The McGill Tribune Vol. 19 Issue 17 by The Tribune

R e m e n H o c k e y S p l it W e e k e n d

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A r m o t h e r a p y : M a k i n g S e n s e o f it

VOLUME T

c G I L L

Published by the Students’ Society of McGill University

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ONLINE http://tribune.mcgill.ca

Capturing the market .com takes on retail for student business By Jo h n Sallo u m

As online businesses com pete with traditional retail stores, students are saving money by purchasing directly from the source. Access to the internet is providing students with more direct communication with potential buyers and sellers and greater market choice; access that is, in turn, translating into saved cash.

Cheap software Launched in early September, e-academy.com sells software at educational dis counts only to higher education students and faculty. The Canadian start-up based in Ottawa is pioneering software alternatives designed to meet unique educational require ments. Because e-academy sells only to faculty and students, they are able to offer software at dis

counted, educational rates not available to the general public. While educational discounts are not new to the marketplace, e-academy delivers its software to users in a unique manner: there are no boxes or manuals. Instead, users purchase the soft ware on the internet, and down load it from directly from eacademy. For those with slower internet connections, CDs with software on it can be obtained from local campus computer stores. “Traditional software pub lishers don’t have central distrib ution systems so we have to go scrambling to all these different sources,” Kevin Ammerman, manager of the Shatner build ing’s University Bytes store explained. “These guys here are central...” Ram Raju, president and CEO of e-academy and a former vice-president of the Canadian Association of Campus C ontinued on page 9

Breach of confidentiality em barrasses McGill B y Jo n a t h a n C o l f o r d

K ar en K elly

A ccording to sources such as the could, given the situation.” Gazette and the Post, an anonymous McGill McGill officials are unsure what conse Senator leaked information from a confiden Consequences for McGill quences an apparent breach of Senate confi tial Senate meeting in which the issue of dentiality will have on the University’s abil giving an honourary degree to Cleghorn was Derek Drummond, VP of development ity to raise private sector funds. discussed. In this meeting, the degree was and alumni relations, stressed the impor The reaction came hours after stories in supposedly nixed in the midst of alleged tance of donors in the private sector to the the National Post, the Montreal Gazette, and concerns about Royal Bank practices, University. He hoped that the news about other media sources reported that John specifically the announcem ent of the the alleged degree would not affect future Cleghorn, chief executive officer of the impending layoff of approximately six thou donations. Royal Bank of Canada, had been considered sand bank employees. “[The Royal Bank] sponsors not just and turned down as an honourary degree Shapiro would neither confirm nor the major donations, which are very gener recipient from the University. deny whether the alleged events in the con ous, but [also gives] support to many stu “I think that there are repercussions on fidential Senate meeting took place. He did dent and staff programs during the year. a variety of levels,” said McGill Principal say that he spoke to Cleghorn after the story You see their name on the back of more pro Bernard Shapiro. “There is a repercussion first broke on Monday morning. grams than you could imagine. I would hope on the personal lev el... betw een Mr. “Mr. C leghorn’s reaction was very that [this story] would not have any impact Cleghorn as an active alumnus and his alma straightforward and I think quite helpful and on that, but it conceivably could.” mater. It cannot be easy to continue to very positive,” Shapiro said of the McGill Shapiro agreed that the leaked informadevote time and effort to an institution that alumnus. “He was clearly disturbed that it tion could have a negative effect on treats you in this way... There is [also] a happened, but he feels perhaps hurt but fundraising efforts at McGill. repercussion on the future or potential rela innocent, since he was not part of [the “This certainly will make it difficult as tionships of McGill, not so much to the degree granting] process... he is just the vic [we] go to try and raise money in the private Royal Bank, but to the private sector as a tim of it. His reaction was, I think, quite sector, as [we] go to try and convince mem whole.” muted, and trying to be as helpful as he bers of the private sector that they should be

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contributing time and effort and imagination to help the University.”

Repercussions for Senate At the end of a confidential session in Senate, a resolution may be made to release any motions passed during that session to the public. O therwise, all Senators are expected to keep all that is discussed during such a session confidential. Secretary-General of McGill Victoria Lees said that although there is no formal document with regards to confidentiality that is signed by members of Senate, she does give new senators a briefing on the importance of confidentiality. Senators are also provided with the standing rules of Senate. “A breach of confidentiality is a very serious breach of Senate procedure and it has very devastating effects,” Lees said. “I guess any Senator would be criticized, whether it was a student or staff or anybody Continued on page 2

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Lasting repercussions

Possible agreem ent has some student papers concerned

. _____ « U ♦ fU n l a o l / m a y n n t h ‘ A\ Continued from cover ever, that the leak may not have J been a student. By N il im a G u lr a ia n i [for such a breach]. It is a serious “It could have been any mem breach of their responsibilities.” A battle is brewing between ber of Senate who was there [dur Students’ Society of McGill ing the discussions],” Shapiro | campus papers and major Canadian U niversity P resident Andrew explained. “I think of the conse- j dailies. T isch ler did not feel that any Following bn the heels of an quences in terms of the integrity of j signed document should be neces agreement between York University the collegial system as a whole sary to preserve confidentiality and the Toronto Star to provide free because there are many confiden- j on-campus distribution, the National within Senate. tial sessions of Senate for a variety Post has quietly approached “It is clearly understood as of different reasons. If we cannot Canada’s largest student news wire your role as a Senator... that this is trust each other to respect that j service for a wish-list a confidential session. And if any confidentiality, it undermines the l Only in the discussion stage, the body thinks about it for half a sec collegial system we say we are in j National Post officially approached ond they will understand why: it is Canadian University Press President favour of.” not for smoky back room politics, Shapiro noted, however, that j Tariq Hassan-Gordon, requesting or any sort of conspiracy, it is for although he did not want to start a that he “come up with a wish-list, to the reasons enunciated [by this make on-eampus distribution accept hunt for the guilty Senator, a able for student newspapers,” breach].” breach of this kind by a student Hassan-Gordon stated. Tischler was concerned that it could result in “disciplinary Critics of on campus distribu might automatically be assumed action” from the University. He tion of national dailies argue they that the information was leaked by added that this action could be pose a threat to the financial safety of a student Senator. directed at anyone who aided and student papers by diverting readers “Students have been working and advertisers away from student abetted such a student. on gaining representation for a publications. CUP is a consortium of Lees could not comment on hundred years now... [and] this 72 student papers, among them the the possibility of disciplinary one breach of co nfidentiality Varsity of the University of Toronto, action; she explained that she had threatens that. It threatens the and the Ubyssey of the University of not considered it. British Columbia, but not the McGill actions of Senate... so that confi When the story first broke, dential sessions no longer are Tribune. the national media questioned the Post Educational Sales Co-ordi[confidential] and everything you alleged decision not to award nator Robert Henri argued that the are trying to defend is lost. It is a Cleghorn an honourary degree. Post’s offer was motivated for rea trust that is not easily rekindled.” Shapiro, however, did not feel that sons beyond self-interest. Jeffrey Feiner, Arts Senator, “We want to be a complement, this should be the issue of concern noted that the breach may have not a threat,” Henri said. “CUP and for the University. lasting repercussions for the college university papers are part of a “It’s not so much the actual Senate as a whole. whole strategy to reach out to the decision made,” Shapiro said. “I “I t’s very difficult to trust community. We do have a sincere do not want to argue about somebody with sensitive informa whether he should or should not motive because we are interested in promoting newspapers.” tion, if that person has compro have gotten an honourary degree. The Post informally suggested mised sensitive information in the It is the breach of confidentiality, to Hassan-Gordon internship pro p ast,” he explained. “In many so that [the breach has] under grams, national ad sales assistance cases, confidential sessions are m ined the process that the and revenues from on-campus distri there to protect the Senators, as bution sponsorships as features of a University uses in order to protect well as the parties involved. Some itself and to protect other people in issues are sensitive... and the sena Science this kind of delicate environment.” tors might not feel comfortable Iz — additional reporting by Feature speaking their minds freely if [the Paul Conner, John Salloum, and meetings were open].” Rhea Wong By A ar o n Izenberg The principal cautioned, how

potential agreement with CUP. Hassan-Gordon floated the idea of printing subsidies from Southam print shops. No agreement has yet been finalized. “There’s all kinds of possibili ties — money, ad revenues, how to co-ordinate national advertising sales, skill training, internships. What they’re actually willing to do is

I think it is selling out but from a pragmatic position...whether we sell out or not, we're going to see dailies dispersed on campuses. At some point, we have to talk about com pensation.

Tariq Hassan-Gordon, President, Canadian University Press

unclear though,” Hassan-Gordon said. “I think it is selling out but from a pragmatic position... whether we sell out or not, we’re going to see dailies dispersed on campuses. At some point, we have to talk about compensation.” Hassan-Gordon emphasized that CUP is against on-campus distribu tion. “If [on campus distribution] is going to be a reality, at some point we are going to say we will cut our losses or fight it,” he said. “If the trend is we can’t hold the floodgates then that’s a problem. At some point, if we go down without extracting compensation, the entire student press is in a vulnerable position.” Henri, however, does not see

on-campus distribution of the Post as threatening the student press given that the market for advertisers is seg mented, and that the content of stu dent newspapers is significantly dif ferent from that of the Post’s. “[On campus distribution] should not, and I do not think that it will come at the expense of student papers,” said Henri. Tara Brautigam, managing edi tor of the York University student paper, the Excalibur, is cautious in his assessment of the impact of free national dailies on campus. In September 1999, the Toronto Star signed an exclusive deal with York University administration regarding free, on-campus distribution of the Star. “[Henri’s] argument is one sided. What’s to stop the Toronto Star from printing split-runs with local issues and advertisers,” Brautigam asked. “It’s also a battle for readership. No student has time to read more than one or two papers a day.” According to Brautigam, the issue of on-campus distribution will be a concern to the broad rangeof student press. “It is very threatening to the livelihood of student newspa pers,” she said. The Post’s offer will be discussed among members at an upcoming CUP Conference in Manitoba. Hassan-Gordon suggested that a possible alternative to an agreement with the Post may involve student papers obtaining exclusive distribu tion rights to campus readers, thereby curtailing the growth of national dailies at universities and limiting the need for negotiations such as the one being discussed with the Post.

McGill's lone astronaut returns

V e u x -tu v iv r e u n e e x p é r ie n c e in o u b lia b le ?

