The McGill Tribune Vol. 23 Issue 22

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SPORTS, PAGE 20

FEATURES, PAGE 12

NEWS, PAGE 5

M c G I L L Vol. 23 Issue 22

a c tio n

T R I B U N E

Published by the Students' Society of M cG ill U niversity since 1981

W ednesday

March

2004

Ahoy Savoy!

The pirates argggh coming!

Panthea Lee

Fireworks exploding in the distante. Montreal Festival of Lights in front of Placodes Arts.

McGill pushes for tuition hike Adm inistrators address parliam entary commission Society political attaché. “I think we all knew going into it that that was At the February 17 presentation what was going to be said.” to the Quebec parliamentary com­ Munroe-Blum said that Quebec mission on post-secondary educa­ universities are underfunded by tion, Principal Heather Munroe- $375-million compared to universi­ Blum and Provost Luc Vinet said ties in other provinces. that tuition rates must rise in order “As a result of underfunding for to relieve the severely underfunded the past decade, Quebec universities are increasingly unable to compete university system.

The 49-minute presentation with their peers in terms of quality from the McGill administration and accessibility,” said Vinet during highlighted the need for higher the presentation. “We are approach­ tuition, but made almost no men­ ing a crisis in our system of post-sec­ tion of undergraduate students ondary education.”

Vinet said that underfunding thereafter.

“I don’t think anybody was real­ has resulted in smaller library collec­ ly surprised,” said Baijayanta tions, less financial aid and difficulty Mukhopadhyay, the Students’ recruiting graduate students and fac­ Jennifer Jett

ulty.

“In an increasingly competitive marketplace for students and faculty, our buildings and classrooms are in bad shape even by Quebec compar­ isons,” he said.

McGill in particular is under­ funded, said Munroe-Blum. Fifteen per cent of students in Quebec are studying at McGill, which is award­ ed almost a third of competitive research funding, she said, but the university only receives 6 per cent of provincial funds to maintain infra­ structure. While the government must commit more to universities, she said, it will not be enough.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates o f Penzance is one of the most beloved operettas of all time for one good reason: it is great fun. No profound dissection of theatrical or musical theory is required to explain its appeal. Pirates bases its longstand­ ing success upon a simple formula: catchy tunes, a loopy plot and slap­ stick characters. The McGill Savoy Society’s rendition of the produc­ tion is a grand effort that dazzles and delights.

The operetta opens off the coast of 19th century Cornwall, as the audience meets a gang of pirates and their apprentice, Frederick, who has just turned 21. This mile­ stone frees Frederick from the pirate band—he'was mistakenly appren­ ticed to it as a boy because his hardof-hearing nanny Ruth mistook his father’s words of “pilot” for pirate.

From the outset, the campy, goofy nature of the production is evident.

And it doesn’t let up. The tempo increases gradually, easing into a frolicking, shtick-a-minute pace.

As an orgy of action and colour explode onstage, the audience isn’t sure where tq look—the hilarious gags of the pirates, the playful flirta­ tions of the coquettish wards, or the main action up in front.

Ivan Corpus plays an earnest

See SSMU, page 4

Frederick, but he rushes his line delivery and neglects to milk comedic opportunities and really ham it up. Frederick and his love interest, Mabel (Rachel Hamilton), fall short of great chemistry—their mutual adoration is muted— though their voices complement each other nicely. Hamilton’s singing flaunted the soprano’s amazing vocal range.

The choruses are dazzling, from the pirates to the wards to the bungling policemen, all possessing brilliant comedic timing. As they scurry around the stage, the pirates grunting and the wards giggling, their collective caricatures provide many knee-slappers. The policemen resemble the chorus of a Greek tragedy at times, delivering their lines in robotic unison.

The major-general, played by a talented Peter Giser, steals the show. He makes his entrance on a Razor scooter and performs his trademark tune with an altered last verse. Ah yes, boasts the major-gen­ eral gleefully, he is indeed a “the very model of a modern metrosexual” (rather than major-general) that loves boy bands and is down with P-Diddy, while showing off wacky

See ADVENTURE, page 17

Rob Salerno becomes the new AUS president, with 44.4 per cent of the vote.

NEWS, PAGE 3

I Graber looks at the sponsorship scandal and reveals how oral sex just might kill you.

OP/ED, PAGE 10 d

Andrew W.K. faces the prospect of being labeled a novelty act for the rest of his career.

A&E, PAGE 16

2 0 0 4 C IS I c e H o c k e y C h a m p i o n s h i p s See M c G ill b a ttle fo r a n a tio n a l title HERE a t M c C o n n e ll A re n a !

M a rch 11- 14, 2 0 0 4 . G old m e d a l g a m e te le v is e d on TSN! 2004 S&3& :!«wssv

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March 11-13: 4:30& 7:30 pm ( Mc Gi l l plays March 12,13 @ 7:30) Sun March 14: Bronze Game (10:00 am). Gold medal game (1:00 pm) w w w .ath letics.m cg ill.ca

M cG ill ATHLETICS

2 News

T h e M c G ill T r ib u n e ,

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

SSMU takes responsibility Work group suggests purchasing policy Miriam Martz

ANNOUNCEMENT OF mcgill REFERENDUM QUESTION

elections

C am p us NEWS

investment policy. The letter con­ cludes by saying that SSMU hopes “to work collaboratively with [the university] as [they] both strive for ethical leadership in a local and glob­ al context.”

SSMU Board of Governors Representative Martin Doe said he is unsure whether writing a letter was the best approach. BoG already has an ad hoc committee on ethical investment that has sent recommen­ dations to the principal. In addition to purchasing decisions, the universi­ ty manages an extensive investment portfolio, including the endowment fund.

“Does the university want to be in with companies... that are not behaving in a socially responsible manner?” asked Doe. If a policy is implemented, the university would have to decide whether to divest from questionable industries entirely or remain associat­ ed with the industry and exercise social responsibility through best-ofclass investment and shareholder activism. The latter would involve choosing to invest in the best compa­ ny in an industry that does not as a whole uphold acceptable ethical stan­ dards and attempting to influence the company as a shareholder.

Doe said it is most likely that, in place of a purchasing policy like the one SSMU is encouraging, the uni­ versity will develop a mechanism for addressing investment on a case-by­ case basis. Policy would then gradual­ ly develop through precedent. ■

The Students’ Society Workgroup on Socially Responsible Investment has been researching options for a SSMU ethical invest­ ment policy and hopes to have a plan implemented by the end of the year.

SSMU is also encouraging the administration to follow suit. SSMU sent a letter to Principal Heather Munroe-Blum February 10 urging the university to develop an ethical purchasing plan.

The workgroup has been meet­ ing since November and includes members of the Grass Roots Association for Student Power, SSMU, and the Immigrant Workers’ Centre.

The workgroup’s goal is to develop a policy requiring investment only in companies that respect their employees and the environment.

This policy would also demand pub­ lic disclosure of the factory locations from which SSMU makes purchases.

The workgroup intends to make a presentation to SSMU coun­ cil and have the final policy ratified during the last two council meetings.

Arts Representative Rachel Marcuse, chair of the workgroup, hopes that if SSMU adopts a policy, the university will follow.

“I think it’s really important for institutions like universities to be leaders in this kind of thing,” she said.

The letter cited a student report on human rights by Stephen Baird and the production of McGill appar­ el, as well as a GRASP petition asking The SSMU Workgroup on the administration to take action.

Socially Responsible Investment holds The petition provides possible tem­ open meetings Wednesdays at 9:30 pm plates for the implementation of an in the SSMU boardroom.

Leadership

E le c tio n s M cG ill w ill b e h o ld in g th e fo llo w in g r e fe r e n d u m q u e s tio n d u r in g th e 2 0 0 4 S p r in g E le c tio n s P e rio d :

M cGill Undergraduate Student Fund (MUSF) Whereas the Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU) Access Bursaries support the objective of affordable and accessible post-secondary education for those in need; Whereas the SSMU Campus Life Fund provides support for student projects, events, conferences, publications, productions, and athletic teams; Whereas the SSMU Library Improvement Fund has contributed close to $5 million dollars in expanding library collections and services; Whereas the University and its Alumni, as represented by the McGill Fund Council, have committed themselves to matching the Access Bursary Fund and the Library Improvement Fund contributions dollar-for-dollar; Whereas the University and its Alumni, as represented by the McGill Alumni Association, have committed themselves to making an annual contribution to the Campus Life Fund; Whereas any student can and will be able to opt-out of the MUSF for a full refund; Do you agree to increase the accessibility of student resources at McGill University by contributing $19.00 per semester as a full-time undergraduate student ($9.50 as a part-time undergraduate student) to the MUSF to be col­ lected by the University on behalf of the SSMU for the next five (5) years recognizing that this money will be distributed as: a) $8.50 ($4.25 part-time) to the Access Bursary Fund b) $2.00 ($1.00 part-time) to the Campus Life Fund c) $8.50 ($4.25 part-time) to the Library Improvement Fund CALL FOR REFEREN D U M C O M M ITTE E S Students have the opportunity to form a 'YES' OR 'NO' REFERENDUM COM­ MITTEE for the upcoming 2004 Spring Election Period. Referendum Committee Kits are now available ONLINE at

www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/elections.

The deadline for submission of completed kits is Wednesday March 3, 2004 at 5pm.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF mcgill REFERENDUM QUESTION

elections

E le c tio n s M c G ill w ill b e h o ld in g th e fo llo w in g r e fe r e n d u m q u e s tio n d u r in g th e 2 0 0 4 S p r in g E le c tio n s P e rio d :

Food Services Referendum M cG ill Leadership Training Program For G ro u p Leaders, O rie n ta tio n Leaders, S tudent C lu b & S o c ie ty V olunteers

Whereas both independently owned and student run cafeterias have been taken over by larger corporations.

Whereas the McGill administration has put forth a bid to contract all McGill cafeterias to one corporation.

C h o o se o n e o f our L eadeish ip Training Workshops

W ed n esd ay , A/larch 10* & Thursday, M arch 18th.

5:30 - 7:30pm Learn a b o u t G roup Dynamics, Sensitivity Issues a n d more!

M eet p e o p le like yourself w ho w a n t to m ak e a difference!

Leadership Training is a must for all orientation group leaders.

Participating now will reduce training time iri August, and enhance jo u r selection eligibility.

R eg iste r a t t h e First-Y ear O ffice, Brown S tu d e n t S e rv ic e s, s u ite 2 1 0 0 P h o n e 3 9 8 -6 9 1 3 O r b y e -m a il: firsty e a r@ m c g ill.c a

Whereas McGill students have had no input in the decision making process.

Be it resolved that SSMU will actively oppose the monopolization of food services on campus.

CALL FOR REFEREN D U M C O M M ITTE E S Students have the opportunity to form a 'YES' OR 'NO' REFERENDUM COM­ MITTEE for the upcoming 2004 Spring Election Period. Referendum Committee Kits are now available ONLINE at

www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/elections.

The deadline for submission of completed kits is Wednesday March 3, 2004 at 5pm.

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

C a m p u s

NEWS

News

3

Can't tell who's who?

Look for the Tribune's SSMU election guide in the March 9 issue.

AUS election results bring cheers and groans

And on SSMU election night, don't wait to read the results Sam Knffman and Fmilv Harris

with the new council.”

Ferguson-Woods, who came first in the three-candidate race for vicepresident external, won 43.2 per cent of the votes.

“I’m super satisfied,” he said.

“We’re going to have a great year next » year.

Ferguson-Woods promised to reach out to students through mass emails, as well as remain easily accessi­ ble through office hours. He ran on a platform of more career fairs for Arts

Results of the Arts Undergraduate Society election were announced February 19 during a wine and cheese event in the Arts Lounge.

Rob Salerno became the new AUS president, while running mate Zach Finkelstein captured the position of vice-president academic. Jane Park was named vice-president administra­ tion and Jamie Ferguson-Woods won vice-president external. Paddy Scace and Anthony Dursi are the new Arts representatives to the Students Society.

Twenty-one per cent of eligible Arts students voted in the election, double the total from last year.

“This is great,” said current AUS President Seth Offenbach. “We dou­ bled our quorum.”

Andrew Carvajal, chief returning officer for the election, was also satis­ fied with the results.

“It was amazing,” he said. “The turnout was incredible.”

Salerno obtained 44.4 per cent of the votes, defeating current AUS VicePresident Finance Eric van Eyken (24 per cent) and Jason Chung (21.9 per cent). About 10 per cent of ballots were spoiled.

Salerno was pleased with the campaign as a whole.

“The campaign was great,” he said. “Twenty per cent sounds low but it was only six or eight per cent in pre­ vious years.”

Salerno said he plans to continue to increase students’ awareness by using the AUS Web site to keep open the lines of communication with Arts students.

“I am excited to work with Jane Park on this issue,” he said. “I think it is also important for department asso­ ciations to develop Web sites as well.”

Salerno noted that many depart­ ment associations have to host their Web sites through Internet companies such as Geocities. It is his plan to allow these departments to use space on the AUS Web site to promote their events.

Salerno also stressed the need to pressure the administration for the creation of new academic programs as part of the Arts Renaissance.

Finkelstein obtained 29.2 per cent of the votes in the hotly contest­ ed five-candidate race for the academ­ ic portfolio. He also sees the upcom­ ing year as important.

“We need to focus on the incom­ ing gender and sexuality minor,” he said. “I have had the opportunity to talk to [Professor] Rex Brynen about a peace and conflict studies minor, and it too is already on the table.”

Finkelstein said he is eager to stick to his platform in the coming year of “more diverse program options for McGill students.”

Park, who defeated her two opponents with 40.9 per cent of the vote, ran her campaign on a platform of good organizational skills.

