The McGill Tribune Vol. 22 Issue 25

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A tale of urban legends in the information age

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M cG i l l Vol. 22 Issue 25

RIBUNE

Published by the Students' Society of McGill University since 1981

Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Residence, campus food service to be corporatized M ark Sward

Susan Campbell, director of Residences Food Services, which runs three cafeterias, Ancillary Services, the University depart­ two snack bars and a catering service, said ment responsible for food service, plans to that quality might suffer.

“We operate on a break-even basis,” she amalgamate nearly all of McGill’s cafeterias, including residences, under the management said, adding that, while many contract com­ panies rely on prepared foods and unskilled of a private food service provider.

A few large cafeterias will replace smaller labour, residence food is prepared from ones, and a private company will take over for scratch by skilled cooks. “What little money Residence Food Services as early as fall 2004, is left over is used for capital expenditures,” while Residence Food Services may not have like upgrading and repairing facilities and any role in food service in the new residence equipment. She argues that “contract compa­ that McGill plans to open, possibly as early as nies are profit-oriented, [whereas residence the fall of 2003. McGill says it has no plans to food] is service-oriented— [the contractor] take over cafeterias in student-leased build­ will only offer a high enough level of service ings like the Shatner Building and Thompson to keep their contract.”

House.

But according to Chartwells Regional The top contender for the campus-wide Vice-President Marty Doyle, “most campuses contract is Chartwells, which serves several run a break-even operation. From the other Canadian universities, including University’s perspective, food service is not a Concordia and Carleton University in profitable operation.” He said that Ottawa. Chartwells is McGills “current part­ Chartwells’ profits at universities are in the ner of preference,” according to Ancillary vicinity of two per cent, before taxes.

Services Director Alan Charade, but within Chartwells is a subsidiary of Compass Group the next year the contract will open up for PLC, a British company that claims to be the competitive bidding. world’s largest food service management Ancillary Services, which will oversee the company.

“All the profits from food services go integration and contracting of food service, worked with Chartwells to develop McGills right back into the business,” said Charade.

Charade expects that outsourcing will long-term food service plans.

“To put [the food service programme] bring “high levels of food quality and service together, we partnered with Chartwells on a delivered uniformly across the entire cam­ pus,” and said that catering will “rival the best quite flexible basis,” said Charade.

“Our ultimate goal is to incorporate hotels.”

JENNY GEORGE everything,” he said.

However, Campbell defends the resi­ Zoolander and other fashionistas strut their stuff at P[h]assion. See story, p.14 However, Charade emphasized that the dence caterers who currently compete with SWEET SIXTEEN PREVIEW amalgamation will not “affect the services Chartwells to cater McGill events.

“If they’re so good, why do we get so offered in the Shatner Building or in any other building leased by a student associa­ much business?” she asked. Campbell said tion.” that residence caterers often have 30 to 35 Some students and staff worry that cor­ orders in a day, most of which are for Andrew Segal__________________________ Carolina-Wilmington. porate managers will emphasize profit over University departments.

While the sixth-seed Terrapins remained service, and that exclusivity will also have a Just as Cinderella seemed poised to move in the hunt for their second consecutive title, Meal cards and retail hubs detrimental effect on food service. on in the Big Dance, the clock literally struck underdogs like the No.-11 Seahawks were One planned innovation is a cross-cammidnight. heading home earlier than usual. pus system of meal point cards, which would A p p ly to b e a In what would have been one of the In 2002, six teams seeded 11th or lower allow diners to use a common card to pay at biggest shocks in a first round that was large­ won their opening games. A look at the all retail locations at McGill. However, the ly devoid of upsets, Maryland’s Drew results of this year’s tourney reveals that only Shatner cafeteria will probably be excluded Nicholas hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer three teams played the role of first round from the system, according to Students’ just minutes after 12 o’clock on Saturday giant-killers: llth-seed Central Michigan, in n e x t y e a r 's T rib u n e\ Society President Martin Doe, who also said morning, leading the defending champions No.-12 Butler, and 13th-ranked Tulsa. w w w .m cgilltribune.com See RETAIL HUBS, page 2 to a 75-73 victory over upstart North

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2 News

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 25, 2003

"Retail hubs" to replace cats Continued from page 1

that SSMU executives pitched a similar debitcard system to Ancillary Services several years ag°According to Charade, there will be “hybrid plans combining residential meals and

KRISTEN MALLORY

retail flexibility [as well as] declining balance plans offering retail services for all meals.”

If the new residence, which is rumoured to be a downtown hotel, is ready in the fall, Charade said that those students would have access to the new meal plan system.

“Those will be the first people to have a board plan with options to use their money in retail operations around campus,” he said.

In the future, Charade said that five retail hubs, with extended hours and multiple food choices, will serve the main sections of campus.

Some may be food courts. Chartwells, which

Rez may go corporate by fall 2004.

operates the Redpath cafeteria, has several inter­ nal brands and agreements with food chains including Pizza Pizza, Tim Horton’s, Krispy Kreme and Harveys.

Corporate food service professionals will determine the format and location of cafeterias, based on market factors including student traf­ fic patterns. Some smaller cafeterias may stay open if the experts decide that they satisfy stu­ dent demand.

“The hubs will match the requirements of each quadrant—people in the quadrant will tell us what they need,” said Charade. While Charade has not announced exact locations, there will be a hub in the northwest part of cam­ pus, including the Law buildings, the Stewart Biology Building and the McIntyre Medical Building. Another will serve TechSquare, which includes the Rutherford Physics, Lome Trottier and the Genomics buildings. A hub will also

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serve the west side of lower campus, including Redpath and McLennan libraries and the Bronfman building. Another will be located in the eastern part of lower campus, while a central hub will be placed in or near the Arts building.

Staff changes Charade expects no staff changes when a private company takes over residence cafeterias.

“There will be absolutely no impact,” he said. “There will be an added layer of manage­ ment,” but no change to the structure of current residence food operations, said Charade.

Doyle, the Chartwells vice-president, said that Chartwells employees, most of whom are not unionized, “haven’t felt the need” to organ­ ize, but are entided to under Canadian labour laws.

A report by SSMU Vice-President Operations Kathleen Morrison details problems that workers at Carleton have had with Chartwells management. In August 2002, “seven Chartwells employees went on a 20minute walkout for solidarity with a worker who had been treated poorly.” Four of the seven were suspended on the spot, and one was eventually fired.

Many food workers in McGill Residences are unionized, and others are work-study stu­ dents. Doyle said that Chartwells generally offers jobs to the employees who ran food serv­ ice operations before the takeover.

Student consultation Charade said that he and Chartwells man­ agers met last fall with student leaders from the faculties of Arts, Education and Science, and the Biology department to discuss food service con­ cerns, but he said that he had some trouble get­ ting students involved.

“We had meetings last fall, and it will hap­ pen again soon,” said Charade. However, “some­ times it’s hard to track down these student groups,” particularly from smaller faculties.

At other Canadian universities where Chartwells has exclusively run campus food service, students have expressed concern about market saturation. Morrison’s report states that, according to Carleton University Students’ Association President Joseph Bright, “Chartwells has over-saturated Carleton to the point that they are competing with themselves and non-for-profit student run businesses.

Many of the approximately 20 operations to be included in campus food service are or have been student-run, including cafeterias in the Arts and Bronfman buildings, as well as the Engineering Undergrad-uate Society’s Good Bytes Café.

McGill gave student groups the rights to operate their own cafeterias in the 1990s, according to Charade, and took them over in recent years as part of the amalgamation plans, but after the failure of the University to secure a campus-wide Cold Beverage Agreement in 2000, the administration used the renewal of undergraduate societies’ letters of agreement as a leverage tool during negotiations, and reas­ sumed control of the faculty cafeterias.

Some student associations relied on cafete­ ria profits to fund their activities before they were taken over by Ancillary Services, but the University has provided “quite generous” grants to make up for the lost revenues. “No one could say [the students] are at a disadvantage,” said Charade.

Some student leaders disagree, however.

“It was a cut to our budget when the renewed Letter of Agreement was signed, said Arts Undergraduate Society President Rachel Telch.

The AUS previously operated a cafeteria in the Arts building.

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 25, 2003

AUS keeps speaker after controversial letter

Organic food co-op McGill students can now pur­ chase organic produce from the Organic Food Cooperative, a stu­ dent-organized non-profit opera­ tion aimed at bringing healthy, pes­ ticide-free food from family-run farms to the McGill community at bulk prices.

“We wanted to make organic food, which is normally elitist and expensive, more accessible to stu­ dents,” said organizer Leah Tivoli.

She said that most organic food available in Montreal can only be found in expensive health-food stores.

The cooperative would even­ tually like to open a café in the McGill Ghetto, but is waiting for capital support from the Students’ Society, which is “all over (the proj­ ect],” according to Tivoli.

Orders are due Thursdays at 5:00 pm, and can be placed at the cooperative’s table in the Leacock building Monday through Thursday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Orders are distributed the fol­ lowing Thursday. The cooperative is open to everyone.

Council signs onto AIDS letter Debate exposes SSM U Council rift on external issues After contentious debate about how to take a stand on external issues, Students’ Society Council voted unanimously to sign a letter that calls on the federal government to spend $2-billion for AIDS med­ ication in the developing world.

The letter asks the Canadian government to fond free antiretrovi­ ral medications and to allow the dis­ tribution of generic medicines in countries without pharmaceutical industries.

Faiz Ahmad, a medicine stu­ dent who represents the StudentLed Access for HIV Medicines cam­ paign at McGill, called on council­ lors to consider the letter as “moral individuals”, and accused Council of “bureaucratic bungling” after SSMU President Martin Doe proposed that Council send the letter to the Community and Government Committee for a second time.

Doe, who at the end of Council voted to sign the letter, said that accreditation, the Shatner renova­ tion fee and elections were “higher priorities” at the last Council, and that they had to be wary of this motion’s “consistency with other lobbying positions.”