Inscris-toi au Program m e de

m oniteurs de langues officielles Fais connaître ta langue et ta culture tout en découvrant toi-même une culture différente de la tienne et en faisant I experience d un travail qui te sera profitable. Chaque année, depuis bientôt 30 ans, des centaines d'étudiantes et d'étudiants québécois ont la chance de s inscrire à ce stage offert à travers le Canada. Il s'agit de postes à temps partiel ou à temps plein destinés à des jeunes dont le travail consistera a aider des élèves qui étudient le français, langue seconde, ou le français, langue maternelle, à améliorer leurs compétences linguistiques. Pour être admissible à ce programme, tu dois avoir terminé au moins tes études collégiales à la fin de la présente annee scolaire.

Julie Payette, Candian astro naut and alumnas of McGill’s facul ty of Engineering, spoke to a full house in Moyse Hall last Monday evening. Showing the speaking skills which made her a media draw both before and after her flight in May 1999, Payette discussed everything from Canada’s role in space to the logistics of using toilets in the final frontier.

“It is an extraordinary privilege to go into space,” began Payette. “It is the least that we can do to try and share [the experience] with others.” With a backdrop of a picture of the earth taken from space, Payette argued that the meaning and the importance of space exploration. From Sputnik to the first Apollo mission to the building of the International Space Station, she briefly recounted the major advances in the field of space travel. Payette’s speech was not with-

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out its share of Canadian patriotism. When discussing the success of the first Apollo mission, Payette point ed out that technically, the first feet on the moon were Canadian, because the legs of the moon lander were made in Quebec. While displaying a slide of the team of astronauts from her mis sion, Payette noted that amongst the team members were both a Russian and an American fighter pilot. She marveled at the fact that these two pilots had originally been trained to engage in combat with each other, and that they were now working towards a common goal. This common goal, the con struction of the 50-plus section International Space Station, will undoubtably be based on similar co operation. Payette showed the audience video footage that was shot on her recent mission and while she was inside the International Space Station. As of now, the space station is made up of two modules; one that was built in Russia and one that was built in the United States. The home video showed the inside of both modules, and the striking differ ences in their appearances and ori entations. The footage helped illustrate the working conditions up in space. “We carry food around in our pockets, and we never wear shoes,” Payette explained. “We’re always busy.” Continued on page 10

News

T he M cG ill T ribune , T uesday, 25 January , 2000

Page 3

What Jean-Jacques Rousseau has to say about Quebec sovereignty Civility preserved as battle of 'reason' pits Intergovernm ental Minister Stéphane Dion against Bloc critic Turp B y N il im a G ulrajani

Familiarity with the works of eighteenth century p olitical philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau would have probably heightened appreciation of last Friday’s debate between Liberal M inister of Intergovernm ental Affairs Stéphane Dion and Bloc Q uébécois Intergovernm ental Affairs Critic Daniel Turp. O rganized as part of the Canadian P olitical Science Students’ Association Conference being held at McGill, the battle between these arch-rivals in the House of Commons focused on the Clarity Act drafted by Dion last year. Bill C-20 is supposed to out line the conditions under which the government would negotiate the terms of secession of Quebec. Both Dion and Turp relied on quotations by R ousseau to further their respective positions regarding the bill. As if to spite his introduction, w hich was alm ost uniquely in English, Turp began the first

S c ie n c e F e a tu r e

minute of his address in French. Calling the Clarity Act an almost “unprecedented attack on democ ratic institutions,” he argued that

Philip Trippenbach

Bill C-20 recognizes that Quebec could secede from Canada, “but stifles the possibility.” The bill stipulates that the House of Commons has the right to rule on whether a referendum question is clear and whether the results of a referendum constituted a clear m ajority before C anada enters negotiations with Quebec. “The Clarity Act grants juris diction to the House of Commons to determine that the question is

clear and a clear expression of the will of Q uebecers,” Turp said. Arguing that 60 per cent of the Quebec representatives in the House of Commons would vote against the bill when it comes before the House next month, he rhetorically asked the audience: “W hat legitim acy w ill the law have then?” Turp was equally adam ant that the Clarity Act “offends the freedom of choice of Quebecers,” confining them to choose between the status quo or total indepen dence while ruling out the possibil ity of a partnership with the rest of Canada. He argued the 1998 Supreme Court ruling on secession “never suggested that partnership would be inconsistent with clari ty.” Furthermore, he believes the Act fundam entally violates the principle of a democratic majority. “[The Act] rejects the funda mental rule of equality, the univer sally accepted majority rule of 50 plus 1,” he stated. “It bypasses rules accepted in referendums in 1980, 1992 and 1995 and rules

accepted and applied in referen dums sponsored by the UN... it gives greater weight of vote to a federalist over a sovereignist.”

Dion, Mr. Popular The partisan McGill crowd was much more generous in its applause when Dion stepped up to the podium to speak. In a some what less structured but more pas sionate speech than Turp, Dion defended the Clarity Act, arguing that “exceptional” circumstances required such a bill. “M ost dem ocracies do not have this debate,” he acknowl edged. “It is difficult to find clear cut examples of democracies start ing to experience secession... main ly the rum ples are during decolo ur the end of totalitarian .cs. lhe fundamental difficulty [in Quebec’s case] is to reconcile democracy with secession.” For Dion, reconciling these two positions requires a clear legal process. In his view, a question like that asked in the 1995 referendum,

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A room full of astronaut hope fuls and space enthusiasts received encouraging and enlightening words care of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) President, William MacDonald Evans, last Tuesday evening. Evans boldly ventured to go where some space leaders have gone before - the plane of promoting youth participation in space. “There is no doubt in my mind that the future of our [space] pro gram, and the future of the country rests in the hands of people like your selves,” exclaimed Evans. A newly formed club, The Association for the Development of Aerospace Medicine (ADAM), along with the alumni of the International Space University, sponsored the talk by the esteemed leader of the CSA. Appointed president of the CSA in 1994, Evans is an electrical engineer by training and has worked within the Canadian Space Program for more than 30 years. Evans opened the talk with grat itude for the opportunity to spread awareness of the CSA and to deliver the wisdom of the older generation at the CSA. “We at the Canadian Space Agency, of course, can be proud of what it is that we do,” explained Evans, “and we really do enjoy the opportunity to talk to enthusiasts for space in both what we do and in the hopes that we can continue to make our program known and also to pass on some words of advice...” Before elaborating on the topic of the lecture, “The Role of Today’s Youth in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,” Evans first explained the workings of the CSA. Established in 1989, the purpose of the CSA is to make use of space for the gain of humankind, especially Canadians. “Our mandate is to promote the peaceful use of the development of space, to advance the knowledge of space through science to ensure that the social and econom ic benefits of space are available to all,” stated Evans. Achieving these goals is no easy

Question and argument Confrontation between both politicians escalated during the hour-long question period that fol lowed their presentations. One par ticularly heated exchange resulted when an audience member asked about the partitioning of Quebec in the event of a ‘yes’ vote. Given T urp’s opposition to the ‘clear Continued on page 5

Canadian youths' future in space exploration . . .

By Fin ola M oore

which he described as an attempt by “separatists to win on confu sion” would forfeit the Quebec government’s right to negotiate the terms of secession with Canada. A clear majority in a future referen dum is another precondition for federal negotiations. “I want the Clarity Act to be there because I am a Quebecer, because I care for my society and I think that we Quebecers have the right to be fully Canadians as long as we freely choose to be,” he ended.

ask. The Canadian space industry generates a revenue of approximately SI.4 billion dollars each year. Nearly 10 per cent of these sales are export, naking Canada the world’s largest ;xporter in percentage of its sales. The budget of the CSA itself is S300 million dollars per year. The program is divided into five concen trations: Earth and Environment, Satellite Communications, Human Presence in Space, Space Science, and Generic Space Technologies. Most projects are in co-operation with at least one other country. The objective of the Earth and Environment program is to observe and thus understand Earth. RADARSAT I, in particular, has helped in a variety of ways world wide. It images the Earth’s surface to provide information on erosion, crop growth, deforestation, and vessel detection. The first complete map of Antarctica was provided by 8000 images taken from RADARSAT I. Using this system, Canada can detect where the flood water is entering in Manitoba, the amount of wheat grown in Australia, and the safest passage through the Arctic. Applications which have a more immediate bearing on Canadians, like cell phones, are supported by the Satellite Communications program. “Our aim is to ensure that Canadians are always able to use the latest advances in satellite technology to make... Canada the most connected nation in the world,” said Evans. Perhaps the best known of the fields of the CSA is Humans in Space. Canadian astronauts will play an essential role in the construction of the International Space Station by installing a robotic arm capable of assembly and repair work. The International Space Station will create an environment entirely different from Earth. The Space Sciences field is concerned with such experiments as the effects of weight lessness on human bone mass and micro gravity on crystal growth. The CSA hopes that technology developed for space may be utilized in terrestrial programs as well. The Generic Space Technologies pro

gram explores these applications. Evans stressed that the benefits of the CSA can be measured in more than space technology’s applications in private industry. “We believe that not only are we doing good things for Canada in terms of the applications and use of the technology and the development of an international competitive indus try, but we believe that space is something which attracts the imagi nation. Space is something that peo ple really do get enthusiastic about, no matter what their age. This is a hook that we can use to try and get the young minds of Canada interest

• science • .- __ _ 1------- H edi in andJ a technology.’ The hook has worked to a cer tain extent. Youth have played a large part in bringing about Canada’s position in the international space industry, and will continue to do so in the future. The youth forums of the UN-sponsored UNISPACE con ferences spawned the International Space University (ISU) and ADAM. Evans pointed out that the unusual way in which the ISU was started. “All the normal ways that a universi ty gets started did not apply in this case. ISU was started by three uni versity students, one was Canadian.” This sort of mobilization by stu

i l l have great lY fPO t peffects ffp P tC O fl tl dents mwill on the future international space industry. The large networks initially formed at these organizations may lead to smoother co-operation between countries. “These are contacts without bor ders,” stated Evans. ” These people represent themselves and their gov ernment... The nations of the world are going to be able to marshal the forces required to do the sort of things that we all want to see done... [Further space exploration] can only happen if the nations of the world co operate.”

