The McGill Tribune Vol. 23 Issue 16

Real change in Canadian press

Bovine Betsy still eating her sister

Reviewing the suds and duds of SnoAP

FEATURES, PAGE 11

OP/ED, PAGE 8

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Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Published by the Students' Society o f M cGill U niversity since 1981

Vol. 23 Issue 16

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McCord exhibition not all crap Museum explores influence of Mark Kerr

NICO LE LEAVER

Disappointed Redmen looked on as their team sputtered to a tie with Concordia. See page 17.

AUS considers Arts building fee Jennifer lett

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Funding for the proposed Arts building on the comer of rue Peel and avenue Dr.Penfield is uncertain, and students may be asked to help foot the bill.

The university’s current plans require between $30- and $40-million; $ 15-million for the first phase of construction and $ 15- to $25million for a second expansion phase.

The 18 departments in the Arts faculty are housed across campus in the Arts building, 688 Sherbrooke, me McTavish, and Wilson Hall.

“Because we re scattered all over the place, there are people that are working not in prox­ imity, and any benefits that you could get from

those people working in proximity are lost, said Associate Dean of Arts Chris Ragan.

While the first phase of construction would move Arts departments closer together, the second phase would create more space for undergraduate and graduate students. In par­ ticular, Ragan said, the faculty needs mediumsize classrooms that seat 75 to 100 students.

Space is also needed to accommodate the 45 professors the faculty has hired over the last two years and the 25 it expects to hire this year.

Thus far the university has received $1million from a single donor, as well as a few smaller donations. The university has also See NO COMMITMENT page 2

With the recent caricature of Scots in movies and television commercials, the impressionable could be excused for viewing these people as simply whisky-swilling, hag­ gis-munching idiots.

“The Scots—Dyed-in-the-Wool Montrealers,” the newest exhibition at the McCord Museum, seeks to dispel the one­ dimensional peasant image.

The exhibition, which opened last year and runs until September, takes the Conquest of French North America in 1763—in which many Scots played an instrumental role—as its starting point. “The Scots" then proceeds to examine how these settlers came to control many workings of the city in the 18th, and continuing through to the 19th, century.

The curators do an excellent job of com­ bining a wide variety of materials to construct the story of the Scots in Montreal. The exhi­ bition relies heavily on the McCords hold­ ings, many of them family heirlooms that have been donated to the museum.

Furthermore, many paintings of the influen­ tial men of the time cover the walls. The mas­ sive portraits of stem Scotsmen are enough to scare off any young patron.

Perhaps sensing the imposing nature of some of the material, the curators set up sev­ eral interactive exhibits geared for a younger crowd. The first is a replica of a curling rink that allows visitors to toss miniature rocks through the house.

The second display of note is a Nintendo GameCube with a Tiger Woods PGA tour game. The purpose of the exhibit, perhaps a bit of a stretch, is to complement the display showing that the Scots invented the sport.

More interesting than the video game is the fact that present day Parc Jeanne-Mance was the site of a golf course for the Scottish leisure class. The city park has gone from golf clubs to bongo drums in little more then a century.

The exhibition connected the success of the Scots in Montreal to their religious beliefs. Many of the Scottish in Canada belonged to the Presbyterian Church. Due to the church’s emphasis on education, a major­ ity of them learned to read, a necessary skill for studying the scriptures. With many of them educated, the Scots as a group had greater success than other immigrant groups

WHITE OUT WEEKEND!

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in Montreal at the time.

While the McCord Museum deserves praise for its overall vision for “The Scots, the curators approached the other extreme when combating the traditional view of the group. Granted, Scottish men and women shaped the city’s commerce, finance, industry and modes of transportation; however, many emigrants from the island did not belong to the influential business class. These Scots of lower status are alluded to in the concluding panel without significant discussion in the overall exhibit.

There is a possible logistical explanation for the absence of the working class in “The Scots.” Artifacts from this segment of Montreal’s population were likely not kept.

Garments and household tools were used until they lost their usefulness and then dis­ carded.

While the curators might have been hampered by this historical reality, they owed the audience a greater exploration through othef means, possibly making use of multimedia technology. Many will go to this exhi­ bition expecting to discover more about their Scottish ancestry. Those who lived in the slums played a role in that history as much as the people who lived in the mansions around the McGill campus and Westmount did. ■ m S S M U to

sion to a mentary commission.

NEWS, PACE 7 ■ “I don’t really like to start shitting where I sleep when I talk about rap.”

A&E, PAGE 14

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teams went headwith their crosstown rivals last weekend.

SPORTS, PACE 17

Wear ONLY white to McGill hoops Friday!

Fri. Jan. 16: McGILL BASKETBALL vs. Bishops, 6 pm _______________ irst> F 00 f a n s r e c e iv e F R E E ' ‘O u r Sun. Jan. 18: BIGGEST HOCKEY GAME OF THE YEAR! CARNIVAL SHOWDOWN! Redmen host UQTR, McConnell Arena, 7pm Pre-game party 4:30 pm @ Bar des Pins

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M c G ill

2 News

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Campus

No commitment from university Continued from cover

requested $20-million from the provincial government.

“We’re just at the very beginning of the process,” Ragan said.

You want it, you pay for it

At a meeting of the Arts Undergraduate Society council last term, Ragan spoke to stu­ dent representatives about the possibility of implementing a voluntary fee increase for Arts students to help pay for the new building. His suggestions included a 25-year fee of $20 a year, which would raise $ 1.8-million, and an annual fee starting at $20 that would increase by $1 a year for 25 years, raising $2.7-million.

I think it would be great if the students did this,” Ragan said, because it would encourage outside donors.

AUS Vice-President Finance Eric van Eyken agreed that if students make a symbolic financial contribution, it would stimulate fur­ ther donations. “$5 to $15 is enough that it’s actually symbolic,” he said.

This is not the first time students have been asked to finance construction projects, van Eyken said, citing the Arts lounge in the basement of Leacock, the Shatner renovations, and the upcoming Athletics fee referendum.

“I definitely think students should be helping to pay for something like this,” said van Eyken, who added he would only support a fee if the university promised matching funds.

Other student representatives, however,

are wary. Students should not have to pay for the classrooms in which they learn, Arts Representative Elise Legault argued.

“Building classroom space is a fundamen­ tal core need of education. This is something that the government should pay for,” said Legault. “You open the slippery slope of stu­ dents starting to pay by themselves for their buildings. I dont think thats ever been done before in Quebec.”

Legault pointed out that it is impossible to predict how much money such a fee will raise because AUS is constitutionally required to renew all fees every three years. The uncer­ tainty surrounding the amount the fee will raise is one reason why she is hesitant.

“We could do this and still not be sure if we will have a new Arts building,” she said.

“Fifteen years from now we could still have the same buildings."

University stonewalls

A motion introduced by van Eyken to hold a referendum on the issue will be dis­ cussed at AUS council on January 20.

I initially was willing to support such a motion, but the university’s refusal to discuss any aspect of it changed my mind,” said AUS President Seth Offenbach.

When meeting with university adminis­ trators, Offenbach said, he requested that stu­ dents receive matching funds, a minimum amount of student space in both the current and new Arts building, and student input on the design of the new building in return for implementing a student fee.

“My requests were by no means outra­

geous,” he said. “In some cases they were even less than the current blueprints call for, but I just wanted something in writing before we could go forward with the referen­ dum."

Offenbach said he was NICO LE LEAVER told by Vice-Principal Students will be attending classes here for a long, long time Administration and Finance Morty Yalovsky and Provost Luc Vinet that none of his requests could be discussed until Too many unknowns after a fee was approved.

Ideally, Ragan said, the province would Legault also noted the lack of commit­ grant the $20-million, in which case the build­ ment to match student funds. ing design would be finalized and construction “Compared to other fees there is could begin within a year. Breaking ground absolutely nothing that is set,” she said. “We would also generate fundraising momentum, have no commitment from anyone and we perhaps enabling the faculty to begin the sec­ cannot commit to a specific amount. ” ond phase of the project within three years.

Ragan said he is attempting to obtain “Worst-case scenario,” Ragan said, “is matching funds from the university and the that you simply don’t build it and you’re Arts faculty. done.”

“My own view is the students are unlike­ Acting not as an AUS executive but as a ly to say yes if they’re the only ones giving student, van Eyken circulated a petition last money, ” he said. semester to initiate a student fee, but discon At a faculty meeting in November, Ragan tinued the project due to lack of free time also floated the idea of having professors con­ “It’s the choice of paying for the building, tribute, which received a mixed response. which is bad,” van Eyken said, “or not having “Professors have not been approached in a building, which is worse.” any formal way,” he said.

If students were to approve a fee to pay The university had considered providing for the building and the project was later ter­ some funding for the building, but Principal minated due to lack of funds, Ragan said, an Heather Munroe-Blum has since said that will agreement would have to be in place between not happen. the university and AUS outlining how the “The university is committed to building money raised from students would be used the building, but not to finance it, which is and by whom. ■ normal for McGill buildings,” Ragan said.

— With files from Kim D ’Souza

Stud ents' So ciety of McGill U niversity ‘5 YEARS O f REPRESENTATION, SERVICE, AND LEADERSHIP

2 003-2004

Awards of « D is tin c tio n Two (2 ) scholarships of $2 0 0 0 for future undergraduate studies at McGill will be presented in Match to members of the Society who have dem onstrated leadership in th e University and have made significant contributions to student life, while excelling in their academic endeavours.

Have you left your marie?

Applications are available in French and English at th e SSMU Front Desk or online at http://www.ssmu.ca/ Contact: Vivian Choy, VP UniveristyAffairs ua#ssmu.recgill.ca

Bourses S>5 ANNEES DE LA REPRÉSENTATION, LA S ERVICE, ET LA DIRECTION

Deadline: February 6 f 2004

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Excellence 2003-2004

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Lorusso understood the motivation of the committee. Lorusso, 33, Several bomb scares early last moved from the Plateau when rent week have called attention to the became too expensive, but she con­ gentrification of low-income neigh­ siders herself fortunate. bourhoods in Montreal.

“I have a good job, a good Gentrification refers to the salary,” said Lorusso, a claims influx of higher-income residents adjuster. “I’m wondering how [oth­ into low-income neighbourhoods, ers] can afford the rent even in this resulting in rent increases that force area.” original tenants to move.

Other residents, however, are Last Monday Montreal police more welcoming of new neighbours responded to reports of suspicious who might benefit the local econor packages at six construction and my. François, who has lived in renovation sites in the Hochelaga- Hochelaga-Maisonneuve for seven Maisonneuve and Ville-Marie dis­ years, said more affluent residents tricts, located near the Olympic attract more sophisticated stores.

Park. The construction projects To help students understand included high-priced condomini­ these issues, SSMU representatives ums. are preparing a sustainable living A group calling itself the booklet for publication by the end Comité Action anti-gentrification of the academic year. A “housing claimed responsibility for placing week” is also planned for March the packages, which turned out to that will include a tenants’ rights be harmless. Letters to construction Jennifer Jett

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workers posted near the sites said clinic. the committee was not condemn­ Hersey is one of the members ing them but “the rotten real estate of McGill Living, a committee of promoters and their clientele. We’d SSMU council. One of the goals of prefer to see you working on hous­ the committee, Hersey said, is to ing with moderate costs than luxu­ help students realize that “tenants ry condos. rights, where they choose to live, “The goal of this action is to and how they choose to live are all denounce the construction of such political decisions." buildings in the third-poorest Last semester, members of neighbourhood in Canada, the let­ Students for Community Action, a ter read.

SSMU committee, organized a Gentrification has been a long­ series of walking and bus tours. standing problem in many large “L’Autre Montréal" bus tour cities, said Students’ Society Vice- exposed several dozen students to President Com m unity and the process of gentrification.

Government Brianna Hersey, one “Students seemed really inter­ that students may unknowingly ested,” Hersey said. “They basically contribute to. combine historical information “Having wealthy students pay about M ontreal... with some of the finders fees or [not] contest rises in contemporary issues that students rent fees simply because they are are facing or that students can help able to pay for it... contributes to contribute to in a positive way.” gentrification,” she said.