“I’m really happy,” she said. “[I’m] looking forward to working

when they are day-old news. Find out immediately by vis­ iting MCGILLTRIBUNE.COM on March 17.

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The SSMU is seeking students from April 30th until June 30th to sell advertising space for the student handbook and other publications. These positions are proven money-makers for talented, dynamic, articulate individuals who can close sales.

P ro te c te d T e rrito rie s • O nly s e rio u s c a n d id a te s need ap p ly I0WANA LINK

AUS President-elect Rob Salerno., , ,,,

students, and the inclusion of Fortune 500 companies in those fairs.

The closest race of the election saw five people vying for the two Arts representative positions. Paddy Scace emerged a clear victor with 24 per cent of the votes. Anthony Dursi claimed the second position with 19.3 per cent, edging out third-place candi­ date David Manley by only two votes.

Scace was excited about the win and his new role within AUS. He reit­ erated his platform of good communi­ cation with students.

“Office hours are very impor­ tant,” he said. “I want to maintain communication with department groups, clubs, AUS council, the exec­ utives and pass it all onto SSMU.” Anthony Dursi ran on a progres­ sive platform, promising to fight to de-corporatize the university and SSMU. Though excited to work with Dursi, Salerno was disappointed that Manley was not elected.

“He would have been a great contribution to the council,” he said.

Manley and Salerno ran on the same platform.

The two acclaimed candidates were Andrea Navin, vice-president finance, and Roslyn Freeman, vicepresident internal. Navin was pleased by the high voter turnout.

“People are becoming more involved,” she said.

The two referendum questions also passed. Amendments to the AUS constitution were approved by 52.3 per cent of the voters. The Arts Improvement Fund was renewed by 57.8 per cent of the voters. ■

T H E S E

A R E

NOT

T E L E M A R K E T I N G

P O S I T I O N S

Complete, clip and return this ad to the First-Year Office, Suite 2100, Brown Student Services Building. Information: 398-6913

Please print: I would like to help as a □ Group Leader / □ Logistical Staff

N am e:------------------- ----------------------------- —------ID Num ber:--------------------------—----------------------Faculty and Year:----- --------------------------------------Phone Number:------------------ --------------------------E-mail Address:--------------- —--------------------------

4

News

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Speaker on C am pus

Sepand Tehrani

Activist lectures Law students on criminalization .......

to the Quebec City anti-globalization protest in 2000. These conditions include a Speaking before a $rowd of 30 Law stu­ ban from speaking at protests and rallies dents at Chancellor Day Hall February 16, with any type of voice-amplifying device. It Canadian social justice activist and self-pro- is exactly these type of restrictions placed claimed anarchist Jaggi Singh, accompanied upon leading activists, Singh claims, that by attorney Pascal Charbaneau, addressed discourage movements. the issue of the criminalization of dissent.

“These conditions put you in ambigu­ Singh spoke about the relationship ous situations that allow you to be arrested, between activism and law enforcement. that allow people to be targeted [and] that’s “[Having] within law, a pretense to due the point,” he said. process and equality... there is a certain Many dissenters like Singh are also class of people that are criminalized by defi­ political activists, and the restrictions placed nition, [simply] by virtue of who they are,” upon them for their role in protests serve to he said. diminish their capacity as leaders within the Singh defined criminalization in this political action groups they lead. context as the varying ways in which people “Part of that criminalization process as are exposed to the justice system for having it relates to me [are] the conditions that and expressing divergent views. have been imposed on me as a result of “[Exposure] can mean trials, can mean being charged,” Singh said. “For example being charged, can mean being sentenced. my Quebec City charges were dropped two [It] means dealing with the procedures,” and a half years later, but after I was said Singh, who added that the prospect of released, after I spent 17 days in jail, I was having to deal with the intricacies and given [the condition for my release] that I bureaucracy of the justice system is enough was forbidden to be a leader— interdit d ’etre to discourage people from dissenting. un leader—that was the exact phrase in A dissenter, Singh said, can be “broad­ French.” ly defined as anyone who has an objection Singh pointed out that dissent in to current policies or objection to the cur­ Canada has historically been accompanied rent prevailing power structure.” by criminalization in order to discourage it.

Singh is well known within activist cir­ “The very origins of policing in cles for his role as an organizer and protestor Canada by the Northwest Mounted Police, who often represents himself in court. Some was about dealing with Native dissent in the of the charges he currently faces stem from Prairie provinces,” Singh said. “The labour allegedly breaching certain conditions and radical movements of the 1910s and placed upon him by the courts subsequent 1920s were severely repressed.” ■

SSMU invited to present Continued from cover

“There is no jurisdiction in the world where the public purse is deep enough to sup­ port, all by itself, a university system to achieve a simultaneous mandate of excellent quality and accessibility,” Munroe-Blum said. “Not in Europe, not in Asia, not in the South, not in North America.”

While the government should continue to provide core funding, Munroe-Blum said, uni­ versities must look for additional sources of revenue.

“Government support alone or in con­ junction with low frozen tuition fees does not and cannot suffice,” she said.

Munroe-Blum suggested that control over the setting of student mition and fees be hand­ ed over to the governing bodies of individual universities, such as McGill’s Board of Governors.

“That’s just a really polite way of saying she wants to raise tuition fees,” said Mukhopadhyay.

While higher tuition may not necessarily mean lower enrolment, Mukhopadhyay said, the student population may become less reflec­ tive of society.

“The [number of students] may not change, but it’s the makeup of the student population,” he said. “It just reinforces the structure of socio-economic strata in society.”

SSMU President Kate Rhodes said she was disappointed by the university’s presenta­ tion.

“While [undergraduate students] are being asked to pay more for their education, their education itself is not a priority,” she said.

The presentation mentioned the need to recruit top researchers, Rhodes said, but “there

is tremendous need to recruit top professors and to address the student-faculty ratio.”

Bryan Arciero, U3 Chemical Engineering, watched the Web cast of the presentation.

“I don’t think it focused enough on the undergraduate student body,” Arciero said.

“What’s unfortunate about that is that’s where it seems the funding needs to go the most.”

Specifically, there was no mention of undergraduate research opportunities.

“That I thought was highly striking, only because I remember last year there was a forum with Dean [Martha] Crago, Dean [Bruce] Shore and Dean [Alan] Shaver about under­ graduate research,” Arciero said.

Rather, the report focused mainly on graduate students.

“McGill University wasn’t wrong in need­ ing funding and giving this paper,” Arciero said. “I just think at the end of the day they got their priorities mixed up. They didn’t focus enough on teaching and learning, particularly at the undergraduate level, and focused solely on research at the post-graduate level.”

Provincial lobby group La FEUQ, which presented last week, was allotted 78 minutes but only presented-for 63 minutes before hav­ ing to answer detailed financial queries from MNAs. The Post Graduate Students’ Society also submitted a proposal to the commission.

“Universities continue to hide behind what we feel are poor management and plan­ ning practices and lack transparency,” stated the PGSS. The PGSS opposes any tuition or ancil­ lary fee increase and disapproves of McGill’s shirking of responsibilities towards services for students with disabilities. ■

Have a great summer. Be a U o fT visiting student.

R E S ID E N C E A V A ILA B LE

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Campus NEWS

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Parti Québécois student group organized Club m ay be first of its kind at anglophone institution LisaVarano

What may be the first official branch of the Parti Québécois at a predominantly anglophone universi­ ty was recently formed at McGill.

According to Sébastien Cloutier, president of the National Committee of PQ Youth, none of Quebec’s anglophone institutions has ever had a recognized P Q club.

He added that while debates and other activities involving PQ Youth members have been held at anglophone schools, none had an accredited organization like PQ

; ■ ! ,

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Rami said that PQ McGill plans to bring party leaders to campus for dis­ cussions with students. He said that the only PQ leader to ever speak at McGill may have been René Lévesque. Cloutier said that this has not yet been confirmed.

“Our primary goal is having Bernard Landry come this March,” said Rami. “He really wanted to use [PQ McGill] as a tool to speak to anglophones in a new way.”

Students will see firsthand an “open, pluralistic type of movement” instead of the “xenophobic, right-

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The second edition of "Up to Speed" sees more of m international bent as McGill students either relaxed or buckled down this past reading week.

Supporters of the deposed Haitian president accused Canada of participating in an international coup d’état to oust Jean-Bertrand Aristide by cutting foreign aid, which led :JlC | to economic problems that in turn fomented rebellion against the 50-year-old former s’A l 0 |W slum priest. • A recently released Statistics Canada report announced that three out of every four drug crimes in Canada involve marijuana, and more than half of all drug-related liV » VVdU offences are for possession of pot • India is to hold its general election in four rounds over a three-week period starting on April 20 • Fans of The O. C. (don t be ashamed) hoping for a *"H e 's c v Seth-Anna reunion—give up hope. Samaire Armstrong, who plays the fashion-challenged r , pop culture geek Anna on the show, has landed a starring role in the ABC drama pilot Gramercy Park. • Statistics Canada plans to collect blood and urine samples from volunteers II beginning next year in a radical departure from its usual question-and-answer checklist J i l V t I* * * i approach. • Doonesbury cartoonist Gary Trudeau is offering $ 10,000 to anyone who can prove that President George W. Bush served in the Alabama Air National Guard. • Bobby Brown, arrested two months ago for allegedly striking wife Whitney Houston, was sentenced to 60 days in jail Friday for violating his probation. • Quote of the Week: CBS news anchor Dan i jk ‘ -Alin: Rather to Democratic presidential nomination contender A1 Sharpton: Do you consider À I III % if 1 Senator Kerry a liberal?” Replied Sharpton: “No. 1 think that anyone — if you want to use HliiVfÇ ■ George Bush as the definition of conservative, most of America is liberal now, because most of America would vote against Bush, [laughter] Liberal is going to lose this dirty 1L ; > . ; 4 name in 2004.” • The late Princess Margaret is to be portrayed as a bed-hopping fr nymphomaniac in an upcoming docudrama. She will be seen bedding at least five s ’■ . ■ men in the £2-million two-hour Channel 4 film, Margaret Rose. • Science Undergraduate Society and Engineering Undergraduate Society elections kick off K î4 Î this week with debates and the Students’ Society nomination period ends n. 4 f, him ,*ic Wednesday. With the entire baby-kissing and hand-shaking mania about to !• A till grip campus (or at least the Shatner building), the Tribune news team says * ‘11 1 ! ’ let the politicking begin. We’ll be watching. ■ i- ■ disclaimer: These facts were pulled from a wide variety of sources. If you have any facts tin V. that you would like to see included, drop us a note at tribnews<s>hotmail.com.

•t * • .

Do you have a nose for news?

E-mail us at tribnews@hotmail.com or drop by the office for news meet­ ings on Wednesdays at 6 pm

PQ McGill President Aaron Rami hopes the club will attract Bernard Landry.

McGill.

There are currently about 25 active PQ groups at francophone CEGEP and universities, Cloutier said.

“There was no sovereignist organization on campus and all the other political parties in Quebec were represented,” said PQ McGill Vice-President Jennifer Drouin.

PQ McGill is officially a “cell” of the PQ and is entitled to a vote at the regional and provincial youth levels. Members must belong to the PQ and be students at McGill.

President Aaron Rami said that the group has no plans to apply for Students’ Society club status due to his concern that a budget for the PQ organization is like a donation of students’ money to the party.

The regional PQ executive did recruit at Activities Night this past winter to form P Q McGill, but SSMU Vice-President Clubs and Services Mia Gewertz said that it is not uncommon for political groups to remain unaffiliated with SSMU. “They’re out there, but they don’t officially exist under SSMU status,” she said.

Gewertz said that no provincial party clubs are represented in SSMU, although all the federal par­ ties except the Bloc-Québécois have student organizations at McGill.

wing image” of the PQ sometimes portrayed in the media, said Rami.

“We hope to present the program... to the English population,” he said.

“We really think that the PQ’s mes­ sage is distorted by the English media.”

In his tours of educational insti­ tutions, Landry gives a speech on a pressing issue, usually educationallythemed, said Rami. Although Landry’s speech would probably be primarily in French, Rami said that students could ask questions in English during the subsequent dis­ cussion.

“There haven’t been PQ leaders on campus,” said Drouin. A speech

by Landry at McGill is “definitely rare and definitely going to cause a • » stir.

PQ McGill plans to host small­ er discussions with other party offi­ cials before the Landry event. André Boisclair, Pauline Marois, and former Landry special adviser Josée Legault are among the possible speakers, said Rami.

Rami said he thinks that the PQ’s social democratic message can appeal to some anglophones who are not sovereignists.

“We’re hoping this can be a place where a new dialogue can progress,” he said. ■

5

The S cie n ce U nderg rad uate So ciety an d the A rts U nderg rad uate So ciety Invite you to attend th e an n u al

G r a d u a t io n B a ll Dinner and Dance Tickets (Limited Number Available - Last Day to Purchase: March 12, 2004) $ 8 0

/ ticket

Dinner tickets include: Cocktail H Full-Course Meal, 1/2 bottle of wine/person & 4 Hours of Open B

Dance-Only Tickets $ 4 0 / ticket

DATE: Saturday, March 20, 2004 LOCATION: Le Windsor, 1170 Peel St Tickets can be purchased at: The SUS Office (1B21 Basement Burnside Building), the AUS Office (Basement of Leacock Building), Leacock Foyer Tables

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For information contact: AUS (398-1993), SUS (398-6979)

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News

7

NEW S A N A L Y S IS

PRIX

Conservative Party castle building: sand or stone?

David M. Nataf

ing off Halifax harbour. The plan also calls for impounding offending ships until fines are paid.

Candidate Belinda Stronach is looking to expand the appeal of the conservative movement.