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News

T he M c G ill T ribune,T uesday, 25 January 2000

Principal discusses McGill's academic and financial challenges B y Jo n a t h a n C o l f o r d

A common thread emerges throughout M cG ill-U niversityrelated stories the Tribune's News section has covered this year. It’s nothing really new or surprising, either. Proposed policies such as the cold beverage agreem ent with Coke, the proposed intellectual property policy, and the private liberal arts college at McGill all indicate that M cGill lacks the funding it needs to meet its lofty educational goals and it is seeking to raise funds through sometimes unpopular means. The T ribune's coverage of this issue has so far exam ined positions and reactions to the var ious proposals: professors, stu dents, and their student represen tatives have all opined on whether McGill should privatize, whether members of the McGill communi ty should give up more revenues from their own research, or even whether some measure of acade mic freedom is needed in order to increase McGill’s bottom line. Bernard Shapiro, principal of McGill, concentrates on improv ing McGill’s “academic solvency and fiscal solvency.” that means finding the big money to pay for top notch programs, professors and research facilities. Seeking to put some of our

Tribune: How substantial a tuition increase is necessary to maintain quality? Shapiro: We w ould do it [twofold tuition increase] gradually over tim e so p e o p le have a chance to adjust. The a lte rn a tiv e [to ra is in g t u i ti o n ] , no one else has been able to show m e ...I ’m q u i t e happy to co n sid e r a d iffe r ent alter native: if the g o v e rn m e n t w i l l in c re a s e the grant to say as to The Boss on funding, tuition, and government courtesy u r o so keep tuition the government is about to pro low , I ’d be th rille d . B ut they vide the [funds] necessary to don’t. When all is said and done, maintain the quality of a universi and we’re talking about ten or fif ty of this sort. teen years from now, tuition will have gone up in order to help pay for the quality of program stu dents will need if they are going Qualifications required: to compete in the real world. A p p lic a n ts m u s t: Tribune: You just mentioned ■ h a v e a m in im u m CGPA o f fifteen years, and w hat new 3 .0 0 o r a b o v e (s p e c ia l c a s e s sources of funding are you target t o b e c o n s id e r e d in d iv id u a lly ) ing in the next tw en ty -fo u r ■ b e in U2 ( s e c o n d y e a r o f a months? th r e e y e a r p ro g ra m , o r Shapiro: I ’m not. I d o n ’t s e c o n d /th ird y e a r o f a fo u r think th ere w ill be any new y e a r p ro g r a m ) a t t h e tim e o f sources of funding in the next a p p l i c a ti o n tw elve to tw en ty -fo u r ■ h a v e a n a b i l i ty t o l i s te n , t o months...It’s going to be a diffi r e s p o n d in a n o n - ju d g m e n ta l cult few years. m a n n e r , t o b e c o m p a s s io n a te , What we’re essentially doing a n d t o b e i n t e r e s t e d in o t h e r s at McGill is exploiting the staff in ■ b e p r e p a r e d t o c o m m it t o a order to produce the program s m in im u m o f t w o h o u r s / w e e k because we are not paying the f o r t h e a c a d e m ic y e a r 2 0 0 0 faculty or the staff w hat they 2 0 0 1 (S e p t. - N o v . a n d ought to receive for the kind of J a n . - M ar.) work they are doing and they’re ■ t o a t t e n d t r a i n i n g s e s s io n s willing to do it because they are d u r i n g t h e m o n t h o f M arch committed to the kind of universi 1 9 9 9 ( v o lu n te e r s w ill b e ty they’re a part of, but they can’t t r a i n e d b y a n a d v is o r fro m do that forever. Like all price con t h e S t u d e n t A f f a ir s O ffic e o f trols, in the end they don’t work. t h e F a c u ltie s o f A r ts a n d In the end the dam breaks and S c ie n c e ). T h e t r a i n i n g s e s s io n s you’re in trouble. w ill t a k e p la c e o n t w o I could imagine a context in a l t e r n a t e S a tu r d a y s , M a rc h 11 which you say, look, higher edu & 1 8 , 2 0 0 0 , 1 0 a .m . t o 3 p .m .

coverage into a greater perspec tiv e, the Tribune spoke w ith Shapiro in his office last Tuesday. Tribune: The University of Toronto has demonstrated a great deal of success in fund-raising; also, it has begun approximately $350 million in construction and renovations to its campuses. Since this is one institution to which McGill is often compared, what is McGill doing (or going to do) to keep up? Shapiro: “I should say that McGill has also demonstrated a great deal of success in fund-rais ing... and we hope to continue to. I th in k th at the challen g e for McGill is greater in a sense than for the University of Toronto sim ply because we are situated inside a public policy that is much less advantageous for the University . One of the reasons [U of T] can spend $350 million on con struction and renovations is that it has a d iffe ren t source o f re v enue... the government grants or student tuition. That’s where the m oney’s actually coming from. We have more than a small chal lenge not in a sense to keep up numerically... but one does have to keep up relative to the stan dards of teaching and research and for this, McGill will have to find additional sources of rev enue; either we will have to be even more successful than we

H o w w y o u b e

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Peer Advisor? T h e A rts U n d e r g r a d u a te S o ciety (AUS) a n d t h e S cien ce U n d e r g r a d u a te S o ciety (SUS), in c o n ju n c tio n w ith t h e S tu d e n t A ffa irs O ffice o f t h e F a c u ltie s o f A rts a n d S cience, a r e lo o k in g fo r d e d ic a te d U2 s t u d e n t s t o b e c o m e p e e r a d v is o rs . R e s p o n s ib ilitie s in c lu d e h e lp in g fe llo w s t u d e n t s in d e c is io n m a k in g , e x p la in in g d r o p /a d d p ro c e d u re s , r e fe rr a ls t o o t h e r c a m p u s re s o u rc e s , a n d m o re . V o lu n te e rs a c c e p te d to t h e p ro g ra m a r e e x p e c te d t o m a k e a c o m m itm e n t o f a t le a s t o n e a c a d e m ic y e a r, a n d w ill re c e iv e a l e t t e r o f re c o m m e n d a tio n fro m t h e F a c u lty a t t e s t i n g t o t h e se rv ic e s p ro v id e d .

have been in the private sector and/or we will have to find a way of increasing the contribution of students to the costs of the univer sity because I don’t believe that

It is n o t n e c e s s a ry fo r a p p lic a n ts t o h a v e p rio r e x p e rie n c e , h o w e v e r, r e le v a n t sk ills w o u ld b e a n a s s e t. If y o u h a v e a n y q u e s tio n s , p le a s e c o n t a c t G em m a P e ra lta , AUS VP A c ad em ic, a t a u sa c a @ le a c o c k .la n .m c g ill.c a o r a t 3 9 8 -1 9 9 3 , o r W in sto n M aricar, SUS VP A c ad em ic a t acad em ic@ su s.m c g ill.ca, o r a t 3 9 8 -6 9 7 9 . A p p lic a tio n s a n d p o s itio n d e s c rip tio n s c a n b e p ic k e d u p fro m a n e n v e lo p e p o s te d in t h e lo b b y o f D a w so n H all a s o f J a n u a r y 1 7 , 2 0 0 0 . C o m p le te d a p p lic a tio n s (a n d r e la te d d o c u m e n ts ) m u s t b e s u b m itte d t o D a w so n H all, R oom 1 1 0 , in a s e a le d e n v e lo p e la b e lle d "P e er A d v isin g " b y F e b ru a ry 1 4 , 2 0 0 0 . A ll a p p lic a n ts w ill b e c o n ta c te d fo r a n in te rv ie w d u rin g t h e w e e k o f F e b ru a ry 2 8 , 2 0 0 0 .

cation is a public good ...therefore it should be paid for out of the public purse, like other public goods. Therefore there should be not tuition. Government grants should pay for everything, and let’s call it a day. It’s clean, it’s clear, it’s straightforward, I could easily be talked into it. So, for example, when I came to McGill [in 1993] we collected about $33 million a year in pri vate funding. Now we co llect 50... well we need to get it to a hundred in the next five or six years. I don’t know if we can, but we’ll darn well have to try so as to try to pick up some of the slack that is left there. Tribune: I read your letter to the minister of education where you commented on the various expectations the government has towards McGill, expecting you to produce more M.A.’s and Ph.D.’s, get more involved in adult educa tion. Shapiro: It’s easy for people to specify objectives, and then, w hen you d o n ’t pro v id e the resources for them you blame [the people], ..Nothing’s easier than that, to create objectives for other people or other institutions, make sure they don’t have the resources to achieve them, and then blame them for not having achieved it. It’s a perfect system, because you can feel virtuous and you can blame somebody else. My sense of it is that, one of the jobs I have in lobbying is not only to get more money but to try to get a different rhetoric from the government. I think for example that government’s rhetoric under mines the universities because as long as it’s in an T blame you’ mode, the people upon whom it depends in the end to deliver the goods, which are the faculty and the staff, w o n ’t do it because they’ll feel undermined. If the government would just say, Took we understand we may not be able to give you the money right now because we have our own fiscal problems’, which they do, ‘but we understand this is im portant, we understand that you’re doing your best’, then peo ple will work like hell for the same lousy salary...but they’ll feel th at som eone out th ere cares about the outcome and is not just dealing with the political necessi ties of the next election...Y ou don’t just lobby for more money, you lobby for a different rhetoric that will be more motivating for the faculty and the staff.

C o n s titu tio n a l M e e t i n g Come help make changes to the Queer McGill constitution. fo r Wednesday Feb. 2nd, 6:00 p.m. Q u eer Shatner Building, Room 416 or phone: 398-2106 M c G ill

News

T he M c G ill T ribune, T uesday, 25 January 2000

M anaging b o vin es, b eers and b ooty tor Clare Jennings, who provided sensitivity training for the coordina Management Winter Carnival tors and co-captains, explained the has a historic reputation for binge necessity of the changes in the face drinking and offensive, even haz of previous Management Carnival ardous behaviour. Recent threats of years. “I think the result of the sensi losing the opportunity to hold these events, however, has sparked an tivity training was two-fold. First, it effort by the Management was a result of SACOMSS expressed Undergraduate Society to clean up discontent with the way some of the both the carnival and its tainted track Carnival events were run. Second, it was Carnival organizers coming to record. In 1998, a new set of Codes of us with the sense that there were Conduct was established that re-eval- problems and things weren’t going uated the ethical merit and suitability right.” Other events that have been of each event. Along with these new codes, MUS joined forces with indi involved in Carnival for a number of viduals and groups such as years include some activities such as Drivesafe, the McGill arm wrestling, tricycle races, sports Ombudsperson, The Students’ on the reservoir, the pub crawl, and Society of McGill University, the boat races. The grand finale, the McGill First Aid, and the Sexual Scavenger Hunt, is also a very popu Assault Center of McGill Student lar event and involves the acquisition of about 350 items, some that are Society. “SACOMSS went through all found as far as New York and of the events and said what they Ottawa. Points are awarded for a liked and didn’t like a lot of changes variety of objects acquired, but the were made,” Hugh Sturgess, most interesting is the open-ended Management Winter Carnival co “most outrageous” item, which the chair, explained. “ [Carnival Kilkenny team took advantage of to involves] a lot of heavy lead a full-sized cow into the eleva drinking...[but] it allows you to test tor and down to the Bronfman cafe your endurance, apply yourself, and teria. In past years, another concern stick with events. [Carnival] contin ues the mandate of frosh week by was the choice of team names and providing a direction for meeting the often-derogatory subjects of skits people; it makes the faculty tighter performed. This year, however, there because it builds on the friendships have been limitations placed on the type of content that is allowed in made during frosh.” such presentations. “All team names must be Changed events approved by the coordinators,” said Changes were made this year so Arjuna Rajasingham, MUS VP com that there could be no more qualms munications. Jennings explained that the about the Carnival. These changes include the elimination of the changes were badly needed. “A couple years ago when Twister game and of the Eating Competition. Furthermore, the Torch Carnival was in Shatner, people were Run was changed from a naked dash wandering in and out and there was to a costumed jaunt across campus. some discomfort with people being Teams were given the choice there who were not involved,” she between 50 different costumes and said. “Also, people were talking received points for originality instead about language that were on suits, of nudity. There was also the addi offensive skits, and inappropriate tion of the Habs Game and the snow sculptures. SACOMSS was not the only organization that was con indoor Paint-Ball tournament. SACOMSS External Co-ordina cerned.” By A lelia Parenteau

