McGill Tribune Week 20

Tribune The McGill

Published by the Tribune Publication Society Volume No. 31 Issue No. 20

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Concordia student strike Protest for free education Editorials Popcorn recipes Raspberry Pi John K. Samson Martlet basketball RSEQ

3 4 8 11 16 18 21

Women’s History month (pages 12-13)

Martlets storm to RSEQ gold medal (p. 21)

The Martlets embrace after winning the RSEQ championship. (Sam Reynolds / McGill Tribune)

Dean Manfredi’s Open Forum marked by low turnout Kyla Mandel Managing Editor Discussions on safe space and flawed consultation processes marked the sparsely attended first meeting of Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi’s Open Forum on March 1.

With just over 30 people in the audience, this first of four open meetings focused discussion on the four main issues raised by the Jutras Report on the events of Nov. 10 with regards to free expression and peaceful assembly.

Following Principal Heather Munroe-Blum’s response to the

Jutras Report on Feb. 13, a nine-person advisory group was created to assist Dean Manfredi in hosting the Open Forum and producing a written report on the views articulated therein, the process of which is to be finished by June 8 and formally presented to Munroe-Blum by October.

“I think that all of us have a responsibility to ensure that the quality of the discussion is as high as possible and that really depends on the participants themselves. [It] depends on their being here and depends on their making intelligent contributions respectfully on various subjects,” Manfredi said in his open-

ing remarks.

The issue of what peaceful assembly entailed, as well as what should be designated as private versus public space on campus dominated the discussion.

“I do think that there are ethics of peaceful demonstration and perhaps students should actually come to have a discussion about that,” Catherine Lu, a political science professor, said.

“When [you] occupy the building ... you are the same people asking for respect and recognition of the things you do, and you’re disrespecting the people who you want to

hear you,” Dave D’Oyen, U2 arts, said of the actions of student occupiers and on the issue of deliberately concealing one’s identity.

“If you’re brave enough to stand up for something then you should be brave enough to accept the consequences that are going to follow,” he added.

The idea of instituting a specific space for peaceful assembly was met with apprehension.

“Part of the action inherently is to disrupt something,” Josh Redel, VP Communications for the Engineering Undergraduate Society and member of the Open Forum adviso-

ry committee, said. “So if you have a designated corridor that’s far away from classrooms and administration buildings and therefore it doesn’t disrupt anything, what’s the point then? They’re never going to use it.”

Discussion then turned to the validity of people’s feelings towards the events and atmosphere on campus and the relation that had to private space.

“One thing I would like to ask is why people are afraid of students,” Lu said.

Caroline Baril, who works in th principal’s office, referenced her See “OPEN FORUM” on page 3

NEWS

campus

Independent Student Inquiry released to the public

Final report on Nov. 10 addresses Jutras Report and provides strong recommendations for the McGill administration Erica Friesen News Editor The Independent Student Inquiry (ISI) presented its final report and recommendations concerning the events of Nov. 10 at last Thursday’s SSMU Council. The ISI was created following criticism of Principal Heather Munroe-Blum’s announcement of Dean of Law Daniel Jutras’ internal investigation of the events.

Originally supposed to present their findings in January, two months after the release of the Jutras report, the ISI was delayed because McGill did not respond to their Access to Information requests.

Harmon Moon, U2 history and one of the five co-authors of the final report, told Council that the report did not represent the views or ideas of the administration, because members of the ISI were repeatedly denied communication with administrators.

Chris Bangs, another of the co-authors and a U2 economics and

political science student, said he will be lodging a student grievance against the Secretary General for violating several articles in the Charter of Students’ Rights throughout this process.

“It really is tragic that nobody in the administration wanted to talk to us, because it does create this very, very unfortunate idea that this is the report for the students and the Jutras report is the report for the administration,” Moon said.

The Jutras report was made public on Dec. 15. The ISI final report notes that Jutras was given an “uncomfortable amount of power” as the leader of the internal investigation, and recommends that the university establish a protocol that would mandate either an external third party or an impartial internal body to lead future investigations.

Based on their research, the ISI compiled 10 recommendations, which include some that respond to Jutras’, but also others they produced independently. These include

a recommendation that the university should clarify what is public and private space on campus, defining which areas are acceptable for political activity, and expanding available student space.

“The status of public spaces should be made explicit, with the goal of integrating students and community members into spaces where they currently feel unwelcome,” the report states.

The report also states that building lockdowns, like those of Nov. 10, should require explicit justification and should not occur without “appropriate communication” with the university community.

“Lockdown protocol should also address safety concerns such as medical emergencies,” the report states. “The lockdown on November 10 significantly contributed to affected students’ inability to receive much-needed medical assistance.”

“Students also should never be trapped in buildings and should always be able to leave freely,” the

report adds.

In addition, the ISI recommends that McGill file an official complaint with the police ethics commissioner of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), in response to the “overly violent” police reaction on Nov. 10.

“Individual responses to police brutality can be difficult to carry out,” the report states. “Only the university has the authority and capability to speak for and defend the rights of all of its members hurt [on Nov. 10].”

Allison Cooper, U3 anthropology and co-author of the ISI final report, explained that members of the ISI will now work with SSMU councillors to translate these recommendations into SSMU mandates and protocols. She said it is important for these recommendations to progress beyond the ISI, since Dean Jutras’ recommendations may not allow students to feel that they have a voice in the investigation.

“We need to make sure that we

have all of these people [faculty, students, and staff] together and talking [but] it’s hard for students to feel like the administration-organized events will give them a voice, because … the topics and questions are all set for you by the people who organize it,” Cooper said. “It’s sort of a sad way that it is perceived, but still, to actually have a dialogue I don’t know if those [administrationrun events] are actually the proper fora for that.”

In addition to the student inquiry, the McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT) has created a committee that will respond to the events of Nov. 10 by making recommendations to the McGill Administration and Senate. The committee was scheduled to submit their report to MAUT Council by March 1.

The ISI final report is available at independentstudentinquiry. blogspot.com —Additional reporting by Carolina Millán Ronchetti

student goverment

Board of Directors ratifies J-Board ruling Invalidation of QPIRG’s fall referendum question upheld despite opposition Erica Friesen News Editor During the March 1 SSMU Council meeting, SSMU’s Board of Directors (BoD) ratified the Judicial Board (J-Board) ruling that invalidated the results of QPIRG’s fall referendum question. In a report released on Feb. 14, the J-Board declared the question to be unconstitutional because it dealt with two separate issues.

The BoD’s ratification of the J-Board decision is a step recently implemented to bring the J-Board into compliance with Quebec law, which requires the BoD to have the highest level of authority in the organization.

Implementing this step requires changes to the SSMU constitution, which have to be approved by the student body during the upcoming referendum period. However, an agreement made at the Feb. 9 Council meeting requires the board to act in the spirit of these recommendations. This also means that, as specified on the upcoming referendum question, the BoD can only overturn a J-Board decision by a 4/5 majority.

Although the power for ratification ultimately lay with the BoD,

SSMU Legislative Council first voted on a recommendation on the subject to submit to the BoD. Debate at council centred on the council’s duty to the student body and to the democratic framework of the organization. “[If we ratify this decision] how can we instil students with a sense of confidence that our democratic processes like referenda are actually safeguarded?” Adam Winer, Clubs and Services representative, said.

“Those democratic processes must take place within a framework that must be honoured, and when that framework is not honoured we need to step in … we have these checks and balances for a reason,” Joshua Fagen, Interim Arts representative, said.

Rebecca Yu, U2 political science and history, presented a letter signed by 28 students, which pointed to a potential conflict of interest for J-Board Justice Raphael Szajnfarber, who acted as a spokesperson for Hillel Ottawa in 2008, during a complaint against Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG).

Education Councillor Kady Paterson responded that the J-Board investigated the Justice’s potential conflict of interest before deciding

that it would not interfere with his position in the case.

The letter also questioned the terminology of the ruling, saying that the ruling depended on the concept of a “reasonably informed average voter,” a term that the J-Board did not adequately define. “[The] J-Board is not a part of student democracy at McGill,” the letter states. “It should not have the power to decide how most students understand referendum questions or anything else, especially without providing a framework to support such a decision.”

Gallery member Brendan Steven, U2 political science and Canadian studies, was concerned by this attitude towards the J-Board.

“Democracy isn’t just about voting on any question, and not any question put to a mass of people constitutes a referendum,” Steven said. “It’s just very problematic to suggest that having a system of due process … somehow harms the democracy of SSMU [when] it’s an essential part of what democracy is.”

The ratification passed with seven votes in favour, one against, and four abstentions.

In other business, Council passed several motions that were

Councillors discuss J-Board decision. (Michael Paolucci / Organization) passed as recommendations at the last SSMU General Assembly.

These included a motion to restructure SSMU frosh to make it a “safe space for all students” and a motion declaring SSMU’s opposition to corporate influence at McGill.

Council also passed a motion denouncing Bill C-10, a bill that

introduces new measures against crime in Canada. SSMU will denounce the bill to the university’s Member of Parliament Marc Garneau, the Minister of Justice, and engage in a media campaign against the bill.

Curiosity delivers. |

student government

SUS holds GA on tuition increases Anand Bery Science & Technology Editor Last Friday evening the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) held a General Assembly (GA) to discuss motions related to the Quebec-wide student strike movement opposing tuition increases. The SUS does not typically hold GAs open to its members and last week’s assembly occurred as a result of student petitioning for a GA. At the beginning of the evening, the assembly had two motions on the floor - one calling for the SUS to publicly announce its support for accessible education and opposition to all tution hikes, and another which would have seen the formation of an anti-tuition increase strike committee.

The GA had a quorum of 125 members, and began with just over 100 voting members present. Numbers increased steadily over the first hour, and quorum was reached just in time for the first vote.

After much deliberation and a number of amendments, the first motion on the SUS’ support for accessible education passed with 81 votes for and 43 against.

A number of amendments were debated and passed, most notably one that weakened the scope of the motion by changing the wording from “a policy ... against all tuition hikes, with a long-term goal of free education for all students,” to “a policy in favor of accessible education and against current tuition hikes.”

The assembly lost quorum mo-

ments after the vote on the first motion.

The movers of the second motion withdrew their motion calling for the formation of a strike committee before it was read. They did not want to have their motion voted on consultatively and then taken to the SUS’ General Council (GC).

“We knew it was going to get shot down at [General Council],” Aidan Drake, U1 mathematics and a mover of the motion, told the Tribune. “We [also] feel there needs to be a lot more mobilization before we can properly move towards a strike committee and/or a one-day strike.”

“We also know that those [on the GC] who are sympathetic are uncomfortable making public their political positions,” Leif Ásgeirsson, a mover of the first motion and member of the Science Undergraduate Mobilization Committee, said.

A major student strike across the province is planned for March 23, and several McGill faculties, including the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), the Social Work Students’ Association (SWSA), and the Medical Students’ Society (MSS) will be holding assemblies in the next few weeks to consult their members on whether to move towards taking part in the strike.

Throughout the evening, discourse was very civil. Matt Dolson, the GA’s speaker, kept dialogue moving and helped those attending, some of whom were unfamiliar with the rules and procedures of GAs, to understand the proceedings.

The meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.

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| Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Open Forum cont.

Mendelson added that, while the notion of a private space in an office is not the same as that equated with one’s bedroom, people have a self-defined personal space which they consider to be private.

“People’s feelings, while legitimate, are not a basis of sound reasoning,” Lu said in disagreement with Mendelson’s comments. “We start using the language of privacy and rights and basically say that those in positions of authority really don’t have to listen to people who are lower than [them].”

“I personally think that we need to have a lot more discussions about feelings and emotions and about how people feel about issues on campus,” SSMU president Maggie Knight said. “So how do we as a community go ‘yeah, it’s okay for you to feel like this, we might not agree with you ... but we acknowledge the validity of that and we recognize that you’re likely to act based on those feelings’?”

Of those students who attended the Open Forum to raise complaints, the main concern was the ineffective nature of such consultative pro-

continued from COVER experience witnessing the events of Nov. 10.

“The reason there was fear was that the people that came in never identified themselves as students. They covered their faces so we didn’t actually know [who they were],” Baril said.

“I guess I find the excessive reliance on the language of fear ... [as] conflate[ing] the dangers of having an armed intruder with the problems of civic protest, which is that it’s inconvenient and messy and yes it’s not what we would like to happen in our offices but you know, this is part of being a public institution,” Lu said.

“The people who work in my office are members of this community and they currently don’t feel that they have a safe space to work in ... It is not legitimate to discount their feelings,” Morton Mendelson Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) said in response. “I don’t think that we should assume that people who work in the Deputy Provost’s office should assume that they can have their space invaded.”

NEWS

cesses.

“To really create peace on this campus, I find forums like this to be pointless,” D’Oyen said. “A forum like this doesn’t reach out to the silent majority. They’re never going to come.”

“I really can’t believe it’s going to be so hard for you to take a day or an hour out of your schedule to stop at a popular place on campus ... and say ‘What’s wrong, what can I do, how can I serve you better?’”

D’Oyen said in response to Manfredi asking what else the university should be doing.

Remarking on the absence of students at the Forum, as well as the high degree of formality felt in the room, a student who could only be identified as Courtney said she didn’t feel comfortable speaking there.

“The format of this consultation seems so flawed to me,” she said. “I feel like by speaking and just being here right now, I’m almost validating this type of consultation to students and I don’t feel comfortable validating it.”

in brief

Concordia student strike begins

On March 1, Concordia University’s Fine Arts Student Alliance (FASA) voted in a Special General Meeting to strike against tuition increases. With 465 fine arts students holding a voting card, the vote passed overwhelmingly. The strike is set to begin on March 5 at 8 a.m.

The vote was administered and brought to FASA by Artists Working to raise Awareness & Knowledge about Education (AWAKE).

Four strike locations will be set up around Concordia, each with their own strike co-ordinator.

According to the mandate passed, the strike will be open-ended and will have weekly general assemblies.

In an email to the Tribune, FASA president Paisley Sim explained that FASA is joining with the Women Studies Student Association, the Philosophy Students Association, and the Political Science Student Association, which have al-

ready voted to strike, and that “more are expected to join in the coming week.”

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) will be holding a Concordiawide Special General Assembly on March 7 to vote on a strike mandate to last only five academic days, from March 22 to March 29. The mandate would include the option to hold another vote if students wished to continue on strike. In addition, students on internships would not be included in the strike and studios and laboratories would be kept open.

“Regardless of the outcome of the March 7 vote, Concordia intends to continue operating as usual,” the Concordia Office of the Provost stated in response to the CSU’s call for a student strike vote. “The university has a responsibility to provide services that are a part of its agreement with our students, even if some of those students decide not to attend class as a form of protest. It is

important that students be aware of the potential consequences of missing classes and other instructional activities.”

The FASA included this statement in an email sent out to students to inform them of possible academic repercussions. The CSU also sent out an email regarding the Concordia-wide Special General Assembly.

“What we see is that every time there has been a major setback to accessible education, a strike was enough to force government to change its mind, and a tuition freeze in 2012 is not an exceptional goal,” the email stated.

“With strength in numbers and ongoing support from the CSU ... we anticipate more associations and faculty members will join us in protest,” Sim said.

Like us on facebook! the mcgill tribune David Benrimoh speaks at SUS GA. (Anna Katycheva / McGill Tribune)

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—Kyla Mandel

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NEWS

| Curiosity delivers.

