The McGill Tribune Vol. 24 Issue 10

IVICG 7III

Curiosity delivers.

OPINION: En garde, evil foe, lest my foible foin your flesh

Vol. 24 Issue lO

FEATURE:

Allocating the blam^heml-appropriately

SPORTS: Community v-ball spiked in Off the Beaten Path Tuesday, November 2, 2004

PUBLISHED BY THE STUDENTS' SOCIETY OF M C G I L L UNIVERSITY

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Rasputina's leading gal M elo ra C reager wooed the audience with her strange breed of enthusiasm: "We are Rasputina, and w e are here to terrify you with our mojo.

See page 16

S S M U & C K U T o n s a m e w a v e le n g th University will no longer co lle ct radio station's student fe e "I'm co n fu se d !" you crie d .

EMILY HARRIS After months o f drawn-out negotia­ tions, the Students' Society and student-run radio station CKUT have come to a tenta­ tive agreement as to how they w ill merge.

In Novem ber 2 0 0 1 , the executive committee of M c G ills Board of Governors renewed their agreement with CKUT on the condition that they develop an agree­ ment with SSMU, making the Society responsible for collecting the student fee that funds the station. The executive com­ mittee was concerned about the lo w repre­

sentation of M cG ill students on CKUTs board of directors, the rising number of members with no association to the univer­ sity and any liability the university might have in the event of a defam atory suit.

Earlier this semester, because no agreem ent had been com pleted, the administration withheld part of CKUTs stu­ dent fees—a financial loss o f $ 7 0 ,0 0 0 for the station.

"CKUT gathers funding... annually in tw o ways," said G yve Safavi, student rep­ resentative to CKUT. "O ne is the $ 7 0 ,0 0 0 from students and the rest is from a station-

run funding drive. The student fees make up about 4 0 per cent of CKUTs annual budget."

W ithout these funds, the station was forced to decrease its budget substantially.

"It is evident that without the fee trans­ fer in the long term, CKUT w ill be unable to survive as a licensed radio station," Safavi said.

W ith this lack o f funding affecting the production of the station, CKUT and SSMU were finally able to come to an

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Fri., Nov. 5 Basketball vs Laval (W) 6pm & (M) 8 pm (Love Hall) Sat., Nov. 6 Martlet Hockey vs Concordia 2:30 pm (McConnell Arena) Tues., Nov. 9 Redmen Hockey vs Concordia 7:30 pm (McConnell Arena)

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Th is Week in M cGill Athletics - Play Offs * AHAMAm U* «VISAS'

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news NEWS SPECI AL

Where the "Yes" committees met Fall referendum debate focuses on Daily JAMES GOTOWIEC The four "Yes" committees for the questions that w ill appear on the fall referendum ballot gathered last W ednesday to present their cases to the electorate. The questions concern a change to the Students' Society base fee, a renewal of the Sexual Assault Centre of the M cG ill Students' Society levy, and tw o questions regarding the Daily Publications Society.

The most divisive issues of the evening were the two referendum questions pertaining to the DPS. The lack of "N o " committees on either question did not leave much room for debate, as Elections M cG ill specified that questions asked of committee members relate only to the specific referendum question under consideration.

Former SSMU executives and current members of the DPS Rodrigo DeCastro and Vivian Choy spoke in favour of opting out of the DPS's $ 1 0 yearly Fee. They said that the main reason they brought the question to the student body through a SSMU referen­ dum was because the DPS has no mechanism for discussing fee optouts.

"M y colleagues and I have been fighting for something we believe in—choice," said Choy.

Both DeCastro and Choy responded to the allegation'that allowing opt-outs would cripple the DPS by pointing to the Quebec Public Interest Research Group. Students can opt out of that three dollar fee, and QPIRG is not struggling to stay in business, they said.

The two "Yes" committee members also stressed that they were not seeking revenge on the Daily or trying to drive it out of print.

"W e're not making normative statements about the papers," said DeCastro. "It's not about the money, it's about giving students the choice."

"Yes" committee chairperson M ia G ewertz made a closing statement directly addressing members of the DPS who oppose the opt-out question.

"You're so concerned about the voiceless—w hy are you silenc­ ing them?" she asked.

Jeff Carolin, a member of the DPS board of directors as well as the "Yes" committee that is asking students to affirm the DPS's finan­ cial autonomy from SSMU, used his time at the microphone to dis­ cuss why SSMU should respect the autonomy of the DPS. Hypothetically, he argued, if the opt-out referendum were to pass, it would mean that the Daily and Délit editors would have to

think twice before printing stories uncovering the incompetence of SSMU leaders. "[They] would be forced to ask themselves: 'Is it a good idea to attack SSMU, when that could motivate them to lobby the Board of Governors to change our fee structure?"'

Carolin added that the DPS did not form a "N o " committee to argue against the opFout because they felt the question was unfairly worded. Posing their own question allowed the DPS the opportuni­ ty to "let students know how financial autonomy works," he said.

After the debate, Carolin challenged the validity of any SSMU referendum question dealing with the DPS. "This is basically the same as running a DPS referendum about SSMU," he said.

SACOMSS levy The Sexual Assault Centre of the M cG ill Students' Society also took the opportunity to argue for the renewal of their 7 5 cent per semester fee, which must be approved by students every three years.

The "Yes" committee member said that the fee pays for a help line, walk-in centre, library, and nine different support groups. "[SACOM SS] is the only Montreal group which operates these, services without a waiting list," committee member Denise Doucet said. "I don't see how w e can not fund this again."

SSMU base fee Acting SSMU President Andrew Bryan and Vice-President (Communications and Events] M ark Sward spoke in favour of an increase of the base fee students pay each semester. If passed, the fee w ill increase by three dollars immediately, which would be off­ set by the elimination of the three dollar per semester SSMU daycare fee. In addition, the fee would be indexed to inflation every year afterward.

"The SSMU base fee hasn't been adjusted in 12 years," said Bryan, pointing out that the real value of the fee has decreased by $ 6 .3 7 over those years. He said this amounted to a total loss of $ 2 5 0 ,0 0 0 every year.

"O ur costs keep going u p ... so it gets increasingly difficult for us to subsidize our 1 5 0 clubs and services," he said. "W e can't make up the quarter million every year." ■ Vote by logging on to w ww.ssm u.m cgill.ca/vote. Polling ends tomorrow at 5:0 0p m .

D O U B L E TAKE

Ad Watch, Fact-checking campaign tactics that stretch the truth A d for the Students' Society base fee referendum: "The SSMU pays fo r... extended lib ra ry hours."

Setting the record straight: The SSMU does not in fact pay for extended library hours during exam periods. Rather, students

Setting the record straight: W h ile it's true that the Daily and Le Délit are the only media outlets on campus that are both finan­ cially and politically autonomous, there are at least five student-

have the M cG ill Student Fund to thank for late-night library

run media organizations that are politically and editorially autonomous from SSMU: The Daily, Le Délit, The M cG ill Tribune,

the fee, now known as the M cG ill Undergraduate Student Fund, from $ 3 8 per semester to $ 1 9 .

TV M cG ill, and CKUT. Let's restate this—the students elected to

Setting the record straight: Members of the "Yes" commit­ tee were passing out two handbills last week. One, titled "The

How dear do you think the arguments have been regarding the two Daily referendum questions?

"I think they've been unclear as can be. I see posters every­ where, but I d o n 't know w here I'm supposed to vote or w h a t it's really about."

—M a x Woertendyke, U3 History "It has been unclear. I just read the N aeem Datoo article in the D aily ['Former SSMU prez w eighs in on D aily debate, 2 8 .1 0 .0 4 '], but if I hadn't read that I w o u ld n 't know w hat it's about. The posters are really confusing."

—M ike Poblete, U 3 Religious Studies "I only heard the D aily side, and I d o n 't understand w h y the ex-SSMU VPs w a n t to get rid o f the Daily's autonomy. I did n 't get to hear the other side."

— G race Kim, U 2 English "I'm pretty confused. I d on't understand the arguments. People stand up and class and say vote 'yes' or vote 'n o ,' but I still don't really understand the issues."

—Alissa Akins, U 2 International Development Studies "I think they've been pretty clear. I guess I see w hat they're talking about."

—M ichelle Lee, U 2 Environment "I think it's been pretty clear, both in the papers as w ell as in the signs that have been put up. The message has been spread. " —Christina M alfitano, U 3 A rt History "I think both sides o f the argument were presented at a late date. They could have been presented earlier so w e w ould have more time to understand the issue."

—Liz Wiseman, U 2 Political Science "I think it's been presented pretty clearly, but there's not enough information unless people g o out and inform themsèlves.

There are flyers up everywhere, but most people have no idea what's going on."

—Robert G izicki, Pre-Med "I heard a lot o f shit about all that stuff. W hat's the deal? I think the arguments totally have not been m ade clearly whatsoev­ er. O n e girl cam e into one of my classes and she w a s all for vot­ ing not to be able to opt out. But if it w asn't for that speech, I w ouldn't have heard anything about it."

—Elie Isenberg-Grzeda, U 3 Physiology "The thing I am most confused about is whether or not it is binding. Voting "Yes." means you shouldn't have to p a y if you don't w a n t to, w h ile the D aily is the only paper unconnected to SSMU, right?... I heard that it isn't b in d in g ."

—Kate Ranachsa, U3 Political Science

pressure and the press."

access. In a referendum last spring, students voted to decrease

A d fo r D aily fee opt-out referendum: "The unpublished letter" and "The H yde Park the D aily w o n 't run."

STREETER

run SSMU have no control over the content of these products.

Also, DPS posters claim the Daily has been "Fighting to remain independent since 191 1." This is a cute play on the paper's motto, but it is worth pointing out that the Daily only

"I d o n 't think they are very clear. There are tw o questions, both involving a 'Yes.' W h e n you see the posters too, they can be confusing. There is a very vocal Daily-ite coalition, w hich is great.

But the tw o factions, the SSMU one and the D aily one are very vocal and I feel that the argument is lost in the fray. N othing specif­ ically confuses me, though. I personally find the arguments annoy­ ing. Those little pieces o f paper that they stick in our faces— it's a waste o f paper, and they're everywhere. If one more person shoves a piece o f paper with the Pedigree Girls on it in my face, I'm gonna scream."

—Jonathan Naym ark, U 3 History

became independent from SSMU in 1981.

unpublished letter," reprinted a letter committee member Vivian

Stump speech: "Five dollars of our tuition goes to fund the

C hoy sent to the Tribune and the Daily. The other, called "The

Daily," a "Yes" committee member said in a class announcement

Hyde Park the Daily w on't run," contains the text of an opinion

last week.

piece submitted to the Daily by committee member Rod DeCastro. These titles imply that the Daily purposely avoided printing the submissions. In fact, neither the Tribune nor the Daily

Setting the record straight: The five dollars M cG ill collects from each undergraduate on behalf of the Daily is not part of tuition, but its own separate fee. Further, in comparing the Daily’s

printed Choy's letter because of an Elections M cG ill ruling that

funding structure to the Tribunes, there has been some confusion

prohibits members of "Yes" committees from contributing to cam­

as to where exactly the Tribune gets its money. As of this year, the

pus publications during the campaign period.

Tribune receives $ 1 6 0 from SSMU for its production costs,

A d fo r Financial autonom y o f the D aily Publications Society referendum: "[The Daily and Le Délit] are financially and

should the paper need it. The services of its advertising manag­ er and typesetter, as well as its office, are provided by SSMU; in

editorially autonomous from SSMU. Vote YES to ensure that

terms of production costs, however, it is completely self-sustain­

SSMU will continue to respect the separation between political

able through advertising. ■

. "It isn't so clear... I found out a lot about it at the debate. I don 't think people even know w h a t they're voting for. It seems like SSMU wants to give students a choice and to make the Daily accountable to the students. I am not sure w hy the D aily d id n 't form a 'N o ' committee to counter the SSMU committee and I don't understand the relevance o f the D aily question.”

—Sushmita Shivkumar, U 3 International Development Studies and Economics "I d o n 't know if either of these questions is binding. If both [questions] pass as 'yes,' w h a t w ill happen?"

—Denise Doucet, U 3 International Development Studies COMPILED BY KEVIN AFSHARI, MCISAAC, A N D LAURA SABA

HEATHER H A Q

LAWRENCE,

R. SCOTT

the m cgill tribune | 112.04 | news

Clearing the air The Tribune News Team sat down with both "Yes" committees to get to the bottom of some of the murky questions and claims currently circulating

Jeff C arolin, member o f the "Yes" Committee for the DPS autono­ my question: The Daily says it needs autono­

my, what exactly is that?

"The basic idea is that right now the DPS as a legally autonomous organization that is only accountable to students. [W here students] can write without fear and intimidation from the SSMU and the administra­ tion."

"The Daily does publish every letter that comes in so long as [they

Vivian Choy is a member o f the "Yes" committee for the Daily fee optout:

the "Yes" committee talk to the DPS before submitting the refer­ endum question?

The other "Yes" side claims that this referendum period is not a place for SSMU to comment on the DPS fee...

"W h e n you read that clause [ 16.1 2 e], it doesn't allo w you to feel welcom e, or that it's an open door. I recognize that it has been an over­ sight on our part and out of courtesy w e could have gone to them first, but I didn't feel they were approachable in that regard. If it was differently stat­ ed, w e might have felt more w el­ come to pose our question there. I mean, it's under the heading "inad­ missible questions." H o w welcom e does that make you feel?"

What about the claim that the Daily doesn't publish letters?

Why didn't the members of

MUSed up: More newspaper shenanigans

CKUT

Annual General Meeting

Why did the DPS not form a "No" committee?

"O ne, w e didn't want to legit­ imize their question by forming a ’N o ' committee, because w e don't think SSMU is the place to discuss issues of the DPS, but at the same time, recog­ nizing that their question is mislead­ ing, w e w anted to affirm the status quo by submitting our own question."

"I w ant to clarify that SSMU comments on fees all the time, from daycare, to tuition, to textbooks, to food providers. It's interesting that people .come from the school of thought that SSMU should not be com m enting on other student groups."

Members of the Daily Publications Society filed an informal complaint with Elections M cG ill after the Management Undergraduate Society took a position on the referendum questions surrounding the DPS in a mass e-mail to its members.

M c G ill Daily Coordinating Editor Daniel Cohen, w ho forwarded the email to Elections M cG ill, said that he was concerned because Managem ent Senator Kalanga Joffres is a member of the "Yes" committee for the Daily opt-out question. Daily editors did not know this when they printed a letter by Joffres last M onday. Members of the opt-out "Yes" committee received a formal warning as a result, as they are not allowed to con­ tribute to campus media during the cam­ paign.

Deputy Returning O ffice r Tania Jenkins said that Elections M c G ill officials

are] free o f racist, sexist, or homopho­ bic content. [The exception to thisj is during a cam paign period. The chief returning officer has forbidden [letters from members o f any of the 'Yes' com­ mittees]."

determined that M U S Vice-President Com munications Panthea Lee, not Joffres, authored the e-mail.

"W e found out that the e-mail went through the proper channels of approval," said Andrew Carvajal, chief returning officer. "So everything turned out to be O K." Lee, who is also a Tribune columnist and former editor, must approve any email that is sent via the M US listserv beforehand.

According to Carvajal, an unsolicit­ ed e-mail is not a violation of electoral by-laws as long as members of the "Yes" or "N o " committees were not involved in sending or approving the e-mail.

O n Friday, M US executives posted their position on their W e b site, w w w .musonline.com.

—Laura Saba

Elections, department and com m ittee reports, proposed b y-la w changes

By-law consultation, November 15, 2004 Pharmacie Esperanza 7-9pm 5490 St-Laurent (corner St-Viateur) bylaws@ckut.ca

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Rod D eC astro o f the "Yes" com m ittee fo r a D a ily o p t-o u t-a b le fee:

Why should students be able to opt out of the Daily fee?

"W h ile it doesn't exclusively a d vo cate for opt-outs, it has repeat­ e d ly d one so in the past, and w e w o u ld like to challenge the o rg a n i­ zation to lead by exam ple."

You have been classified as a former SSMU executive who is only doing this because you hate the Daily, care to comment?

"B e in g

a

bitter

executive

Daniel Cohen, the Daily coordi­ nating editor, responded to our ques­ tions pertaining to the constitutional aspects o f the arguments:

The constitution was created in such a way that students at large cannot submit to the CRO a question reducing or eliminating DPS mem­ bership or fees... can you clarify this idea?

"SSMU council must approve any question relating to Society fees.

Similarly, the DPS Board o f Directors must approve any question on a change to DPS fees. The purpose, in both cases I think, is to ensure stability."

3

w o u ld n 't be enough to make me w a ke up at 7am for the past w eek a n d put up posters. Exposing hypocrisy— I'll get up for that."

So the claim that the three former executives are only doing this for vengeance?

"W e ll, my response easily is, three signatures [aren't] sufficient to start a student referendum. So when they say it's three former executives, w e ll, they should say it's three former executives and 4 9 7 other people w h o d e c id e d to put this question on the b allot."

What about the clause [16.12el in the DPS constitution that does not allow fee reduction?

"Look, prohibiting a fee reduction is sensible... Inflation w ill eat aw a y at our finances every year, as is the case with SSMU. Since our fee isn't pegged to inflation, w e'll be forced to go to stu­ dents every few years just to keep funds stable anyway."

When can students go to talk and learn about DPS issues?

"W e usually hold our Annual General M eeting in the middle of M arch, and w e usually pick the date in the middle of the second semester." ■

4

N A T I O N A L NEWS

news | 112.04 | the mcgill tribune

Youth vote soars in fed election NEWS ANALYSIS ...........M A X SHAPIRO

Researching for work Undergrad research jobs m ay b e available KEVIN AFSHARI

JULIA SHONftELD

This looks way more fun than English homework.

cG ill may be a bastion o f diversity, academ ­ ing to promote research opportunities at all levels. The ics, annoying red tape, and the many other N a tio n a l Sciences and Engineering Research Council features generally associated with life at o f C a n a d a , for example, has funded more than research universities, and Principal Heather Munroe2 0 ,0 0 0 university students, postdoctoral fellows, and Blum has claim ed that undergraduates can benefit from professors in their advanced studies and has encour­ this kind of environment. Yet are undergraduates actu­ aged more than 5 0 0 C an a d ia n companies to invest in ally able to find research jobs? university research.

"M a n y [undergraduate research opportunities]'do Figures provided by NSERC's M e d ia and Public exist," said Dean o f Students Bruce Shore. "There are Affairs O ffice r M ich ae l Dwyer show that last year 1 8 4 some that are not taken advantage of, and there are M c G ill students received U ndergraduate Student students w h o w ould like such an experience and w h o Research Aw ards grants, totaling $ 8 2 5 ,7 5 0 . d o not know h o w to arrange it. So perhaps the con­ These grants are focused solely on science and nections are not as readily ava ila b le as they should or engineering research projects, highlighting the prob­ could be ." lem o f unequal research opportunities between the fac­ Students' Society Vice-President (University Affairs) ulties. A ccording to Bryan, the faculty of Science does and acting President A n drew Bryan agreed that a particularly g o o d job* w h ile other faculties, such as research programs are available to undergraduates at M usic and M anagem ent, are more hard-pressed for the university. research opportunities.