Dion vs. Turp C ontinued from page 3 respected Quebec [with the Clarity Bill].” Another question from the floor concerned the apparent con tradiction between the Quebec gov ernment’s support for the 50 + 1 majority and its desire to preside over a third referendum despite 50.4 per cent of the Quebec popu lation voting ‘no’ in the 1995 refer endum. Turp curtly responded that the results of the 1998 Quebec provincial election provided the Parti Québécois government with a mandate to organize another refer endum, although Dion quickly reminded the audience that Liberal leader Jean Charest received more votes than current Prem ier of Quebec, Lucien Bouchard. Dion also bluntly stated that for the cur rent government of Quebec, “’No’ [in referendum] means not now and ‘yes’ means forever.” A nother tense moment emerged when an audience mem ber compared Quebec nationalism to ethnic nationalism, whereupon

Turp vociferously decried such a comparison. “We want a Quebec where everyone is a Quebecer... [seces sion] is not an unhealthy division but a democratic decision,” clari fied Turp. Turp similarly decried the federal government’s aversion to a European-Union style relation ship with Quebec, arguing that such a partnership represented “a modern formula that is more and more going to be used between countries and peoples.” Despite the strong and diver gent opinions voiced during the debate, a sense of civility and m utual respect was preserved betw een Dion and Turp. Nonetheless, Dion publicly criti cized personal attacks of him made by other members of the Bloc Québécois, attributing them to the weakness of sovereignists’ argu ments. “They don’t have a strong case to separate Quebec from Canada and since there is a lack of sub stance, they go to personal attacks,” said Dion.

Page 5

Grads stand against 'the man' B y Jo s h K ir shenblat

A motion allowing McGill graduate students to miss school on February 2 w ithout academ ic penalty was passed at a Senate meeting last Wednesday. The stu dents will be joining others across the country in the Access 2000 campaign run by the Canadian Federation of Students. The campaign is calling on the government to reinvest four billion dollars into post-secondary institu tions. “We have four main dem ands," Elizabeth C arlyle, national deputy chairperson of the CFS, said. "An increase in funding to social programs, reinvestment of the government surplus, a reduc tion in user fees, and an improve ment of grant programs.” The federal government has cut funding to post-secondary insti tutions by more than seven billion dollars since 1994, according to CFS figures. Now, with an expect ed surplus of 12 billion dollars, the CFS and other student groups, such as the Canadian A lliance of Student Associations, believe that money should be reinvested into social programs, among them edu cation. “There is a budgetary surplus and we feel that in this climate, the government keeps proposing that tax cuts are the most important thing, whereas people keep saying that in fact [the most important thing] is actually reinvestment in our social programs, including edu cation,” M cGill Post Graduate Student Society External Affairs C o-ordinator Kate M eier explained. M eier explained that other

issues stem from lack of funding, such as the possible privatization of McGill with the proposed creation of McGill College International and the cold beverage under dis cussion with Coke this year, both of which demand investment from outside sources. “You can draw the connec tion," she said. "The administration is justifying these actions by saying ‘we don’t have enough money.’ This is a real wake-up call. This could happen at our institution and that has huge ram ifications for graduates and undergraduates.” Schools across the country will be participating with actions

6 6 People have to stand up for their own rights. Nobody will do it for them. Elizabeth Carlyle National Deputy Chariperson Canadian Federation of Students

such as strikes, days of action and rallies on February 2. At M cG ill, the PGSS has organized events starting at 12:30 pm at the Roddick Gates. Hot chocolate will be served before the march begins at 1:30. Meier is hop ing for a peaceful march, unlike a CFS-Q dem onstration on November 3 when a police cruiser window was smashed in and an officer beaten. The main goal of the CFS and the PGSS, Carlyle explained, is to raise the issue of government under-funding and get students to participate. “People have to stand up for their own rights," Carlyle said.

"Nobody will do it for them. We

£ £ If you have a class in w the afernoon, you can come for the hot chocolate. If you have a class in the morn ing, you can come to the demo... Kate Meier Post Graduate Student Society External Affairs Co-ordinator

can’t afford to lobby the govern ment, so we have to show that we have the strength of numbers.” Even though the Students' Society of McGill University is not a part of the CFS, Meier encour aged undergraduates to join the demonstration. “If you have a class in the afternoon, you can come for the hot chocolate. If you have a class in the m orning, you can come to the demo, or I’m sure you’ll be able to find people in the street.” Although there has been some tension in the past between CASA, of which the SSMU is a member, and the CFS, they have been united on the issue of increased funding to post-secondary institutions. The SSMU is not directly involved, as a member of CASA, but they are lending support. “SSMU supports any move toward reinvestment. CASA made a big push in October, but I will be there.” Wojtek Baraniak, vice-pres ident of community and govern ment affairs for the SSMU, said. “CASA and CFS have slightly dif ferent methods, but we are working toward the same thing. If either of us wins, we both win.”

A u th o r , a n d P r o f e s s o r o f J e w i s h R e l i g io u s T h o u g h t a t t h e U n i v e r s it y o f H a if a ,

Menachem Kellner w ill b e r e a d i n g f r o m h is b o o k M u s t a J e w B e lie v e A n y th in g ?

Friday, February 4th, 2 0 0 0 at the McGill University Bookstore at 12:30pm in the Café located on the 2nd floor. A fte r t h e r e a d in g , P ro f. K e ll n e r w ill g l a d l y a n s w e r q u e s tio n s a n d s ig n b o o k s .

Everyone is welcom e, refreshm ents w ill be served.

S M c G ill

T h e crucial qu estion fo r to d a y ’ s Je w is h w o rld , M en a ch em Kellner arg ue s, is not whether Je w s will have Jew ish grandchil d re n , b u t h ow m a n y d iffe re n t s o rts o f m utually e xc lu s ive Judaism s those grandchildren will fac e. Kellner's short, brisk, and accessible book exam ines how the split that threatens the Jew ish future can be avoided. Undoubtedly M ust a Je w Believe Anything? has the potential to m ake a difference to how O rth o d o xy understands itself and its relationship to other Jewish m ovem ents in the m odern world.

BOOKSTORE

3 4 2 0 McTavish • 3 9 8 -7 4 4 4

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T he M c G ill T ribu n e , T u esd a y , 25 Janu ary 2000

EDITORIAL

You can't have it both ways

The ultimate measure o f a man is not where he stands in moments o f comfort, but where he stands at times o f challenge and controversy. — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Last Monday, I had dinner with one of your h ig h falu tin ’, goateed (of course), intellectual m otor-m ouths. The experience was 1) a superb appetite suppres sant, and 2) an indication that this Terrorism and Paranoia in North America was going to be another week down the crapper. B y R hea W o n g That was the same day they had a p ro test ag ain st the Stories about Algerian terrorists sneaking their way into America w ith carloads of bombs and agendas for destruction have erupted [ C o n fed erate flag in South all over the media. Carolina. Goatee left no doubt as Trumped up charges of international Islamic conspiracies and to where he stood on the issue. secret societies have fueled the North Am erican im agination in a “That fucking w hite trash w ay that only a good, old-fashioned Cold W ar Commie hunt could shit rag!” he blasted, unknowing