Similar tours are being While she disapproved of its planned for this semester. ■ tactics, area resident Sabrina

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News

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

U21 looks at restricting exchanges to members

ous, even when they salt it, because it all turns to slush.”

According to Giovanni Nuzzi, McGill’s manager o f build­ ings and grounds, the university is responsible for clearing the streets and sidewalks on the McGill cam­ pus. This includes the area between rue Sherbrooke and avenue Dr.-Penfield, and between rue McTavish and rue University.

“The sidewalk along McTavish is very poorly taken care o f during the winter season,” said Melissa Adams, U2 History.

“I have seen at least five people slip and almost fall. I myself have slipped numerous times.”

Ice combined with the slope o f rue McTavish makes the street particularly treacherous in the winter.

“McGill considers McTavish city property,” Nuzzi said. “We do intervene when the conditions are worse [becausel we look out for the McGill community. We will salt [McTavish]... to reduce the chance of students falling down.”

To clear the sidewalks around campus, the McGill buildings and grounds crew has its own equip­ ment,' including a sidewalk scraper. They also salt the roads with a calcium and chloride con­ tent mix that is more environ­ mentally safe than plain salt.

— Amanda Greenman

The discussion ar a U21 Student Network conference attended by Students’ Society President Kate Rhodes in Australia last month included the changing nature o f student exchanges.

McGill is a founding mem­ ber o f U2t , a consortium of research-intensive universities that facilitates student, faculty and staff exchange.

“It was a very worthwhile trip,” Rhodes said. “A great deal was addressed and discussed and solved and moved.”

Issues discussed included the publication o f a U21 academic journal and a possible shift to exclusivity in exchanges, in which exchange opportunities for stu­ dents belonging to U21 universi­ ties would be restricted to the 17 U21 member schools, most of which are English-speaking.

While this exclusivity would make exchanges easier and more popu­ lar by guaranteeing the transfer of credits, “you won’t have full range for where you can go,” Rhodes said. There are no member uni­ versities, for example, in Africa or South America.

“These are entire continents with endless educational opportu­ nity... that students wouldn’t be able to take advantage of.”

Rhodes admitted that should this Three McGill students continue policy ever be implemented, there the Rhodes tradition would be a risk McGill would Three McGill students are leave U21. heading to Oxford on Rhodes — David M. N ataf Scholarships.

Alexandra Conliffe, a W here did the pavement go? mechanical engineering student, It’s another frigid Montreal and Simon Rabinovitch, an Arts day as you head to class. One graduate, were chosen as the moment you’re concentrating on Quebec representatives. Manitoba getting out of the cold, and the medical student Aleksandra next your legs fly out from under Leligdowicz received one of the you and you are sitting in the scholarships for the Prairie region. middle o f the hard sidewalk.

Eleven o f these prestigious This scenario is all too frequent in scholarships, established by Cecil the battle between McGill stu­ Rhodes in 1902, are awarded in dents and the winter sidewalks of Canada each year. The selection Montreal. criteria include academic and “I live up [rue University) extracurricular excellence as well and I really hate the walk to as personal qualities. school,” said Chris Sheasgreen, McGill lays claim to more U0 Science.. “It’s pretty danger­ Rhodes Scholars than any other Canadian university. This years

winners bring McGill’s total ro 122.

Four to eight students select­ ed through an interview process receive McGill’s recommendation for Rhodes scholarships each year, said Dean of Students Bruce Shore. Conliffe received McGills backing, Shore said, whereas recent graduate Rabinovitch applied independently but was in contacr with the Office of Student Affairs. Since Leligdowicz was a student at the University of Manitoba, Shore explained, she applied in her home province.

T he scholarships cover tuition and living expenses for two or three years o f study at the British university.

— Lisa Varano

(3(7© MÜQüÜ Check our website h ttp ://w w w .ssm u.ca/m ini/ for info.

Still have Questions?

Call us at 398-3001 ext 09244 or e-mail us at mini@ssmu.mcgill.ca

SACOMSS volunteers are dedicated, caring people working in:

SSMU exec "going up the coun­ try, babe, don't you wanna g o r

The current Students’ Society executive along with former coun­ cil speaker Andrew Bryan spent this past weekend in Rochester, Vermont, to discuss their mid­ year reports.

“We will be updating our goals, checking off rhings we have accomplished, basic housekeep­ ing,” said SSMU President Kate Rhodes. “I want to confirm my year-long goals and my vision of a successful SSMU.” Bryan, who signed a confi­ dentiality agreement, chaired the discussions and moderated the topics, allowing Rhodes to partic­ ipate in the discussions.

“He will be maintaining the speakers list, [which means) that someone else will be running the meeting,” said Rhodes before leaving for the weekend.

The cost of the weekend retreat was approximately $1,000.

According to Rhodes, the price tag was considerably less then some of the retreats in the past.

Kimberly Zell, vice-president communications and events, expressed her concern with the timing o f the retreat.

“This is the worst time for [my portfolio] to go,” she said, with a beer in hand at SnowAP on Friday.

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Athletics referendum begins Friday Cost to students if passed $3-million Jennifer Jett

Advance polling begins Friday for a special referendum concerning the funding of improvements to McGill Athletics facilities.

The referendum question asks stu­ dents whether to approve a $10per-semester fee for the next five years. The fee, if passed, would help finance $3-million in improve­ ments, including the expansion of the fitness centre, the addition of 15 cardio machines and six weight-

training machines, locker room renovations, a climbing wall, a yoga room and a combative room for martial arts.

“I think students would agree that there’s a need [for these improvements],” said Athletics Representative M att Howatt, who is chairperson of the “Yes” commit­ tee for the referendum. “W hat we’re worried about most is that were not going to make quorum.”

Quorum is 10 per cent of all

eligible members of the Students’ Society. A “No” committee against the fee was not formed.

If the fee is approved, said Howatt, the improvements could be completed by September.

This will be the first SSMU referen­ dum or election to be conducted without actual polling stations.

Students can vote on this referen­ dum question until January 23 through a link on the SSMU Web site, www.ssmu.ca. ■

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The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Campus

Equity Committee shells out for festivities

NEW S

Lauren Consky Christopher Moore

he Student Equity Committee will be Sgro.

The most expensive speaker is Rebecca holding its second annual Equity Week from January 19 to 23, each day Walker, author of Black, White, and Jewish and having its own theme and corollary daughter of Pulitzer Prize-winner Alice events. Emphasizing equity and access, Walker. The younger Walker will speak at the the second annual event comes with a high McGill Bookstore on January 22.

Walker’s $9,600 honorarium is in addi­ price tag for the Students’ Society.

The SEC “aims to confront historical and tion to the $1,600 it will cost for her flight current inequities at McGill and beyond from San Francisco and accomidations in a through active engagement and public educa­ hotel. This $11,200 price tag comprises near­ ly two-thirds of the cost of the entire week, tion,” says the SSMU Web site.

Equity Week is the committee’s primary and nearly twice that of SEC’s contribution.

The majority of the costs are being met project. It is thus little wonder that the SEC is spending $6,850 of its $7,500 budget on the by a SSMU budget line that is reserved just for week’s activities. Further funding is needed such speakers. These funds are intended to be from SSMU, however, to cover the cost of the available to a variety of SSMU clubs and organizations. However, the annual SSMU event.

“The purpose of the week is to raise speaker budget is $10,000 for speaker hono­ awareness both on campus and off campus... rariums, and $2,000 for their travel and lodg­ These are issues that affect society as a whole, ” ing. Although the SEC has secured one said Aliyana Traison, student equity commis­ $1,000 grant from an outside source and sioner. “Many universities don’t have these hopes to attract an additional $500, the cost of Walker’s speech may consume up to 85 per opportunities.”

Each of the five days will have T h is $ 1 1 ,2 0 0 p ric e ta g c o m p ris e s n e a rly a specific theme, and the opportu­ t w o - t h i r d s o f t h e c o s t o f t h e e n t i r e w e e k , a n d nities offered will include work­ n e a r l y t w i c e t h a t o f S E C ’s c o n t r i b u t i o n . shops, films, speakers and three free vegan meals. The $6,850 will cover advertising and cent of SSMU’s speaker budget.

Traison noted that no other SSMU group most of these events, as well as honorariums for a number of lower-profile speakers such as has requested any of these funds, and that the Lheisa Dustin from the “No One is Illegal” SEC has waited until recently to do so pre­ cisely because it wanted to ensure that other campaign.

The SEC is also hoping to attract students had a chance to request financial Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Judy assistance for their own events. ■

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U N D E R G R A D U A T E

The Students’ Society Daycare at McGill continues to seek what it calls a “fair and equitable” Post-Graduate Students’ Society contribution to its operational costs.

Although 29 of the 38 children at the daycare are those of graduate stu­ dents, the PGSS does not provide a subsidy. According to daycare coordi­ nator Cynthia Dezsb, this money would go toward keeping it open yearround.

Further complicating matters is the possibility that Dean of Students Bruce Shore may charge the SSMU Daycare rent for the space it uses in the Brown Student Services Building start­ ing this year. This would make it even more difficult for the daycare to main­ tain the level of service it offers.

Ninety per cent of the parents at the daycare say they need the facilities to operate in the summer. During the summer, staff is laid off. Parents, mean­ while, scramble to find child care.

There are two-year waiting lists to get into daycare in Montreal, Dezsb said.

“Students come from other coun­ tries thinking that daycare service will be taken care of. W hen we started we had a permit for 32 kids,” she said.

“The daycare is totally full. There is a huge, constant demand on the graduate level. Graduate students are the largest group to need this service.”

Daycare staff has attempted some fundraising moves, primarily by send­ ing a letter to the PGSS in late November explaining the funding situ­ ation, along with a petition from par­

S O C I E T Y

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Executive P ositions 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5 President VP Academic VP Administration Arts R epresen tatives to th e

VP External VP Finance VP Internal SSMU

Students interested in running for any of the listed positions may pick up a nomination kit starting Tuesday January 20th 2 00 4 at the A U S office in the Leacock Basem ent Room B-12.

Nomination kits are due on the afternoon of Tuesday February 3rd.

ents.

PGSS President Ives Levesque reported that the PGSS has considered the concerns the letter raised, and replied to both SSMU and the parent board of the daycare in an e-mail dated December 3.

“We have yet to hear back from them ,” he said.

Dezsb did not specify how much additional funding the daycare needs.

This year, the SSMU earmarked $ 108,000 for daycare operations during school months. The daycare also raised $70,000 in parents’ fees and receives some funding from the Quebec govern­ ment.

Although PGSS pays SSMU roughly $16,000 annually to allow graduate students to use SSMU servic­ es, none of this money goes directly to the daycare.

The PGSS has yet to sit down for­ mally to discuss funding issues with the daycare or SSMU. According to Levesque, a motion passed by PGSS council in September 1997 states that the PGSS “supports the development of an accessible, flexi­ ble, part-time, fully subsidized student daycare on campus.” The current exec­ utive revisited thé issue in November 2003 and reaffirmed its support for the policy.

“The notion of a PGSS subsidy was brought up during the discussions that surrounded the above motion in 1997,” Levesque said. “The project was never carried forward by council and no question was ever brought to refer­ endum, so no financial support was offered.” ■

TRIBUNE POLL LAST WEEK'S QUESTION: W hat do you like best about SnoAP? T he live bands 25% T he cheap drinks 25 % T he cold pizza 19 % T he fact that every­ thing is under one tent 31%

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Should Arts students have to pay a fee for the construction of a new Arts building?

LOG ON TO MCCILLTRIBUNE.COM

For further information or questions, contact Andrew Carvajal, Chief Returning Officer Elections A U S , at gcarva@ sym patico.ca

5

SSMU Daycare and PGSS banter

The Tribune looks at w h e re o u r stu d e n t dollars go

ARTS

News

TO CAST YOUR VOTE!

6

News

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

SSMU Positions available for €' the Winter term 2004

SnoAP takes campus by storm BENJI FELDMAN captures the iaidback atmosphere that characterizes the firstweek of winter semester.

Are you interested in getting involved with activities on campus this semester?