On Thursday, SSMU also unanimously passed a provincial election platform that included sup­ port for increased education funding and a referendum on the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

“I trust [the Community and Government Committee to develop lobbying positions] more than I trust myself,” said Doe. As the AIDS letter dealt with an external issue, Doe argued that it should be reviewed carefully.

“It is directly relevant to stu­

Matthews declined to defend himself.

The Council then moved into a A motion to remove Ian Committee of the Whole, a debate Matthews as the speaker of the Arts Undergraduate Society failed at last structure in which the speaker may Tuesday’s AUS Council meeting. also voice his or her view.

History Councillor Matthew Seth Offenbach, who proposed the Fletcher spoke in favour of the motion, then resigned his position as Arts representative to the Students’ motion.

“Mr. Matthews, in his article, Society, as he had said he would if brings attention to how Mr. the motion failed.

Offenbach was appointed, question­ Offenbach, who was elected AUS president on Thursday, later ing the legitimacy of his appoint­ denied any connection between his ment,” stated Fletcher. Telch, resignation and the failure of his Matthews, Vice-President External motion, instead citing school work Chris Bartlet and Vice-President Administration Amanda Ens were as the reason for his resignation.

Offenbach’s motion came in all acclaimed or appointed to their response to a letter written by positions. Last fall, AUS Council Matthews and published as a “Stop appointed Offenbach as Arts rep the Press” in the March 11 issue of after Nick Buccelli resigned.

Matthews then proposed that the M c G ill T rib u n e. Offenbach Council move into confidential ses­ claims that Matthews’ letter is proof of his lack of impartiality. R o b ert’s sion because he said he wanted to privately share his personal feelings.

R ules o f O rder, N e w ly R evised, the “If Council really wants to manual used for conducting AUS know how I feel about this, I would Council, states that “if the chairman has even the appearance of being a be willing to share with Council partisan, he loses much of his ability after all non-members of Council to control those who are on the have left,” he said.

As this reporter was leaving the opposite side of the question.”

Matthews is dating AUS room, Telch made it clear that noth­ ing discussed in confidential session President Rachel Telch. was to be repeated.

At council, Offenbach spoke The motion to remove about his grievance.

“The tone of the letter, overall, Matthews as speaker was then was extraordinarily negative and a defeated by a large majority, and very personal attack. [Matthews] AUS Vice-President Academic specifically mentioned myself several Rahim Surani submitted a motion times, basically saying that my views to “give Mr. Matthews a ‘lifetime are no longer right, even though I achievement award’ for all of his disagree with this Council. I believe contributions to AUS over his four this Council recognizes that I am years at McGill.”

F or exten ed ed version, please see allowed to dissent,” he said. www.mcgilltribune.com.

Scott

— M a rk S w a rd

Jam es Grohsgal

dents neither m origin nor in action,” Doe said.

Law Representive Jeff Roberts, who endorsed “the spirit of this let­ ter,” said Council should focus its resources on student issues, an opin­ ion shared by Senate representative Vivian Choy.

“Council has its own business to take care of, apart from these global medical and economic prob­ lems,” said Roberts.

Clubs and Services Representative Rami Hourani said that some Councillors who last semester said they opposed US-led military action in Iraq but refused to allow SSMU to condemn a possible war were now “pushing to vote yes’ on this problem in the Third World.

“External issues are external issues. Please be consistent,” he said.

Ahmad said that Vice-President Community and Government Nick Vikander and the Community and Government Committee did not find the letter divisive, and added that the student unions of the

Corrections In last week’s issue of the M c G ill T rib u n e, Céline Kim was omitted from a list of candidates for Science Undergraduate Society vice-president academic.

The name of First Year Committee of Council Representative Junaid Subhan was misspelled. AGSEM, the teaching assistants’ association, is a union. The Students’ Society is 106 years old. The island of Diego Garcia is in the Indian Ocean. The T rib u n e apologizes for these errors.

News 3

University of Toronto, Concordia University, and l’Université de Montréal all signed the letter with­ out debate. If Council did not pass the letter, Ahmad argued that “SSMU might just look a little less intelligent [than the other schools].”

R. Medvin

Q U E B E C E L E C T IO N D E B A TE T u itio n H ik e s ?

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t 14 «4

4 News

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 25, 2003

New s

War from above and below

A n a ly s is

switch sides. British intelligence reports that Saddam, although pos­ sibly injured, is probably still alive.

The war, on the ground and on television, is getting messy.

While trying to seize ports, air­ fields and oil wells on Iraqi territory, US President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair are trying to gain ground in the public opinion war they are waging on international news networks: to send the message to Iraq and the Arab world that their campaign is a war of liberation.

In radio messages and leaflets, the coalition tells Iraqi civilians that the invading forces will free them, but to the Iraqi soldiers, the US and UK announce that their advanced weaponry will destroy them.

In a 1996 book, S h ock a n d A w e: A ch ievin g R a p id D o m in a n ce , Harlan Ullman and James Wade describe a strategy to paralyze enemy leader­ ship through rapid and heavy bom­ bardment. Both US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld are advo­ cates of the heavy bombing of Baghdad, which they believe will demoralize the Iraqi military and cause them to surrender or defect.

Shock and awe targets Iraqis’ will to fight rather than their leader’s

Jam es Grohsgal

Operation Iraqi Freedom began last week. US and UK planes dropped bombs on Baghdad in a ‘shock and awe’ campaign designed to ‘decapitate’ Saddam Hussein.

Coalition troops advancing from the south towards Baghdad found that Iraqi soldiers put up a stronger fight than US officials expected. At least 20 US troops were killed, and Iraqis captured five US prisoners of war.

Also, a US Patriot missile hit a British Tornado fighter jet returning to an air base in Kuwait. Two British helicopters collided. A US soldier killed a fellow soldier in a grenade attack at an army base in Kuwait.

Stray US bombs and missiles landed in Turkey and Syria.

While Turldsh troops penetrat­ ed deeper into Iraqi territory to pro­ tect a ‘buffer zone’, US soldiers began to aid Kurdish irregulars in the northern no-fly zone, and an Iraqi army defector in the north was fighting against a commander still loyal to Saddam. Fragmentation of power structures within Iraq is occurring quickly, but the psycho­ logical operations designed to break Saddam’s chain of command have not caused the Iraqi leadership to

Cant get enough of student politics?

See this week’s news briefs on elections, SSMU and Gulf Watch, along with Brandon Schott s interview with MP Lucienne Robillard online at w w w .m cgilltribu n e.com .

SSM U

J U D IC IA L

P U B L IC A N N O U N C E M E N T

;r c ;

______ contact Chief Justice Hugo M aureira a t hugo.maureira@mail.mcgill,ca should you have questions or concerns.

M cG ill T h e F a c u lty o f M e d ic in e a n d th e D e p a r tm e n t o f B io c h e m is try o f M c G ill U n iv e rs ity P re s e n t

P ro fe sso r R .

While al-Jazeera’s coverage shows the Arab world that US sol­ diers remain vulnerable despite mil­ itary superiority, CNN shows American reporters, stationed on aircraft carriers and equipped with videophones, receiving breathless accounts of bombing raids from fighter pilots moments after they have exited their aircraft.

The Pentagon claims that the “embedded” journalists, who accompany military units after receiving rudimentary training, will provide unbiased accounts of action on the ground and dispel Iraqi gov­ ernment propaganda about possible US atrocities. Flowever, the US mil­ itary censored news reports during Desert Storm, and detained and

harassed reporters in Afghanistan Also, CNN and others have a policy not to disclose information that could compromise US military operations. Reporters, whose lives are being protected by the same sol diers whose actions they are report ing on, may also self-censor if a bat­ tle plan goes awry.

North Americans are viewing the war from a distance, while for many Arabs the war is close to home. On American media, anchors push model planes around a giant map, while on the Arab stations, the victims of war flee from devastation.

Each image tells part of the story in big pictures and small, but neither gives an objective view in the infor­ mation war.

Senate subcommittee to redesign academic advising

28 at 10am in th e Bukhman Council Room on the 2nd Floor of th e Shatner Building. This is an open hearing and are a ll welto attend, subject to space limitations.

N ic h o la s

KATE RHODES

Anti-war demonstrators face riot police on blvd. René-Lévesque, near the American consulate on Saturday afternoon. Although thousands marched peacefully, a few hundred remained on the street. Some threw rocks and mud at police and burned an American flag. At least eight were arrested.

Advising under advisement

B O A R D

o f DeCastro v. SSMU w ill be heard on

military capacity. However, in con­ trast to the “terror bombings” of London, Dresden and Guernica in the last century, shock and awe demands precision targeting, rather than indiscriminate bombing, for significant and visible civilian casu­ alties would reduce the coalition’s credibility in the Arab world.

However, ‘collateral damage’, a term popularized by the US military during Operation Desert Storm to describe civilian casualties, has already occurred. The Iraqi govern­ ment reported over 100 civilian casualties, which, while miniscule compared either to the deaths ordered by Saddam Hussein or those caused by 12 years of sanctions, are enough to cause outrage in the Arab world. Also, while Iraq is more ‘tar­ get-rich’ than Afghanistan, the US and UK do not want to destroy the infrastructure they will need for their occupation.

Newspapers in the Persian Gulf are printing human-interest stories about Baghdad families whose hous­ es have been destroyed by allied bombing. Western television news reporters, ordered out of Baghdad by the Iraqi government, now rely on al-Jazeera for live video of the bombing campaign, mostly shots of bomb impacts on the horizon.

Despite the general hostility to free speech among the oil-rich Persian Gulf states, al-Jazeera, created at the initiative of the emir of Qatar, pro­ vides comprehensive coverage of world events, albeit with a bias against US political positions.

Last weekend, al-Jazeera showed video of dead US soldiers and five US prisoners of war, and US officials said that the broadcast violated the Geneva Convention.

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T h e p u b lic is w e lc o m e

This lecture has been made possible by a grant form the Beatty Memorial Lectures Committee and with the support of the Archibald Macallum Fund

Jen nifer Jett

The Senate Committee on Student Affairs created a subcom­ mittee last week that will evaluate academic advising at McGill.

