brathwaite Staff Reporter
A provocative marketing campaign by the University of the West Indies (UWI) Guild of Students, promoting a series of discussions about sexuality, has been criticized as offensive to women and homosexuals. This semester, the Guild aims to address taboo topics through a forum called Caribbean Reasonings. The first session, titled “Iz a bad ting,” was advertised on Facebook as an analysis “of the views of a ‘bad ting’ which is an insightful look into the views and attitudes toward female sexuality and women in general.” The Guild has also advertised two more talks for this semester titled “Iz a Bulla” and “Legalise It,” which will deal with the issues of homosexuality and marijuana, respectively. Questions are being raised about the suitability of the branding of these events. Colin Robinson, spokesman from the Coalition Advocating for Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO), told the Campus Chronicle that he wanted to meet with members of the Guild to hear their reasons for including the word “bulla” in the title of their event. Robinson said, “It’s not the title I would pick … they are going to have to tell me how that is going to work.” CAISO is a coalition of both individuals and groups connected to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual (GLBT) communities in Trinidad & Tobago. The group was approached to participate in the “Iz a Bulla” discussion, but the group is going to meet with the Guild about the title before they agree to become involved. “I’d prefer to have a conversation with the folks at the Guild about what they are trying to do. I think it is with good intentions,” Robinson said. “I don’t want CAISO to be framed as having dramatized this, because I don’t know what their intentions are fully. They have to dialogue with us around the session and we want to respect that and I want to listen to what they have in mind.” Tonya Haynes, president of the feminist group CODE RED — which started out of UWI, Cavehill — has also expressed concern over the use of the word “bulla.” Haynes, in an article published on her group’s blog on Sept. 26, noted: “Bulla is a derogatory term for a homosexual man though some gay Caribbean men themselves have reclaimed the term. “… it is also offensive as it uses a term meant to shame and denigrate homosexual men, discipline all men to heterosexual and patriarchal
masculinity; and completely erases women who have sex with women.” Her issue with the event also extends to the advertisement used to promote the “Iz a Bad Ting” session, which was circulated widely on Facebook and on campus. She blogged: “The poster features a pair of what looks like Victoria’s Secret underwear which while meant for an adult, look like little girls’ underwear and the words ‘free public access.’” “My initial reaction was that while they needed to be provocative in order to get students to turn out, they had stooped a little too low in their advertising. I found it irresponsible and offensive.” Haynes, in an interview with the Campus Chronicle, commended the Guild for their initiative but advised them to be cautious about the handling of the topics they were going to discuss. She said, “The morning that the poster came out, there would have been reports in Barbados of a woman who was 80 years old who was raped and a 83-year-old raped and killed in St. Vincent, and then in the very Trinidad and Tobago press, there was a teenage girl who was gang raped …" “So to me, with so much violence directed against women and sexual violence, to have a image like that, that sexualizes women and this branding of free public access, it is provocative but at the same time, is it going too far?" She said that with the use of these raw, sexualized images, the Guild was in danger of undercutting the very message that they are trying to get across. Amilcar Sanatan, president of the Guild of Students, told the Campus Chronicle that he valued the feedback. Of CODE RED’s blog, Sanatan said, “We fully appreciated the criticism. Indeed, some of the questions raised were valid and we will accept that. We however will continue with the event, with the design, but we still appreciate the balance they took with their criticism, which is good.” He said “bulla” and “bad ting” were purposely used as a starting point for the discussion and regrets not elaborating on the intent of the event in the advertisement. “In retrospect, perhaps we should have elaborated on the purpose of the discussion under the title. The regret will always be that people feel offended, because in no way do we have a stance against homosexuality and we always include respect for difference and sexual orientation. That is what the Caribbean Reasonings is about, a space for difference.” abby@mycampuschronicle.com
october
BLOGGERS FROM PAGE 1
changing of minds (Paradigm Shift).” “I expected being able to talk about my own opinions on current affairs, that was my first impression of it,” said a female UWI student who applied for the project. “But it was totally different. “Instead of what the flyer said about you giving your opinion, it was pretty much that they would tell you what to say,” she revealed. Neither the name of the employer nor contact information for anyone overseeing the project is disclosed on the flyer. Interested students are simply told to send an email to tntgoodblogs@hotmail.com. In response, applicants receive a phone call from a woman who only identifies herself as Marsha. A female UWI student said Marsha told her, “we’re going to sway the ideas of the public by speaking positively about what’s going on.” That objective was reiterated in detailed email instructions specifying the frequency and content of the blogs students would be paid to post online. In addition to blogging on all three newspaper websites, the email correspondence obtained by the Campus Chronicle directed students to write in support of the People’s Partnership on certain Yahoo chat groups. Two of the more popular Yahoo groups targeted by the blogging operation are ‘theunitedvoice’ and ‘Caribbean Talk.’ Both forums are devoted to discussions on politics, news and current affairs. In one of the documents attached to the email, an unnamed author explained, “Organisations contract ‘tntgoodblogs’ to promote their image products. We are compensated when we provide intelligent, positive and persuasive blogs for the contracted organisations.” But three UWI students who applied for the job told the Campus Chronicle that Marsha was more explicit during telephone conversations. “She stated the People’s Partnership had hired them,” one girl recalled. When contacted by the Campus Chronicle about the bloggers project, Minister Rambachan said, “I really don’t know anything about this, you’re the first to bring this to my attention. I have to investigate it and see if I can get to the bottom of it.” Asked whether he was concerned that 'tntgoodblogs' claims to be doing work for the People’s Partnership, Minister Rambachan said, “There’s nothing to
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5, 2011 say until I investigate it.” Students instructed to take pre-determined stance In an email dated July 26 and sent to a batch of 10 students who applied to the bloggers project, the anonymous author directed bloggers to flood newspaper websites and chat groups with support for the resignation of then Minister of Works and Transport and FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, from the international football body. But the students were also mandated to cast doubt on whether Minister Warner should retain his Cabinet post. “QUERY HIS CURRENT POLITICAL STANDING,” the email urged student recruits. “QUESTION HIS REMAINING IN POLITICS. (GO ANTI PEOPLE’S PARTY FOR HIM. Jack is yet to clarify the issues to the people.) His integrity is questionable, especially as the person who has much access to our resources. “Call me for clarification if needed,” the email’s author added. The students who spoke to the Campus Chronicle said that directive triggered concerns which ultimately led to their decision not to work for the bloggers project. One student recalled, “I sat and thought about it and said, ‘I don’t know if I want to get involved in this.’ So I decided not to, it sounded scary.” “From that point, I was like, ‘something in this not right,’” said another student. The email also instructed students to blog in favour of Minister of Health Dr. Fuad Khan deciding to cease his private medical practice. Amid concerns about a conflict of interest after it was discovered that the minister continued to see patients while managing the nation’s health system, the paid bloggers were ordered to focus attention on Minister Khan’s choice to give up his private urology practice instead of his Cabinet post. “He was called to serve in the Cabinet at short notice and accepted the call because of the crisis that exists within the health sector,” the email guided students to write of the health minister. Instructions in a subsequent email said, “So we should applaud him for choosing country over a self/ a couple hundred sick who are in need.” ‘Tntgoodblogs’ recommended that students use facts and quotations to substantiate their arguments. “Doesn’t this sound like the approach for a University assignment?” the email’s author remarked.
submit a minimum of five comments daily. Should student bloggers pass a one-week trial period, the anonymous author of the email promised to give them “a free blackberry and free internet access” to help them blog throughout the day from any location. A female UWI student recalled discussing payment with Marsha over the phone. “The first week would be $300, if she kept us on we were getting a Blackberry with unlimited internet and she said she ran the numbers…and I would make $3000- $4000 a month.”