The Students' Society of McGill University is currently looking for enthusiastic and dedicated people to fill the following positions for the Winter term 2004:

Environment Commissioner Speaker of Council The deadline to apply for the above positions is 5:00pm on Monday, January 19, 2004. Please submit a resume and cover letter to the SSMU Front Desk, Suite 1200 of the William and Mary Brown Student Services Building, or by email to Kate Rhodes at: pres@ssmu.mcgill.ca.

For more information on the above positions, please go to

w w w .s s m u .c a .

W h a t is t h e

McGILL

(S s .

sm

STUDENT FUND?

Born out o f a 1999 student referendum, the McGill Student Fund (MSF) is a combination o f fees collected by the Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU) to address three needs on campus: improve libraries, more student bursaries, aftd a more accessible student union building.

McGill Alumni Association matches the Bursary and Library Improvement I und annually. A Bursary Endowment Fund has been created and ^adm inistered by Student Aid on the SSMU's behalf.

The Library Improvement Fund has made students the second largest donors to libraries and has resulted in the new Information Commons, a 24-hour study space, and the acquisition o f books, journals, and equipment requested by students, • SSMU Bursary Fund - $12 full-tim e / $6 part-tim e per semester • Library Improvement Fund - $14fu ll-tim e / ST part-tim e per semester • SSMU Building Fund - $12 full-tim e / $6 part-tim e per semester

. W h a t is a ii O p t - O u t : A process through which, if you decide not to support the above fees, you may choose to have the amounts credited back to you on your ^ 1 McGill fee statement.

W h a t d o I h a v e to d o ?

All SSMU members are eligible for this opt-out. Go to Room 1203 in the Brown Student Services Building between10am-4pm, January 19th - 22nd.

Bring your student ID card.

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

SSMU Mini Courses

SSMU talks strategy

Learn something new!

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Perfectionnez votre anglais ou votre allemand en Europe!

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.„1 Devenez assistants de p ro fesseu rs de fran çais au Royaume-Uni. en Irlande

et en Allemagne Fonction Soutenir un professeur de français pendant 12 heures par semaine en organisant des activités qui favorisent la compréhension et l'expression orales, en animant des groupes d'adolescents dont la langue maternelle n'est pas le français

7

Campus NEWS

are hassle free non-credit courses.

Remember to sign up in Room 1203 January 13,2004 @ 6 pm to 9 pm. Check http://www.ssm u.ca/m ini/ for more information on Courses.

News

Parliam entary commission to discuss university funding Katie Fugler

The Students’ Society is gearing up to submit a proposal to an upcoming Quebec National Assembly parliamentary commis­ sion that will look at the challenges facing post-secondary education.

SSMU Vice-President Community and Government Brianna Hersey is working closely with political attaché Baijayanta Mukhopadhyay to formulate SSMU s statement.

“We are supporting la FEUQ’s submission. We are going to Trois Rivières this weekend to vote on the final [draft] that will be sent to the commission,” said Mukhopadhyay.

“We are in the process of writing [our own submission]. It will have to go through the C&G committee and then council before it can be sent on to the province.”

Mukhopadhyay explained that only some of the submissions will be chosen to go to Quebec City in

February for presentation to the commission.

SSMU President Kate Rhodes said that the commission has much to gain from listening to SSMU. “The [parliamentary] commit­ tee tries to get as many diverse opin­ ions as possible, and [SSMU’s] opin­ ion is unique,” she said.

The commission will raise pub­ lic awareness of the funding shortfall for post-secondary education, said Principal Heather Munroe-Blum.

“I think the best thing to come out of it will be some public exchange on universities and the funding of universities, and I think that will be very important,” she said. “I think it is absolutely funda­ mental that the system has a level of access, or what I call participation, because you can have access and still have low participation.”

Mukhopadhyay said that the SSMU position paper will only dif­ fer slightly from that of la FEUQ, taking into consideration the addi­

tional funding McGill needs to maintain aging buildings.

“We want to have a stronger stance against differential tuition and to make sure that the adjust­ ment funding is maintained and catches up to other [Quebec] uni­ versities,” he said.

Rhodes said that la FEUQ’s recent stance against differential tuition is partially due to heavy lob­ bying on the part of SSMU dele­ gates and that the decision is tremendous gain for students.

Hersey said that she does not foresee any trouble getting the SSMU submission past the commu­ nity and government committee and SSMU executives in the next three weeks because they would be taking into consideration the concerns of students and reaching consensus before the SSMU council meeting on January 29.

“We will work the kinks out before the meeting because council is for business, not bickering.” ■

Durée du séjour De 8 à 9 mois, selon le pays d’affectation

Allocation Environ 12 500 $ pour le séjour (de 25 à 30 $ l’heure)

Principales conditions • Étudier à temps plein dans une université québécoise • Résider en permanence au Québec • Être citoyen canadien

Éducation

Québec

Perfectionnez votre a n g la is au Canada!

a*** »?

VOUS AVEZ LE GOÛT DE VOYAGER P Faites connaître votre culture tout en découvrant une culture différente et en faisant l'expérience d’un travail des plus intéressants. Comment? En vous inscrivant au Programme de moniteurs de langues officielles (PMLO) pour devenir assistant de langue.

Letravail d’assistant de langue consiste a soutenir un professeur de français en organisant des activités qui favorisent la compréhension et l’expression orales auprès de jeunes du primaire et du secondaire dont la langue maternelle n’est pas le français. Pour être admissible, vous devez avoir obtenu un diplôme d'études collégiales (DEC) à la fin de la présente année scolaire et avoir terminé au moins unesession dans

Course evaluation results now online Jennifer Jett

The results of course evalua­ tions are more accessible and digestible now that they have been posted on the university Web site. “ [Course evaluations are] a way to provide constructive criticism because nothing’s ever perfect and there’s room for improvement for everyone,” said Students’ Society Vice-President University Affairs Vivian Choy.

Melissa Paulson, U1 Education, said course evaluations give students who otherwise would complain to each other a chance to share their concerns with the instructor anonymously.

“I think they’re very valuable for the teacher, for him or her to know what things he needs to work on or she needs to work on,” she said. “I also think that it’s nice for the school to give us the opportuni­ ty to say what we think.”

Evaluations are posted at the

13 former 2004

Pour en savoir davantage sur 1e Programme, il suffit de visiter le site Web du Conseil des ministres de l’Éducation à l’adresse : wwv.cmec.ca/oto/

une

Pour les assistants de langue à temps plein : environ 14 SI heure total de 13 500 $ pour 9 mois de travail, à raison de 25 heures pa Pour les assistants de langue a temps partiel : environ 14 5 total de 4 000 S pour 8 mois de travail, à raison de 8 heures par

end of each semester, subject to the instructor’s approval. Instructors cannot, however, permit the release of evaluations for some of their classes but not others. They must allow results to be distributed for all classes they teach or none at all.

This is the first year the full results of course evaluations have been available online. They had been removed in the past, Choy said, due to instructors’ concerns about labour and privacy laws.

“They had to figure out a way to make it secure,” she said.

To make the information more secure, students are required to enter their Minerva pin number to access the results.

The results of course evalua­ tions have long been available in the library, but few students take advan­ tage of them.

“It takes a lot of effort to go to the library, look up all your courses ... and make an informed decision,” Choy said.

U3 Kinesiology student Joel Bergeron said that while course evaluations are not always useful, they are necessary for some classes.

Nonetheless, their results have never been a factor in his choice of cours­ es.

“Every time I pick a class, it’s basically word of mouth,” he said.

A pilot project is scheduled to begin shordy that will allow stu­ dents to complete course evaluations online and review the results of those evaluations in the form of graphs. Students will be able to make “a side-by-side comparison of profs or classes and that sort of thing,” Choy said. ■

To view the results o f course evaluations, visit 03 O

www.mcgilI.ca/provost/ courseevaluafions

New year, new e-mail policy Miriam Martz

Students who e-mail their instructors from a Yahoo, Sympatico or other non-McGill account should not surprised if they receive no response. This is one result of McGill’s new policy establishing email as an official means of commu­ nication between staff and students.

Effective since January 1, the policy requires course-related e-mail between instructors and students to be routed through the university server.

Students are required to check their McGill e-mail accounts regu­ larly and to act upon e-mails in a timely fashion. By sending e-mails through the McGill system, it is pos­ sible for the university to verify and control their receipt. Every student is issued a Uniform E-mail Address upon enrolling at McGill.

While students are allowed to forward their UEA account to an alternative account, instructors are no longer obligated to respond to emails received from non-McGill

accounts. Alternatively, e-mail may be sent and received through WebCT. Deputy Provost and Chief Information Officer Anthony C. Masi stressed that e-mail is only one option for communication between staff and students.

McGill’s server is currently being updated to accommodate the need for increased capacity created by the policy. The text of the policy can be found online at www.mcgill.ca/email-policy. ■

8 Op/Ed

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Opinion

Editorial

Of sun-chasers and cat-herders teven Wright once remarked, “You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?” I think I know where. The Meaning o f Everything, by Simon Winchester, is a non-fictional chronicle of the Oxford English Dictionary. While audacious, the title of Winchester’s book is by no means presumptu­ ous. If everything could be put anywhere it would be in the OED. I love words. They are the fount and helpmeet of any writer. And they’re all we have. Bereft of words, I would be like Tonya Harding sans crowbar. I wouldn’t stand a chance.

I have a confession: I once played a best-of-nine Scrabble series with a friend of mine. And lost. That’s nigh fanatical, you say? I say my hobby, er, obsession is mild when compared with that of the horde of OED authors and helpers, would-be Sisyphus-like souls. For the work of the English lexicographer and philologist is never-ending: new words are always being invented. That is both the bane and beauty of the language.

It has been said that English lexicography is like herd­ ing cats. It is also like chasing the sun. There is always another horizon to reach. The English lexicon is endlessly growing and mutating, constantly being invaded,

S

tweaked, and reshaped. It is not a fixed entity, but a fluid, living, breathing organism.

To have attempted to nail down this creature—to even have considered categorizing, enumerating, itemiz­ ing and cataloguing the herd of cats that is the English lexicon—the authors of the OED must have been just a little too crazy keen. They were zealots, plain and simple, but zealots of an especially crazed ilk— academicians driv­ en above all by an imperative of rigour. The end product is a magnificent testament to this madness.

The OED took 54 years to complete, a period that several editors-in-chief did not outlast. The project employed hundreds of staff and thousands of volunteer readers and “literary woolgatherers”— all of them inces­ santly trawling and beavering away through mountains of papers and books that seemed always to grow and never to end. But as Wendell Johnson said, “Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use. ” The OED authors were tenacious. No one ever said never, though there were some low points, times when the “molasses-in-January” progress and the “undertow of words” overwhelmed.

In the end 615,100 words were defined, accompa­ nied by 1,827,306 illustrative quotations (selected from

more than five million offered by the volunteers), and occupied 178 miles of type, 21,730 pages and 140 pounds of paper. This is an unrivaled fiber-dictionary.

Above all, though, Winchester’s The Meaning of Everything puts a human face on this legendary behe­ moth. It is not a how-to manual for writing a dictionary, rather a tale woven rich with quirky characters and histor­ ical figures—a homicidal madcap, a hermit, a kleptoma­ niac, even Napolean’s nephew and J.R.R. Tolkien, to name just a few. Truth is stranger than diction.

People, like those at the OED, have and will contin­ ue to define our language. But the reverse is true as well: language defines people. It speaks us when we speak it; language expresses our nature.

Noah Webster (of Merriam fame) said: “Language is not an abstract construction of the learned, or of diction­ ary makers, but is something arising out of the work, needs, ties, joys, affections, tastes, of long generations of humanity, and has its bases broad and low, close to the ground. ” Keep this in mind when someone asks you to explain something in your own words. ■ Josh Wilner can be reached at 'fiilnertrib@hotniail.com

Guess who's coming to dinner? or most, the start of the winter semester means relearning to feed ourselves after gorging our­ selves at restaurants with friends and on homecooked meals (or, if your family is anything like mine, copious amounts of Kraft Dinner). Now is the time to rethink what goes into your gut.

