Tiff MCGILL TRIBUNE
Volume 5, Number
Published by the Students' Society of McGill University
Tuesday, 14 January, 1986
No Council Rep Bhopal
Junta Rules Res by Sophie Wilson McGill students living in residence have been denied their rightful voice on Students' Council since June 1985. That's the opinion of Students' Society President James Green, who last month wrote to the residence students' govern ment in complaint. Green says the Inter-Residence Coun cil (IRC) has failed to send a represen tative to Council this year. In fact, no elections have been held for any ex ecutive positions since IRC adopted a new constitution last spring. In a letter to Steven Matthews, last year's IRC president and defacto presdent this year as well, Green com plain ed about the lack of elections. He has offered StudSoc assistance in holding elections if IRC cannot organise them itself. But Matthews objects to Green's offer to intervene. "He's-im plying we're too lazy, and they're going to have to come up here with shotguns," he said in an interview. Saying, " it takes time to get the IRC on its feet," Matthews does promise elections in the not-too-distant future. In fact, however, he seems less than anx ious to send residents to the polls. "I'm not going to say democratic elections are destructive," he said. "That's not the thing to say." Under the new IRC constitution, ex ecutive members w ill no longer be elected by IRC council members, but directly by all students living in
residence, Matthews explained. Matthews claims that elections run under StudSoc procedural guidelines would cost the IRC approximately $500. W ith an operating budget of $5000, it simply was not feasible to hold two sets of elections — one before the constitu tion was ratified and one afterwards. But Matthews insists that his ex ecutive is a legitimate one. Since the ex ecutive was elected by the council before the constitution was formally ratified last spring, he points out the procedure was completely proper. "You don't automatically hold new elections just because the constitution has been changed," he said. "Those of ficers have a right to serve out their terms." Moreover, Matthews says, delays in gaining ratification for the constitution by all residence halls, and the inconve nience of exams and school holidays, have made elections an impossibility thus far. Also, elections in September were deemed unfair, since constitu tionally all candidates must have lived in residence for at least three months when they take office. Green said last week that "residence is getting a poor deal. It's black and white to me. I w on't put up with this sort of thing." However, Green did not say what steps, if any, he would take to see elec tions held in the residences. He said he has not heard from Matthews since writing to him last December 13.
N e w F r a t on Campus by Melanie Clulow "The Best and the Brightest" are hop ing to establish a new colony on cam pus to bring together McGill's outstan ding young men in scholastic, athletic, and charitable pusuits. Beta Theta Pi, a fraternity based in Oxford, Ohio, is cur rently seeking to add McGill to its Cana dian roster which includes chapters at Western University, University of Toronto, and the University of British Columbia. Michael Gates, Administrative Assis tant of the general fraternity, and former president of the Beta chaper at Western, is in Montréal this week to drum up sup port for the Betas and launch a colony at McGill. "The idea of being gentlemen and scholars was the primary goal of frater nities but I feel that with a lot of fràts this aspect has been lost," says Gates. He acknowledges that although the ideals of Beta Theta Pi may seem idealistic, these aims are always stressed from the beginning in order that the fraternity not slip into the "party syndrome". Gates believes that Beta Theta Pi will appeal to those who are interested in the idea of a fraternity but have been discouraged by the negative behaviour displayed by many fraternities. "Betas aren't just a bunch of guys who drink beer," asserts Gates. "W e aim to be a visible asset to the university and the community. This is another facet of the university experience. The best friend ships are built when brothers are work ing together to accomplish common goals." Gates' recruitment techniques are thorough. Rush recommendations are sought from Beta alumni residing in Montreal and from Betas on other cam puses with friends at McGill. Even McGill's three sororities have been wooed with roses in the hope that the sisters w ill recommend Beta Theta Pi to their boyfriends. Betas are selected on the basis of how
much they really want to contribute to its goals, says Gates. "Partiers attract partiers and scholars attract scholars." To ensure the former, Beta Theta Pi has recently implemented a minimum GPA requirement of 2.5. "This is hardly the Dean's list," says Gates, "but it's a start. It also helps prevent the smart ones from avoiding frats for fear their marks w ill drop." According to Gates too many frater nities are used as screens for irresponsi ble and unacceptable behaviour., He cites the Beta's committment to "dry rushes, disciplinary codes, and high academic standards as commendable measures to combat this negative trend. Beta Theta Pi was founded in 1839 at Miami University and now boasts over 90,000 living members. "O nce a Beta, always a Beta"), over 80 of whom have been Rhodes Scholars. Prominent Canadian Betas include John Turner and Ontario Premier, David Peterson. The fraternity holds annual conven tions at luxurious resorts like the Boca Raton Hotel in Florida. Over $50,000 in scholarships is awarded to worthy Betas each year. Every Beta receives the fraternity's quarterly, The Beta Theta Pi. Like most fraternities, Beta Theta Pi is essentially conservative in outlook, stressing traditional values of home, family and church. John R. McClung, Jr., editor of The Beta Theta Pi, writes, "long gone are the anti-establishment, a n ti-fra te rn ity , and freakish in dividualistic days of the 60's and early 70's; happily, Betas don't seem to be pledging today's punk rock types." Former General Secretary and Presi dent Dr. Seth Brooks, in his address to the convention at Boca Raton, said, "W e should never go into too many highways and byways. We should follow the main course where the eter nal verities of life are to be found." There w ill be a Beta Theta Pi rush booth set up in the lobby of the Union Building until Friday, January 17.