‘‘
MARK GELLINEAU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
One of dozens of the recruitment flyers posted across UWI St. Augustine.
I sat and thought about it and said, 'I don't know if I want to get involved in this.' So I decided not to, it sounded scary. An anonymous student speaking on her experience with the group tntgoodblogs
Opposition and its online supporters attacked The Opposition is deliberately targeted by the bloggers project, with students being instructed to dispute statements made by other bloggers who support the People’s National Movement. “I AM GIVING YOU THE CHANCE TO BATTLE HEAD ON WITH THE OPPOSITION BLOGGERS!” an email from ‘tntgoodblogs’ dated August 2 told student bloggers. “YES, YOU CHOOSE OPPOSITION BLOGGERS AND TARGET THEIR BLOGS AND HIT THEM ONE FOR ONE. NO MERCY. START ARGUMENTS, BE BOLD AND STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN!!!” One of the students who withdrew from the propaganda campaign said she had concerns about trying to obstruct the free expression of opinion. “If you look at some of the counter blogs (that paid student bloggers post), they are really insulting to people,” she told
the Campus Chronicle. “For you to dissuade me from giving my opinion because you are supporting it and getting paid for it, it’s not fair. “I just think it’s wrong, immoral. It’s just unethical,” she said. Students who submitted neutral blogs were chastised by Marsha. “She said if I had an issue before I could have come out and tell her but then in the same breath she contradicted herself,” one student recalled. “And said how I am a rookie and I am on (a one-week) trial and I don’t have a say… she gives me something to write, I have to write on it.” The underground blogging operation strictly prohibits its student bloggers from using their real names. Instead, bloggers are required to present the orchestrated comments under the guise of multiple aliases or screen names. To create a significant pro-government presence on newspaper websites and chat forums, every student blogger is required to
Tntgoodblogs responds To independently verify the information from students interviewed during this investigation, the Campus Chronicle created an email account under a female name and sent an expression of interest to the email address displayed (tntgoodblogs@hotmail. com) on the flyers. The following response was sent from the email account, tntgoodblogs@yahoo.com: “Based on d (sic) tense environment now, emails like these need to be heavily screened… Note.... No resume attached but wants information. Note... ‘paid’ is used in her response but that word was never stated in flyer. Can u or anyone u kno (sic) do student searches to verify if d (sic) student is in fact part of that faculty and if that is her major.” An hour later, a follow-up email from tntgoodblogs@hotmail.com: “Please be advised that the previous email was sent to you in error. Can you please send a copy of your resume and a one page summary highlighting your social, political and economic affiliations and perspectives. The purpose of your summary will guide me as to where you should be placed if recruited.” The Campus Chronicle also called the mobile contact number for Marsha. The woman who answered the phone initially hung up when asked if her name was Marsha. Upon calling again, the woman insisted her name was Nicole. Asked if she managed the student bloggers project, she said, “You tell me, I would love to know.” Told that her contact number was given to student bloggers as a liason for tntgoodblogs, she said “Who gave it to you? Maybe you should ask them.” The woman maintained she was a UWI student who simply sent an email to tntgoodblogs inquiring about the bloggers project, and never received a response from the organisation. faine@mycampuschronicle.com
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september
19, 2011
october
Education without realworld application won’t take you very far
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Opinion
5, 2011
etting my feet stepped on in the market is not my idea of how I should spend my Saturday mornings. However, my last market experience showed me that “making market” may just be more beneficial than sitting in a classroom. 1. Theory meets practice Very often, our schooling experience is limited to a mere communication of theories with no focus on practice. Students sit by passively for an entire semester, not at all concerned that they are being schooled and not necessarily educated. However, “making market” is quite the opposite. Every Saturday morning, “marketers” are challenged to practice what they know about produce. They get opportunities to handle the produce and talk to the vendors about it. People often hold, flick, touch produce almost like scientists conducting an experiment. At the market I am astonished at the ease at which theory met practice. Oh, that our classrooms would be transformed to reflect this merger. That students studying Political Science would get off their bums and join a political organization so they can hold, hug and witness the tears and joys of their constituents. And psychology students would at least visit St. Ann’s. 2. Interconnectedness Since the Industrialization era, we have seen an eerie specialization of academic disciplines. Historians fail to allow history to influence their present; students of the arts rarely use their art to influence social change; and the list goes on. Oh! And we cannot forget everyone hates math. But in the market basic arithmetic comes to the fore, and your communication skills kick in. You learn to contextualise your knowledge: “How yuh Dasheen cooking?” You understand the importance of relationships. You ask your favourite vendor, “How de rain treat yuh this week?” You leave the market a more interconnected individual. If only our schooling could achieve this. Instead we graduate students who have no appreciation for aspects of life outside of their disciplines. They gladly proclaim, “I have a degree in engineering or sociology,” not for a second stopping to think that their degree could be used to alleviate the trans-
9
doodle
KERON KING portation woes of the differently abled or the social ills of the urban centers. One day, I hope we graduate an engineering sociologist who can do just this. Let’s not even talk about communication. Psych students cannot work in groups because, “Sir, I cannot understand why my group does get on so.” Oh lawd! We need to take them to “make ah market.” 3. Ethics The greatest deficit in our school curriculum is the abysmal absence of ethics education. The problem with our world is not that we have a hole in our academic repository, but in our ethical or moral bank. “Making market” provides an unbelievable test of our ethics. Vendors usually trust you to bag your own goods. I even left my market bags by a vendor one time. I am certain that the marketplace has one up on the classroom environment when we think about real-life opportunities for ethical behaviour. The only opportunities in which to see ethical behaviour at work in the classroom is via assessments but we need to design projects that will test our students’ ethical convictions. Maybe let them choose their weekly salary in a semester-long project? In this column, I have relied on Mark Twain’s conviction of never allowing his schooling to interfere with his education. There is so much we can learn about life that happens outside the classroom. We should design and expose our students to activities that will challenge them ethically, mentally, emotionally and behaviourally. Take them to the market, take them to East Port of Spain. For God’s sake, leave the classroom; it doesn’t have a monopoly on teaching and education. So next time you ask your favourite vendor, “Wah ah pong fuh yuh pumpkin?” I hope some students are with you. Keron King is a facilitator of educational content, hates the word “lecturer” and is a life-long student of social behavior. At present, he’s pursuing his Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice. keron. king@gmail.com.
Transparency, disclosure not optional in controversial bloggers project The Campus Chronicle condemns the bloggers operation principally because students are being lured into a covert propaganda campaign. Flyers misrepresent the job students are hired to do. Students think they will be paid simply to voice their opinions. Only after they have applied for the job do students discover that it is a politically motivated scheme. The university campus is not, nor should it be, free from politics or political opinion. But it is unacceptable that the intellectual minds being nurtured in the
Kerry Peters
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Faine Richards
MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST
Mark Gellineau PHOTOJOURNALIST
STAFF EDITORIAL university are being exploited for clandestine propaganda. In the U.S., there have long been debates over the ethics of paid political blogging. “Internet blogs are providing a new and unregulated medium for politically motivated attacks,” CBS journalist Joel Robert wrote. “While many are must-reads for political junkies, are some Internet blogs also being used as proxies for campaigns?” The bloggers project broke no laws; the blogosphere is the “Wild West” of the media be-
Abby Brathwaite ASSISTANT EDITOR
Favian Mookram
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
Ruth Osman STAFF WRITER
cause it is unregulated. But the question of ethics arises because the bloggers are being paid to use false identities and present propaganda in forums where the expectation is that people are expressing their personal opinions. What cannot be condoned is the mandate to attack people who support an alternative political point of view. This encroaches on an individual’s freedom of expression, in a country where even constructive criticism of the government has become synonymous with being aligned with the political party that is not in power.