Don’t worry, this is not a directive on how to lose that spare tire while maintaining your cup size. To give fair warning, I speak of something far less appetizing: mad cow, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

I should admit: I am a vegetarian. I have, however, seen both sides of the debate: I’ve done my research, and heck, my family works in the delicatessen business. I am indeed the epitome of a black sheep.

Now, regarding BSE, it was announced on Friday that Canada will spend more than $92-million over the next five years expanding testing for the disease. But— newsflash—testing alone will not prevent the develop­ ment or spread of BSE. What will? Duh—stop feeding cows to cows. Stop feeding chickens to cows. Stop feeding pigs to cows.

These animals were not meant to eat meat. BSE is espe­ cially transmittable between members of the same species.

That they must be continually given antibiotics merely to survive is a clue that meat-based feed is the wrong first

F

t h e

M cG IL L T R I B U N E

Editor-In-Chief

Mark Kerr D eputy Editor

Sarah Wright Production Manac.tr

Natalie Malo-Fletcher

step.

Ah, but surely cows are not still being fed their neigh­ bours, you say. Well, not directly. Most countries have banned that practice, but haven’t addressed what is fed to the chickens and pigs that usually end up in the cattle’s feed and feeding cattle remains to other farm animals is still a relatively common practice. So one way or the other, Bovine Betsy is still feasting on her second cousin.

As students, it’s difficult to foster any massive change in the business world; most people I know can’t even afford to buy red meat on a regular basis. And any wide­ spread change in standards would necessarily hurt farm­ ers. Reform always comes with a price; even increased soy consumption, a seemingly benign phenomenon, has accelerated the razing of the Amazon (reading that sent me into a mighty fine crisis, I’ll tell you).

I’m tempted to say that cattle farmers—especially those of the factory variety— have been supported by gov­ ernment subsidies for so long that it’s hard to discern their true profit margin anyway, and if they must suffer a little, boo-friggin-hoo. Of course, that’s easy to say when I’m not a farmer in Alberta. The problem is not unlike that of coca farmers in South America: maybe they should change the crop they harvest—but how, and to what?

Moreover, we cannot realistically expect the govern­

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Sta d : Emily Bessette, David Brodkey, l.exie Buchaoan-Kaisin, Lauren Consky, Laura Etheredge, Benji Feldman, Rebecca Graber, Amanda Greenman, Nicole Haris, Dany Horovitz, Iwona Link, Heather Kitty Mak, Miriam Martz, Dan McQuillan, Christopher Moore, David M. Natal, Shelby Rarnes, David S. Ullmann, Lisa Varano, Josh Wilner

ment to commit to the most effective measures for eradi­ cation when farms of all sizes benefit quite richly from subsidies, and politicians don’t willingly tinker with easy votes.

The bottom line is we must err on the side of cau­ tion. We know the route of transmission, we’ve seen the devastation, but the incubation period in humans is unknown, so we cannot predict the prevalence of this truly frightening disease.

If governments subsidized the industry-wide changes necessary, perhaps some progress could be made.

Worldwide beef consumption has dropped markedly; therefore, the rise in prices resultant from more expensive feeds and larger holding areas might not have catastroph­ ic effects. It seems only dedicated beef-eaters are main­ taining their consumption anyway.

Only by fundamentally restructuring the meat indus­ try will we see the end of BSE. Public health must absolutely, without question, come before profit.

So in this New Year, I encourage you to think about what’s on your plate. Not in terms of calories or carbs, but in terms of how it got there. The answers may not be appetizing, but if you can’t stand to hear about it, well, you probably shouldn’t be eating it. ■

loiters must include author's name, signature, identification (e.g. U2 Biolot; SSMU President), telephone number and be typed double-spaced, letters m o; than 200 words, pieces for Stop the Press mort; than 500 words, or submissioi judged by the Editor-in-Chief to be libellous, sexist racist, homophobic, or sole! promotional in nature, w ill not be published. The Tribune w ill make all reasonab! efforts to print submissions provided that space is available, and «serves the rig1’i to edit letters for length. Loiters may be submitted to the Tribune office, faxed t > 398-1750, e-maited to tribune@ssmu,mcgill.ca or submitted via the Tribune wet site.

Columns appearing under ’Editorial' heading are decided upon by the editorial board and written by a member of the editorial board. All other opinions are strie ly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The McGi I tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper Subscriptions are available for $30.00 per year.

A d v e r t i s i n g O nce: Paul Slachta, 3600 rue McTavish, Suite 1200, Montréa Québec. H3A 1Y2 Tel: (514) 398-6806 Fax: (514) 398-7490

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Tel: (514) 398-6789 Fax: (514) 398-1750 E-mail: tribune@ssmu.mcgill.ca Web: www.mcgilltribune.com

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Opinion to the

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<D

Editorial

EDITORIAL

E d ito r An article was written about McGill Students for Literacy in which the organization’s legitimacy was called into question (Nov. 11). For those that do not know, MSL is a student-run service of over 100 members whose primary objective is to provide literary assistance to the community and to improve public awareness concerning literacy issues. The article was nothing more than an insidious attack on MSL’s status as a student service.

According to Kathleen Brown (the author of the article), MSL is different than most other serv­ ices and, therefore, does not deserve the extra money that comes with being distinguished as a student service instead of as a student club. The logic of her “objective” article relies upon the suggestion that MSL somehow has a separate and divested interest in the community of Montreal (rather than that of the students of McGill) and, therefore, should not be receiving such generous funding. This idea is doubly flawed and could not be further from the truth.

First and foremost, one cannot separate McGill from the community of Montreal due to the sym­ biotic and geographic relationship between both. All of MSL’s programs reflect this relationship in an effort to improve their communal skills.

Secondly, the article failed to mention that as a service, MSL does not have a bank account like student clubs and is relegated under the rules and regulations of the SSMU treasury.

However, it is not Brown’s questioning of how money is distributed that upsets me; I personally think it is our job as students of McGill University to constantly question how our money is being used. Instead, I am more irritated that Brown and the Tribune chose MSL out of all the student serv­ ices, strung together a series of unsubstantial interviews and information with an account of a sup­ posed “arcane” SSMU meeting, and effectively slandered MSL’s good name. None of the executive members of MSL knew anything about the meeting mentioned in the article where SSMU council­ lors discussed the status of MSL, none of the MSL volunteers outside of executive members were inter­ viewed by Brown to see how MSL directly benefited their lives at McGill, and apparently neither Brown nor her editor made any significant effort to backup their information with solid research.

Instead of pointing fingers and attempting a form of bureaucratic pigeonholing, perhaps the Tribune should take more time researching their facts and sources before they waste money on yellow journalism.

—Jonathan Daniel Berke Co-chairman o f Fundraising for McGill Students for Literacy

A re y o u th in k in g a b o u t th e n e x t a c a d e m ic y e a r y e t?

Floor Fellow, DON, MORE Fellow 2004 - 2005

Op/Ed 9

If you like people and you are interested in a challenging and rew arding student leadership position, w h y not apply to be a Floor Fellow, Don, or MORE Fellow at McGill Residences?

The deadline for submission of applications is January 2 6th , 2 0 0 4 before 4 p m .

P ay in g th ro u g h th e n o s e t has been documented that university graduates will pay more in taxes and, therefore, give more back to society, than non-graduates. We will live in higher tax brackets. We are the most likely to send our own children to uni­ versity. We are more likely to give to charity. Nevertheless, if we are a bene­ fit to society, and the federal government encourages more university grad­ uates to immigrate because they are considered a boon, why are governments all over the world, including Canada, not putting more money into post-secondary education?

McGill is presently coping with the funding shortfall by asking students for more money, not in the form of tuition, but ancillary fees, which are the high­ est in Canada. The university will soon look to raising our tuition. Even now our Students Society is asking for money. Athletics Representative Matt Howatt is leading the Yes committee to encourage students to shell out $10 a semester for renovations to the sports centre.

The reason why we should pay? Because we need these renovations. We need the proposed Arts building that students might be asked to finance. We need the $ 180-million for infrastructure that McGill is lacking. We need the new professors. We need the money, and we as students are the easiest targets for these money-hungry projects.

Tony Blair recently made the statement that British universities cannot compete with the American universities because the British system just doesn’t have the cash.

In Canada, we aren’t talking about competing, we are talking survival.

McGill was second among Canadian universities in this year’s Maclean’s rank­ ings, but how do we rank on the international stage? McGill did not even place on Business Weeks top 10 MBA schools outside the US, though Queen’s University is No. 2. Incidentally, the Ontario government has removed tuition caps.

The Quebec government has even coined the term the “McGill factor.” It refers to the problem of trying to stretch an infrastructure budget designed for maintaining buildings constructed in the 1960’s or 1970’s for buildings erected at the turn of the 20th century. McGill may have a bevy of alumni donors who are helping us keep our heads above water and building new technology build­ ings. If you look at the overall picture, however, it isn’t enough.

In an interview earlier this year. Principal Heather Munroe-Blum said, “I am fundamentally committed to some portion of new sources of tuition fees going into student aid.” Munroe-Blum’s plan is honourable. However, for increased student aid to be feasible, tuition must go up for every student.

University students must ask themselves why they should stay in Canada and pay higher taxes when the state has shown an unwillingness to support higher education.

The Quebec Parliamentary Commission on the Financing of Universities meets this month to consider tuition increases or freezes. In Britain, students began to protest the moment Blair started in on tuition reform. They have been protesting in the streets, they have been thrown out of buildings during sit-ins, they have made enough noise to get the press and the world to notice them and their message.

Re-regulating tuition will not fill the cavernous funding gap that universi­ ties face today. Like the British, we know that IQ should be the only barrier to higher education, not the size of students’ wallets. Higher tuition is merely a toothpick in this collapsing beaver dam. ■

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O ff the

o a r d

R a n d o m n e s s h a s its r e a s o n s

niversity friendships are of an ironic breed.

Education is inherently self-involved yet we seek its adventures precisely to become involved with other people. Smooth-spoken intellectuals may claim their books are their most prized companions but they’re nearsighted: if knowledge is a solitary go-getter then adventure is necessarily a twin—it takes more than a rogue ele­ phant to stir up some much-needed madness.

Yet despite daily frolicking with 17,000 student bodies, we remain strangers in each other s midsts. Save for an overzealous few, we are all so indifferent, purporting to have a piously studious attitude that cries “I’m here to learn, get out of my face.” Classes seem designed to maintain this attitude as if it were desirable for students to treat each other with frosty silence.

Only in higher level discussion groups, seminars and labs are we forced to learn each other’s names and see each other as individuals rather than mere atoms occupying space. Together we work, reflect and argue enough to at least nod when we cross paths on campus and at most prolong a conversation after class. Yet, by then, it’s already too late, we don’t have room in our web of friends for any additions, one because it requires considerable effort to get to know someone and two because a

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newcomer will clash with our already tight-knit clique.

Because 'first year seminars are next to nil, university friends often end up being those who are closest at hand rather than those with kindred minds. Proximity either becomes the best reason or a reasonable excuse to adopt a love the one you’re with mentality. It’s not about compatibility but about timing: whoever we meet first almost invariably remains a friend because habit and convenience make a good mixer. In the end, university friendships are as arbitrary as the residence lottery system: random selection rules the roost.

For some, this is quite satisfactory: a heap of acquaintanc­ es allows for opportune business arrangements that ensure they are the persona grata at parties, that their study partners are within reach and that new prospects are always available to pre­ vent rumination.

Yet many seek more than an entourage of fair-weather friends, resolving to find those rare few who accept and even sympathize with whatever cause they’re currently pursuing and keep them from going awry. Maximum friend capacity means others become wallflowers whom we can comfortably dodge because they might otherwise rob us of precious best-friend commitments. If love is blind, then friendship averts its gaze: imperfections become the secrets only we know about and out­

Natalie Malo-Fletcher

bursts turn into declarations of love that have us dancing bare­ foot in puddles, helpless with laughter. Connections between friends seem etched in stone because were sharing a present that is possibility: in our infatuated state, we wish we could turn the world upside down so as to always be touching toes.