Disaster On Film by Glenn Pierce More than a year has passed since the disaster in Bhopal, India, where more than 2500 people were killed by a leak of lethal methyl isocyanate from the nearby Union Carbide plant. Time and distance have healed the wound for most of us, but for those in Bhopal, the wound is still fresh. Bhopal: Beyond Genocide is a film about Bhopal, its people, and the acci dent. It is billed as "an eye-witness ac count of the year-long agony and strug gle of the victims of the world's worst industrial disaster caused by Union Car bide." Suhasini Mulay and Tapan Bose, Indian documentary filmmakers, rushed to Bhopal soon after the accident to begin shooting for this film, this accor ding to Dr. Daya R. Varma of the McGill Pharmacology Department. Dr. Varma met the filmmakers in Bhopal when he went there to investigate some effects of the accident. Varma helped in the organization of a relief effort for the victims, and in vestigated the accident's possible ef fects upon the health of pregnant women and the unJsorn. "There were many reports from Bhopal of stillbirths and abnormalities", said Varma. The continued on page 3
Look into the vortex! Can you see an IRC election?
Photo - Peter Duval
Dispute Delays D etour by Michael Smart A dispute between the managers and owners of McGill residences' popular Detour pub night may keep Bishop Mountain Hall dry in the near future. Detour was cancelled last Thursday and there is little indication it w ill reopen this week. The Inter-Residence Council, the stu dent government which owns the right to operate Detour, has suspended pub managers Jim Sheridan and John Gallagher for what it calls a failure to comply with a directive to improve the quality of service at Detour. IRC President Steven Matthews told the Tribune that his council would like to see improved food service, better music and heightened security at Detours. He also said that IRC's com plaints were echoed by residence students in general in a questionnaire conducted last fall, although he admits there was "n o t much response." Many residence students believe the IRC is also concerned that Sheridan and Gallagher make too much money at the expense of students. Under the current contract, the managers are required to bear all overhead costs of running Detour but are permitted to keep any profits. By some reports, that profit was as high as $12,000 last year. Matthews says his complaints are "strictly service-related—we're not con cerned about profitability." But he does allow that "sure, they're doing well. We're providing them with the oppor tunity to make money and they've got to do certain things in return." Matthews says the complaints were sent to Sheridan and Gallagher last November in the form of "a set of recommendations and directives." The managers were given until last Wednes day to comply, but "that date came and went and they did absolutely nothing," Matthews stated. However, Sheridan maintains that the services he provides to students are ade quate. He thinks the IRC is simply look ing for a fight. "W e've tried to be accomodating, we've made many changes," he said.
"But the harassment (from IRQ has been going on for so long now—it's so petty and so political...They just can't stand to see something run w ell." Sheridan charges that Matthews, a past vice-president of Students' Society and twice failed presidential candidate, "is trying to set up a little Students' Society here in residence...If you ask me, it's some kind of power trip." Sheridan in fact challenges Matthew's right to enforce the suspension, poin ting out that the IRC executive has not been directly elected by residence students, as the IRC constitution stipulates. "Ask people on the IRC who
their president is—they don’t know," he said. We do not recognize Steven Matthews as president." But Matthews shrugs off the challenge to his authority and observes that the o rig in a l D e to ur d ire ctive s were established by the IRC as a whole. Moreover, he said, the IRC would soon review the executive decision to sus pend Sheridan and Gallagher. He also points out that IRC has every right to void its contract with the managers, since it included specific re quirements for adequate food services which he says have not been met. continued on page 3
The Daily Question by Adeeb Khalid The Daily is asking students to com plete a questionnaire soliciting their opi nions of the Daily and its coverage. Students are asked to express their opi nion on statements like "Generally, ar ticles in the Daily are fair, accurate and balanced" and to indicate areas of in terest in which they would like to see more or less coverage. The survey has been funded by Stud Soc to the tune of $500.00 to cover the costs of printing and computer cards. StudSoc president James Green sees it as a way o f "e nco urag ing the newspaper to listen to its membership. The Daily said they had long wanted to do the survey but could not afford it, so we decided to step in." Daily editor-in-chief Melinda Wittstock thinks the survey is a "nice gesture. Students don't give us sugges tions, so we are going to them." However, an unfavourable response would not cause a change in Daily policy. "O u r policy is our Statement of Principles and I don't think we'd change that," said Wittstock. "To please lots of students, we'd have to write about how to get to the Bahamas really cheaply over Christmas. We're committed to writing about issues that don't touch most students
and it is time they were touched by them ," she added. As News Editor Joç Heath explained, "Many of the respondents so far want less coverage of gay and lesbian issues and it is difficult for the Daily to take that as a criticism for we are committed to helping oppressed groups." "A major feature of the response so far has been that the Daily is considered biased, it is intended as a criticism but we're not takinR it as such. It is impossi ble not to be biased and the Daily is honest enough to acknowledge that," Heath added. "There is a cult of people on campus who hate the Daily but just about everyone else thinks we're O K," Heath says. "Most people want more campus news though." According to Green, the StudSoc response w ill depend entirely upon the results of the survey. "M any people have asked me to influence the Daily and I'll use whatever power I have over the Daily to correct whatever wrongs, if any, the survey shows they have," Green said. Questionnaires and computer cards for the responses can be picked up on several locations on campus. The survey w ill continue until all question naires have been returned.