"M c G ill is a research-rich environment for every­ W ith in the Arts faculty, the departm ent o f political one, co m p a ra tiv e ly sp eaking — [the p rin c ip a l is] science is generally regarded as a more research-rich absolutely right," he said. "They have more undergrad environment. Political Science Professor Stuart Soroka, research opportunities than [d o ] most universities... w h o has five undergraduate students w orking with him [but] it's still not w here it ought to be."

The M assachusetts "[M y research job] helped me get over the cynical myth about Institute o f Technology, for McGill that the professors... only care about their research." instance, has a research proj­ ect program for any interested — Z a c h F inke lste in undergraduate.

Bryan said that more self-directed research projects, supervised by profes­ as research assistants, said that research opportunities sors, should be m ade available. remain more a va ilable to graduate students than under­ "It's important that research positions are well-pub­ grads.

"Professors [in political science] have been suc­ licized so that everyone knows about [them]," he said.

"I also think that it w ould be a positive thing for M c G ill cessful in grant com petition... [and] are alw ays look­ to d o a little bit of partnering with private industries in ing for research assistants. That's more the case at the order to a llo w people to be exposed to the research graduate level than the undergraduate level," he said. mission in private industries... [but] I'd prefer to see Arts U n d e rg ra d ua te S ociety Vice-President people doing self directed projects."

A cadem ic Zach Finkelstein, a political science student, Another possibility under consideration is the cre­ works for a professor in the department. ation of an Undergraduate Research O ffice, which "[M y research jo b ] helped me get over the cyni­ w ould a id undergraduates in finding suitable research cal myth about M c G ill that the professors hate the stu­ projects. Shore said that there are difficulties and con­ dents a nd only care about their research," he said. straints in creating such an office.

He expects the research experience and refer­ "It is too soon to know whether one w ould be cre­ ence letter w ill give him an "enormous competitive ated, or even if it is necessary or helpful, because advantage" in admission to graduate school. research is a very decentralized activity that takes Shore suggested several initiatives individual stu­ place all around the cam pus," he said. "I expect that dents can take to o b ta in a research project. the Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning w ill Departmental W e b sites, academ ic advisors, graduate eventually be interested in helping students get informa­ students, the work-study Web site, and department-spe­ tion about research opportunities, but it is much too cific bulletin boards can all be valuable resources. ■ soon to know h o w it might propose that M c G ill d o so."

Despite the lack o f an office dedicated to under­ The work study w e b site can be found at graduate research, there are national institutions w ork­ w w w . mcgill .ca /stu d e n ta id /w o rkstu d y

M

Dozens o f youth-oriented initia­ tives were launched in the run-up to the June vote. Elections C an a d a directly sent letters to over 1 . 1-million people w h o had recently turned 1 8, informing them o f their right to vote. Concerts touting the merits o f participating in the democratic process were also held.

In addition, a number of non-gov­ ernmental organizations and student groups, including the M c G ill Students' Society, undertook various projects to raise young voters' awareness about the im portance o f voting.

Political science professor Elisabeth G idengil d id not w ant to jump to conclusions as to w h y partici­ pation rates for young people rose.

A post-mortem report on voting patterns during the last federal election has revealed that young people turned up at the polls in much greater num­ bers than they d id four years ago.

A c c o rd in g to the Elections C a n a d a docum ent, overall voter turnout was the low est since Confederation, with just 6 0 per cent of elig ib le C anadians casting ballots.

However, am ong the 1 8 -3 0 year old dem ographic, results jumped from 2 5 per cent in 2 0 0 0 to 3 8 per cent in 2004. ■ The report credits the increase to a vigorous voter-awareness cam paign aim ed at disenchant­ ed and first-time vot­ ers.

"O ur outreach work with electors has been "O u r outreach productive." w o rk w ith electors — C h ie f Electoral O ffice r Jean-Pierre Kingsley has been produc­ tive ," sa id C h ie f Electoral O ffice r Jean"I can't give you a definitive Pierre Kingsley. "O ver the last few answer," she said, "but w hat seems to years, my office has expended consid­ have changed is that turnout began to erable effort to improve communica­ decline among the older age groups. tions with the electorate, paying spe­ In 1 9 9 3 , 1 9 9 7 , and 2 0 0 0 , by con­ cial attention to groups that traditional­ trast, the decline in turnout was largely ly have not voted in large numbers— in confined to the young." particular, young p e o p le and Another factor that G id e n gil said Aboriginal electors." might have been at play involves the O ver 5 0 ,0 0 0 of the 3 0 0 ,0 0 0 N e w Democratic Party. Those under young voters w h o were sent registra­ 3 5 w ere "tw ice as likely to vote NDP" tion kits were a d ded to the Register of com pared to those over 5 5 .

Voters over the spring months. During W ith Prime Minister Paul Martin's the election cam paign itself, Elections government in minority territory, it may C an a d a also w rote to the remaining be sooner rather than later that young 2 5 0 ,0 0 0 youth w h o had not respond­ voters w ill have their chance to be ed to previous initiatives and encour­ heard again at the ballot b o x — if they aged them to register to vote by con­ choose to, that is. ■ tacting their local returning officer.

C A M P U S NEWS

BoG hands over CKUT's funding W ithheld funds to b e returned Continued from cover agreement that satisfied both parties.

Vice-Principal Administration and Finance M orty Yalovsky is currently evaluating the draft. If approved, it w ill go before the Board of Governors and ultimately be ratified by SSMU Council.

According to Yalovsky, the. draft has been several years in the making.

He also noted that the fees were only withheld after several extensions of the

everything is g o o d."

Shahid said that the agreement w ill build an on-campus presence and emphasized that this goal was shared

by SSMU and the station.

M ichael Zackon, student repre­ sentative to CKUT, agreed.

"W e really feel that the tw o par­ ties have sat dow n and worked out what's best not only for CKUT and the SSMU but also for all students," he said. "W e think that the agreement w e've drafted makes us accountable

DAVE BRODKEY

Now even more students will be on the air. administration's deadlines.

"W h ile the process began three years ago, the extended delay in get­ ting a proposed document on this mat­ ter was entirely in CKUT's hands," he said. "I believe that significant progress has been made."

Sameen Shahid, SSMU vice-pres­ ident (clubs and services), also said that the process has produced results.

"W e have a draft and it is almost final," she said. "Hopefully w e w ill have an answer by Novem ber 8 if

and better able to serve students."

Both said that these negotiations have been in good faith and expect the administration to approve the draft and transfer the withheld CKUT fees to SSMU at that time.

"Perhaps [after the approval] the draft w ill need m inor tw e a kin g ," Shahid said, "but I believe that the administration w ill release CKUT's funds because the spirit of the agreement is going in the right direction." ■

the m cgill tribune | 11.2.04 | news 5

S T U D E N T NEWS

NEWS

M ove over, M aclean's

Senate says no to tem porary Turnitin.com policy Attempts to implement a temporary Turnitin.com policy were unsuccessful at W ednesday's University Senate meeting.

Arts Senator Alex Kenjeev proposed a temporary measure that w ould a llo w professors to use plagiarismdetection services like Turnitin.com. Lacking an entrenched policy, professors are currently allow ed to use Turnitin.com without offering alternatives.

W h e n the motion w as presented to Senate, Dean o f Students Bruce Shore presented another motion referring the entire matter to the Committee on Student Affairs, which is already evaluating a possible perma­ nent policy. Kenjeev said his proposal failed because Shore lobbied strongly against it.

"It w as embarrassing," said Kenjeev. "The reason w h y it was defeated so ba d ly is because Bruce Shore, the dean of students, lobbied actively to vote against it. He w as on the phone a lot, and he even asked [SSMU acting President] Andrew Bryan to second his m otion.”

Voting roughly along professors-student lines, Senate voted 4 0 -2 2 in favour of referring Kenjeev's motion to CSA, which some senators saw as essential­ ly a defeat.

"I think that it being referred to.C S A more or less defeats the entire purpose," Bryan said. "It wasn't the result that I had hoped for. I think that having the motion there and debating it served to remind all senators that this is a m ajor issue that needs to be resolved quickly."

See www .m cgilltribune.com for more details —Robert Church

Universities to cre a te their own rankings N A T A L IE E A R L The days are getting shorter, the leaves are falling, and M a c le a n s ranking season is approaching once again. The newsmagazines annual ranking of the major universities in C anada is due out November 8. As prospec­ tive students and parents w a it by their mailbox­ es and news stands, some universities are con­ sidering whether to use a new ranking system.

"The rankings are admittedly an important source o f information, but they should never be considered as a final judgment on our or any other university,” University of O ttaw a VicePresident University Relations David Mitchell told the University o f O ttaw a Gazette last year.

Much of the faculty at the school was upset about the university's drop in ranking from 9th to 12th. In a Gazette survey, only 38 per cent of University of O ttaw a students said they thought the rankings reflected the university's perform­ ance.

Anthony M asi, M c G ill deputy provost and chief information officer, said that although the rankings can help raise awareness about post­ secondary institutions, "it is essential to remem­ ber that rankings do not reflect the relative mer­ its of individual universities for individual stu­ dents and their needs, and objectives."

Even at the University of Toronto, which has placed first in its category since 1 9 9 4 ,

there have been objections. Two years ago, President Robert Birgeneau sent a letter to M aclean's education editor Ann Dowsett Johnston stating that he wished to initiate discus­ sion about a new approach to the rankings.

There have been almost no changes in the method of the survey since it was initiated more than 10 years ago, except for the recent a d d i­ tion of the student retention indicator, which looks at how many first-year students return for their second year.

According to Johnston, the m agazine always asks itself the question, "W h a t do [we] believe the students and parents really w ant to know?" The rankings team tries not to be influ­ enced by the demands of universities, she said.

W ith this in mind, some universities have been toying with the idea of a creating a new ranking system. W ith help from the federal government, steps are being taken to finalize a fea­ sibility study that w ill start ranking academ ic pro­ grams by next fall.

Johnston believes that it w ill be difficult for the competing universities to agree on w hat con­ stitutes fair criteria.

"W h a t one university wants would not be w hat another one wants," she said. "A consen­ sus would be very hard to build because everyone knows w hat they are best at."

However, for the first year, there w ill be something extra in the rankings edition of M acleans. Tens of thousands of recent gradu-

IW O N A LINK

Where should we rank? ates completed a survey in September and O ctober to represent the students' opinions of their facilities and their overall experiences at their alma maters.

If new ranking systems are put in place, M cG ill w ill cooperate, M asi said.

"M cG ill w ould consider participating in any ranking system that focused on providing relevant information about the qualities of differ­ ent universities that w ould be useful to prospec­ tive students." ■

Hillel to C oncordia: N o deal The C oncordia University chapter of Hillel has rejected the administration's proposal to hold a speech by former Israeli Prime M inister Ehud Barak at an offcampus site.

In late September the university denied Hillel C oncordia's request to hold the speech on its do w n ­ town campus, citing concerns that the campus build­ ings could not be adequately secured. Instead the administration offered to co-sponsor the speech at a site off campus, as it has done with other speakers in the past.

Hillel members have criticized the decision not to host Barak on campus as a violation o f the right to free speech, and refused the university's compromise in an act o f protest.

W h ile Hillel condem ned the actions o f the C oncordia administration, members of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights applauded their decision, arguing that Barak has a record o f human rights viola­ tions.

Two years ag o , a visit to C oncordia by another former Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, sparked a riot in which police used tear gas and pep­ per spray to control the crow d.

—Christine Cullen

C A M P U S NEWS

Call me Jane-lt's better than my other name McGill discusses allowing students to use names of common usage XIANG GU M cG ill's administration is currently examining a proposal that would allow students to adopt a name of common usage for internal uni­ versity documents. The proposal, a joint effort of the Students' Society and the Senate-Board Subcommittee on Queer People, w ill benefit transgendered students and those with traditional names, as well as some international students, w ho wish to use their chosen name instead of their legal one.

Transgendered people typically have a dif­ ferent gender identity than the one with which they were born, creating the need for a name change.

According to G regg Blachford, chair of the Subcommittee, the Registrar's office offered to compromise by having both legal and common usage names appear together on documents such as class lists, student ID cards and M cG ill databases, but not on the official transcript.

M cG ill is concerned that a student number is not enough to identify a student. If the legal name appears too, extra caution is taken to prevent grade mix-ups.

"W hen w e looked more into [the issue], w e realized that M cG ill was very strict about using legal names on all the official documents," he said. "Transgendered students have responded that [the compromise] is not acceptable. It will be worse, because on the class list you w ill have 28 names, and one of them has a name of common usage, it sort of stands out."

Robin Taylor, a working group member of the Trans/Gender Alliance and a coordinatior at the Aboriginal Students' Network, said that the use of a nickname by the Registrar would be

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problematic.

"It would lead to a situation where some­ one might be Jennifer Eric Smith, which is a less safe situation," he said.

In addition, Taylor said that many people would not choose to use a nickname, making the option ineffective.

"Having a chosen name used as a nick­ name [especially] trivializes traditional names," he said.

The idea of a common usage name would also serve some international students. However, Jason Blank, president of the M cG ill International Students Network, said that it is not a "make or break" issue for the organization.

Nevertheless, Ying (Vicki) Ye, a U2 Management student from China, thinks that both students and professors would benefit from the proposal, simply for the sake of convenience.

"I prefer this because in class, everyone knows my English name because it is easy for them to memorize," said Ye. "But for group proj­ ects, where w e have to put our official name because it is associated with our ID, it is confus­ ing for the professor and group members."

Blank also pointed out the possibility of stu­ dents abusing the policy to take a false identity.

"There is potential for abuse... which has to be rectified by the university, but honestly, M ISN both respects the school and our own students on this matter," he said.

The idea of using a common name is not new. The University of Victoria's online applica­ tion form carries a section specifically asking stu­ dents their name of common usage, if applica­ ble, and the reason for it. O ne of the acceptable reasons is if the student is transgendered. Other universities also have informal ways for students to adopt a name of common usage.

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The response of the Registrar's office will be reported after a meeting of the Committee on November 16.

"I hope that the university can devise a system to make trans­ gendered students feel safer at M cG ill," said Blachford. He is opti­ mistic that a compro­ mise can be found to "satisfy the needs of everyone." ■

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Advertise your event 1 Fc>r only a toonie, you can get a listing in the p rint and on-line e<ditions o f the Trib Drop by the SSMU O ffice ( îrow n Student Building, Suite 1 2 0 0) to pic k up a form. De■adlines are Fridays at 3 :3 0 p m . For more info rmation, e-mail calendar!ttribu n e .m cg ill.ca

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BRIEFS

Corrections A motion to create an Arts admissions advisory committee d id not fail a t the Faculty o f Arts committee meeting, as reported last week ("AUS admissions pro­ posal fails," 2 6 .1 0 .0 4 1 The motion was in fact not voted on. Also, an article in last weeks issue /"Daily edi­ tors prohibited from cam paigning," 2 6 .1 0 .0 4 ) incor­ rectly identified Marie-Eve Clavet as a graduate student.

The Tribune regrets the errors.

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Fraternal twins from Long Beach, The protest is being organized by la Fédération étudi­ N e w York have both scored perfect 16 0 0 's ante universitaire du Q uébec. • A team of researchers m gh M m f on their Scholastic Aptitude Tests. This is the at Yale M e d ica l School has discovered a scientific . second time the 16year-olds sit for the SATs. • explanation for w hy stress makes people forgetful. W e i k w Ij The Social Science, and Humanities Research w ould give you the explanation, but w e all have 11 f W p Council of C an a d a a w a rd e d a total o f $5./-nr>ii- midterms com ing up. • C alling all allergy-prone cat peo­ lion to 10 7 M c G ill graduate and postdoctoral ple everywhere—genetically m odified hypoallergenic itn tb » research projects. • Beginning in January, Thé cats w ill be a va ilable in 2 0 0 7 , according to a la w # University o f North Carolina at Charlotte w ill be C alifprnia biotechnology com pany that is already taking •y eti' offering a three-credit course entitled "Examining orders for them. • Taiwan's lawmakers began hurling 'American Idol' Through M usic C ritique." • The food at each other when the arguments got heated dur­ ** Dining at M c G ill Advisory Committee is now soliciting ing a meeting to discuss international arms sales last m tr opinions o f food services on campus. The nine-mem­ week. • In Russia, however, politicians are being told ««• § ber committee w ill report its findings to Vice Principal not to kiss each other anymore and to resort to hand­ Adm inistration and. Finance M o 'ty Yalpvsky on shakes, partly because the traditional w a y to greet each 8.4IF January 3 1 . • A man from La Crosse, W isconsin other with a kiss is taking too much time out o f meetings, AV<i w h o threw a live w ire into his wife's, bath on M a y 9 and partly to stop local tabloids from using photographs said that he d id so in the hopes that a near-death o f such greetings to ridicule the government; • A loss at experience w ould help save their mdrriage. He has ; home for the W ashington Redskins football team, I, been convicted of attempted first-degree intentional Sunday, portends victory for John Kerry in Tuesday's elec­ homicide. • The Students' Society is holding tions. The outcome of the team's last home gam e before .

Reclaim Your Campus w eek from N ovem ber 1 to the elections has accurately predicted every US prési­ 4 as a lead-in to the province-wide protest dentiel election since 1 9 3 3 , and a loss is bad news for M a t* against changes to the financial a id structure. the incumbent, ■

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aring skin and the cold, M cG ills swim team and Unicef volunteers took off clothes or put on boxes to raise money. The swim team was raising money for their activities, while Unicef was fundraising as part of their yearly event.

For every loonie they were given, members of the swim team removed one item of clothing, and spent W ednesday morning inadequately dressed for the

B

SSMU

below -10 degree weather.

Unicef volunteers, however, opted for the other end of the clothing spec­ trum, putting on giant reflective orange cardboard boxes. They then wandered around campus, soliciting funds for needy children.

As in previous years, the groups' strategies worked well, as it attracted sometimes bemused attention to their respective causes. ■

BRIEF

FYCC election ongoing First-year students have two more days to vote for representatives to the First Year Committee of Council.

There are three candidates for the position of vice-president commu­ nications.

"I believe the group should aim to unify first years, but not to general­ ize or fry to fit everyone into a single category," said Liz McLaughlin.

Opponent Fadi Hadaad said he wi II bring a new perspective.

"W ith tne extensive travel which I have had during my life and the dif­ ferent educational systems in which I adapted to, I think I can bring new and innovative ideas for the FYCC," he said.

C andidate David Poon describes himself as a "Texan Hong Konger."

"W hen I do become dedicated to a cause, whether it be organizing a beach party or a petition, I work my butt off until I get everyone to notice it and get involved with it," he said.

Another position to be decided is vice-president external.

"I think that my enthusiasm is what sets me apart as a candidate," said candidate Jenn Johnson.

Her opponent is Jason Hirsch.

"M y chief goal for FYCC is to make it visible," Hirsch said. "It's dif­ ficult to claim representation of a group that hardly knows you exist."

The positions of vice-president finance and vice-president internal have already been acclaimed.

Presidential candidates Jen M cQ uhae and Christopher Sullivan were unavailable for comment.

Visit www.ssmu.ca/vote to vote.

—Jacqui Wilson

the m cgill tribune | 11.2.04 | news

7

STU D E N T N EWS QUOTABLES

Youth wing divided in Parti Québécois

/oBubbilwhat?