Yet university friendships remain so fragile largely because of the nebulous nature of their future. There is no protocol. All it takes is a bout of jealousy, a graduate scholarship or a reoc­ curring vice to make them disposable. Without constant serv­ icing, friendships turn stale, yet with too much coddling, they outrun our desire to preserve them. When relationships are based on circumstance rather than affinities, they can’t com­ pete with future plans.

The bleak reality is that university friendships are precari­ ous. Aloneness hovers like a black cloud as we stroll from class to class, trying to appear blasé but unable to say boo to a goose.

The campus mass marries us off to a select few for a reason that we can’t justify and thus romanticize. Fate linked us, we assert, and so we hold on to our memories to keep them meaningful.

Years from now, we will wear our knowledge with pride but will we remember the adventures that shaped its acquisi­ tion? We must always be able to pick up a friendly conversa­ tion as we can a favourite book. ■

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Old McGill 2004!

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gets you immortality

Features

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Canadian magazines come in from the cultural cold Fresh periodicals shake off stodginess, JEFF ROBERTS reports interesting—publications south of the border. The Walrus is hoping that the prom­ ise of high visibility and a fair paycheque will ensure that the nation’s best scribes appear in a domestic forum.

A handful of other smart, brazen magazines are riding shotgun with The Wfadrus on newsstands these days. Montreal-based Maisonneuve cockily proclaims itself as a next generation New Yorker, promising crackling contributions without corporate baggage.

Publisher Derek Webster’s product combines dramatic graphics with cosmo­ politan news and features pieces. Now in its third year, Maisonneuve allows creative work to jostle with darker, urban fare drawn from a variety of locales. The most recent issue is dressed in a sex-and-death theme. It includes a serious look at the lives of women from Vancouver’s downtown Eastside, as well as a short profile of artist Sherwin Tija (whose weird, touching pieces have long been known around McGill).

Vancouver-based Adbusters, nearing its tenth year, continues to vent inspired rage at the mindless consumerism that has come to narcotize Western society. The magazine mixes avant-garde graphic and layout with aggressive, sometimes loopy, politics in an out-and-out assault on corporate values. Adbusters has succeeded glob­ ally, tapping into a sense of loneliness and fury that stretches from Israel to Amsterdam.

Less sleek than its more recent counterparts, Toronto’s This magazine bears some of the plodding earnestness of conventional Canadian publications. But the earnestness is justified in light of the scary events—global warming, repressive copy­ right laws—that This dedicates itself to exposing.

Will these magazines that are delivering a Prague Spring of ideas to Canada stick around? That remains uncertain. Kenneth Whyte, a veteran publisher and a visiting scholar at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, is hopeful but real­ istic.

“The odds are stacked against [ The Walrus] but my heart is with them," says Whyte. “It’s admirable for anyone to start a magazine, and you have to applaud them.”

Whyte, former editor of the National Post and Saturday Night, knows the hard realities of the business.

“The industry is in horrible shape," says Whyte, citing collapsing advertising revenue and Just 18 months and six issues old, the challenge for new magazines of retaining reader interest after the first several issues.

Maisonneuve has set itself apart from other The upstarts themselves are more optimistic. new m agazines by developing an insouciant Both The Walrus and Maisonneuve proudly point tone, a high chutzpah level and a Cause, the to leaping subscription rates and solid advertising restoration o f that sweet narcissism and sure­ support. In addition, both magazines are vying for precious rack-space in Britain and the United footed elegance that m ade M ontreal the first States, though this has proved a misguided ven­ Canadian city anyone ever called exciting. ture for others before them. One example is Shift, which was founded by McGill graduates Evan — R o b ert F ulford, N a tio n a l Post Solomon and Andrew Heintzman.

Whatever the eventual fate of the magazines themselves, perhaps it is enough of an accom­ plishment that they have delivered intellectual currents rarely seen in the country’s other media Harper's. Content is intelligent and eclectic; topics skip forums. They present ideas that are not encum­ nimbly from Russian disarmament to Asian argot to bered by the mushy liberalism and polite pater­ Paul Martin’s murky dealings in global shipping. nalism that have so long stifled this country’s Best of all, The Walrus seems free of any one polit­ political and cultural energy. ical high priest. Perspectives on America are nuanced, For now, there may be no end in sight to icenot knee-jerk, and hard issues of geo-politics and inter­ caked windows, but the intellectual thaw brought national justice are approached with careful thought. about by these magazines supplies some consola­ The magazine’s stab at sophistication has been aided by tion. ■ deliberate efforts to attract a wide array of contributors.

uddling in the cold and dark, Canadians may at least take comfort in the fact that the country’s long political and cultural winter is com­ ing to an end. There are signs— bright ones— that a new generation of writers is ready to pry off Margaret Atwood’s lake-andpine-tree death grip once and for all. Rebellion has come in the form of recent magazine publi­ cations.

A new vital­ ity is rustling the The w alrus is the strongest spirit in the Northern pages of the pantheon. Even polar bears treat it w arily. It's a Canadian maga­ stubborn and fearless beast with a thick skin, and zine industry, as w e should hope for these qualities in The Walrus. a flurry of young publications Our tim es call for sm art thinking and plain have sought to pierce the earnest speaking. W elcom e, W alrus! com placency — M a rg a ret A tw o o d that marks this country’s intel­ lectual life. The upstarts are unabashedly urban, slickly produced, and offer a mer­ cifully diverse collection of ideas.

The newest and most con­ spicuous arrival is The Walrus, launched last November amid considerable hype. Production value matches the high standards of The A tlantic M onthly and

H

Editor David Berlin notes that pieces have arrived from around the world, including foreign language ones from Europe. He is waiting, however, for more pitches from Quebec-based writers.

Cash is another distinguishing feature of The Walrus. Driven by millions of foundation bucks, the magazine has elected to pay its writers generously. As Berlin explains, “We want to compensate our writers.

It’s ridiculous that so many writers in this country work for months on a piece and are only given a pit­ tance.”

For years now, Berlin explains, much of the coun­ try’s top talent has pitched to more lucrative—and

S e lf - d e s c r ib e d a s a "J o u r n a l o f t h e M e n i a l E n v i r o n m e n t " , Adbusters o f f e r s r e a d e r s a s a t ir ic a l a n a ly s is o f c u lt u ra l a n d c o m m e r c ia l t re n d s , p a r o d ie s o f m a j o r a d v e r t is in g c a m p a ig n s , a n d m o r e . A g o o d s o u r c e o f id e a s fo r t e a c h in g a b o u t a d v e r t is in g o r p o p u la r c u lt u r e .

— L o n d o n P u b lic L ib ra ry

12 Features

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Bingo is so Lame-0 "There's nothing in the world I like more than bingo... I go bananas. I get ail mixed up...

I love playing bingo! I adore playing bingo! There's nothing in the world [that] can beat bingo!"

—Michel Tremblay, Les Belles Sœurs Act U ot all my experiences as a columnist are as glamorous as one would expect— shock­ ing, I know. Last week, I dragged a friend on my latest assignment to explore Montreal’s happening bingo scene. We headed out for what we thought would be a funny way to spend a Wednesday night, but the experience proved disappointing. To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting much, but there was a part of me that thought it would be fun to play and win. My vision of bingo was the common room at some church, filled with smoke and a man half asleep sit-

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bingo experience.

Upon arrival at the hall, a man opened the door and asked us if we were looking for someone. Clearly he was surprised that someone under the age of 65 wanted to come in. We explained that, in fact, we were there to play, but he said it was too late (it was 9:30) and we couldn’t join mid-game. We had to be there by 7:00.

(Note to self: must arrive early in order to satisfy schedules of senior citizens). I mean really, what was I thinking? If you consider the demographics of the players and their routines, it makes sense. They nap, dine at 4:30, take their meds, nap, then head to bingo for 7:00. That’s a tiring evening for most, leaving only the hard cores still dabbing deep into the night—about 10:00 pm.

The man at the door let us in to take a look. We saw everything we could have expected and more. The thin layer of smoke hovering over the entire room didn’t obey the division of smoking and non-smoking areas and the atmosphere was slightly more subdued than I would have expected, though it was late in the game. We

WWW.COW.NET/ARTWORK

Grab your grandma, head to bingo.

ting at the front calling out “B-3” or “G-53” in a groggy voice—in other words, nothing particularly appealing. But I had vowed to try new things in Montreal, and this was definitely something new.

The stereotypes of bingo players are well known—we see them in movies, plays and on TV. But if you have never witnessed the prototypical bingo player, do a Google search for bingo halls in your area. Ninety-nine per cent of the time, the first Web site to pop up will be one associat­ ed with a retirement home. Old people love bingo, proba­ bly because it’s cheap and requires fairly little mobility. I would love to say that I have insight into this passion of many geriatrics, after an interview with some big winner, but, considering I was politely escorted out of the building, there are no headlining interviews here.

Before I go any further into my pseudo-sociological observations of typical bingo players, let me explain my

were then told by another man that we had to leave because, apparently, by standing at the back of the room, completely silent, we were distracting the players.

L A S E R

Well, excuse me for breathing.

To say that all the players there live in retirement homes is an unfair exaggeration; but a denture salesman could definitely retire off the potential number of client found at any one bingo hall. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not ageist, nor do I have anything against people who name bingo as their preferred pastime. I just think it’s funny how dead-on the stereotype bingo-goers proved to be.

The Bingo Mont Royal is a picture perfect rendition of everything you expect a bingo hall to be: sterile lighting, strange acoustics, fanny packs, good luck charms and dabbers everywhere, multiple coffee cups and comfortable, sensible shoes.

I was picturing the basement of a local church with folding chairs and tables in rows, but Bingo Mont Royal is in fact housed in the Theatre Papineau, erected in 1921, which featured French films in the 1940s and then changed into a repertory theatre in the 1970s. This theatre also once provided entertainment as an adult theatre. This was a bingo hall with a lurid past, but those sitting there with their good luck trolls and seven dabbers all upright in front of them did not seem concerned with that.

Bingo is popular, but I’m not sold on it. The atmos­ phere and people were anything but welcoming to those of us without white hair and bifocals.

So, unless you’re spending quality time with your grandma, avoid the awkward stares and don’t go.

What fascinated me was that although it’s supposed to be fun and social, no one was socializing, let alone enjoying them selves. Engaging in conversation would surely have increased the risk of missing the winning call. Too bad it didn’t work out. All I wanted to do was have fun and scream out BINGO! To further rain on my parade, according to new bingo etiquette, you’re not even allowed to scream it out anymore, now you have to make a discreet gesture and your card gets checked.

W ith all these rules, what’s the point? I don’t know, but hey, if you’re not busy in 40 years, give me a call. We’ll head to the hall after shuffleboard and play a game or two. ■

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The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

From Ms. to Mç§,•

Features

13

Chasing Emily on her way to the altar

The Trfaünë has been tracking EMILY A. BESSETTE as she prepares for her approaching wedding. This week, she reflects on the red tape standing in the way of her picket fence.

Part Three: Mortgage and Compromise

t takes a lot of work to be a bride. No wedding magazine ever tried to tell me differently.

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Most of them even have lists that break down the wedding planning into different months and tell the bride what she should accomplish each month. For example, since I have only nine months left until the big day I need to make sure that I have reserved a florist and looked into tuxedo rentals— check, and check. However, what the magazines neglect to mention is that it takes a lot more work to become a wife than it ever does to be a bride.

Take, for instance, the living situa­ tion. I am obviously living in an apartment in Montreal while I complete my studies at McGill. I’ll move back to my parents’ home at the beginning of July, and I will graduate the following fall. The problem is that I have absolutely no money to my name. Everything I earned working this summer has been swallowed up by my rent, books and tuition, which means I need to find a job as soon as I go back to Vermont. My former high school has an English teacher position opening up, so I am hoping that next fall I will be gainfully employed. However, my fiancé does not have a place of his own either. Justin just got a full-time job with an insurance company and the boss is already talking about promoting him. So there is money in our future, it’s just that we are not see-

M a g a z in e s n e g le c t t o m e n t io n ... th a t it ta k es a lo t m o r e w o r k t o b e c o m e a w if e th a n it ever d o e s t o b e a b rid e.

ing much of it now.