“We must build a broader base... We’ve been building too nar­ row a base,” Stronach said to Harper at a February 22 party debate, mak­ ing a subtle reference to his history of unpopular stance on issues such as last year’s US-led war in Iraq.

“You don’t start building a plat­ form on March 20,” Harper replied, implying that his record of policy and advanced election planning ought be seen as an asset rather than a liability.

Harper’s history as Canadian Alliance leader and as a supporter of the Clarity Act has provided an open­ ing for Stronach in Quebec. “[Canadians] do not trust ‘politi­ cians,’ myself included,” said Dr. Clifford Albert, a possible Quebec Conservative Party candidate in the next election. “In fact, in a recent poll, politicians ranked with only a 14 per cent trust rating, lower than used car salesmen... Belinda is a fresh face, is a single mother, runs an inter­ national, multibillion dollar corpora­ tion. Where’s the contest?”

The Stronach camp has claimed substantial support. In an e-mail sent to party activists, members of the campaign team said polling results showed that Stronach has 46 per cent support in Quebec.

Vast support or not, Stronach may still have some way to go. At a January 30 event at Montreal’s StJames Club, Stronach left some party activists underwhelmed by her policy ideas and her political skills.

Stephanie Chipeur, U1 Political Science, described her speech as “very stilted... [it] wasn’t very engaging.”

Meanwhile, the Tony Clement campaign has been busy trying to overcome his underdog status. At the first candidates debate, Clement spoke of the need for “a leader who can speak to all of Canada, all Canadians, without apologies” — a reference to Harper’s perceived bag­ gage. David Anber, former Canadian Alliance national councillor and a member of Canadian Alliance McGill, said: “Internal party debates tend to be very scrappy... When it comes to a national debate, Tony will hold his own.” ■

ith support in the polls rising and the possibili­ ty of a spring or fall election, the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race has shifted into high gear. The three can­ didates have begun to stake their ground on policy while the brewing antagonism between the camps begins to boil.

Earlier this year, the Conservative party trailed the Liberals by 29 per cent in public opinion polls. That gap has now shrunk to a 9-point difference according to an Ipsos-Reid survey.

“Canadians from coast to coast to coast want change,” said Tony Clement, a party leadership candi­ date.

Clement criticized the Liberals for their role in the sponsorship scan­ dal. “[Before] you never had to say we needed an ethical government,” he said. “It would just be automatic.”

The Conservative party may have feared for its survival a year ago, but today the politicians are setting their sights on increased representa­ tion in the federal government.

From the array of policy options, the strongest initiatives thus far in the race are the Jump Start 250 tax pro­ gram from Clement’s platform, and Stephen Harper’s environmental pol­ icy package.

Jump Start would see Canada shift from taxing annual income to taxing lifetime income.

“Under this reform, Canadians turning 18 would pay no federal income tax on the first $250,000 they earn,” Clement said. “We will be encouraging them to put down roots here in Canada. Once established with families, homes and careers, they are less likely to be part of the brain drain.”

Income tax rates would gradual­ ly rise as lifetime income moved into higher brackets.

Harper’s campaign has adopted a cautious approach on policy, having as of yet released only two policy doc­ uments on 12 core issues listed on his Web site. His environmental policy platform, “Towards a Cleaner Canada,” attacks the Liberals’ com­ mitment to the Kyoto Protocol.

“Their idea of improving the environment is signing unwork­ able international treaties that exempt the world’s worst pol­ luters,” Harper said.

The platform calls for Canada to withdraw from the Kyoto agreement and focus on Canadian solutions, such as mak­ ing brownfield cleanup taxdeductible for corporations.

The document also calls for increasing fines for oil spills, CD pointing out that the Atlas, one of O Paul Martin’s ships, was fined a mere $125,000 for illegal dump­

W

TRAVAIL ÉTUDIANT

décerné lors de la remise des

PRIX D ’EXCELLENCE DE L’ADMINISTRATION PUBLIQUE QUÉBÉCOISE

2004 Le prix TRAVAIL ÉTUDIANT vise à reconnaître la qualité exceptionnelle d'un travail de recherche portant sur l'administration publique fait par une étudiante ou un étudiant dans le cadre de sa formation dans une université québécoise.

INSCRIVEZ-VOUS au concours du prix TRAVAIL ÉTUDIANT de l'Institut d'administration publique de Québec (IAPQ] et courez la chance de GAGNER UN PRIX de 8 0 0 $.

Il sera décerné au cours du gala des Prix d'excellence de l'administration publique québécoise qui se tiendra à Québec, le 19 octobre 2004, à la salle de bal du Hilton Québec.

IN S C R IV E Z -V O U S S A N S TARDER !

Date limite d’inscription

I" M A I 2 0 0 4

Renseignements complets sur le prix Travail étudiant

w w w .iapq.qc.ca

INSTITU T D A DM IM 1ST RA TION PUBLIQUE DE QUÉBEC

Éducation

/- \

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_ __

1911

Quebec o o

W McGill The Department of Jewish Studies

stablished in 2000 by Mr. and Mrs. Josef Glasrot, survivors o f the Holocaust and residents o f Montreal. Open to any student at McGill University, the award is presented for excellence in research in Holocaust and related studies, and particularly on the history o f the ghettos o f Warsaw and Kovno (Kaunas). Essays prepared in any course or independent research may be considered. The award is administered by the Department o f Jewish Studies in cooperation w ith the Jewish Com m unity Foundation.

The award w ill be presented during the Closing Exercises o f the Department o f Jewish Studies in June, 2004. The value o f the Blacher and Glasrot

E

Families Memorial Award is $ 1000.

For further information: Stephen Harper's

www.oneconservativevoice.ca Tony Clement's speech on Jump Start:

www. tonyclement, com Conservative strategist John Laschinger:

www. oneconseri’a tivevoice, ca

• The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students at McGill University.

• Students must submit 2 typed copies of their essays together with full contact information.

• Essays can be based on primary or secondary materials and work in all related disciplines will be considered.

• Essay submissions must reach the Departm ent of Jewish Studies Office, 3438 McTavish Street, no later than April 23, 2004.

8 Op/Ed

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

llllii to

th e Cock! Cock! COCK!

n the beginning there was a cat and a laser pointer. That is how my reading week began—as a misnomer. The precedent had been set: a black and white cat named Elvis was galloping after a red dot, on the other end of which was yours truly, definite­ ly not reading.

Then I got to thinking. What if Elvis loved another male cat as much as he loves that dot? Could they tie the knot?

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who declared on national television that he is “very much against” same-sex marriages, would say that Elvis could not. So would President George W. Bush, that commander-cum-preacher-in-chief to our south. One week ago, when I got tired of laser pointing (actually, the batteries just ran out), I turned on the television only to see Dubs say that the US “must enact a constitutional amendment to protect marriage in America.”

I have to hand it to him. If there’s one thing Bush knows how to do it’s keep the born-again Christian fundamentalist base of the Republican Party happy. The hardliners are terrified that allowing two people of the same gender to marry will rip apart the fabric of society and unleash a spectre that will destroy the institution of marriage, what Bush called “the most fundamental institution of civilization.”

What delicious irony. Bush wants to legislate what is sancti­ monious and sacred, while the fabric of society is frayed and tat­ tered and the institution of marriage has all the holiness of a Bic pen.

Marriage has become a throwaway commodity. Just ask Britney Spears and Jason Alexander, or television networks airing shows like Cupid, The Bachelor, Joe Millionaire, and My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé.

Realistically, the institution of marriage has become an insti­ tution of infidelity and annulment, nothing more than a stunt on Fox. As Rita Rudner said, marriage, today is successful “if it out­ lasts milk.” If the president wants to “protect” the sanctity of mar­ riage he should propose a constitutional amendment making divorce illegal and adulterers criminals, instead of “enshrining big­ otry into law,” as Bob Herbert put it. That would be much more consistent.

It baffles me how two people who love each other can be con­ sidered a menace to society. A much more sinister enemy, to con­ tinue with the war allusions, is all those priests doing their best impressions of Michael Jackson. The New York Times reported last week that two studies have found that the Roman Catholic Church suffered an epidemic of child sexual abuse from 1950 to 2002 in which 10,667 children were allegedly victimized by 4,392 priests.

Here is a problem much more authentic than the nuptials of two men or two women.

And what of this dire, confrontational language and all the war analogies? Must America always be at war with something? It seems as if same-sex marriage poses an imminent threat, that civi­ lization is in danger and that it must be defended from impurity at all costs. “Tom Ridge vs. the Lesbians.” I smell pay-per-view.

I think it’s high time I unplug my TV, throw out my laser pointer, and get down to actually doing some reading. ■

I

the

M c G iL L T R IB U N E

Editor -In -C hief M a rk Kerr

D eputy Editor Sarah W rig h t

P roduction M anager N a ta lie Fletcher

“Let me hear you shout: Cunt! Cunt! CUNT!” This almost incantational chant was fol­ lowed by loud cheering and applause, as hundreds of women and several dozen bemused men at the recent production of the Vagina Monologues proudly reclaimed this maligned word.

I had mixed feelings being a part of this congregation who had come to hear from one of the gospels of female sexual liberation. I felt invigorated as for the first time in my life I heard women talking openly and without fear of being stigmatized for discussing a part of their body which has been objectified, commodified and vilified to the point where many feel uncomfort­ able even recognizing that it exists.

However, the more satisfied and relaxed the audience seemed to be, the more I felt uneasy about my own genitalia. Not because having a clitoris sounded oh so much more exciting, but because I realized that most men wouldn’t know which end to start at when discussing our penises, and how they fit in to the bigger picture of who we are as males. Even though some of us may purport to be sensitive, emotional, maybe even metrosexual, the only time we really talk about our penises is when we’re comparing sizes at the urinal at school, bragging about how “big” we are at the pub (as if it will guarantee us sexual rewards if the one-liners don’t work), or sitting around listening to hip-hop artists talking about “working” their “bitches.”

You see, we’re not brought up to respect our penises or what we use them for and so we clearly aren’t going to respect the women in our company (either between us and the sheets or on the other side of the computer screen). I was embarrassed because I know that while for cen­ turies it’s suited us men to stop women from respecting their own bodies, there’s never been, and not likely to be, a Penis Monologues.

I left, imagining the chant of a room full of men who don’t just think of this appendage as a power tool to be thoughtlessly pulled out of the shed occasionally when a bit of maintenance is required. Maybe one day.... “Let’s hear it guys: Cock! Cock! COCK!” — Steve Butler Australian exchange student

The Harriet and Abe Gold Learning Centre for Autism and Developm ental Disabilities

PRESENTS S U P P O R T W O R K E R TR A IN IN G PROGRAM Support Workers are people who w o rk one-on-one with children and adolescents w ith developmental disabilities. Their job is to help integrate these young people in day/overnight camps and in recreational activities. If you are a dynamic and caring individual between age 16-25, and would like to become qualified in this area, we are offering a 6-week training session. rrr.

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T his t r a i n i n g p ro g r a m is in E nglish

is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society o f M c G ill University

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(L e a v e o f a b s e n c e )

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Letters must include author's name, signature, identification (e.g. U2 Biology, SSM U President), telephone number and be typed double-spaced. Letters more than 200 words, pieces for Stop the Press more than 500 words, or sub­ m issions judged by the Editor-in-Chief to be libello us, sexist, ra cist homopho­ b ic, or solely prom otional in nature, w ill not be published. The Tribune w ill make all reasonable efforts to print subm issions provided that space is avail­ able, and reserves the right to edit letters for length. Letters may be submitted to the Tribune office, faxed to 398-1750, e-m ailed to tribune@ ssm u.m cgill.ca or submitted via the Tribune website.

Colum ns appearing under 'Ed ito rial' heading are decided upon by the editori­ al board and written by a member of the editorial board. A ll other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect die opinions of The M c G ill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

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(L e a v e o f a b s e n c e ) Staff: A drienne Akm an, M atthew Arnot, Lexie Buchanan-Kaisin, Greg Elierm ann, B enji Feldm an, Rebecca Graber,

Em ily H arris, Karen K elly, Adam K ievin as, Iwona Lin k, M iriam M artz, Christopher M oore, D avid M . N ataf, Andrew Patton, Julie Peters, Lindsay Peters, Casey Reynolds, Sepand Tehrani, LizTre u tler, Lisa Varano, Josh W iln er

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The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

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'

Op/Ed 9

E D I T O R I A L

E a r n $ 2 5 in 2 0 m in u te s Got 2 0

M in u te s? G e t $ 2 5

Research Study Will Pay for Interviews We would like to interview non-francophone university students who have studied core/basic French in Canadian schools. We are interested ONLY in your core/basic French experiences, not French immersion nor French in a first language setting. You do not need to be taking a French course now. We will pay $25 each for a limited number of 15-20 minute telephone interviews with individuals who meet the criteria.

Please em ail corefrench@ sym patico.ca.

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w

NH

LAST WEEK'S QUESTION: What film do you think is going to win the Oscar for best picture?

A. Lord o f the Rings 70 % (Good guessing!)

B. Lost in Translation 21 % C. Master and Commander 0 % D. Mystic River 5% E. Seahiscuit 4% THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Does McGill need a Parti Québécois student group?

LOG O N TO

MCGILLTRIBUNE.COM

H

TO CAST YOUR VOTE.

Crossing over to the dark side? f you look at our staff box this week, you will notice that copy editor and former assistant news editor Mark Sward and current news editor Kim D ’Souza are taking a leave of absence to campaign for Students’ Society executive positions. Sward and D’Souza join Kate Rhodes as one-time news editors who have run for student office. If you count SSMU Faculty Relations Commissioner James Grohsgal, a former news editor and columnist, that is four recent Tribune news editors who have made the change.

Have these people crossed over to the dark side?