let me turn home. Believe it or not, there actually was a time before Bill 101 when many peo ple can remember being told to “ speak w h ite .” H ell, I can remem ber people tram pling on the Fleur-de-Lys while brandish ing the M aple L eaf during Lac Meech. Dare to utter a syllable of French in Ontario, even today, and see how fast “ Y ours To D iscover” becomes “Yours To Leave.” With this, you can under stand how some people might not do in the past. A recent M aclean's article served to illustrate just be overly enam how paranoid North Am ericans could get in the face o f nothing oured with the more than the demons in their heads. C hair Shots C anadian flag. On December 14th, Ahmed Ressam was arrested for allegedly Does this mean possesing explosives in the trunk of his car. Maclean's claims that Joe Fernandez th at it should Ressam's arrest was the first step in toppling an ever-widening circle not fly over of Islamic terrorists hell-bent on launching their jihad on America. The article then continues to theorize, hypothesize, allege and spec Q u éb ec’s C ity ulate on the extent to w h ich A lg erian /lsla m ic "fundam entalists" Hall? have burrowed their way into the britches of Canada. They claim ly dribbling tofu as far down as Play it the other way around. that these underground groups are linked to much more influential his birkenstockers, “They should I don’t have to tell anyone read leaders like e xile d Saudi m illio n a ire Osama b in Laden. These ing this how Bill 101 has had pro take it down!” . groups, they say, set up legitimate businesses only to front their ter “Like the Québec mayor did found, and not altogether promis rorist activity w hich was m ainly funded through petty crime. with the Canadian flag?” ing, im plications regarding our The problem is, the article rants and raves about Islamic sub An uncom prehending and post-graduation marketability in terfuges w ith no solid evidence whatsoever. W h ile they're at it, w hy unholy stare came my way. Then, Québec. not mention that M ickey Mouse is the head o f a M afia attempt to “You can’t compare the Canadian I know how demoralizing it b ra in w a sh the n a tio n w h ile th e y la u n d e r th e ir u n d e rw e a r at flag to THAT!?!” is to watch as your language and Kentucky Fried Chicken chains? W ith o u t actual proof, it's all just finger-pointing and sensationalism. Can’t I? Both flags embody culture are perpetually devalued, Something far more disturbing is at w ork when such a w idelythe traditions of a people. Both how depressing it is to eternally read publication like Maclean's prints such negligent articles for the are also reviled by a sizeable see your n atio n al asp ira tio n s average Canadian citizen to read w hich renders m inority-bashing minority. Sounds like they have acceptable. The result is that monsters o f our own making are creat at least two things in common. ed. History has shown repeatedly that no matter what, it's always Da Bearded One could not Us against Them, whoever They might be. North Americans need to proceed this far because he vehe feel like cowboys riding up on their co lle ctive ponies to defend m ently despises the Stars and Lady Freedom. W e feel the need to sling our guns, swagger our hips Bars as a result of the slavery and and pat ourselves on the back for a job w ell done. You can't be the C ivil W ar co n n o tatio n s. In hero w itho ut an evildoer. U nfortunately, Algerians and M uslim s in general have u n w it today’s context, slavery is indis tingly stumbled into the view finder that Communists, homosexuals putably wrong. But, let me offer or Salem w itches m ight have once inhabited. Regardless o f how you, as I tried to offer Goatee, a dangerous Montana m ilitants and Algerian arsonists may or may not couple of things about the Civil be, we must recognize that we relish the danger zone to reassert our War: self-righteousness. M e d ia -fu e le d paran oia abo ut The N ext Big 1) F ederal (i.e. A NTIDanger only thrives because o f the superheroes lurking just below Confederate) General U.S. Grant the surface of every North Am erican heart. Evidence? W ho needs swore he would have handed his evidence? Paste the Terrrorist of the M onth's mug on every publica C all 3 9 8 sw ord to L incoln if he had tion from here to the Red Sea, broadcast him from every available thought the War was about end satellite, extradite him, lock him up and throw away the key. more in f Political scientist Samuel Huntington writes in his article "The ing slavery; Coming Clash o f C ivilizations" that the nouveau chic o f the modern 2) C o n fed erate P artisan t i o n , or c age w ill be clashes between cultures and civilizations. The oldest R anger lead er C olonel John to th e Tri counterpoint to the West since the Crusades has been Islam. The Singleton Mosby, on whose head Western attitude towards Islamic cultures have run the gamut from U.S. Grant put a hefty price, was office disdain to fear fueled by ignorance. The link that M uslim equals morally opposed to slavery; fundamentalist equals terrorist must be broken. I do not doubt that 3) At least two companies of (Shatner there exists real danger in the w o rld ; I'm just not convinced that African-Americans served in the Muslims at large should be the w hipping boy for it. Let us be more B 0 1 A ) on regular Confederate forces; original that. 4) At least one A fricanThe paranoia that North Americans fire up from tim e to tim e is S aturday American rode, AS AN EQUAL, not necessarily a result o f any actual threat, but rather a perceived threat. Media often feeds frenzies at the slightest w h iff o f blood and | w ith after C o n fed erate C aptain we eat it up because we require an outlet for our Superman com W illiam C larke Q u a n trill’s noons. plexes and fear o f w hat we do not understand. Everybody wants to guerilla band. be Charles Bronson, but ask yourself w ho the real target is. Now that I took care of that,

L io n s a n d t i g e r s a n d b e a r s , o h m y !

treated with contempt, if they are acknowledged at all. And I share your exhaustion from constantly living in the shadow of political instability, as bogus as the basis for that instability may be. Does this mean that we should con verge upon the N atio n al Assembly and demand that they take down the Québec flag? One thing I got from Goatee (and many like others like him) is the n o tio n o f “How can you defend the Stars and Bars when there are so many hate groups goose-stepping around under it?” W ell, m any sep a ra tist AND Anglo-rights outfits have, at one p o in t or an o th er, been called “hate groups.” The question is, do we want to outlaw someone’s tra ditional em blem s ju st because collections of private individuals have appropriated the use of these em blem s to fu rth er th eir own objectives? It goes like this. Tolerance means respecting the rights of people of ALL traditions, ESPE CIALLY of those inimical to our own. O th erw ise, w e’re only exploiting a fifty-dollar word to advance the interests of our par ticular lobby.

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S taff: Sam Cam pbell, Adam Blinick, Jam es Em pringham , S. Farrell, Julie Fishm an, Pat Fok, M aggie Gilm our, Edward GUicksman, M ichael Harrison, Mark Kerr, Josh Kirschenblat, Peter Koven, D ara Klug, Sue Krachinsky, M. Lazar, Alexander Leigh, M alcolm Levy, Zoe Logan, Finola M oore, Sandy M uslow , John Naughton, A lelia Parenteau, M arie-Hélène Savard, Carrie Schoem er, Peter Skawinski, Jam es Seyler, Philip Trippenbach, Barbora Vokac, M onique W ong, Crystal W reden.

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O p /E d Page 7

T he M c G ill T ribune , T uesday, 25 January 2000

Cold? No, Canadian. As I was walking home from school today, a strange thought was running through my head - I couldn’t stop thinking about how warm it was. It co u ld n ’t have been much more than minus fif teen or so, but it really felt warm in com parison to the Antarctic tem p eratures that w e’ve been experiencing lately. And I felt kind of ripped off - like I wasn’t getting everything that I had paid for. S trange thing about the weather. It’s freezing, but we love it. I mean, sure, we all go around complaining about how cold it is, and we pretend not to want to go outside, but deep down, you love when it’s this cold. I t ’s a C anadian thing. Historians want to talk about how Canadians have no national iden tity, but we do. No doubt about it. It might be hidden in the summer, but it really shines when it’s like this. Take a look at the paper, lis ten to the news or watch it on TV. All anyone is talking about is how damn cold it is. It binds us together as a nation. From angry west coast reform ers to fat cat O n tarian s to sep a ratist Quebequois, everyone can agree. Forget national unity problems, Canadians come together because it’s freezing. I don’t want to sound like an overzealous nationalist here, so let me ju s t add th at all you Americans (not to mention people from, well, anywhere else) count, too. I mean, you’re living here, and y o u ’re ex p erien cin g this weather, too, so you’re part of the team . B esides, you do all the same things we do. W hat do I mean, you ask? Well, for one thing, we’re all very proud that it’s so cold, aren’t we? You see the conversation a thou sand times a day: T heard it’s going to be, like, minus nineteen.’ . ‘No, dude, i t ’s gonna get way colder - I heard minus twenty five!’ And don’t even try to pre tend that you don’t do it, too. I know you do. And i t ’s not re stric te d to those who are in the same situa

call it bragging. That’s what we do. We brag about how cold it is. We try to make other people feel inferior about where they live, because it isn’t as hard-core as it is here. They’re not as good as you are, because they haven’t been through what you have. Personally, I don’t mind. I think this w eather is fun - no exaggeration. It makes going out

tion as you are - everyone wants to tell people in other places how cold it is here, and they use levels of exaggeration that would make W ilt C ham berlain blush. For example, what do you tell your parents about the weather when you talk to them? “Oh yeah mom, it was for sure forty below here today. W hat? I t ’s cold in Toronto? No. I don’t think you

Training for National Championships

B urnina the Sam buca

Chris Essert

side into such an ordeal that every trip to the bar is as complex as an Apollo mission, and it’s sort of exhilarating when you’re actually outside - everything needs to be done as quickly as possible, with out any waste movement. It’s like a moonwalk. Unfortunately, I’m just one boy. W hat can I do? I ’ll ju st maintain the status quo - I’ll keep bitching, but I’ll keep loving it.

guys down there even know what cold means. Give me a break. Walking home from school, you need to break into a run for the last two blocks just so you don’t drop dead in the street.” And it’s not just a personal thing - the entire society has invented a method of exaggera tion so pervasive that it has come to be accepted as a real measure m ent. Com e on. W in d ch ill? Please. But still, it’s not that we’re complaining, is it? No. What do you call it when a person goes around exaggerating about their situation to anyone who will even pretend to listen to them? You

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We are now looking for dedicated volunteers for two branches of the Sexual Assault Centre.

Doubl e the p o w e r of your degree

C a ll (

Athletes w ait between events, Saturday, a t the McGill Julie Fishman Invitational track m eet a t the Athletic Centre's fieldhouse. (see story page 23)

INFORMATION SESSIONS: J a n u a r y 1 0 - 1 5 a n d 1 7 - 1 9 , 4:00 p m -5 :0 0 p m BROWN 5200 (Brown S tu d e n t S e rv ic e s Building 3600 M cTavish) O r c o m e to A ctivities N ight, J a n . 12, (S h a tn e r Building, 3 4 8 0 M cTavish)

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T he M c G ill T ribune, T uesday, 25 January 2000

Page 8 O p /E d

The Tribune's mishmash of fun, fact and fiction

Starters A new game for Ellipsis readers: the object is to find the shortest word possible containing the three letters listed below. Winner receives a free pass for two to the premiere of a new release movie. Rules: The letters must be kept in the order they are listed. The word must be a minimum o f four letters long. The shortest word wins; where there are two words submitted with equal lengths, the word with the most vowels wins.

® (I1

Subm issions can be em ailed to tribune@ ssm u.m cgill.ca. Please pu t the word “Starters” as the subject o f the message. Starters is a Friends o f Fun Factory game

Want to say something to your Valentine? P r i n t it in t h e

Tribune.

Watch next week for submission information. Valentines will be limited to about 25 words.

... E l l i p s e

9 9 9

Dear S&M By S. Farrell

and

M . La z a r

Dear S&M, I am a smoker A y U and proud o f it. It is ' " a choice I have made and I am sick o f other people commenting on that choice. Could you let your readers know that it is rude to com m ent on o th er p e o p le ’s habits. C ’mon, we all do things that are bad fo r us, why is it that smoking is such a sin ? Smokes Dear Smokes, Here is what you asked for: Hey everyone that is irritating. Smokes about his habit, leave him alone. It is not your place to say anything and don’t be hyp ocrite: we do all do things that are bad for us, from drinking ten beers in a night to puffing on herbs. He is right, it is not our place to tell him what to do. It is his life. And seeing that it is your choice Smokes, we here at S&M, feel that we should give you

inform ation to make sure that your choice is informed. We could tell you that ciga rettes contain Arsenic, Hydrogen Cyanide (the stuff used in gas chambers), and many other tox ins. We could tell you that smok ing inceases your chance of get ting a plethora of cancers, heart disease and emphysema. But you probably know all that and still choose to smoke, just like M of S&M knows all that too and M still chooses to smoke. M : But there is something that I learned a little less than two weeks ago about smoking that I never knew before: what it feels like to w atch som eone dying from emphysema. I saw a friend of mine lie in a hospital bed, and struggle with every breath she took; w atched her entire body shake and her eyes filled with pain as she tried to breathe. And at the time I thought that it was ironic that the lung treatment my friend recieved looked a lot like a cigarette. Inhaling from tube in the shape o f a c ig a re tte and exhaling a substance that looked

Collectanea

— compiled by John Salloum

Collectanea has a few housekeeping items it would like to pull together this week.