Published weekly during the academic year by Caribbean Communications Network (CCN), The Campus Chronicle is an editorially independent newspaper for tertiary students. Opinions expressed in signed columns and cartoons are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Must we tell you that all the “Heckler” stories are fake?
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10
OPINION
october
5, 2011
Permanent Head Damage
What would you do without the Internet? Log on to find out!
I
’ve lived this weekend without the Internet. It’s not a dare – though I have previously given up Facebook for Lent – and I’m not one of those rare specimens who checks their e-mails once a day and then lives as though it’s 1990-something. I simply have not had Internet access since I got in on Friday evening. For those of you who aren’t aware, the United Nations recently declared access to the Internet a human right, which means that, should my situation be prolonged, I have just cause to apply for humanitarian relief. Apparently, you can go three days without water and seven days without food (I would check, but alas, no Google), but there aren’t any official studies of how long you can go without the Internet. (Rumour has it you can last about two millennia.) So I don’t know how long I have to wait until I can ask the U.N. to fix my wireless connection. Still, the fact that you’re reading this suggests that the U.N. can continue to focus their energies on drought and world peace. Don’t get me wrong. I am not an Internet junkie; I’m a Ph.D.
GUYANNE WILSON
researcher. I prefer the term “researcher” to “student,” thank you. Ph.D. researchers need the Internet. There are lots of important articles in impressive journals to be found online. There are conference alerts and calls-for-papers and advertisements for post-doc positions. There are supervisors whose reply to your latest e-mail needs to be checked and undergraduates whose e-mails need to be read. And in the remaining 22 hours of the day, there are Facebook, The Onion, Twitter, Ph.D. comics, Trinidad Express, Reuters, Gmail, Skype and PostSecret. How, then, did I fill all those empty hours? Well... I cleaned. My morning news sweep was replaced by a sweep. That there is dust defiant enough to laze in the nooks and crannies
of my apartment says more about dust’s stubbornness that my domestic skills. I read. To be honest, I read for leisure about one hour each day. But I finished “The Nemesis,” which before Friday night I was only one-quarter of the way through. It’s the second part of the Oslo trilogy in the Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo. Having read twothirds of the trilogy and Nesbo’s bestseller, “The Snowman,” I think I can say without reservation that the critics have got it wrong. Jo Nesbo is NOT the next Stieg Larson; Harry Hole has NOTHING over Lisbeth Salander. Given recent events, however, the Norwegian government should consider conducting talks with its publishing sector about the proliferation of crime novels published there. I played lots of Spider Solitaire. Now, I never really understood why the manufacturers of my laptop thought it necessary to dedicate a not-insignificant portion of my disk space to games. What kind of hermit spends their time playing games on a computer? Why don’t they play games with real
people? Well, now I know. Where I am, in Muenster, Germany, is located halfway between Behind God’s Back and The Middle of Nowhere. I’m quite an introvert, and so although I’ve met people here, I don’t see them on the weekends. What’s more, the university teaching term is over now, which means the only people who are around are Ph.D. students, of which there are exactly two others in my research group, neither of whom is around this weekend. Spider Solitaire it is. I went for a long bike ride. Muenster is touted as the bicycle capital of Germany, and for kicks, Germans like to ride their bikes for long distances, have a picnic and then ride back home. This is called a Radtour. I have done it twice with others and it is, as an incorrect English translation would have you believe, indeed very Rad. (In fact, Rad means bike.) I did one on my own and went to two different towns. I felt all brave and explorerlike, and regretted not having taken my backpack, my camera or my friend Diego. I went to the library. Again, this
The Campus Chronicle is looking for a sex columnist. If you are interested in the position shoot an email to editor@mycampuschronicle .com
is something I do every weekend. Usually, however, I go to the library to avoid all the temptations of the Internet that staying in my flat would offer. This time, I went there to use the Internet. It reminded me of when I first left home for university, back in 2002, when only the very privileged had their own PCs or very heavy laptops, and when the computing lab was perhaps the noisiest place in the university, after the cafeteria. Of course, during the summer, there aren’t many undergrads around, especially not on a Sunday...evidenced by the fact that I wrote this piece. I had some time on my hands, after all. It turns out that not having the Internet is not the most disastrous thing in the world. If you’re in a situation like me where, because of a language barrier, you rely on the Internet for news, both world news and personal updates, it can be really isolating, even for a short time. And I mean, I can’t argue with the U.N. – it’s a human right. Still, I think I’d rather go without the Internet than without freedom of speech or water. guyannewilson@gmail.com
october
11
OPINION
5, 2011
Schools are for fish; swimming with sharks only way to learn ways of world
L
ook out for the cap on its descent! If I knew at my University graduation what I know now, I would have known that donning the gown and launching the cap into the air was an ominous affair; it was the fin piercing the surface in a shark attack movie where I am naïve enough to believe that the certificate in my hand will tell the world that I am an Olympic swimmer. What I know now would have tempered the graduate’s confidence with a warning to look out for the launched cap to come crashing back down to Earth. After three years in the working world, I’ve learned far more than during the arduous three-year journey to earn the certificate. Nothing anybody said could have prepared me for those harsh realities. Summer internships and that parttime job selling tickets in the cinema as a teenager are like splashing around in the kiddie pool compared to the first “real” job you land with your tertiary qualifications. With the degree certificate, you
MEGAN YARDE
enter adulthood. You’ve studied the theories, skillfully written countless papers analysing them, at ungodly hours of the night in record time and possibly while recovering from whatever vice you decided to explore that week as part of the social obligations of young adulthood. You can multitask (gym, studying, sleep, lunch, class, friends, lime), you can sacrifice (“OK, no Facebook until I finish reading this page”), you’ve spent years becoming academically enlightened just by being in the presence of notable authors and professors. Finally, you earned your degree and misguidedly you think you have joined the ranks of society’s professionals. You think you are ready to swim with the big boys. But nowhere in University does anybody tell you that when you
wade out in that big ocean of full-time, potentially permanent employment, the shark fin emerges the minute your toes get wet. Nowhere in that thick philosophy book you read in first year and felt so accomplished, worldly, wise to have read, did they say that the theories would help you to be able to function in a job where there is no training and yet none of the tasks involve writing a research paper or answering multiple-choice questions. Newton never developed any formulas to explain that dreadful depression when you realise that for the next 40+ years, the days all just blend into one monotonous routine. And after your first month of being a well-dressed slave, nothing prepares you for the moment you receive your first paycheque and in stunned silence you question whether your degree certificate is even worth the paper on which it’s printed. And that’s before taxes! The learning curve after graduation is a steep, thick line drawn with a paint brush. “Maintaining
Friendships 101” becomes a yearlong course. All-nighters in school are no prerequisite for all-nighters working unpaid overtime only then to be lectured about punctuality at the monthly staff meeting. You learn to deal with true disappointment when you discover that some of those prestigious professionals you felt privileged to join are only qualified in rubbing the right shoulders. There’s no textbook on submitting half your life to a racist, classist, sexist, crazy, workaholic, immature, selfish or condescending boss. No lecture examines the emotions felt when work (the people, the venue, the activities, the conditions) makes you feel like you (university education and all) are as valuable to the organisation as a farm animal. We spent so much time researching papers in dusty, smelly old libraries for an edge on our classmates, for intellectual stimulation, for “honours,” only to end up in the cubicle next to the person who doesn’t know what an adjective is.