To be fair to the Tribune editors mentioned above, they are certainly not the first journalists to pursue the political life. René Levesque and Claude Ryan are two examples of former journalists who have gone on to lead polit­ ical parties. Perhaps the more pertinent question, therefore, is: do journalists who run for office betray their craft? We are of the belief that the seemingly contrary natures of journalism and politics can be reconciled.

The traditional assumption regarding reporters is that they are respon­ sible for reporting on the important facts and events that are hidden from the public eye. Their investigations expose what those in positions of power might wish to keep hidden. By choosing to become involved in politics, journalists arguably abandon their responsibility to their readers.

While this notion holds true when a person is employed as a journalist, he/she does not take a lifetime oath. As long as they completely disassociate themselves from their formal role in order to avoid allegations of conflict of interest, these people are free to run for office if they so choose.

More importantly, a former journalist holds a perspective that career politicians do not. Former journalists should recognize the media as a source for information and an area for an exchange of ideas is a function of a healthy democracy. While there is no guarantee that this will occur, it is pos­ sible to believe that these new politicians will recognize that journalists have a job to do that is essential and fosters a level of respect that is conducive to reporting on their activities.

Journalism, furthermore, is more than muckraking and exposing cor­ rupt politicians. Journalists must identify the issues'that students should care about, not simply report on what they know about. Those involved in media not only cover the events, but they can also contribute to government agen­ da setting through story selection and topic emphasis.

Being a politician provides former journalists a greater opportunity to pursue change. As part of an editorial board, journalists have a platform from which to make strong arguments on issues; however, opinion pieces cannot directly cause change.

The choice to run for office is ultimately a personal one. Despite all the counselling and encouragement, the individual must decide whether he/she can make a greater contribution to an organization or society more general­ ly as an insider than as reporter.

Kate, Mark, Kim and James have made that judgment, and it is one that the editorial board respects. ■

I

Fumbling towards the anywhere but here Panthea Lee

_________ _______________________________________ eading Week always raises an interesting dilem­ ma. Each year you ask yourself, where shall I spend my hard-earned break? The wheels then begin to turn—the comfort of home always pres­ ents itself as an option, but perhaps some exotic locale is a worthier contender this year. Anywhere but here, you proclaim: I must get away.

Upon return, you sink snugly back into the groove.

Nights will be spent downing pitcher after cheap pitcher in bars resembling Florida tourist traps or the local watering hole of Anytown.

And so it goes.

Each occasion we get, we endeavour to make the most of our liberation elsewhere, our opportunity to carouse someplace else, before returning to the drudgery of Montreal. Coping then becomes the name of the game, as our time becomes consumed with papers and exams, and our time off equates nights of recuperation from the grind of drinking ourselves into oblivion.

There is something to be said for the intoxicated haze that characterizes many a students four years, but herein lies the paradox: we come to Montreal from the world over to indulge in this vivacious cultural mecca, yet when we get the chance to do so, we seem to want nothing more than to

R

escape. Our gut instinct is to flee, as early as the Via Rail schedule will permit, as fast as that cab to MontréalTrudeau will carry us.

Pavlov would’ve been impressed—at the mere mention of the anywhere but here, we salivate.

And at the end of our four years, we bid adieu. From Rue Atwater to Rue St-Denis, Rue Ste-Catherine to Avenue du Mont-Royal, we realize that this 5km radius around campus encompasses the extent of our dealings with the city. Aside from the fruits of our labours in academia, we leave with only memories from a neatly packaged universi­ ty experience to show for it. For many of us, Montreal is only a temporary stop in our trajectory, but each chance we get, we run. What are we running from? Why are we so eager to be elsewhere?

Victor Hugo once boldly declared, “To dream is hap­ piness, to wait is life.”

But must life really be about waiting? We let ourselves be imprisoned by the shackles of tomorrow, convincing ourselves that tomorrow holds the key to our happiness, that the far away and the future will outshine the here and the now. And so our existence is spent forever in pursuit of the mirage, which always seems to lie just beyond the anx­ ious tips of our outstretched fingers.__________________

We have all uttered these words: I can’t wait until Thursday night after my exam is over. I can’t wait to go out on Friday. Until Saturday when I go home. Until the sum­ mer when school is over. Until I graduate. Until I find a job.

And so it goes. We are constantly waiting for some external event to occur, hoping that happiness will be the aftermath of the occurrence. But happiness is hardly a crapshoot, nor is it a chimera to be hunted.

Why frame the journey as the necessary evil to reach the reward? Let the journey be a reward in itself; otherwise, the pot of gold will always remain an elusive pipe dream just beyond our reach, as the rainbow grows and extends ad infinitum. As we keep wanting more. As we keep convinc­ ing ourselves that next week things will be okay, that after event X, we will finally be at peace. But felicity is no elusive castle in the sky. Happiness is here. Now. Summer is creeping up, ever so slowly. Before you trip over yourself while bolting for the nearest exit, stop and take a minute to let Lady Montreal work her sweet charm.

She’s batting her eyelashes at you, so won’t you stay and dance with her a while? In the words of Jon Bon Jovi: “It’s now or never, ‘cause I ain’t gonna live forever.” ■

10 Op/Ed

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Rebecca Graber

Sponsorship what?

Does this affect my tuition ?

K, the plan is to step into the centrifuge of the spon­ sorship scandal. So here’s my promise: if you follow me on this one, I will tell you something important that will break your heart. And it’s about sex, too.

Following the 1995 referendum about which Americans still tease you (though I’d like to see my home state secede, the way things are going), some still-unknown governmental Santa Claus of Canadian nationalism got the bright idea to promote a | Canadian identity in Quebec through advertising at cultural and § sports events.

The contracts for these sponsorship programs all seem to have been unnecessarily mediated by advertising companies affil­ iated with the Liberal Party. This favouritism also applies to those companies that eventually received the money. All the transaction I fees charged by these intermediary companies resulted in hun­ dreds of millions of dollars going straight to the Liberal’s amis, and were usually without any formal contract or documentation | of work completed.

For argument’s sake, let’s say this wasn’t patronage. Then we’re left with the fact that these programs were totally idiotic.

Like giving money to the RCMP to provide greater visibility to the Canada logo, when the RCMP is already required to display it. Or giving Canada Post funds to create a stamp for an interna­ tional stamp competition.

If we are to take the Chrétien-era government at its word, they were basically going to remedy the complete and utter polar­ ization of the nation by handing out a few maple leaf decals and shiny stamps, while hoping for the best.

O f course, we cannot take their story at face value. The clues lie, as they so often do, with a Sicilian (I couldn’t resist). In 1997 the government issued a contract to Montreal’s Groupaction Marketing, which then subcontracted some operations to a firm run by the son of Alfonso Gagliano, the Public Works Minister then in charge of distributing these contracts. Er. A 2000 internal audit cleared Gagliano of any conflict of interest, but Chrétien later exiled him to Denmark as ambassador, perhaps hoping he’d meet his demise, à la Hamlet. Then, a report that Groupaction was supposed to file, documenting the effec­ tiveness of said programs, was as impossible to find as an opti­ mistic Expos fan.

Later the report materialized, nearly identical to Groupaction’s 1999 report—complete with recommendations for events that had already happened and identical spelling errors.

Fraud! The line from Chrétien to Gagliano to greed is too tight for coincidence.

This doesn’t bode well for Paul Martin. If he knew about the money, he’s a thief. If as finance minister he didn’t notice $ 100million disappearing, his negligence was dangerous and inexcus­ able. The divide at the time between him and Chrétien is not a justification if we’re to expect vigilant politicians, which I should think would be a given.

What’s worse, it should not have taken an independent audit I for this to surface. Glittery postage stamps are just a pretty dis­ traction from the sad possibility tha't government is so opaque no one noticed or cared that so much money was being siphoned off It wasn’t just Martin that failed here, but the media, the rest ot government—everyone.

Canadian democracy may be more compassionate than oth­ ers, but the potential for corruption within the system is terribly real. What makes this country stable—strong prime ministers and parties, healthy bureaucracy—also makes it terribly easy to break | | the rules.

Now, as promised, something to break your heart. You know how everything causes cancer? French researchers have just deter­ mined that oral sex—oral sex!—increases the risk of oral cancer l l through HPV, the same evil little germy that causes cervical can­ cers. The risk is teeny-tiny but... well... dude, oral sex! Cancer!

Forget this sponsorship business. Let’s go indict some French scientists. ■

O

As an events coordinator for the Vagina Monologues (and the woman who spawned the Vagina-Friendly Strip Show) I cannot resist responding to Julie Peters’ most troubling com­ ments in her piece “Vaginas on my right, strippers on my left” (Feb. 10).

Let me highlight the forethought that went into this “controversial” event. My idea emerged initially as a long shot, but quickly developed into a real possibility. I knew hold­ ing a strip club benefit would inspire pomp and publicity around sex work and the larger context of the Vagina Monologues. The goal was not to encourage partisanship on either side of the ‘strip scene fence;’ it was not meant as a forum for moral debate, accolade or affirma­ tion. Rather it was about promoting awareness of women’s lived experiences.

Peters should note that these experiences are many and diverse. They do not follow planes of idealism or perfection. She uses a language of distance that is particularly disquiet­ ing. One example is: “when faced with writhing naked women.” This connotes some sort of adversarial juxtaposition I doubt those who attended the benefit experienced. I, along with many of my fellow women, was in awe of the sheer human beauty of the performers.

After all, what is a show about vaginas that cannot take time to visually appreciate the vagi­ na?

But the vagina is more than that; it is a constitutive part of (most) women. Strippers, no matter how pejoratively we may consider them, are women. Peters’ phrase that “strippers are still individuals” stops at least one step short on this point. Luckily all women are more than simply individuals” enjoying all the colourful rights of the liberal democratic system.

Or at least they should be. But Peters characterizes these women as “coked-out strippers humpfing] a pole.” But what does this portrayal achieve other than the illusion of a moral­ ly superior pedestal on which the declarer of ‘fact’ can perch herself?

Strippers are us. They are university students and professors; our world is not one that is protected from the realities of the sex industry. Furthermore, the “drunken old men” she refers to are the men on the McGill campus, our boyfriends and neighbours.

Peters’ article would have benefited from a large dose of compassion. We cannot be fem­ inists if we insist on isolating ourselves from that with which we are afraid to identify. As women we need to stop defining what is moral, female, empowering and acceptable by ref­ erence to what we have typified ex ante and that to which we are wilfully blind.

— Heidi Matthews Law I

Stop thP i n w K

—

This latest Tribune was eyeing me from the top of the rack in the Adams lobby. I picked up a copy and a heavy, glossy sheet of paper instantly fell from between the pages, onto the floor. Annoyed at having to pick this up out of the slush, I noticed that the floor was already littered with these pieces of paper. But what were they? The obvious answer: publicity, a vulgar car ad “Sho dem u got somthin outa skool” was the caption accompanying a picture of a shiny new car. What a great idea! Graduate from McGill, forget how to spell, buy a car and text all your friends to tell them what a worthwhile endeavour university was.

These car ads already got on my nerves whenever I would take a piss in the Shatner base­ ment. “Yesterday you were still taking the bus! :p” says a panel solidly bolted onto the bath­ room wall. Well guess what... tomorrow I will still be taking the bus, I won’t be needlessly pol­ luting our atmosphere and, furthermore, I will be using my degree in more constructive ways.

What a counterproductive message! Would any of you seriously fall for this junk?

The sad truth is that we are surrounded by dumb ads that are not ready to go away.

The Tribune, as a respected student newspaper, could do much better. It surprises me that any company would even choose to address such a stupid message to the (enlightened?) student strata of society. Why should we help them waste tons of paper, filling our university with trash in exchange for advertising dollars? I realize that student papers are dependent on sponsors for survival. However, this insert business is in very bad taste, particularly in respect to the message it was used for in this case.

Yesterday, you weren’t polluting! You were, like, such a loser! :p —Louis-Philip Pontbriand U2 Microbiology and Immunology

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Wednesday, March 3, 2004

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he answer to the above question begins with a consideration of while largely denying its contemporary application.

Aside from her seemingly professional likeness to mainstream femi­ a rather slippery term: gender. The immediate difficulty lies in the assumption that an essential defining female feature exists, nism, Coulter could benefit from the protection of a more gender-sawy and that its violation is a betrayal of that identity. Yet as gen­ politic. The Ann Coulter Talking Action Figure and its accompanying der becomes fractured and subdivided along lines of race, class blurb heralding her as a defiant blond beauty confirms the suspicion that and ethnicity, it seems increasingly obvious that no such thing critical reception is often based on femininity, even where politics are not. exists and, subsequently, that no single feminism does either. One critic writes, “Ann Coulter wears skirts so short you can see her brains. Or you could if she had any.” Whether Coulter intended to Nevertheless, the historical experience of the equality quest has identified several issues and interests specific to femininity. These include contra­ employ her platinum hair and short skirt to her advantage, it is inevitably ceptive use, abortion, divorce and the decriminalization of prostitution. used to define her disadvantageously in a male-dominated arena. Is Yet all of these have been opposed by both conservative women and fem­ Coulter’s conservative femininity antithetical? Consider another case.

In contrast to Coulter, Laura Doylethe, self-proclaimed feminist inists. This has created points of divergence from the mainstream per­ author of The Surrendered Wife, illustrates the domestic ideals of conser­ spective.

But how and when did this turnaround occur, such that the greatest vative feminism. The authors personal frustration with liberal feminism critics of feminism are found amidst its own supposed advocates? In her led her to compose what Newitz labels “a feminist program for women article “Losing the Gender War,” Annalee Newitz describes the latest who want to become traditional submissive housewives.” Claiming that authors of feminist backlash: women. The mid-90s resurgence of gender her model is proto-feminist in its desire to keep women divorce-free and essentialism— following John Gray’s popular Men are From Mars, Women consequently pain-free, Doyle advocates the surrender of wifely authori­ are From Venus—was adopted and elaborated by feminist theorists. A ty for the profit of family life. Yet there is near consensus on the transla­ regression to traditional gender roles seemed a fitting response to frustra­ tion of domestic structures into the public realm. In effect, both Doyle and Coulter are ready to deny either the specificity of female politics or tion with the liberal feminist program.