Don't be gettin' aroused in M ississippi

EXPERIENCED ASSISTANCE AND PLANNING IN U.S. IMMIGRATION MATTERS: • All Visas (Temporary and Permanent) • Green Cards • Company Transferee Visas • Family Visas • Employment Visas • Student, Fiancé, etc. C o m p le te y o u r f ie ld of s tu d y th ro u g h o u ts ta n d in g jo b o p p o r t u n it ie s in th e U . S . T h e o p t io n s a v a i l a b l e to C a n a d ia n s tu d e n ts w is h in g to r e lo c a t e to th e U .S . a re v a r ie d . N u m e ro u s v is a o p tio n s a re a v a ila b le . A IM w ill r e v ie w y o u r p a r t ic u la r s it u a tio n , a n d p ro v id e y o u w ith m u lt ip le a v e n u e s to w a r d s a t t a in in g y o u r g o a ls .

We are available to answer any questions that you may have. E -M A IL : A I M U S 2 0 0 0 @ A O L .C O M T e l: ( 5 6 1 ) 5 8 2 - 6 5 0 1

F ax: (5 6 1 ) 5 8 2 -4 8 9 6

The state of Mississippi is currently considering putting a new law on the books that would punish men who become aroused in a public place, even if they are clothed. According to reports, “the showing of covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state” could land you in trouble with the law. Punishment for this crime is up to a year in prison and/or a fine of $2000 (U.S. dollars too...). The law, if passed, could make whisper ing sweet nothings into a partner’s ear in public a decidedly bad idea. [One must also wonder what they do about unclothed indecent expo sure...]

C osm o and P l a y b o y s t r a n g e

bedfellows ■C osm opolitan magazine is joining the ranks of Playboy and other ‘adult-oriented’ publications on racks in supermar kets. The major American foodseller Kroger Co. is placing socalled ‘blinder racks’ in front of C osm o’s front cover so as to obscure all but the masthead and a portion of the front model’s face. Reports indicate that complaints received by the company surround ing the sexual nature of Cosmo’s

cover headlines prom pted the change. The headlines regularly invite readers to learn “Sex Tricks only Cosmo Would Know.” The magazine is often placed at check out terminals where children wait in line with their parents. The super market reports it is attempting to make its 2300 stores more familyfriendly.

W eb

fe v e r

sweeps

Halfway, Oregon The town council of Halfway, Oregon has voted to change its name to Half.com. Proclaiming itself the first “dot-com” city in the world, the 345 person town made the change as part of a deal with a Philidelphia company of the same name. According to news sources, the company wanted a gimmick, and was willing to give the town some computers for its schools, a new website as well as the possibili ty of locating its customer service call centre in the town itself. The town’s proclamation runs only for the duration of the year 2000, but there exists the possibility to renew the change indefinitely. Collectanea feels that there is something about visiting “oldmontreal.com” that takes away from the area’s charac ter. Sources: dailynews.yahoo.com, other news sources.

T h o m a s th e Tank Engine takes off

like smoke. The only difference was that this tube was filled with things that were meant to give her the b reath th at cig arettes had taken away. And now, as I get ready to go home for my friend’s funeral, I think that the most iron ic part of that experience, was that the entire time I was sitting in the hospital room watching my friend die from smoking, I want ed nothing more than to have a cigarette. I use to think I was making the choice to smoke, and now I wonder if I am just making a mis take. M c G ill’s A nti Sm oking Society is holding a Smoke-free day on January 26th. There will be a variety of activities includ ing a smoking cessation work shop in Shatner 107 and 108 from 11:30-12:30. Hey Smokes, maybe you should check it out, and if not keep in m ind that there is help out there if you ever make the choice to quit.

Engine, the kid’s book and televi sion character turned themepark train in Crossford County, England, was loaded onto a truck by workers and taken away for what was thought to be engine maintenance. The only problem? There was no maintenance scheduled. After wav ing goodbye to the workers, staff at the park realized that the engine had actually been stolen from the park and notified police. The man ager of the park went on the record saying that the train must have been stolen ‘to order’ because of its spe cific design for the park’s rail sys tem. [Whatever happened to that shuttle-bus system students at McGill were promised?] Sources: dailynews.yahoo.com

Talking heads • Snow is a lot like life. It’s cold, wet and annoying, but if you wait for the right moment, it can be peaceful, calm and beautiful. — Rebecca Brown Source: http://www.panix.com/~dturner/quo tes.htm • Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to pull a sled through snow. — Jeff Valdez • For some reason a glaze passes over people’s faces when you say “Canada”. Maybe we should invade South Dakota or som ething. — Sandra Gotlieb, wife o f the Canadian ambassador to the U.S. • When I was crossing the border into Canada, they asked if I had any firearms with me. I said, 'W ell, what do you need?’ — Steven Wright Source: www.qotd.org

F E A T U R E S T he M

c G ill

T r ib u n e , T u e s d a y ,

Ja n u a r y

2000

___________________________

Page 9

An initiation into the world of aromatherapy BY Y o n a R eiss

Despite the barage of aromathterapy products available at the Gap, the Body Shop and even Jean Coutu, this new trend is not the re-invention of modern cosmetics. Evidence exists that Ancient Greece, Egypt and India were all aware of the vari ous benefits existing in the smells of herbs and plants. The earliest writ ten herbal text is claimed by a Chinese Emporer, Shen Nung, who lived between 700 and 100 B.C. and lists over 350 medicinal plants. Aromatherapy as it is practised today, however, is a unique phe nomena discovered by the man who is now considered its father, ReneMaurice Chartefosse, who seems to have encountered the healing attrib utes of herbal oils by accident. The story goes that after having burnt his hand, he immersed it in lavender oil simply because it was the nearest liquid to him. He soon found that this was actually a smart move. The pain stopped and thé wound healed without leaving any trace of a scar or an infection.

How it's done nowa days The difference between what is considered aromatherapy since Charttefosse’s findings and its uses in ancient times, is the distillation process which is necessary to extract essential oil. The basic idea behind

this practice relies heavily on the sense of smell and its effect on human physiology.

more than a bubble bath

W hat the smells do to you Martin Watt, one of the leading authorities on aromatherapy today,writes that the inhalation of essential oils produces two effects on the body. On his aromatherapy website Watt states that “a pharma cological action by the absorption of aromatic chemicals via the respirato ry tract” takes place causing “an indirect yet powerful effect of the brain via olfactory perception.” For this reason all of the methods involved in this therapy revolve around the inhalation of the oils rather than the internal application of them.

Although it is rumoured that massage oils can penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream, there is

Dara Klug

documented proof that the skin effectively acts as a barrier against oils. There are many methods in which to apply the oils such as mas sage, compresses, body wraps, baths and inhalation. Massage is seen as the most effective method of using the oils because it combines their properties with the therapeutic power of touch. All these methods require the oils to be diluted with water or a carrier oil and should not be used straight. Aromatherapy can be easily learned and self-administered after a basic knowledge of the process is obtained from the many websites, books and articles dedicated to it. Caution must be taken however, to ensure that the information and

author are reliable and not just one of the many hack experts who popu late this field. The whole field, however, should not be discredited as there are many experts and schools which can be easily contacted for questions and treatment. Linda Burton, a teacher at the NHC Institute as well as a practising aesthetician, reflexol ogist and masseuse, says she uses the oils with most of her treatments because of their ability to “improve the emotional state (of her patients) and bring the mind and body back into balance, making it easier for the body to heal itself.”

Smell yourself into a sweet state of mind Through pleasant and relaxing scents, the oils are said to improve the emotional state of their user and are recommended in order to relieve certain negative emotions. For instance, in order to ease aggression, bergamot and chamomile are among the oils recommended. For jealousy, jasmine and rose and for shyness, black pepper, patchouli and pepper mint can be of help. Linda Burton explains these claims simply by stat ing that sweet smelling floral and fruity scents can help to uplift a neg ative state of mind. Burton also believes that the herbal and somewhat spicy scents can help to cure bacterial ailments when they are inhaled into the

bloodstream. She attributes other cures to aromas, saying that they have an ability to heal aches and pains in muscles by bringing the blood to the surface during massage. Though many oils available in beauty care stores, and have a pleas ant smell, they may not have the same health benefits as those sold by professional aromatherapy compa nies. Aromatherapy is still such a new field that even many medical doctors do not have information, as there have been few studies to verify its authenticity. Dr. Tellier of the McGill Health Clinic says that if his patients find themselves benefiting from it he advises them to continue. Since it is not injected into the body, he does not see .any harm in it. However, he does not know of any medical advantages either and could not support any of the claims made by aromatherapy’s main supporters. If aromatherapy is a legitimate practice and can really achieve the claims made by its experts, it will perhaps become a major and widely used medical recourse. Check out some reliable sources and decide for yourself: • NHC Institute-485-3859 • Martin W att’s Website www.nature-helps.com/agora/aromathe.htm www.fragrant.demon.co.uk/aromal. html

The Internet: providing unique educational solutions Continued from cover Computer Stores, explained why he started the company. “The thing that bothered me, was that [I was] finding over the years that universities had gotten into the habit of providing more and more lab space for students, as... a hangover from the days of the mainframe, [and a time when] computers were so expensive that students couldn’t afford them. But over the years, it turns out that alm ost 85 per cent of students [now] have access to a [personal computer],” Raju said. “So the issue then became, can we take the software in the labs and offer it directly to the students on terms and conditions that make sense to them? Meaning, instead of charging $200 for an application, where approximately 65 per cent of that cost was [incurred by middle men]... could we deliver it [elec tronically] and remove cost of the [middlemen]?” In addition to this new delivery method, the company offers soft ware rentals. For example, the com pany offers the rental of statistics software called “M iniTab” for about $35 for use from now until August 31, 2000. After that date, the software will require a new license to be purchased or it will simply cease to operate. This development allows stu

universities have books4exchange.com. The site allows users to enter begun providing simi search criteria and contact other lar services to their users directly who have posted colleagues. Cheryl books they wish to sell. The site Maxwell, founder of does not oversee transactions; users cam puslounge.com only use it to locate booksellers - it graduated from York is up to the two users to negotiate University in Toronto in 1996. and complete the transaction. “It felt like I was “It’s doing incredibly well, we did better than we thought we the only one going would for the sem ester,” said through [having to pay Manish Srivastava, U2 Economics for everything] so I student and co-founder of the site. wanted to create an “The first semester was more of a environm ent where trial semester, to see if it worked... students could buy, sell or trade It really caught fire. Some schools books or in general find useful that we didn’t even [contact] got information,” Maxwell explained. Sanjay Patankar, a 4th year back to us and told us they were Biology student at the University of really interested [in joining].” C olum bia, echoed While books4exchange.com B ritish hosts textbook exchange services Maxwell’s sentiments. “We were tired of running for institutions other than McGill, it boasts 1062 individual M cGill around from pillar to post looking booksellers but estimates that triple for a good used textbook and trying that number visit the site in search to avoid the high priced UBC Bookstore and a kilometre-long for books. line, ju st to enter the sto re,” “Students have been involved Cheap textbooks at every step of the way in develop Patankar explained. He and some The internet is offering stu ing it... [There is] huge market friends set-up campussavvy.com dents other possibilities to save potential out there in Canada... and from UBC. “[We] put up this site in money too. Used textbook websites then there’s the States and Europe 1998, commercial free, to help have flooded the market recently, and everywhere else,” Srivastava other students over come that prob lem and reduce the amount of paper providing alternatives for used text noted. wasted in putting up those signs all book purchases and sales to the tra over the campus.” S i m i l a r servi ces ditional local booksellers. But M axw ell’s campusThe Science Undergraduate nationwide lounge.com is notably different Society at McGill teamed up with from books4exchange.com. Not Students at other Canadian EDge Interactive to create

dents use software for courses for a limited time, but without shelling out the price of a full retail version. “If the student [does not] need the software for more than a course or a year... they can buy it with that policy,” Raju explained. “ [But] when you start lowering prices, obviously you have to have a mas sive volume. The internet offers that possibility.”