This makes finding a house a bit difficult. The Vermont government has an excellent program that gives grants and loans to new couples starting out and trying to buy their own home. Consequently, there is a great chance for us to get a mort­ gage with a good rate. The only problem, of course, is we that cannot have a mortgage in both of our names until we are mar­ ried. If Justin were to get one on his own, he would be eligible for much less money So where will we live when we are officially husband and wife until we can process all of that paperwork? The only

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option is to rent a small apart­ ment for a few months while our finances get squared away. While this is not what I had envisioned, it can definitely work.

Cars are another problem. I never owned one in high school, and since I go to school in this walking city, I have yet to purchase one. My family owns two, but they are both family cars.

My high school might think twice about hir­ ing a teacher who would need to ride with her students on the bus every morning. Justin owns a Dodge Shadow that has seen better days. He keeps it in the best condition possible, but it is most likely on its last wheels. That means that he will need a car soon as well. The purchase of two cars and a home seems like a lot to ask of ourselves before we are even married, but our life together in the real world needs to be in place before our married life can even start.

The paperwork for the mortgages and the loans is not even the half of it. Since I am taking Justin’s last name, I need to notify every government office that Emily Bessette will no longer exist. The list of who must know about my new surname includes the Social Security office, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the passport office, banks, insurance companies, the voter-registration office, credit card companies and my student loans officers. I’m sure I’m for­ getting a few. And to think that not so long ago, I was complaining about choosing the dinner menu for my reception. Bring back the fights over the fish!

In the end, compromise has become the word of the hour—not so much Justin and me compromising with each other— but us as a unit, compromising with life. I want two dogs right after we’re married. I want a honeymoon in Key West to bask in the sunshine. I want a snazzy little car in bright red with a bumper stick­ er that reads “Honk if you love Steve Urkel. I sort of want a plasma screen television too, though I m not sure why. I know Justin has many wants like mine.

I am'starting to realize for the first time, though, that this give and take with the circumstances of our existence is not a one-time thing. Throughout our marriage we will face many financial and emotional difficulties, some we can anticipate and others we cannot. I think the most important thing is that we continue to face and tackle obstacles together, rather than letting them come between us.

I have absolute faith that Justin and I can do this. I will count this first round of compromises as practice. ■

JJ

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sic Panthea Lee

Looks like that blasted bumblebee will soon be losing its title as Concordia University’s most celebrated export.

The Specifics, a local hip-hop trinity, is etching a name for itself in Montreal’s diverse musical montage, winning opening privileges for Common and Jean Grae this upcoming Thursday at Le Medley. Card-

WHAT:

( lommon with Jean «irae, the Specifics and DJ Scon C Hosted by Rawgged M C and special guests

WHEN: Jan

(doors at 7:30, show 8:30) WHERE: Le Medley (1170 St-Dems)

TICKETS:

Through Ad tission.com or

by calling (514) 790-1245 Free with Concordia University student ID 4------- :------------------------ :______________

The spec sheet on The Specifics carrying members of LP Music (www.lpmusic.org), the collective consists of NDG-bred DJ Goser and two renegades from BC, producer Think Twice and MC Golden Boy. Diabolic wordplay spikes the trio’s understated string melodies and intemper­ ate drums to create a rolling landscape of cheeky rhymes and smooth laid-back rhythms.

“W hat I’m trying to do with my lyrics is basically stuff that more people can relate to, something that’s real life,” explains lyri­ cist Golden Boy, aka Spencer Miller, whose daytime gig is being a film production stu­ dent at Concordia. “Not glorified fantasy stuff, or stuff that’s in the movies, but something that’s just real life, in an aesthet­ ic that everyone can enjoy.”

Formed in 2000, the group has slowly been building a fan base in the MTL. In the past five months, the Specifics have had as many shows, and are thirsty for more.

While they agree on a common vision, Golden Boy and Think Twice (aka Phil

® io a p Roundin' up da funk A&E Editors PANTHEA LEE and SPEN CER ROSS take a look at some of the bands playing this year's Big Tent

Vanderpark-----------------------------------------“McGill’s got the finest ladies,” exclaimed David Stulberg and Marcus Wong of Toronto-based Vanderpark, which took the stage Friday evening in the big tent.

Tight fusion-pop grooves and formidable jams made beer-guzzling patrons forget about their cold pizzas and immerse themselves instead in the refreshing offering of jazz, funk and rock.

Vanderpark’s sound was a perfect complement to SnoAP’s ambience, and although the venue was far from ideal for a concert, the groups jams left audiences smiling. Reports indicate that asses were indeed a-shaking, though there was no offi­ cial confirmation at press time.

Yet another eastern Canada tour is in the works for this five-piece group, with another date in Montreal in the not-too-distant future.

— PL

Atomic Brothers—

Azuris Aurum----------

They describe themselves as “nitro R&B.” And although the eight members of the Atomic Brothers are all involved in array of projects outside the family, their performance Friday night confirmed that this is a project that merits attention.

The group has a scorching hot horns section, and Ben Enriques’ sax solos that night were chilling. Jazzy and electronic influences kept the energy up, while amus­ ing interplay between Mike Murray’s smooth and sweet lead vocals and the more aggressive stylings of Kweku Kwofie hyped up the crowd even more.

The Atomic Brothers will play Le Swimming on January 21 with Throwback.

— PL

Azuris Aurum, with its odd and hard to remember name, was perhaps one of the most interesting bands to play the SnoAP tent. The Wednesday evening performance showcased an odd music style that was tight, yet hard for the average listener to follow.

Their sound could best described as “free funk,” analogous to Ornette Coleman’s influence of free jazz, set to a funk beat. The five-piece with saxophone was all over the place on their improvisa­ tions, but managed to tie it together near the end of their set. W ith an increasing number of shows around the Montreal area, expect these guys to become a force in the burgeoning local jam scene.

— SR

Kennedy) diverge in how they see the hip hop game today.

“I don’t like to feel like I have the right to speak on the [state of hip hop], especial­ ly since we’re pretty young in the game and industry ourselves,” explains a modest Golden Boy. “I don’t really like to start shitting where I sleep when I talk about rap, but I don’t really have any problems with the way hip hop is right now, under­ ground or mainstream.”

His West Coast comrade, however, proves less guarded in his response.

“There’s not a lot out there today that keeps me buying CDs,” critiques the 21year-old Think Twice. “Right now, I think that everything that’s coming out is kind of hollow. There’s not a lot there.”

Though just small fish in a massive pond, the Specifics think big. High-octane Philadelphia rapper Freeway and Slum Village’s production hotshot JayDee top the list of collaboration reveries. Jay-Z, HiTek and Ghostface also receive honourable mentions.

S0 N IC B ID S .C O M /S P E C IFIC S

The Specifics rhyme Thursday at Medley.

The group is currently putting in stu­ dio time and working on releasing an album. Sound engineering student Think Twice will be able to put his schooling to good use on this effort, but the full-time students admit that the process is slow.

W ith a tentative album release date set for late spring or early summer, Montreal hip hop aficionados will have something new to bob their heads to. ■

S olel---------------------Anonymity M oondata Productions presented Solel, followed by Kalumity later Wednesday night. Based on ambient jams, their music was heavily effect-based, and very trippy. By this point in the evening, enough beers had been consumed by the crowd that any awareness of its musical skills were probably lost to alcohol.

However, its electronic rhythms suited SnoAP well for an end-of-the-day per­ formance. The only thing left after surviv­ ing the first half-week of classes was to roll one up and do some relaxing to some great music.

— SR

Thursday afternoon’s schedule brought Anonymity to the stage, though somehow the band’s name changed to Jacket Son. W ith their progressive rock sound, Jacket Son produced tones of Zepplin mixed with Pablo Honey-era Radiohead to create melodies that man­ aged to get audience members bobbing their heads. Though not the best-tuned of bands, covers such as Jamiroquai’s “Deeper Underground,” and originals pleased more than just the fan section they brought with them.

— SR

VANDERPARK.COM

With SnoAP abounding in jazz-funk-fusion bands, Vanderpark brought it Toronto style.

Steak This Thick-----------------------------------One of McGill’s most famous student bands closed out the Thursday night SnoAP stage. Steak This Thick, featuring Tonal Ectasys Micah and Effusions Kweku, easily got the crowd moving. Over the past three years, their funk-reggae-ska sound has been very popular and their stage presence is loaded with energy.

Steaks improvisation skills and tight performances showcase everything from freestyle rhymes to soulful vocal melodies to human beatboxing. W ith original tunes and covers from che Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Aeroplane,” to George Clintons “Jungle Boogie,” it was nearly impossible for the crowd to resist dancing. Steak plays Le Swimming from time to time and are well worth checking out for a fun evening.— SR

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

A&E

15

P ic k s

Escalade pimpin' and million-dollar Fermas at the Auto Show

music Starsaiior

Sunday, January 18 (9:00 pm) Cabaret Music Hal! (2111 StLaurent)

etc...

Le Bai des Balles 3

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Whether you are a car buff or just buff, the 2004 Montreal International Auto Show is a must-see.

Held at Palais des Congrès from January 9 to 18, the international auto show is a glamourous event where the public gets to see future vehicle concepts and exotic cars they would never see on the open road. The public is also allowed to sit in and inspect manufacturers’ latest offerings. Where else can you pimp out in a Hummer H2 and a Cadillac Escalade on the same day?

Future concepts are multi-million dol­ lar hand-built prototypes of cars or trucks that may or may not make it to final pro­ duction. They are highly glamorized with bizarre design details, dazzling interiors and interesting gadgets. These one-offs include the aerodynamic Pontiac G6, as well as the strange Hyundai OLV. Another weird entry includes the Ford MA—great for those of us who hail the return of a wooden car.

Perhaps the most significant concept showcased this year is the Chevrolet Cheyenne, an elaborate blend of a pickup

truck exterior with luxury car interior. It is exquisitely detailed and attractive (for a pickup), although it is questionable how often a luxury pickup will be seen at a con­ struction site.

Another highlight not to be missed is the exotic car room. Visitors will lust over hand-crafted Italian Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Maseratis. The real show stopper is the rare 217 mph Enzo Ferrari, with 660 horse­ power, gull-wing doors and a sticker price of $873,320. Viewing this car alone is worth the price of admission.

Large crowds formed around the luxu­ ry Sport Utility Vehicles and trucks—crowd favourites of the show. General Motors has an array of wasteful luxury SUVs and trucks to indulge in. Highlights include GM ’s Hummer H2, Chevy SSR convertible pick­ up, and a variety of Escalades. Not to be for­ gotten is the homely $136,620 Porsche Cayenne Turbo SUV. While you are not allowed into the Turbo, Porsche permits you to get into the less expensive Cayenne S model. These vehicles speak for them ­ selves—they are cool and crass at the same time.

The unsung hero of the show is the

From th e d ire c to r o f LE G A LLY B L O N D E

XateBosworth TopherGrace JoshDuhamef In every love story, there's only room for one leading man.

new Toyota Prius, a hybrid electric-gas vehi­ cle with amazing fuel efficiency. This car is practical and environmentally sound.

Another interesting car, but a rather inefficient one, is the $96,000, 12-cylinder Volkswagen Phaeton, which you are allowed to sit in and pretend you are a young, hip, wealthy professional.

Perhaps if you were that hip Phaeton owner, you could embrace the concept of not walking to the nth degree. Indeed, you would own a Segway Human Transporter, which can be tried out at the show for $5.

According to Segway, “walking sucks,” and attending the auto show, you would prob­ ably agree. ■

WHEN: January 9 to 18 10:00am-10:00pm

WHERE' ^alais cies Congrès (1001 de Bleury)

PRICE:

10$ Students

12$ Gen. Admission

CONTACT: (514)871-3170

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Disc Reviews

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Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

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In theatres January 30th, 2004

Cuckooland Robert Wyatt

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Take Them On, On your Own

Simply put, BMRC is boring. All of the songs on their album sound pretty much the same, which is to say that they sound like entirely unspectacular “rock” music. People who are really into Oasis or Kula Shaker would probably like this.

People on heroin would probably like it a lot too.