Today, proponents of conservative feminism appear indifferent to privileges won in the battle for equality.

We are led to wonder, as Newitz did, “why have" so many women “class, race, and sexual orientation,” with notable supporters including Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. Decades of strug­ been seduced by old-fashioned femininity at the turn of the millennium, gle are undone by the reinstatement of traditional gender roles and fem­ and why are they calling themselves feminists?” The answer might be inine passivity. Tireless efforts to politicize the personal are inverted as the couched in the very feminist ideology that so reviles these new practi­ separation between the public and private realms is redrawn. Worse than tioners: the new conservative line enthusiastically takes up the task of selfdemobilization, the movement appears to have reached a point of rever­ definition so fundamental to women’s liberation.

Doyle asserts, “we’re making a choice to do this.” Even if irreconcil­ sal as a new wave of activists have stepped in to redirect the feminist creed. Perhaps feminism has finally proved herself a legitimate revolu­ able and offensive to its liberal counterpart, conservative feminism tionary cause in being consumed by her own progeny. While the mater­ extends the opportunity for freedom from role prescription by a hege­ nal metaphor would be a pointed one, it seems more likely that the fem­ monic structure, be it patriarchal or feminist. Its very existence is, in ways, an essential proof of feminist success in spawning from a single root inist movement is on the cusp of explosion rather than collapse.

Consider a few case studies and alleged traitors to the female cause. with a multiplicity of branches which speaks to particular feminine expe­ First, lawyer and columnist Ann Coulter is among the more aggressive riences. Mark Glesne, in an article taken from the faces of feminine conservatism. In her foreword to Phyllis Schaflys Intellectualconservative.com, cites Coulter as an “icon of feminism for Feminist Fantasies Coulter, who is described by one source as the delivering women from “hypocrisy within the feminist movement.” “unwoman prime of this generation,” is critical of brooding liberal femi­ While this may be the minority view, we need not agree with women like Coulter or Doyle to consider them sufficiently female. nist has-beens who unnecessarily victimize femininity.

Feminism and femininity in general have avidly sought the deregu­ But what makes Coulter’s case even more paradoxical is her tenuous relation to past feminist activism. The female conservative risks generat­ lation of the female mind and body. These conservative women partici­ ing an anachronism with antecedent status-quo shattering activism, and pate in a core principle of women’s liberation: freedom of choice. And if a dependency on the benefit of that very form of activity. Coulter and you still can’t find Coulter’s inner woman, find your inner Voltaire. others stand awkwardly at odds with their necessarily revolutionary past Disagree with the program, but defend (understand) its right to exist. ■

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The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Features

13

Where are Brad, George and James?

Poor LEXIE BUCHANAN W e ve sent her to Supersexe, forced her to find a bingo hall and, on her latest venture, exiled her to the Casino de Montréal.

But if she wanted to be a sleep-inspiring guide of the vanilla places to visit in M onty, she should have worked for FodoKs instead of Features. And because she finds Nicolas Cage "charming," we had to punish her.

he media’s portrayal of certain aspects of life has made a deep impression on this girly mind of mine.

When I picture longstanding love, I see my favourite Hollywood couple: Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, obviously. When I picture life in New York City, I see myself sitting on a couch in Central Perk à la Friends. And whèn I picture casi­ nos, I see Brad Pitt, George Clooney and I playing roulette.

So you can imagine my shock upon entering the Casino de Montréal one night at 3:00 am. Not so much Brad Pitt, not so much George Clooney, not so much what I was expect­ ing. Should I have been surprised?

For some reason when people come to Montreal, one of the main attractions is the casino. Is this casino really an inte­ gral part of the Montreal cultural experience? Having been a couple of times already, I was sent to see the casino in the wee hours of the night, when only the real “players”— not the bitch-and-ho types—are left on their stools, sipping their free drinks and clutching their credit cards.

T

Worse than bingo, better than Supersexe

In terms of the actual building, from the outside, the casino looks like a big cruise ship oudined in bright lights.

Inside, there are escalators everywhere, several different levels and, with everything looking basically the same, I found the layout to be quite confusing. This is no doubt done to disori­ ent people and make them spend more money than they intend to. Right? Or maybe I’m just paranoid... or direction­ ally challenged... or both.

The casino is an extremely depressing environment to spend time in, especially at 3:00 am when all that’s left are the people who clearly haven’t moved in hours, maybe days, and seem to be living from one win to another. Though I am not a big gambler, I do love a good slot machine just as much as the next person. However, that night the atmosphere was stag­ nant and the clientele resembled the living dead.

Casinos have long been a source of fascination and are typically frequented in films by debonair men: for example, James Bond in Casino Royale (1967) and the men of Oceans

Casino de Montréal Things got ugly when the other players found out Lexie had said she was a "slot girl" as opposed to a "slutty. girl.”

1 avenue de Casino (514) 392-2746 or (800) 665-2274 www.casino-de-montreal.com

Eleven (1960, 2001) who try to pull off the unthinkable heist eye on others, so that they know when to pounce. A special of several casinos at once. Nicolas Cage chose to go to Vegas breed they are, like nothing else.

Oh, and another fashion tip: fanny packs are big at the to drink himself to death in Leaving Las Vegas (1995) and even casino.

So if you want to fit in, better root around for one, Elvis played the casino card (pun intended) with Viva Las preferably in a neon colour or leather. Bonus points if its Vegas (1964) in the role of a casino waiter.

These are all extremely suave, charming men who are leather and in a neon colour.

After spending a reasonable amount of time on the slot then surrounded by equally stunning, alluring women. machines, the night was drawing to a close for us. Apparently Warning: None of these people, or anyone remotely resem­ we didn’t have the staying power of the blue-haired crowd. As bling them is at the Casino de Montréal. Probably the most realistic of cinematic depictions is Vegas Vacation (1997) with we were about to walk out the door, I stopped to look at some Chevy Chase and the gang.

I think it’s Oh, and another fashion tip: fanny packs are big at the casino. So important to mention that if you want to fit in, better root around for one, preferably in a while looking at neon colour or leather. Bonus points if it’s leather and in a neon the casino’s Web site, I came colour. upon the dress code that’s been in place since July. In order to maintain its international reputation, Casino de Montréal forbids cut-offs pictures of people on the wall. These people weren’t just any­ (shorts, shirts), bike shorts, tank tops and beachwear, among one: they had each won millions, simply by playing the slot other apparel. The real shocker was that jogging suits in cot­ machines. We just had to give ‘er another try. This was me ton or nylon (to be exact) are also prohibited. Apparently the falling into the traps of the evil casino designers, who realize casino is not a place to show off your Juicy Couture, or your the power of a winner’s ecstatic face. I was roped back in and ended up spending more than I wanted to. velour J-Lo ensemble. Tyrants.

The casino in the early morning hours, although perfect I saved my moolah for the one-armed bandits while my for people watching, was a disappointing experience for me friends played blackjack as I looked on. While walking around later, I realized that there’s just nothing quite like people and my high expectations. It’s a fun place to go drink with watching at a casino. There is a sort of comatose state that your friends, but don’t bring your credit or debit cards and most people sink into upon entering a casino, blocking out leave your FB pants at home.

If you have visitors and want to show them Montreal, be external sounds or movements, with their sole focus on the more creative and take them to some place that says task of winning.

And then there are the monkey-guarders—not their offi­ Montreal, instead of this sad place that doesn’t even offer Brad cial name, but a moniker that fits, I think. These are the peo­ Pitt. ■ ple who have several machines going on at once, and keep an

14 Features

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

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t’s Sunday and I’ve just woken up. It’s around One of the first RPG games to reach cult status noon. I head downstairs and see one of my was Dungeons and Dragons. In the early 1970s, Gary roommates in our living room. As natural as Gygex and David Arneson developed D&D as a anything else could be on a Sunday afternoon, means of war gaming through which the participants the television is turned on and my roommate is had the ability to choose among various fantasy char­ playing a game of NHL Breakaway on acters such as wizards, elves or dwarfs. The player was Nintendo 64. I decide to join in on the game, able to control her destiny as various challenges arose. and by the time it is over, I’m ready to take a nap The popularity of the D&D format made it the basis again. of many of the RPG games that currently dominate After spending an hour of real life watching my the gaming market. simulated self perform these tasks on Electronic Arts’ In a report studying the impacts of Everquest, a The Sims, the banal redundancy of the proceeding recent variant on the traditional RPG, Nicholas Yee, shower led to a re-evaluation of my cyber self.

Ph.D. student at Stanford University and leading With the help of Internet chat, creating a fic­ researcher on the impact of MMORPGs (Massive tional identity has never been easier. But where does Multiplayer On-line Role Playing Games), found the line between real life and pixelated images that approximately one-third of the players he ques­ become blurred? Furthermore, when do alternate tioned believed that their real life relationships were realities facilitate real life failures? How has our soci­ suffering as a result of playing Everquest. Two-thirds ety been affected by the affliction of alternate per­ of the players questioned considered themselves to be sonalities? addicted to the game. As with most of these RPGs, EA Games describes The Sims as a chance to simulate characters to “happi­ ness by pursuing careers, making friends, The possibly harmful, addictive nature o f a and finding romance... and see what game like Everquest creates the potential happens when you make a complete mess of things.” What they fail to recognize, for real life traumas to occur as the virtual however, is that the addictive nature of line disintegrates. such games creates a false reality in which the users become entangled.

The Sims is not the only game that has hit computer gaming with such a large impact. Role-playing games (RPG) such as Halo or Everquest have taken over the psyches reasons for this psychological addiction range from of gaming console and computer users. When cou­ the communal networking between players to the pled with multi-player ability and high-speed attachment and time investment created by a desire Internet connections, these games have the potential to improve gaming status. The ability for a player to to do more than “simulate” real life. They reflect a become engrossed in a game with no ending becomes larger social implication in their extension of the vir­ all the easier. tual persona.

The potentially harmful, addictive nature of a Dr. Leon James, a professor of psychology at the game like this creates the potential for real life trau­ University of Hawaii, is attempting to unravel the mas to occur as the virtual line disintegrates. In 2001, concepts and effects of this new cyber reality. 21-year-old Everquest user Shawn Wooley committed According to James’ Web site, the concept of virtual suicide. Although previously diagnosed with depres­ reality is a mere extension of our day-to-day reality. sion and a schizoid personality, Wooley’s mother Communication to other individuals is facilitated launched a lawsuit against Sony Online through machines however this is not the same as Entertainment, creators of Everquest, following his communication to a machine. death. It is her belief that some event within the con­ “A hypertext link on the screen and the act of text of the game contributed to erratic behaviour and clicking on it with the mouse are physical, but the his eventual suicide. meaning is mental, having to do with intentions and So while my Sims persona continues to flourish interests... Every one of these downloading decisions now that my roommates have added the Hot Date is independently achieved by each person involved, expansion pack, the reality is that having sex 20 times in freedom and out of self-interest or desire,” writes a day will remain a mere fantasy. As anyone can James. attest, real sex is more gratifying than virtual sex— While this may be the case, the machine acts as my cyber persona has no real relevance other than an intermediary in which the human dimension of simple entertainment. Yee suggests that, “[if] you conversation is not as readily conveyed on the other consider yourself addicted to MMORPGs and your side of the machine. Internet chat lacks emotion both playing habits are causing you real life problems, or if verbally and physically, creating an environment in someone close to you has playing habits which are which it is easier for the user to become more disori­ obsessive and unhealthy, consider seeking the help of ented and disassociated with the real world. In com­ a professional counsellor or therapist who is trained bination with the establishment of a fantasy world, in addiction problems.” the role of cyber personas transcends the virtual land­ Spending time engrossed in reality will always be scape and, at times, spills over into reality. more productive than virtual reality. ■

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W e got a little worried when we discovered yet another Tribune editor with a devout cyber life. After initially dism issing him as one of those "on-line creeps/ like your lit­ tle brother w ho can always been found hunched over his keyboard, with images of the monitor reflecting off his greasy forehead, we decided to give SPENCER ROSS a chance to explain the cyber ego.

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We’ve been doing it for years

entertainment The M cG ill Tribune, Wednesday,

M a r c h 3, 2 0 0 4

^ÜLsic

Men of Steel are guitar Supermen Christopher Moore...... ...........^ The Men of Steel, featuring Dan Crary (US), Beppe Gambetta (Italy), Tony McManus (Scotland), and Don Ross (Canada), graced our aesthetic senses February 21 at Oscar Peterson Hall; their steel string guitar picking set­ tled the debate over whether real music is aesthetically superior to digital composition.

Emerging one by one on a darkened stage, they ren­ dered a picking medley that glittered and glistened in our imaginations, introducing themselves with charming solos.

Three songs into the set, after jesting “mon CD est le mieux" Gambetta delved into a solo of hypnotic Italian baroque blues that probed the loneliest shadows of our souls, dedicated to his hometown of Genova which he located on his own leg, not far below his knee. Even McManus was taken aback.

“When [Gambetta] plays really fast, only dogs can hear him” he said. McManus and Ross then swept us to rolling rural hills, picking out a jraditional French Canadian tune.

Before picking up the next piece, both Gambetta and McManus experimented with “Stairway to Heaven” as

either an Italian folk song or a Scottish pipe tune, remind­ ing listeners just how music is the international language.