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McGill student protest rallies support for free education As the provincial student strike movement gathers strength, student demonstration moves through campus Bea Britneff Contributor Last Wednesday, students from McGill University, l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), and several CEGEPs in the downtown Montreal area participated in a demonstration for free education.

Organized by McGill students, Wednesday’s demonstration was one of many in the growing student movement against the Quebec provincial government’s proposed tuition increases, which would come into effect this fall.

“Awareness is part of it,” Ethan Feldman, U3 philosophy student, said. “However, we advertised [this demonstration] as a support rally for student action against tuition hikes.”

Around 100 students assembled in front of the SSMU building at 11:00 a.m.

At 11:30 a.m., the crowd of demonstrators moved to the Leacock Building and marched through

the hallways towards the Arts Building, playing drums and chanting slogans. After passing through the McLennan Library chanting “McGill on strike!” they gathered in the McLennan lobby.

McGill community member Nancy Crowe was present in McLennan at the time, supporting the demonstrators.

“I believe in accessible education,” Crowe said. “It doesn’t have to be free, but it should be affordable. The tuition increases will have students come out [of university] with more debt than they can handle.”

After exiting McLennan, the demonstrators left the McGill campus and marched towards UQAM, taking main roads such as PresidentKennedy, St. Catherine, and Sherbrooke along the way.

This demonstration is part of an attempt by students to raise support for the anti-tuition increase movement. After months of protests

and demonstrations, many students across the province are opting for an unlimited general strike.

“We’ve spent a whole year trying to have our voices heard,” a second year law student who could only be identified as Dominique, said. “A strike is our last resort … it’s a good way of showing how important [education] is.”

“Many faculties and CEGEPs are already on strike in Montreal and in the West Island,” Mona Luxion, a PhD urban planning student, said.

“McGill, Concordia, and UQAM are still in the ‘in-between’ position.”

According to the ‘Stop the Hike’ website, as of March 5, 96 student unions representing approximately 123,265 students are currently on strike, including student associations from Collège LionelGroulx, CÉGEP de Drummondville, CÉGEP du Vieux-Montréal, and CÉGEP St-Laurent.

In addition, there are 13 unions representing approximately 9,461

students who have a strike mandate and are currently waiting to begin.

Some students have remarked that a large percentage of pro-strike students at McGill appear to be arts students, with less mobilization in other faculties. Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (CLASSE) committee member Jérémie BédardWien says this is unusual in comparison to other campuses.

“Many different faculties … have chosen to go on strike. The science and education faculties at UQAM have voted in favour of the strike … CEGEPs have a wide range of technical programs and they have voted for the strike,” Bédard-Wien said. “The most striking for me is the faculty of medicine at Université de Montréal, who voted to go on strike the week of the 20th.”

Bédard-Wien also offered an explanation for why pro-strike mobilization has been less intense at McGill than at other colleges and

universities.

“Students at McGill have organized around different issues in the past, but mostly around issues that are pertinent only to McGill,” he said.

“There has been a historical barrier between francophones and anglophones in terms of progressive issues,” Bédard-Wien said. “That is why the movement this year on anglophone campuses is historic.”

Outside of McGill, numerous strike votes will continue to take place between now and March 20 at Concordia University, Université de Montréal, and other CEGEPs and universities across the province.

“We are not going on a general strike because we feel like it,” Bédard-Wien said. “We’re doing it because it’s our last card to play.”

SPEAKER

Former Bank of Canada governor speaks to students David Dodge addresses Canadian fiscal policy and proposes innovative ideas for addressing tuition increases Carolina Millán Ronchetti News Editor Around 300 students gathered on Feb. 28 to hear the former governor of the Bank of Canada, David Dodge, speak about the fiscal challenges that Canada will face in coming years, as compared to the current European crisis. The event was organized by McGill’s Economic Students’ Association (ESA) and is part of the ESA’s first annual speaker series.

“We decided that Mr. Dodge had both the experience and the foresight to come and discuss trending economic topics today, namely the anticipated future problems the government faces in providing social services,” Alexander Severance, U2 representative to the ESA, said.

Dodge, who served as governor from 2001 to 2008, began the talk by describing the economic crisis in Europe, citing increasing wages despite stagnant productivity as a key factor for the debt incurred by nations like Italy and Greece.

He then drew parallels between the European fiscal crisis and Canada’s current economic situation, focusing on Quebec and Ontario. He explained that both provincial governments have continued to improve

the quality of the services offered to its populations although income growths, and thus tax collections, have slowed down.

“It’s not just a cyclical problem,” Dodge said. “It’s a big structural problem. In fact, we can’t go out and continue to borrow, we have to deal with the problem.”

Dodge offered some potential solutions to the escalating issue.

“We’ve got to get much better at doing what we do, and in addition, find new things to do where we can add more value. We have to make more airplanes, more pharmaceuticals,” he said. “At the same time, governments are not going to be able to deliver to you and me the same level of services that we have come to expect, because their revenues aren’t growing … [dealing with] the psychology of taking something away from somebody is very difficult.”

He ended his talk with an enthusiastic call for the economics students in the room to be the leaders who will bear these issues in mind when creating policy in the future.

“We need to continue to talk to governments about what some of these structural things are that we can do to improve our productivity,” he said. “Secondly, we need to

pressure our government to make structural change in the way they deliver their services to us, and in the amount of services that they deliver so that they can cut their costs. This is very difficult … it means [increasing] pricing to the public.”

At the end of the question period that followed the talk, economics professor Christopher Ragan asked Dodge what he thought about raising tuition fees.

“That was one of my examples [of] where the right thing to do is politically very difficult,” Dodge said.

“I guess I think that it is quite important that, whether it’s for healthcare or for education, [that] there be some recognition by the user of the service that they bear some part of the cost directly.”

Dodge also proposed an innovative idea for reforming the tuition system, suggesting that tuition fees increase as students advance through university, when the risks of a higher education are lower.

“I would set a fee scale that rose as you went through [university], because the risk to you as an individual and as a student goes down the longer you stay in university,” he said. “[We should set] the fee appropriate to the risk that you are undertaking.”

David Dodge, former Bank of Canada governor. (wikinfo.org) He developed his suggestion by describing a typical university student. “[The risks of a higher education] are quite high in the very first year,” Dodge argued. “You come out of high school or CEGEP and you don’t know what the hell is going on at a place like McGill. You don’t know whether it’s going to be useful for you, if you’re going to like it … by third or fourth year, you should really have an idea of whether this

is right or productive for you, or if you’re going to be successful.”

Students enjoyed the event and stayed for a cocktail with their peers.

“Overall, [the event] was a good learning experience,” Chloe Gosselin, U1 management, said.

“It’s great that associations create events to apply what we learn into the real world. These give us a lot more interest and motivation [and] makes what we’re studying a lot more fun.”

Curiosity delivers. |

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McGill inaugurates new Desautels trading room

Alphonse-Desjardins will allow management students to access real-time market information Natasha Fenn Contributor On March 1, McGill University held the inauguration ceremony for the Alphonse-Desjardins trading room on the second floor of the Bronfman Building. The event drew McGill students, McGill alumni who work for Desjardins, senior McGill administrators, and Desjardins employees who were either directly involved with the project or attending in support of the longstanding relationship between the Desautels faculty of management and the association of credit unions.

The focal point of the innovative Alphonse-Desjardins trading room is student access to expensive and esteemed Bloomberg software.

This new trading room will serve as a classroom during the day and a computer lab by night. Finance professor Sebastian Betermier and his students will be the ones primarily working and learning in this new space. Betermier said he looks forward to working with this useful learning tool. “[The trading room] enhances opportunities … to visualize something. We can go on Bloomberg and see real data,” Betermier said. “All machines [are] equipped with a fake portfolio manager [and students will be] given fake money that they have to invest.”

Kyra Azzopardi, Management Undergraduate Society VP Academic, raved about the new software and how convenient the trading room makes it.

“Bloomberg is a program that gives market news. You can look up a company on its ticker and see its market value,” Azzopardi said.

“It’s a really expensive, valuable software program … and now if I’m doing a group project I can just go in there and use it.”

In the last year, the Bronfman second floor underwent a dramatic change from being a traditional business library to the new “Business Intelligence Centre” and student hub.

Desjardins Group, Canada’s leading co-operative financial group, donated 11 group study rooms, new computers, study space, and a stateof-the-art trading room and software.

The organization has also pledged to donate $1 million over the next five years for the trading room, coupled with securities trading and technology to support the facility.

This donation by Desjardins will help McGill’s finance students gain a competitive edge, Azzopardi pointed out.

“A student is only as good as the resources that student has assessable to them,” she said. “Now, as a student, I get to use Bloomberg every day, and that’s going to prepare me better for the job I get.

Azzopardi, Gauvin, and Chancellor Steinberg cut the ribbon at trading room. (Ryan Reisert / McGill Tribune) It builds our prestige … builds better resources for our students, and makes them more competitive for the job market.”

The relationship with Desjardins over the years has opened doors for students for internships and full time employment. Desjardins offered $13 million in scholarship money in 2011 alone, the most university scholarships money

that any other company gave a university in Quebec that year. Louis Daniel Gauvin, Desjardin Senior Vice President and general manager, and a McGill management graduate, agrees that the relationship with the faculty of management has been mutually beneficial. “[Desjardins] strongly believe[s] that education is key to our sustainsable prosperity in a

global competitive world,” Gauvin said. “Desjardins has a great story to tell, not well known, but having more people thinking of Desjardins, and attracting the talent in our group, we will benefit greatly from it. And there’s definitely very good talent here at McGill.”

CAMPUS

Students discuss strike movement at SSMU forum Students voice different perspectives on prospects of joining the unlimited student strike Bianca Van Bavel Contributor On Feb. 29, SSMU hosted an open forum for students to discuss the Quebec student movement mobilizing against proposed provincial tuition increases. The event offered students a venue to ask questions and gain some clarity on the issues, such as the driving forces behind the movement.

"I feel like often people think that the only issue is the rise in tuition fees, but don't understand the full impacts and the ideological problems behind that—the real reason why people are actually fighting for this," Joëlle Shaw, an honours art history student, said.

With a 20 person turnout, the forum had a range of students in

attendance from the faculties of science, arts, and education, and included international, in-province, and out-of-province students. The discussion aimed to be a safe space for people to offer perspectives and share opinions on what students felt were some of the core issues at hand.

Joël Pedneault, SSMU VP External Affairs, led the discussion.

"We need to talk about how us going on strike will strategically make the student movement support us more,” Pedneault said. “The question is, how we can put these discussions into practice and actually begin to mobilize and get involved with the student movement?"

From accessibility of education and government subsidies, to the distribution of loans and bursaries, students tried to understand the

sources of the call to action.

"I think that there is certainly a division between people who support the strike and those who want free education, and those who [simply] want accessible education ... I think that's a distinction that is not made enough," Shaw said. "I want to pay for tuition and I don't think education is a right, however I think that as a society it is our duty to ensure that the privilege of education extends to as many people as possible."

What came to the forefront of the debate was the number of discrepancies and differing perspectives surrounding the student movement. From numerous sources of information, stories were varied and student concerns were many.

However, one thing that remained

evident was an invested interest and desire on the part of students to learn more about the present issues affecting the community.

Although several faculty student society constitutions do not specify the quorum needed for strike votes, some students argued that the typical quorum of 150 students would not be representative of the student body.

“We aim to have many times [that number] in attendance, as many students as possible, to make the GA as representative of the AUS membership as possible," Kevin Paul, U3 arts, said.

The forum then moved to discuss the position the McGill student body holds within the provincial, national, and international context, and the university’s contribution to

www.mcgilltribune.com

the discussion of provincial tuition increases.

"Because we are the university with the most non-Quebec Canadian students in the province ... it puts us in a dangerous situation where we may start pitting Quebec students against non-Quebec students, exacerbating existing tensions in the Quebec student movement,” SSMU president Maggie Knight said. “We should be thinking to build bridges instead of divide students.”

"These issues need to be discussed and I think if we refuse to discuss those properly then we're doing ourselves a disservice and provid[ing] unnecessary polarization,” she said.

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NEWS

| Curiosity delivers.

CAMPUS

Administration introduces new MyCourses to staff New software will be implemented May 1, as outdated software pushes McGill to find new supplier Johnny Newburgh Contributor Last Thursday, McGill’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) held an event for staff to introduce the new MyCourses software, which will replace the current system on May 1, 2012. The old software, WebCT Vista, was implemented in 2005, but its vendor will no longer be supporting the outdated program as of Jan. 2013.

Ghiliane Roquet, McGill’s Chief Information Officer, explained that this need for new software also presented opportunities to upgrade its features. A majority of the upgrades are intended to make it easier for instructors to disseminate information, from course-related materials to announcements.

“We want to be able to provide [staff and students] with a stable environment … with at least a parity of what you have now—and hopefully a lot more,” Roquet said.

The software selection process included software demonstrations on campus and opportunities for staff and student feedback. Finally, Desire2Learn (D2L), a Canadian elearning company located in Waterloo, Ontario, was signed to a 3-year renewable license to supply McGill with a new version of the MyCourses software.

Some new features of the software include a completely new look, the introduction of widgets, and a revised discussion board that can link up to specific content on MyCourses. The discussion board is the most used feature on MyCourses by students, tallying nearly 33 million hits per semester. There is also a new option for staff and students to have a display picture that will then show up on discussion boards and class listings.

Elan Weinstock, a U3 student in the faculty of management and parttime employee with McGill’s IT services, described the two features that he is most looking forward to using: its central calendar and the mobile platform. The mobile platform, he argued, will ensure that students will be overall better informed.

“When an announcement comes out … it will be sent to me [in] real time to my cell phone,” Weinstock said.

He added that students will be able to opt into that feature.

Additionally, the software’s calendar application will now make note of students’ assignments, exams, and quizzes. Students will then be able to “subscribe” to their MyCourses calendars and import them into their personal calendar applications, such as iCal or Google Calendars.

Staff are working hard to en-

sure that the software is operational on schedule. The 4,000 courses that take place during the typical school year—fall and spring semesters— are currently undergoing migration to the new interface, at an average pace of two and a half hours of labour per course.

“There has been a lot of work involved with converting everything from the old system to the new system,” Roquet said. “All courses for the summer have already been migrated.”

The outlook for the software’s use is positive. The staff and few students who attended the event were generally very receptive of the presentation.

“It’s a time saver,” Carolyn Samuel, a professor in the faculty of education and the McGill Writing Centre, said.

Provost Anthony Masi, who Roquet referred to as “the sponsor of the project,” emphasized the impact that the new software could make on the McGill community. The switch, he emphasized, is first and foremost in the interest of students.

“We want to put an effort on the ‘student-centeredness’ of this institution,” Masi said. “We produce new knowledge, and we disseminate it, and that requires that we stay at the front of technological innovation.”

“It should enhance the learning experience of students in all facul-

Provost Anthony Masi addresses attendees. (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune) ties,” he added.

Students like Weinstock are optimistic about the software.

“In the test environment, it

worked fine,” Weinstock said. “I am expecting it to work really well.”

CAMPUS

AMUSE reaches tentative agreement with admin

Union representing 1,500 casual labourers comes to a resolution after approximately a year of negotiations Kegan Chang Contributor On Feb. 22, McGill University and the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) announced that they had come to a tentative agreement on both the economic and non-economic issues affecting casual workers at the university. The proposed agreement, which needs to be approved by a ratification vote at AMUSE’s next major meeting, includes provisions for wage increases, paid overtime, and sick leave, as well as modifications to the existing hiring and firing process for casual labourers on campus.