The songs alternate between slow drones and mid-tempo rock that, if you asked the band what they sounded like, would probably say something like the Velvet Underground or The Stooges. Sure. There is an acoustic song on here that is kind of nice but beyond that, not much distinguishes this album at all. Notable about this album is that it comes equipped with the new copyright protection that major labels have begun producing in order to combat Internet bootleg­ ging. Maybe Black Rebel Motorcycle Club should worry about giving people a good reason to listen to their album rather than trying to stop people from doing it.

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DAVE BRO D KEY

Oh, the cars you'll see at this year’s auto show

Virgin Records

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The Quebec Jugglers'Assodation Thursday, January 15 ( 8:00pm) Club Soda (1225 St-Laurent)

Hannibal

Despite the lack of household name status awarded him, Robert Wyatt has been involved in some way with almost every big name in prog-rock.

He has at one time performed in, or with members of, Caravan, Pink Floyd, The Soft Machine, King Crimson and Brian Eno. For this reason alone, Cuckooland might be worth a listen for a discerning few.

The sounds of progressive seventies rock have not entirely been abandoned on this record either. In fact, most of it is reminiscent of some of the jazzier passages found on King Crimsons “In the Hall of the Crimson King” and “In the Wake of Poseidon.”

However, this album’s one major downfall is that none of the songs evolve very much beyond where they begin. One such song per album side works perfecdy, but 75 straight minutes of it is just too much.

As a whole, the lack of the heavier, technical songs that were a trademark of so much British rock music in the seventies causes this album to suffer.

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®

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

his head. The disguised nurse, Fred, brings Abel to a hut and trains him to be an über rapper—teaching him to rap in 5/4 and 7/4 time and making sure that his lyrics are void of stale gangsta-rap rhymes. What ensues is a verbal onslaught reminiscent of MC Paul Barman’s nerd-as-rapper lyrics, rhyming things like “Where my jewels at?” with “wear the fool’s hat” and “so-called facts’ with “yoga mats. ” Beneath its funny facade, however, the play does touch on deeper “isms’ and pokes fun at the media’s dismissal of all hip hop as violent and gang-related.

Saibil and Batallion’s versatility is a sight to behold—they wrote, pro­ duced, choreographed and acted out all 10 characters of the Job saga. Qnly flashlights, a towel and a bottle of red water accentuated their doo-rag and track suit ensembles. A far cry from elaborate costumes or falling chande­ liers, it was Saibil and Batallion’s intelligence, wit and humour that stole the show. ■

e a t r e Humour of biblical proportions Heather Kitty Mak

The stage at the Centaur Theatre is dark.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a spotlight shines onto two Jewish guys decked out in Adidas tracksuits and doo-rags. The shorter one, Jerome Saibil, a.k.a. MC Cain, proposes in a faux British accent, “Why don’t we start with some calisthenics?”

He motions for the audience to get up and, suddenly, people are lunging, touching their toes and tricep-stretching like it was going out of style.

Phantom o f the Opera this was not.

Saibil and Eli Batallion comprise Foqué dans la Tête Productions. The two NDG-raised friends began their company as a seventh-grade English project. The two went to Brown University together, and continued writing comedies and plays.

Job II: The Demon o f the Eternal Recurrence is the follow-up to the highly successful Job: The Hip-Hop Musical, a hip-hop version of the biblical story of the same name. Highly acclaimed by crit­ ics, nuns and hip-hop heads alike, Job has been a hit on the Fringe Festival circuit for the past two years.

Job I I WHAT: Job H: The Demon o f the picks up Eternal Recurrence where the WHEN: January 13,15 and 17 first part left at 9:00 p.m. off.

This • WHERE: Centaur Theatre 9 (453 St t i m e , • François-Xavier In Old • N ie tz sc h e’s 0 Montreal) question of “W hat do CONTACT: (514) 288-3161

eatinq out * * " t a u r a Eltheredge & Mark Sward

we do after God is dead? (J. Hoover’s arrest) serves as the underlying theme.

Thankfully, for your author who had missed Job: The Hip-Hop Musical, Saibil and Batallion recapped the details of the prequel at the outset of the play.

MC Abel awakens from his long coma to Ellie Hoover, J. Hoover’s niece, telling him that the latter had been arrested for fraud. Suddenly, MC Abel is kidnapped from his room by a man posing as a nurse or, rather, Saibil with a towel on

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Lightning sharp rhymes abound in Job II.

Alligator + turtle = dinner!

Question: what’s the difference We decided it would be a shame to miss out on between a crocodile and an alligator? the most exotic (and most expensive) main course on We don’t know much about crocodiles, but grill the menu—the blackened alligator ($18.95). Slices us up a delectable (if slightly tough) alligator any day. of the chewy white meat were marinated in delight­ Question: what’s the difference between Cajun ful Cajun spices, and came accompanied by the and Brazilian food? ubiquitous South American rice and beans. While Apparently nothing. not so great that we would ask Loblaw’s to order it in Welcome to Bayou Brasil (4552 St-Denis). This from Louisiana, it was a satisfying, even impressive, small restaurant has an interesting double menu, venture into the unknown. with Cajun and Brazilian specialties that meld A more conservative option, from the Brazilian together marvellously in an environment that evokes side of the menu, was the Feijoada ($13.95). the charm of the Third World. From the potted Basically a plate of black beans with chunks of beef, plants hanging from the ceiling, to stuffed alligators pork and sausage, it was hardly the “stew” that the in human poses—say, golfing—that just border on menu touted. It tasted excellent, however, and with creepy, this is the place to go if you have a taste for the included rice and small dishes of salsa, manioc, culinary adventure. oranges, and salty shredded greens, it was more While we wanted to than enough for one dinner. try the turtle soup ($8.95), In all honesty, the quality of it had apparently been fin the food was a surprise ished off by the three or ■Jï.aÆù, aii**,. given the not-sofour other diners in tht restaurant. So, we had tc settie for Brazilian-style grilled sausage ($4.95) and Bayou escargot ($6.95) as mgmnL appetizers, and 4 1 they did not disap­ point.

TR IBU N E PHOTOGRAPHER The small sausage was tender and richly spiced, and accompanied by home­ Pleased to eat you, hope you guess my name. made salsa. The snails were served in unusual— but altogether delightful— rich, creamy sauce. That, mixed with a few signature cosmopolitan down-home feeling in the restaurant.

Brazilian cocktails And, although the service was slow, the staff was (made with their friendly and willing to explain the dishes whose WHAT; Bayou Brasil special liquor names were not pronounceable, let alone familiar to Cachaça) suffi­ our North American eyes. To anyone who has a han­ WHERE: 4552 St-Denis ciently whetted kering for Cajun and Brazilian food—and anyone our appetites for who wants to enlighten us on what exactly sets these RESERVATIONS: 847-0088 the intriguing two apart—Bayou Brasil is a good choice if you don’t main courses to mind spending a bit more than you would on pou­ PRICE. Final tab: 64.69 come. tine at Lafleur. ■

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HOCKEY

SCORE I BOARD Basketball (W) Fri. Jan. 9 Concordia Martlets

72 55

R e d m e n 4 , S tin g e rs 4

Redmen skate to draw after lacklustre third

Basketball (M) Fri. Jan. 9 Concordia Redmen

Dan McQuillan 105 91

Hockey (W) Fri. Jan. 9 Martlets Carleton Sun. Jan. 11 Martlets Concordia

8 1 3 2

Hockey (M) Fri. Jan. 9 Redmen RMC Sat. Jan. 10 Redmen Concordia

4 0 4 4

Volleyball (W) Fri. Jan. 9 Martlets Sherbrooke Sat Jan. 10 Laval Martlets

It was a full house Saturday night at McConnell Arena, attrib­ utable to Science Carnival and the fact that the opponent was McGill’s hated rival, Concordia. The stands had a circus-like atmosphere. There were goofy games during the inter­ missions and some fans, thinking themselves hilarious, tossed beer cups onto the ice at the end of reg­ ulation.

However, the many fans who actually paid attention to the game were not disappointed, as it was an entertaining affair. Both teams were firing on all cylinders offensively as the Red ‘n’ White and the Stingers skated to a 4-4 tie.

McGill entered the game three points behind the Stingers in the standings and the Redmen came out hot in their attempt to narrow

3 0 3 0

★

Bruno Lemire

★

Greg LeBlanc

Volleyball (M) Fri. Jan. 9 Sherbrooke Redmen Sat Jan. 10 Laval Redmen

3 0 3 0

^

M c G ill

M cG ill

Yannick Noiseaux C oncordia

the gap. Captain Bruno Lemire helped set the tone for the contest, scoring the game’s first goal, but Concordia promptly answered McGill’s challenge on a one-timer

by Derek Legault that found the back of the net.

Although it was all tied up on the score sheet through one period, McGill certainly had the advantage in the fan spirit category. While Concordia’s faithful could only muster a chant of “Redmen suck!,” McGill fans were more creative, with their antics including constant taunting of Concordia goalie Kyle Stanton. It seemed to work, as the Redmen scored just 13 seconds into the second period. Lemire was again the goal scorer, the marker coming as a result of some fine work down low.

The back-and-forth play con­ tinued as Concordia evened the score only a minute and a half later.

Joel Bergeron then gave the Redmen their third lead of the game, scoring while his team had a man-advantage. Bergeron’s goal is further proof that McGill’s power play, which had been frosty at best before the break, is finally coming alive. The unit has now exploded for three goals in two games. The Redmen added another goal before the period was out— a howitzer from the point by Daniel Jacob that got behind Stanton.

The third period, however, did

NICO LE LEAVER

Pierre-Antoine Paquet winds up on a McGill power play.

not go as planned, as the Redmen again failed to keep a late lead. The Stingers tied up the game on goals

by Yannick Noiseux and Joey D ’Amico, and overtime did not solve anything. Coach Martin Raymond bluntly explained the third-period collapse.

“We thought we played a good period, and everyone did their job, but [Concordia] capitalized on

their chances, and we didn’t,” he said.

The players did not seem to be as optimistic as their coach.

“Unfortunately, we ended up giving them a point. [This game should be] treated as a defeat,” Lemire noted.

The Redmen will be provided with another opportunity to close See BIG, page 19

Cagers can't settle the score against Stingers Nicole Haris

Redmen guard Denburk Reid's (right) bobble is one of many follies McGill has suffered this season.

After losing badly in their pre­ vious meeting with the Concordia Stingers, the basketball Martlets and Redmen entered Friday night’s games hoping to exact some revenge on their cross-town rivals.

Unfortunately, both teams were unsuccessful, with the Martlets los­ ing 72-55 and the Redmen drop­ ping yet another contest 105-91.

Defence and rebounding con­ tinue to be problematic for the Redmen, who dropped to 2-13 overall. Being unprepared was not a factor in the loss, Head Coach Nevio Marzinotto explained, as the team had rehearsed for the Stingers’ quick transition game and offensive style.

“We worked on the defensive transition, boxing out, keeping peo­ ple out of the middle, and it just

didn’t happen,” he said. “We can score a lot of points, but we just did­ n’t do our job defensively.”

It was not the Stingers’ penetra­ tion in the paint that led them to victory, but rather their perimeter shooting. It appeared as though fans were witnessing a three-point shoot­ ing competition rather than a bas­ ketball game as Concordia set the tone early, connecting on nine shots from behind the arc in the first half.

The display of outside shooting prowess put the Redmen in a 60-39 hole at halftime, but the team was resilient as it managed to outscore the dominant Stingers 52-45 in the second half. Nonetheless, Concordia was able to hold off the Redmen by taking advantage of their weak defence, which allowed plenty of offensive rebounds and put-back opportunities.

See CONCORDIA, page 19

18

Sports

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

VOLLEYBALL

VOLLEYBALL

McGill no match for meaner competition

R ouge e t O r 3 , R e d m en 0

And the season goes on...

Redmen succumb once again as losing streak reaches 12 Shelby Parnes

was played well by both teams, with McGill trailing by no more than Coming off a decisive victory five points at any time. Junior Catherine-Anne against Sherbrooke, the Martlet vol­ power hitter leyball team saw its fortunes Murray had nine digs and seven reversed, losing 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, kills while libero Maxime Lefebvre 25-22) to the Laval Rouge et O r on contributed 19 digs to the Martlets’ Saturday night at Love effort, but they were overshadowed Competition Hall, W ith the defeat, by the sensational play of Laval the women fell to 3-5 on the sea­ power Marylène Laplante. In the son, despite putting forth a good end it was the sheer muscle of the effort against one of the nation’s top their arsenal that ensured victory for the Rouge et Or. squads.