Ross, formerly of Montreal, then graced us with “Quarrel with Caroline,” written for neighbours with whom hed quarrelled years ago. Intending to ‘get them back’ by giving them something beautiful, he gave us just that: an echoing of how much sadness quarrelling can bring.

After Crary mentioned that his CD was the wisest purchase because it had the longest liner notes and Ross reminded him that size isn’t what counts, Crary performed his charming solo. Then before intermission, all four picked out Norman Blake’s “Church St. Blues in an awe­ somely worshipful tone.

Post-intermission, the four masters continued to carry us through another aesthetic fantasy. Gambetta and Crary welcomed us back with a toe-tapping mountain bal­ lad, and Ross followed them up with a funky and bassy number off his latest album, Robot Monster, titled after an unbelievably terrible movie from 50 years ago.”

Shortly thereafter, Ross and Gambetta rendered the Acadian tune “Un Canadien,” and their chords cried out with a tragically nostalgic sense of loss. After performing a three-bagpipe-tune medley, McManus then backed up

Master of the acoustic guitar: he steel string never sounded so good.

Gambetta’s passionate rendition of a Genovan folk song about food, his picking having been easily mistakable for that of a mandolin.

The Men of Steel then returned for an encore, part­ ing us all on an upbeat note. It was a good way to say two nights; their presence had been exceptional, their music enchanting and hypnotic. They knew how to get comfort­ able and they knew how to make us comfortable. But most of all, they knew the secret to live music, and they shared a piece of that with us. ■

The story of one rising star Panthea Lee

Matthew Barber really doesn’t know what hit him.

Poor fella.

Flashback to a year ago: Barber had just finished university. He was working a warehouse job. His plan? Didn’t have one.

Sounds like the tale of many a recent uni­ versity graduate, right?

Not quite. This is where his path diverges: the music business came aknockin’ and things got a little more inter­ esting.

At the ripe age of 27, Barber has just released his second album, the six-song EP entitled The Story o f Your Life, on Warner Music. The Port Credit, Ontario, native has been touring extensively, and was in town with his band, the Union Dues, on February 19. For someone who has had a chance at rockstardom placed convenient­ ly in his lap, Barber is almost painfully blasé.

In the corner of Le Swimming pre­ show, Barber hunches over his happy hour beer. With a white T-shirt covering his lanky frame and his blazer collar cocked up, he is a snapshot of indie-hipster cool.

As he chats about himself, his music, and his affinity for tigertail ice cream, there’s a trace of tension—his eyes scan the room as he shifts in his seat.

He seems a little unsure in his skin.

Whether he likes it or not, his identity is now a commodity and available for con­ sumption. And it is evident that he is grap­ pling with this new reality and the by­ products of mass exposure. He gives a

thumbs-up to the e-card created in his image— “it looks nice”— but remains undecided on the issue of his message board. Then again, he’s equally ambivalent about his career.

As is expected of someone who never imagined being in the music business, his

Barber: still a little rough round the edges.

words reveal apprehension. But, as he points out, what has he got to lose?

“I went to school, I was just kind of staying in school, putting off any major decisions. I’ve got a master’s [degree] in philosophy, so it’s not really like I’m quali­

fied to do a lot of jobs,” he shrugs. “I’m not expecting to be doing music forever...

I just want to have fun with it while it lasts.

“And I’m not counting myself out,” he adds hastily. “There’s always the chance that things could really happen. But I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket, I’m not counting on it.

His musical interests are varied. He digs the band Spoon. He cites Brendan Benson as a major influence. He drums in a side project. When prompted about that, he describes it as “old school, really serious country music,” and then makes a really serious face. This writer cracks a smile, but Barber’s facial expression remains unchanged—the man is serious about his George Jones and Hank Williams.

Barber’s creations are beautifully craft­ ed, and as he wails and croons, his arms robotically pump away on his guitar with possessed fervour. His stance may be slightly awkward as inverted knees some­ times get in the way of hip gyrations, but Barber and the Union Dues pound hard.

The mousy-haired artist doesn’t seem particularly worried about his future as a “rising star.” This is no starry-eyed slave to a label-fed dream. He’ll just go back to the Daniel Dennett book he’s toting around right now and continue to ponder the question of free will in a deterministic uni­ verse.

Polished rock act he is not, but audi­ ences won’t mind. Barber’s charming and undeniably catchy introspective pop, cou­ pled with his aloof-but-endearing demeanour, will carry him through the Canadian indie landscape. ■

Eurotrip leads nowhere Julie Peters

........................ ...........

Other than noting that this is a film by the makers of Road Trip and Old School, with more nudity and inappro­ priate material than you can shake a tit at, there'just isn’t very much to say about Eurotrip. It is pretty much exactly what you would expect from this type of movie. Only slightly less funny.

Scotty (Scott Mechlowicz), an aver­ age American high school student, gets an unnaturally cruel send-off—involving a pierced and scary-looking Matt Damon— from his whorish girlfriend for being too “predictable.” So, predictably, he runs off to Germany to meet the love of his life, whom he met on the Internet.

Hilarity ensues. Or at least it is supposed to.

For the most part, this film is an attempt to find the best way to offend the greatest amount of people in the shortest amount of time. Lines are See EUROPEAN, page 17

WHAT:-

x

WHO: Scott Mechlowicz Kristen Kreuk

BY: O

Jeff Schaffer

RATING:

16 A&E

W

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Big sound, small ego— a chot with the Von Bondies

J S ÎC

Andrew W.K. proves he is more than just a pretty face town show in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in almost 10 years. You would expect a per­ Andrew W.K. will probably be forever former to be nervous about a homecoming labeled a novelty act, and his almost waist- of that magnitude; however, when ques­ length hair, ever-present white T-shirt and tioned about it before the Montreal show, jeans, and that picture of his face soaked in Andrew’s only worry seemed to be that blood haven’t done much to dispel this there wouldn’t be enough room in the image. I must admit that after my first few venue for kids to circle pit. listens to his full length debut, 7 Get Wet, I The T-shirt and jeans that have probably would have agreed that he was become one of his most distinguishing fea­ nothing more than a cleverly executed tures even stem from this desire to make it joke. known that Andrew W.K. does not think However, the more I listened to his he’s better than anyone else or that the album, the more I realized that it didn’t music he makes is better than any other matter if it was a joke or not. It was the music. The line between performer and music that made me feel good, was fun to audience is one that Andrew W.K. wants to listen to and seemed, perhaps through melt away “like a stick of butter,” leaving sheer volume and what sounded like sin­ behind a “swirling batter” of interaction. cerity, to transcend any irony that could This kind of mantra is easy enough to possibly have been attached to it. say, but the performance witnessed later Andrew W.K.’s February 15 perform­ that night proved that Andrew’s words ance at Cabaret was one stop on a brief carry true weight. The band, which tour that ended with Andrew’s first home- includes the former drummer of death metal legends Obituary, pounded out over an hour and a half of crushingly heavy and melodic power rock. The enthusiasm onstage was matched only by the excite­ ment of the audience.

Circle pits, sing-a-longs and more stage-dives than a Bold show at the Anthrax in ‘88 made this show an enter­ taining event. There was never a time when someone was not leaping onto Andrew’s back, grabbing the microphone, or launch­ ing themselves off of the P.A. system. As the set ended with an enormous pile-on for the last chorus of “Party Hard,” Andrew W.K. confirmed that this is indeed, “music [that] really likes [you] beyond a shadow of UNIVERAL-MUSIC.CO.IP a doubt.” ■ Rock and roll will never motherfuckin' die!

Greg Ellermann

VONBONDIES.COM

Another rock gem from Detroit: the Von Bandies are taking North America by storm.

Liz Treutler

“Were honest. Were not studio musicians, so what you see is what you get._ » That’s Jason Stollsteimer on his band, the Von Bondies, who played with the Gossip at Petit Café Campus on February 22. The members of the fourpiece outfit rocked through songs new and old, sharing vocal duties and smiles with each other onstage. But things haven’t always been so peachy for these twentysomethings from Detroit.

“We started a band to release angst and tension. We never thought anyone else would appreciate it the way we do,” Stollsteimer explains. “We toured so hard, with no money, no tour support... we just slept in the van. This was the last two, three years.”

The band’s hard work and dedication has paid off. It now has a wide fan base that is bound to grow with the March 9 release of its major label debut and third release, Pawn Shoppe Heart.

“We try to do the albums live, musically. Like, guitar solos—so cheesy to say— but they’re not overdubs,” said Stollsteimer of the recording process.

Fire With Water is an exhibit in testament to the strength and courage of survivors of Until now, Stollsteimer has sexual assault. It is intended as a space for expression in relation to the prevalent social been the sole songwriter, but he’s issue of sexual assault.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ‘FIRE WITH WATER.’ AN ART EXHIBIT.

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ROLLING DEADLINE: MARCH 10th 2004 Sponsored by The Sexual Assault Center of McGill Students Society

eager to see his bandmates contribute.

“They’re just shy about it.”

Stollsteimer cites distribution prob­ lems as the key issue behind the switch to a major label.

“We’d sell out the venue and there’d be 500 kids there, but none of them could get our CD except from burning it on-line.” Sire, the label that became renowned for signing the Ramones and the Pretenders, among others, seemed to be the best choice.

“Seymour Stein re-launched Sire Records using us as the stepping stone.

That’s kind of silly. How big are we?” laughs Stollsteimer. “At Sire, we’re one of three bands, so we get all the attention we want. We’re a young band, so we need a lot.”

Bassist Carrie Smith, guitarist Marcie Bolen and drummer Don Blum, joins guitarist Stollsteimer.

“Carrie’s the most leader-oriented.

She says I’m the father, because I have ideas. Marcie likes to get dressed up, while the rest of us don’t really seem to think about it. And Don is the most wellread, the most educated.”

What will continue is the Von Bondies’ shared energy and excitement onstage, which was alive and kicking in Montreal. Who knew? Turns out audi­ ences do appreciate it exactly the way the Von Bondies do. ■

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The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

A&E

17

^ P e a tr

En Manque dazzles and baffles Casey Reynolds

En Manque is a beautiful but often confusing jumble of emotions, both painful and sweet. It would be impossible to ascribe a definite plot or setting to this work and even more challenging to follow its proceedings. There is, however, an over­ riding and prevalent sense of loss that forces the viewer to engage in the situation onstage.

Translated from the English language play Crave, En Manque’s script comes from Sarah Kane, an innovative but troubled playwright who ended her life in 1999 at the age of 28.

The staging of the play is intriguing; there are four actors in the foreground,

seated for the most part in various types of chairs, and a large pile of broken chairs in the background. The audience is onstage, an accessory to the hauntingly and artfully lit cavern-like setting. The four charac­ ters—all of whom never leave the stage— are a younger and an older woman (Christiane Proulx and Mylène Fortin), and a younger and an older man (Michel Mongeau and Philippe Ducros, the plays translator).

They discuss many things; among them, needs, desires, hopes and despair, while the commentary bounces from one corner of the stage to the other. This set-up makes the dialogue difficult to follow, par­ ticularly for a non-native French speaker.

Concentrating on only one particular actor in order to get a better grasp on the increasingly erratic situation can make the viewer miss a good deal.

Performed by The Other Theatre, Proulx, Fortin and Ducros all stand out, with Mongeau making a valiant and often successful attempt to stay alongside them.

Proulx is particularly mesmerizing as a woman wounded possibly beyond repair.

The men use cigarettes and alcohol throughout most of the play as crutches for their pain. Although this can be distract­ ing, the four have a perfect, precise timing with one another. While they do not share common sources for their pain, a basic premise is conveyed; they are unable to form lasting attachments that withstand their innate human frailties, even when they need support the most.

European C o n tin u e d fro m p ag e 15

crossed left and right, and I’m not just talking country borders.

Granted, there are a few brief moments of cinematic amusement that make Eurotrip worth renting. Even this reviewer, nose high in the air, found herself doubled over in laughter when a street performer playing a robot clutches his testi­ cles and exclaims in French, “Oh, my robot balls!

There is certainly a niche for this kind of low-brow humour. And it’s a big niche. Many

MAXIME CÔTE

What En Manque lacks in clarity but m akes up in vice.

En Manque is fascinating but requires more than rudimentary French to under­ stand. Regardless of language, it demands the viewer pay constant attention and become involved in the drama. This is a challenging and absorbing piece with no fluff and no time for distraction. But this non-linear and unstructured conjecture is well worth paying all the more attention to it. ■

RoadTrip gone aw people that will be howling in the aisles during this movie and quoting fervently from it before they get out of the theatre.

However, humour without resorting to the use of a rotating vibrator/buttplug is not only pos­ sible, but has been done many times before. What Eurotrip is missing is the kind of comic presence, the likes of Will Ferrell in Old School, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in Zoolander, and the entire cast of Super Troopers. Those movies are classics of the low-brow genre. Eurotrip, though it has potential, just doesn’t make it to that level. ■

Adventure on the high seas C o n tin u e d fro m co v e r

■v

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dance moves that would make Steve Urkel look good.

Another standout is Sean Hutchins as the dash­ ing Pirate King, whose exaggerate bravado com­ manded attention.

Sullivan’s musical score is done justice by the orchestra, conducted skilfully by Savoy’s youngest ever musical director, Clive Chang. While the music is a forte of the production, it, unfortunately, over­ powers the performers at times, leaving some notes

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wafting into oblivion.

Hats off to Simpson for his swiff direction. His blocking utilizes the space well, and his direction is well-executed, infusing life into the simple but effec­ tive set.

What really distinguishes this rendition, how­ ever, is the choreography of Lauren Posloski. The moves are crisp and polished, but each with a dis­ tinctly comedic touch. Her intricate sequences and inventive routines tell the story through imaginative gestures of pageantry.