According to a press release

by McGill University, this will be the first collective agreement for AMUSE, which represents roughly 1,500 casual labourers on campus.

These negotiations took a year to complete.

“Something that we keep in mind is that a lot of the advantage to holding a casual position is that it can be a short-term thing … and you’re looking for flexibility in that job a lot of the time,” Jaime Maclean, current president of AMUSE, said. “But there’s also a lot of inequality between positions on campus, and without a labour union to police the working conditions of their members, an employer can easily take advantage of their employees.”

Maclean, however, was quick to state that while McGill hadn’t been taking advantage of their casual employees, there were still problems in wage equality and job demands that emerged some years ago, leading directly to the creation of AMUSE and the beginning of collective bargaining.

“While there are obviously people who just work once a week and don’t mind that, there are a large number of people who work fulltime at McGill in the same jobs as MUNACA workers,” Farid Attar, former president of AMUSE, noted.

Attar is also a member of the bargaining team that negotiated the agreement with McGill.

Attar added that AMUSE aims to maintain this flexibility for the employees who benefit from it, while also increasing job security, benefits, and general working conditions for employees who have put four years of their life into their work.

AMUSE’s bargaining committee was elected at their first general assembly in Nov. 2010, whereupon they attempted to draft the terms of the initial agreement. It wasn’t until March 2011 that serious back-andforth negotiation began. Bargaining on the non-economic issues contin-

ued throughout the year until they were finally resolved in Dec. 2011.

On economic issues, however, bargaining quickly reached a stalemate, requiring both parties to call for conciliation.

Altar explained that conciliation brings in the government as a neutral third party, in order to introduce a fresh perspective and restart negotiations.

In this agreement, some of the benefits gained in the non-economic sphere included written contracts, paid sick days for full-time workers with six-month contracts, priority for AMUSE members for contract renewals and promotions, and paid overtime.

More thought was put into considering wage increases, with the membership of AMUSE categorized into three main groups, each of whom are going to see minimum wage increases under this agreement,

as well as minimum yearly increases, with the first increase scheduled for the signing of the agreement. For those workers who are already paid above the minimums mandated by the agreement, there is no danger of losing wages.

“People have to come to the ratification vote,” Attar stressed. “Ultimately it’s not the bargaining team who decides, it’s the membership that gave us the mandate to bargain with McGill­ —if you want those wage increases, if you want those job securities, you’ll have to come to the ratification vote … during that time, we’ll answer all the questions they have.”

The ratification vote for AMUSE’s collective bargaining agreement is tentatively scheduled for mid-March, with one session to take place in the afternoon and one at night.

Curiosity delivers. |

NEWS

| Tuesday, March 6, 2012

7

SPEAKER

Lecture addresses benefits of grassroots education Assistant professor in First People’s studies at Concordia reflects on her time at Akwesasne Freedom School Christy Frost Contributor Last Thursday, McGill’s Aboriginal Sustainability Program and the Sauvé Scholars Program hosted a talk by Louellyn White, who discussed her time studying the Akwesasne Freedom School as part of her PhD dissertation.

White, who is part Mohawk, is an assistant professor in First People’s studies at Concordia University. In the talk, she shared her experiences visiting the school and suggested that other schools could learn from its example of holistic cultural education.

White first came to do research at the freedom school because of her interest in its Mohawk language immersion program. Soon, however, she became fascinated by the school’s unique approach to education.

“The school itself is about so much more than language immersion,” White said. “It’s about cultural identity, self determination.”

The school is located on the Akwesasne reserve, which straddles New York State, Quebec, and Ontario. Akwesasne, which literally means “land where the partridge drums,” underwent a period of extreme unrest in the 1980s when a group of Mohawks set up a two-year barricade to protest the arrest of their people following protests against an imposed system of governance.

During these two years, a group of parents decided to start their own school rather than send their children across the barricades to school.

“They did it in the most grassroots of ways,” White said. “They used living rooms. They used garages. They used toolsheds.”

Today, 30 years later, the school still exists and has managed to stay true to its mission of providing an authentic Mohawk education.

“The most unique thing about this school is that it’s self-sufficient,” White said. “They’ve stuck with those original goals of self-determination and self-education.”

The school receives the majority of its money through fundraising.

One of their biggest fundraisers is a quilt auction that can bring in as much as $20,000. The school owes

News meetings Mondays @ 5:30 in Shatner 110

much of its success to the dedication of parents and other members of the community.

“There are parent committees for everything,” White said. “Parents have to be very, very committed … This is how it’s really sustained itself over the years … because it’s driven by this organic place. People are very immersed in it.”

The school itself is very small, with only 60-65 students at a given time, and goes from pre-kindergarten until grade eight. From Pre-K to grade six, all the students are in complete Mohawk immersion.

During her time at the Akwesasne Freedom School, White

learned that language is not the only way the school helps students regain their Mohawk identity.

“When I talked to these students I said … ‘does language make you Mohawk?’ and the majority of them said ‘no,’ it’s ‘do I know my songs? Do I know my dances? Do I know my history?’” White said.

“The language is important but it’s just one part of identity.”

White explained how the school cultivates values such as respect, responsibility, co-operation, leadership, and stewardship through this type of cultural education.

“I think other communities, non-native communities, can look

at situations like this, at schools like this and see [a] culturally appropriate curriculum, grassroots experiential forms of education, [and] value systems,” White said.

White spoke about the importance of self-governed Aboriginal education, especially in light of the fact that many Aboriginal people are still suffering from their experiences at residential schools.

“Education is very important within the Aboriginal community,” Allan Vicaire, project co-ordinator on the Aboriginal Sustainability Project, said. “It is a topic that we continue to address to our youth, to educate oneself. I think that there is

such a strong stance on education because of the realities that we live in.”

While the transition from Akwesasne to high school can be rough at first, White said that the freedom school students have better values and a stronger sense of their own identity than many students from other schools.

David Searle, a McGill graduate in history and political science, in attendance enjoyed the talk, as did many others.

“It’s really wonderful how they’ve integrated their local culture [and] their history into their education,” Searle said.

opinion

Tribune The McGill

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Editor-in-Chief Shannon Kimball editor@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Kyla Mandel kmandel@mcgilltribune.com Ryan Taylor rtaylor@mcgilltribune.com

editorialS

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Poorly publicized, poorly timed, poorly attended On March 1, Christopher Manfredi, the Dean of arts, chaired the first of four meetings, part of the administration’s Open Forum to debate the limits of free expression and peaceful assembly on campus. Despite the clear importance of these issues to students, the first meeting only had just over 30 people in attendance.

The Tribune is disappointed at such a low turnout. The Open Forum is a rare chance for student concerns to be heard, and it is a shame if students miss these opportunities to voice their opinions in a way that does not involve an occupation. Just two weeks ago, students camped out in the offices of the James Administration Building hoping to get the attention of the administrators. It seems inconsistent that they would go through all the effort to do that, but not to turn up to talk about the issues in a more composed environ-

ment.

However, the Open Forum offers far less to students than it should. In terms of policy, it will have a trifling effect. The administration has already introduced the provisional protocol, a strict set of limits on what forms of political protest the university is prepared to tolerate. Many of the terms of the provisional protocol are, as Principal Heather Munroe-Blum pointed out at the recent senate meeting, “not negotiable,” and those that are theoretically negotiable will remain unchanged at least until Dean Manfredi releases his report on the Open Forum. Dean Manfredi’s report is not due until Oct. 8—almost ten months after the release of the Jutras Report. This effectively leaves the provisional protocol in place for the rest of the academic year, potentially preventing any protest that the administration would prefer not to deal

with. Students can therefore not expect to have an impact on deciding the limits of their freedom of expression; it has already been decided for them.

Furthermore, the first meeting was poorly publicized, and poorly timed. Both of these mistakes are entirely inexcusable. The meeting was poorly advertised and relied on only one email to the listserv, and a blog on the McGill website.

This is hardly going to generate mass participation. The timing was also, quite frankly, dreadful. The first meeting of the Open Forum was staged in the middle of a Thursday afternoon when many people either had classes to attend or upcoming midterms to study for. The Tribune believes that because the Jutras Report—the inquiry that first recommended the Open Forum—came out almost four months ago, there is no reason at all for its meetings to be

happening this late in the semester.

Indeed, it is also unacceptable to use the fact that the debate is available to watch online as an excuse. Watching the debate online at a more suitable time in the student schedule is akin to auditing a lecture: it does not constitute a chance for active participation.

The Tribune hopes the administration will make a better effort at publicizing the next meeting. The best way to do so is to prove that what is said in the Open Forum will make a difference, or at the very least be taken into account. However, this will also require active participation on the part of students.

As relations between students and the administration remain strained, these goals will be difficult, but necessary to achieve.

centering on their recommendations.

The most important addition to the discussion is the inquiry’s proposal that the McGill administration file a formal complaint with the Police Ethics Commissioner of Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) regarding the events of Nov. 10. Numerous students and one faculty member—who were not involved in the protest or occupation whatsoever—were pepper-sprayed, tear-gassed, and physically assaulted by riot police. It is clear from video footage and testimonials that these actions were often unprovoked and represent an over-reaction on the part of the SPVM. The tense atmosphere on campus has no hope of dissipating without a formal com-

plaint by the administration.

We recognize that such a complaint would be mostly symbolic in nature. It would not be surprising if it were ignored entirely by the SPVM. However, this action is necessary in building the positive relationship with the police that Dean Jutras recommended in his report. A relationship where the SPVM can use brutal force on McGill’s campus without being held to account is not a positive one. Currently, the lesson SPVM has learned from Nov. 10 is that it can send riot police to campus and pepper spray students, innocent or not, without fear of repercussions.

The filing of a formal and firm complaint would demonstrate that the university stands in solidar-

Opinion Editor Richard Martyn-Hemphill opinion@mcgilltribune.com Features & Student Living Editor Jacqui Galbraith features@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Anand Bery scitech@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editor Nick Petrillo arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Steven Lampert and Christopher Nardi sports@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Sam Reynolds photo@mcgilltribune.com Senior Design Editor Kathleen Jolly kjolly@mcgilltribune.com Design Editor Susanne Wang design@mcgilltribune.com Online Editor Victor Temprano online@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Marri Lynn Knadle copy@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Manager Corina Sferdenschi cpm@ssmu.mcgill.ca Publisher Chad Ronalds

The SPVM should be called to account for Nov. 10 Last Thursday, the Independent Student Inquiry (ISI) released its final report regarding the events of Nov. 10, following the release of a preliminary report on Dec. 1. The chronology of the events of Nov. 10 is similar to that laid out in Dean Jutras’s report, released on Dec. 15.

The Tribune applauds the efforts of the students behind the ISI. Despite limited access to video footage and the refusal of many administration members to provide interviews, the inquirers provided a comprehensive discussion of the events of Nov. 10. Given their limited resources, we are impressed that this report came together at all. Their suggestions will hopefully contribute to a broader campus dialogue

News Editors Erica Friesen and Carolina Millán Ronchetti news@mcgilltribune.com

ity with its students, not the SPVM. Such a complaint would aid in stimulating productive discussions with the student body. The lack of attendance at the recent Open Forum meeting suggests that many students are suspicious of the administration’s attempts to move forward, and the complaint would be an essential step to restoring student confidence.

This year has seen a tumultuous disintegration of relations between administration, staff, and students.

We should welcome civil discourse surrounding many of the recent events, but that can only start when the university starts looking out for the safety of its students. Without a formal complaint, distrust will continue unabated.

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Rick Santorum’s views on higher education are a danger to society Last week, U.S. presidential hopeful Rick Santorum made a sojourn into the land of utter political bewilderment, admonishing Barack Obama for wanting more American youths to go to college. “What a snob,” the former senator proclaimed, going on to say with Biblical tact that university liberals wish to remake students in their own image. Of course, this is just

On the record James Gilman

jgilman@mcgilltribune.com

The student movement’s last stand?

The Quebec-wide student “strike” is certainly gaining momentum, as more and more student associations vote to join the movement and voice their opposition to the provincial government’s plan to increase tuition. More than 120,000 students will be officially “on strike” (or boycotting classes) as of this week and the confrontation between the Liberal government and the student movement is heating up. Last Thursday a protest in front of the

Chronicles of a Curioso Tara Richter Smith

trichtersmith@mcgilltribune.com

Choosing salsa instead of studying It was halfway through reading week, and I was driving to Trinidad, Cuba in a 1958 Chevrolet with two Italians, a driver from Havana, and my mother, when I realized I wasn’t actually going to get any reading done. My mother and the driver were in a heated conversation about Raul Castro, and I was half-listening, my mind drifting. The seats were leather and sticky in the heat; the windows were down; the Carib-

one gaffe of many coming from the G.O.P. camp, but it is as fine an example as any of the linguistic muddle that has become American political discourse.

Hidden within Santorum’s comments was an unpardonable conflation, missed by many pundits which have scooped up this story: he equates liberalism with elitism. To marry these two terms is misleading. Santorum’s strategy was perhaps to conjure up an image of Kennedy-esque elitism, couple it with Ivy League northeastern sensibility, and portray the amalgamated picture as a representation of every American university. Surely that would stop anyone from voting for Obama.

Yet, of course, there are several missteps in this case. Firstly, in 2012

this view of education doesn’t hold water. Elitism is predicated on exclusion; and although you can surely find pockets of snobbery if you look hard enough, the biggest barriers to college enrolment have been largely chipped away. Enrolment of women went up 350 per cent from 1970 to 2009, compared with a 74 per cent increase in men. During the same period Asian and American Indian enrolment more than tripled, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. High tuition fees are still a barrier, but not one which will be broken by cracking down on a universal elitist clique which doesn’t exist.

So Santorum was wrong about the language of elitism—but was he right about the liberal conspiracy perpetuated by every college pro-

fessor and administrator? Well, here comes the second linguistic gaffe, and this one I don’t think was on purpose. If Santorum meant “liberal” as a modifier of “arts,” then he was right on. Perhaps nowhere in the western world have the tenets of a classical liberal arts education been kept alive so well, and with such a large university system to proliferate it. But liberal arts was not what was alluded to in that stump speech in Michigan. Rather, the word “liberal” was, as is usually the case today, meant in the way George H. W. Bush did 20 years ago—a political philosophy deemed unutterable, and demonized as “The L-Word.” I can only imagine the negative effect Santorum’s remarks would have on a Republican high-schooler undecided about college applications.

The remarks made last week about education exacerbate an already discordant poverty of language in U.S. politics. Rick Santorum is still only commanding attention because the days are gone when, as the late scholar Tony Judt put it, “poor expression belied poor thought.” As Judt saw it, these days we are evaluated for what we are trying to say, not for what we actually say. As long as the intentions are good, your expression surely doesn’t belie your thought, good or bad. It’s time for any Americans out there (myself included) to start hearing the language of politics for what it is, and seeing the harm that it can do.

National Assembly in Quebec City ended in clashes with the police, and with more demonstrations planned for this month tensions look set to keep rising.

Anti-tuition activists are hoping that the government will back down before students have to make any real sacrifices, such as losing an entire semester. The mass mobilization of students has previously forced the provincial government to back down over tuition hikes.

Yet the Charest government seems determined to face down the opposition and go through with its plan, which would raise tuition by $325 a year over five years.

While loud and visible protests draw attention to the issue and put public pressure on the government, the student movement must demonstrate a willingness to make actual sacrifices if it is to have any hope of forcing

the Liberals to back down. If they know that students aren’t willing to continue their boycott through the end of the year, giving up at least an entire academic semester, they simply need to endure the demonstrations and wait until the boycott fizzles out.