Ranked fifth in Canada, the The Martlets started slowly, amassing only 14 points in the first Laval women are perfect in their game, and playing as if they matches this season, have lost only believed any efforts to win would one set, and enjoy an eight-point prove futile. After the poor start, lead in the Quebec conference.

Robitaille, last week’s McGill McGill played like a different team and slowly found its rhythm in the female athlete of the week, believed second game. Led by Anne that the outcome was due to nerves Robitaille and Christine Borisovs and attributed the loss largely to 10 digs and seven kills, the women intimidation. The whole team let were brought to life. They tied the their anxiety about playing the game at 8-8 on a well-placed spike Laval powerhouse get the best of

by Borisov, and were on the tail of them, she said, adding that the the Rouge et O r the remainder of result might have been different had the game. It would not be enough the women played a more relaxed though, as the Martlets lost the final and focused game. The Martlets’ middle/power did not see the game two games of the match.

Each of the final two games as a complete loss, however.

‘They’re not an ordinary oppo­ nent,” she said. “We can’t take things for granted with them, but it’s good to see that we can play with them. ” Coach Rachèle Béliveau said her team was brought down by lit­ tle mistakes that piled up and spelled defeat for the Martlets.

“We played some good sequences but I don’t think we played our best volleyball,” she explained.

The team entered the game with a realistic mindset, looking to eke out a win in at least one set.

However, the strength and atten­ tiveness of the Rouge et Or dwarfed the efforts of the McGill women. ■ Shelby Parnes

* * » « * * * ,*

The McGill volleyball Redmen are going to have to wait another day to put a check in the win column.

The team’s woes continued Saturday night as they lost to the No. 5ranked Laval Rouge et Or 3-0, drop­ ping their record to a dismal 0-12.

During the forgettable span, the Redmen have only won four sets overall.

McGill played like a team that was simply overmatched, suffering through consistently sloppy play.

The men got off to a horrible start, cowering from spikes nailed by a dominant Laval squad. The team trailed by as many as 11 points in the first game before falling to the Rouge et Or 25-15. Led by Mathieu Legrandeur, Laval (10-2) was able to string together blocks of points, the result of which proved to be too much for the Redmen to overcome.

It seemed as if the Redmen were beginning to find their rhythm in the second game of the match, though, as they were able to keep the set close. They ultimately wound up short again by a score of 25-20.

The errors resurfaced in the third game. McGill jumped out to a 1-0 advantage that would prove to be its only lead of the match. The Rouge et Or quickly scored seven unanswered points highlighting the lackadaisical play of the Redmen.

First-year libero Sean Lynch posted a respectable effort late in the match, recording 10 digs. Unfortunately, his solo effort was not enough to com­

pensate for the team’s struggles as they went down again 25-15.

After a rocky start to the season, it appeared as if the men were pro­ gressing slowly, but progressing nonetheless. However, whatever hopes the team had for the rest of the season seemed unwarranted Saturday night, as the Redmen sim­ ply fell apart.

The men played sloppy ball from the outset, and it was evident from the first rally that Laval would control the game. Unforced errors were the story' of the match, and McGill dug itself too deep into a hole in an attempt to recover. The team appeared intimidated by the size and power of the Rouge et Or, and it was that mindset that prevent­ ed them from playing clean volley­ ball. The result was a match marred by long serves and missed opportu­ nities.

Coach Jose Rebello was deeply frustrated by his team’s performance, as evidenced by his short but power­ ful responses.

“We didn’t show up,” he com­ mented. “We’re afraid. We need to

McGill's vballers withstood two losses.

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Ex-Redmen defenceman signs with ECHL club

Martlets stun Stingers on home ice

BEN JI FELDM AN

change that mentality.”

The Redmen look for redemp­ tion this weekend in a couple of AUS-QSSF interlocking games against Moncton and Memorial. I

The eighth-ranked McGill women’s hockey team upset its cross­ town rival, the No. 2-ranked Concordia Stingers, 3-2 at McConnell Arena on Sunday. Right-winger Kristin Leuszler scored the game-winner with less than 90 seconds left in the third period, put­ ting her team in a position to secure a higher national ranking after the Martlets defeated third-ranked Toronto last week.

Véronique Lapierre scored two goals, the first coming on the power play to knot the game at 1-1. Delphine Roy made 23 saves for the win as McGill outshot Concordia 41-25 in the afternoon affair.

The team will head to York and Toronto this weekend to improve on its 5-2-2 record in Quebec conference play.

The Martlets sit five points behind the first-place Stingers with one game in hand.

David Lizotte, a former defenceman with the McGill Redmen, signed a contract with the Greenville Grrrowl (yes, that’s three Rs) of the East Coast Hockey League and will be in the lineup when his new team plays the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday. The 25-year-old Drummondville native played at McGill through the 2002-03 season, scoring Hi goals and notching 88 points in 126 career games, along w i1 11 181 penalty minutes. The former OUA All-Star began the season with Le Paramedic de Saguenay in the Quebec Senna league, netting four goals and five assists in 24 games.

The ECHL is generally known as the second league down from the NHL, with teams primarily located in mid siz.e cities in the US. Hockey players take both Athlete of the Week awards

The Martlets’ Kristin Leuszler and Benoit Martin of the Redmen have been named the McGill Peel Pub Athletes >1 the Week.

Leuszler, a sophomore from White Rock, BC. record. : two goals and an assist in the Martlets win over Carleto;. and also netted a goal in the victory against Concordia. The physical education majors goals were also timely—she scored the game-winner in each of the contests.

Martin scored one short-handed goal and added two assists in leading the Redmen to an undefeated weekend. The second-year centre leads the team in scoring, with 16 points in 15 league games.

The M cGill Tribune, Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Sports

19

>

Concordia bailers sweep McGill again Continued from page 17

Co-captain Denburk Reid led the Redmen with 26 points while also putting on quite a show in the loss. The 5 7 ” senior guard dazzled the crowd by weaving through the Stinger defence and finishing strong with a nearly impossible lay-up, drawing a roar of excitement from the 250 in attendance. The other co­ captain, Derek Armstrong, added 24 points for the Redmen, and blocked two shots that caused the spectators to rise to their feet.

McGill clearly tried to be crowd­ pleasing, bringing in a DJ to play during warm-ups and scheduling an appearance by the cheerleading squad. However, even with all the excitement and the addition of 6’5 ", 305-lb. Nick Landry (a loan from the

football team) to the lineup, the Redmen were unable to find the magic to overturn the Stingers.

Marzinotto believes that only experi­ ence will provide his team with the tools for success.

“Were missing awareness, and the understanding of the game,” he noted. “It's guys going out and play­ ing, losing, and learning, and then playing some more. It’s an awareness that we don’t have.”

Big Concordia run spells end

Earlier in the evening, the Martlets appeared to be building on their success in last weekend’s Helen Campbell Tournament, but it was not to last. The women had a strong first half, shooting 58 per cent from the field on their way to a 43-35

advantage. However, Concordia shook off its initial difficulties in the second half, going on a 21-2 run midway through the period to put the game out of reach. The Stingers comeback was spurred by numerous missed shots, turnovers, and poor rebounding by the Martlets.

Second-year forward AnneMarie Scherrer led the team with 15 points, while Marie-Eve BeaulieuDemers added another 10. The Martlets now stand 9-8 overall and 24 in league play.

Both the Martlets and Redmen hope to turn things around and start making a playoff push when they face the Bishops Gaiters on Friday at Love Competition Hall. ■

NICO LE LEAVER

Elliot Siemiatycki's nine-point effort wasn't enough to topple the Stingers.

Big third period sinks RMC

TH E Continued from page 17

the gap between themselves and the Stingers on Friday as they face Concordia once again. Saturday’s exciting and scrappy game should be followed by an equally hard-fought game this time around.

“Concordia and us [have always had] a big rivalry, and it’s going to be a great battle,” said Lemire.

Sport: Basketball Position: Combo guard Birthday: October 7,1983 Hometown: Toronto Height/Weight: 6' 3”, 170 lbs.

Year and Program: U1 Industrial Relations Career aspirations: To have a positive impact on someone/something

Favourite team: 1992-93 Toronto Blue Jays Favourite athlete: John Stockton Favourite movies: Rudy and Hoosiers Favourite food: Authentic Thai or Italian Favourite saying: Supreme confidence (know who you are and

Wait for Godin's first shutout is over MCCILLBASKETBAtl.COM

what you can do!)

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PART-TIME CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Be part of our team and take pride in your career.

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O n a night where it was so cold in McConnell Arena that the ink in this writer’s pen froze, both McGill and Royal Military College’s offen­ sive units were frigid through two periods Friday night. But the third period was a whole other game, as the Redmen exploded for four unanswered goals, shutting out RMC 4-0.

Rookie Shawn Shewchuk opened the scoring early in the third when a pass deflected off his skate past RMC goalie Blair Robertson.

Another McGill young gun contin­ ued the onslaught, as first-year play­ er Mathieu LeClerc bagged his first goal as a member of the Redmen, stepping out in front and shoveling a backhander past Robertson. Ken Davis and Benoit M artin also helped out, adding power-play and shorthanded markers, respectively, with Martin's man down goal com

Take up the challenge of working in today’s Army Reserve. Just look at what we offer you!

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A wide range of career opportunities Practical hands-on experience Help with paying for your education Voluntary overseas missions

Basketball (W) Friday, January 16, 6:00 vs. Bishop's Love Competition Hall

Basketball (M) Friday, January 16, 8:00 vs. Bishop's Love Competition Hall

Hockey (M) Friday, January 16, 7:30 @ Concordia Ed Meagher Arena Sunday, January 18, 7:00 vs. UQTR McConnell Arena

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ing off a nifty pass from Doug Orr. Both goaltenders were solid in this affair. Robertson kept his team in the game through the first two periods before crumbling under the barrage of 39 McGill shots. Patrice Godin stood tall for the Redmen, making 24 saves to post his first career shutout.

Two much-needed points were picked up in this tilt, which could point to a strong second half for the Redmen. ■

•

4. What team defeated the New York Giants 72-41 in 1966 in the highest-scoring game in NFL history?

5. Which two of thoroughbred racing's current Triple Crown events were both run on the same day, June 10, in 1890? ssaui|esj(j pue sasjejs juouipa S

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ARTS

UNDERGRADUATE

S O C I E T Y

Your Money at Work!

Over the last several years the Art Students of McGill University have generously contributed 24.50$ a semester through the Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund (AUIF) towards projects whose “sole and unique purpose is to add value to the resources provided by the University and used by Arts Students.”

Two of the largest recipients of these funds include the Faculty of Arts Computer Labs, as well as the McLennan Library. In fact, nearly all the computers available to students in the faculty have been purchased by this fund!

Other notable projects over the last few years have included: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The new Arts Lounge in the basement of Leacock The quiet reading area in the McLennan Library Collections of slides for the Arts History department Spoken poetry recordings for the English department Funding towards the McGill Urban Community Sustainment (MUCS) Project

6.

7.

Towards the McGill Food Co-Operative The Center for Research and Teaching on Women’s workshop on leadership and gender analysis

8.

9.

To the McGill School of the Environment’s “James Bay Project” Many more...

»

The Managing Committee (AUIFC) of this fund (composed of students, faculty and the libraries) is currently seeking applications for this year’s allocation.

Applications will be accepted from all groups with preference geared towards those providing the greatest benefit to Art Students. The application deadline is February the 13th. Interested applicants should contact Eric van Eyken the AUS VP-Finance at ausfund@pobox.mcgill.ca or 398-1993. Information forms may also be downloaded from the AUS website at www.ausmcgill.com

Students not wishing to contribute to the AUIF or the AESF m ay o p t-o ut by com pleting an opt-out form at the AUS office (Leacock B-12) from January 12th to 23rd.