www. books4exch ange.com

limiting itself to textbook exchange, campuslounge includes other areas such as live workspace chats and file uploads. “The idea behind our student exchange area is to build communities of interest,” Maxwell said. “We wanted Canadian experi ence, Canadian content. I think the Canadian student experience is very different.” Srivastava prefers to his site as a utility site, limiting itself to the task of co-ordinating textbook transactions. But when it all boils down, the internet has provided sig nificant new opportunities for stu dents. “[Our] sole goal is to make students life a bit easier, and save them some time and m oney,” Patankar explained.

Page 10

Features

T he M c G ill T r ibu n e , Tu esd a y , 25 Ja n u a r y . 2000

Kappa Kappa Gamma ain't no Visa Visa Mastercard B y R hea W ong

No parity raids. No p il low fig h ts in filmy nighties. No bitchy in fig h tin g or h a n d - to - n a il com bat. Just a little bit of ch o c o la te and a w hole lot of wholesome girly bonding await ed me at Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority’s Open House. I envisioned my foray into the House as a one-woman sur vival mission: Me against Them. God willing, I would be able to escape with my soul [and wallet] intact having defended m yself successfully against those hell bent on assim ilating me into a pearl-wearing, angora-swathed, collegiate Fembot. Against all odds, they would even make me perky goddammit. On a dark and snowy night, I ascended those treach ero u sly slippery stairs up to the lighted beacon that is KKG. Amidst a ju m b le of oh-so -tren d y black boots in the foyer that I believed was the beginning of the end, I rang the bell and held my breath. K K G ’s P resid en t T ara answered the door in fuzzy slip pers and ushered me in. Seated around a low co ffee tab le, a handful of girls were snacking on fin g erfo o d s and ch a ttin g . P erhaps, I thought, this tam e scene was a ploy to lure the potential rushee into a false sense o f secu rity b efo re the storm . Perhaps the food was meant to slow down the victim. I ’d best keep my wits about me. I struck up a conversation with the nearest women. Oddly, these Kappa women seemed to be fairly normal — a sophisticat ed espionage technique. They talked about sisterhood, initiation rites and friendship. Apparently, the official rush season is in fall where students come en masse to check out their

Greek options. The rush week madness continues for a week of partying and schmoozing where only the strong survive. It seems, too, that the low rushee turn-out m eans that so ro ritie s cannot choose them ; ra th e r rushees choose sororities. None of that nasty exclusion process. And, surprise of all surprises, there was no hazing by all accounts. Hmm. There must be some dirty secrets, right, right? What about those alco h o lic org ies? D a llian c es w ith frat boys? Bitchery of various types among sorority sisters? Apparently not. Seems that KKG’s headquarters in fair Columbus, Ohio makes the sisters sign forms which out line legal responsibilities and then insures them for all parties. Not even the satisfaction of a lit tle bit of inter-Greek mud-sling ing was mine. But surely the layperson’s perception of the sorority as a vanguard for rich snobs and D addy's g irls still stands? Another illusion bites the dust. Though there is an initiation fee and house fees due every semes ter for the rent of the common house, bursaries are available from headquarters for the cashstrapped sister. Because many KKG sisters are quite prosperous and a few “have married well” it seems that KKG is not short of funds thanks to generous alum nae. They were warm and friend ly. The best friends I never knew I needed. They invited me to a m ixer. Much to my chagrin, I actually kind of enjoyed the laidback, chick-only atm osphere. The v erd ic t? A m erican -teen sp lo ita tio n -Jo h n W aters-type flicks aside, this particular soror ity masked nothing sinister. This was an organization built on sis terhood, support and secret hand shakes. Sisters are doing it for th em selv es and i t ’s pretty groovy.

50 years of civil war in Sudan B y G regory La r k in

"One world, One celebration" was the headline that the Montreal Gazette chose on January 1, 2000 to celebrate the New Year. This proclamation that human ity was united in its euphoria over the New Year ignored the truth that millions found no cause to cele brate as their lives, and families were destroyed by war, poverty, famine and most disgracefully, neglect. The northeast African state of Sudan, is a prime example, and has been one of the m ost bleak episodes of human suffering since World War II. The plight of that people, however, has been largely ignored and misconstrued. Since Sudan became indepen dent from Britain in 1955, it has witnessed one of the deadliest civil wars of this century. The human repercussions of the war are astounding- 2.2 million dead, 4 m illion displaced, 2.5 m illion starving. Eighty per cent of the population of Southern Sudan has been uprooted from its homes. I was introduced to Sudan last summer as an intern for Médecins Sans Frontières, in the wake of the Kosovo Intervention. A nurse who had returned from a mission that began in a refugee camp in Macedonia and ended in a feeding center in South Sudan, described her experience in both countries. What struck her most about Kosovo as much as the human suf fering, was her immersion in a large scale military-media-relief operation. When she began discussing Sudan her tone changed from descriptive to stolid: she seemed to struggle to choke back her emo tions as she described her experi ence. "Everyday the children would line up at sunrise three hours before the center opened," she explained. "Their mothers would wait behind, shouting at them to push their way up to the front of the line. Those children who weren't strong enough to muscle their way to the front usually didn't stay alive for more than three weeks. Everyday, when we arrived at the clinic there was usually one or two dead children lying on the clinic's floor." While working for the MSF,

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two issues involving Sudan became apparent: one, despite the horrific suffering of the Sudanese, the Sudanese civil war is neglected and overlooked by the media and much of the international community, and two, the limited coverage that the war receives is based on halftruths and factual omissions.

Making sense out of chaos

forced conscription and blocking relief-aid to civilian populations. However, it is difficult to find an article which mentions how the SPLA consistently conscripts child soldiers, hijacks relief-aid and tar gets civilians. The US government and media largely overlook the SPLA's atrocities and according to US Congress Resolution 109, their fight is "a just struggle for freedom and democracy." In com parison to events in Macedonia, it is clear that little attention has been paid to the civil war in Sundan.

The Sudanese Civil War goes back nearly 45 years and has split the country into two. The govern ment of the Muslim-Arab north of Sudan came to power undemocratiThe Project, in co-ordination cally and has been violently reject with Médecins Sans Frontières, ed by the black, Animist/Christian The Black Students Network, and south ever since Sudan gained several NGOs and Sudanese expa independence from Britain in 1956. triots are launching the Sudanese The government of the north has Awareness Campaign on March 9. fluctuated in and out of Islamic For more information please con fundamentalism and between the tact the Project at 844-1610. East and the West bloc during the Cold War. Since 1989, the govern ment of Khartoum has been under the control of the fundamentalist National Islamic Front. The largest rebel group in the South, the Sudan People's McGill flag in space Liberation Army, is led by John Garang, a Ph.D. from the Continued from page 2 University of Iowa, and is diplo matically and militarily supported In an attempt to engage the by the United States. audience, Payette quizzed the room The Canadian oil company Talisman, more recently, began on a series of slides depicting space-views of earth. She explained drilling oil in southern Sudan. According to the Globe and Mail that because the shuttle orbits the and www.vitrade.com, the money earth so quickly (it passes nine earned from Talisman's operation times a day), a photograph of a spe has been used to fund and sustain cific region of the planet must be timed perfectly. the civil war by the NIF. After the slide show, Payette Furthermore, the NIF employs sys tematic burning in order to purge presented the flag of M cG ill’s the area around the Talisman refin Center for Intelligent Machines to ery of rebel militias and sympathiz Principal Bernard Shapiro. Payette, having worked at the CIM as a stu ers. The NIF is a leading sponsor dent, chose to take the miniature of terrorism and provides a safe- flag into space as a memento of haven to terrorist organizations like McGill. Payette also presented Principal Shapiro with a photo Hamas and the M uslim Brotherhood. Khartoum further graph of M ontreal taken from space. more is a rival of Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya, and is closely Payette concluded her lecture linked with China and Malaysia as by taking questions from the audi they are the largest developers and ence. Most people seemed to be consumers of Sudanese oil. interested not in such topics as the Subsequently, the United progress of the assembly of the States feels that the NIF is a dan International Space Station, but gerous rogue state and has impli more in the logistics of everyday cated the media and many NGOs life in space. into portraying and treating the NIF “Zero gravity does take some as the sole perpetrator of evil in a getting used to,” Payette explained, civil war which is, in reality, a “You can get so good at it that you mosaic of evil. can have a computer floating in front of you, and type lightly W hat the media enough that it will not float away leaves out from you.” One audience member had the The US, and most American nerve to ask the question that many newspapers, harp on the horren people in the crowd were probably dous human rights abuses of the wondering in the back of their NIF and illuminate the atrocities it minds: has any human ever had sex commits such as targeting civilians, in space? “Let me ask you,” replied Payette, “are you from Arts or Engineering?” She went on to explain that given the limited TRAVEL-Teach English amount of time that humans have 5 day/40 hr. (Ott. Oct. 13-17) spent in space, the opportunity for TESOL teacher cert, course (or such events has not yet arisen. “The bycorresp.). 1000’sofjobs answer is no. We have not yet avail. NOW. FREE info pack, reached that p oint,” explained toll free Payette, implying that some day in the future, our presence in space will be adequately established to allow for such activities to take place.