Over 80 students came together for Savoy’s 40th-anniversary show. The strength of the chorus, the magnificent choreography and the unexpected antics in this sparkling treatment carry the show.

The combined strength of the ensemble is irre­ sistible. If for nothing else, go as a means of escape and indulge in this tale of honour and of love.

Thought all pirates were rum-swigging, damsel­ chasing, gold-looting barbarians? Think again.

Pirates o f Penzance shows that the oft-misunder­ stood title characters are tenderhearted, genteel orphans that just need some love.

So don’t miss the boat, and go show them some o’ that lovin’ feeling. ■

5 1 4 - 4 9 9 - 8 0 8 2 Permanent Residency • Family Sponsorship (jnduding same sex ooçles) Investors • Citizenship • Visitor’s Visa • Student Visa • Work Permit Care-giver Program • Refugees T H E C A N A D IA N IM M IG R A T IO N C O U N C IL

WHAT:

Pirates o f Penzance

WHEN:

March 4-6, 11-13 (8 pm), March 3 (2 pm)

WHERE:

Moyse Hall, Arts Building

INFO:

www.savoy.ca

400 St-Jacques Street West, suite 300, Montreal (Quebec) H2Y1S1 www.immigrationcouncil.com

JEFF CASSIDY/MCGILL SAVOY SOCIETY

We are the very models of Savoy brilliance.

18 A&E

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Another Osama worth seeking M a tta A rn o t After the fall of the Taliban, Afghani director Siddiq Barmak immediately began work on a fictional film that would help set the record straight and dramatically reveal the regimes brutal human rights violations.

Completed last year, Osama is a hauntingly real and honest depiction. Presumably set in the late-90s, it captures the struggle of one

WHAT:

Osama

WHO:

Marina Golbolari, Zibaida Sahar

DIRECTOR: Siddiq Barmak RATING:

• k ic k 'k

young and courageous girl in the midst of “Osama” is inadvertently put into several incredibly dangerous circumstances. compromising situations, narrowly escap­ While both realistically and beautifully ing revelation as a girl that would mean filmed, Osama is sure to intrigue and maybe almost certain execution under Taliban law. even astonish viewers who are probably The film’s characters are well por­ already well aware of the Talibans extremist trayed, especially its protagonist, who wins doctrine. the audience’s sympathy immediately. From As the film opens, the audience is the grandmother’s (Hamida Refah) wisdom drawn into a society where strict ideology to the charming kindness of a young boy rules the desert landscape. Set in a small (Arif Herati) who protects “Osama,” this Afghan village, the movie focuses on a little movie is worth seeing for its heart-warming girl and her widowed mothers struggle to compassion and dignity. put food on the table despite the extremist With its obvious political message, government’s sexually discriminatory work Osama portrays the suffering of women in policy. Starving and seeing no other Afghanistan, injecting hope in a cruel and options, the mother (Zubaida Sahar) is difficult part of the world. However, the forced to disguise her 12-year-old daughter downward conclusion leaves the audience (Marina Golbolari) as a boy in order to wondering where things go from there. secure a job that will allow the family to sur­ The movie is so compelling because it vive. ventures into the Taliban’s Afghanistan and As the story progresses, the renamed reveals the injustices perpetrated against a

wartorn and neglected nation while telling a tragic and somewhat inconclusive eye­ opening story that is difficult to forget. ■

One girl's plight for justice in Osama.

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Lindsay Peters

At one point in Who’s Afraid o f Virginia Woolf one character comments, “I love familiar stories; they’re the best.”

This- sentiment seems to nicely summarize the general feeling of the Saidye Bronfman Centre Theatres latest production. This revival of Edward Albee’s harrowingly honest exposition of a 60s mar­ riage on the verge of a nervous breakdown has an engaging, rhythmic, almost cyclical, quality, com­ posed of biting one-liners and devastating, yet hilar­ ious, insults.

Though the ever-increasing commonality of divorce was hardly a consideration when Albee penned the piece, one can’t help but wonder whether today’s reality would interfere with the overall effec­ tiveness of the play. In this day and age, a scenario where two male leads declare their intentions for marriage might be considered more relevant.

Calm your fears—while the social impact of the play may have diminished somewhat, the play’s abil­ ity to entertain remains untouched. This latest pro­ duction proves that the themes of truth versus illu­ sion, career advancement, the power of language, and the addictive nature of love/hate relationships have enduring appeal.

The performances of the two leads were note­ worthy. The flawless comedic delivery of Ric Reid as George, the abashedly antagonistic husband and his­ tory professor, is a central contributor to the play’s sucam sbm v

a graat tarn? mû

w m m m m

WHAT:

Who’s Afraid o f Virginia W oof

WHEN:

Running until March 7

WHERE:

Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts (5170 Côte-SteCadierine)

PRICE:

$16 students, up to $38 general

On 3 ^ tto . MeT-wf s h

CONTACT: (514) 739-7944

MONTREALMIRROR.COM

The entertaining ups and downs of marriage.

cess. He is perfectly matched against Brenda Robins, who plays the role of his wife, Martha, with a fine layering of intensely sarcastic contempt over under­ stated compassion.

Reid and Robins are effectively countered by Allan Hawco and Patricia Fagan, who play the young couple subjected to George and Martha’s destruc­ tive relationship. While Fagan’s character, the aptly named Honey, is somewhat limited in her role as the innocently oblivious young wife, Hawco is allowed to rise to the level of Reid and Robins in his character’s greater emotional range.

One unexpected element of the play that the audience should be prepared for is its length— the production has two intermissions, and clocks in at nearly three and a half hours. But the length is pro­ portional to the quality of Virginia Woolf, malting the SBC’s production a credit to the legacy of the recently deceased Albee. ■

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S S M U “ W h a t ’s

O n ”C a l M A R C H

S S M U C o u n c il M e e tin g s: H eld e v e ry o th e r

A i M onday

T h u r s d a y in th e Lev B u k h m a n C o u n c il

2 0 0 4

"V X P

ifli #% T u esd a y

W ed n esd a y

T h u rsd a yI

F r id a y

Senate Caucus

McGill Drama Festival

Equi-Tea Tim e

(SSMU; 5 pm )

(Players' Theatre; 8 pm)

SSMU C ouncil M eeting

Pirates of Penzance or the slave of duty (Moyse Hall; 8 pm)

S a tu r d a y PiratesofPenzanceorthe slaveofduty (MoyseHall; 8pm) McGill DramaFestival (Players' Theatre; 8pm)

McGill Drama Festival (Players' Theatre; 8 pm)

Sunday

R o o m at 6 :0 0 pm .

(Bookstore; 4:30 pm) (Council Room; 6 pm)

Pirates o f Penzance o r th e slave o f duty

(Moyse Hall; 8 pm)

F o r m o re d e ta ile d

M cGill D ram a Festival

in fo rm atio n a b o u t

(Players' Theatre; 8 pm) @G ert's

ind ivid u al e v e n ts,

TNT

p le a s e v isit w w w .s s m u .c a an d c lic k on “C a le n d a r ”.

iT iC I M o n d a y £# "Globalization or PostGlobalization? Viable Alternatives for a Socially & Ecologically Sound Economy" (Leacock 26; 6 pm)

#% T u esd a y Senate Caucus (SSMU; 5 pm)

McGill Drama Festival

W ed n esd a y McGill Drama Festival (Players'Theatre; 8 pm)

(Players' Theatre; 8 pm)

Tuesday Night Live: "Comedy Uncensored" (Gert's)

*To get your event in this calendar for free, please e-mail Farah Qasemi, the SSMU Communications Commissioner at cc@ssmu.mcgill.ca two weeks in advance.

Deadline for March events submission: March 12, 2004 at midnight.*

T h u rsd a y

F r id a y

Mediterranean Food Festival (11:30 am- 4:00 pm ; Shatner Ballroom) CISNational Women's IceHockey Championships (McConnell Arena) Pirates of Penzanceor the slaveof duty(MoyseHall; 8pm) McGill Drama Festival (Players' Theatre; 8pm) TNT@Gert's

CIS N atio n al W om en's Ice H ockey C h am p io n sh ip s

(McConnell Arena) Pirates of Penzance or th e slave of du ty (Moyse Hall; 8 pm)

S a tu r d a y CISNational Women'sIce HockeyChampionships (McConnell Arena) PiratesofPenzanceortheslave of (M oyse ll;a8lp(m Mcdu GilltyD ram aFH eastiv Pla)yers^ Theatre; 8pm) Jlgl

,

(Players' Theatre; 8 pm)

Sunday CISNational Women'sIceHockey Championships(McConnell Arena):GoldMedal Game (McConnellArena; 1pm)

F r id a y

S a tu r d a y

McGill D ram a Festival

m m

M onday

T u esd a y Senate Caucus

W ed n esd a y

T h u rsd a y

3

TNT@ Gert's

(SSMU; 5 pm)

SSMU Council Meeting

(Council Room; 6 pm)

Sunday

SCORE BOARD

BASKETBALL Rouge et Or 95, Redmen 79

Playoff-bound Redmen unimpressive

Basketball (W) Fri. Feb. 27 Bishop's

75

Martlets

43

Sat. Feb. 28

Andrew Patton_________________

Laval

76

Martlets

62

Basketball (M) Fri. Feb. 27 Redmen

89

Bishop's

68

Sat. Feb. 28 Laval

95

Redmen

79

Hockey (W) Sun. Feb. 22 Ottawa

4

Martlets

2

McGill loses series 2-0

Indoor Soccer (W) Fri. Feb. 27 Martlets

2

Lakehead

1

Sat. Feb. 28 Collège FX. Garneau

1

Martlets

0

Sun. Feb. 29 Montréal

1

Martlets

0

Indoor Soccer (M) Fri. Feb. 27 Redmen

1

ETS

0

Sat. Feb. 28 Montréal Alumni

3

Redmen

0

Sun. Feb. 29 Sherbrooke

1

Redmen

0

The McGill Redmen have a long way to go— and a short time to get there—if they hope to pull off an upset in the Quebec University Basketball League semi­ final. The latest poor performance in a disappointing season for the Redmen was in Saturdays regular season finale at Love Competition Hall, where they fell to Laval 95-79.

The 15-1 Rouge et Or will host 412 McGill in a one-and-done play­ off rematch on Sunday.

Laval’s victory can be credited to simply being tougher physically than the overworked and under­ sized Redmen, who secured the conferences fourth and final playoff spot the previous night with a victo­ ry over Bishop’s at Lennoxville.

“That’s Laval’s forte. They come out and they physically pound you,” said Head Coach Nevio Marzinotto. “Considering [that we played Friday] night, and Laval hasn’t played in a week and they didn’t play [Friday] night, I think physically we might have looked a little tired out there.”

Despite the lack of rest, McGill stayed close throughout the first half, and even held a 23-21 lead nine minutes in. That would be the only time McGill would be up, though they stayed close through­ out the half, trailing 47-40 at the break.

After a slow first three minutes of the second half, however, McGill’s fatigue began to show. By the time nine minutes had elapsed, Laval had increased its lead to 21 points.

The Redmen kept the game respectable by fighting back as the

second half wore on, closing the gap to 12 on a three-point play by Derek Armstrong. The fourth-year guard from Montreal took advan­ tage of a fast break and hit a reverse layup, then made his foul shot, cut­ ting Laval’s lead to 74-62 with just over seven minutes remaining.

Armstrong finished with a gamehigh 21 points.

Soon after, Denburk Reid was credited with a particularly nice assist. He whipped the ball from near the three-point line to Armstrong, who made a layup on the weak side. The dime, Reid’s 137th of the season, set a McGill single-season record. It also gave Reid 500 assists for his career.

Buoyed by their floor general’s

passing skills— Reid finished with a team-high six assists— the Redmen refused to give up. Two of Greg Rembeyo’s 12 points brought the team to within 10 at 81-71 with four minutes left, but Laval responded with seven unanswered points to quash any hopes of a comeback.

The game was the last for grad­ uating seniors Reid, Armstrong, Kevin Boyle, Craig Clare, Greg Kennedy and Nick Landry in front of their home fans. It was not a par­ ticularly memorable finale for Reid, who has provided McGill spectators with many highlights over his four years. The diminutive point guard finished with just six points, while shooting 1 for 15 from the field,

including 0 for 9 from three-point range. He attributed his own strug­ gles, as well as those of his team, to Laval’s suffocating defence.

“We [tried to] make a move, but they were so physical and they wear you out,” Reid said.

Despite losing all four games against Laval this season by an aver­ age of 21.5 points, Marzinotto believes that his team can defeat the powerful Rouge et Or if it main­ tains a positive attitude. Although this season’s disheartening results would indicate otherwise, perhaps Reid and Armstrong have enough in them to extend their collegiate careers by at least one game. The Redmen will find out on Sunday if the glass slipper fits.

HOCKEY Return of the Queen

St-Pierre back to help Martlets go for gold Karen Kelly

tar goaltender Kim St-Pierre has returned to the Martlets for one last run at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport women’s hockey champi­ onship. The 25-year-old kinesiolo­ gy student played for the Redmen during the regular season, but decided to return to the women’s team after not dressing for her last seven games with the men.

St-Pierre saw action in four games while playing for the men, finishing with a 1-2-0 record. She became the first woman in CIS his­ tory to post a win in a men’s regular

S

season game on November 15 at Ryerson.

The veteran netminder expressed disappointment at her lack of ice time with the Redmen, but also eagerness to move on with the Martlets.

“I knew it wouldn’t be that easy for me this year,” St-Pierre said.

“I was expecting to play a little bitmore, but sometimes it happens and I told myself to just keep prac­ ticing hard.

“The guys were nice to me and it was a great experience. Now it’s over, and I’m really glad to be able to join the women’s team,” she added.

Martlet goaltenders Kalie Townsend—who enjoyed the majority of the ice time this year— and Delphine Roy will see their roles change with St-Pierre’s return.