“Students have always had [advising] problems, especially with departmental advising,” said Students’ Society Vice-President University Affairs Fred Sagel. “This was a way for the University to address some of the problems that students have voiced about academic advising in general.”

The $600,000 that the University will distribute to faculties next year for academic advising must be accompanied by a shift in the focus of advising, he said.

Overextended advisors often have time only to approve course selections, said Sagel, “rather than looking at the holistic picture of the students, rather than inquiring as to what the student’s career plans are, what the student’s academic plans are at the University.”

Students may become discour­ aged by inconsistent advising, he added, as quality varies by depart­ ment.

“There are many students that go through two or three years with­

Reaching out to first-year stu­ out even seeing an advisor once,” he dents is especially important, Sagel said.

Donald Sedgwick, the senior said.

“I think they gain the sense of student advisor in the Arts and Science Student Affairs Office, is confidence in the system in their first optimistic about student participa­ year,” he said.

Last fall, Student Affairs Office tion.

“I think students don’t partici­ advisors in the Faculties of Arts and pate in academic advising right now Science made phone calls to all of to a very large degree because they their first-year students to discuss don’t think they’re getting anything course selection before the course of real value out of it,” Sedgwick withdrawal deadline. This was the said. “I think we have to have discus­ second year direct contact was made sion... about what advising should with every first-year student.

“That was very well received,” be and then try to provide the serv­ ice that would deliver that to the stu­ Sedgwick said. “The students we dents. Then I think there will be a spoke to on the phone were very pos­ bigger participation by the stu­ itive about that outreach program and so that’s going to be part of our dents.”

Arts Senator Rebecca Roy said regular advising procedure from now n students should be assigned to a sin­ on.

The taskforce will report to the gle advisor throughout their univer­ Committee on Student Affairs by sity careers.

“We need to have one advisor next March. Sagel said it will include that knows your file, that can pull departmental and faculty advisors, students and some associate deans. [it] right up,” she said.

“It’s a question of resources and Sagel said students and the University are both responsible for a question of focus. McGill is very stretched in terms of financial the quality of advising.

“Students should be seeking resources,” he said. “What [the taskadvising more often, but I think the force] will result in is hopefully a bet­ University'has the onus of creating a ter understanding of student con­ culture that encourages students to cerns and... more discussion about how to improve advising,” he said. seek advising,” he said.

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 25, 2003

News 5

Students a sk for "m ore form al" convocation the 2003 graduation ceremony. The Bravo Rental company estimated a Student leaders are lobbying $52,210 cost for a tent with audito­ the University to re-explore convo­ rium seating for 3,000.

Telch says she submitted the cation venue options because they say that students would prefer a proposal to the secretariat in May “more formal” setting than the 2002, before 2003 convocation Tomlinson Fieldhouse for their plans had been finalized. In graduation ceremony. This spring, November, Telch was notified that convocation will be held from June the convocation would be taking place in the fieldhouse.

2 to 13 in the fieldhouse.

“I was assured we would be Last Monday, members of the consulted in the planning,” said Board of Governors agreed with stu­ dent representatives that McGill Telch. “You can’t dress up a gym so should secure a more appropriate it’s not a gym.”

The Faculty of Arts Committee venue. then unanimously passed a recom­ Students’ Society President Martin Doe said, “the fieldhouse is mendation that Dean of Arts not the best permanent convocation Carman Miller ask incoming location because it’s difficult to Principal Heather Munroe-Blum to maintain the formality of the event reconsider the venue plans.

Geller, however, is skeptical in a gymnasium. ‘Hey, there’s the convocation stage. Hey, there’s a bas­ that a tent would be large enough for a convocation audience. ketball net.’”

“A tent on the lower field is one Secretary-General Robin Geller is preparing a report on convocation way to go, but we could also have possibilities for Principal Heather the ceremony there without a tent, rain or sunshine. A tent that would Munroe-Blum.

“The goal [of convocation be large enough is hard to imagine planning] is to do what’s best for the for [students from the] Faculty of Arts and all their guests.” institution as a whole,” said Geller.

Doe supports the lower field Doe said he is “happy there is an openness from the principal and suggestion.

“That seems to be a very stu­ secretary-general to look for options dent-friendly solution,” he said. and include students.”

Arts Undergraduate Society “Why else is the lower field there but President Rachel Telch proposed for student use? We shouldn’t be using a tent on the lower field for concerned that we would harm the health of the grass by holding the Kate Rhodes

Offenbach declared winner amid vote discrepancy confusion Kim D'Souza

In a statement Friday, Arts Undergraduate Society Chief Returning Officer Nicholas Yeo and Deputy Returning Officer Emily Wheeler ruled that Seth Offenbach won the presidency of AUS, but noted that there were “more ballots cast than registered voters.”

Offenbach obtained 309 votes, Amanda Ens obtained 305, and 43 votes were spoiled, for a total of 657 ballots. However Yeo, who said that he would not answer questions, wrote that the number of voters was 652. Faced with this discrepancy of five votes, Elections AUS decided that “a new election would be unfea­ sible for logistical reasons” and decided to make the results official while recognizing the discrepancy, rather than suspend the elections and appoint an interim president or allow the vice-president academic to take the office of president.

Both candidates said they accepted the ruling.

Offenbach voiced his agree­ ment with the ruling, saying, “Did I win? Definitely. Did I win by a lot?

Definitely not—it was an extraordi­ narily close race. ... I earned a great amount of respect for my oppo­ nent.” He said that his election “was just as legitimate, if not more so than if someone were to be acclaimed,” and he had not consid­ ered asking for another election.

Ens also said that though the election was legitimate, she expects “there will be some with questions.”

She said that if a recount had reversed the results, “if... people were concerned about the results, I would ask for a by-election because I would not feel comfortable assum­ ing the role of president if my role as president was being questioned.”

However, she concluded, “the elec­ torate made their choice and, although some people may doubt it, the electorate made their choice.”

Other elections Yeo’s statement also announced the results for two other AUS posi­ tions. Rachel Marcuse, with 327 votes and Elise Legault with 287 votes were elected Arts Representatives to SSMU. Nick Ferreyros, Jesse Gutman and Matthew Howatt polled 113, 178 and 174 votes, respectively. In the race for vice-president internal, Geoff Simpson was elected with 334 votes while opponent Jeb Assaf polled 225 votes.

Referenda pass Both referenda put to the elec­ torate met quorum and passed. The referendum to renew the Arts Student Employment Fund polled 546 yes’ votes and 91 ‘no’ votes, with 651 voters or 10.4 per cent of the electorate turning out to vote.

648 people or 10.3 per cent of the Arts electorate voted for the referen­ dum to amend the AUS constitu­ tion by adding a procedure to pass a referendum without quorum for one year. The referendum itself passed with 471 yes’ votes, 133 no’ votes and 44 spoiled ballots.

ceremony there.”

Geller agrees that on-campus ceremonies are preferred.

“We have a strong preference to have the event on campus, because this is where students have studied,

Suggested locations include Molson Stadium, the upper field and a pro­ fessional convention centre. This fall, convocation was held at Place des Arts.

“It is difficult to find an appro­

BRAV0 RENTALS

Telch proposed holding convocation under a large tent on lower campus.

and they have a wonderful connec­ tion here. It is only fitting that they should graduate where they went to school. At McGill [venues], we also have more control over ceremony dates,” she said.

Geller said the University has explored and used many different venues in the past, including Place des Arts, le Monument-National, the Bell Centre and Pollack Hall.

M

National Defence

priate venue because faculty size, participation and guest attendance differs so much between faculties,” said Geller. Recent Arts graduations have been divided into two separate ceremonies because of time and space concerns.

“For every [Arts] tudent who looks into the future and sees them­ self graduating, divided from the friendships and connections they

have made, is appalled,” said Telch.

“The fieldhouse cannot hold the entire faculty and is therefore unac­ ceptable.” Arts students graduate from the department with which they first registered on the nowobsolete McGill Automated Registration System.

While the University covers the cost of convocation, Doe said stu­ dent research into the matter is “dif­ ficult because [students] aren’t allowed access to convocation statis­ tics like attendance, costs or stage specs.”

Geller said it is difficult to tab­ ulate direct and indirect costs.

“We know the flat sum for what Place des Arts costs, but the indirect costs of man hours and supplies are difficult to track,” she said.

Spring convocation will take place for the faculties of Management, Health Sciences and Continuing Education on Monday, June 2 at 10:00 am, 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, respectively; Tuesday, June 3 for Education and Engineering at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, respectively; Wednesday, June 4 at 10:00 am for Arts (humanities), Music and Religious Studies, and at 2:00 pm for Arts (social sciences). The facul­ ties of Law and Science will graduate on Thursday, June 5 at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, respectively, and the Faculty of Agriculture will graduate at 2:30 pm on Friday, June 13.