Bubble Tea Stupid !

Resignations encourage separatist movement

Haven't you heard ?

N IA L L M A C K A Y R O B E R T S

As older members of the party appear embroiled in policy and leader­ ship conflicts, a spate o f resignations within the youth w ing of the Parti Q uébécois two weeks a g o has raised further questions about the future of the organization.

Citing differences in ideology and the groups rigid hierarchy, five o f the nine executives on the PQ's Comité national des jeunes offered their resig­ nations before a policy convention in mid-October.

increasingly vocal criticism of his more measured approach. Landry has said a succession referendum should be called only when there are "winning condi­ tions."

In a move that surprised even those close to the party leader, Landry recently reversed his previous approach to sovereignty, and declared his sup­ port for calling a referendum in the first half of his next mandate, regardless of whether "winning conditions" exist.

M a n y characterized the move as a concession to radicals, but Jennifer Drouin, current president o f PQ M cG ill, suggested that Landry's policy shift may

There's a constant kind of a rift between the tw o," he said.

Last spring, Rami left PQ M cG ill to work with the federal Bloc Québécois.

"I got a little fed up with PQ poli­ tics as they were going at that point," he said. "Everyone in the PQ is feeling the same sort o f thing, like the party needs to change. There's a general feeling that they spend w a y too much time in statutory meetings."

Drouin sees less evidence of divi­ sion within party ranks.

"There's a certain sense of it, per­ haps," she said. "I think certain, peo­ ple... are open to the ideas of youth.

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Methinks the round-table discussions just didn't cut it, if nine of their executives chose to quit.

A number of youth^/ving execu­ tives said their resignations were moti­ vated by the party's defence of the clo­ sure of C H O I FM, a Q uebec City radio station censured for abusive lan­ guage. Local anger over the issue may have contributed to a by-election loss for the PQ. The timing was dam aging for Bernard Landry, head o f the provincial sovereigntist party, w h o is already fac­ ing challenges to his leadership from several long-time rivals, as well as

have been motivated by sentiment in the youth w in g , as the party leadership attempts to consolidate its support.

Aaron Rami, founder and former president of PQ M cG ill, agreed that the party is facing challenges, but point­ ed to an intergenerational divide.

"The PQ is going through a very difficult position right now, because they have tw o groups forming within the party: the old guard that has certain beliefs, and a younger grouping.

But in other ways, the party has certain traditions, and it's easy to get stuck in those."

Though Landry's control o f the PQ remains uncertain, youth leaders insist their w in g has recovered from past dif­ ficulties and returned to the business of promoting sovereignty.

Drouin, a Landry supporter, expects the former premier to make his first speech. at M cG ill sometime this year. ■

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The right thing for th e w rong reason J O S H W IL N E R

"[l]t w o n 't do to say g lib ly that the w a r [in Iraq] is wrong, because pulling out a n d abandoning responsibility is wrong, too. " - M arcus Gee, The G lobe and M a il olin Powell a pplied basic pottery barn logic to Iraq: you break it, you own it. The US invaded Iraq. The Bush Administration made a choice. It acted in a certain way. A quagm ire resulted. That does not purge it o f all responsibility.

Just the opposite: it creates certain duties. From the belief that the w a r is unjust, it in no w a y follows that the US should immediately cease its foreign occupa­ tion. It cannot just pull out when it grow s w e a ry or when it feels like the going is getting rough. Ladies, you must know w hat I mean. Limp resolve w ill get you every time.

This is not an endorsement o f Bush's blinkered, feel-it-in-my-gut, stay-the-course, train-track ideology.

N o , it is more of a reality check, a reckoning. W e all know w here the Bush Administration stands— in a great big steam ingipile of lies. It is difficult to see it any other way.

Upon the w riting o f this article, Americans have not as yet elected their next President. In January of this year, this writer predicted that Bush w ould w in the election: "Americans w ill forget the 2 .3 million jobs lost during Bush's presidency. They w ill forget the rising A m erican casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. They w ill forget the pretzel mishap.

They w ill forget that the weapons of mass destruction never turned up. And they w ill remember F.B.I. direc­ tor Robert S. M ueller III saying that terrorists w ould 'quite probably' strike the United States again. They w ill remember the Shock and Awe, and the aircraft carrier landing and orange alerts and the tax cuts

C

and the suicide bombings, and they w ill remember Hussein hauled from his hidey hole and his effigy toppling. They w ill reflect on absence and remember and shudder, and they w ill re-elect G eorge W .

Bush." Let's hope that I was wrong.

W hether Bush or Kerry becomes President, the US has created certain duties for itself, and it must live up to them. The w a r was misplanned, bungled, and basically w rong from the get-go. Rumsfeld et al. thought they could w in this thing with relatively few high-tech and mobile troops. They w ere w rong. That is not a reason for ending the occupation, but pre­ cisely a reason for intensifying it. “The last temptation is the greatest treason," writes T.S. Eliot. "To d o the right thing for the w rong reason."

Last week, w hat must now seem like either a very long time a g o or just a blink o f the eye, Dick Cheney called the w a r in Iraq a "remarkable success story," which prompted an O rw ellia n allusion from Kerry that Cheney w as the "chief minister o f misinfor­ mation." Then Bush addressed the disappearance of 3 7 7 tons o f explosives in Iraq and took a swipe at Kerry: "This investigation is important and it's ongo­ ing, and a political candidate w h o jumps to conclu­ sions without knowing the facts is not a person you w a n t as your commander-in-chief." W h a t delicious irony. Jon Stewart put it shortly and sweetly. "I think my brain is broken," he said.

There is a lot of that going around. O n ly one question remains: Anyone have a price check on a brain? ■

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N o v . 6 th For a Complete List of Events: Call 3 9 8 -2 1 0 6 Come to our office: Shatner, Room 432 Or Visit: http://ssmu.mcgill.ca/queer/

opinion

Bush has us 5 0 years behind SAM G O FFM A N

Unsure which way to jump 'You d on't have to fool a ll the people a ll o f the time; you just have to fool enough to get elected.

—G e ra ld Barzan

amn those undecided voters. The out­ come of today's US presidential elec­ tion is in the hands of a select few, roughly five per cent of the elec­ torate—and it's making people nerv­ ous. A "Shouts and Murmurs" column in the The N e w Yorker magazine parodied these last-minute decision makers: "O K, forget policy. W hen it comes to John Kerry, w e have no information about even the basics. For example, what's his lucky number?"

Students in political science classes bemoan these voters' lack of conviction, seemingly at a loss to explain w hy the undecideds don't see w hat they d o —that the next president of the United States should be John Kerry. O r G eorge W . Bush, for stu­ dents in a fe w well-hidden social circles. But mostly Kerry.

There is one explanation, however, and it is illustrated exceptionally well by an election closer to home: the tw o questions regarding the Daily Publications Society in the current Students' Society

D

The additional burden of having to weed out irrelevant or inaccurate information results in frustrated voters who may sit out the election altogether. referendum.

Clearly, an election that decides the fate of a ten dollar fee does not have the magnitude of an election that decides the leader of the most power­ ful country in the world. But there is an interesting parallel: In both elections, supporters of both sides have so muddied the waters with misinformation that some voters feel unable to make any decision with conviction.

Unlike university students, w h o exist in an envi­ ronment in which information is deified, most people do not have the time or ability to sift through the mas­ sive quantities of information thrown at them. The additional burden of having to w eed out irrelevant or inaccurate information results in frustrated voters w ho may sit out the election altogether. It is signifi­ cant that voter turnout in this summer's federal elec­ tion was the lowest since Confederation—following

an unusually vicious cam paign complete with attack ads.

The presidential election and the SSMU refer­ endum are so replete with distortions and false­ hoods, it's dizzying. Some o f them are intentional, some are not. The M c G ill Daily, for example, does not consistently advocate opt-outable fees. Its March 2 0 0 3 semi-endorsement of the Shatner renovation fee was noncommittal, and made no mention of an opt-out. IDaily opt-out proponent Rod DeCastro took a stance, however: the month before, the D aily ran his commentary arguing that students should indeed be able to opt out of the Shatner fee.)

The attraction of unfounded accusations often lies in how much easier they are to understand than policy issues. Competing health care plans— not sexy. Swiftboat Veterans for Truth ads that question Kerry's bravery? N o w there's something that voters, (and journalists) can digest and debate. O nce they reach the polls, these voters remember the sound bites, not the substance. H o w many undecided American voters w ill stand in polling booths today, racking their brains for any memory of reasoned arguments that could guide their decision, only to have the last phrase that pops into mind be "flip-flopper"?

Students cam paigning on behalf of the DPS created a switfboat-style sideshow by shifting the focus from their opponents' arguments to the o ppo­ nents themselves: "These are bitter former SSMU executives w ho received bad press—don't listen to them." A vote against the opt-out referendum becomes a vote against the bureaucracy of SSMU. In the end, disillusioned voters stick with what they trust most: their gut feelings. The stronger these feelings are, the more useful they are as guides.-So the students w ho vote in this referendum w ill tend to be those with the most stake in it: Dailyites and Daily foes. This means students are basing their votes not on the arguments presented, but on their feelings about the papers themselves, mainly the Daily (sorry, Délit). This is exactly the motivation that the DPS team attributes to the former SSMU executives. The point is, a lot of students w ho could be objective are sitting this one out, or voting based on manipulated information. Unfortunately for democracy, this ten­ dency undermines the legitimacy of the results. ■

Pleading for quicker action Editorials are great. They allow the paper to forget the precepts of journalistic integrity and let its true ignorance shine through ("Be safe" means "be smart"— 2 6 .1 0 .0 4 ): "It can't happen to me." As one of the victims of these recent attacks, I'd like to tell you how much I appreciate you putting words in my mouth. Fact is, I wasn't toting my iPod, sporting my designer gear, or packing a fat bankroll. As far as clothes, let's just say the gun they pulled was probably worth 5 0 times the value of my worn, frayed jeans and T-shirt.

As for the wallet's contents: 10 bucks. As much as you want to use your editorial to take a hard-line stand and self-aggrandize, make it known that M cG ill has a problem. To dismiss these six attacks as eventual probabilities is dismissive and insulting. W h ile paranoia is not the answer, it would help if the police and the school shed more light on these issues as they unfolded. Prior to my attack, there had already been three attacks in the same place. If M cG ill had let the student body know of this issue earlier, I am sure that I would have avoided this route home and the head wound that ensued.

—John, U 2 Management

France not all wrong In Lise Treutler's column "France without freedom" (2 6 .1 0 .0 4 ), she attempts to depict the la w passed on M a y 15, 2 0 0 4 , of banning religious symbols in state schools as one that w ill "create hostile segregation as students band together within their own religious backgrounds" and ultimate­ ly "turn France into [a ] fundamentalist society."

She implies that this law is wreacking havoc in French schools, but as of October 2 0 , only two students have been

t's Election Day in the US, and C anada, like the rest of the world, is watch­ ing with suspense. For an election that impacts everyone else so much, it's a shame only Americans can vote. But believe it or not, another four years might make at least a few Bush-hating Canadians happy. Some American Ivy League professors have expressed serious interest in packing up and moving north should Bush be victorious—a development that, for M c G ill administra­ tors eager to boost their professor celebrity rating, could prove to be highly advantageous for the university's prestige.

And w ho can blame these peeved profs? For the past four years they have seen their ideas ignored and their expertise shunned. Bill Clinton was famous for being inquisitive to the point of obsession, phoning experts and reading up on relevant issues. Often officials w ho would come to brief him would show up only to find that he knew more about the subject than they did.

The current president, as w e all know, is the polar opposite: he is incurious to the extreme, and prides himself on listening only to his closest advisers. The Bush administration has proven time and again to be disinterested, even hos­ tile, to any opinion other than its own.

This rigidity is expanding out of the halls of government and into the classrooms of academ ia. Daniel Pipes, a Bush appointee to the somewhat GrWellian-sounding US Institute for Peace, and a speaker at M c G ill last year, where he explained that Palestinians must be made to endure "deprivation and loss" so that they "cry uncle," has founded a W e b site: www.campusw atch.org. Campus W atch documents what he calls liberal bias in American universities. N o w if you have a professor w ho says such shocking statements as, "American prestige in the w orld has sunk to the lowest point in its history," you can report him or her to this site. In essence, Campus W atch creates a kind of blacklist of professors to watch out for.

The site has drawn many condemnations of McCarthyism, which are unfair—Campus W atch does not match McCarthy's malevolence, nor is it as dogmatic. But it does indicate the close-minded direction that the US govern­ ment has taken in the past term. The most depressing aspect of this trend is not the oversimplification of complexities and arguments, not the spread o f disin­ formation, not even the unfair focus on individual scholars and the crude calumnies against them. It is the potential long-term harm that these attempts to cleanse academ ia of non-conformist views might have on America. After the Communist party won the Chinese civil w ar in 1 9 4 9, Americans shrunk in horror at w hat they thought they had done: by not giving the nationalists enough aid, said many conservatives, the US had "lost" China. The result was a purge of those who had tried to understand the situation in China in all its complexities, since this usually meant working with the Communists instead of regarding them as villains. In the State Department, experts on East Asia were pushed out, leaving only obedient yes-men in their places, and in academia, scholars of China who showed any hint of leftist inclination were vilified, an episode from which modern Chinese scholarship in the States has only recent­ ly begun to recover. Later, a valuable source of East Asian expertise was gone in the one place where it was needed most urgently: Vietnam.

N ow , with the attention of the US focused on the M id dle East, similar developments are beginning to emerge. Nowhere has this administration's doctrinaire mindset done more harm than in Iraq, and the spurning of those w ho know best w ill only exacerbate the disaster. If Bush wins tonight, we can expect more o f the same—the 2 0 0 0 election showed that even a starkly divid­ ed electorate w on't stop him from pursuing his radical policies. Unfortunately, when the President said "You're either with us or against us," he wasn't kid­ ding. ■

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expelled from schools for breaking this law. This shows the emphasis placed upon negotiation in the vast majority of cases. But most important, by introducing her point by acknowledging the great effort of this past century's "feminist waves," she clearly fails to grasp the protection of the wom ans status this law carries. In many communities, women who refuse to wear the H ijab are pressured to do so, and this law is a w a y to prevent that. I am not claiming that this law is perfect with no downsides to it; as a matter of fact, I'm still not sure whether the benefits exceed the costs. I just believe that the M anichaean opinion expressed by Treutler doesn't truly help people question themselves on this particular point.

—Yannick Hascoët, U 2 Engineering

The Daily's so cunning, if it had four legs, it'd be a weasel!

Ever since it got wind of a question involving them that was proposed to Elections M cG ill, the M c G ill Daily has been using unmistakeably some of the most disgusting tactics of campaigning. Using their newspaper as a method of con­ veying personal attacks on not only the infamous stars of our university, but also on those w ho were willing to lend a help­ ing hand (i.e. individuals mentioned in "Slibel and Lander" as well as the MUS), the Daily represents a slander against the word "democracy."

In M onday's issue, they state that they are a democrat­ ic organization, but after (finally) reviewing their posted on­ line Constitution, article 1 6 .12.e. explicitly states that "ques­ tions reducing or eliminating membership fees are inadmissi­ ble". I vote yes to the M c G ill Daily Opt-out and Review, and if the Daily thinks that they are such a great newspaper, then they should have nothing to worry about.

—Ian Chambers, U 0 Managem ent

A buffet of flawed sense Kim D'Souza's highly strained attempt to invalidate com­ parisons between samesex marriage and interracial mar­ riage ("Same-sex marriage isn't the new interracial mar­ riage"—2 6 .1 0 .0 4 ) is a total smorgasbord of faulty logic.

D'Souza claims that laws prohibiting interracial mar­ riages were basically unrelated to the legal definition of mar­ riage. Indeed, when such laws were repealed, the definition was changed. O nce again, w e are faced with a situation in which tradition and bigotry seem to be the only discernible arguments for preserving a legal exclusion of certain couples from the institution of marriage. The explicit mention in the law that marriage must be between a man and a woman seems already to externally admit, as D'Souza confusingly puts it, the exclusion of a specific type of couple. The parallel may not be perfect, but it is plain.

—Danny Wright, U 2 English/Philosophy

Too radical?

Reading Kim D'Souza's column was like being slapped in the face. His assertion that interracial couples have some higher right to marriage than same-sex couples, simply because of the definitional context of marriage, completely ignores the more fundamental issue. Denying interracial cou­ ples the right to marry effectively relegated those individuals to second-class status. Regardless of the reasons for making such marriage illegal, be it bigotry, racism, or some person­ al interpretation of the institution of marriage, the outcome is always the same. Same-sex couples, just like minority couples

See page 10.

The

the m cgill tribune | 112.04 j opinion

Sacred cows

M c G ill

The politics of beheading

Tribune Curiosity delivers.

Editor-in-Chief Natalie Fletcher editor@tribune.mcgill.ca

Managing Editors Katherine Fugler James Scarfone seniored@tribune.mcgill.ca

News Editors Jennifer Jett Laura Saba Lisa Varano tribnews@tribune.mcgill.ca

Features Editors

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JEFF R O B E R T S

jeff. roberts@ elf. m cgill.ca ven in a polarized electorate, one thing upon which both the left and the right can agree Is that it's not okay to behead people. The sight of mur­ derous fanatics brandishing knives and raving to Allah is about as unhinging as it gets and causes us to shud­ der in universal revulsion. During a time when such events are becoming a nearwreekly occurrence, w e have increasingly come to regard them as a ’ line—a boundary that separates us from a barbaric other.

Acts like beheading are something "they" do, and that civilized societies do not. O r so w e like to think.

Murder for public consumption is hardly some­ thing that is particular to a crazed other in the M iddle East, but rather it has a long pedigree in our own soci­ ety. It was not long a go that C anada had its own set of robed killers w ho muttered solemn words before ordering the murder of a terrified and unarmed victim.

They were better known as judges, and were commis­ sioned by provincial governments to travel from town to town to promote Christian justice. The resulting exe­

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cutions were often public affairs where an impassive crowd consumed refreshments and took in murder for a matinee.

Such tastes have been shared in the rest of the Americas, including Cuba, where a new government killed its political opponents on TV as a means of con­ solidating its revolution. And in the United States, of course, the death penalty remains w ildly popular with recent surveys showing that two-thirds of Americans are in favour of televised executions.

From this perspective, then, there is nothing par­ ticularly new or shocking about the recent spate of beheadings. They are just a continuation of the a g e old practice of using death as political theatre—an attempt to inspire aw e and submission through grotesque pageantry.

The only thing remarkable about tne latest beheqdings is the reversal of roles that has occurred; whereas it was once the state that used ceremonial murder to intimidate a populace, now it is individuals who, usurping that ceremony, seek to cow

heads of state into submission. Using only a sword, a digital camera, and the Internet, a handful of jihadjabbering lunatics attempt to change the foreign poli­ cy of entire nation-states.

W h a t is truly frightening is that the tactic is work­ ing. The threat of seeing the beheading of one of its citizens on the Internet was enough to force the Philippines to change its policy in Iraq and quit-the country (foreign policy insiders further suspect M anila paid a ransom). At the same time, those w ho decap­ itated British contractor Ken Bigley nearly succeeded, using only a short video clip, in forcing the British Parliament to change the composition of its govern­ ment.