For crying out loud, we went to University and yet the only upward movement some of us can foresee is up the driveway to St. Ann’s Hospital! I’ve met truck drivers who do not require a University certificate, work half day, are paid overtime if necessary and earn my salary in a week. Trevor Sayers drives a brandspanking-new BMW, while my car is as old as I am. Not even lifeguards need a degree! On the contrary, George Bovell III recently inspired me with his theory that the best way to train for a race is to race. The skills I’ve learned could be acquired in no other way. I’ve learnt what true friendship means. I’ve learnt the power of humility and adaptability. Most importantly, I’ve learnt that you can’t beat the sharks if you don’t get in the water. Just keep swimming! Megan Yarde graduated from the UWI in 2008 with a Bsc. in Goverment and is about to complete her first three-year employment contract.
Learning, thinking should be hallmarks of tertiary education – not just getting a diploma
D
ear University, I am writing to let you know that the love affair is over. I gave it my all, and while you did have a lot to offer, I felt like the love was not going both ways. I hope you can understand, and I do hope that we can still be friends. You really were wonderful company, and I do love you very much – just not like this anymore. Sincerely, A Student If I were writing a letter to an institute of tertiary education, it would look a lot like that. UWI and I have been having some problems lately, and I was fighting to make it work for all the wrong reasons. I mean, UWI had a lot of good things going for it. I love being in a space that allows people to think and share their ideas with others, and university is supposed to do that – pick up a brochure for any tertiary-level institution anywhere else in the world and a learning environment that fosters creative critical thinking and intelligent debate and sharing of ideas is usually what they try to sell you. Unfortunately, no one knows it’s false advertising until they buy the product, right? So the question remains: Does the problem lie with the students or the institution? The answer to that question is that both are to blame. I came to UWI to do Film. When I came out of CAPE, I actually didn’t want to do the university thing at all – I wanted to do Creative Writing, but they didn’t have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative
BRANDON O'BRIEN
Writing or any other course I could flex my writing skills in. (This academic year marks their first year with a Certificate in Journalism, which I wanted to get into but couldn’t.) I figured the next best creative thing was to get into the Film programme, and I did. I still recommend it, by the way – it’s a wonderful opportunity, and the things that you would learn and be able to do will open all sorts of doors, whether you want to be a real filmmaker or just want to take those skills with you into another field. But then so many things started happening that I tried to fight against. The first was the idea that no matter what I did, I would be inadequately prepared – it’s a practical course, but they only have so many video cameras on hand; you need a cast and crew, but everyone else in the class has their own work to do, and my very first project fell through because I asked friends from other faculties to help out and they never showed. Every other week I felt like whenever it came to something practical, I would never measure up to some of the other students, a few of whom already had experience
actually making films – one student had allegedly been on a team that made a short film for MTV. I felt demotivated – I had high hopes to make something stunning and thought-provoking, but I felt like I didn’t have the skill to translate my ideas into something real. Then there were the haters. The same people who were rushing me to apply for a degree at UWI were now breathing down my neck about the fact that I chose the course that they thought promised me the least money. There is still very little respect for art. Yeah, sure, there are more successful artists in the U.S. or Europe, but that’s because they have more people anyway – and that means that they still get no respect compared to lawyers, doctors or businessmen. Every so often, someone would tell me about their parents’ disapproval of them liming with someone with so little ambition; they spoke about me like I came to UWI to waste time. I felt like I had to run for cover every time people asked me what degree I was studying – a few times I even felt like lying and telling folks I didn’t get in, just so I wouldn’t have to put up with the follow-up question, “What kind of job you could get with that?” Imagine if I did a creative writing course? They’d never let me live it down. But I think what really did it for me was the feeling like I didn’t have enough creative freedom. Look-
ing back, I could at least give them the benefit of a doubt and say I was probably wrong, but I felt like whenever I had a big idea, someone would always shoot it down. I may not have had everything I needed to make it happen, but I was willing to experiment and get there. I’m actually proud of the projects I made – they were absolutely terrible, but if I hadn’t made them, I wouldn’t have learned what I needed to. And I think the course – and a lot of other courses – doesn’t really embrace the power of failure. Especially in the arts, sometimes the best way to come to an epiphany about how best to do something is to screw it up a few times – that way, not only do you now know what not to do, but every so often you discover something about your work that no one else would and it empowers you to make something even greater than you had imagined. But I think the real problem is that students don’t want a university better than it is. Think about it – why are we here? The mantra of the 21st-century UWI student is “Education is free.” We’re selfish and lazy – our greatest accomplishment in university is not becoming better, more allrounded, more intelligent people, but graduating with the degree in hand. I found it terribly demotivating to be surrounded by a culture of not only students but teachers and
families who insist that the only purpose of free education is not to be enlightened, but to get a job. We would rather cram for an exam and forget everything we studied afterward than try to make it stick; some of us are not even studying something we enjoy, we’re doing it just because we think it will get us easy money or because our parents told us to do it. Instead of loving to learn or loving to do something we appreciate, we just do anything for a credit. The worst part still is that the responsibility to change the university culture for the better belongs to the students, and we will never change it. There is nothing motivating us to push ourselves to be leaders and change-makers in our societies – we don’t want it. And I can’t exactly blame us. But it’s what I want – I don’t want to write, or make films, just for the money. I know I have to survive, but living is an entirely different story; I want to be able to have a meaningful impact on my world with whatever I make, and that means being knowledgeable, well-read, socially active, and all sorts of other things university life is actually supposed to prepare me for. I will always have this love-hate relationship with university life. Who knows, maybe I have to go abroad if I actually want to change that – who wants to pay for me to do creative writing in Europe?
Front Row L-R:
Teri-Ann Sobrien (Secretary), Vanya Nagir, Cleon Theophille (Treasurer), Zwade Swann Chairman, Dr. Tennyson Jagai (Faculty Sponsor), Alain Labastie (President, SPE International), Gail Ramdath (SPETT Chairman), Massanah Jankie, Vivekah Sawh (Vice Chairman), Stephanie Liddelow.
Back Rows L-R:
Members of SPE UTT Student Chapter.
october
5, 2011
Heckler
13
Zeus unleashes the all-consuming Anand Anticipation brewing as Trinis await end of curfew
Claims Kraken no longer effective
By Staff Reporter In a move that rocked all of Mt. Olympus, Zeus, alleged creator of mankind and lord over the gods, has decided to abandon the vengeance of the Kraken in favor of a mortal being called Anand. Speaking on behalf of Zeus, Hermes, messenger of the gods, explained that the recent actions of the AG have proven to be more effective at subjugating the humans more than any Kraken ever could. “Zeus was impressed at how effective this … human … has enforced his will on the masses, instilling fear and reminding everyone of their place. Surely such an asset must be in the employ of the lord of the gods.” Initial reaction to the news was mixed as many Olympians felt the Kraken was in fact being treated unfairly, having served the will of the gods for centuries. However, former Prime Minister and oracle Patrick Manning said that although he would not have chosen the Anand, the use of an arrogant, all-consuming mortal with a hint of power was the right way to go. “Ladies and gentlemen, just look at me. My friends, how many years I ruined, I mean ran, Trinidad & Tobago? There is IN FACT a pattern and a purpose, ladies and gentlemen. A pattern and a purpose.” When asked if Zeus planned to imbue the Anand with any special powers, Hermes quickly dismissed the idea but did allude to the possibility of five more years in office for this “instrument of divine judgment.” He went on to say that by the time Anand was through, “The humans down there will be reminded of the order of things.” Though Hades could not be reached for an interview, we are told that the dismissed Kraken was penning a tell-all memoir — “My Life in Hell.”