Défense nationale

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Letters

EDITORIAL

‘let’s be realistic’ argument, but the ‘it’s not wrong as long as you don’t looks get caught’ defence is really scary. In My first advice to you is to a society we attempt to create rules come to one of our practices. A that alleviate confusion about what cheerleader’s job is simple.’ was is right and wrong. The conse­ written by Sarah Wright in T h e quences of deciding which rules M c G ill T rib u n e Tuesday, March 18, apply to you personally and which 2003. If you are basing this state­ you are going to ignore can be seri­ ment on the fact that what we do ous. Mr. Lebioda suggests that the LOOKS easy, be not mistaken. We finders’ fees are worth tolerating put many hours into practicing M ichael Liew _______________ ______________________________ because the police are concerned even those things that may look with more important crime. By that I woke up this morning to continuing live television coverage of the | simple to you. Our cheers and logic I could push the line a little dances are practiced and rehearsed war on Iraq. But instead of letting the voices go on, the jumbled stream further, to stealing from my local of sound slowly enticing me out of slumber, I hit the snooze button right j so that hopefully we will look uni­ dépanneur. It’s acceptable because form. As for stunting, I don’t know away. The truth is, I really couldn’t care less about the war on Iraq. In the man who owns it is worried todays hyperconnected world of instant information transmission, we how simple it looks, but it requires about other, more important things a great deal of coordination and have more access to the people, places and events of this crazy world than like suppliers and besides, he didn’t strength. For those of you not ever before. hire anyone to watch me personally. familiar with this term, stunting = I get the G lobe a n d M a il on my doorstep every morning (much to In fact, I kill homeless people, but pyramids. “A routine does require a the chagrin of the G a zette subscription guy by whom I am constantly they don’t have any family or great deal of coordination and accosted outside of Shatner— how many times do I have to tell him money and, let’s be realistic, the strength. But then again, so does ‘N O ’?). I love my G lobe a n d M a il, but I find myself now skipping the police are worried about crime stacking boxes in a crowded first 10 pages of the News section and going straight for the other news, involving important people so it’s garage.” This quote was again taken which has been shafted to the rear. Here’s the rest of the world— in brief, more than tolerable. Laws exist for from the same article. Though it of course, because that’s all we have room for. Despite the continuing a reason and are there to be fol­ begins quite nicely, the comparison coverage and round-the-clock updates, it boils down to the fact that lowed by everyone. to stacking boxes in a garage is everyone has the same information anyway. Everyone has journalists in Jesse Meyer degrading and entirely false. When the field, on the frontlines, bringing you up-to-the-minute reporting.

U1 Arts you are dealing with another per­ They all have embedded journalists’ following the 103rd Infantry to son’s life on top of you, you need a Basra. You’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it all. You don’t need to be told kind of trust that is not often found the same thing by 17 different outlets. Every hour. On the hour. Ad nauin any other sport. Stacking boxes seum. may require some strength and bal­ The media, we are told, is no longer a public service, but a business. ance, but putting up a cheerleading They are looking out for themselves; they are concerned with ratings and stunt requires far more than that. advertising. The result is biased reporting based on the ideologies and You also need coordination, trust, political slants of the powers that be. We are being told what the men in timing, and yes, a fair deal of charge want us to think. O f course, to us cynics, this is nothing new. strength. I must admit I was quite Thank goodness for CNN. Who among us wasn’t riveted to their confused and shocked when I saw television set during the six-hour Ford Bronco commercial that was the this article in the T rib u n e, for I O.J. Simpson highway chase back in 1994? Couldn’t tear me away. (I thought McGill would support its wonder if CNN producers have as part of their new employee training: own sports teams, not bash them.

“How to come up with cheesy-ass monikers for big events”.) The public So please, next time you feel like is hungry for information and media outlets are more than willing to sup­ commenting on what we do, please ply such verbal diarrhoea, bombarding us with live feeds of flashing don’t base your opinion on subjec­ tive ideas, but rather come to our images.

The media probably does not realize what it’s doing to the families practices or competitions and see and loved ones of those on the other side of the world fighting this war. what we do.

Thank you, On the day she found out her son had been killed in action, the mother Sarah-Eve of an American soldier contacted a live call-in news analysis show on U0 Elementary Education NBC to commend them on their late-breaking in-depth coverage of the war, but noted that, ironically, it was exactly this that kept families across the nation glued to their television sets in a morbid trance, hoping that Wouldn’t someone miss their son or daughter or relative wasn’t the next to be shipped home in a Mr. God Bless? body bag. It was killing them. After an awkward silence from the speech­ I was shocked and appalled less anchor, they went to commercial. when I read Nathan Lebioda’s Call me cynical, cold, unpatriotic. Call me ignorant. I haven’t defence of finders’ fees for apart­ watched a minute of television since this war began and my G lobe’s A-secments in the ghetto. It was not his tion is crisp and unopened. I’m happy not following this war at all. I get opinion that upset me but was his all of the information I (don’t) need listening to people talk about it any­ reasoning. We have all heard the way. A lack of objectivity and over-coverage on the part of the media has prompted me to switch it all off.

Apply to be a columnist!

I’ll crawl back under my rock now. Wake me when it’s over.

A ttack of the killer clich é s

H o w m a n y clichés can y o u f i n d in th is e d ito ria l? I c o u n te d 111 F in d d i f ­ fe r e n tly

and

you

get

a

h e a r ty

k u d o s fr o m

yo u rs

tr u ly !

E m a il

michael.liew@mail.mcgill.ca.______________ t h e

M c G IL L

T R IB U N E

E d it o r - in - C h ief

James Empringham A ssistan t E d it o r - in - C hief

Raquel Kirsch P r o d u c t io n M an a g er

Ghetto dwellers

Cheerleading not as easy as it

“The cliché is a hackneyed idiom that hopes it can pawn itself off as afresh response.”

—John Gross

News Editors

Sports Editors

C opy Editor

James Grohsgal Kate Rhodes Mark Sward

Mark Kerr Sarah Wright

Karen Kelly Layout Editor

Tomoko Shida Photo Editors

Natalie Fletcher Panthea Lee

Jenny George Nathan Lebioda

Entertainm ent Editors

O n lin e Editors

Ric Lambo Scott Medvin

John Gosset Lynne Hsu

Advertising and M arketing Manager

Paul Slachta

Michael Liew

This letter is in response to last week’s editorial on finders’ fees (“Are finders’ fees O.K.?”, March 18). I agree completely with Nathan Lebioda in saying that they are a harmless part of university life that students can either choose to participate in or otherwise ignore.

It is perfectly possible to find a great apartment in Montreal that has a reasonable location and affordable rent without succumb­ ing to the pain of finders’ fees. If you want to live in the ghetto, then pay the price! Since when is it a ‘privilege’ to live in overpriced, run­ down apartments surrounding by all the kids you lived with in resi­ dence anyway? I would much rather be surrounded by the diverse urban culture of Montreal living in my cheap, cute, plateau apartment than get ripped off living within breathing distance of McGill.

Don’t we all spend enough time there anyway?

Julia U1 Cultural Studies

by Matt Dellinger

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The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Opinion

Tom Hanks and the State Bird Karen Kelly and Raque! Kirsch

Excessive Aspirations Syndrome

My brain is fried. However, unlike Paulie Shore and the trem­ bling Ozzie Osbourne, my burnout is a result of a mental overload from stress. It is March and the accumu­ lation of anxiety over the past seven months is weighing heavily on my mind, disturbing my resilient libido. At this rate, I’ll be an impo­ tent Bob Dole by late April. I am ready for some time off.

What causes this overwhelm­ ing degree of pressure? While lec­ tures, course-packs, assignments and exams exacerbate the situation, it is erroneous to assume that they are the culprits of our woes. Surely we cannot expect our lives to be completely stress-free—our classes reasonably prepare us for the hassles of the everyday work environment awaiting us outside our protective Roddick Gates.

I think it is time to address the disease I like to call, “Excessive Aspirations Syndrome.” It is an ill­ ness that contaminates college cam­ puses across the globe; at McGill, it loiters in and around our buildings, though its presence is especially noticeable in the halls of Bronfman.

Every generation of university students is convinced of its poten­ tial to change the world. Perhaps we will be the ones to end global warming, stop the nefarious corpo­ rate globalizers and duct tape

Barbara Walters into a long overdue retirement. We are tomorrow’s lead­ ers and today’s hopes. This grand notion is so tremendously inspiring that it even motivates the Bob Marley-jamming, Cheetos-munching, XBOX-playing undergraduates off their slothful asses and into the welcoming arms of progressive social movements. This results in a frenzied advertising campaign on university grounds.

Leacock and Arts are wallpa­ pered with a myriad of distinct posters dealing with such pressing issues as human rights’ abuses, gen­ der equality and falafel. On a leisurely walk through the Milton Gates, I am harassed by a cluster of pamphleteers stuffing their antiMcDonald’s/nutritional advice leaflets into my pockets. In Redpath Library, I am welcomed by a reception desk stickered with out­ looks on Middle East politics.

Finally, I take a minute to grab some Tiki Ming in the Shatner Building. As I devour my exquisite egg roll along with my generous serving of General Tao’s chicken, I look up to see the poster of a starv­ ing Somali child staring blankly at my plum sauce-stained face.

It is hard to say what instigates this epidemic. Professors, in con­ junction with the administration, certainly aggravate the plague. At graduation, some prominent hon­ cho addresses the graduating class, encouraging the students to get out there and make a difference.

Nursing their hangovers, the gownwearing apprentices meekly absorb the rousing words being sputtered over the loudspeaker, convinced that it is the voice of God, Allah or

Across 1 John’s passion 5 Society divider 10 To fire, slang 14 Harplike instrument 15 Detectives feeling 16 To be in pain 17 Mountain range 18 Tom Hanks has been called the best 19 Endure 20 The sun will also do this 21 Warehouse find 22 Clever 23 Labour command 25 ____ is rue!

27 Ariel’s home 28 Record book or beer 33 Saeed’s greatest quality 36 Kind of mythology 37 L o o k W ho’s T a lk in g ___ 38 Tom Hanks’ role 39 Horse voting against 40 Subsidize 41 Make a booboo 42 Sesame plant 43 Goatlike antelope 44 Winnie the Pooh’s provincial capital 46 What you need to buy coffee in Tokyo 47 This group watches your broker: abbr.

48 I have sinned, in Latin 52 Lover of self: abbr.

55 Father of Leah and Rachel 58 Ayatollah’s hood 59 Detroit rapper Trice 60 ____of Nantes 61 To trim nails 62 Gibby’s menu item 62 Eurasian bird of prey 64 Kind of name 65 Flockhart’s character 66 Manicure board 67 ____we forget

Don King.

University is an exciting time—many of us investigate novel perspectives and interesting topics we never explored before. We for­ mulate new ideas, discovering our true personal identities along the way. Having found their personal motivation, °students develop the urge to disseminate their newfound knowledge onto others.

Ultimately, us McGill students suffer through a barrage only slight­ ly less comprehensive than a bomb­ ing campaign. At the end of the day, walking home to my apart­ ment, I lumber through the streets like a war veteran. My brain is brimming with thoughts of mass genocide, global hunger and the various SSMU election candidates.