Head Coach Peter Smith said they will share backup duties over the course of the national champi­ onship tournament, which McGill hosts March 11 to 14.

Roy was aware that St-Pierre might return since the beginning of the season, when the CIS granted St-Pierre permission to play for both teams.

“Peter [Smith]... said there was a possibility that Kim was going to come back,” Roy said. “He

has been really nice because he told us from the beginning and he asked us how vye were going to react. He really talked with all the girls.”

Townsend plans to keep up her normal practice routine in case she does have to fill in for St-Pierre, but she knows the chances are slim.

“I suppose there’s always the possibility that she’ll be hit by a bus or something tomorrow,” Townsend joked. “I’m just going to keep practicing like I’ve been doing all year and be ready just in case. If I get some minutes, great.”

St-Pierre’s return has received considerable support, said team captain Audrey Hadd, since it was a

team decision. She added that cohe­ sion among the players remains strong.

“It’s a weird situation,” Hadd acknowledged, “but she still played with a couple of the girls in previ­ ous years, so the team knew her before she came in. And she’s the best goalie, so for sure you want to use that.”

Smith is counting on StPierre’s experience, which includes victories at the World Championship and Olympic levels, to lead the Martlets to gold.

“This will be her fourth time See WOMEN, page 22

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Sports

21

BASKETBALL Rouge et Or 76, Redmen 62

Lovai leaves Martlets smarting McGill not focused on meaningless contest as playoffs loom Andrew Patton

Lightning did not strike twice for the McGill basketball Martlets.

In their final home game of the sea­ son Saturday, McGill was defeated soundly 76-62 by the Laval Rouge et Or—a team it upset just two weeks earlier.

The loss dropped the Martlets’ Quebec conference record to 6-10, while the No. 10-ranked Laval improved to 12-4. The game had no bearing on the Martlets’ position in the standings, however, as they had long wrapped up fourth place in the Quebec Student Sport Federation, and will face Bishop’s in tonight’s semifinal game. It was, however, the last home game ever for fifth-year guard Cheeka Mitchell and fourth-year forward Anne-Marie Jekyll.

Saturday’s loss, as well as Friday’s 75-43 drubbing at the hands of Bishop’s, can be attributed to the Martlets’ being hobbled by injuries. Anne-Marie Scherrer played only 14 minutes on Saturday, and Mitchell did not play at all. Another explanation for the two big defeats is that McGill used both of the games to prepare for the postseason.

“Our mindset the last couple of games has been to* get ready for playoffs, and clean up some stuff in our offence and defence,” explained forward Sarah Gagné.

“There’s the possibility we’ll face [Bishop’s and Laval] in that exact order Wednesday and Saturday,” Head Coach Ryan Thorne noted. “I think it gave us the opportunity to see a lot of what they are going to do.”

Against Laval, the game was effectively over for the Martlets by

halftime, with the scoreboard read­ ing 45-26 for Laval. When the sec­ ond half began, McGill matched Laval’s offensive output for the first five minutes, and slowly began to close the gap. Although McGill outscored Laval by five points in the second half, it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the first-half deficit.

A large part of the problem was the Martlets’ inability to maintain possession, something that has plagued them all season. That, combined with excellent offensive rebounding by the Rouge et Or, meant that McGill had significant­ ly fewer possessions than Laval, and

the Rouge et Or used those extra chances to put the game out of reach.

“We have to limit our turnovers,” said Thorne. “If we take care of the ball, we should be okay.”

Though Mitchell and Jekyll’s last game in front of a partisan McGill crowd was disappointing, they are hoping the season ends on a slightly sweeter note.

“A trip to the nationals would be amazing,” said Jekyll wistfully.

The Mardets will try and start that run when they face the Gaiters tonight at 8 pm.

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NICOLE LEAVER

McGill hopes to run Bishop's off the court tonight in Lennoxville.

11 Sports

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

-------- Adam Klevinas

The best of the best: What sets them apart? ’m surrounded. They’re everywhere, and I can’t escape them. I see them on a daily basis: at practice, in the local gyms and at restaurants.

Many of them don’t know who I am, but I know who they are. I’m talking about the world’s best athletes in my sport, sprint kayaking, who are all here training in Florida. This isn’t the first time I have Seen these athletes as they train for international competition, but this year I have learned so much from them.

The first thing I discovered is that these people are normal human beings who just happen to have remarkable athletic and physical abilities.

I go to bars with them on days off, eat with them and even play a week­ ly soccer game with them. They drink the same beer, eat the same foods and sleep just as much as I do. I practice just as hard and long as they do..

So what makes them world champions, and me a participant, at best?

As it turns out, it’s not just hard work, sleep and good nutrition that makes you one of the best in the world. Greg Wells, an exercise physiol­ ogist from the University of Toronto, provided me with some reasons.

Wells came down to Florida to work with my friend and teammate Adam Vankoeverden, a silver medalist at this year’s World Canoe/Kayak Championships. Adam and I started paddling only a year apart, at the same club, with the same coaches, training schedules and equipment, and have competed at the same National Championships for seven years.

Although we both picked up the sport very quickly, Adam’s collection of gold medals overshadows my bronze and silver medals.

After working with Wells, we realized that Adam’s body has an advantage over those of many other athletes: his lactate threshold is much higher, so he doesn’t get tired as fast when training and racing. I start to get tired when my heart rate hits 165-175 beats per minute, but Adam can give top effort until he gets to around 180 beats per minute. This means that he can go harder and faster without fatiguing as much. It’s the same advantage Lance Armstrong has over his competitors in the Tour de France.

Wells also explained why some of the other champions who are training with me have performed so well. For instance, triple Olympic gold medalist Antonio Ross has a lactate threshold that allows him to give 90 per cent of his maximum effort in training, without getting tired.

As well, Erik Larsen, a former world champion from Norway, can recov­ er more quickly between maximal efforts such as racing and hard train­ ing than most other athletes. This helped Larsen win two gold medals at the 2002 World Championships, in events that were contested less than an hour apart—a ‘feat that could never have been accomplished by even an average high-performance athlete.

It should be noted that achievements like Ross and Larsen’s are often the reason that athletes turn to performance-enhancing drugs.

Erythropoietin, also known as EPO, helps produce more oxygen-carry­ ing red blood cells for athletes, and is known to have been used by cyclists and kayakers to put them on the same playing field as those who produce more oxygen naturally. To some, it is a temping prospect when by-a-nose losses could be simply a product of genetics.

Another reason why some people become world-class competitors— while I am left in the dust—is that they start kayaking because it best suits their bodies. While I participated in a number of sports when I was younger, many of the former Soviet countries selected athletes from a young age to compete in a single sport for which they had the right phys­ ical abilities and build.

This couldn’t have been more apparent after watching the Hungarian canoe team practice. In Canada or the United States, a 6’ 7”, 270 pound man would surely be thrown into football gear. In Europe, they are more likely to be placed in a canoe. Imre Pulai, the aforemen­ tioned behemoth, has raced for Hungary at the last two Olympic Games and brought home several gold medals. He is a physical specimen like no other, and there is no way someone of my size could match him.

So where does this leave me, the average high-performance athlete?

I can continue racing and training for Canada for years to come, but the reality is I may never find myself on top of the medal podium. Although my goals in sport have not changed, I have realized that to be the best in the world, it takes much more than hard work and discipline. ■

I

ANDREW D0BR0W0LSKYJ, MCGILL ATHLETICS

St-Pierre hopes to rebound from a hip injury and lead the revamped Martlets to a CIS title.

Women chase elusive national crown Continued from page 20

out of five years that she’s been to the national championship, so she brings a great deal of experience to this level of hockey, and she brings an expertise too, so it makes a big difference,” Smith said.

Having the opportunity to practice with St-Pierre is enough to affect Roy, who has played with her in previous years.

“You always feel like she’s pushing and she’s so good that, just watching her... you learn so much because she’s so good tech­ nically.”

One piece of hardware missing

The CIS title is the most glar­ ing item absent from St-Pierre’s resumé. Besides being named McGill’s female athlete of the year for 2002-03, she also pocketed both the Brodrick trophy as the top player in CIS women’s hockey and the BLG Jim Thompson tro­ phy as the CIS female athlete of

the year. She has won both World Championship and Olympic gold, and was named the most outstanding goaltender of the Salt Lake City games in 2002. This will be St-Pierre’s last chance to win at nationals, as she graduates this spring.

The netminder has been side­ lined with a bruised hip, but she says the injury has healed and she is ready to play.

“I think it was the right deci­ sion for me, to just sit out for a week, and now I’m feeling very good,” she said. “I really believe that we have a great team this year to go to the end and play the gold medal game.”

St-Pierre will also be reprising her role between the pipes for Team Canada at the upcoming World Championship in Halifax.

She expects this year’s team will have a good chance at continuing its global dominance.

“We had two training camps, the Four Nations Cup, and we’re

going to get together 10 days before the Worlds, so I think we’re really going to be ready to go for the gold again this year.”

As for her hockey career postMcGill, she is focusing on prepa­ ration for the Winter Olympics in 2006.

“I have a few options,” she said. “Probably after the world championship I’ll start talking about going to Europe, or playing in Canada for awhile— maybe Calgary or Ottawa, or even stay­ ing in Montreal. Well see how it goes. I just want to play in the best place possible for me.”

St-Pierre said she would not rule out the option of playing for another men’s team.

“It’s a pre-Olympic year com­ ing, so I really want to train hard full-time, play hockey, have fun and be ready for the Olympics.” ■

THES p o rtsFILE Sport: Hockey Position: Winger Nickname: Shewy Birthday: November 29, 1982 Hometown: Lloydminster, Alberta Height/Weight: 6’0” 188 pounds Year and program: U0 Engineering Major accomplishments: Alberta Junior Hockey League all-star, Lloydminster Jr. A Blazers’ top scorer and team MVP Career aspirations: To play professional hockey in Europe Favourite pro team: Edmonton Oilers Favourite player: Owen Nolan Favourite movie: Gladiator Favourite band: Nickelback Favourite food: Chicken wings Favourite quote: “They are hurt and they won. We are fine and we lost.” —Kevin Lowe after his team lost the Stanley Cup final

The McGill Tribune, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

McGill women swim to Quebec title

Women's track team takes he Martlet track stars won 8 of 17 events en route to their overall victory at the Quebec champi­ onships in Ste-Foy on Saturday. The Martlets fin­ ished 40 points ahead of second-place Sherbrooke.

Troye Carrington of Kitchener, Ontario, won three gold medals, was named female performer of the meet for track events and earned athlete of the meet honours. She was first in both the 60m sprint and 300m race, as well as running the leadofif leg of the win­ ning 4x200m relay. She had also won an apparent fourth gold—in the 4x400m relay—but that was taken away when McGill was later disqualified when a protest revealed that Carrington had cut into the inside lane a half step too soon.

The mens team won three events, placing third, just one point back of Laval. Jim Merrick (shot put), Omar Gianfrancesco (300m) and Richard Dahlman (weight throw) were McGill’s gold medallists.

Sherbrooke won the men’s overall competition. ■

T

Carolyn McCabe and Heather Bell earned four gold medals each as McGill won nine of 20 races to cap­ ture the Quebec women’s swim championship at Memorial Pool on February 21-22.

McCabe, a kinesiology senior from Toronto, won a silver and bronze to go along with her victories in the 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly and two relays— the 4x50m free and the 4x100 free. Bell, a native of Barrie, Ontario, also won a pair of sil­ ver medals. She placed first in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, rhe 800m free and was part of the 4x 100 medley relay.

The mens team came in second overall behind l’Université de Montréal. McGill’s Ryan Tomicic of Aylmer won two gold medals (l 00m free, 4x50m relay) and a pair of sil­ vers.

McGill is now focused on preparing for the CIS championships in Toronto, Friday through Sunday.

Sports

23

Eleven women and five men qualified Lapierre named MVP but Martlets swept away

from McGill.

Redmen win but miss playoffs

Talk about your bad breaks. The men’s hockey team needed to win its final two games for a chance at a play­ off berth, and it did just that by beat­ ing the division-leading Ottawa GeeGees and rival Concordia Stingers.

After handing Ottawa an 8-2 loss on February 20 at home, the Redmen captured the Corey Cup by defeating Concordia 5-3 the follow­ ing night on the strength of five dif­ ferent McGill scorers.

However, with the Stingers’ upset win over UQTR the night before, Concordia earned the final playoff spot over the Redmen in the Far East division. McGill misses the post-season for only the third time in 21 years.

The Stingers went on to lose the best-of-three semifinal 2-0 to UQTR, and the Patriotes will play Ottawa in the division final this week.

Though her hockey team did not have the most valuable of per­ formances, Martlet winger Véronique Lapierre turned in a top showing of her own by capturing the QSSF Most Valuable Player award. She was also the only member of the Martlets to earn a spot on the conference’s first all-star team.

The 22-year-old psychology stu­ dent from Lac Mégantic, Quebec, scored a conference-leading 10 goals this season and finished second in the league scoring race with 18 poinrs in 17 games.

The senior forward could not single-handedly put her squad in the Quebec final, though, as the favoured Martlets were swept 2-0 in the QSSF semifinal against Ottawa last week­ end. Goaltender Kalie Townsend took the loss in each game.

McGill will next see action when it hosts the women’s national champi­ onship March 11-14.

TH IS (W EEK Basketball (W) W ednesday, M a rch 3, 8 :0 0 @ Bishop's

QUBL semifinal

Basketball (M) S unday, M a rch 7, 3 :0 0

@ Laval

dcivji rciwmnn

QUBL semifinal

The women's track and field team improved by leaps and bounds this year. The QSSF championship is theirs to keep, bring on the nationals.

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