The Anand unleashed by the gods on Mt. Olympus
SMART PEOPLE READ. SMARTER PEOPLE READ THE NEWSPAPER.
By Staff Reporter Carib Brewery is expecting approximately 50 million bottles of their products to be consumed on the night the curfew is lifted. The company has embarked on a massive production drive to prepare for the anticipated demand. “I remember a few years ago when we qualified for the World Cup in Germany. The celebrations were so massive that bars actually ran out of alcohol. Since then, we’ve put things in place to ensure that something like that never happens again. We’re prepared for it this time,” said Ron Antoine, managing director of the brewery. The target of 50 million was not pulled out of the air but was the result of a huge market research campaign. The company said that while other businesses have been adversely affected because of the state of emergency, Carib has not experienced a significant drop in their profits. Officials said people have adapted to the curfew restriction and are simply consuming more alcohol in less time. When the curfew is lifted, it is expected that beer drinkers all over Trinidad will continue to practice their newfound more-alcohol-inless-time strategy. The physical and social implications of this massive binge haven’t slipped the government’s attention. That’s why they are implementing the “sleep where you are” system. Minister of the (Party) People Dr. Glenn Ramadharsingh said the government expects a massive party on the night the curfew is lifted, so for one night everyone will be banned from driving and will be allowed to sleep on the streets. “Wherever you are, no matter how drunk, just curl up on the sidewalk and pass out,” Ramadharsingh said. Many bar and club owners believe they will actually make back every cent they’ve lost since the state of emergency in one night. Carib Brewery is even launching a special brew to commemorate the occasion. “We were working on a special Freedom Brew that we were hoping to release on the 50th anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago’s independence. But we’ll drop it when the curfew is lifted. Or whichever comes first,” Antoine said.
Clico policyholder happy to avoid alimony By Staff Reporter With all his money tied up in the now-defunct CLICO, 45-year-old Professor Albert Ramesar is said to be enjoying life free from having to pay alimony. “I couldn’t be happier,” said the ecstatic Ramesar. “Now that blood-curdling, loudmouth woman will have to get a real job!” Ramesar went on to explain that for the past seven years, he has been making alimony payments to his ex-wife as part of their relatively bitter divorce settlement. “Well, not anymore! You see right now, I find they could take as much time as they need, I good. For the first time in seven years, I haven’t cursed once while signing a cheque.” Though his is a minority view, Ramesar wasn’t the only one happy with the current financial situation. Advertising executive Margaret Shue said this “never-ending runaround” is allowing her to see who her true friends really are. “I can tell you this much, though, if those bastard children of mine feel they’ll be seeing another red cent from me, they lie! Vultures.” Psychologist Roland Pak, author of the book “Look at the Brightside Poor People," describes this “positive outlook” as a delusional coping mechanism, meant to prevent people from doing something stupid. “It beats throwing Molotov cocktails, I’ll give you that.” he shrugged.
14
HECKLER
october
Man cops a plea over stolen police uniform, claims it was for barbecue
Ribbon industry celebrates government’s pride in its own accomplishments By Staff Reporter In a country desperate to diversify its economy, a new cash cow has emerged: the ribbon industry. A significant portion of the new business is being derived from government spending. “Ever since this government announced that 2011 was the year that they would ‘deliver deliver deliver,’ business has been insane,” said Sydelle Guerra, who owns an arts and crafts shop in Port-of-Spain. “The month of May was ridiculous. Almost every day, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony.” One of the major benefactors of the industry has been Minister of Works and Infrastructure Jack Warner, who has cut approximately 11 miles of ribbon since assuming office. “I am determined to cut a ribbon at least once every day for the rest of my term. If I open a road, a drain, a driveway, we’ll
have a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate,” Warner said early in his term. Another minister carrying the torch is Minister of the People Dr. Glenn Ramadharsingh, who actually exceeds Warner’s ribbon usage by wrapping countless hampers daily, while the office of the prime minister has also reportedly spent millions on ribbons to wrap the bouquets of flowers that PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar receives at almost every event she attends. Lee Singh, the owner of a party supplies and decorations store for the past 20 years, says the increased sales have led him to open a store solely dedicated to ribbons. “Before, people just bought ribbons to wrap a gift here and there, but since this government came into power, ministries have been buying out ribbons by the ton. If this keeps up, ribbon contracts may have to be advertised for tender,” Singh said.
Dr. Glenn Ramadharsingh prefers using pink ribbon.
Late-model babies arriving to help meet demand; production increase expected By Staff Reporter Fashionistas are looking to Trinidad to discover this year's hottest new accessory: babies. They're the portable, adorable and customizable must-have this season, and the Europeans are looking to Trinidad to set the trend. "People in Europe aren't having babies, but everyone in Trinidad seems to have one, from teenagers go right up," said Donatella Bianchi, editor of Moda Magazine, Italy's premier fashion magazine. "In fact, many Europeans have begun importing their babies from countries like China and certain
countries in Africa, but Trinidad is emerging as the fastest-growing market, with manufacturing output expected to reach unprecedented levels in 2012. Babies are usually lightweight and carried over the shoulder, although more recently, people have been carrying them in packs on their backs or pushing them in carts. Best of all, they change with the seasons, and you can dress them to match the weather or whatever you're wearing. In certain cases, they even look a little like the person carrying them around, which usually turns heads.
5, 2011
"If you manage to get a cute baby, you're golden. You always hear people saying, 'Hey, that's a cute baby,'" said Bianchi. “It's not just for women, either; men can carry them around too. "In fact, women seem to be more attracted to men sporting the 'cute baby' in their arms," she said. Babies are relatively cheap to acquire. In fact, it's cheaper than trying to not have one. But they are relatively difficult to maintain. But like a good weave or Rasta hairstyle, you need to spend the money and time to keep your baby looking good. Often, people have two or three at a time.
"I had my first one when I was 17, and I loved it so much I got two more, " 23-year-old Rebecca Jones told us as she walked through Port-of-Spain sporting a chubby baby boy. "If I could, I'd have one for every day of the week." Animal rights activists seem pleased with the new trend. They say they prefer to see the baby as a new accessory instead of fur coats, because there’s no killing involved. Economists are hoping that the huge influx of babies expected next season around May/June will finally create the long-anticipated boost to the local economy.