My intent is not to belittle these activists’ causes— their objec­ tives are often noble and even praiseworthy. Nor do I promote student ignorance on global issues.

However, I do challenge the means by which they attempt to achieve their goals. I have enough to worry about without all of the world’s troubles shackled to my ankles. I want, for just one minute, to think in peace and quiet without all of these distractions. So do me a favour and leave me out of your concerns.

I would like to offer a word of advice to the crusaders. Glueing catchy phrases to Popsicle sticks does not add weight to one’s cause.

One dedicated mind is better than 100 brainless followers that attend a gathering because of the colourful signs they spotted on campus.

Op/Ed 7

Editorial

Down 1 Tiny paragraph 2 Icelandic currency 3 M e n In B la c k memory trick 4 What an album gets 5 (Canadian Hockey Assoc.)^ 6 Sex Pistols album F ilth y ___ L iv e 7 Penguin’s home: first 4 letters 8 Tartan cry: Great __!

9 Constantly complaining bubbie’s religion 10 Become melancholy 11 A football field has about 12 of them (singular) 12 Iron, Tony, ex.

13„ Young guinea fowl 24 Child’s adult bear’s name 26 U2 classic 28 Just before gone 29 Strongly insist 30 Pencil case, in French 31 Track on a disc 32 Carbonated beverage 33 Massacred 34 Around (prefix) 35 Done with wages 36 State bird of Hawaii 39 One who calls Katmandu home 40 Dreamlike 42 Auction action 43 Dry, in French 45 How kids should play 46 Guard 48 Disciplinary vehicle 49 Result 50 Basins 51 Some gases are like this 52 Failed Chevrolet brand 53 Son of 56 down 54 Iranian currency 56 Cain’s pop 57 Tricycle upgrade

M c G ill The Beatty M em orial Lectures Com m ittee. presents:

H e r m a n E. Da l y

Professor, School of Public Affairs University of Maryland and Former Senior Economist in the Environment Department of the World Bank

Dr. Daly will deliver the second lecture of the two-part Rachel Carson Series commemorating the 40th anniversary of the publication of "Silent Spring" .

UNECONOMIC

GROWTH™ IL L V NATIONS

Thursday March 27, 2003, 6:00 pm Fieldhouse Auditorium, Leacock Building, Room 132 The public is welcome, no tickets required Information: (514) 398-2827

Features

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Em otional Intelligence: The new street sm arts In te llig e n c e is o v e r r a te d , e m o tio n a l c o m p e t e n c e t h e n e w "in" th in g own feelings and emotions, as well as those of others, to evaluate them and to use this information as a Ever wonder what Peter guide to one’s own thinking and Livingstone would have done in actions. Psychologists used to think O ffice Space if his boss Lumbergh of intelligence only in terms of had been more sensitive and caring memory and problem solving, both to his feelings? Most people have elements of a person’s intelligence worked at least once at a mundane that are measured through an job, concocting elaborate schemes Intelligence Quotient test. Soon, of how to tie up their boss, or had a however, they realized that there are boyfriend or girlfriend who just non-intellective elements of a per­ wouldn’t open up’. Such examples son’s intelligence, including person­ of headache-inducing day-to-day al and social factors. This lead to the interactions with other people development of Emotional could be, as some psychologists Quotient testing, which, unlike IQ propose, remedied by emotional testing, measures a person’s ability intelligence. to perceive, identify and manage If you have ever had the expe­ emotions. rience of talking with a professor Psychologists theorize that suc­ whom you thought may just be the cess in all facets of life relate to the most intelligent human on this side balance between the two. We have of the planet only to find them all had those servers at McDonald’s extremely standoffish, rude or diffi­ whom we think should have a bet­ cult to talk to, you may have been a ter job because they’re so friendly victim of their lack of El. and awesome. By the same token, “My accounting prof tells a we have all encountered that person joke at the beginning of every class with the medical degree and the and it loosens everyone up,” says not-so-incredible people skills. It Daniel Ferron, U1 Management. quickly becomes evident that it is a “My Math prof last year, however, combination of IQ and EQ, or was so boring, it was awful. He was school smarts and street smarts, that obviously brilliant, but you could makes one successful, not one or tell that he didn’t have the social the other. skills.”

The Emotional Intelligence Although El may sound like Corporation, based out of Toronto one of those water-cooler topics and Montreal, provides one-on-one that psychology majors use to coaching and seminars to executives sound intelligent at departmental and employees of big corporations wine and cheeses, this hot buzz to help change the way they think word is currently running amuck in and treat people in order to become corporate America. more successful leaders.

El, a term coined in 1990 by Although founder Anne psychologist Daniel Goldman, is a Hurtubise admits the company form of social intelligence that never gets university students—its involves the ability to monitor one’s main source of clientele are large

Astrid M rkich

corporations—she believes that El is applicable everywhere.

“Anyone who has interaction with people needs to have a good level of emotional intelligence,” she asserts. “You need El for every­ thing. It provides the basis for social and emotional competencies that are important not only for success

people that you work for and with,” he explains. “Working in teams is a big part of business. You have to be sensitive to co-workers’ back­ grounds and feelings in order for your team to be successful.”

A debate on whether El should be emphasized in schools has also been a hot issue. Hurtubise

XOURQUE.NET

Bill Lumbergh could have used El training: “Umm yeeeeah. You see, we’re putting coversheets on all TPS reports. Did you get the memo about this?”

in any job, but also for success in other areas of your life. Even with your spouse, or boyfriend or girl­ friend, you need El in order to maintain a successful relationship.”

She thought it was especially important for university students to acquire El skills. Ferron agreed, explaining why Organizational Behaviour was a beneficial class for Management students to take.

“Since we’re learning about management, and discovering the kind of careers we will be choosing, it’s necessary to be able to deal with

advocates El being taught in schools and would like to see imple­ mentation of such programs as soon as possible. Bill Shields, a private consultant in Ottawa, agrees.

“School would be a great place to start, as learning these skills is easier the sooner you begin.” He does, however, have uncertainties.

“I have my doubts about the ability of the formal education system to effectively deal with anything this subtle. Our experience has been that schools are barely able to pro­ vide the basic educational skills.”

Soren Mrkich, an elementary school teacher in Ottawa, agrees that El training would be valuable for students. “Learning how to cope with our own powerful emotions, and to understand the powerful emotions of others, is an important part in the development of stu­ dents.”

He is skeptical about the feasi­ bility of such programs.

“Unfortunately, in Ontario, it is becoming increasingly difficult to teach human development. The focus is now on results, results, results. Much of the reason for this focus on the core subjects is the government’s mantra of preparing our students for the new workplaces of the future; for job readiness.”

Some psychologists have sug­ gested that, if El was in fact a main topic of emphasis in elementary school, then people wouldn’t have to spend time later in life attempt­ ing to develop the skills that were not taught in Grade 1. Perhaps then, Hurtubise would be out of a job, and Ferron and his fellow Management students would not have to take classes such as Organizational Behaviour. But only time will tell whether El will in fact play more of a role in childhood education in order to bring about these changes.

Maybe if Lumbergh had a training session with Hurtubise to work on his El skills, Peter would not have embezzled millions of dol lars and destroyed his boss and the company he worked for. Then again, maybe he and his friends still would have beaten the crap out of a photocopier in the middle of the desert.

The trouble w ith international law McGill Law harbours misguided resentment towards our powerful neighbour

A discussion was held at the beginning of March at McGill’s Law faculty concerning the then still uncertain possibility of war in Iraq. The event was billed as a forum to foster informed discus­ sion within the school, and fea­ tured a panel anchored by Professor and Member of Parliament Irwin Coder and Dean of Law Peter Leuprecht. What emerged was not so much a discus­ sion, but rather a series of polemics decrying the United States as a lawless, global villain.

The lack of nuance and diver­ sity at the McGill forum served to highlight an unhealthy air of groupthink that has descended upon one of North America’s pre­ mier law schools. The school’s rep-

utation as a leader in human rights and international law has caused it to blinker itself from the political realities of foreign affairs. Though the school prides itself on teaching students to understand law in a social and political context, this goes out the window when the subject is international law.

Coder and the other panelists invoked various doctrines of inter­ national law, systematically demonstrating how the US has been and would be in violation of these laws.. Herein lies the rub: while we can and must demand better of the US, we must also rec­ ognize that nearly every country in the world is violating international and human rights laws.

Throughout Asia, the Middle East and much of Europe, basic rights regarding freedom and secu­ rity are not respected. Conditions

for women are particularly fright­ ful. Many countries are embroiled in conflicts that have involved slav­ ery and torture. And yet these are the same countries with whom the US and others are urged to cooper­ ate. Until nations have a basic respect for freedom and law within their borders, there is no reason to suppose that they will be honest upholders of international law.

Sadly, the professors were silent on this subject, preoccupied as they were with castigating the US. W hen asked why the law school was not capable of produc­ ing a panelist with an American perspective, Leuprecht gave a pat answer to the effect that he and others preferred to advocate the law-based approach of the UN, and not the power politics of the US. Coming from an individual of his stature, such a statement is

disingenuous at best. Leuprecht knows full well that the UN is not an apolitical body, and that the choice he offers is an artificial one.

We do not have a simple choice between power and law; rather, we must search for law while acknowl­ edging that power politics is inher­ ent to every country and world institution.

Finally, our international law authorities were incapable of view­ ing the Kosovo and Afghanistan interventions as anything other than more evidence of America’s lawlessness. The reality is that these were successful interventions, ame­ liorating the situations of entire populations. Had America not acted, millions would have contin­ ued to face repression from the Taliban or the threat of ethnic cleansing. In the meantime, suc­ cessful UN interventions have

been few and far between; the institution has shown itself inca­ pable of mustering the force to implement almost any of its resolu­ tions. For this, the US is entirely blamed— not Europe, China, Russia or any of the other large powers that compose the UN. International law must be understood in a political context. If it is not, its advocates will continue to be akin to those debating how many angels fit on the head of a pin. Before we can move towards what should be, we must acknowl­ edge what is. Too many Canadian intellectuals, including those at McGill Law, have subscribed to one extreme of an unhealthy crossAtlantic dichotomy. If Canada is to maximize its diplomatic leverage on matters such as human rights and civil liberties, it must adopt a more balanced view.