Just as Canadians used to stand in aw e at the hangman, entire countries now stand in fear of small bands of individuals w ho are beheading people. In doing so, they deal a tremendous disservice to free­ dom and civilization by succumbing to the marketing tactics of fanaticism. ■

Liz Allemang Brody Brown

Swift kick

features@tribune.mcgill.ca

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A&E Editors Daniel Chodos

J< )l

Lise Treutler

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Personal sound bites on a looming election J E R E M Y M O R R IS

jerem y.m orris@ m ail. m cgill. ca

arts@tribune.mcgill.ca

As / write this, the election is 10 days away. saw a ghost on the street today. He wasn't what you would expect, nothing transparent, no boos or shrieks or howls. He looked like a roadie for the Ramones circa 1 9 8 0. Through his too tight jeans, you could see that walking caused him tremendous pain. He wore ruined running shoes, and a large, black leather coat, and his long grey black hair was died streaky blonde. Scag does terrible things to a ghost. I made eye contact with him for a second and then he was gone. The ghost of Reagan past haunt­ ing the streets of Montreal.

Then there were church bells ringing. A w ed­ ding, a funeral perhaps? There was organ music coming from Redpath. It wasn't very cheery. I sat down in the park, started to write and tried to forget my red wine hangover. To amuse myself, I watched the couples holding hands, Spanish exchange stu­ dents cheek-kissing and some East Indian kids p la y ing football. A Pekinese chased a poodle for over 2 0 minutes. Round and round they went enjoying them­ selves immensely; small dogs have a surprising amount of stamina. I wondered if G eorge W . Bush is a Pekinese? John Kerry could be a poodle—that's a French dog isn't it?

I remembered the following things. Jon Stewart pleading to the kings of hackery on Crossfires to

Sports Eduors

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"Please stop hurting America." M y cousin's two tours of Iraq ("I ate instant mashed potatoes today, just like at Scout camp"). Fahrenheit 9 / 1 1 seemed so long ago, Team America was last week; so much can be said so quickly in a 24-hour entertainment newsday.

Three debates, a home run, a throw, a swing, a hit... the Red Sox have won the W orld Series. The world is waiting for an undecided single mother of three w ho works 10-hour days at W alm art with low wages, lower benefits, and rising bills to decide the fate of the Western world. W h y should I feel so terri­ fied? " W stands for women" and other nonsense.

M ore homeowners today than... You need a President w ho is unafraid to make decisions... there is a link between Saddam and terrorists... be afraid, be very afraid... and don't forget Poland.

I'm thinking about Mickey, the Thai-American teen w ho runs a hardline anti-abortion group. Her biography on their W e b site features the following quote: "I'm Asian on the outside, all American on the inside." I didn't realize that those two things could be mutually exclusive. The scariest thing about M ickey is what she causes me to wonder: since when does being all-American constitute a series of intolerant hard-line views? W ill Alabam a still speak to N e w York after November 2?

M y fictional characters come to visit me in the park. Gerhardt Count Hohenzollern W ilhelm Von Trapp, sporting a cruise-missile-penis-striking a panda T-shirt, says, "Dude w hy do you give a shit? You know you can't be cool when you care. Dude, I nuke pandas." If the fascists think they are chewing on a rotting corpse, it's our own damn fault for letting things get this way. The fashionista from the future drops by. "First I have got to say that I hate your ensemble, too bedraggled, but I do love the whole unshaven thing. Sadly in the future, all hair is removed at puberty—costs a fortune, hurts like hell, but then who has time to shave." I ask him about the election. "Things work a lot better, since China runs everything. I miss human rights, though. W ell, what do you expect when you elect a President who's proud of the fact that he doesn't read? Next thing you know, you'll be burning books."

That last sentence is a paraphrase of Joseph Roth and sometimes things seem a little too Weimar, with everything just about to spin off uncontrollably into destruction. I wonder if any American intellectu­ als will drink themselves to deatn in Paris like Roth, or poison themselves in Finland like Kurt Tucholsky? The sky is blue, the leaves are falling, and it is getting cold. Let's hope that people make the right decision.

The election is today. ■

Paul Slachta advmgr@ssmu.mcgill.ca

Enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought!

Ad Typesetter Shawn Lazare

W rite oped@tribune.mcgill.ca

Rod, who? Snubbing DeCastro

Publisher Chad Ronalds

Collaborators Barber, Narvan Bouzari, Dan Butter, Dave Brodkey, Robert Church, Daniel Cohen, Christine Cullen, Natalie Earl, Vladimir Eremin, Roslyn Freeman, Angela Giannotti, Joseph Gilgoff, Paul Goertzan, James Gotowiec, Sarah Grynpas, Xiang Gu, Emily Harris, Katie Higginson, Dany Horovitz, Jonathan Klein, Heather Haq Lawrence, Panthea Lee, Ben Lemieux, Sam Loeb, R. Scott M dsaac, Dan M cQuillan, Jeremy Morris, Kathleen Morrison, Adam Myers, Andrew Patton, Dustin Raab, Jeff Roberts, N iall M ackay Roberts, Scott Sameroff, Clara Schwartz, N oah Scheinman, Julia Shonfield, M a x Shapiro, Zenah Surani, Anne Sexton, Sepand Tehrani, Josh Wilner, Jacqui W ilson

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The M cG ill Tribune & Thrust and Reaction

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his weekend I was surfing the W e b and remembered that I had not checked out TV M cG ill lately. So I stopped by their W e b site and fell upon Rod DeCastro's exposé called "N o Chaser." N ow , I respect TV M cG ill, for I think they have taken a huge step forward in the past year or so. So in no w a y do I want this to come off as me condemning them for their content. Rather, my prob­ lem lies with Rod (oh that's right I w ill no longer give him the respect of using his full name for as 1see it, those of us w ho are informed at M cG ill there exists one Rod and one Rod alone). Here is what I have to say about him and what I want to say to him.

Riddle me this... how can Rod condemn Andrew Bryan for sticking around and trying to make a positive difference at our school, when he himself has been sticking around attempting to do the exact same thing? Has he not run for many a SSMU position? O r at least has he not tried to make himself a known, or dare I say, M cG ill celebrity year in and year out?

Rod may have the facts, but he does not know the half of it. If he weren't consistently denied any type of authority here at M cG ill (despite his one year stint in office—correct me if I am wrong

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Kevin Afshari, Matthew Amot, Dave

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though) would he be so pissed that Andrew has the ability to hold a very influential position in the SSMU? Perhaps it is not the most democratic thiiqg that council was able to vote yes or no on a by-election, but that does not make what Andrew is doing now any less democratic. This decision-making body had a vote, they decided that a byelection would be a bad idea (for however many reasons they may have) and thus subsequently delegated the presidential tasks among the vice presidents. Just because Andrew is holding more responsibility does not mean he is going to become some author­ itarian leader of the SSMU. If anyone on that executive knows the law it is Andrew, and if anyone is going to uphold the law it is going to be Andrew.

Rod, do not condemn him for being someone you could never be, rather praise the fact that we are lucky, as a student body, to have a leader so committed to us.

I think you are a sore loser. Get over it, grad­ uate, and move on —because w e have already for­ gotten your name. ■ —Roslyn Freeman, AUS VP Internal

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B a Ç > b i4 & W h a t?

Bubble Teo Stupid !

H a v e n 't y o u

h e a r d

?

It’s t h e e x o t ic r e f r e s h i n g A s i a n b e v e r a g e th a t h a s ta k e n N o rth A m e ric a b y s to rm .

^

<^\ Exotic flavours such as M ango...

H oneydew... * W aterm elon and Taro, com bined w ith a héâfe o f Tapioca Balls.

Your taste buds will develop a m em ory for Bubble Tea.

TEA O n l y a t G e r t ’s . letters, Dispatch Box, Parry Tribune Publications the editorial board.

Ain't nothing but a P thang

TO opinion | 11.2.04 | the m cgill tribune

Grow up, freshmen P A N T H E A LEE

p a nthea.lee@ m ail. m cgill. ca

The value of a Daily dollar Student bemoans

Daily spending

s an undergraduate student at M cG ill, you are a member of various societies—one for your faculty, one for all undergraduate students, and a newspaper society, the Daily Publications Society (DPS). From what I gather from the most recently (cough, cough) published financial statements of the DPS, there is a story not being told to the aver­ age student that needs to be said out loud.

As of the year ended April 30, 2 0 0 3 , the DPS had a net cash profit o f over $ 7 5 ,0 0 0 , over $ 8 ,0 0 0 more than was raised additionally through raising the undergraduate society fee one year earlier, calling into question the need for such a dramatic fee increase in the first place.This cash profit is after a $ 1 3 ,0 0 0 investment in capital items (such as comput­ ers, photography equipment, etc), and a $ 1 4 ,0 0 0 increase in editorial costs, namely, most­ ly additional salaries to editors and reimbursement of conference costs.

So I chomped on the numbers for a bit and came to a big conclusion: If the rate of revenue increase from advertisement sales and student fees remains equal to or above the Consumer Price Index, a cool, conservative $ 5 0 ,0 0 0 per year profit w ill mean, in perpe­ tuity, a $ 8 3 3 ,0 0 0 windfall to the DPS.* The average student not on the DPS board is left in the dark until, on average, 1 1 months after the financial year has ended, so w e will have to w a it until next March to find out what happened bst year This is a huge'chunk ’o change, eh? Is this a society or an investment club? Because if the DPS were selling bonds, I'd be buying! Unrestricted cash, just at the fingertips of the DPS Board (who, by the way, does not publish its minutes online) is just perfect for a get­ aw a y to Fiji... or building a DPS mansion So, is the DPS considering reversing the discriminatory fee for undergraduate students?

N o . After all, undergraduate students not only get more out of the DPS, they also help build their rfest egg. The saddest thing of all is that the DPS does not give a discount in its adver­ tisement rate to student groups costing undergraduate students more to advertise their events effectively.

Heck, I may be biased, and using the "former SSMU executive" argument can be con­ sidered fair in a world of dirty games. But I know when I smell something wrong and I know what I can do that no DPS Board member ca n —read a financial statement for its worth.

A

—Kathleen Morrison Former SSMU VP Operations 2 0 0 2 -2 0 0 3

ello, my name is Panthea. I am a fourth-year stu­ dent and I have a problem: I look dow n on freshmen. I know, ii's horrible. I used to be one—and not just your average froshie; I was as asi­ nine as they come. M o n d a y night at Peel Pub was my religion and classes were little more than an after­ thought to the w hole university experience.

I soon realized, however, that I had to save my alter ego Peter Pan-thea from Never Never Froshie Land. Today, I am an erudite fourth-year. Yet the wis­ dom I've acquired over the past three years has made me cynical— I am a bad person, for I leer at freshmen naïveté and snicker at sophomore simpletons. This is a typical week for me...

Sunday: I saunter by the long line at C hez Cora.

I hear one girl boast, "I macked five guys for drinks at this sweet frat parly last night.'' I thank my lucky stars that I no longer whore myself out for Kool-Aid and Indian reserve booze. I am also relieved as I realize that never again w ill I utter the w ords "sweet," “frat," and "party" in the same sentence.

M on d a y: I don't like talking about M ondays.

They are the bane of my existence.

Tuesday: I hear a blood-curdling shriek and I duck— I knew the Killer Tomatoes w ould make their sin­ ister return before long. I look up and, to my horror, realize that the sound came from beings far scarier: two female first-years. They embrace each other and screech in unison, "O h my G o d ! H o w are you? I haven't seen you in forever! W e have to get together sometime super soon! I'll call you!" I see an acquain­ tance I knew back in Rez; I stop and chat for a bit before going on my way. N o phony promises and cer­ tainly no shrieking.

W ednesday: Le Swimming. Girls look like they've just stepped out o f The O C . They are shivering in their buttock-grazing ruffle skirts. Dancing seems awk­ w a rd — it may have to do with the fact that they must

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keep their necks stiff; after all, sudden movements may cause a perfectly coiffed piece o f hair to fall out of place. M eanw hile, I shake w hat my momma gave me in sneakers and jeans.

Thursday: O n my w a y home from my favourite campus haunt, Club McLennan-Redpath, I pass by a procession of 30-odd kids coming dow n the hill head­ ing the other way. But of course, it's the Rez trek to TNT. Gert's 'til it hurts, baby.

Friday: I w alk by the G reek BY O W s on the cob­ blestones, overflowing with freshmen fembots prancing around in painfully high stilettos, whatever brand of jeans InStyle has dubbed the jean du jour, and acces­ sorized with Tiffany with Louis V. Being the sage fourthyear that I am, I keep w alking, for I have consulted the mother of all guides, the 2 0 0 4 -0 5 SSMU Handbook, and thus have far better dining options in mind.

Saturday: The girl in front of me is beside herself.

"So this guy on my floor knows this guy on the second floor w ho has a cousin w ho knows the promoter at O rchid and can maybe get us on the guest list if w e call before 5 :0 0 p m ," she jabs. I continue w alking with my Saturday night staples: a movie and a tub o f Ben and Jerry's.

And so it goes. Those froshie mantras— "Rock out with your cock out" and "G ive 'r to your liver"— have lost their once-luminous appeal. Partying 'til I puke was, like, so three years ago. Cue hair flip.

M in d you, as much as I'd like to say that I have completely exorcized my inner froshie, a wee bit of her still lives in me. I live in the Ghetto and I went to the KA Halloween drinkfest, though instead of being plain ol' boring slutty— cardboard cat in addition to that black micro-mini do not a costume m ake—I was cre­ ative in my skankiness. Alright, I admit it—the skirt was too short, but I couldn't pass up an excuse to unleash the inner college-girls-gone-wild part of me. I guess some things never change. ■

Bird watching

* Assumption: 6% interest rate/annum

Economics of love

Daily defends sound finances

D A N BUTLER

d a n ie l.bu tle r@ m a il. m cgill. ca he D aily runs a tight ship, but another former SSMU exec, it seems, w ould rather we waste your money. Kathleen Morrison, VP Operations 2 0 0 2 -2 0 0 3 , is accusing the Daily of swimming in a river o f gold, based mostly on financial statements over a year old. Arguing that our publicly published finances are an untold story, she accuses us of run­ ning a substantial "profit."

Actually, the Daily Publications Society is a non-profit organization. Non-profit. Our finances vary year-to-year, depending largely on advertising revenues, which are not fixed.

In 2 0 0 3 , w e had an audited surplus— not, by the way, the same thing as a profit—of about $ 7 5 ,0 0 0 . It was a big, fat exception. O vet the past five years, our surplus is just over $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 . H ad it not been for the interest accum ubted by our rainyd a y fund, w e w ould still, in the 2 0 0 0 -2 0 0 4 period, be in the red.

In 2 0 0 3 , our business office practically evaporated The departure of a business manager, business assistant, and a graphic designer saved us tens o f thousands of dollars.

O ur business office was severely understaffed and w e've since hired replacements.

O n the revenue side, our ads brought in w a y more than expected. But it would be irresponsible to plan for a good advertising year every year. Ad revenues are notoriously unstable.

W e plan well because w e're not wealthy. In 2 0 0 0 , 2 0 0 1 , and 2 0 0 2 , w e ran big deficits, which is w hy w e had a fee hike approved by students. But the fee isn't indexed to inflation, which eats a w a y at our money. Eventually, w e 'll have to ask students for more.

I think that's a good thing because it keeps us accountable.

W hen w e d o run a surplus, it's because w e spend less than p b nned and bring in more than expected Typically, w e p b n a surplus of about one per cent.

If w e run a surplus, some of it is invested in our rainyday fund. Attacks on our fund­ ing (generally from SSMUshies) come almost annually. In 2 0 0 0 , when SSMU locked the D aily out of its Shatner offices, our legal battles cost us $ 5 0 ,0 0 0 . N ow , w e pay SSMU over $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 in rent—that's twenty grand of your money that SSMU d a w s back.

O ur editors know w e ’re a frugal organization. W e 're not surrounded by modern equipment. O ur fax machine, which has been around for longer than your firsFedition copy of Nevermind, prints a thick stripe on everything it sends out.

W e had a single exceptional year, and Kathleens taken it out of context. She goes on to deplore our "salaries." Unlike SSMU exec salaries (about $ 1 8 ,0 0 0 ), the honoraria p a id to D aily editors ($ 2 6 2 per month in 2 0 0 3 ) d o not rise with inflation. At under $2 an hour, Daily editors earn less than one fifth of the sum paid to editors of campus papers at Queen's or the University of Alberta. The honorarium makes the job more accessible to stu­ dents w ho w ould otherwise need to work part-time. W e have editors on student loans whose honorarium pays most or all of their rent.

Kathleen also laments that w e don't give preferential rates tp student groups for ads.

That's really misleading. W e preview student events and cover student groups all the time, which is far better for them than ads w ould be. W hen SACOMSS's funding was threat­ ened by SSMU, w e ran a story. Lots of people talk to me about that story. N o one's ever said to me, “W o w , I saw an ad in the paper for such and such a group, I'm joining." Are ads important to student groups? Sure, but they're a tiny share of the positive exposure those groups get from us. Obviously, if w e didn't pay SSMU $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 in rent, it would be a different story. W h e n Kathleen was responsible for the SSMU budget, I'm sure she appreciated your Daily fee in SSMU's coffers.

—Daniel Cohen, Coordinating Editor, The M c G ill D aily

T

olks (especially you ladies), do you ever hear peo­ ple say that everything can be reduced to econom­ ics? W ell I do (I'm usually the one saying it!) and it's true. If all singles in the dating market took M icro 2 0 8 , the world would be a better place and I wouldn't have to hear my friends bitching and moaning about not being able to find anyone suitable. Break it down.

Economists understand the reality o f supply and demand. W e know that if w e are looking for a g o o d or service in the good-lovin' market (that's w hat the textbook calls it), our demand w ill be higher for better products. If you're supplying your wares to this market, you'd better have a decent product otherwise you're basically going home alone (again). It's simple and in this nirvana-like realm known as equilibrium, everyone's a winner baby (that's the truth).

So, you might be asking, based on this description of the economics of the geltin'-iton market (this one's on page 2 0 0 of the same textbook, I promise): "why am I still single?" The reasons, according to our market-based explanation, are twofold. Either you're irrational or just poorly informed.

F

Case in point is one of my friends w ho fits both of these two criteria. She says, "there's no decent men at M cG ill, all the good ones are either taken or gay."

"W h a t the heck?" says I, at least three-quarters of my buddies w ho hang out at the 4 1 2 , as well as about the same percentage of all my other mates are quality, straight and single. Verdict: she's poorly informed.

Secondly, "apparently" someone (I blame Cosmo a n d /o r Jane for this) decided that she (and her room­ mates, and maybe even you) "can't date close male friends." "Dang wom an!" says I. Surely the fact that they became close friends of yours in the first place means they are the sort of people you'd feel comfortable with and close enough to want to be dating. Verdict: she's irrational.

People, people! The solution's pretty simple. Drop that anthropology elective next semester and take some economics. Even better, ask your parents to get you a subscription to the Economist for Christmas instead of that Sex and the City DVD you've been craving. Trust me, you'll be a utiliiy-maximiser in no time and you'll have economics to thank. ■

Continued from page 8. of the past, are being referred to some inferi­ or position in society. W h ile D'Souza may be radical, he is anything but respectable.