I T ' S A L L YO U T H I N K A B O U T A N Y WAY
The Campus Chronicle is looking for a sex columnist. If you are interested in the position shoot an email to editor@mycampuschronicle .com
By Staff Reporter Harry Rampaul, 24, appeared before a Port-of-Spain magistrate recently, charged with the unlawful possession of a police uniform. Although Rampaul pleaded guilty, he maintains that he only used the gear to skip the line and receive a 15 percent discount at the popular restaurant Mr. Chow’s. “I tried it once, and that was it,” he said. He told the magistrate he committed the offense after he became overwhelmed by the hypnotic commercials that run on the radio every two minutes. Rampaul said the first few times he visited the restaurant, the lines were so long that he began to contemplate a way to get his food faster. Not to mention the fact that it was starting to take its toll on his wallet. Mr. Chow’s on Tragarete Road promises servicemen and women in uniform a 15 percent discount on all meals and they don’t have to wait in line. So Rampaul, a tailor by profession, saw the opportunity to work around the system by making himself a police uniform. He said it was actually months before anyone caught on. “So you went through all of that, risking years of imprisonment, just for some barbecue?” Magistrate Williams asked Rampaul during cross-examination. “Please, don’t say barbecue,” Rampaul replied. He is to reappear in court later this month. The case has since prompted Sgt. Alex Alexander of the Defense Force to call for anyone in possession of camouflage gear to turn it in promptly.
october
5, 2011
Arts&Culture NEWS
15
NAKED AMBITION
MARK GELLINEAU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Artists sketch the human form during a nude drawing session in Woodbrook.
Artists examine the bare essentials of nude drawing By Ruth Osman
A
Staff Reporter
s you enter the old Victorian house, a remnant of another era, elegant in its decay, you are pulled into another world, a slower, more introspective
world. The invitation to appreciate the human form is repeated again and again in the images hanging on the walls and propped up on the floor. Nipples, bellies, buttocks and vulvas are on display, but the atmosphere is far from lewd. In fact, it seems almost sacred. Here is the human body undressed – any piece of jewelry or article of clothing is an accessory, nothing more. On Sept. 28, the backyard of the wooden house on Murray Street, Woodbrook, was transformed into a studio where aspiring and practicing artists attempted to draw the naked human form. First, a female model posed in front of a lit
screen, nonchalantly changing her position every few minutes Рfrom sitting, to standing, to backing the eight artists bent over their work. And then a man takes her place. Richard Rawlins, one of the organisers of EAW, explains the motivation behind the nude drawing classes: "We want to introduce people to the freedom and expression of drawing. It's a very liberating experience," he says, offering me a charcoal pencil and a sheet of drawing paper. When I decline, he chuckles, "Try it. You'd be surprised ... We all start off being able to create. It’s just that some of us practice and get better." Rawlins, himself a visual artist, explains that everyone has their way of seeing and expressing what they see. The event, he says, is meant to help bring out those individual modes of expression. Walking me through the group of artists, each busily sketching, he points out how one style differs from another: "Look at how he uses lines ... hers is more fluid." And then he shows me his sketchpad where bold strokes of charcoal outline images superimposed on each other. "I'm more interested in movement, in the flow of it," he explains, sweeping his hand across a large,
imaginary canvas. Brianna McCarthy, an emerging talent whose portrayal of West Indian women has attracted national and regional acclaim, echoes Rawlins' sentiments about the event. "It was my first time doing live drawing, and what I found was that the environment was very relaxed. There was no pressure to produce something that looked a particular way...but to find your own style and voice in drawing." McCarthy believes that nude drawing is an important part of the artist's oeuvre, especially as it relates to ways of seeing. "I think because we're so accustomed to seeing people with clothes...when faced with somebody who's not wearing any clothes, we're surprised by the curves and the lines," she says. "That difference is important, because the naked form is a natural thing. If you could be allowed to coexist with it and examine it without looking at it in a negative way – that's quite important." For Cherryann Davis, a Visual Communication Design student at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, the opportunity to draw the human body live is a chance to work on her technique. "It's important to draw the human form,
because you get to see where the lines are and the proportions, especially with the muscle and tone," she says. "Someone in clothes is not the same as a nude model." Davis, a practicing Christian, says that she has no qualms about drawing nude models, although she admits that more conventional minds might be shocked. "It's not in your face," she says. "It's tasteful and classy. It's art." ruth@mycampuschronicle.com
16
ARTS & CULTURE
october
5, 2011
MARK GELLINEAU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Frank lyrics about sex resonate with audience at Erotic Art Week By Faine Richards
I
Staff Reporter
penetrate an imagination and wake up wet But I am not sated And the sheets bear witness to the treachery to one’s own body And yet, in the grand scheme of things it could be worse But hoss, jus burse! Listening to Tracy Hutchings, his lisp softening the shock value of his message, a guy might feel emboldened to just go ahead and … ejaculate. I will not deny that brain is sexy But this time use your head A tall order from someone standing on a stage which rose barely a foot off the ground. But the handheld mirrors which hung on green fishing line, dangling at various distances from the floor (a makeshift attempt at artistic ambience) were almost symbolic of what Hutchings was imploring people to do: see a truth that was right in front of them. ‘Cus maybe, maybe, it’s just SEX.
SEXY
SPEAKING
A performer belts out the notes at the Erotic Art Week spoken word event.
An intimately small audience lapped up the commentary on coitus at the Bohemia art gallery on Murray Street – ironic, to say the least, since the street is infamous for the women who strike a beckoning pose on the pavement plying their private products. The night of spoken word poetry on Sept. 26 was a highlight of Erotic Art Week (EAW). In this its third year, EAW comprised fewer events than previous years because of the curfew accompanying the state of emergency. While pole dancing classes, nude drawing and art exhibitions were all offered this year, the curfew forced the cancellation of the annual street walk – a showcase of the beauty of the human body staged on the black carpets of Woodbrook. But the organisers resolved not to let the curfew completely curtail artistic freedom. “We had to do it because to
not be present for one year would be to die,” explained Dave Williams, an EAW committee member. “And to resuscitate after that kind of thing wouldn’t be wise and it wouldn’t be good to just give in to this kind of state of emergency fear.” Limited funding also put constraints on the scale of the exhibits. Williams said the committee contemplated flying in artwork from foreign artists, but ultimately could not afford to do it. The week-long homage to erotic art is staged by a small but passionate group of artists who finance the events themselves. Desperately needed support from corporate sponsors is almost impossible to attract, since businesses are reluctant to associate themselves with erotic art. To Williams, that underscores a double standard which persists in the country with
the highest per capita Internet searches for porn. “Eroticism is something that it could be a healthy pursuit, but if you can’t talk about it, if it’s not spoken, then it becomes perversion,” Williams mused. “We don’t have real discussions about sex and sexuality. (That’s why) it’s pretty gratifying, you know, people can come, look and discuss, and I think people leave lighter and happier for it because somebody – us artists – are making it (sexuality) open.” Not that they are trying to convert everyone into nymphomaniacs. They simply want people to accept what they believe is natural, and naturally beautiful. Or, as Hutchings so eloquently said … This thing between us, this little thing between us is just coitus A construct tightly wound in two bodies So jus burse hoss, jus burse! faine@mycampuschronicle.com
october
17
ARTS & CULTURE
5, 2011
AUDIOLOGY
UNDERGROUND MUSIC SURFACES
George Watsky is a spoken word poet turned rapper.
By Brandon O'Brien
for free at gwatsky.bandcamp.com.
love finding new music, especially underground music (or at least underground-ish). I like finding new music that people don't always know about, and I like being able to share it with people. Music builds community, and there is no music community stronger than a group of people who bond over music only they know about or appreciate. From afro-punk to underground hip-hop, there is something to be said about people who bond over a song, an artist or an entire genre that only they understand. I want to share some of that community with you guys. So here's some of the new artists of the rap variety I've found, primarily through the Internet, that I don't think a lot of people have heard of yet but who need to get some more airplay.