The Charest government is remaining resolute, at least publicly, and for the first time the willingness of students to give something up for the fight against tuition hikes may actually be tested.

The numbers of students joining the boycott and attending demonstrations is certainly impressive, yet it’s unclear how united these students are over the prospect of making tangible sacrifices. Beyond a core group of anti-tuition student activists, how many students would be willing to lose this academic semester to continue a fight they may

not even win? Many graduating students especially have little incentive to stay the course. They will not be affected by the tuition increases and have much more to lose from a delayed or lost semester.

Additionally, the level of commitment to the cause varies among the provinces universities, colleges, and CEGEPs. McGill, with a larger share of international and non-Quebec Canadian students (for whom the hikes represent a smaller proportional increase in their tuition), and a student body traditionally more disconnected from provincial politics, looks set to stay on the sidelines.

The Arts Undergraduate Society’s General Assembly next Tuesday will be a major test of McGill students’ desire to join the boycott. If a strike vote is not passed, the effort may move to the department level, and the numbers of McGill students

boycotting classes will remain relatively insignificant.

The activists’ challenge is to keep Quebec students as unified as possible. They must keep a large number of students from a broad selection of universities, colleges, and CEGEPs committed to the boycott and willing to make actual sacrifices, and they keep up the public demonstrations. This is no easy task, and there’s no doubt the provincial government has the upper hand at the moment. If the boycott splutters out, the credibility of the student movement will be called into question. Future governments will know that all they have to do is out-wait the students, who are not willing to give anything up. It may be a tad melodramatic to ask, but could this be the anti-tuition movement’s last stand?

bean was sparkling and calm …. no, I was definitely not going to distract myself with the psychopathology textbook hitting my feet at every bump in the road.

But on the plane ride back, I realized this was not such a bad thing: education is about so much more than your reading list. Without ever cracking open a book, I studied communism and what a U.S. embargo can do to suffocate an economy.

I learned the hard way not to eat street food or seafood at suspicious restaurants. I jumped into the sea around a coral reef to swim among fish and mentally collect qualitative data about the ecosystem. Cuba is easy to fall in love with—one of those islands someone might intend to visit for a month and end up staying years. It’s what Ernest Heming-

way did.

Three days in Havana was a crash course in Cuban culture and history. It’s become my newest passion, whose history I want to recount to everyone. Havana is full of music and propaganda and mojitos and historical plaques that inform the tourist that the “New World” started in Cuba, where Columbus landed.

After the Spanish had killed the majority of the native population, they imported slaves from Africa. The German explorer Alexander von Humboldt called Cuba the land of “sugarcane and slaves.” It’s changed a lot since then, and that’s where its charm begins: as a melting pot of skin colours, cultures, beats, and a fight for independence—first from Spanish rule, and then from American imperialism—that has won Cu-

bans their country, but deprived their economy. Perhaps I was so captured

by Cuba that I learned all this at the expense of memorizing disorders from the DSM, but I don’t feel like a bad student.

The reason I came to McGill was because I wanted to learn more.

Graduating at the end of April, with the threat of a diploma looming in the distance, I recently decided to stay in an academic environment because, simply put, the last two years have not been enough, and I—wait for it—actually want to keep learning. But reading week reminded me of the other educations we can’t receive on campus in lecture halls.

As the midterm season continues, a season which seems to begin in the second or third week of January, only ending the week before finals,

I am usually seized by the suspicion that everyone lives in the library, dutifully reviewing notes and memorizing formulas, when I’d rather just munch on cookies, watch sitcoms on my computer screen, and not do any work. When I can replace the cookies-and-sitcom procrastination technique with a trip out of this comfort zone, I learn more in two days than I do in two weeks.

So as I trudge through the snow towards the sixties ugliness of McLennan and resign myself to hours in the library with the rest of the overworked McGill population, I remember that a reading week is not necessarily time off: our education never takes time off. In one way or another, we’ll be learning for the rest of our lives. And I kind of like that.

Have your say on the upcoming SSMU elections: write a letter to the editor at editor@mcgilltribune.com

10

Tuesday, March 6, 2012 |

OPINION

| Curiosity delivers.

Off the board

Richard Martyn-Hemphill

Opinion Editor

Neither open, nor a forum Voltaire, one of history’s finest satirists, once famously quipped that the Holy Roman Empire was “Neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.” It would be fitting to make a similar kind of observation about Dean Manfredi’s “Open Forum.”

With only around 30 people actually attending the first meeting—many of whom were there just to report on it—it seems more apt to

call the event a seminar, or a conference at best. This may sound facetious, but my point is pressed home

by Dean Manfredi himself. In an interview with the McGill Reporter, he described his chairmanship of the event as “similar to teaching a class,” and that it was, “my chance to actually go back to being a professor.” He even went so far as to declare that he “hope[s] to lead the discussion.” What could possibly sound more like a seminar?

And to claim that Dean Manfredi’s seminar—as it now should be called—was at least an open one is equally misleading. The first meeting was “open” at 4:00 on Thursday afternoon, March 1. Not only is this one of the busiest parts of many

students’ weekly schedules (Thursday afternoon classes are some of the most popular courses), it is also scheduled right in the heart of the midterm exam period. Admittedly, there will be three more of Dean Manfredi’s seminars to participate in. But these are at equally inconvenient stages of the semester, dangerously close to essay deadlines and final exams (March 12, 27 and April 4). Dean Manfredi’s seminars are therefore out of reach for many students.

Now here’s the rub: this schedule clash was not unavoidable. The Jutras report, the administration’s inquiry into the events of Nov. 10, recommended these student consultations back in mid-December last

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year—almost four months ago now.

Why did the administration wait until such a busy time to stage Dean Manfredi’s seminars? And more worryingly, it is striking to point out that the Open Forum was meant to be the opportunity for students to have a say in what the university’s rules were going to be concerning their rights to free expression and peaceful protest; instead, the administration went ahead without any attempt at consultation, devising a provisional protocol which effectively allows the administration to break up any protest that “impedes the conduct of university activities.”

In other words, the provisional protocol allows the administration to break up almost any protest.

It is consequently no mystery why there was such a low attendance at Dean Manfredi’s closed seminar: there was simply no incentive. The provisional protocol will stay in effect for the rest of the year. It may be debated, certainly, but the only chance of it changing is when Manfredi eventually publishes his report in several months’ time (next Oct 8).

It would therefore not be too much of an exaggeration to say that even the blindly optimistic Dr. Pangloss, Voltaire’s most farcical of characters, would express a certain degree of skepticism about anyone attempting, with a straight face, to call Dean Manfredi’s seminar an “Open Forum.”

Graduate and Post-Graduated Scholarships related with Hybrid Spyder vehicle development program Centre de technologies avancées BRP-Université de Sherbrooke (CTA) offers Graduate and Post-Graduated Scholarships related with Hybrid Spyder Vehicle development program. Offered projects are realized within multidisciplinary teams, including professors from Université de Sherbrooke along with technicians and engineers from Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) and they lead to functional prototypes building.

CTA is actually seeking for top-level candidates in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering to tackle Master, Doctorate or Post-doctorate projects associated with hybrid-propulsion technologies: • Aerodynamics • Heat Management • Mechanicals/Mechatronics

Interested candidates are requested to send a motivation letter and resume along with their school marks bulletin at the following address: Director - University affairs Centre de technologies avancées 3000, boul. de l’Université Sherbrooke J1K 0A5 info@CTA-BRP-UdeS.com Deadline : April 15th, 2012 for 2012 Summer session programs

Relevant candidates only will be selected for interviews. CTA offers a dynamic and stimulating workplace featuring hi-tech equipments in an outstanding living environment. CTA is committed to the principle of employment equity. While remaining sensitive to the issue of fair and equitable treatment for all, we will seek to establish a workplace representative of the people we serve by implementing employment equity policies and procedures.

For more information visit us at http://www.cta-brp-udes.com/en/msc-and-phd-programs.html

Student Living odds and ends

Tips for the budget-conscious Going back to basics to get the best bang for your buck Jacqui Galbraith Features Editor As midterms begin to fade away, many of us are realizing just how little of the school year is left.

Finals suddenly seem to be miles closer on this side of reading week, and everyone is making plans for how to budget the rest of their time and money for the next seven weeks.

It’s the time of year when focus in class, roommate tolerance, and bank accounts, are beginning to wear thin.

For those of you who are just beginning to get in touch with your thrifty side, let’s bring it back to the basics where money is concerned. While the light at the end of the tunnel is well within sight, there are a few habits you can adopt to keep your wallet full for the rest of your time at McGill, whether you have three years or a few weeks left.

As young adults with active day and night lives, transportation can take a pretty significant toll on our bank accounts. Apart from the obvious strategies of walking absolutely everywhere, or getting an Opus card if you take public transit frequently, taking a cab can be an inexpensive way to get around. Treat cabs as if they were lifeboats on the Titanic: make sure they’re full to capacity, and never, except in extreme situations, take one alone. If you always

cab with three other people, you can cab four times as often for the same amount of money.

Whether it’s groceries, toiletries, or clothing, buy in bulk. A Costco membership is your best friend, if you have the means to get there.

If not, Provigo always has some kind of special. My roommates and I found a deal on Pringles the other day: three tubes for $5. Needless to say, we stocked up. This strategy is useful for both necessary and unnecessary items. (I’ll leave you to decide which category Pringles fall into). Most clothing stores offer two-for-one, or buy one, get one free specials on basic items like tank tops or jeans. If you only need one of something, try shopping with a friend to get the best bang for your buck. A word of caution: there is a fine line between smart shopping and extreme couponing.

As far as food goes, there are a few options open to you. If you have a meal plan, then by all means use it whenever possible, saving actual cash you could be spending on something else. The beauty of the meal plan is that that money has already been designated for food, so you don’t have to worry about wasting it on something else. If you already have food taken care of, you have a bit more freedom with the rest of your funds, because if noth-

ing else, at least you know you won’t starve. However, if you don’t have a meal plan, you can still be economical by eating at home most of the time and splitting meals when you do decide to go out. When worse comes to worst (or best, depending on how you look at it), Tim Horton’s will always be there as a cheap and delicious fallback.

In terms of night life, the basics still apply. We all know it’s cheaper to pre-drink than to buy drinks once you’re out, and to only bring the cash you know you’ll definitely need. The easiest way to not spend money is to make sure you physically don’t have money to spend. If you can bear it, just leave your debit card at home when you go out. Provided you can muster the willpower to do this, you’ll save yourself countless service charges and mysterious morning-after ATM receipts.

Never part with money if you don’t have to; don’t spend what you know you can’t afford. Equipped with these tips along with your own specialized methods of economizing, hopefully April 30th will find you celebrating the end of exams with a full stomach and a drink in hand.

What you’ll need: Unflavoured popcorn Maple syrup Cayenne pepper (or chili flakes for those more sensitive to spice) Salted peanuts (walnuts, cashews, or pecans work, too)

Tuesday, April 3, 2012 Party Runs 7pm-10pm,

Avengers Vs X-Men #1 goes on sale at

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Popping with flavour Whether it’s for a late-night study snack or just something to munch on something while watching a movie, there’s nothing easier than popcorn. But with more adventurous cravings than just “something sweet,” or “something salty,” popcorn doesn’t always fit the bill. What if you want a little bit of both?

The unbeatable combinations of sweet and salty, or sweet and spicy, never fail to please our tastebuds. Using these two simple recipes, you can get the best of both worlds when nothing else in your pantry seems quite right.

Choose your side

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Sweet and spicy popcorn:

Sweet and salty popcorn:

1) Pop your popcorn. While it’s popping, line a baking sheet with tinfoil or parchment paper.

2) Warm half a cup of maple syrup; just enough to make it smooth and easy to pour. Increase the amount of maple syrup depending on how much popcorn you make.

3) With your popcorn in a bowl, pour in the warm syrup and mix well to evenly coat the popcorn.

4) Lightly sprinkle one tablespoon of cayenne pepper over the popcorn and mix again. Add another spoonful of your chosen spice if you want your popcorn to really pack a punch.

5) Spread the flavoured popcorn on a prepared baking sheet to cool.

Once cool, eat immediately or store in an airtight container for later snacking.

1) Pop your popcorn. While it’s popping, line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.

2) Heat half a cup of maple syrup over medium heat. Remove from heat once the maple syrup is hot but not boiling or burnt. Make sure not to touch it, however, as it can still burn.

3) With your popcorn in a bowl, add in one cup of peanuts and then pour the maple syrup over it.

4) Mix until everything is coated and sticky.

5) Using a spoon, place small clusters onto your prepared baking sheet to cool.

Once cool, eat immediately or store in an airtight container for later snacking.

—Kyla Mandel

* Excludes ComicPull and previously discounted items

514-505-1015

Write for Student Living and Features.

E-mail features@mcgilltribune. com.

March is Women’s History Month both across the pond and south of the border, while International Women’s Day falls this Thursday worldwide. Canada’s own Women’s History Month is October, a month more frequently associated with essays and Halloween parties. And so, there’s no time like the present to remind ourselves of the important role that women have played in Montreal and McGill history.

Women have been vital to Montreal’s success since its foundation. In 1641, Jeanne Mance (1606-1673) crossed the Atlantic into frigid New France, where she and Charles Lallemant founded the Ville-Marie mission, turning a small settlement into a colony. Just four years after arriving at the ends of the known earth, she founded the Hôtel-Dieu, North America’s second-oldest hospital after the Hôtel-Dieu de Quebec.

Visit the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal at 201 Pine Avenue West to learn more about Jeanne Mance, the early days of Montreal medical care, and the Hôtel-Dieu itself.

Marie-Josèphe Angélique

Images from: artbabyart.net, wikipedia.org, bp.blogspot.com, philosophyofscienceportal.blgospot.com, geocaching.com, radio-canada.ca

Jeanne Mance

By Marri Lynn Knadle

H

Women’s

istory

Montreal women broke the rules from the beginning. Take, for example, the Portugal-born Marie-Josèphe Angélique (1710-1734), a black slave with a white lover. She escaped domestic slavery and fled south, but was recaptured. Shortly after, her owner’s house caught fire (along with 46 nearby buildings), leading to her arrest and trial for arson.

She was forced to confess under torture, and subsequently executed. Whether an innocent scapegoat singled out because of her rebellion in the face of oppression, or a woman who sought to make a statement with matches, Marie-Josèphe sent ripples through history.

To learn more, check out ‘Torture and the Truth: Angelique and the Burning of Montreal’ at www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/angelique/accueil/indexen/html/

Month

Marie Lacoste Gérin-Lajoie

Women are easier to find in recorded history after the nineteenth century, counted at last amongst the movers and shakers thanks to the actions of the suffragettes and their sisters, who took to the political stage at home and abroad. Because of those women, we have more details of their lives, their thoughts, and their responses to contemporary challenges.

Marie Lacoste GérinLajoie (1867-1945), the daughter of a lawyer, made good use of her father’s law books as she grew up. These books showed her how few legal rights were available to women in Quebec, setting her on a suffragette’s path. She eventually helped found the Montreal-based Fédération nationale St-JeanBaptiste, Quebec’s premiere feminist foundation and a major force in coordinating and sustaining the women’s rights movement in Quebec.

Fourteen years before her death, the Quebec Civil Code was changed to award married women more financial autonomy and self-determination. Just five years before her death, Quebec granted women suffrage—the last province to do so—as a direct result of protests which she organized and participated in.

See the McCord Museum’s online thematic tour of Quebec feminism for more history and images of related artifacts, or visit the museum itself at 690 Sherbrooke St. West.