—tan White, U3 Political Science

How tong you been waiting to use that line?

I enjoyed Kim D'Souza's effort to rebut those who claim that laws refusing gay mar­ riage are akin to laws that once prohibited interracial unions. D'Souza's piece was thoughtful, crisply written, and concise. It was also horseshit.

D'Souza huffs and puffs through a series of arguments intended to show that laws against gay marriage are not analogous to those against miscegenation. He then proud­ ly concludes that the positions of same-sex rights advocates represent a "circular sleight o f hand." It's an impressive phrase to be sure,

but one that D'Souza has borrowed from somewhere only to be misused. His com­ plaint is that equating gay marriage with the civil rights movement is a misleading compar­ ison. Be that as it may, this does not make the comparison a circular argument. D'Souza's stab at rhetorical flourish only serves to reveal a poor command of formal logic. Irrespective of his garbled reasoning, it is also worth men­ tioning that D'Souza's basic premise is stupid.

In it, he exchanges a substantive position for a semantic one. The real issue, in other words, is not the connotations of the word "marriage,” but rather the decision of a state ; to deny dignity and institutional legitimacy to ; millions of its citizens. Perhaps your paper could suggest to D'Souza that the time has come for him to find a new forum in which to spout his religious claptrap.

—Robert Jefferson, U 2 Philosophy '

CHATTERBOX

campus

Yes way, José An inquisition with Prof. Jouve-Martin

SI L H O U ETTE

YOP believes the children are our future Despite setbacks, fights and a teeny office, literacy program stays focused on its goals K A T IE H I G G I N S O N

hile the Knitting Knetwork is creating socks and sweaters to make the w o rld a warm er place and those Liberal M cG illers are looking to create jobs, M c G ills Youth O utreach Program is a mentoring club look­ ing to make an intellectual difference. Previously known as The Shaw bridge group, YO P is part of the M c G ill Students for Literacy, an organization aim ing to raise literacy issues and awareness on campus.

YOP volunteers, consisting o f 4 0 M c G ill students, give their time each w eek to travel to centres around the greater M ontreal area, w here young people are in need of litera­ cy support. The youth involved in the program often have behavioural difficulties: for some, the program is an escape from a life on the street; for others, it's an attempt to over­ come other means o f life support like prostitution.

YOP C oordinator C ydney Peck believes that teaching literacy skills through the arts gives the kids more options. “ Some of these kids are either locked in their rooms, or they are with us," says the U3 Psychology student. Yet the sys­ tem is not without its flaws. "Every once in a w hile, a fight breaks out, but so far there have been no m ajor problems."

Flexibility is key. M uch like teachers planning their classes, YOP volunteers must com e up with backup ideas for their w eekly sessions, as there is sometimes not much enthusiasm for certain activities (a Shakespearean puppet show anyone?).

W

Creative differences A club w ithin the Students' Society, YOP is clearly ben­ eficial for those it supports. O n campus, however, YOP has been subject to the kind o f red tape that is threatening its future success. Removed from their previous offices under the presumption that they w ere no longer a service, the members now share a club office w ith four other culturallybased groups, fighting for space in a small room often used by others as a social area.

Adjusting to YOP's new headquarters has m ade o rdi­ nary business tougher to conduct. "The first fe w weeks of the semester w ere crazy," Peck explains, highlighting the difficulties in organizing placement logistics in a cram ped office with no Internet connection. Further, because YOP's budget has yet to be approved, members have been forced to pay routine fees out of their ow n pockets, "hanging onto

BENJI FELDMAN

He doesn't go out to dull his painful memories with pitchers of sangria.

DAVE BRODKEY

They're attractive and they can read! Double score! receipts to see w h a t happens."

Why they try G roups like YOP face another m ajor difficulty: finding volunteers w h o are w illing to undergo the necessary yet extensive training. M a n y find it too time-consuming or are not ready for such an involved extra-curricular commitment.

Others w a n t to lend a hand in order to pad out their C Vs— for volunteers from the departm ent o f Social W o rk, working with YOP definitely helps ensure admission into graduate schools. For Peck, however, it's about much more than that.

"It's fun," she confesses. "You get to know the kids; they are interested in university life, and ask questions about w hat you d o there."

W hether or not this interest w ill push the teenagers tow ards university is still uncertain. O n ly time w ill tell how programs like YOP w ill affect the long-term prospects o f the youth they help. But the volunteers involved have many rea­ sons to. hope. ■

What's the worst aspect of McGill? There's a total lack o f communication. For, example, professors d o n 't know w h a t their colleagues are doing, so oftentimes many o f us w h o have the same classes together have the same deadlines at the same time. They should have some w a y to access students' schedules on W e b C T to see if they have conflicts.

—Syed Sameer Arshad, U 2 Com puter Engineering

ter, of course.

A widely-held misconception about the Spanish lifestyle is... that Spain is a happy country where people are always friendly and more interested in enjoy­ ing life than in other parts of the world. It is true, but let me remind you .what those fine observers of the social life and customs of my country, the M onty Python, used to say: "Here comes the Spanish Inquisition...!"

A widely-held misconception of the Canadian lifestyle, on the other hand, is that... such a peaceful and civilized country must be boring. O n the contrary, I am having a very g ood time in Montreal.

If I haa not become a professor of Hispanic studies, I would have... O h, my G o d ! N o t an existential question! I have no idea whatsoever. Let's say that I am Aristotelian in orientation and I think that the ultimate goal of M an is eudemonia (happiness through virtue). I would have been happy doing many other (more or less "virtuous") things.

I would love to travel to... Right now, I would rather stay in Montreal. I have just been in Las Vegas participating in the Congress of the Latin American Studies Association, and I think I have seen enough for at least tw o weeks. I need to talk to my psychiatrist (and my travel agent) about such a frightful experience before planning my next trip.

An underrated Spanish-American author is... It depends. Underrated by whom? José M a ria Arguedas has been w idely acclaim ed by critics, but he has not received the kind of public attention that other well-known authors such as M a rio Vargas Llosa or G abriel G arcia M arquez have received. Afro-Latin American authors, such as Zapata Olivella, have probably not received the attention they deserve neither from the critics nor from the public. And then you have the case of literature written in native languages by indigenous authors, which is almost unknown to everybody with the exception of a few specialists.

M ore importantly, I d o not think they would be w illing to define themselves as "Spanish"-American writers. W e need to adopt a more diverse approach to the study of Latin American literature that really takes into account the enormous eth­ nic and linguistic diversity of the continent.

M y favourite memory is... I do not have a favourite memory. I have sever­ al (as everybody, I guess). But to give you one, I remember the day my younger brother w as born. He ruined my birthday party (I w as born M a y lO ih and he was b o n a few years later on M a y 1 1thj, but, since then, I have spent with him some of the happiest days of my life.

The best sangria I have had in this city is at... Sorry, I am not a great fan of sangria. I know, I know. Shame on me!

I am currently working on a project concerning memory because... how people remember their past has profound social and cultural implications that can be analyzed from different perspectives. M em ory is a puzzle with many pieces, and I think that it takes an interdisciplinary approach to put it together.

You can learn more about this project by logging into www.memory.mcgill.ca.

—compiled by Narvan Bouzari

—com piled b y Heather Kitty M ak

The full interview with Professor Jouve-Martin can be found at www.m cgilltribune.com .

Although this year's program is currently full, training for next year w ill begin in the Fall Semester. For more informa­ tion, contact youthoutreachprogram@hotmail.com or visit the office in the Shatner Building, room 4 0 8 .

STREETER

To grind your axe or not to grind?

Are people who critique things simply pessimists with axes to grind? Absolutely not, as long as they don 't com plain too much, then they are just being realistic. You need to be smart about yeur optimism.

—Alex W ilson, U3 Biochemistry

W h at is Montreal lacking? M ontreal has a lot of construction go in g on that never seems to gel finished, so they really have to get that up and going. Actually, w hat they really need is a roller skating rink. A n d hot boys.

—Sydney Downey, U3 Strategy As you age, what part of you would you say is "falling apart?" Actually, I seem to be better now than w hen I w a s younger. In high school I could barely run one km, no w I run five km w ithout any trouble.

—Am elia Bourbonnais, U 3 G eography

The main difference between going to school in Madrid and in Montreal is... if you miss an exam or obtain a low grade, there is no w a y a professor in M ad rid is going to give you a second chance. M ost of them associate the word "compassion" with a Republican slogan (and treat it accordingly).

The funniest mispronunciation I have heard in class is... "la p apa" (the potato) for "el p apa" (the Pope). W ell, it is not exactly a m ispronunciation... but it is not right to call His Holiness "a potato" either.

The one thing I miss the most about Spain is... how merrily people shift from soccer to national and international politics w hile having a beer in a bar. But, above all, I miss my family.

It is important to increase the literacy rate in South America because... access to writing means access to power. Literacy is fundamental to social and political reform in the region.

The biggest influence of the Colonial powers on 17th century literature was in terms of... the transformation of a few regional literatures into w orld literatures.

European authors, from Cervantes to Rousseau, became part of a "global canon" to which Western and non-Western writers refer up to our days (not nec­ essarily a good thing, by the way).

I wish I was the one to have written... I d o not wish to write something somebody else wrote. W riting must be a w a y to discover ourselves and the w orld around us. Everybody should try to find his or her own writing no matter w hat his or her literary skills are. N o w , to get published is a totally different mat­

images

M cGill Cali for submissions from the McGill community:

The Dining-at-McGill Advisory Committee An Advisory Committee has been established to advise the Principal on how best to provide food services on the downtown campus. They wilt consider: choice of locations, quality of food, variety of food offerings, convenience of operating hours, uniformity of safety standards, consistent pricing within the marketplace, environmental practices, and pleasant surroundings.

Committee Members

Exploring the Arctic

Adm inistrative and Support S ta ff

François Carrer _ Jonathan Rousham

Students

Provost's Office Representative

Alex Bourque _ Daniel Friedtaender . Jason PaseB

Professor Martha Crago

Faculty M embers

Resource Person

Professor unda Jacobs Starkey Professor Jim Nceil

Alan Cnarade, Director of Ancillary Services

The Advisory Committee wants your comments/suggestions regarding Food Services on the downtown campus.

Did you see any penguins? No, that would be the Antarctic is easy to forget that there is a whole big piece of country up north, when you live your whole life witnin a hundred kilo­ metres of the US border. But it is there. And it is big. The vastness of the sky, the frozen ocean, the windswept landscape... it is part of us.

Seriously though, no penguins?

Chair

Professor Martin Grant, Chair of Physics Department

Please send your written submissions to the Committee Chair at dininq-at-mcaill@ohvsics.mcoiU.ca.

It

-

W h y N o rth w e s te rn ?

We’re Passionate A b o u t Y o ur F u tu re in N a tu ra l H e a lth Care! “ O u r dynam ic, ever-evolving curriculum poises us on th e fo refro n t o f natural health care education in which patien t-centered care, best practices, clinical relevancy, and business acum en are interw oven to insure th e success o f our graduates.”

Rob Scott, DC, Dean o f Northwestern College o f Chiropractic “ 1 realized th a t N o rth w estern would tru ly allow m e to develop into th e best leader and doctor th a t I can be. H e re I have th e opportu nity to learn how to tru ly care fo r th e en tire patien t.”

Brad Woodle, chiropractic student “ T h e professors constantly encourage you to apply scientific knowledge and develop critical thinking skills. It ’s n o t sim ply m em o rizatio n o f anatom y, but an integration o f science and clinical practice.” ^ Alan Xu, chiropractic student

PHOTOS & TEXT

BY D U S T I N R A A B

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gets you a photo sitting

SB

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Nov. 1 -5 Brown Building Room 1203 Nov. 8 - 1 0 Jostens Studio Nov. 8 - 1 9 Jostens Studio Nov. 22, 23, 29, 31 Jostens Studio Nov. 24 - 26 Jostens Studio Dec. 1, 2, 3 Jostens Studio Jan. 10, 11, 12 Jostens Studio Jan. 1 7 - 2 8 Jostens Studio

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I ' M F A L L I N G APART

Young, dumb, and not-so-invincible And you thought your body wasn't going to fail 'til your 50s SARAH GRYNPAS

e're treated like mini-machines, expected to p op out of bed in the mornings and maximize each day, without fail. "There's this pressure to perform all the time," confesses Robert Hrehoruk, U3 Political Science and Sociology. And with a constant dem and to perform, there isn't much room left for unseen hazards and pit stops. W e 're supposed to roll with the punches and keep our chins up, despite whatever hazards may be blocking our paths. But w h a t are w e to d o when w e can't even locate the figurative nail in our tire? W h e n one of Hrehoruk's friends began to unravel, it was fairly easy to see the contributing factors. "H er brother got killed, her father got cancer, and she w as graduating in a couple of months, so things kind of got her d o w n ."

Unfortunately, other people are plagued with mental problems due to less obvious reasons. And these unex­ plained afflictions are enough to drive any student trained to seek tangible causes and explanations to crazy town and back again.

I am slowly going crazy.... Depression affects more than one million C anadians a year and is manifested both mentally and physically. Up to 7 0 per cent of depressed persons experience a com bination of anxiety and depres­ sion, evidenced by increased heart rates, high blood pressure, fatigue, feelings o f helplessness, irritability, selfdeprecation, m uddied memory, and frequent walks dow n

W

Who's to blame? Probably you. If you drag your books around in a backpack all day, and sleep on a d ila p id a ted futon with no lumbar support, you're asking for back problems. All the schoolwork you have to do isn't helping either. Sitting hunched over at a computer, can cause muscle tightness in the low er back, as can w earing heels and not stretching before you w ork out. But you're young, so it's pretty easy to fix. Sit up straight, strengthen your core — it's time to order that M a ri W in s o r Pilâtes ta p e — and be careful when lifting heavy objects. Also, get in shape: carrying around excess w e ight is a lot of extra w o rk for your back.

The condom broke. Slow dow n, people. W e know you're excited, but the possible outcome o f a broken con­ dom? Rarely anything g o o d — unplanned pregnancies and either constant w orrying that you've contracted some­ thing or actually contracting a buffet o f STDs responsible for abnorm al marks in your nether regions and a variety o f b odily malfunctions.

Who's to blame? The hurried, the horny, the delusion­ al. Gentlemen, w hat d o w e have to teach you about sw allow ing your pride? Except for those rare few, there is no need to buy anything b ig g e r than regular condoms.

Seriously. Condom s should fit snugly; the extra material can tear as a result o f the, uh, friction. And for G od's sake, only use each condom once. Some pennies just aren't worth saving.

I can't get a good night's sleep. Either you're too

It's not me, it's you Hunting for the causes of deterioration in ourselves, our school and our city

■

memory la n e —yes, living in the past is a cognitive symp­ tom of anxiety. A 2 0 0 2 Health C a n a d a Report on M ental Illnesses claims that the "onset of most mental illnesses occurs during adolescence and young adulthood."

Who's to blame? The roots of psychological prob­ lems are difficult to trace. Some possible causes include demotion at w ork, failure or loss o f something important, hospitalization, relocation of residence, illness, death of a loved one or divorce. Though there may be many contrib­ utors to the illness, when depressed, there a p p ea r to be very fe w w ays of craw ling out o f this dark place. And if doesn't help that discussing your mental illness is often met with concerned and fearful looks, as if your friends and co-workers need to hide all sharp objects and avoid mak­ ing eye contact with your crazy self. But the 2 0 0 2 Health C a n a d a report says that 2 0 per cent o f C anadians "w ill personally experience a mental illness during their life­ tim e," making education about mental illnesses imperative not just for your ow n benefit but for others as well. Seek help! Unlike a cold, this problem w o n 't get better on its own.

My hair is falling out. You lost the genetic lottery.

N o one knows w h a t causes male pattern baldness, nor does anyone know o f a cure that doesn't make you look like Donald Trump. And the term is actually misleading: wom en can also suffer from genetic hair loss, though it tends to affect the w hole head rather than just one spot.

Who's to blame? O f course, like with many things, you can just blame hormones. To fix the hormone im bal­ ance you might w a n t to get different antidepressants.

Sure, you'll be depressed, but at least you w ill have a nice shiny head o f hair. You can also avenge your thin­ ning mane by attacking the fam ily members responsible.

Ladies, and gents w h o aren't afraid to experiment: be w a ry of hair fads. If you w e a r tight ponytails, cornrows or extensions, all the pulling can eventually cause your hair­ line to recede and your follicle to scar, m eaning you can no longer produce new hair.

My back hurts. W h ile back pain can be attributed to injury, many lazy, non-athletic students are experiencing similar pain, as they limit their movements to the area between boul. St-Laurent and rueM cTavish.

tired all the time or you can't seem to fall asleep. And even if you d o m anage to fall asleep, lots of the time you can't stay asleep: you w a ke up at the smallest sounds and are unable to return to the land o f nod.

Who's to blame? Your student lifestyle. First of all, you can only condition your body to be tired at bedtime by hit­ ting the sheets at around the same time every night. So easy on the all-nighters. The cigarettes, coffee, sugar, alcohol, a nd other uppers you generously shove dow n your d ila p id a ted b ody on a d a ily basis. Stimulants make you too w ire d to sleep, whereas depressants make you pass out quickly into very shallow sleep. Also to blame: your jam-packed schedule. G ivin g your b o d y too much to d o when you w ant it to g o to sleep is counterproductive.

This includes w orking out late at night, eating a big meal right before bed, trying to sleep when stressed and fraz­ zled. To try: a warm glass of milk or slice of turkey: they contain tryptophan, a natural chemical that makes you feel tired.

My eyesight is failing. As w e a ge it becomes hard­ er to focus on small details, and more difficult to easily switch between focusing on objects near and far. As our skin wrinkles and our bones become more frail, our pupils begin to shrink, a llo w in g less light into our retinas and hurting our depth perception, peripheral vision and night vision. By the time w e 're 6 0 , our eyes receive one-third of the amount of light our eyes received at 2 0 . But w h y w ould w e a lready be experiencing ocular problems in aur early 20s?

Who's to blame? Your computerized knickknacks.

Chances are, you're using your computer too much, or incorrectly. Reproach all those years o f sitting too close to the TV, playing video games for days in a row, and read­ ing massive amounts of small print. W h ile you can't reverse dam age, you can prevent further deterioration by w earing sunglasses, even in winter because the glare from the snow can be bad for your eyes. Plus sunglasses look cool, you can pretend that you're a celebrity or on a w ild drunken bender. Let it be noted, however, that this does not give you the license to w e a r sunglasses indoors... ever. ■ — W ith files from Brody Brown

the mcgill tribune | 112.04 | feature 1 5

M c G I L L IS F A L L I N G A P A RT

Plenty to go around McGill may not have enough funding, but there is one thing it has in spades—finger-pointing J E N N IF E R JETT ooking over her transcript on M inerva after finals last year, Emily Rose came across a surprising letter. Rose, now a U2 International Development Studies student, had been doing fine in her economics class, so her plummeting grade-point average left

L

her flummoxed.

"I was pretty sure that I hadn't failed it, because it just didn't seem likely," she said. "So I e-mailed my professor right a w a y to say, 1 think there's been a mistake.'"

A few days later, still without a response, Rose paid her pro­ fessor a visit. As it turned out, the university had misplaced Rose's exam, along with those of 19 of her classmates—about 10 per cent of the class.