DUMBFOUNDEAD I found out about Dumbfoundead (pronounced “dumbfounded”) through a random web-surf through YouTube, and just one song left me feeling … well, he lives up to his name. His debut album, “DFD,” doesn't come out ’til 1 November, but the songs on his YouTube leave me wondering what else that album might have in store for the casual listener. Songs such as “BRB” and “Are We There Yet” have a mellow and relaxed pace while keeping a rich lyrical flow that I wish more rappers in the mainstream had. It's a terrible shame that the entire album isn't out yet, but take the time to look for his videos. They're sure not to disappoint.
I
Staff Reporter
GEORGE WATSKY When I found out about George Watsky, I first knew him as a nerdy spoken-word poet who wrote poems about having a lisp or being a virgin. And he's good at that, too – when he's not being silly or geeky, he has a lot of seriously deep and artistic performance poems. His raps are the same – somewhat. When he's not making light of serious things such as rappers who hide behind their emcee names or poking fun about himself while telling his life story, he wastes time mocking T-Mobile ads or writes songs about Wikipedia. And you would think that would not be appealing to the ears, but his flow is solid. His two “Pale Kid Raps Fast” videos on YouTube are always a delight for those now getting used to him, but once you start enjoying it, definitely download his mixtape “A New Kind of Sexy,” available
side, and I think I like this side better. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about his actual lyrics, but his flow is superb, and his wordplay is one of the best in the game in my opinion. What impresses me even more is that he produces all his original beats himself – he even produced his own remixed version of Kanye West's “All Of The Lights” instrumental, and I found his even more impressive. Gambino just recently got signed to Glassnote Records, so expect his first LP “Camp” in midNovember. So what’s the not-so-mainstream music you’re listening to lately? Share it with me at bluemoonmay31@msn.com.
HOODIE ALLEN I find this guy absolutely delightful to listen to. His most recent LP, “Leap Year,” which is available for free at hoodieallen.com, is 13 tracks strong of the idea that just because you’re writing serious lyrics, that doesn’t mean the song has to take itself seriously. His wordplay is endearingly immature, and I’m sure that’s part of his appeal – he can write a very strong and powerful verse with all the verbal ability of a top-notch rapper, but with all the word choice of an adolescent boy – songs such as “James Franco” are examples of both his verbal prowess and his catchy childishness. CHILDISH GAMBINO If you have cable, you probably have heard of an NBC comedy called “Community.” If you have, then you've seen the more comedic side to actor Donald Glover. Childish Gambino is his hip-hop bravado trash-talk
Album cover for Hoodie Allen's "The Diamond Cuts."
18
ARTS & CULTURE
october
UWI tackles Kartel's controversial music By Ruth Osman Staff Reporter
Preconceived notions of what constitutes Caribbean morality collided with a very real and very raw reality at Kartel: Culture, Content and Cake Soap, an event recently hosted by the UWI Students’ Guild, St. Augustine. The event, which consisted of presentations followed by questions and discussions, drew an audience of about 200[a] students and faculty members to the university’s Daaga auditorium on Sept. 22. Renelle White, a UWI tutor and one of the evening’s presenters, critiqued Kartel’s lyrics from a feminist perspective. Quoting lyrics from Kartel’ s “Benz Punany,”[b] she argued that the dancehall artist debases women by reducing them to “objects of desire.” White pointed out that Kartel seems to uphold society’s double standards when it comes to sexuality by applauding male promiscuity while criticising women who have multiple partners. But it wasn’t until one audience member responded “But men don’t get slack!” that the debate began in earnest. Obviously incensed by the remark, a number of female students rose to defend their gender. A few were allowed to speak before UWI Guild President Amilcar Sanatan reminded the audience that the programme needed to proceed apace because of the curfew. Kasi Smith, who holds the activity chair for the UWI Students’ Guild, defended Kartel’s music from a business perspective. “Kartel is a brand,” he said. “If I bring Kartel here now, this place would fill up.” In response to his presentation, audience members raised questions about the responsibility of the artist to society and the definition of success. “Everything you just said could have also applied to Hit-
MARK GELLINEAU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
ABOVE:To some, Kartel’s misogynistic lyrics reflect society’s double standards. RIGHT: Kasi Smith defends Kartel during the UWI forum.
ler,” one student said. Another pointed out that according to Smith’s criteria, the cocaine industry could also be deemed a valuable asset to society. Brendon O’Brien, the final presenter, placed Kartel’s music in the context of the social and economic conditions faced by Jamaica’s urban youth. From that perspective, Kartel’s music is an attempt to undermine the societal norms that keep him, and others like him, bound to a cycle of poverty and marginalisation. While criticising him for falling victim to the hierarchical views of class and colour that pervade Jamaican society, O’Brien admitted that Kartel almost singlehandedly pioneered the transforma-
tion of dancehall on a global scale. The discussions that followed revolved around Kartel’s impact on society. Some voiced the opinion that he was simply embodying attitudes and perceptions that already exist. Others argued that as an artist, he should be more aware of the effects that his music and actions have on the broader society. There was one point on which everyone seemed to agree: Academia’s engagement with the work of artists such as[d] Vybz Kartel is long overdue. And this was a start. ruth@mycampuschronicle.com
5, 2011
october
5, 2011
21
ARTS & CULTURE
“Contagion” a thriller everyone should catch By Brandon O'Brien Staff Reporter
Ever so often, a thriller film centered around the spread of some devastating disease comes out, with a really telling title like “Epidemic” or “Outbreak,” but it never actually ends up being very thrilling. But “Ocean's Eleven” director Steven Soderbergh figured out how to breathe new life into that idea – and his latest film, “Contagion”, succeeds in giving a more realistic – and worrisome – look at what happens during a serious viral epidemic. The movie follows the spread of a fictional form of the flu called the MEV1, as it travels from a casino in China all the way across the U.S. and Europe. It does so by switching between key locations like Atlanta, Georgia, where Dr. Ellis Cheever (Fishburne) of the Centers for Disease Control tries to find a cure and halt the spread of the virus; Minneapolis, where Patient Zero, Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow), and her son Clark die from the virus, leaving her husband Mitch (Damon) to keep himself and his daughter Jory (Anna Jacoby-Heron) safe from both the virus and the panicking masses; and a rural village in China where World Health Organization official Dr. Leonora Orantes (Cotillard) has been kidnapped to secure first-priority vaccines for poor children. As the virus infects more and more people, suddenly the virus is not the only thing that spreads – rumours start spreading, too. That's where my favorite character comes in. Conspiracy theorist and blogger Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) is an amusing character and the major catalyst behind one of the film's more important themes: crowd psy-
chology and how people become panicked and hysterical during a disaster. Krumwiede is the first to blog about the spread of the disease, even before officials knew it was something to worry about – but he was also the first to tell victims to not get vaccinated and instead to take a homeopathic remedy that had not been proven to work in order to get rich from the situation. What results is a mad rush worldwide for the product, international praise for Krumweide and no end to the virus' spread. Other pieces of information lead people to behave in not-so-helpful ways as well – when the CDC does develop a cure, Cheever's house is broken into in search of the first vaccine; when Minneapolis is quarantined to stem the spread of the disease, the inhabitants start looting and setting buildings on fire; the mere mention that the illness may not be curable drives most medical personnel to go on strike when they're needed the most.