In a century where many women now hold high positions at McGill, it’s easy to forget that Canada first awarded a woman full professorship just 100 years ago. That woman was Carrie Derick (1862-1941), a distinguished alumnus of McGill who had graduated at the top of her natural science class, going on to serve the university as an instructor for 16 years before she was awarded the full title and esteem given to her male colleagues. She held the position of acting chairperson of McGill’s botany department for three years. She also won several prizes, including the J.C. Wilson Prize and the Logan Gold Medal in Natural Science. Her work on genetics became renowned in the scientific community, a testament to her expertise and perseverance despite social odds.

On Oct.13, 2012, the Redpath Museum Auditorium will honor the centenary of Carrie Derick’s appointment, with a Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium. For more information, visit www.mcgill. ca/science/events/outreach/

Margaret Charlton

Carrie Derick

Harriet Brooks

The organization of McGill’s medical library remained the purview of a medical faculty member for 72 years after its foundation. The library found its first trained librarian in Margaret Charlton (1858-1931), who came to McGill fresh from studying under the inventor of the Dewey decimal system, and was subsequently given the post of Assistant Librarian— a McGill first, and a position she would hold for almost 20 years. Her meeting with Dr. William Osler, the namesake of McGill’s medical history library, was the catalyst for the creation of the Association of Medical Librarians.

You can visit her grave in Mount Royal Cemetery, on the north slope of Mount Royal.

Our physics building may be named after Ernest Rutherford, but he held that his first graduate student, Harriet Brooks (1876-1933), was second only to Marie Curie in brilliance. Brooks was the first female nuclear physicist in Canada, as well as the first woman to receive a Master’s degree from McGill (doing so in 1901). The university mandate that required women to resign upon marriage cut her off from her career in physics, but not before she helped develop the foundations of nuclear science by performing experiments to discern the nature of radioactivity, and the structure of the atom. Her death was likely due to leukemia, as a consequence of her littleunderstood field of study.

You can read more about her and her involvement with McGill history at blogs.mcgill.ca/science/2011/01/03/ brooks-and-rutherford-emanate/

While these women are bold examples, the collective and individual voices of Montreal’s lower-class and working women, along with women of colour, are still being found and shared by historians and communities alike.

Their critical response in epidemic responses, labour marches, local politics, the war effort, the development of human rights, and other moments in history should not be overlooked. Indeed, the great majority of women on Earth still suffer under conditions more similar to the past than the Western present, necessitating a response from the global community. This year’s International Women’s Day theme calls on us to ‘Empower Women— End Hunger and Poverty.’ Take inspiration from these figures of the past, and who knows? Perhaps you, or someone you know, will become another eminent name in local history by facing, head on, one of the 21st century’s biggest challenges.

To find out more, visit www.un.org/womenwatch/ feature/iwd/

Pensketches

SSMU President Josh Redel: Josh has had many years of experience leading and developing student life at McGill and wants to bring a creative, new direction to SSMU. From founding Queer Engineer to developing a digital signage system for the Engineering Complex, since adopted by Residences, SSMU, and Faculty of Science, Josh is actively building initiatives to engage and reach out to our diverse student body. As President of EUS, he has taken the lead in standing up for students’ initiatives and needs. Josh will champion student space projects, create new branding initiatives for SSMU, and harness the potential of our student body.

Depuis plusieurs années je participe à développer la vie étudiante à McGill et je veux apporter une nouvelle direction créative à l’AÉUM. De la fondation du groupe “Queer Engineer” au développement du système d’information télévisé dans le complexe d’ingénerie (qui a été adopté par les résidences, l’AÉUM et la faculté de science), je continue à m’impliquer et à rejoindre notre communauté étudiante. Étant le président de l’EUS, j’ai défendu les nombreuses initiatives étudiantes et je continuera à le faire. J’appui les projets pour les espaces étudiantes et les initiatives de marketing de l’AÉUM.

Shyam Patel I’m your SSMU VP Finance & Operations and served as Funding Coordinator 2010-2011. I’ve spearheaded the student-run café, increased funding for clubs, and integrated sustainable accounting policies at SSMU. My experience will help to overhaul the SSMU Bureaucracy to make the SSMU more relevant by empowering student representatives to be more proactive. Through collaboration with new food services in the building, I will integrate sustainability with the eco-clamshells. Lastly, I will engage staff through stronger human resources policies/practices and empower student involvement by creating research opportunities within SSMU to increase practical experience.

Experience. Make it work for you! VOTE PATEL!

SSMU VP Clubs & Services

Sahil Chaini:

Allison Cooper:

Hello McGill!

I am currently one of your SSMU C&S Representatives and would love the opportunity to represent you on SSMU as VP Clubs and Services! I’m really passionate about making the student experience especially rewarding through involvement in clubs and services. Backed with experience and knowledge from my involvement in this portfolio, some of my initiatives are to revamp 4th floor office allocation and implement sustainability strategies in our building. As President of the Indian Students’ Association, I know it’s not easy to run a club, but I’ll strive to make it an enjoyable experience! Vote Chaini for Change!

From my 3+ years of working with SSMU’s clubs, services, and Environment Committee, I know what the SSMU has to offer, but also that its procedures are daunting. I understand the problems students face navigating bureaucracy and room bookings from my experience as front desk receptionist, and through leadership of sustainability initiatives like the Plate Club, I know how to green the SSMU. I will increase student space, see concrete sustainability projects through, create platforms for groups’ needs to be communicated, and encourage student initiatives that go beyond the Shatner building. VOTE EXPERIENCE – On your side: Cooper for clubs!

JP Briggs:

Claire Michela:

I’m a U3 Management student studying Finance and Operations Management.

I’ve been very involved within the MUS and chaired highly successful events, most notably Frosh 2010&2011 and Carnival 2012. My portfolio includes over 4000 participants and total budgets exceeding $250,000. As VP Finance I will use my skill and experience to increase accessibility and transparency and support student groups and faculty associations. Furthermore, I will work with fellow executives to foster a greater sense of community and make SSMU relevant to all students.

As Recording Secretary of the SSMU Legislative Council, and Vice-President Finance of my departmental association, I have over a year of experience with SSMU and financial organizing. Next year, I will make underused funds (like the green fund) more accessible to students by reaching out to faculties and schools, and consulting SSMU clubs and services directly. Regarding operations, I will implement pay-as-you-go mini courses at Gerts. Also, the new student-run café will be developed through negotiations with McGill. I have watched SSMU in negotiations, and my understanding will make the process efficient. You can count on me!

SSMU VP Finance & Operations

Zhi Zhen Qin:

Greeting from Zhi Zhen Qin! Originally from China, I have been studying in McGill since the wonderful summer 2009. As your Science Representative in the SSMU Council, I am actively involved in many student affairs. The practical experience of working alongside with the current VP FOPS in Operation and Management Committee and Financial Ethics Review Committee provides me with a great vision and the capability needed to accomplish : • The project of Student-Run Café in Sharner Building • Ethically informed purchases & investments • More financial supports for student clubs & services • Promotion and improvement of the Marketplace

SSMU University Affairs Matt Crawford:

Emil Briones:

Hey, McGill!

Do you want a progressive voice as your VP University Affairs? A seasoned voice with experience on the McGill Senate and SSMU’s Legislative Council? A voice that will demand better access to Financial Aid for all? A voice that will create new student spaces and more group study areas? Do you want a voice that will make an equitable and safe environment a top priority – a voice that will be there for you when student rights are in danger? Vote Matt Crawford for VP University Affairs, and make your choice the progressive voice!

Emil Briones is a clarinet major who would like to bring four years of experience in student service into next year as the VP University Affairs. He has served as the Music Senator (present), President of MUSA (2011-2012), VP External of MUSA and SSMU Councillor (2009-2010), and First Year Representative of MUSA (20082009). As the VP UA, he hopes to continue the dialogue on free speech on campus, tuition hikes, and academic issues concerning undergraduate education. Briones also plans to further open consultation channels and implement research initiatives into action.

Haley Dinel: Hi, My extensive experience as a Senator and Councillor prepared me to excel as VP University Affairs. I established a working relationship with both McGill and SSMU through different initiatives such as Academic Amnesty, livestreaming Senate, and re-establishing the undergraduate society of my faculty.

My pragmatic approach concerning November 10 and the Judicial Board helped to create compromised solutions.

Goals include getting Senate live streamed, making the G.A. more democratic, ensuring safe space community, improving the Student Handbook, making McGill more functionally bilingual, and serving as an effective liaison between students and administration.

Vote for unity and leadership.

SSMU VP Internal Christina Sfeir:

Samuel Sigere:

I am a third year Political Science student. I have a diverse background in event planning and two years of experience working with SSMU. I have specifically worked with the past and present VP Internal, allowing me to fully understand the responsibilities and obligations of the position. My experience includes; PSSA Battle for the Charity, Model United Nations Entertainment Coordinator, Faculty Olympics Chair, 4floors organizer and the SSPN SSMU events committee. My platform is based on diversifying SSMU events and working on rebuilding McGill’s community.

I promise to bring my creativity and dedication to this position. Just imagine the possibilities.

With my experience as BUGS VP External and director of the 2011 Biochemistry Games, I plan on organizing many small events alongside the big SSMU events we’ve come to love and enjoy. I will work to build stronger relationships between SSMU and McGill’s faculties and departments. With my knowledge of McGill media, I’ll keep you informed about what SSMU can do for you, and hopefully get you involved! Creating a strong McGill community is my motto and my goal. Vote SAM: for a SSMU that works for you.

Michael Szpejda:

Katie Larson:

Hey Everyone, My name is Michael Szpejda and I’m honoured and excited to be running for SSMU VP Internal. I have been involved in the social well being of McGill students for several years. I was an integral member of the Avicii promotion team as well as member of the SSMU Faculty Olympic Committee. Similarly, I am currently VP Internal of the SUS and also sit on the Orientation Week Working Group, which strives to improve the quality of orientation and its image for all students. I look forward to continue serving McGill and the students of this great community.

Katie Larson has a background both at SSMU as well as at the Faculty Association level, from which she brings an eclectic knowledge of the McGill Community as a whole. Larson is the President of the Music Undergraduate Students’ Association, and was a SSMU Legislative Councilor (2010-2011) where she worked with the VP Clubs&Services on the Interest Group Committee as well as the VP Finance&Operations on the Finance Committee. As VP Internal she is eager to implement proactive improvements in communication, encourage collaboration between Student Associations, and commit to diverse programming to engage all SSMU members.

Robert Bell:

Inna Tarabukhina:

I’m not a “career” student politician. I’m not running to boost my resume. I’m running because I care deeply about the students who spend their days (and often nights) striving for excellence on this campus, students who deserve the most rewarding possible experience from their studies and a cohesive sense of community spirit here at McGill. Through organizing within my own department, frequent liasons with SSMU, and active involvement in the broader Montreal social and political community, I feel uniquely well placed to make a meangingful difference in the campus lives of McGill students in the role of VP Internal.

I am a passionate and curious Arts and Science student, Majoring in Cognitive Neuroscience and Philosophy. I am running for VP Internal because I believe in the power of knowledge and communication as I can apply them in this position. I have a vision of a united campus, where open dialogue and integrative practices are used to solve issues. Originally from Ukraine, and having been involved with SSMU, SEDE, JHR, CKUT, DAR and BASiC in the past, I have the multidimensional perspective and relevant experience to offer you a University experience realized to its full potential.

Salar Nasehi (Karim Mohamad): It is important to have someone that will make the most out of the political opportunities afforded to this position. Experience in event organization, protest mobilization, public speaking, fundraising, management etc. and my affiliation with a multiplicity of groups on and off campus, are evidence of my qualifications, but I am determined to exceed expectations. If given the opportunity, I feel that my personal life experiences, as well as my academic immersion, have placed me in a position where I am both dedicated in my will, and efficient in my ability to become an effective and notable SSMU executive member.

SSMU VP External Raphael Uribe Arango:

Robin Reid-Fraser:

Dear McGillians My name is Raphael Uribe Arango and I am running for the position of SSMU VP External. I am from London, England and I am a U1 student in arts currently studying History.

I have experience on SSMU council, as I am currently the IRC rep to SSMU. I speak French, English and Spanish and a little Russian. I am a passionate and dedicated individual loves whom the McGill community. My aim for the position is to open up forums for all students to come and debate how they would like to be represented to the outside community.

I’m in third year and have been involved with a number of student groups, including MORE and Environmental Residence Councils, Organic Campus, SSMU Environment Committee and the groups working to oppose tuition increases. As VP External I will make direct connections between McGill students and the Montreal community, making it easier for McGill students to get involved with community organizations outside of SSMU and create opportunities to network with other Montreal students in both French and English. I will encourage students to get politically engaged, and will continue to advocate for the accessibility of education in Quebec and beyond.

CKUT Fee Question - “Yes” Committee

CKUT has been proud to be your campus radio station since 1987. 365 days a year, CKUT connects McGill students and community members to a local and international audience. Through CKUT, McGill students have access to internships, training, ticket deals, and top-notch campus-community programming at one of Montreal’s most popular radio stations. (For real. Just ask the Montreal Mirror.)

Whether you’re a journalist, pundit, DJ, or aspiring musician,CKUT has a place for you to get on the air.

Vote YES!!! lots of luv.

CKUT est fier d’être votre station de radio de campus depuis 1987. 365 jours par année, CKUT branche les étudiants de McGill et les membres de la communauté à un auditoire local et international. À travers CKUT, les étudiants de McGill ont accès à des stages, des formations, des ventes de billets, et une programmation de campus et de communauté de premier ordre à une des stations de radio les plus populaires de Montréal. Que vous soyez journaliste, expert, DJ, ou musicien aspirant, CKUT a une place à l’antenne pour vous.

Votez OUI!!!

Beaucoup d’amour,

ASEQ Fee Question - “Yes” Committee SSMU is holding a referendum to ask students if they support a fee to maintain the current coverage offered by the SSMU Health and Dental Plan. The fee has not been increased since the last student referendum in 2005, although Plan usage and coverage have both increased. Some of the new benefits added to the Plan since 2005 include vision care (eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses), increased vaccination and dental coverage, and tuition insurance. If the fee remains unaltered, students will see a progressive decrease in overall coverage. If passed by referendum, the new Plan fee will go into

Science & technology Technology

Raspberry Pi is a lot of computer for very little money The $25 computer shocks an industry that hasn’t focused on affordability Iain Macdonald Production Manager When the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced in the late 2000s that they intended to create a capable computer for only $25, most people said they were crazy. The idea of a desktop computer in the double-digit price range was unheard of back in 2006, and indeed it still seems somewhat absurd. Last Wednesday, the Raspberry Pi debuted, proving the naysayers wrong and establishing itself as one of the most cost effective computers of all time.

The original idea was to develop an inexpensive computer which could be used to jumpstart computer science education in developing countries, where schools can’t afford computer programs. This has remained a central objective for the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The foundation intends to implement a buyone, donate-one policy, where each purchase results in two computers being shipped; one goes to the purchaser, and one goes to a school in the developing world. But for now, all commercial profits are being donated to the foundation’s charitable causes.

The Raspberry Pi mission began with Eben Upton, a British hardware developer with Broad-

com who had a dream. Rather than launch a startup (Eben has already worked with two), he decided to start a foundation to take his idea in another direction entirely. The idea for Raspberry Pi was born.