"It just seemed kind of ridiculous," she said. "Instead of con­ tacting me and saying, 'Look, w e 've misplaced part o f your exam,' they just put a J on my transcript, didn't tell me, and did n 't get back to me about it. I just thought that was kind of irresponsible on their part. W h a t administration loses exams?"

Stories like Rose's are not uncommon among students. The uni­ versity is far from perfect—and it's hard for students to know where to direct their rage.

Renovations are delayed. In the spring of 2 0 0 3 , Students' Society executives persuaded students to approve a seven-year fee of $1 1 .8 4 per semester, raising a total of $ 1 .8-million to fund the third and final phase of renovations to the Shatner University Centre.

To sweeten the deal for the less convinced, they promised new washrooms, facilities for the M idnight Kitchen, and the Tribunes very own darkroom —all by the following September. Fourteen months later, work remains unfinished. Plans for a new sound sys­ tem in the ballroom have been axed and, oops, it turns out the kitchen hoods in the second-floor cafeteria aren't quite up to code.

O h, and by the way, a light switch and two walls erected in the

corner d o not a darkroom make. So last spring, when the Shatner renovations were already seven months behind schedule, what did students do? They self-imposed a fiveyear Athletics fee of $ 10 per semester to pay for additions and expansions to the Sports Complex, finding it hard to resist the pitch. "Sick of signing up for the elliptical six hours in advance? By September, w e ll have added 15 more machines!" This time, however, students really got snook­ ered. N o t only were improvements not completed as promised by September, they weren't even underway. Like the Shatner renova­ tions, the projected cost of improvements to the Sports Com plex turned out to be overly rosy. As a result, the Athletics renovations have suffered casualties even before they've even begun: G oodbye, rock-climbing wall.

Who's to blame? As manager of the Shatner building, the SSMU vice-president clubs and services seems like a convenient cul­ prit, as well as the vice-president operations. But which generation of veeps to vilify? The same SSMU executives w h o cam paigned for the fee were working with outdated building plans that didn t always include the exact location of, say, water pipes.

The Shatner and Athletics renovations face a similar problem: when the project becomes more costly than expected, it's back to the draw ing board for some much-needed tweaking.

The next time student politicians stump for a new renovations fee and make unrealistic promises, their constituents may start bran­

Who's to blame? This one calls for a scapegoat. Place the blam e squarely on the shoulders o f Am ericans and A m eriC anadians—sneaky pseudo-Yankees w ho try to pass as fullblooded Canucks. The secret's out— more Americans are realizing the value o f an education outside their borders, increasing their M c G ill enrolment seven per cent from 2 0 0 2 to 2 0 0 3 alone.

The roof is falling. M ost students don't notice the repairs that do take p la ce —brickwork, fixing leaky roofs and foundations, and fire alarm upgrades, to name a few. Everyone sure took notice, however, when a ceiling tile fell on a student in a history class a

dishing torches.

vague, faceless "they."

"The biggest problem is you haven't a clue," he said. "It's just this huge bureaucracy, and I w ould say a lot of us wouldn't know where to begin." O n a larger scale, however, most parties agree that financial responsibility lies mainly with the big bad province.

"Deferred maintenance is part of our infrastructure, and the government is supposed to fund infrastructure costs," said VicePrincipal Administration and Finance M orty Yalovsky.

In the past four years, however, the province has only man­ aged to scrape together $ 3 .8-million for repairs to M cG ill's her­ itage buildings. ■

Classrooms are overflowing. Okay, a 600-student class is big, but 1 ,0 0 0 ? Last year, administrators had to open up an a d d i­ tional section o f BIOL 2 0 0 because the technology in the "over­ flow " rooms was unreliable (see below). So many students regis­ tered for PHGY’ 201 this year that the universily had to funnel them into an equivalent class—one at 7 :3 0 a m , no less. Arts especially is feeling the crushing weight of too many bodies this year.

Administrators requested new Arts enrolment of 1 ,6 0 0 , but received a bonus o f 1 4 2 inadvertently.

fe w years ago.

The university struggles with $ 165-million in deferred mainte­ nance projects, dow n from $ 1 85-million in 1 9 9 9 . W h ile these projects mostly relate to building repairs, the difficulties of technolo­ g y create another set of problems. At the beginning o f the year, psy­ chology professor Donald Taylor discovered the lights in Leacock 1 3 2 were not working properly.

"You couldn't control them," he said. "Here, you've got this fancy new high-tech system dow n there, and within a week it's not w orking." Taylor takes such SNAFUs lightly, however, preferring instead that resources be channelled toward students and research.

"I figure that's the last thing to w o rry about. If the building is crumbling, w e can live with it."

Who's to blame? Like Rose, Taylor focuses his discontent on a

BENJI FELDMAN. AN NE SEXTON, BENUI FELDMAN, IW O N A LINK, YASEMIN EMORY, IW O N A LINK

M O N T R E A L IS F A L L I N G A P A R T

I love her, I love her not For all the good times you and Montreal have, is it really worth staying together?

SARAH GRYNPAS any of us are cranky enough as it is—w e have to study for exams, write essays, not to mention having to deal with the deep freeze that encapsulates us from November on.

"W hen I think of winter in Montreal, I get this image of several bun­ dled up students trekking dow n Rue des Pins, clinging on to the stone wall for dear life as they try to w ork their w a y dow n hill. It's a nailbiting experience watching the girls in heels attempt to make it to campus safely," says Allison Graham, a U2 Education student.

It's easy for us to fall for Montreal, but like every infatuation, our relationship with the metropolis soon evolves into a less-than-ideal affair that just can't live up to our super-high expectations. And while w e may be tempted to take our anger out on the city itself, it is much more proactive to consider the true culprits behind the problems.

The Olympic Stadium. W e can't not notice it, as our nemesis, the gargantuan white, concrete elephant w e call a stadium, follows us wherever w e go. Seriously, w e could be on a wharf in N ova Scotia, and still see that damned behemoth staring us in the face when w e look over our shoulders. The stadium has been the source of many woes for the city, not least because it wasn't finished on time for the 1 9 7 6 Olympics. In fact, before it was even built, its conceiver, M ayor Jean Drapeau, could be found at the Pharmaprix stocking up on Pepto-Bismol.

Who's to blame? First, there's the location: it's not built in a vibrant, convenient neighbourhood, and it's so big there's really no room for local businesses. It doesn't help that the "retractable" roof is more of a decorative title than statement, seeing as the roof doesn't actually retract. Though sometimes pieces of it fall off, as was the case in 1 9 9 1 , when a 55-tonne concrete beam tumbled onto a nearby walkway. Plus, the brilliant engineers didn't account for the weight of the concrete tower being potentially too heavy for gravity

M

to handle, realizing only in the midst of construction that steel was the only material that could prevent the tower from toppling over. The final price tag of $1 billion w ill eventually be paid off— primarily via tax dollars—in 2 0 0 6 , 3 0 years after,it was first built.

The (former) Montreal Expos. You youngsters may not remem­ ber this, but back in the halcyon days of the '8 0 s and early '90s, the Expos were a viable team. There was even—ga sp !—W o rld Series talk.

Who's to blame? So you ask, what happened to the boys who once held so much promise? Three things. First, there's the players strike in 1 9 9 4 which could not have happened a t a worse time, as their 7 4 -4 0 record ostensibly ensured them a spot in the playoffs for only the second time in their history. Secondly, there's the constant threat of moving the team due to poor finances and lack of local interest. Third, there's the incompetent management tactics of Jeffrey Loria. Basically, Montreal got hosed. Loria's screw-ups were leg­ endary; at one point he didn't even broadcast the game in English.

And now the Expos minority shareowners are suing him, saying he intentionally ran the team into the ground so he could buy the Florida Marlins. In 2 0 0 3 , the team's cash flow was so bad they played part of the season in Puerto Rico, making it hard for baseball fans to enjoy an afternoon at the ballpark. Fortunately though, people in Montreal never actually went to Expos games, whereas those lovely folks in San Juan did. Rather, Montrealers bitched about the lo w attendance and potential loss o f their ignored team, before heading to boul.

Saint Laurent for happy hour and forgetting w hat they were so riled up-about. This year, after finishing last in their division, losing 9 5 of 1 62 games, it was announced that the team would be moving south to Washington, D.C., where they'll likely have better attendance.

Métro fare hikes. After N e w York, Montreal has the greatest percentage of citizens w ho rely on public transport. You'd think that maybe the province would cough up some money for our subway

system. But in 2 0 0 3 , Q uebec only paid 9 .2 per cent of the total revenue of the STM. That year, there were three fare hikes, raising the price by 18 per cent total.

Who's to blame? The high salary costs for the subway drivers and booth operators, which can g o up to $ 6 0 ,0 0 0 per year, or bus drivers w h o make roughly $ 2 5 an hour, are partly to blame. Others think that if you eliminate fraud, the STM can save $ 2 0 - to 25-million annually. But seeing as those silly, bored, rich kids with Samsung laser printers and pricey software like to make counterfeit tickets as an after-school activity, the chances of decorrupting the system are minimal. The brats aren't the only ones to blame, though. Like many necessary but unglamorous public services, everyone's probably just nickel-and-diming it to death.

Icy sidewalks. O ne thing you may have noticed after surviving your first M ontreal winter is how incredibly slippery each and every w alkw ay is. W h ile you may have managed to avoid stepping into a pothole and plummeting to your death, it is likely that you have stumbled upon a patch of black ice and slid into traffic. Hardly what one might describe as a winter wonderland. W h ile it is assumed that your ability to sidestep hazards is lowered when inebriated, there is something to be said for the lack of attention paid to the impossibly slick concrete.

Who's to blame? The burden is to be placed on the city's heads, though they would tell you that Mother Nature is at fault because that wench blesses us with cold, snow, and ice. M ost cities salt the ground so that residents don't slip to their death on their w a y to work. In Montreal, though, our cold spells are more like 10 months of hell freezing over, so come spring, concretedissolving salt will have created b ig gaping pits all over the city. And since w e are oh-soenvironmentallyconscious, sand is often used in place of salt, which is nice for the trees, but hardly does the trick that our corrosive friend salt does. ■

— W ith files from Liz Allemang

a&e ^J^usic Something precious onstage Rasputina enraptures a most diverse recital crowd DAVE BRODKEY

The Ladies' Cello Society sings tales of Rose Kennedy, failed cakes made of salt, and all in between.

L IS E T R E U T L E R

fter playing with guitar-rock bands and hearing audi­ ence comments, I began to think that if people g o t so excited by simply seeing a cello on stage, m aybe I should be starting a full cello-rock ba n d."

So began M e lo ra Creager's journey into beloved cult fame. She, as "foundress and directress" of Rasputina, truly appreciates the utterly devoted fans w h o continue to track do w n band recitals and send hand-made gifts. W ith a reserved friendliness complemented by her piercing eyes, she is w illing to tell you her stories—that is, as long as you d on't call her a Goth.

As C reager stepped onto the stage at C a b a re t ( 2111 boul. St-Laurent| last M o n d a y with bandmates Z oë Keating and Jonathon TeBeest, picked up her cello, and settled dow n on a quilt-covered box, she both welcom ed and w arned the audience: "W e are Rasputina, and w e are here to terrify you with our m ojo."

W ith that, the band launched into "Saline the Salt Lake Q ueen," a powerful sonic boom off their latest album, Frustration Plantation. The ensuing recital, as C reager names their shows, blended songs m ade of soft emotions— like "A Quitter," which makes even M e lo ra teary-eyed— and loud strength to perfection, evident in the crow d's grateful applause

A

H A N D S

O F F

T H E

after every song.

The Ladies' C e llo Society— another M elora-isra—o fficia l­ ly app ea re d on the music radar in 1 9 9 6 with their first fulllength album, Thanks for the Ether, and w ere quickly recog­ nized and w orshipped not only for their prolific musicianship and unique songwriting, but also for their gorgeous Victorian costumes. Since then, they have released an album a pproxi­ mately every tw o years, w ith EPs and special releases in between. C reager takes on the heaviest load, being the sole songwriter, designing the album art and replacing lost mem­ bers.

"I'm thrilled Z oë joined when I asked," C reager says.

"She's the only person who's ever gotten as excited about cello am plification as I am ."

C reager gets equally excited about la n g u ag e —writing, reading, and w ords themselves.

"W h e n I'm on tour, I write every day," she confides. "I come up with things to say w h ile w e 're on stage to introduce the songs. I d o n 't like saying the same things every night. And when I'm songwriting, I d o n 't really get inspired by music— I get inspired by books.

"Im agine trying to w rite a song to music—A C / D C back­ ing up my cello?" she adds. "It just doesn't w ork. Often I'll be writing with a rhyming d ictio n a ry right beside me, because I try to look for new w ays to say fhings. N o t everything's obvi­ ous."

This statement rang especially true for the recital crow d, w h o mouthed along to favourites from all four albums. The band prefers to balance their sets evenly, "because not every­ one wants to hear the same thing." Religious as they are about Rasputina, the audience gave a w a y their naïveté with squeals o f surprise and glee as the band pulled out unexpected cov­ ers, including Heart's "Barracuda," CCR's "Bad M o o n Rising" and even a little Zeppelin.

A t night's end, the band relaxed backstage on a cozy couch w ith a giant ashtray in place o f a coffee table.

Creager, still corseted and energetic, mused on the current state o f political affairs.

"W e w ere just sitting here thinking about being in C a n a d a and ho w different it is," she mulls. "Because in the States, there are so many problems right now. It's horrible."

N o w , d id this have anything to d o with her commentary between songs that included rice identification implants and Hitler?

"Definitely. That's what's on my m ind," C reager confirms.

"That's what's on everyone's minds right n o w !"

Though C reager insists she's not particularly com fortable with small talk, she's eloquent and open to explaining every last detail, save for o n e — she alludes to a new project in the works, but maintains it's "too early to give anything a w a y."

W e ll then, it's time to tighten our corsets, stand up straight, and w a it . *

C A N V A S

The awful truth or several weeks, M ichael M oore's political blockbuster, Fahrenheit 9 / 1 1, has been screened across "battle­ ground" states in the hopes of changing some minds come Tuesday, America's Election Day. W hatever the out­ come, Moore's film w ill have had an impact. It w on the Palme d 'O r this year at Cannes and has done much to advance the cause of documentary filmmakers. But his celebrated work raises an important ideological question: should political doc­ umentaries be screened in the months prior to an election?

F

Imagine the right making an anti-Kerry documentary that featured Ann Coulter.

M oo re fills his movie with lies. People w ill be angry with me when I say that, but it's true. He is a talented filmmaker and is compelling in his arguments at times, but he often misleads viewers, or just plain lies. Naturally, anyone is free to say whatever they want, but when the public watches a movie professing to be a truthful documentary—that really isn't truth-

ful— problems arise.

O f course, politicians themselves are m isleading.

However, their cam paign ads have guidelines to be followed, whereas movies, regardless o f genre, d o not. To Moore's credit, he is honest about his bias and agenda. Nevertheless, it's still propaganda designed to affect the w a y people vote.

Ironically, M oo re might have actually hindered Kerry more than he's helped him.

After Fahrenheit 9 / 1 1 was released, many other antiBush-type "documentaries" came out—some o f which are still in theatres— but they lacked the legitim acy that M oore's film had. Anytime anyone makes a movie that features prominent leftist N oam Chomsky, few people really take it seriously.

Imagine the right making an anti-Kerry documentary that fea­ tured ultra-conservative antagonist Ann Coulter.

Speaking of which, it's been mostly the left fighting this battle of character assassination. However, the right has cre­ ated the slanderous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which con­ veniently began creating anti-Kerry propaganda shorts after Fahrenheit 9 / 1 1 came out. They're just as bad, but from the other side.

D A N Y H O R O V IT Z

Despite the controversy, Fahrenheit 9 / 1 1 has opened the d o o r to a w h o le new generation of filmmakers.

Documentary films like Super Size M e would probably not have received such massive w o rld w id e attention had M oo re not already gotten people interested in the genre. For that, he should be hailed, because documentaries are crucial to pre­ serving and understanding culture.

I'm not saying w e should limit w hat M oo re or anyone else has to say, but I believe timing should play a factor. W h a t if, three days before the federal election, Fox N ew s' Bill O'Reilly accused John Kerry of murder? Regardless of whether there was "proof" or not, and regardless o f w hat "facts" were uncovered, in three short days considerable dam age would be done.

The bottom line is that as soon as outside actors try to persuade voters through mass m edia, there's a problem. H ow can w e convince the M id d le East to embrace democracy when w e ourselves fall prey to lies and character assassina­ tions from each other? W hether from the left or the right, polit­ ical documentaries should not have a place in the media so close to an e le c tio n .*

the m cgill tribune | 11.2.04 | a&e 17

PREVIEWS

■

Mouse attacks

IT j j

ÇRpM pP * / . W

Young'uns a n d rodents c re a te a party, they do!

MUSIC. Green Day— Bell Centre—Thursday, November 4.

In the early '90s, Green Day was just a punk garage band that wanted to annoy people. Ten years ago, their surprising first release, Dookie, proved that these guys were for real. N o w , they have returned with a politically-inclined rock opera, American Idiot, dedicated to unseating the incumbent President Bush. Despite being in their 30s now, Billie Joe and com pany have been lauded by critics for putting on a mature show that still smacks of youthful exuberance. Catch them Thursday at the Bell Centre.

FILM. 11HeartI Huckabees—Cinéma du Parc— 3 5 7 5 ave. du Parc—playing until December 2.

Be warned: this is not your run-of-the-mill movie. For one thing, it may be the first film ever billed as an "existentialist comedy." O d d b a ll director David O . Russell casts a strange ensemble of players in his overtly philosophical movie-mak­ ing endeavour. W h e n Albert [Jason Schwartzman) starts working for Huckabees, a large, Wal-Mart-esque corpora­ tion, he feels conflicted. To better understand himself, he seeks out "existentialist detectives," played by Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin, to discover his true essence. Dubbed " Fahrenheit 9 / 1 1 for the screwball set" by the N e w York Times, this film w ill keep you guessing and leave you asking w hat is the meaning of your life.

PAUL C O E R TZ EN ven as you open the doors, the groove is on. Heavy beats undulate from the stage to d ra w the crow d in — the Junior Boys are on stage, but they're no neophytes to concert action. C abaret Music Hall ( 2111 boulevard StLaurent) is packed with a strange mix o f everyone from young punk wannabes to seasoned veterans of the mosh pit scene.

Jeremy Greenspan, the Junior Boys' vocalist, looks like the '8 0 s epitome of cool, w hile His com padré M att Didemus smokes his cigarettes and deals with the electronics.

Imagine a whimsical, sensual, and much-inebriated p arly—the Junior Boys have got it down. Their sound com­ prises sharp beats, gentle melodies, and multi-layered effects, along with unaffected, sincere vocals from Greenspan.

"Birthday," a fantasy-like winner off their most recent album, perfectly described the spirit of the evening as the band played in complete harmony. N o t a single ear could ignore the intricate^et-smooth sound of Didemus's synthesizer.

Next in fine came Ratatat, a band that truly lives up to their name. The audience could barely see the face of gui­ tarist M ike Stroud through his nest hair! Ratatat, which resem­ bled a sonic marriage o f Daft Punk and the Strokes, stripped the room of its Junior Boys melancholy and brought out explo­ sions. By the end of their set, one fact became certain: Stroud can play the hell out of a guitar.