It's shot wonderfully, with incredible use of dialogue and excellent camera work; the script is marvelous, and the atmosphere that they build around the film is used very powerfully; but none of that really matters. What matters is that it is an important movie. Why is this an important movie, you ask? Because seeing how we behave when things are going bad is useful. We have all heard about the spread of SARS, bird flu and swine flu, and we have survived. The mere mention of such diseases, however, brings to mind images of scared and frenzied people trying to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. Imagine, if you will, if there were no cure for dengue fever – we would never let the authorities live it down. If you want to see how that affects people on a global scale, this movie shows it to you, in all the grim and heartless detail.
Don't simply watch this movie because it’s good; watch it because it makes a very good point about how we behave when bad news starts spreading like a virus.
CONTAGION Directed by: Steven Soderbergh Starring: Matt Damon, Lawrence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard 4.8/5 stars
22
SPORTS
SAY WHAT?
We want to hear from you. Send us your letters and comments to editor@mycampuschronicle.com
october
5, 2011
Students ready to give new gym facilities a workout By Abby Brathwaite Staff Reporter
The Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry (ECIAF) is the first of three University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) campuses set to receive new gym facilities this semester. Ian Pritchard, acting manager of the Students, University Campuses and Communities Education and Sport Services (SUCCESS) Unit at the university, provided the Campus Chronicle with details about the new service. “The new gym in ECIAF is scheduled to be opened within the next two weeks. The equipment is in; we are just waiting on it to be commissioned and then it will be available to the more than 100 students there,” Pritchard said. “Opening hours at ECIAF have not been finalized as yet, because ECIAF is unique in that we have a live-in campus, so the students are living there. So once we get the gym instructor on board, we are looking to open later hours in the daytime and close around 9 at night.” The Campus Chronicle understands
that a gym at the San Fernando campus is currently being constructed and is scheduled to be completed by the end of November. Completion of a gym at the Corinth campus is also expected before the end of the year. There are three fully-functional gyms at the UTT campuses at O’Mera, Pt. Lisas and San Fernando. UTT students are entitled to access these facilities for a fee. Pritchard said, “Students at UTT can use the gym for $50. The unique thing about the gym in O’Mera, which is the biggest of all the gyms, is that we have also opened that gym up to students, relatives of students and staff as well.” “The opening hours vary from campus to campus. For example, in O’Mera, we open from 6 in the morning and we go until 5 p.m. on most days. We rotate two instructors and a part-time instructor as well.” He added, “At John D, we open three days per week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and that is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.” abby@mycampuschronicle.com
Tertiary Football League launch pushed back By Ruth Osman Staff Reporter
The Tertiary Sports Association of Trinidad and Tobago (TSATT) has announced the postponement of the Tertiary Football League that was scheduled to begin on Sept. 28. The league, which now falls under the ambit of the TSATT, was initially organised by the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s Academy of Sports and Leisure Studies (ASLS) and still relies on the university for funding and support. TSATT’s interim president, Moriba Baker, told the Campus Chronicle that the postponement was due to UTT’s initial reluctance to throw its weight behind the venture. “We had some difficulties on our end with regards to UTT’s commitment to the league,” he said. “The then-president [professor Kenneth Ramchand] didn’t sign off on funding for the competitions.” He noted, however, that Ramchand has since vacated the presidency and that the chairman of the board of governors, Curtis Manchoon, has promised funding to the sporting league. “We are hoping to start the foot-
a new day
SEPT. 28
The original start date of the Tertiary Football League
OCT. 13
When officials now hope to start the league ball league on Oct. 13, the day after the start of the netball league,” Baker said. He said that both the netball and table tennis leagues will continue as planned. The netball league will consist of two main competitions: an intercampus league, in which the eight UTT campuses will compete; and a tertiary league, which will consist of teams from different universities. The start date for the table tennis league, which will take the form of an intercampus competition, is yet to be announced. Nine university teams – including three-time winner UWI – are expected to compete in the football league. ruth@mycampuschronicle.com
24
Sports
october
5, 2011
SMOOTH SAILING
T&T top sailor, Andrew Lewis, in action. He will compete in the Pan American games.
By Ruth Osman
W Staff Reporter
hen it comes to Olympic sailing, Trinidad and Tobago has never won a medal, but in the person of Andrew Lewis, we might have a fighting chance. The 21-year-old, who is currently in Mexico preparing for the Pan American Games, spoke to the Campus Chronicle about his love for the sport and the demands that it makes on him. Lewis grew up in a sailing family. “My grandfather used to sail and so did my father,” he said. “So it was only natural that I became involved.” His father, he said, taught him the basics of sailing and gave him an understanding of the discipline needed to become adept at the sport. He attended sports camps to hone his competition skills and participated in an international regatta in Houston, Texas. “My experience there motivated me immensely and I knew that I wanted to go to the Olympics,” he said. But first, he graduated from the University
of Trinidad and Tobago with a Certificate of Sport Studies. He intends to return to school to complete his bachelor’s degree. “Academics is a major priority, so we are developing a strategy where I will go to school in the first year or two of the competition cycles, but then go full-time as a sailor in the last two,” he said, noting that although it would take him longer to get his degree, earning it would put him in good stead when he was done with professional sailing. In the meantime, Lewis said, he is focused on competing with the world’s top athletes. But saying it and doing it are two different things. Laser sailing, the brand of sailing that Lewis specialises in, requires a unique set of skills and an advanced level of physical fitness. “People don’t know, but for this sport you need to be extremely fit,” Lewis said. Noting that laser sailors often have to compete with adverse weather conditions, he continued, “It is very important that my strength and conditioning are at a high level.” To ensure that he is up to the demands of the sport, Lewis has adopted a varied training regimen, ranging from cardiovascular
strength to mental endurance. “On land, I have an intense training program that involves a lot of cardio work and interval training. I do a lot of calisthenics and core work in the gym,” he said. “I also have to train my mind. So I do work with a mental trainer to help with my focus.” His daily schedule, as rigorous as any other professional athlete’s, consists of six hours of gym and training interspersed with time for meals and relaxation. By 10 p.m., he’s asleep. But the hard work is paying off. Earlier this year, Lewis made the Gold Fleet in one of the premier regattas. “The Gold Fleet,” he explained, “is basically the top 40 sailors at the end of the competition. So it was a great achievement.” The year also brought a win in an individual event at the European Championships in Helsinki, Finland. And, of course, there is his qualification for the Pan American games, an unprecedented achievement for a Trinbagonian in the Laser class. Lewis admits that qualifying for the event was a long and arduous process. “I have to compete on the International Sailing Federation (ISAF)
How do you see your future? Just ask.
circuit of events every year so that I can gain points and improve my world and country rank. “I missed the first opportunity to qualify last year and it came down to gaining selection in the Miami Olympic Class Regatta held in January of this year.” Fortunately, he gained that selection and earned a chance to compete in Mexico. He intends to bring home a medal, but there won’t be much time to rest on his laurels, not with the Olympics less than a year away. Lewis says that he has two shots at qualifying for the Olympics: the World Championships in Perth, Australia, this December; and a test event in March of next year. Even though he believes that qualifying for the Olympics is within his grasp, Lewis insists on a balanced perspective, especially when it comes to winning medals. “Realistically, it is very difficult to win a medal on the first try in my sport. You need to have at least one Olympics under your belt before you are considered a contender,” he said. “I will do my best, though. In sport, you never know.” ruth@mycampuschronicle.com
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