A functional computer for $25 seems too good to be true, and in some ways it is. The Raspberry Pi doesn’t look much like the typical desktop computer. Perhaps the biggest surprise is its size; at 9 cm by 5 cm, it’s not much bigger than a credit card. Additionally, the computer doesn’t come with a monitor, keyboard, mouse, or even a case.

Buyers will receive what looks like a small piece of electronic circuitry with some recognizable ports attached. The foundation is selling two models, Model A and Model B. Model A sports a 700 MHz ARM CPU, with 256 MB of RAM built into the chip, making it significantly less powerful than most desktop or laptop computers on the market today. There is a USB output, an audio jack, RCA and HDMI video outputs, space for an SD card, and a power connector. Model B adds another USB port and an ethernet port for $10 more. To actually use the device, you’ll still need a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and SD card. While you might have some of these lying around, it certainly undermines the

claim of an utterly unheard-of price.

Despite its apparently underpowered internals, the Raspberry Pi is actually quite capable. It runs a modified version of the Fedora operating system, not the Windows 7 OS that most are familiar with, but it also supports Debian and Arch Linux. The Pi is also capable of playing 1080p videos, but since these videos are handled by a hardware decoder, it can only effectively manage certain video formats. Despite this limitation, its video features are quite impressive. For basic computer use, like writing papers, viewing PDFs, and browsing the web, the Pi is actually usable.

While it’s not likely that we’ll see students showing up at McGill next fall to start the school year with Raspberry Pis, the Pi does set a precedent in an industry which has constantly expanded in only one direction, and does so with an admirable mission behind it. There has never been a reasonable market for cheap computers, as manufacturers tend to drop old models quickly in favour of bigger, better, and more expensive components. Hopefully we will see other manufacturers begin to target this market with affordable but capable computers. In the meantime, the Pi can be purchased at www. raspberrypi.com

An overview of the hardware aboard the Raspberry Pi. (raspberrypi.org)

Speaker

Forum held to critically analyze autism-vaccine link Researchers emphasize lack of evidence behind autism connection and the advantages of vaccination Bianca Van Bavel Contributor On Feb. 15, McGill’s department of psychology hosted “Critical Thinking and the Vaccination Debate,” a forum designed to present a range of topics and case studies to help students critically analyze the issue. Dr. Amir Raz of McGill’s psychology department set the stage for a highly contested debate on autism and its presumed causal link to vaccination, with attention to the research, evidence, and social and historical factors that affect the debate.

The forum was part of a regular McGill psychology course taught by Dr. Raz, called “Critical Thinking: Biases and Illusion,” which aims to make information as comprehensible as possible, opening the floor to critical thinking by allowing students to question information that is popularly accepted as truth.

One featured speaker was Dr.

Brian Ward, a professor affiliated with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, who offered his biomedical perspective in a discussion on common vaccination myths and realities. Ward gave an historical overview of successful vaccination stories, drawing upon statistical evidence to make claims in favour of vaccinations’ accomplishments.

“The risk of vaccines is contextual. You have to think of them in terms of relativity,” Ward said.

“Context changes with the epidemiology of the disease.”

The event’s second speaker was Seth Mnookin, a former investigative journalist, writer, and lecturer at MIT. Mnookin recently published a book called The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear, in which he explores the controversies over vaccines and how people decide what counts as truth.

“I don’t think there is any type

of evidence that is going to convince true believers [that vaccines don’t result in harmful childhood development] ... you cannot un-scare the fear that has already been instilled,” Mnookin said.

Dr. Raz added that there is still no precise definition available for autism, no genetic marker, and no way to consistently and effectively detect and diagnose children younger than six months old. Since standard immunizations can be given to children as young as two months of age, the coincidence of development has led to the appearance of a correlation between autism and vaccination.

“One of the most common errors ... as a scientist, in the press and the general media, is the confusion between correlation and causation ... unfortunately our intuition can lead us astray,” Dr. Raz said.

Because of limited public knowledge about autism, a family

member of someone diagnosed with autism can be intimidated by the disease. This perspective must be taken into consideration to gain a better understanding of the vaccination debate. Dr. Raz suggested that families struggling with a child’s onset of autism may jump to conclusions and seek alternate answers in hopes of understanding their situation.

“When the stakes are high, people are much more likely to jump to conclusions, and that’s just a psychological fact,” Dr. Raz said.

“If there is no answer scientifically, people will look to alternative sources,” Dr. Ward added.

According to Mnookin, it is difficult to remain objective when faced with these emotional and compelling testimonials. “[The] majority of the actors in the drama ... are acting with the best of intentions—parents who reverently believed their children were harmed,” Mnookin said.

Discussions ended on a positive note, as speakers offered pragmatic advice for improving how we gather and interpret information.

Both speakers emphasized the need to help individuals and families harmed by vaccinations, to work toward improving the overall safety of vaccines, and to promote widespread use of vaccines as a primary component of health care and, according to Dr. Ward, a fundamental human right.

In his closing statement, Dr. Ward described what he feels is at stake for the world of biomedicine in this debate.

“We are losing ground ... the society we live in is losing confidence in vaccines. We have to meet these challenges with science and passion,” he said. “We have to find a way to get back at least a little bit of this magic.”

SCIENCE & TECH

Speaker

Hänsch emphasizes importance of precision Farah Hanani Sam Contributor On March 1, the McGill physics department hosted a public lecture by Nobel laureate Dr. Theodor W. Hänsch of the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics, as part of this year’s Anna I. McPherson lecture series. During his talk, called “Passion for Precision,” Hänsch discussed the importance of precise measurements in his field, and his lifelong pursuit to develop breakthroughs in fundamental physics through precise laser spectroscopy of simple atoms.

Hänsch shared a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2005 with Roy J. Glauber and John L. Hall “for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique.” Hänsch began the lecture by providing some insight into the importance of pursuing increased precision in physical measurements.

“Precise measurements are very important,” he said. “If you can measure more ... digits than people before you, you could find something surprising, and if you’re lucky, you might find something new and fundamental.”

Hänsch and his team have long pushed the limits of precise measurement. One of their most recent projects involved trying to measure the radius of a proton more accurately than ever before.

“Proton size is a dominant source of uncertainty, and we pondered for a very long time on how to measure this well [beyond] mainstream techniques of measurement,” he said. “Ten years ago, we started the quest to measure the size of a proton using laser spectroscopy.”

Physicists have been measuring proton size for more than 90 years.

But in 2010, a team led by Randolf Pohl from Hänsch’s laboratory derived a new experimental value for the proton radius that is 10 times more precise than the accepted official CODATA (the Committee on Data for Science and Technology) value. The measurement was about four per cent smaller than the previous estimate. The finding rocked the physics world, as it potentially un-

dermines some of the most trusted laws in physics. According to Hänsch, even his team did not expect the discovery. They thought at first that the measurements were not in the predicted range because of some experimental failure.

“Based on the accepted proton radius, we had anticipated the range of frequency that the results would produce, but the experiment failed.

We decided to look outside the range and we finally found it way outside the expected frequencies. This might be an experimental error, or [it may] indicate a gap in the quantum electrodynamic theory,” he said.

Hänsch also looked back on his 1970 invention of a very precise type of laser called a frequency comb.

The tool can measure spectral line emissions of a hydrogen atom with higher precision than was previously possible. A hydrogen atom has many energy levels, and when the atom moves between energy states, a wave of light is emitted. The energy in this wave of light is equal to the energy change in the atom. The light wave has a specific colour and wavelength. The set of all possible observable light emissions are collectively referred to as spectral line emissions, and this set is unique to each atom.

Increased precision measurements in this area proved to be gamechanging. Hydrogen atom properties form the basis of many fundamental quantum physics constants, such as the Rydberg constant, which is precisely inferred through analysis of hydrogen’s light emissions. As of 2010, the Rydberg constant was the most accurately measurable of the fundamental constants.

“Before, we were only able to measure the spectral lines of hydrogen up until six decibels. Now, we’re able to measure up to 15 decibels. We are pushing the limits of what is humanly possible, which might lead to a deeper understanding of fundamental physics,” Hänsch told his audience.

Most recently, Hänsch’s discovery of the size of the proton was published in Nature, and was listed as one of Physics World’s top 10 breakthroughs of 2011. It is a great example of the impact precise measurements can make.

ERRATA

A story in our Feb 14. issue (“Efficacy of saliva test could forever change HIV testing”) incorrectly listed the name of the project’s principal investigator as Dr. Nantika Pant Pai. The researcher’s name is Dr. Nitika Pant Pai. The Tribune regrets this error.

| Tuesday, March 6, 2012

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Curiosity delivers. |

arts & entertainment music

“Everything happens here, then nothing for a long, long time.”

John K. Samson explores Manitoba’s past and present in his first solo release, Provincial Ryan Taylor Managing Editor On Provincial, John K. Samson, the front man of beloved Winnipeg folk-rockers the Weakerthans set out to uncover the forgotten histories and contemporary culture of his home province of Manitoba.

The project was initially conceived as a series of 7” records based around different Manitoba roads before Samson decided to expand the concept.

“I kind of got it into my head that I’d like a record where I could take people to each song if they had a couple days off and a car,” Samson says. “I could take them to the songs and show them the places and kind of make a musical map of a radius around the place that I live.”

On paper, a Manitoba-themed record may not sound like the most riveting listen, but Samson finds some fascinating stories and his way with words coupled with solid folkrock makes the songs all the more intriguing. The lyric book begins with an epigraph from Canadian poet Karen Solie: “Everything happens here, then nothing for a long, long time.” In a way, it’s the thesis of the album, and one that doesn’t attempt to dispel the perceived placid nature of the province; rather, it leads to the realization that there are stories everywhere if you’re willing to look for them.

“That just points to the fact that all of the places that I researched and visited for this record, to the naked eye, they’re not bustling places,”

Samson says. “There’s not a lot going on, but an incredible amount of story and life have been lived in these places and those stories have a real permanence that exist[s] beyond the exterior of what you see when you go there.”

One such place was the Ninette Sanatorium, Manitoba’s first treatment centre for tuberculosis that operated for most of the 20th century. It appears back-to-back on the album, first as the study subject of a frustrated grad student in the comical and upbeat “When I Write My Master’s Thesis,” and then in the tender “Letters in Icelandic From the Ninette San,” written from the perspective of a patient. The songs are the spiritual centrepiece of the album, and as a physical location, Ninette embodies the marginalized history Samson wants to expose.

“It’s this place where thousands of people lived and died and created this totally unique community that has just been wiped away,” Samson explains. “It’s now an RV park and you’re not even allowed to go and look at the plaques that were lovingly installed by patients and doctors over the years. These places exist everywhere.”

The album also does its part to sing the praises of unsung heroes. “www.ipetitions.com/petition/rivertonrifle” is written in the form of an online petition by the citizens of Riverton to induct Reggie “The Riverton Rifle” Leach into the Hockey Hall of Fame. A town hero, Leach overcame a difficult childhood to play several successful seasons with

the Philadelphia Flyers before his career was cut short by struggles with alcoholism, from which he’s since recovered.

“He never really put together a string of seasons that would, on paper, make him eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame,” Samson explains. “But I saw a great sense of pride the people of Riverton take in him—there’s an arena and a mural and a street named after him in the town. I wanted to try and figure out a way of honouring Reggie and discussing those things that you can’t find in statistics.”

Those who visit the URL will find an actual petition created by Samson that they can sign should they feel so inclined. It’s gathered over 1,100 signatures since it was posted in 2010, more than half of which have come following the release of Provincial. Samson hopes to gain more signatures as he tours, and plans to submit them to the Hall of Fame at the end of the year.

Talk of hockey naturally works its way to the return of the Winnipeg Jets, something that leaves Samson with mixed feelings.

“I haven’t taken to them yet,” he says. “I believe that the Winnipeg Jets existed until 1996 and the franchise that was the Winnipeg Jets is the Phoenix Coyotes. I’m very much opposed to the idea that these are the Winnipeg Jets. To me, that’s a huge mistake to name them that.”

However, Samson admits he’s happy that high calibre hockey is back in Winnipeg and, much like Leach’s impact in Riverton, he sees

Samson finds inspiration in marginalized histories. (Canculture.com) its effect on the people of the city.

“Mood accounts for much more than we give it credit,” he says. “I think it’s been a pretty spectacular season for Winnipeggers and you can feel it in the city. Again, it’s one of those intangible things. I personally don’t believe that a hockey team or a sports franchise does anything economically to a city—I think it’s a mistake to think that it does—but it does something to the people of the city.”

Samson and Winnipeg often go together in the same breath, but as specific as his songs get, his music has still managed to find a worldwide audience. He doesn’t fully understand it himself, but he has his suspicions.

“I guess it’s just some great

commonality that we’re all from somewhere, that we all live in unique and universal places, that there’s something unique about every place and also universal. I always enjoy writing that distorts a place in a way that you haven’t heard it before and that’s kind of what I aspire to do.”

Provincial aims to show there’s more to Manitoba than meets the eye. Mission accomplished.

John K. Samson plays La Sala Rossa (4848 St. Laurent) Friday, March 9. $18 advance/$20 at the door.

poetry

Waxing poetic at the Divan Orange

A mainstay of the Montreal poetry scene welcomes frequent guests and curious newcomers Ilia Blinderman Contributor Meaghan Tardif-Bennett sat anxiously waiting for her turn on stage. She was dressed in black and white, with pink nail polish, pink lipstick, and a pink handbag.

“I was really stressed, and was very conscious of the impression I would make on the audience,” she says. “But I also wanted to feel as comfortable as possible in my skin.

I was saving this bag for the spring, but it was pink and I really like it, so tonight I thought ‘fuck it, I’m using it.’”

Tardif-Bennett, a 20-year-old studio arts graduate from Champlain

College, was taking part in a poetry slam organized by the Throw Poetry Collective at the Divan Orange. The event ran according to standard slam rules: judges were randomly selected amongst the attendees, and cut their evaluative teeth on a “sacrificial poet” in order to standardize the scoring and diffuse the worries that performers might have about going first. Poets then had three minutes on stage, with a good-natured heckle from the crowd and points deducted if they went over or under the allotted time.

The poem Tardif-Bennett performed dealt with her coming of age.

“My stuff is very personal. I’m applying for university now, and I

wrote about what I wanted this part of my life to be like when I was younger, and coming to terms with what it’s like now,” she says. After her piece, she sat back in her seat, with only her bright smile betraying her quiet giddiness. The judges gave her high scores, and she moved on to the second round.

Although the slam pits poets against one another in a public arena, there is very little ill-will between the participants.

“After I slammed here, I loved it,” says Deanna Smith, a leading member of collective and the evening’s emcee. “It’s very open and welcoming. Even though it’s supposed to be competitive, there’s

nothing negative about it.”

The remainder of the evening was filled with performances running the gamut from surprisingly funny to jarringly emotional. A young man comically rhapsodized about his relationship with coffee, eliciting peals of laughter from the audience.

He was followed by a bearded man who chided the audience for their latent support of America (by virtue of living in Canada), and called the attack on the World Trade Center an instance of “post-modern war.” Tardif-Bennett, who had been unaware of a second round before that evening, performed a poem about her younger sister with little practice.

It lasted over four minutes, and she

was heavily penalized, coming last in the round.

Despite the time mishap, Tardif-Bennett was beaming. “I’d do it again, hands down. As an artist, you’ve got this constant juice, this energy running through you.

It’s like a waterfall. After you perform though, there’s this calm,” she explains, and enthusiastically expressed her plans to return in two weeks’ time. “This is a community I want to be a part of.”

The next open mic slam at Le Divan Orange is March 25. For more information, visit the Throw Poetry Collective at www.throwcollective.com.