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Features

T he M c G ill T r ibu n e , T U E S D A Y , 25 JA N U A R Y , 2000

Page 11

The big, bad, burglary blues Residents must do their part; the police will (usually) By Ian D isend

sent] automatically to Ottawa.” There, they are entered into a computer in an attempt to find a match with criminal record hold

It’s one of the worst feelings in the world. You com e hom e from an enjoyable evening, perhaps still laughing at a joke that particular ly am used you during dinner. Nothing seems out of the ordi nary as you turn your key in the front door. The door swings open, you step in sid e, and a cold draught hits your face. Did I leave a window open? you ask yourself, puzzled. But as scattered papers and open closet doors come into view, a horrify ing reality pierces your mind. Oh, no... Your heart sinks to the floor. No... not me. T he scene b efo re you diverges more and more from the mental picture you had of your apartment with every mounting in co n sisten cy . My C D s... the stereo... my computer! The anger, the indignation, the feelin g o f v io latio n that accompany burglary are poorly conveyed by the term ‘B & E ,’ Your stuff could be next... the shorthand for ‘break-andenter’ which comes out sounding ers. The well-known frequency more like a chain of hardware of burglaries and sparse instances stores than a criminal act. And yet the victim can rarely do more of arrest lead many victims of the B & E to grow disillusioned with than float in a sea of self-pity. According to Officer Nelson the in v estig atio n p rocess. Marshall of Poste de Quartier 19, Nevertheless, Marshall notes that the police station at the corner of some of the criminals are indeed Prince Arthur and Hutchison, the caught, and Poste 19’s record is police can help if given enough to constantly improving. “We used to go around fortyw ork w ith. The case w ill be five to fifty break-ins per month,” probed as long as ample evidence he said, pointing out that the exists, but “if there’s no key that the police o fficer can follow , number has been slashed by more [then the case] is going to be put than half. A hand-draw n chart inside the station showed that on the side.” When officers visit a re si December 1998 saw thirty-eight dence following a break-in, by intros (as B & E is know n in norm al p ro ced u re they look French) in the Poste’s district. By around the apartm ent and sur December 1999, that number was rounding area. They will attempt down to eighteen. Patrolling and to locate fingerprints. If they sus undercover surveillance, helped pect th at th ere are (b ased on out by watchful neighbours have moved objects, smooth surfaces helped the decline since the Poste and the like), Marshall explained opened up in 1997. “W e’re very p ro u d ,” says that “ [officers] ask for the I.D. squad, who are the specialists Marshall of his station's achieve ment. [who] take the prints.” H ow ever, th e re ’s alw ays M arshall says that “every [set of] prints that are taken [are room for im provem ent. Some

time ago, one might say that I ‘gained valuable life experience’ through the ordeal of burglary. While the thief was busy using

my credit card at the RenaudBray bookstore and, no doubt, laughing at my driver’s license photo, the investigating officer did little o f w hat M arshall described. He confidently recorded “no fingerprints” in the police report, despite a whole slew of objects that were practically screaming to be dusted. He did not search more than one room of the apartment (thus missing not only the site of stolen o bjects, but the th ie f’s escape route), nor did he have a look outside, where he w ould have found footprints preserved immaculately in the snow. A later attempt to add gen uinely valuable information to the report, including a serial number, was receiv ed w ith relu ctan ce even to re trie v e the file, and eventual surliness and defensive ness. My own experiences aside, Marshall contends that the public, too, must play its part to prevent break-ins. For starters, he says, there’s

cers may "recommend to the vic tim ... to cut trees or put lights on” to increase visibility and per haps d eter fu tu re in tru d ers. M arshall also cautions against making computers and other such v alu ab les v isib le from street level. S erial num bers of such objects should be recorded. O ther form s o f p rotection w orth co n sid erin g are lig h t timers, an audible alarm system, or simply leaving the television or radio on loudly when you go out. Owning a dog, even if it resem b les the T aco B ell C h ih u ah u a m ore than W hite Fang, may also be helpful. “When they hear noise, they leave,” explains Marshall of bur glars. “As simple as that.” The police force also offers a prevention program known as Opération Identité, in which your b elo n g in g s can be clearly en g rav ed w ith your nam e for free. Such a measure obviously m akes resale of sto len goods problematic. Further tips can be had by Dara Klug picking up a pamphlet, available authorities. “If you have a suspi in English or French, at Poste 19. cious feeling inside of you, don’t The station can also be reached be shy to call 9-1-1,” he insists. at 280-0419. “You won’t be reprimanded.” Measures can also be taken to secure homes against B & E. Upon visiting a residence, offi

nothing wrong with a little suspi cion. Observers have a tendency to ex p lain aw ay q u estio n ab le co nduct ra th e r than call the

Quebec Public Interest Research Group at McGill

GRIP QUÉBEC PIRG

Groupe de recherche d'intérêt public du Québec à McGill a v is NOTICE Du mardi 1 février au mardi 29 février, From Tuesday, February 1 until tout/e étudiant/e voulant cesser d'être Tuesday, February 29, any student membre du GRIP-McGill devra se wishing to relinquish membership in présenter du lundi au vendredi entre QPIRG-McGill must come in person to 11h et 16h au 3647, rue Université, 3e 3647 University Street, 3rd floor, from étage. L'étudiant/e devra signer un Monday through Friday between 11:00 formulaire déclarant que tous ses droits am and 4:00 pm. Upon signing a de vote et droits de membre du GR1P- statement relinquishing all voting and McGill prendront fin suite au membership rights in QPIRG, the remboursement de la somme de 3.00$, student will be sent a refund cheque in qui sera émise par chèque. Cette somme the amount of $3.00. This amount représente les frais pour la session represents the fee for the Winter 2000 d'hiver 2000. Cette portion des frais semester. This portion of the student scolaires contribuerait normalement à la recherche, l'éducation et l'action sur activity fee would otherwise fund des sujets d'intérêt public menés par student research, education and action in the public interest. les étudiant/es. Pour de plus amples renseignements, composez le / For more information, call 398-7432 ou consultez notre site web / or consult our web site: ssmu.mcgill.ca/qpirg

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Features

T he M c G ill T r ibu n e , T U E S D A Y , 25 JA N U A R Y , 2000

Hangover hunger: eateries for the morning after sured. It is the most obvious and sensible choice: the food is good, so is the service, the prices are cheap, and it’s conveniently located for anyone who lives in the Ghetto or on the Plateau. If that’s all False Teeth you’re Duncan Reid looking for, then read no further. minutes. Once inside, you’ll be wel comed by a cup of Place’s usuallyEggspectations fantastic coffee - not to mention probably half a dozen friends. (various locations) The breakfasts at Place are tra ditional, solid breakfast fare: eggs, Initial Impressions : Eggs is bacon, omelettes and all the rest. without a doubt one of the restau The service is reliable (in fact, some rants that took breakfast to the next say you haven’t made it as a real level in Montreal. They have some breakfaster until you’ve been recog fantastic items on the menu that go Place Milton nized by the main waitress who has beyond the ordinary, including the (224Milton St.) been there since the old Place days). eggs benedict and ‘Yolk-AroundOverall, you’re hangover will be the-Clock’ (an egg in a sliced bagel Initial Impresions : Place well-quashed. topped with melted cheese) that Milton used to be a real little holeThe Dammit, That Was Good seems to be one of the most widelyin-the wall, until the drastic renova Factor: 7.5/10 liked breakfasts anywhere. The ser tions that brought about the opening Grease-Induced Heart-Attack vice is usually pretty good, and the of the dining section of the restau Factor: 8/10 ambience is relaxed, but the chairs rant as it stands now. If you didn’t Sober Second Thought: Can’t (at least at the downtown location) know “Place” back then, let’s just breakfast be more than, well, func are super uncomfortable. Once say that the entire former area is tional you’re done breakfast, you’ll defi now used just for the kitchen. The Verdict: Place Milton is nitely start thinking about that Place can usually be picked out really the standard by which all comfy couch at home. on Milton by the small crowd gath other McGiller breakfasts are mea I used to be a big Eggs fan, ered on the sidewalk outside, wait going there so much that the host knew my name. In recent visits, however, I’ve found that Eggs just doesn’t have the same feel anymore. Once you’ve had Cosm o’s and L’Avenue it’s tough to go back. That said. Eggs still provides an out standing breakfast. The Dammit, That Was Good Factor: 8/10 Grease-Induced Heart-Attack Factor: 7.5/10 Sober Second Thought: Do you really want to have breakfast with the Crescent St. crowd? They look even cheesier after a night at Winnie’s! Eating after drinking: the morning after The Verdict: Still a great Dara Klug breakfast, but probably surpassed in ‘breakfast oomph’ by other places.

Breakfast is a real tradition here in Montreal. People aren’t afraid to spend a large chunk of their day "doing a big, satisfying brunch. I think there’s a definite correlation with M ontreal’s nightlife: one necessitates the other. In Vancouver, where I come from, there’s a more restrained nightlife, and so weekend brunch for most people means maybe a little toast with their fibre-rich cereal. Montrealers, though, aren’t afraid to indulge themselves, and to meet this demand there are a number of out standing breakfast places in central Montreal. The list below is by no means comprehensive: there are other places like Chez Cora and Cafe Republique that are good - but not as good as our finalists.

ing to get a table inside. Regulars know not to despair: unless you’re taking all your roommates and friends for brekky, getting a table almost always takes less than 15

L'Avenue (922 Mont-Royal E.) Canada's most modem aircraft fleet!

from the 20-foot silver starfish on the front of the restaurant) will prob ably be a line-up. This place is pop ular, no doubt about it, and it might take you awhile to get settled. Because of the crowding, this hum ble breakfaster suggests that you do L’Avenue in small teams, comman do-style and not in a platoon. (Just try to get a table for 8 on a Sunday afternoon!) L’Avenue has the coolest ambi ence among brekky hangouts, hands down. With disco balls and a motorcycle hanging from the ceil ing, comfy chairs, metal-covered

menus (which could potentially be used as lethal weapons), and wait ers in traditional white shirt and black vest garb, this place is unique. The best part is probably the bath rooms: ever seen a WC with a disco ball and 10 foot waterfalls? But the bottom line is always the food, and L’Avenue lives up to its potential here, too. The eggs benedict, in particular, are absolute ly outstanding. There’s eggs benny with curry, smoked salmon, pep pered chicken - and they’re all incredible. Wash it down with a mixed-fruit drink in a fishbowl-like glass; these crazy cocktails are expensive but worth every penny. The Dammit, That Was Good Factor: 9.5/10 Grease-Induced Heart-Attack Factor: 8/10 Sober Second Thought Hard to get to, tough to get into, and pricey. The Verdict: Worth it.

Initial Impressions: Your ini tial impression of L’Avenue (aside

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