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Features 9

Urban legends: Don't believe everything you hear A lexandra Dassa Joseph Daoud_________________

After a long night of studying, you are walking home from the library. It’s cold. As you make your way towards the Roddick Gates, you cross not a soul. The fog enveloping you is so thick that you have trouble seeing any distinctive shapes beyond a couple of feet.

You start to feel afraid.

Anything could happen. Anybody could jump out of the murkiness surrounding you. Get it together, you reason to yourself, you’re freak­ ing out for nothing. And then it happens. Something jumps out from the mist and overtakes you.

You scream and try helplessly to push the wretch away, only to real­ ize that you are powerless.

You wake up in a bathtub filled with ice cubes. Your head is pound­ ing and you don’t know what time it is. Except for the thumping in your skull, you feel alright.

Instinctively, you touch yourself to

make sure nothing is wrong. Under the pressure of your fingers, you are able to delineate the raised surface of a scar on your stomach. Your eyes dart up in shock to focus on the red lettering on the bathroom mirror.

“Call an ambulance and get back in the tub. Your kidneys have been removed.”

No doubt you have heard this urban legend already; in a movie, around a campfire, from your best friend over coffee. It’s the basic scary story, a spine-tingling tale meant to keep you up at night and make you suspicious of any random passers-by whom you might be inclined to trust.

According to Jan Harold Brunvand and Gary Alan Fine, two scholars who have researched the nature and purpose of the folkloric tradition, urban legends became widespread around the turn of the 20th century. It was during this period that the increasing abandon of superstitions for scientific thought made all the horned mon­ sters, unicorns and wizards replete in traditional fairy tales lose their fear-inducing power. But people still like to scare themselves, which

is why urban legends began to emerge. Their appeal lies in the fact that most of them have many ele­ ments of truth or details which might appear plausible and play on people’s ignorance.

In today’s information age, the internet, amongst others, has allowed for an expansion of the urban legend’s reach. With all the junk flooding our email accounts, it is even easier for people to find themselves swallowing these urban legends in one big gullible gulp.

Take the one about static elec­ tricity causing gas-pump fires, which recently made the email rounds. It is true that if there is a great amount of static electricity while you are pumping gas, it may then ignite an explosive fire. In fact, the Petroleum Equipment Institute has documented such occurrences.

However, the legend states that hav­ ing a cell phone go off at the pump is enough to set off a fatal blast.

This is not true. A great amount of static is required to cause sparks, much more than a cellular phone can give off. The average person would not know this fact, but the argument would appear logical to naïve city-dwellers. Our lifestyles accustom us to living within a sea of anonymous faces in which we con­ sume and ingest products provided

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Hollywood has jumped on the urban legends bandwagon with two hits.

Test #1 — The DIM-SUM Test (Does It Make Sense... Um?) Always think first before blind­ ly believing. Does this make sense?

If people are dropping dead like flies, the media will be covering it, and the police will be all over the place sterilizing the sidewalks. If this truly is factual evidence, why not call a press conference? No, apparently some people think the best way to warn people of a highly fatal threat is to rely on word-ofemail. Read carefully and think critically. Look for logical inconsis­ tencies, violations of common sense and obviously false claims. This test should filter out most junk, but if it still seems somewhat plausible, read on.

Test #2 — Giveaways Certain elements can instandy unmask an urban legend for what it truly is: a hoax. Three things in par­ ticular to look at are the ‘friend-ofa-friend’ test, the denial test and the ‘even if you don’t read this’ test.

Ever see the words “this really hap-

pened to my sister’s husband’s brother’s housekeeper’s aunt’s dog’s flea collar”? Chances are, if the sen­ tence has enough clauses to make a linguistics major’s head spin, it’s a fake. Moreover, denying is also a dead giveaway. If an email begins with, “This is not a hoax,” it prob­ ably is. Lastly, if an email implores you, “Even if you don’t read this, at least forward it to 50 people,” need we say more? Immediately dispose of it.

Test #3 — Inconsistencies Have you heard the same story more than once from different sources, with different characters, names and details? Wide variations in stories usually occur when urban legends are resurrected— a clear indicator of deceit.

Test #4 — Conspiracy Theory Considering the flood of media attention nowadays, and given the prevailing post-9/11 angst, not to mention warnings of possible terrorist attacks issued by various officials, it is not plausible to claim that considerable deaths could be kept secret by the govern­ ment, or even that the government wants to avoid alarming the public.

Government cover-up is way too obvious; besides, it is too busy con­ cealing the truth about aliens to be

worried about some lunatic run­ ning around shaving eyebrows at the trailer park. If it only makes sense to a conspiracy theorist, it’s a legend.

Test #5 —- Lack of Evidence If the story lacks content, or appears vague about crucial details, the reason could be that the evi­ dence does not exist. If the message purports to give you extremely important information that you have never heard before or seen elsewhere in legitimate venues, be suspicious!

Test #6 — Digging Deeper If you have made it this far, you may very well be dealing with a partial, or even full, truth. Now keep these simple tips in mind as you investigate further. Does the story seem too good, too horrible or too funny to be true? If the message seems geared more to persuade than to inform, think twice. Generally speaking, forwarded email is not a reliable source for medical informa­ tion. Check for references to out­ side sources, as hoaxes will usually not name any. And when all else fails, corroborate the information.

This can easily de done using any search engine.

his kidneys removed went on to write a soft-rock song about how she came up with the idea. It was a regional hit on a brief period in the 70s.

An urban legend is not just any apocryphal tale that is told as true.

To qualify as an urban legend, a story must be officially sanctioned by the seven-member Urban Legend Committee of America.

Committee members are selected on the basis of academic achieve­ ment, public service and respectable dental history.

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Practice what we teach.

D e b u n k in g t h e u rb a n le g e n d Whether a scary story you were told at camp as a kid, or an annoy­ ing email you just received, this how-to guide will help you debunk any myths, scams or rumours sent your way before you contaminate the general population.

by anonymous sources. Anonymity makes us vulnerable to fear of the unknown. Our paranoia of what the neighbour might be plotting behind closed doors, or what the government is conspiring to do, makes urban legends strike a chord in urban hearts.

Why else would Hollywood have made a sequel to U rb a n Legends, if it did not have mass appeal?

There are even urban legends about urban legends. The woman who originated the tale of the guy who awoke in a hotel bathtub with

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10 Features

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 25, 2003

GMOs leave their mark on environmental health How genetically modified organisms are impacting our physical and social environments Russel Seidle

Significant concern has sur­ faced both in Canada and abroad in recent years as the presence of genet­ ically modified organisms has become more prevalent. While much of this attention has focused on the impact of GMOs on human health, the effects of these organisms on the natural physical environment have not been addressed to as great an extent.

Although the direct conse­ quences of human consumption of GMOs should certainly be the sub­ ject of extensive research, the envi­ ronmental impact of genetic engi­ neering also needs to be deliberated in both the scientific field and the public arena.

Phenomena such as gene flow have potentially serious implications for the biosphere, and the effects of evolution will not wait until public consensus on our required response has formed.

GMOs and ecological balance Genetically modified organ­ isms are essentially natural organ­ isms into which genes from another species have been incorporated.

These foreign genes typically confer some kind of benefit to the organ­ ism that would not have been pres­ ent otherwise.

For example, the antifreeze gene from the flatfish flounder is spliced into tomatoes to increase

their resistance to frost. Similarly, corn and other crops of commercial importance are engineered with endotoxin genes from the bacterium B a cillu s th u rin g ie n sis (B t ), which provide resistance to certain species of insects.

While these and other such genetic manipulations often increase the efficiency of food production and reduce the incidence of such problems as spoilage and infesta­ tions, there are drawbacks to their widespread use.

Precisely because of their hardi­ ness, such modified crop strains tend to fare better in terms of sur­ vival than their natural brethren.

The favourable genetic alterations are selected for in future genera­ tions, and the GMO varietals even­ tually come to make up a greater proportion of the total population of the given species.

This may not seem at first glance to be a bad thing. After all, why not have more GM corn or wheat, if such crops can better resist pests and cold weather?

The problem is that these advantages are countered by other potential developments in the ecosystem, such as the crowding out of native species and the concomi­ tant evolution of other organisms.

“Anything that helps to increase the global food supply seems to most of us to be a good thing,” says U1 Science student Simon Franklin.

“But genetic engineering has its bad points as well, and I don’t think we

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understand enough about the long­ term effects of this technology on the environment yet.”

In a B ioscience article entitled “Commercialization of Transgenic Plants: Potential Ecological Risks”, Allison A. Snow and Pedro Moran Palma address these and other con­ cerns at some length.

“For US agriculture,” write Snow and Palma, “a potential risk of escaped transgenes [genetically modified organisms that come to proliferate in the general popula­ tion] is that hybridization with pop­ ulations of free-living relatives will make these plants increasingly diffi­ cult to control. “[WJeedy populations will become more invasive in nonagricultural areas... and may contribute

“Whenever blind faith in progress becomes prevalent in society, vested interests promote their goals as being beneficial to everyone."

— M a h m o o d E la h i M c G ill M B A stu d e n t

to declines in populations of native species.”

The increased use of GM food crops could also conceivably hasten the evolution of pests resistant to the defences conferred by the implanted genes. A phenomenon similar to the one occurring with insects that have developed tolerances for commonly used agricultural pesticides would again come into play: favourable genetic mutations would be selected for insect populations, resulting in higher numbers of offspring carry­ ing the resistant trait.

The result would be a continu­ ally increasing proportion of the species population showing lessened susceptibility, in this case, to the beneficial protection of genetic modifications.

The Expert Panel on the Future of Food Biotechnology, a Royal Society of Canada group that included McGill Department of Plant Science professor Dr. Marc Fortin, highlighted these and other concerns in its report to Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Environment Canada in 2001.