Curiosity delivers. |

Arts & Entertainment

19

| Tuesday, March 6, 2012

film

Hippies and happiness in Wanderlust Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston’s latest film is funny despite of rom-com formula Linda Sarvi Contributor At first glance, Wanderlust appears to be another film with all the makings of petty romantic comedy; the idea of Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd teaming up in a film about finding one’s inner self seems like enough to place the film next to other disappointing romantic comedies like Along Came Polly or One for the Money. But director David Wain (Role Models) successfully translates the same awkward and unexpected humour into a unique and hilarious context with enough absurd plot twists to keep viewers laughing throughout the entire film. Wanderlust warrants itself as a memorable comedy in its own right.

The story centres on characters Linda and George (Aniston and Rudd) who, after hoping to start a new and promising urban life in New York City, are forced to leave their dreams behind after George is unexpectedly laid off. With nowhere else

Aniston and Rudd stick to the typical comedy script. (Aceshowbiz.com) to turn, they reluctantly pack up and head to Atlanta to live with George’s older brother and wife. On the way there, they stumble upon the hippie

commune Elysium. Upon realizing that George’s frat-boy brother is unbearable, they soon head back to Elysium to stay until they figure out

where to go from there.

The comedic magic lies in the commune’s exaggeratedly quirky and alternative lifestyle, one that Linda and George learn to embrace.

The plot progresses with a hysterical depiction of their random day-today practices: George can only observe the commune with disbelief, but Linda unexpectedly eases right into it. Everything stereotypically associated with hippies—nudism, tantric sex, herbal tea, and drugs—is laid out before us through a cast of individuals that successfully transform into caricatures of the hippie movement. The dialogue has plenty of hilarious one-liners, and often painfully drags out delayed awkward moments and situations that left me crying with laughter.

Both Aniston and Rudd do not stretch far from anything we haven’t already seen before. Rudd plays a sarcastic simpleton whose comedic quality lies in his awkward yet amusing way of dealing with embarrassing situations, though we do get

to see his impressive improvisational skills. Jennifer Aniston doesn’t shock the same way her recent character as a nymphomaniac dentist did in Horrible Bosses, but it’s still great to see her play a comedic role. She has an undeniable charm and likeability that shines through her character’s free-spiritedness, and most of all she reminds us that even in at 43, she is the face for the elixir of youth.

The real icing on the cake howver is the antagonist Seth (Justin Theroux), who holds intense passion for peace, harmony, yoga, and making love.

Wanderlust is the kind of movie that is entertaining at face value.

Any sort of logical progression of events is to be forgotten; director David Wain wants viewers to sit back and be amused. If you’re looking for a film with a deeper thematic meaning or emotional development of characters, look elsewhere. Wanderlust is for the sake of laughing out loud and nothing more.

theatre

Title 66 Productions puts Satan on trial

The History of the Devil offers compelling premise but performance has room to grow Chris Liu Contributor For many, good and evil are so straightforward. Truth is good, lies are bad; helping is good, hurting is bad. Easy. The History of the Devil takes the notion of black-and-white ethics and grinds it into the dirt. Its tale of sin and sympathy, revulsion and redemption is served unflinchingly and relentlessly by the cast and crew of Title 66 Productions.

The result is something slightly less than the sum of its parts, but it’s certainly not for a lack of ambition nor courage.

With Heaven, there is also Hell.

For thousands of years civilizations have lived alongside the Prince of Darkness, whose machinations have repeatedly brought woe upon humanity. Now the tables have turned.

The Devil himself has been put on trial, and we are the jury. A conviction denies Lucifer of God’s grace, and binds him to a continued existence of torment on Earth. An acquittal sets him free.

From this promising premise the script leaps through the pages of history, serving philosophical rumination alongside sex and blood.

There’s Dante, beheadings, metaethics, and a stick-sparring session between Satan and Jesus Christ.

The text is a smorgasbord of literary and philosophical references, none of which appear to have slipped past the cast. It takes intellectual acumen to dissect a script so obtuse, and the cast’s deft comprehension of the script was clear.

The problem was more that the cast knew the script too well; there were a few rather esoteric exchanges that the actors simply charged through, leaving the audience struggling to pick up the smithereens.

That said, this relentlessness was perhaps the single greatest strength of the production. The rapid yet focused pacing kept the show from being mired down in the density of the script. Dialogue was frictionless despite the speed, a testament to what must have been a considerable amount of time and effort devoted by the cast. In addition, Jeremy Michael Segal added precise and meticulous direction.

Unfortunately, victims to the pacing included projection—an issue most pronounced with Jane (Arielle Palik) and to a lesser degree, Sam (Kyle Mcilhone)—and enunciation.

The latter was exacerbated by otherwise gorgeous masks (created by Danielle Fagen and Joshua Cape), which, when created to fit over the mouth, served to muffle nearly every actor behind them (with the notable exception of the wonderfully booming Liana Montoro).

Amazingly, nearly all of the cast fulfilled four or more roles. Great risks carry great rewards, and this impressive feat allowed the cast to show off their great range in characterizations. Particularly outstanding was Arielle Palik, whose portrayal of a mentally disabled child that is Satan’s first mortal victim was perhaps the greatest performance of the production. As the sole actor with a single role, Lucas Chartier-Dessert’s Devil was everything the script demanded him to be: paradoxically, the most human character of all.

Ultimately however, the production leaves an impression that is cold, clinical, and bland. Much of it is admittedly not the fault of the cast. Philosophically, playwright Clive Barker writes from the shadow of Nietzsche—a thinker that is overarchingly defined by the prefix “anti”—and makes none of the efforts of the latter at amelioration.

Lily MacLean as Milo Milo. (Julia Milz / Title 66 Productions) This is why some failures of the production cannot be hung on the cast directly. No matter how much life they attempted to blow into the corpse, Barker has stubbornly slapped his script with an order of “do not resuscitate.”

As a young company, Title 66

has plenty of time to flourish. The History of the Devil proved two very important things: that its members have guts, and by implication, an iron-clad will to thrive. With luck, the rest will come in time.

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Tuesday, March 6, 2012 |

Arts & Entertainment

film

Generation Mayhem

Project X knows its demographic wants to party

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| Curiosity delivers.

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Lea Choukroun Contributor Producer Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Old School) and director Nima Nourizadeh have turned up the intensity of the teen movie. Project X is Superbad for 2012; it’s edgy and the war cry of a generation.

The film is the story of 17-yearold Thomas, whose “small get together” quickly turns into the century’s most chaotic party. It’s also the tale of a licentious, debauched group that sacrifices a college fund for the sake of this one-night insanity. Project X is somewhat questionable in its portrayal of mind-numbingly reckless teens and its lack of character development. Some will see sleazy, others will see sexy. Whichever one it is, Project X can lead to some interesting post-viewing debates.

Viewers follow four average high school losers through the party they wanted to host as a “game changer.” To kickstart the party, Costa, Thomas’s hasty and obnoxious friend, pours four shots, one of which he hands over to the camera man, symbolically inviting the audience to drink with them. Cars arrive, hip teens come in large numbers, and quickly the house is packed; alcohol flows and girls denude.

The entire movie is filmed by a handheld camera, reducing the distance between the audience and the characters to almost nothing, creating a spectator’s experience of the party. All the frames are skilfully trendy and provocative enough

Don’t expect these three to be smiling next morning. (Filmofilia.com) that it gives the average insipid teen movie an artistic spin and some much-needed flavour. The audience experiences the party with these teens: the slick combination of handheld shooting, moments of intense music, and overcrowded frames drags the viewer into the madness of a provocative party. The soundtrack alternates between indie electro and hip-hop party tracks with the Kid Cudi/MGMT/Ratatat collaboration “The Pursuit of Happiness” serving as the anthem of the movie.

The chaotic atmosphere is all the more real when the host’s anxiety increases with the increasingly uncontrollable mayhem. The audience is on edge alongside the characters as we see constant reminders that what these kids live through is often wrong, abusive, and immoral. The neighbours and the police

snap us out of simply enjoying the decadent youth and propel the film into a strange suspense that is further emphasized by an unstable and fast-paced mood. The party grows in size as Thomas’ house becomes overcrowded, his father’s car is submerged in the family pool, and Thomas self-medicates with ecstasy.

Beyond the party frenzy, however, the film emphasizes both an aesthetic style and debauched youth trying to define themselves. Project X can’t be taken too seriously.

Whether it really takes burning your neighbourhood down to get noticed at school is not the point. It’s fun, it’s entertaining, and it’s provocative. Perhaps the true virtuosos are the marketing team behind Project X who understood that this is the type of movie that the teen audience wants.

The Trib’s March Playlist Midterm season got you down? Ease the pain with the Trib’s favourite study music:

Burial: “Loner”

John Coltrane: “Pursuance/Psalm”

Understated dubstep with kaleidoscopic synth-melodies and enough bass to keep you moving. Builds into and out of silent moments, keeping the track focused and uplifting.

If for nothing else, its length could serve as a good reminder when it’s time to pull your eyes away from your textbook.

Porcelain Raft: “Put Me to Sleep”

A Tribe Called Quest: “Push It Along”

Soothing beats and bright, airy vocals. It satisfies but doesn’t overpower.

The jazzy vibes are addictive even if the message within Q-Tip’s lingo escapes you.

Talk Talk: “Taphead”

DJ Shadow: “What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)”

A carefully constructed lament that uses horns to heighten the song’s sense of anxiety.

The steady drum sample might seem repetitive, but it would be a mistake to dismiss this track as only background noise.

Octoberman: Waiting in the Well Led by singer-songerwiter Marc Morrissette, Waiting in the Well marks the fourth full-length album released by Canadian indierock band Octoberman. At face value, it’s a collection of songs about the frustration and sacrifice that accompanies a long period of waiting.

But in its use of despondent melodies and varied acoustics, Waiting in the Well strikes a soothing tone that will most likely appeal to listeners of indie-rock groups like Belle & Sebastian and Death Cab for Cutie.

Despite Morrissette’s melancholy vocals and sporadic lyrical moments of dejection, the album maintains a comforting and relatively optimistic quality from start to finish. “Dressed Up” is easily the album’s paramount track, a result of both its solid opening and upbeat rhythm, setting it apart from the calm that dominates the rest of the album. Other strong songs include the lighthearted opener “Waiting for Christine,” as well as “Thank You Mr. V,” the band’s poignant tribute to the late Kurt Vonnegut.

Certain songs fail to captivate because of Morrissette’s vocals, which occasionally falter in mediocre tracks like “Actress.” Listeners should also beware of “Burning Sun,” in which lyrical clichés cancel out the song’s instrumental strength.

Despite the relative inferiority of these two tracks, Waiting in the Well brandishes an overall quality and likeability that can be expected to satisfy past fans and those of the indie-rock genre.

—Marie Stefanakis

Fred: Leaving My Empire Producer Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade) has left his mark on this five-piece alternative band’s most recent album, Leaving My Empire, for better or for worse. He possesses an impressive ability to make the band sound like they are walking a fine line between melancholy and joy, a talent that makes for an interesting album, though maybe one that is somewhat conventional.

“This seems almost familiar,” Joseph O’Leary sings on “Villians,” and he’s right—the same thought popped into my head with almost every track. Whenever Bilerman used Arcade Fire-esque vocals, I thought I was listening to the voice of Win Butler. Although O’Leary’s voice is quite different from the Arcade Fire vocalist’s, it’s difficult to distinguish the two when all that echo and reverb is added.

Despite the unavoidable similarities between the production techniques of Leaving My Empire and Funeral, there were many blasts of unique instrumentation and styles that set this band apart (and there are worse albums to sound like than the latter). Poignant melodies, poetic lyrics, and unique chord progressions come together to make this a heartfelt album, and the band displays an incredible togetherness in their vocal and instrumental parts.

Filled with moving build-ups leading to epic climaxes, it’s very difficult not to listen to the whole thing from beginning to end each time.

Follow us on Twitter @mcgill_tribune

—Vanessa Salvo

SPORTS

basketBALL — Martlets 56, stingers 49

Martlets capture first RSEQ championship in 16 years With title, Martlets move on to play for highly touted CIS championship Steven Lampert Sports Editor A team that shoots 29.4, 18.2, and 57.1 per cent from the field (three-point line and foul line respectively) isn’t usually very successful. But the McGill Martlet basketball team had something right this season. On Friday night, their whole season came together, overshadowing their poor shooting for the night.

The Martlets defeated the Concordia Stingers 56-49 in the RSEQ championship game at Love Competition Hall to claim their first conference title since 1996. Star centre Anneth Him-Lazarenko recorded another double-double with a teamhigh 17 points and 12 rebounds as she anchored McGill throughout the entire game.

Both teams looked a bit hesitant in the opening minutes, clearly understanding the implications of the game. Nevertheless, they were highly competitive as they exchanged baskets.

McGill took control with just under four minutes to go in the first quarter, as Him-Lazarenko and senior guard Natalie Larocque combined to score the team’s final eight points of the frame. McGill closed on an 8-0 run, giving them a tenpoint lead heading into the second.

While McGill looked to control

Marie-Eve Martin battles inside for position against Concordia on Friday night. (Sam Reynolds / McGill Tribune) the scoreboard, their offence never seemed in sync. The Martlets commited 20 turnovers in the game, either attributed to the team’s nerves or overall lack of rhythm—the latter being a reoccuring problem throughout the year. However, Concordia was couldn’t to take advantage, scoring only 12 points on these chances due to their own faults and McGill’s excellent transition defence.

The end of the second half was similar to the first. McGill controlled the glass and their defence was suffocating, forcing the Stingers to commit five turnovers. Larocque, Valerie L’Ecuyer, and Francoise Charest combined to score all of McGill’s points in the quarter and helped extend the Martlets’ lead to 14 at the break.

One of McGill’s strengths

throughout the regular season was their rebounding, which was on full display Friday as the team pulled down a season-high 63 rebounds, 26 of which were offensive. Concordia only managed to pull down 36. For beginner basketball fans, that margin is absurd, and speaks to the total control by the Martlets.

Concordia opened the third quarter with much resilience, cutting

the lead to seven points by the halfway point, but this was the closest they came for the rest of the game.

Led by a pair of threes by Charest and Marie-Eve Martin, the Martlets closed the quarter with a 13-1 run, expanding their lead to 48-29 by the end of the third.

McGill lost a little focus, allowing Concordia to cut the lead to nine, led by the Stingers’ most effective player, Kaylah Barrett, who was aggressive all night, heading to the line 14 times, finishing with a gamehigh 23 points. However, the Martlets locked down for the final stretch and didn’t let their lead dwindle any further.

After a great regular season last year, the Martlets weren’t successful during the playoffs, losing in the RSEQ semi-finals, disappointing the players and Head Coach Ryan Thorne. To win this year validates the team’s hard work and dedication to improvement after last year’s discouraging result, and Thorne’s great work with the team. After winning three conference coach of the year awards (including one this season), the conference title is Thorne’s first since joining the Martlets nine years ago.

The Martlets advance to the CIS championship on March 17-19 in Calgary, looking to showcase their talent against the nation’s best and build on their already successful

VOLLEYBALL — Martlets 3, Montreal 1 (25-23, 13-25, 25-23, 25-15)

Martlets win CIS bronze in improbable playoff run

The Martlets defeat all odds en route to bringing back first national championship in McGill history Jeffrey Downey Contributor The Martlets were in action over the weekend in Hamilton, Ontario representing McGill at the CIS National Volleyball Championships. The tournament, comprised of the top eight teams from across the country, concluded Sunday with the UBC Thunderbirds claiming gold, the Alberta Pandas obtaining silver, and the McGill Martlets rounding out the podium with a stunning bronze medal performance.