The band combines its violent-yet-exquisite sound with visuals running behind them on large white sheets. Imagine tripped-out images of fluid beneath a microscope and pat­ terns curiously resembling the American flag morphing with

E

pure rock.

During their last song, "Cherry," Stroud actually put dow n his w eapon o f a guitar to play a tiny keyboard resting

MUSIC. Andy Stochansky (with Tal Bachman)— Le Swimming—3 643 boul. St-Laurent— Friday, November 5.

A n d y Stochansky g re w up am ong his parents' large and diverse record collection, and he's ap p lie d it to his ow n eclectic brand o f music. C om pared to the likes of Jeff Buckley, Bono, and even the Beatles, Stochansky can dis­ play his prim arily drum-based talent in a w id e variety of ways. In his last album, O ne Hundred, Stochansky mixed in strumming acoustic sounds with occasional classic romantic ballads, and even some glam rock. The former filmmaker w ill be performing this Friday along with late '9 0 s p o p sensation Tal Bachman.

TELEVISION. US Presidential Election—every major net­ work—Tuesday, November 2.

You'll have to sift through the usual N B C /C B S /F o x bull­ shit, but this event is definitely worth watching. It is arguably the most important election in the recent history of the United States, and perhaps the most significant political moment of our generation. Either way, in the w ake o f 2 0 0 0 's farce of an election, Tuesday night's soon-to-be fiasco qualifies as entertainment. You can catch overtly com edic coverage on The D aily Show, on the cleverly-titled play-by-play Preclude to a Recount. So break out your spiritual vine and sacrificial lamb, and let's pray for a burning Bush.

BENJI FELDMAN

on the floor. Suddenly, Ratatat is no longer a force to be reck­ oned with as the music slowly deconstructs itself until eventu­ ally it's just destroyed. Stroud runs his guitar strings over a microphone stand, they collectively w ave goodbye and w alk off.

In a night of drum machine overexposure, Mouse on M ars took their spot on stage with the first authentic drum set of the night, spotlighting their drum m er/vocalist Dodo Nkishi with keyboardist Jan St. W erner and guitarist Andi Toma to the sides.

Mouse on M ars created infectious beats so unique as to separate them from traditional electronica. The live drums, of course, contribute greatly to their individuality as well as a dd the liveliest part of the show. Unfortunately, the ambientbalance perfected by thejunior Boys was sadly missing. Still, their songs continue to grab you, always with a interesting

THEATRE. Charlotte's W e b — D.B. Clarke Theatre— 1 455 de Maisonneuve O . —October 3 0 to November 7.

The touching tale o f barnyard friendship comes to Concordia's 380-seat D.B. Clarke Theatre. Produced by Montreal's G eordie Productions, this stage adaptation of EB W hite's classic novel is the first play of their 2 0 0 4 -0 5 series entitled Tales o f Courage. This play showcases the inspiring story of W ilb u r the pig and Charlotte the spider as they con­ spire to avoid the fatal touch of "the man." Thought of by many as the greatest children's book ever written, the theatri­ cal version w ill act as an innocent blast from the past for so many twentysomethings trudging through the real world.

hook.

Mouse on M ars was the only band to come back out for an encore, performing three more songs, including a funk version of the traditional Frère Jacques. And oh, how the crow d danced! Thejunior Boys, Ratatat and Mouse on Mars created one hell of a good time—so g ood that by bed time, our ankles were ready to give out. ■

>

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a&e

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THIS JUST IN...

Don't just sit and watch I I the news—artists are politi­ cal, too!

Whatever Tuesday's outcome, Courtney Love has I shown her interest in the H I election by supporting Paris Hilton—sort o f—with a TSft shirt bearing the slogans "Paris for President" on the front and "She's smarter III than Bush" on the back. It's 111 a lough call... but I'm with Love on this one.

Agree?

W rite for A&E. arts@tribune.mcgill.ca

.

FILM. Ray—various theatres.

Fans o f the W B may know Jamie Foxx as a wisecrack­ ing, slapstick comic. But beginning this week, he's showing audiences all over the w orld that he has a much greater artis­ tic range. Portraying the recently deceased blind jazz icon, Ray Charles, Foxx shines in Ray, playing all his own piano parts and lip-synching to Charles's raspy, soulful tunes. For his efforts, O scar has come up more than once in reference to his efforts in this film. Recounting the somewhat controversial biography of Charles's drug addiction, as well as document­ ing his musical prowess, Ray has been w idely acclaimed, even by the man himself before his death earlier this year.

FESTIVAL. C oup de Coeur Francophone—various ven­ ues— November 4 to 14.

French-Canadian p op culture is celebrated in this 1 1d a y festival of francophone music and theatre. Travelling all around C anada and Q uebec, this year marks the 1 8th instal­ ment of this memento to diverse French culture and talent. The festival kicks off with the former voice of the Expos, "M .

M ontreal" Rodger Brulotte, hosting Club Soda's showing of "Le Juke-box des Zapartistes," a play that examines our con­ nection to the United States. Shows from many other influen­ tial francophone icons, including the renowned Richard Seguin on W ednesday, w ill make this festival enjoyable for anyone, regardless of language.

CREDITS:

GREENDAYMUSIC.COM;

lONDONBLUE.NET;

CHARTATTACK.COM;

M O N E Y .C N N .C O M ; FAMILYEDUCATION.COM; RAYMOVIE.ORG; COUPDECOEUR.QC.CA

18 a&e | 112.04 | the m cgill tribune

usic How I becam e almost famous The Libertines cruise even with man overboard DAVE BARBER et's get one thing straight— before this, I had never interviewed a band. And prior to my chat with bassist John Hassal, I had no idea w h a t the Libertines w ere all about. I w as an all-around newbie. Thus, as I left my apart­ ment sans tape recorder due to circumstances beyond my control, I w as gro w ing w a rie r by the minute, thinking, I'm

L

on my way to interview Britain's "best new band" of 2002!

Little d id I know w hat sort o f night it w ould turn out to b e ...

b i r m i n g h a m -a c a d e m y .c o .u k

They're hot, British, and they know how to party. Phew!

After entering the rock fray a couple o f years back, lit­ tle about the Libertines and the antics o f their tw o frontmen, C arl Barat and Peter Doherty, had escaped the scrutinizing glare of the British m edia. Though touring in support o f their self-titled debut, the Libertines are currently without Doherty, who's back in Britain trying to kick his numerous addictions.

W h ile their brand o f lad-punk is fueled by a booze-swilling and drug-induced lifestyle that provides something "kids can associate w ith ," it has proven to be too burly a bedfel­ lo w for their absent frontman.

Despite their insta-fame for everything from the music to the classic rocker lifestyle, the Libertines belong to the cat­ e g o ry o f groups you either know everything about or noth­ ing at a ll—and I definitely fell under the latter category.

But soon enough I found myself settled in on their tour bus, questioning Hassal about the rock lifestyle, and life on the road. Inevitably, w e ended up discussing the issue of the band's uncertain future.

" N o one rea lly knows w ha t's h a p p e n in g ," he explained carefully. "W e 're just taking it a d a y at a time, doing the gigs and trying to d o the new. album justice."

After assuring myself that I'd developed, an adequate rap­ port with the soft-spoken chap from London, I d id my best to secure 10 passes to their show at La Tulipe to help ensure they achieved their goals that night.

And ho w they d id ! Equal parts am plitude and attitude, their show w as one fantastic party, even with the replace­ ment guitarist. I w as in complete a w e of the band I'd just discovered— especially after the gig-ending attack on the drum kit.

M y fabulous impression ran even deeper as the night progressed, as my friends and I d ra g g e d the band out to the bars. W h ile they a ppeared as rebel gods on stage, the foursome w as even more incredible in person. They weren't head-butting bartenders to get complete drinking privileges, but were genuine people enjoying any gifts received. O nly a fe w hours earlier I w as wetting my pants in their pres­ ence, but at the after-party, I exchanged a plethora of pro­ fanities and off-the-record questions with Barat across the foosball table.

Here's one secret for you: the reason they so complete­ ly pillaged the percussion w as because "it w as hired and the bass pedal kept falling out," a ccording to Barat.

M y apologies to those devoted fans out there looking for new d irt or insight. I understand your need. Rest assured that I w a s converted into w h a t Hassal calls "the Libertines' black m a s s ."*

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the mcgill tribune | 11.2.04 | a&e 19

Q)rt

REVIEWS CD. Has Been by William Shatner.

From the streets of Montreal to Star Trek, Priceline.com, and Boston Legal, W illia m Shatner has certainly had a 'vivacious career as an actor/entertainer, author, and last but not least, as a singer.

W e ll, not exactly as a singer, per se. But w a y back in 1 9 6 8 , Shatner recorded The Transformed M an, which became an infamously cheesy and cam py classic where conventional singing is replaced by his dramatic reading of well-known

When arts collide South Korean artist fascinates with Luthier fa b rica n t COLLECTION.1C,GC .C A

CLARA SC H W A R TZ

un-Mee Yang thinks of herself as a "displaced per­ son" and an avid urban dweller. W h y? She emigrat­ ed from South Korea to C a n a d a , where, until recent­ ly, M ontreal w as home for her. N o w , she lives in Prince Edward Island, w here she finally feels she is genuinely connecting w ith M oth e r Nature. These d a ily encounters w ith the natural w o rld and her long voyage from one con­ tinent to another are w h a t inspired Yang to produce the series o f dra w ing s n o w on disp la y in her former home­ town.

W ith the help o f conté crayons, d ra w ing charcoal, and bee w a x, the dra w ing s reflect the seasons and the natural cycle o f life. Yang explains that she is especially fascinated by the birth, growth, fade, and death o f the flora. Though overall the dra w ing s reflect d e ca y represent­ ed by d eep shadow s a nd sombre tones, there are the odd touches of spring and renaissance hinted by golden and w hite colors.

Displacement, the central theme to Yang's w ork, is underscored by the location o f the e xh ib itio n —the d ra w ­

E

ings are not nailed on the w alls o f a traditional art gallery, but utterly exposed in the open concept luthier fa b ric shop, W ild e r & Davis. W h ile a p preciating the d raw ings, one ca n 't help but adm ire the violins and cellos carefully stored in glass cases. In ad d itio n, the doors to the ateliers are w id e open, with manufacturers so absorbed in their deli­ cate creations that they remain oblivious to curious

hits like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

W ith a great sense of humour about himself after a 3 6 y e a r musical hia­ tus, Shatner released his second album, the self-deprecating and yet surprising­ ly genuine Has Been. Delving deep into his personal tragedies and triumphs, Shatner himself penned the poetic musings on death, failure, and stardom, w hile the much-loved songwriter Ben Folds wrote the music.

Held together by a very recognizable—and likeable—voice, the most notable songs on the album include the self-examination of "That's M e Trying,", the ranting of "I C an 't G et Behind That," and a hilariously fun cover of Pulp's

glances.

In her artistic statement, Yang claims, “ In my mind, there is no doubt that artists are g o in g to be moved by w here they live —environmentally, politically, and socially."

The truth is, however, that the environment influences not just the artist, but also the viewer. Being in an atmosphere far from traditional for an art exhibit, the viewer's curiosity mounts to an unprecedented level, resulting in a deep adm iration both for Yang's w o rk and the m aking of musi­

"Common People."

Despite the occasional "real" singers popping up to save the dramatic intensity from getting out of hand, Has Been is pure W illiam Shatner. There's a definite degree o f cheese inherent in someone simply talking over music, but in the end, one thing becomes certain: when listening to this odd album by M cG ill's favourite son, you'll realize that this "has been" just might come back

cal instruments.

W ild e r & Davis w ill continue to present Eun-Mee Yang's art until December 1 8. Regardless o f whether your curiosity is piqued by Yang's d ra w ing s or the musical instru­ ments, the "g a lle ry" (2 5 7 rue Rachel| is a w orthw hile place to d w ell for a m om e n t.*

CD. SmiLE by Brian Wilson.

After the release of the leg­ endary Pet Sounds, Beach Boys leader Brian W ilson began work on a new project. Since 1 9 6 6 , the year he started, SmiLE has been w id e ly anticipated as the American response to the British Invasion's sym­ bolic cornerstone—the Beatles' Sgt. Peppers. However, record execu­ tives, band turmoil, and a psycho­ logical breakdown that would have put van G ogh to shame forced the Beach Boys to abort their musical mission, thus beginning the legend of the unfinished recordings, taken up by so many artists—or their record

again.

—M atthew Arnot

Bloodlust meets metaphysics

labels—today.

N ow , almost four decades later, the lost album has materialized.

Reflecting greatly on the times of its originally intended release, listeners can easily hear W ilson's underlying drug-induced insanity and pain. Album high­ lights include the mournful "Surf's Up," the paranoid "W in d Chimes," and a new recording of "G o o d Vibrations," though the music is not necessarily fantas­

Anime flick offers equal parts violence and philosophy

tic.

SCO TT SAM ERO FF

amoru O shii's Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence presents a bleak and styl­ ized future w here humans, cyborgs, and mechanical dolls inhabit a multidimen­ sional w orld that exists as much in cyber­ space as it does in reality. In this future, criti­ cal advances in technology have blurred the line between humans and machines, to the point w here the humans' only distinguishing feature is a soul. This is life in the year 2 0 3 2 in Oshii's w o rld o f anime.

The film begins w ith a brutal crime scene w here a gyn o id (or "sex doll") has som ehow m anaged to override her program ­ ming restrictions. She kills her master and tw o young police officers, before committing sui­ cide a t the feet o f Sector 9 agent, Batou. This is the ninth d e a dly malfunction o f this gynoid model, and as such, Public Safety Sector 9 has been called in to investigate a possible terrorist conspiracy. Batou, a cold and reclu­ sive special agent, whose human impulses have all but dim inished, is paired with a young fam ily man named Togusa in order to investigate the murders.

As soon as Batou and Togusa begin their investigation, they are called to the home o f a high-ranking executive a t Locus Solus, the com pany responsible for produc­ ing the defective gynoids. The executive's organs have been removed and placed in jars inside a fridge. As the tw o delve deeper into the mystery, they encounter a slew of underworld bosses, killer gynoid dolls, and d e a dly computer viruses before uncovering the true cause of the murders in a clim actic

M

end sequence that could satisfy any bloodlusting anime fan's dreams.

Although the action sequences and ani­ mation in this movie are truly breathtaking, it also contains many com plex themes, which are very philosophical in nature; even its title is a reference to Cartesian philosophy's m ind-body debate. Between spraying blood against w alls and dismantling mechanical dolls, Batou and Togusa ponder the im plica­ tions o f human existence in an a g e w here Internet-bound ghosts can hack into mindless machines. The characters often speak in quo­ tations, ranging from Darwin to Confucius to M ilton to the Bible. This enlightened style pro­ vides their arguments with a sense o f credi­ bility not as easily found in the p op psychol­ o g y of The Matrix, trilogy, for example.

Ghost in the Shell 2 was like entering a parallel universe; one that entertains the pes­ sim istic p o ssib ilitie s of te c h n o lo g ica l advances in a very thought-provoking way.

This is not to say those looking for some mindless entertainm ent w o n 't e n jo y the movie.

The m agnificent animation and excruci­ ating attention to detail are a real treat to the eyes, w hile the characters epitom ize cool, driving around in classically-styled cars from the 19 3 0 s era, shooting up dozens of Yakuza members with a single m achine gun clip. Oshii's sombre, dark, and mystical cityscapes are filled w ith subtle reminders of human achievement, com bining gothic archi­ tecture with techno elements. C ould this Brave N e w W o rld be a reality? ■ G host in the Shell 2 is playing at Cinéma du Parc until Novem ber 25.

W ith erratic, shifting incoherencies combined with spurts of kitsch, SmiLE drifts a w a y from the energetic pop layering W ilson had perfected in the 19 6 0 s. M ost of this album's attraction is its nostalgic essence; consequently, it comes off as anachronistic. Compounding these problems is W ilson's aged voice, once smooth and luxurious but now raspy, with a disappointing texture.

Though SmiLE is interesting and a fun listen, if anything, it just might make you laugh at the California teen culture the Beach Boys exploited.

—M atthew Arnot - is .,, ... :T:-xT:¥xC: x xx ::x

CD. D iggin' In by Jake Langley.

For years, O ntario jazz gui­ tarist Jake Langley has been touring for 2 0 0 days per year, refining his craft a nd d a z z lin g audiences around the w orld with the distinct and masterful guitar-playing style, which rightfully earned him the dis­ tinguished National Jazz Award for Guitarist of the Year in 2 0 0 4 .

O n his third studio album, Langley returns to his roots, reverting back to- the simple guita r/o rga n three-piece focused on lively, ener­ getic, yet consistently smooth jazz, featuring seasoned drummer Terry Clarke and Joey DeFrancesco on the Hammond B3. This straightforward yet powerful com bo would seem to w ork magnificently for Langley if the featured organ player used his talent to complement, not overtake, his lyrics. Despite his extensive musical experience, DeFrancesco's playing does not mesh with the rest o f the band, displaying a lack of musical propriety on his part. He spins out o f control during far too many of his aggressive solos on this album; his extremely complex, esoteric, and technical style tends to alienate the listener and. gives a ,sense of overburdened excess to the midsection of the songs.

The highlight of this album is Langley's p laying— intense, polished, and compelling as ever. His groovy, bluesy guitar w ork on Stanley Turrentine's "Sugar" and "The G a ra g e ," which is not only the strongest track on Diggin' In but also Langley's only original, sweeps over you like a childhood daydream.

Better yet, it makes you w ant to pick up a guitar and play.

— Ben Lemieux K Y aK A N .N E T

CREDITS: SHOUTFACTORY.COM; BRIANW ILSON.COM; AtAM.RECORDS.COM,

sports FOOTBALL

- Montréal

22,

Re d m e n 3

Third time a charm? im proved Redmen looking forward to next week's m eeting with Carabins A N D R E W SEGAL

The M c G ill Redmen showed just ho w far they've com e in eight short weeks on Saturday. N o w , they have one more opportunity to take that elu­ sive next step.

The Redmen hung tough against the top-ranked Université de M ontréal C arabins in front o f 3 ,6 1 2 fans on a cold, grey d a y in their final gam e at M olson Stadium, falling by a final score o f 2 2 -3 that w a s not indicative of how well M c G ill played. However, the Redmen have a shot at redemption next week, when they travel to Montreal's CEPSUM Stadium for a Q u e b e c University Football League semi-final match.

Although the result w asn't that dif­ ferent from M c G ill's 2 6 -0 loss to the C arabins on the season's opening day, H ead C oach Chuck M c M a n n was impressed with his team's effort.

"W e p la ye d a tough fo o tba ll game, and w e had opportunities to score," he said. "W e 'v e proven w e can move the football on them, and w e can beat this football team .”

Indeed, the Redmen had many chances throughout the gam e to put up points, with quarterback M a tt Connell exploiting broken coverage and numer­ ous blitzes to drive the Redmen inside the M ontréal 4 0 y a rd line on six occa­ sions. However, a lack of clutch play­ m aking in their o p p on e n ts' end d e ra ile d the squad, a n d M c G ill emerged with just three points, tw o on punt singles and one on a missed 21yard field g o a l, all by Robert Eeuwes.