One of the Panel’s numerous recommendations to these govern­ ment agencies was that “standard guidelines should be drawn up for the long-term monitoring of devel­ opment of insect resistance when GMOs containing ‘insecticidal’ products are used, with particular attention to pest species known to migrate over significant distances.”

The economics of GMOs The advent of genetically mod­ ified organisms has seen an increase in economic interests associated

with the new tech­ nology.

GMOs have been touted by their most enthusiastic sup­ porters as the solu­ tion to the world’s food requirements, and many compa­ nies have posi­ tioned themselves to capitalize on this lucrative emerging market.

Monsanto is undoubtedly the most well-known of these firms. This global agrobusiness enterprise has been the most closely linked with GM foods, and has borne the brunt of the opposition to ELLE.ATLAS.CZ genetically engi­ Fruit and vegetables undergo scientific transformation. neered crops.

“I think that most people are tion and eliminating the chances wary of the activities of large corpo­ that such new variants will cross­ rations in general,” states U0 Arts breed with other plants in the same student Andrew Kobel. “But a large crop.

The argument levelled against corporation like Monsanto, Monsanto in this case is essentially a involved in a technology that not many people understand... it creates social and political one. By creating a whole new level of public appre­ seedless plants, the company ensures itself a continuing market, since its hension.”

While the same environmental customers must come back each issues surrounding GMOs in gener­ year for new supplies.

Small farmers in developing al—escape of modified organisms areas are particularly affected. These into the wild, evolution of resistant growers have fewer financial pests and potential human health impacts—apply to Monsanto in resources with which to repurchase particular, critics have also focused seeds and, perhaps more important­ on the social impact of the compa­ ly, they lose the ability to adapt their ny’s development and marketing of crop selection to local conditions if they cannot observe the perform­ genetically modified organisms.

As an example, Monsanto has ance of a single plant species over created new soybean and cotton several generations of growth.

This type of modified crop also seeds that are engineered to be resistant to Roundup, a broad-spec­ weakens the claim of GMO sup­ trum herbicide also manufactured porters that such creations will by the company. Farmers who sow address the issue of the global food these seeds can spray their entire supply.

Many countries are now calling fields with Roundup, killing all for the labelling of GMOs on store plants except for the modified crops. shelves so that consumers can make In its defence, the company argues that Roundup’s main ingredi­ an explicit choice to support or not ent, glyphosate, breaks down quick­ to support the development of such ly in soil, making the herbicide a organisms. Concerns over human more environmentally-friendly health have been most prominent choice for large-scale crop manage­ on the public policy agenda with ment. Detractors question the claim respect to the GMO debate. The of lower toxicity and point out that impacts of such engineering on the Monsanto’s main goal is to expand physical environment, and the con­ the use of its Roundup product sequences in the social and political without regard to questions of safe­ spheres, however, are equally impor­ tant considerations. ty“Whenever blind faith in Monsanto has also bought the rights to a patented technique progress becomes prevalent in socie­ known as genetic seed sterilization. ty, vested interests promote their In this process, crop seeds are engi­ goals as being beneficial to every­ neered to activate a gene that codes one,” argues MBA student for a toxic protein, which in turn Mahmood Elahi. “For example, pre­ kills the seed in the mature plant. senting GMOs as a solution to the The plant is rendered sterile, and world’s food problem makes little sense. The world has enough food, regeneration is prevented.

Ironically, this practice does as it has wealth... the problem is the address the concern of equitable distribution of food and natural/GMO hybrids and the dis­ wealth. More importandy, environ­ placement of existing plant species. mental problems potentially arising By pre-empting the development of out of the use of GMOs should be seeds in these crops, Monsanto is of serious concern.” limiting the crop to a single genera­

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Features 11

Investigating the mystery of the McGill Phytotron News flash: Giant vegetables lurk in the depths of a giant greenhouse on campus Thobey Campion John Ortved

“Obviously not!” This is how the interview began, and it became a familiar answer to our questions.

It was abundantly clear that we knew very little about science, less about plant sciences and even less about molecular biology. For Mark Romer, manager at the McGill Phytotron, this subject and its application to plant development and manipulation is an art form with a history. For us, it was all an intricate web of lies and deceit.

Two important laboratory rules were set out: never make assump­ tions and always leave things the way you found them. A third rule was later added: don’t climb inside the incubators.

We knew Romer was alright as soon as he acknowledged that the Phytotron (or big greenhouse at the top of the Stewart Biology Building) could obviously be used to grow pot. This interview would be okay after all. We began with a history of the Phytotron lab.

Basically, they built a huge green­ house where they could grow many plants, under controlled environ­ ments, and called it a Phytotron, because that sounds much better.

It is fascinating that there exists a laboratory at McGill where researchers create and experiment on genetic mutations. It carries ideas of the X-men, mutants, giant tomatoes and crazy doctors. As the tour began, it became clear that

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these fantasies were just that, fan­ tasies, and that very little fighting actually goes on in the Phytotron.

Down the sterile hallway awaited the tissue culture zone.

This room contained seven stan­ dard Conviron self-contained growing units, some of which were walk-in-closet size and hummed at a fevered pitch, “I was designed by

of incubators, it became evident how secure this zone of genetic mutations really was. The security system, which monitors tempera­ ture and humidity of the contain­ ment units, is the most advanced of any lab at McGill.

Simultaneously, Romer’s excitement was building. It reached climax over a discussion of

natural selection theories.

Presently, only the function of a few per cent of the genetic code is known; the rest has been believed to be junk. The most exhaustive knowledge is about the genes responsible for the bodily struc­ tures, the structural genes, which are the simplest part of the system.

But the knowledge about the most

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someone a lot smarter than you.”

The ferocity of these machines contrasted the wimpy fist-sized culture piles lying on their shelves.

Included in these piles were algae, cell tissue-mass of tobacco and a genetic bank for the common fruit fly. Romer opened only three of the seven growing units, his excuse being that they were renovating.

As Romer led us through each secure door, and through the maze

“garbage DNA”. For a bio-molecu­ lar scientist, finding out there is unchartered territory in the genetic sequence is like finding out your parents do it; scientifically, it’s an integral part of your being and it must be confronted, but it is not something you want to spend all your time thinking about. Romer does. This garbage DNA or genet­ ic “crap”, as he emphasized, contra­ dicts the clarity and precision of

important part of this system, the regulator genes, is incomplete. The genetic code of these genes is only partially known. For Arts students, this means genetic research in, genetic knowledge out. For science students, this means more money It is precisely the money factor that is the central driving force behind research. However, this is the most innocent kind of cash.

Where it starts to get dirty is in the

role of genetically modified food companies. The gap between the genetically modified food organi­ zations and the Phytotron is only as distant as a scientific journal.

According to Romer, these compa­ nies rely on the research of labs like the Phytotron. Romer does not condone or apply himself to this information transfer. Some believe these capitalist outputs of research play a crucial role as sell-outs.

A staircase led us up two more stories. It became evident that every stair mounted was one step closer to the truth. At the top sits the greenhouse and, though going through construction, the intricacy of its structure is mind-boggling.

There were experiments in progress on either side of us as we walked down the main corridor. A seem­ ingly nervous researcher in a lab coat kept on darting past us. He distracted our attention and when we regained focus, it was just in time to look up and see what we had come for. Indeed, right stood, six-feet tall in the air, a human­ sized radish. The sheer size of it was incomprehensible.

At this point, Romer suggest­ ed he might have some more work to do that did not involve our pres­ ence. We took this as a hint that we were in way over heads. But this trip had been worth it all along, partly because of the sheer size of that radish, and partly because Romer bore a striking resemblance to Christopher Walken.

Paying homo-age to Pride Week

Brain Brown Spring. Ah, such a beautiful time of the year. Bombs dropping in foreign countries, the homeless leaving the metro stations to return to the streets and piles of dog excre­ ment decorating the sidewalk, peek­ ing out from under the gradually melting snow banks. It’s a lovely cluster of months, but particularly thrilling because it’s also award cer­ emony time! The Oscars, the SSMU Awards and the Daytime Emmys! In the spirit of the season, I have created an alternative awards ceremony to review and reward Queer McGill’s Pride Weeks (March 10-22).

Calling all girly-men, prettyboys, wanna-be drag queens and people with bad skin! Kicking off the awards is the winner of the E v e n t You W ere Too A fr a id To G o To B ecause You T h o u g h t Your F riends W o u ld See You: Men’s Group’s MAC Make-up Party on St-Laurent. For 20 dollars, you had professional MAC-daddies applying your make­ up and giving you lessons in skin care. With each attendant receiving 30 dollars in MAC certificates, you left looking pretty and 10 dollars richer. Going to this glam gettogether, I was nervous I would

leave looking like Tammy Faye Baker or my grandmother, two ladies who seriously over-apply.

Luckily these people know all the tricks and techniques to discreetly make the puffiness disappear, lines go away, blemishes be-gone and redness even out. It’s not only an educational experience but also a very humbling one. I sat in the chair as the hot make-up artist and a group of boys pointed out my every facial flaw—and there are plenty of those—and attempted to disguise them.

Winner of the E v e n t T h a t

While the stand-up comedy was amusing, it was also simultane­ ously insulting, as it closed with a slew of straight-bashing jokes. I found it offensive because a) if a straight comic had made gay jokes, Queer McGillers would have had their panties knotted up and their bras burning on the Arts steps and b) one-third of my nuclear family is straight. The purpose of Pride is to encourage openness and tolerance, not to create a bigger divide between the gay and straight communi­ ties.

P ro m p ted A n i D iF ranco to C a ll a n d A s k fo r P ier F ans B a ck. “Rock out

E v e n t You T h o u g h t You Were Too C ool To A tte n d : Q ueers a n d

with Your Cock/Vagina Out” at Gert’s. The highly-praised Toronto band Merkury Burn was a no-show and, although the replacement band was decent, they were defi­ nitely better as background music.

Instead, the acts leading up to the band were the best part of the show.