The road to nationals was a long and hard-fought one for the Martlets.

Their path consisted of an often inconsistent third place, 5-10 season play record, and an upset 2-1 RSEQ semifinals victory over the perennial powerhouses Laval Rouge et

Or - to secure a National berth. Their journey concluded with a 2-0 RSEQ finals loss to the Montreal Carabins that secured them a silver medal.

The trip to the CIS championships was the first for the McGill women’s volleyball team since 1997. With the bronze medal, they became the first National volleyball medalists in school history.

In addition to the on-court play, the weekend began very strongly for McGill at the annual CIS Awards Banquet on Thursday night. Daphnée-Maude André-Morin, the third year libero was given the illustrious CIS Libero of the Year Award for her incredible back row play throughout the season. In addition, Kaiva Mateus, the fifth-year middle, was named to the first All-CIS team.

When play began on Saturday, the fifth-seeded Martlets found

themselves paired against the fourthseeded St. Mary’s Huskies in the quarter-finals. The match proved to be a thriller, with McGill storming to an early two set lead fuelled by strong play by eventual match MVP Geneviève Plante, who finished with 15 kills and 17 digs. Despite the slow start, the Huskies came roaring back in the third and fourth sets to tie the match at twos. Ultimately though, despite an early set deficit, McGill rallied to claim the fifth, deciding set 15-13.

With the quarter-finals behind them, the Martlets set their sights on the talented and extremely aggressive University of Alberta Pandas.

Despite a valiant effort from the Red and White, they failed to pressure the Edmonton powerhouse throughout the first two sets, dropping both at 16. Things changed slightly in

the third however, as McGill gained some momentum, piggy-backing chiefly on the efforts of the powerful Plante and finding itself down by only one point late in the match at 23-24. Despite the proximity of the score, and the chance to compete for National gold on the line, the Martlets failed to capitalise, dropping the final set 23-25. The second-year power Plante was again crowned McGill’s MVP. With the loss, McGill dropped to the bronze medal final on Sunday, against a formidable and familiar foe, the Montreal Carabins. Despite touting a dreary winless regular and post-season against the cross-town rivals, right from the onset the Martlets looked determined to change that and cap off their astounding playoff run with a piece of national hardware, opening the match with

an improbable 25-22 victory. After shaking off a 13-25 second set beatdown McGill returned to form in the third, again besting the Carabins in the latter stages of the set to win 25-23. From that point on it was all Martlets, as they led from the start of the fourth to the conclusion, ultimately pushing the point spread to ten and thus claiming the first bronze medal in the program’s history.

It was an improbable run by the Martlets, who didn’t even manage to finish the season with a .500 record. The team looks to carry this momentum and experience all the way into the offseason and next year.

22

Tuesday, March 6, 2012 |

SPORTS

| Curiosity delivers.

Hockey — Marlets 2, Montreal 0 (5-1, 4-0)

Martlets soar through playoffs to win RSEQ title Dominant Martlets win the conference championship title for seventh consecutive season Christopher Nardi Sports Editor For the seventh consecutive season, the McGill Martlets are the RSEQ women’s ice hockey champions. The title came at the expense of the University of Montreal Carabins, as McGill swept the two-game series by scores of 5-1 and 4-0, respectively.

Though the scores seem to indicate otherwise, the finals were a hard-fought battle between two strong hockey teams. Playing the first game at home, the Carabins committed a great blunder within the first minute, getting caught with too many players on the ice, leading to a McGill powerplay. Seizing the opportunity, the Martlets capitalized quickly on their opponent’s mistake when Melodie Daoust scored just 1:54 into the game.

Daoust wasn’t finished though, as less than five minutes later, the rookie forward scored her second of the night, which also proved to be the game winner. The period ended with McGill sporting a two-goal lead and a huge 16-4 advantage in shots on goal.

The second period proved no less dominant for the Martlets as Stephanie Pohlod and Ann-Sophie Bettez extended the visiting team’s lead to four goals after 40 minutes of play. As the forwards kept scoring, the Martlet’s defence was just as effective, allowing the Carabins only

The Martlets outplayed Montreal throughout the entire series. (Simon Poitrimolt / McGill Tribune) five shots on goal in the second.

Unfortunately, Martlet goalie Charline Labonte’s bid for a shutout ended at 14:57 of the third period when Janique Duval scored Montreal’s first of the series. Avenging the goal, Martlet Cathy Chartrand scored one minute later, capping the Martlets victory. McGill controlled both sides of the ice, registering 34 shots on goal, versus a measly 19 for “les bleus.”

The second game had McGill playing at home where the Martlets hoped to win the RSEQ title on familiar ice. They accomplished the feat in a highly physical affair which saw Labonte register her second shutout of the season, and 13th in 33 career playoff contests.

The Martlets once again started the game very strong, shooting 13 pucks on Montreal goalie Elodie Rousseau-Sirois while only allow-

ing four on Labonte. Yet it took until 54 seconds into the second period for the home team to score its first, a beautiful goal by Leslie Oles. From that point on, it was all about McGill as Daoust added one and Bettez put in two, leading the Martlets to a crushing 4-0 victory and a seventh consecutive RSEQ title.

It was a career night for Oles, who registered a goal and assisted on all three other McGill goals,

earning her player-of-the-night honours. Bettez, named RSEQ female hockey player of the year for the second time in three seasons, scored twice and registered an assist to cap another impressive three-point night. On the other hand, Daoust’s incredible play throughout the playoffs led to her winning the RSEQ playoff scoring title with five goals and six assists in five games. Her goal in the third period gave her the lead over Bettez, for the title. In a bit of supreme irony, Bettez assisted on Daoust’s deciding goal.

Though the outcome of the series was not surprising, the stands were filled with rather unexpected guests during the game—none more so than McGill’s principal, Heather Monroe-Blum. The principal and vice-chancellor addressed the team during the second intermission and posed with the team for the celebratory championship photo. According to Earl Zukerman, McGill Athletics Communications Officer, it was the first time a McGill principal has appeared in a championship photo.

The Martlets advance to the CIS Championship on Mar. 8-11, with the hopes of earning some hardware on the national stage.

This will be the final CIS presence for Martlet goaltender and olympic champion Labonte.

Hockey — redmen 2, patriots 0 (5-3, 5-4 2ot )

Redmen cap strong season with RSEQ championship With the win, the team hopes to continue strong playoff play in upcoming CIS Cavendish University Cup Trevor Drummond Contributor The McGill Redmen Hockey Team swept the OUA East Division Final in thrilling fashion on Saturday, beating the UQTR Patriotes 5-4 in double overtime. With the victory, the Redmen punched their ticket to the CIS Championship in Fredericton, where they finished second last season, losing to the University of New Brunswick. UQTR will have a second opportunity to seal their berth in the CIS Championship in the bronze medal game against the Windsor Lancers.

The McGill power play, which had gone one-for-20 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, exploded against UQTR, going five-for-15 in two games. The penalty kill, on the other hand, was nearly flawless this

post-season, allowing just two goals in 20 opportunities.

Fifth-year captain Evan Vossen registered three assists in the deciding game and now leads the team in playoff scoring with 10 points in six games. Vossen is part of a core of seniors that includes OUA leading goal-scorer Francis Verrault-Paul, East Division MVP Marc-André Dorion, Second Team All-Star goaltender Hubert Morin, former CIS Player of the Year Alex PicardHooper, and overtime hero Andrew Wright.

Before the National Championship later this month, the Redmen will defend their Queen’s Cup title as OUA Champions in a one game playoff against the Western Mustangs. The game is almost a formality, however, as both teams will be playing in the Cavendish University

Cup, where they hope to be crowned the best collegiate team in the country.

What makes this Redmen team so threatening is the depth of their lineup. Six McGill players have maintained at least a point-per-game pace in these playoffs. That list includes unsung hero Ryan McKiernan, who had four points in the series against UQTR. The list also excludes the dangerous Francis Verrault-Paul, who scored 21 goals in 23 games in the regular season, but who scored only once in the playoffs, a power play marker in game one of the series.

Depth was a major factor in the Redmen’s regular season success as well, as significant players such as Verraul-Paul, Picard-Hooper, McKiernan, and Patrick Belzille, among others, all missed time due to in-

Redmen hope to avenge last year’s CIS loss. (Ryan Reisert / McGill Tribune) jury. In the playoffs, with a healthy lineup, the Redmen are poised for another run at the CIS title.

The Redmen will travel to

London, Ont. this Saturday for the Queen’s Cup final. The CIS Cavendish University Cup Championship begins Thursday, March 22.

Curiosity delivers. |

SPORTS

| Tuesday, March 6, 2012

23

BASKETBALL — REDMEN 72, CITADINS 75

Redmen upset as strong season ends in RSEQ semis Despite leading for three quarters, Citadins roar back to win a hard-fought semi-final Jonathan Rosenbluth Contributor The clock struck midnight on the Redmen basketball season as third-seeded UQAM upset secondseeded McGill 75-72 on Wednesday night. Gregory St. Armand led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds, as the Citadins were able to overcome an early 10–2 deficit to advance to the RSEQ basketball finals against Concordia.

Having beaten UQAM three times in four meetings during the regular season, this will not be an easy loss to shake off for this Redmen team, who were hosting their first playoff home game in a decade.

Despite outscoring UQAM in each of the first three quarters, McGill was unable to put the game out of reach and the Citadins took advantage, outscoring the Redmen 28-19 in the fourth quarter. A reason for UQAM’s dominance in the final frame was that McGill entered the penalty with 6:09 remaining in the game. As a result, UQAM took 11 more free throws than McGill in the fourth quarter. Down by two, rookie Te’jour Riley had a chance to win the game with a buzzer-beater threepoint attempt, but missed just long of the net.

The Redmen struggled shooting the ball throughout the entire game, hitting a mere 36.4 per cent from the field in the second quarter.

Compounding their shooting woes, they hit only two of 13 shots from beyond the arc, and 64.7 per cent

The Redmen ended their season with a disappointing loss to UQAM in RSEQ semis. (Sam Reynolds / McGill Tribune) from the charity stripe. Redmen Head Coach Dave DeAveiro reflected on the tough loss.

“I didn’t feel we played our best game. UQAM set the tone throughout with their size and strength. Down the stretch, they got to every loose ball and seemed to want it a little more,” DeAveiro said.

“Our turnovers led to some easy scores for them but our inability to shoot the ball was evident last night.

THIRD MAN IN Vermont’s gift to the world is undoubtedly their renowned Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. With a diverse line-up ranging from “Caramel Hat Trick” (a Canadian favourite) to “Chunky Monkey,” Ben & Jerry’s isn’t shy about experimenting with new and exciting combinations.

Recently, their franchise near Harvard churned out a limited-edition flavour in honour of an alumnus who is taking the basketball world by storm: Jeremy Lin. “Taste the Lin-Sanity” seems absolutely delectable. It’s a vanilla-flavored frozen yogurt with swirls of sweet lychee honey and pieces of crunchy fortune cookie. A desert truly fit for a drooling Homer Simpson moment.

Well, you can’t have it. Unless, of course, you are willing to settle for “Taste the Lin-Sanity” 2.0 which features waffle bits in lieu of fortune

It’s been a problem for us all season, especially from the free throw line.”

Sophomore Karim-Sy Morissette scored a game-high 20 points, including seven in the final 2:37 that almost put the Redmen back on top. Another one of the three Redmen to score in double figures was rookie Aleksander Metrovic. With 14 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes of play, Metrovic was the Redmen’s most efficient player. He

shot 66.7 per cent from the field, 75 per cent from the free throw line, and did not turn the ball over.

While the Redmen ended this season on a sour note, it was definitely a step in the right direction. Without star player Simon Bibeau for the entire season (he was out with a torn ACL), Morissette shouldered much of the scoring burden. Other players who emerged as key building blocks for the Redmen basketball program

were Tristan Tremblay, Vince Dufort, and Te’jour Riley, with the latter adding a great deal of athleticism to the squad. Coach Deveiro singled out Aleks Mitrovic as the team’s “biggest asset” and said that “his leadership and experience helped us get through many tough stretches.”

First-year guard Ave Bross summed up the sentiment among the players.

“Every guy in this locker room has the same sick feeling about the way our season ended. At the end of the day we didn’t make the plays when we had to, and we came out on the losing side of a hard fought game,” Bross said. “That said, the off-season has started, and we are going to use that feeling to push ourselves to get better. Our goal is to win a National Championship, and while it won’t be easy, we are going to work day and night to improve, and we will stop at nothing in order to reach our goal.”

Vince Dufort agreed with Bross’ words and gave his thanks to fans for their support this season.

“I’d just like to thank our fans for coming out and supporting us this season. Seeing the stands packed with students means a lot to all of us players. Every time we step on the court, we wear the McGill ‘M’ with pride knowing the great institution and the students that we represent.”

The future looks bright for this budding McGill program. Nicholas Nishikawa is the only graduating player, and the experience gained this season will serve the young players on the squad very well.

And that’s how the cookie crumbled

cookies. Personally, the switch to mainstream waffles is a deal breaker. Why would Ben & Jerry’s tinker with such a novel idea? Surely you didn’t buy their soggy cookie explanation. If they can successfully incorporate crispy waffle chunks and intact frozen cherries, fortune cookies shouldn’t pose much of a challenge.

It boils down to a minority perceiving the product as racist. If you haven’t made the connection yet, Jeremy Lin is an American of Taiwanese descent and the addition of fortune cookies was a reference to the rising superstar’s heritage. Some saw the ingredient as a gross generalization about Lin’s ethnicity. Consequently, B&J’s issued an apology and reconsidered the flavour due to increasing backlash. It was a savvy business decision by the ice cream

company to avoid alienating potential customers.

It irks me that such an innocent, good-natured reference should garner so much negativity. Have we become that thin-skinned as a society?

What Ben & Jerry’s should really be accused of is a horrible title—“LinSanely Lychee” would have made for a far better name. While not inherently Chinese, fortune cookies are a staple item in Chinese restaurants across North America, and the fortune cookie was a clever substitute for the conventional waffle chunks they use in numerous flavours.

I agree that Jeremy Lin should not be subject to derogatory associations such as the infamous ESPN article title, “A Chink in the Armor.”

References to his heritage that are both degrading and unncessary are

what media has been recently decrying. One hopes that Lin can be recognized first for his basketball prowess, and not because of his nationality.

One has to wonder what the coverboy’s reaction is to all of this.

Not once did Lin issue a statement regarding the controversy. Maybe it doesn’t bother him. I know I would be flattered if Ben & Jerry’s paid tribute to my Armenian heritage in the form of a unique ice cream flavor with crumbles of gata, a type of sweet bread.

Jeremy Lin is a remarkable story. Apart from his undeniable talent, his rise has a greater impact off the court. He is paving the way for other kids in America who have shied away from pursuing a career in basketball due to a severe underrepresentation of their race in the sport.

Imagine the influx of incredible talent that NBA fans can be treated to with the emergence of these gifted players.

There’s a fine line between enforcing political correctness and a playful, tongue-in-cheek reference.

Ben & Jerry’s was within the boundaries of the latter. Moreover, the manner in which they handled their criticism was both professional and prompt. I wish Jeremy Lin the very best and hope that his newfound stardom propels him to unforeseen heights. Everybody wants to profit off of “Lin-Sanity,” but please keep it tasteful.

—Hrant Bardakjian