Liz Airton and Joanna Broby wowed the crowd especially when they collaborated on “Kiss You” and the latter sang “Carolyn”. It was evi­ dent that these ladies were way too skilled to be playing to a small crowd in the basement of Shatner.

Steers a t th e M a c d o n a ld C am pus.

a part of Queer McGill’s Pride Week, but QM did have some part in promoting it. The fashionistas came out in force to see the attractive models who made it seem like they were having fun strutting their stuff. I particularly enjoyed the homoerotic under­ tones of the show, but missed the booze (they didn’t get their liquor permit) and was left wondering where all the plus-size models were. Bottom line: tons of fun people, oodles of beauty with toned booty, and all for a good cause, the MAC AIDS founda­ tion.

Although I couldn’t attend because I don’t identify as a woman, the Sex Toys Party still receives the award for E v e n t

Break out those spurs and that lasso and put the “ride” back into SHULAHUE.COM “Pride!” Actually, the bus ride to Breastcasting among Gay Pride activities.

W h ere You C o u ld T a lk A b o u t Mac was more nauseating than S tra p -O n s a n d F istin g a n d G et watching Japanimation, but once how attractive I found a group of A w a y W ith I t, and the Women’s on the campus, we ate chilli, guz­ older Francophone men just Group’s Breastcasting is winner of zled drinks, met the boys from Club because they were wearing cowboy the E v e n t You D id n ’t A tte n d Because Bolo and had line-dancing lessons. boots and hats. Definitely not an You F elt Your Boobs S h o u ld O n ly be Yes, so it sounds very 1980s gay, but event you should miss out on dur­ F la sh ed a t th e M a ilm a n . Despite my it was a retro field trip that was high ing next year’s Pride. desire for the same sex, I had a E v e n t T h a t W as So C ool I t Was quality. I arrived at the Mac campus strange fascination with wanting to very hungry and very cranky but U n -C o o l N o t To A tten d -, the see how these girls planned on plasShow at Aria. ended up having a surprisingly fun Phassion See GYA PRIDE, page 12 time. Even more astonishing was Unfortunately, this event was barely

12 Features

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 25, 2003

GYA Pride

Lieutenant-General Pen nie of the Canadian A ir Force and political scientist Roussel debate the future of Canada-US defence relations and N O R A D

Continued from page 1 1

tering their chests. All I know is that the advice on what to wear and bring for a session of melon blan­ keting was “messy clothes... large plastic bags, oh, and some Vaseline...” Sounds like a party to me!

Justin Renard

E v e n t w here y o u h a ve th e B est O p p o rtu n ity to R evea l i f th e C u te B oy

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the Homo Hop. Where (almost) » every gay McGill boy and his brother come out and get down in... sigh...

Shatner. Oh well, so it’s not the most glamorous venue; it is a good time and only getting more and more popular every year. This time, the folks at Queer McGill shook things up a bit by adding a Bachelorqueer Auction, also the prize-winner of M o st P o lite W ay to “S w in g s

T h a t W ay",

P rom ote P ro stitu tio n in th e Q ueer C o m m u n ity .

That’s just a little over half of what Queer McGill’s Pride had to offer this year. Personally, I find that pretty impressive for a group that was described to me at the beginning of last year as being the gay “Chess Club” of McGill (in terms of coolness; sorry you chess junkies, nothing personal).

Although its purpose is not “being cool and fabulous,” by offering a wide variety of events and plenty of good times, Queer McGill has helped make being gay in Montreal even more fun-tastic.

We’ve been here for a while, we’re still queer, and I think that people are finally starting to get used to it.

All eyes are on Iraq. US President George W. Bush leads the war and Chrétien opposes it. And while the spodight is on the Middle East, USCanada relations are in a bind, raising questions over Canada’s place in US defence efforts.

Addressing this, newly designat­ ed Canadian Air Force Commander Lieutenant-General Ken Pennie, cur­ rent deputy commander-in-chief of the North American Aerospace Defence Command, and Dr Stéphane Roussel, adjunct professor of the polit­ ical science department at l’Université du Québec à Montréal, spoke about the future of Canada-US defence rela­ tions in a McGill panel discussion last Wednesday.

The discussion, as presented by the Research Group in International Security and the Montreal Chapter of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, introduced the significance of such missile defence organizations as NORAD and the US North Command to future USCanada relations.

“US-Canada relationship is mul­ tidimensional and huge,” said Pennie, while explaining the history and struc­

1

member of

defence, neither is exactly the case.

“Yes of course... cooperation is a certain loss of sovereignty...” he said.

“I think the real problem is not the problem of sovereignty but a problem of identity. The danger to Canadians is, to keep too close to the US, they will lose their individual distinction.”

Roussel said that there is no such Canadian influence in the US. However, Canadians have a uniquely strong resistance to US influential pro­ grammes. He noted the US-led war in Iraq.

“Cooperation is not something we can build overnight,” said Roussel as he snapped his fingers.

Still, USNORTHCOM is opti­ mistic. In a March 14 press release, USNORTHCOM CommanderGeneral Ralph E. Eberhart briefed members of congress on the agency’s progress over the past six months.

“When we work with civil authorities, we will most likely be in a support role to the lead federal agency providing one-stop shopping for fed­ eral military assistance,” Eberhart said in the release. “The United States is our area of responsibility.”

Pennie said, “This has a lot of potential for the future—this is the future path we are on.”

General Romeo Dallaire talks to McGill students on war-affected children S pencer Ross

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concerned about the Korean situation, as they have made several advance­ ments.”

USNORTHCOM’s area of responsibility includes air, land and sea approaches and encompasses the continental US, Alaska, Canada, Mexico and the surrounding water out to 500 nautical miles. It consoli­ dates under a single unified com­ mand—primarily the US. With NORAD now under this defence conglomerate, “the whole sen­ sor package of NORAD is being con­ verted to be missile-defence capable,” Pennie explained.

Both USNORTHCOM and NORAD will be responsible for detection and protection from cruise missiles, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and drug smuggling.

Pennie said, “USNORTHCOM will be the most important defence agency in the coming future.” He added, however, “It’s not given that Canada will be defended.”

Some critics argue that USNORTHCOM threatens Canadian sovereignty, and pundits say that USNORTHCOM will open doors for economic concessions.

According to Roussel, who is also the titular of the Canadian research chair in foreign politics and Canadian

Concepts of Warfare

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ture of NORAD and USNORTHCOM. Joined at the hip, Canada and the US have worked closely to ensure safety and security with the 1958 cre­ ation of NORAD, a bi-national organization between the US and Canada charged with monitoring man-made objects in space and the detection, validation and warning of attack against North America.

In September of last year, the USNORTHCOM was created as a fluid leader to control and command the Department of Defence homeland security efforts, including command over NORAD. As the detection and warning sys­ tem benefits both Canada and the US, NORAD command is shared between the two countries. Pennie explained that one-third of its command is Canadian and two-thirds are American.

According to Pennie, there is a growing concern for the threat of bal­ listic and terrorist cruise-ship missiles in Washington, and al-Qaeda is also known for owning ships flying flags of convenience.

“Ballistic missiles have been a sig­ nificant factor since [the] 1950s...”

Pennie said. “Since 9/11, terrorism has been our priority. We are also very

WWW.ANAPHARM.COM C o n tra c t R e s e a rc h O rg a n iza tio n

Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, an Order of Canada member who led the United Nations peace­ keeping force in Rwanda in 1994, spoke to Professor Rex Brynen’s Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Resolution class on his experiences in Rwanda. He stressed the need for recognition of war-affected children.

At the beginning of his lecture, Dallaire discussed the previous strate­ gies of war, saying that, in the postCold War era, there were no clear vic­ tors. Instead, the needs of and response to the people of the post­ colonial era were put “under wraps”.

In 1989, the end of the Cold War left the African continent in a “sort yourselves out” situation, Dallaire said. Instead of democracy, non-intervention led to problems like abuse and corruption.

By the first Gulf War, Daillaire said military strategies were “perfect. ... We were able to use what we learned from [the North American Treaty Organization] to win on the batdefield, even if we were not able to win the political game.”

Dallaire said the international community has failed to solve con­ flicts, and only participates in them.

As a first-hand witness to the war on terrorism, Dallaire sees Canada horrors of the Rwandan civil war, as a “middle power”, with the capacity Dallaire spoke passionately against to have a solid economy as well as a using child soldiers as instruments of strong voice on the issue of human war, often a result of small arms pro­ rights. “When children kill, they liferation in war-torn countries. If become legitimate targets in conflict, there is no room in the schools, the he said. “The convention on human children move to urban centres, he rights is not followed through. No one said, where they become marginalized has yet gone to war over children. and easy targets for malicious rebels. Wars have only been fought over the In a matter of days, 300,000 youths strategic dollar.”

Dallaire said Canadians are apa­ were killed in Rwanda, mostly by thetic when they should be focusing other youths, Daillare said.

“No single-led nation coalition on increasingly complex human rights will go in because of altruism,” he issues. “How can we look at these said. “Nations have entered conflicts issues... when we can’t even project as a result of self-interest, not to help human rights beyond our own bor­ ders?” he asked. the conflict-ridden countries.”

Dallaire disagrees with the While the Bush administration has questioned the relevancy of the Canadian government’s decision to United Nations in current events, move soldiers to Afghanistan on Dallaire responded to the accusation peacekeeping missions. “2,800 troops by suggesting that the permanent in the Congo means more progression member countries have become a on the effect on human rights than in Afghanistan to fight terror.” “group above the UN”.

Dallaire said his experiences in On April 7, 1994, as genocide started in Rwanda, US Secretary of Rwanda have taught him that human State Madeline Albright told the UN rights are more important than “selfthat the US would not support serving interests”, and he encouraged Rwanda. Great Britain and France fol­ people to become more involved with lowed this decision. Dallaire said that non-governmental organizations that it was thus those nations that made help Third World children.

“Once your boots are dirty, the the UN ineffective in the Rwandan smell never leaves you,” he said. conflict, not the UN itself.

With the attacks on Iraq and the