"W e executed better than them to d ay and w e marched the fie ld ," Connell said. "But a t critical times, w e 'd make one little mistake that w ould cost us, and w e 'd have to g o for a field g o a l or turn the ball over. That's w h y w e lost."

THE

Flying flags hurt home side Penalties also killed the Redmen; the team racked up 14 infractions for 1 2 5 yards, w ith tw o fla g g ed incidents in particular shaping the outcome. W ith tw o Eeuwes singles countering a JeanLuc Lamarche field goal, M c G ill trailed 3-2 near the end of the first quarter. O n the period's final play, the strong M c G ill pass rush caused M ontréal quarterback Jonathan Jodoin to heave the ball short o f his intended receiver, w here it w as intercepted by cornerback A d d le y Dufour-Monice. Unfortunately for the Redmen, a call for roughing the passer put the C a rab in s back on offence, and five plays later, running back Joseph M ro u é plunged in from a yard out to give his team a 10-2 advan­ tage.

O n the ensuing M c G ill drive, C o n n e ll—w h o completed 2 4 of 4 0 passes for 3 4 0 yards on the d a y —and running back M ich a e l Sam m an—w h o rushed 17 times for 7 7 ya rd s—took six plays to move the ball to the M ontréal 19-yard line. Connell then found receiv­ er Rob LeBlanc in the end zone, but the o fficia ls sig n a le d pass interference against LeBlanc, negating the score.

Needless to say, LeBlanc w a s not pleased with the ref's decision.

"I disagree with the call. I thought the defensive back w as face-guarding me as much as I w as fighting him off," he said. "So I thought [on] that particu­ lar play, the whistle should have been put a w a y and [the o fficia l should have] just let us fight for the b all."

Trailing 1 1-2, the Redmen had another chance to score right before halftime. After starting on his ow n 26ya rd line, C o n nell sa w ed through M ontreal's defence and completed four straight passes to move to the C arabins 3 2 w ith six seconds rem aining. Connell then found G re g Hetherington over the m iddle at the sixya rd line, w ho, about

to be tackled, lateralled the ball to LeBlanc, w h o scored. M cG ill's bad luck persisted, though, as the p la y was ruled an illegal fo rw a rd pass and the clock ran out on the second quarter.

The gam e slow ed dow n after the break, with both sides making add itio n ­ al errors as the overcast skies opened up and drenched the field. M ontréal punter M ich a e l Shousha and Eeuwes traded singles in the third quarter before a Lamarche field g o a l gave the C a ra b in s a 15-3 le a d . The fin a l M o n tré a l points w e re scored w ith under a minute to g o in the fourth quar­ ter on an 18yrard Jodoin touchdown pass.

O f more concern to M c G ill was the leg injury suffered by Connell late in the gam e. He lay on the field, left leg twitching, but otherwise not moving, for a fe w minutes before being helped off.

After the gam e, the M c G ill pivot said that the dam age w asn't major.

"I w as just stunned," he remarked.

"I g o t a little charley horse, but I'll be fine for next w eek."

It all comes do w n to next week's gam e for the Redmen, as a playoff vic­ to ry w ill send the message that M cG ill's rebuilding program is moving fo rw a rd , and help to heal the wounds caused by last year's disastrous 3-5 cam paign and 4 7 -7 first-round thrashing at the hands o f Laval. For his part, M cM a n n thinks that the key to a Redmen victory over the undefeated C arabins is simple.

"W e 'll make some adjustments in the gam e plan, but w e cannot make mistakes," he asserted. "W e can't fum­ ble the football and can't turn the ball over."

Kickoff is Saturday at 1:0 0 pm .

C o n co rd ia w ill travel to Laval in the league's other semi-final, with the w in ­ ners of the tw o games meeting to play for the provincial crow n on Novem ber 13. ■

VLADIMIR EREMIN

Quarterback Matt Connell moved the ball well against Montréal.

RED Z O N E

Leagues weeding out the wrong athletes s the Minnesota Vikings' Onterrio Smith serves his four gam e suspension for again testing positive for marijuana, I am reminded of a recent USA Today article about a player named Q uincy Carter, and how Dallas Cow boys owner Jerry Jones believed in the "young quarterback from G eorgia despite rampant rumours about his off-field habits."

Sadly, though, this story does not have a happy ending, as Carter relapsed into his marijuana habit, and was cut by the C ow boys at the start of training camp.

"It sounds as if Q uincy Carter needs help," the appalled writer lamented. "But an even bigger disgrace is that he let dow n his Cow boys teammates, coaches, and Jones, the man w h o believed in his abilities."

But w hat was so atrocious about this act, which led Carter to be portrayed as someone w h o failed those w h o believed in him, especially that benevolent saint Jerry Jones? Did he beat his wife? Assault a handicapped man? Rob an old lady? Surely he must have harmed someone very badly.

N o , Carter's crime was having marijuana in his system when he w as tested by the NFL, upon which the Cowboys dropped Carter like a hot potato. He sparked a joint, which sparked the league's outrage.

Can I stop at this point and ask w hat the hell is going on . here? Carter and so many athletes before him have lost their rep­

A

utation, their jobs, and sometimes their careers for their habit of smoking weed.

I'm not here to argue w hy marijuana should be legalized.

W h a t I am asking is w hy it's anyone's business in the sporting w orld what athletes d o on their own time.

O n e obvious, if overly simplified, answer is that an athlete w h o breaks the la w must be penalized, but this response is flaw ed. W h a t about M ich ae l Jordan's poker games? Has W a yn e Gretzky never jaywalked? Surely nobody could point to pot being illegal as the real answer here.

Are teams concerned that athletes w h o smoke marijuana are more likely to engage in destructive or violent behaviour?

Please. The worst reactions to w eed usually involve eating half a pack o f cookies and laughing at jokes that aren't funny— hard­ ly actions warranting fines, suspensions, and expulsions.

Another explanation w ould be to cite professional sports' strict ban of performance-enhancing drugs. O pen any book or g o to any W e b site about the drug, even those anti-drug sites made for kids. You'll find the same conclusion: "M arijuana has no performance-enhancing potential."

Analysts and journalists all cried about Carter's character after his downfall. "If you can't trust your quarterback, what's the point?" one TV personality noted. W ell, as someone w ho hasn't lived in a cave for the past 2 0 years, I can safely say that many

JOSEPH GILGOFF

people w ho smoke marijuana are great people with sound morals. Furthermore, they are people— athletes, students, profes­ sionals—w h o produce and perform at extremely high levels.

The so-called experts and fans w h o vilify athletes for smok­ ing w eed need to quit their witch hunts. N B A veteran Charles O akley estimated that 6 0 per cent of the league's players use marijuana. These hundreds of players should not be suspended or bannèd from the game, because frankly, there would be no league left. Then the owners and journalists w ould really have something to cry about.

The hypocrisy o f these critics is particularly upsetting. They make tons of money off these players, and don't give a damn w hat their employees do on their own time as long as they per­ form on the job. But when someone's vice is publicized, the owners suddenly get righteous and judgmental, and abandon their player. The truth is, whether it is smoking pot, knocking back a couple too many beers, smoking cigarettes, or any other "deviant" activity, w e all do it— including the owners and league officials whose job it is to condemn these "offenders."

Athletes don't deserve to have their livelihoods taken away, and anybody with half a brain would know as much. People like the journalist w h o helped to bring Q uincy Carter dow n need to quit their w hining and loosen up. If they need any help in doing so, I've g o t just the thing. ■

R U G B Y

-

Martlets

35,

Ottaw a

the mcgill tribune | 11.2.04 | sports 21

14

The streak lives on

OFF

THE

BEATEN

PATH

McGill secures sixth straight QSSF title with strong first half A N G E L A G IA N N O T T I The season and its final game weren't quite the cakewalk of years st, but the Martlets are still heading ck to nationals.

M cG ill earned the Quebec Student Sport Federation title and a berth in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport champi­ onship tournament this weekend in Halifax by defeating the O ttawa GeeGees 3 5 -1 4 at M acdonald Campus on Sunday. The women won despite play­ ing without injured QSSF all-star M eghan Stewart and conference MVP Julia Leonard.

Even without two key cogs in their machine, the Martlets started strong.

Early on, the squad featured threatening offensive kicks by fly-half Erica Leonard, and strong forward play with solid scrumming and driving mauls. O ttawa wouldn't back down, though, and with tough play in the scrums and their backs running hard, they mounted a strong defence in the face of the M cG ill attack.

However, M cG ill was able to exploit one of the Gee-Gees miscues.

'They didn't w in as much tight ball as I thought they would, because we had a really good tight game in the rucks and mauls," said Head Coach Vince deGrandpré.

That helped M cG ill rack up 2 7 points in the first half. Scoring opened in the eighth minute, with Leonard kicking deep into G e e G e e territory, where a quick ball was passed out to winger Tess Kelly, w ho marked the first five points for M cG ill. Minutes later, outside centre Laura Belvedere scored M cG ill's second try in the far right corner.

O tta w a responded, fighting in M cG ills end for five minutes until a

Martlet player was called for being off­ side in a ruck, giving O ttaw a a penalty on M cG ill's 1Oyard line. The G eeG ees player quickly ran the ball in just outside the posts, and the try was converted.

M cG ill then answered back at the 25-minute mark on a try by 8-man M aria Jaworski, followed by a convert from fullback Julianne Zussman to make the score 17-7. Tries from scrumhalf Jocelyn Barrieau and Zussman ensued to give M cG ill a 2 7 -7 advantage at half­ time.

Indeed, Zussman, a rookie, had an outstanding gam e at fullback. She showed poise in responding to Ottawa's offensive kicks by leading the outside backs in a number of solid counterat­ tacks, something that came from being ready for the Gee-Gees' game plan.

"W e knew that their scrum-half would go for those box-kicks, and w e knew their fly-half would kick it deep, so w e were prepared for them," she said.

In the second half, M cG ill's pace started to slow down, and the team began to lose its focus, resulting in a number o f knock-ons and missed chances. McGill's backs also lapsed, as rather than putting the ball out to the wing to exploit the ovérlap, they began to cut their runs into the waiting O ttawa defence.

As a result, the score remained the same for the first 2 0 minutes after the break, and the Martlets seemed content to maintain their lead and hold off the G e e G e e attack. O ttaw a managed to score another converted try off a penal­ ty play, but the Martlets replied with a penalty kick by Zussman, and a try by Leonard in the dying- minutes of the game rounded out the scoring.

W ith this game behind them, the

Construction m ay destroy com m unity v-ball courts AN DREW PATTON

N

VLADIMIR EREMIN

McGill ran away with the title.

Martlets must now turn their attention towards next weekend's CIS tournament.

Forwards coach Cynthia McIntosh believes the battle with O ttaw a w ill help ready the Martlets for the stiff competi­ tion the top squads in C anada w ill pro­ vide.

"W e've had two really physical games: the [St. Francis Xavier University] game and this game," she said. "Teams are improving and w e have to step it up, especially on defence. It's going to be tough."

The Martlets will be looking to improve on last year's national result, when they went 1-1 in the round-robin but were seeded third in their pool, and finished in fifth place. ■ The Martlets' title quest begins Friday, with the bronze and gold medal games on Sunday. Look for info on the team's progress at www.athletics.mcgill.ca and www. universilysport. ca.

During the summer, the volleyball program sees as many as 800 players cycling through per day. In order to accommodate those numbers, they need as much court space as possible.

INTRAMURALS

Flag football final settled by missed calls, kicks D A N IE L C H O D O S The M c G ill intramural flag football season ended much the same w a y it began: filled w ith controversy and drama.

By a d d in g some new rule changes, most notably the elimination of all forms of blocking, the league has ch a n ge d a lot in recent years.

However, as the final game showed, the quality of football lacked none of the excitement and intensity of years past.

The final gam e o f the M en's A divi­ sion featured tw o teams that played very different brands o f football. The 4thandlongs brought a smart, consistent passing game, spreading the field and using a mobile quarterback to open up the flats and keep the chains moving.

Their underdog opponents At Least O ne, w ho in previous seasons had gone without scoring a single point, came out with truckloads of heart and a n aggressive, d o w n fie ld passing gam e in trying to com plete their Cinderella story.

Unfortunately, the gam e came dow n to some controversial calls by the officiating staff near the end o f the game, when A t Least One's seemingly complete passes w ere called incom­ plete on back-to-back plays because the referees ruled that the receiver did not have control of the ball.

"Referees shouldn't determine the fate in an intramural final game, and that's kind o f w hat happened today," remarked At Least O n e quarterback Richard Luft. "You don't w ant to lose on some blow n calls by referees— it's tough to lose that way."

ext year, the City of Montreal plans to demolish the insane interchange at avenue des Pins and avenue du Parc and replace it with an intersection. W h ile this may increase the chance of survival for M cG ill students trying to walk to the gym or M cConnell Arena, it could negatively affect the community of some 3 0 ,0 0 0 volleyball players w ho dive around half-naked just north of the proposed intersection every day from sunrise to sunset for six months of the year.

Those people all participate in a volleyball program run by the Association récréative Milton-Parc and located at the sand pits in Parc Jeanne-Mance, just south of rue Duluth on the east side of Parc.

These sand pits, and the action that goes down there, are unique to the city and are now in jeopardy because of the impending road­ work. Though there are other pits in Montreal, none of them provide their own equipment or make themselves available to anyone the w a y the program at Parc Jeanne-Mance does. Thus, any relatively mobile person is welcome to participate even if he has never played volleyball before, as long as he has tw o bucks in his pocket to pay for the day's worth of play. As a result, the courts often exhibit a diverse group of players.

"I tell people w e have the best players in Q uebec and the worst players," quips cofounder Terrence Regan.

I'll use myself as an example. Late this past summer, I ventured into this world of often intimidating ninja-like volleyballers, only to find that beneath their scary exterior, they were understanding and welcoming to those whose volleyball ability ranked somewhere just above that of an armadillo.

So how will this largely autonomous community be affected by the city's decision to intrude? The construction project w ill require large quantities of space in the surrounding area to hold all of its equipment and, unfortunately, an area potentially earmarked for that

JULIA SHONFIELD

These would-be tacklers failed to capture the flag football title.

Unfazed, the courageous At Least O n e reached deep into their arsenal, and found receiver Benji Feldman on a 4 0 y a rd touchdown strike on a key third dow n conversion to put them in a posi­ tion to tie the game. However, they could not convert the point-after, a back­ breaking twist that led to their heart­ breaking 13-12 loss.

The gam e was filled with dramat­ ic catches at both ends of the field. In the first half, a 4thandlongs defender m ade a one-handed, W illie Mays-style interception to halt an impressive drive

by At Least O ne. Then, just before the break, Luft scrambled to evade a rusher and fired a bullet to put his team in a position to score the first of Feldman's two touchdowns.

The intensity of the battle was elu­ cidated by players on the victorious side after the game.

"It was kind of a nail-biter at the end, but I felt that w e should have won all along," said 4thandlongs veteran

N o a h Scheinman. "W e were pretty confident going in. W e played a cou­ ple of years ago, and w e got smoked pretty badly because w e were so young."

At Least O ne, coming off a huge w in against Starting Lineup, a team of former Redmen football players, was happy just to play in the final.

"W e knew w e had a big chal­ lenge against the Redmen, but w e pulled it together really well, and w e pulled out a w in ," said Feldman. "W e survived, and w e were here today."

This match demonstrated how the rule changes have opened up the game, a llo w in g smaller and faster teams to excel, rather than fall to big­ ger, less mobile foes.

"I've been trying to get on this team for four years," said Feldman. "I w as scared of the contact—you know, I'm a skinny guy, I don't w ant to get hit.

Kudos to intramurals for getting rid of it." ■

task is the nearby park. There is a rumour that these courts are a pos­ sible location to hold equipment for recycling concrete; a report nei­ ther confirmed nor denied by anyone involved with the project.

W ere that to occur, however, the courts could be moved at least tem­ porarily to another location, say further north on Parc near the soc­ cer fields.

This move, which would consolidate all the sports fields into one, was proposed in 2 0 0 2 , when the city considered appeasing frustrated dog owners by turning the land currently reserved for courts into an area for unleashed dogs.

"They want to put a dog run there," Regan explains, "which is ridiculous, because dogs shouldn't have priority over people.”

Aside from taking offence to the implied ranking of dogs above them, the players do not like the idea of moving from their current location. For one, they worry that any temporary courts w ill be sig­ nificantly worse than the ones they currently use. Also, there is a sense of history they seem reticent to give up in their current space.

Plus, there are the concerns of adapting to the new conditions of a new location, particularly if it is closer to the road-or smaller in size.

During the summer, the volleyball program sees as many as 8 0 0 players cycling through per day. In order to accommodate those numbers, they need as much court space as possible.

Finally, and perhaps most important, the people who use the courts do not want to move because they, feel they have set up a truly friendly and communal atmosphere at their current location that goes beyond volleyball. O n any warm, sunny day in that part of Parc Jeanne-Mance, there are always people playing volleyball on the courts, or hacky sack and Frisbee on the surrounding grass; it is a welcoming environment "[The volleyball courts] are the best-used part of Parc JeanneM ance," boasts Regan. He and his fellow players do not want to risk losing that.

It remains to be seen whether the city will decide to use the courts as a storage space. If they do, Regan has said he'd be w ill­ ing to accommodate some of the construction machinery in the area around the courts. However, if the city decides it needs the entire area, Regan and his volleyball addicts w ill have to see how well they can adapt to their new, though hopefully only temporary, play­ ing field.

If they are moved, the city must make sure to return the space back to them as soon as the space is no longer needed, rather than to any other cause vying for use of the area. Every dog may have its day, but it should not have its own volleyball court as well. ■

22

sports | 11.2.04 | the mcgill tribune

REALIGNMENT

NBA 2 0 0 4 -0 5 : something's g ot to fill the NHL v o id right?

EASTERN

A tale of six divisions

CONFERENCE

New York Knicks

A D A M MYERS

Detroit Pistons

Miami Heat

Key additions: G Jamal Crawford Key losses: F Dikembe M utom bo

Key additions: F Antonio McDyess Key losses: F Corliss Williamson, F-C Mehmet Okur

Key additions: C Shaquille O 'N e al Key losses: F Lamar Odom, F Brian Grant

The Knicks and their $ 103-million payroll are the favourites to win this division. They have great backcourt players in Stephon Marbury and Crawford, and the Thomases (Kurt and Tim) are strong up front.

The reigning NBA champions have every reason to expect a repeat. They added size to an already enor­ mous frontline, and there shouldn't be a let down with Larry Brown on the end of the bench.

The Heat orchestrated the biggest move of the off­ season when they landed the Big Aristotle. If he stays healthy, he will feast on the East and automatically vault the Heat into the conference's upper echelon.

Toronto Raptors*

Indiana Pacers*

Orlando Magic*

Key additions: G Rafer Alston, C Rafael Araujo"*" Key losses: None

Key additions: G-F Stephen Jackson Key losses: F Al Harrington

Key additions: G Steve Francis, C Dwight Howard"*" Key losses: G Tracy M cGrady, F Juwan Howard

Toronto will go as far as Vince Carter will take them.

If he is healthy and happy, they can make a run at the division title. But if not, the improvement of secondyear forward Chris Bosh, the pickup of Alston, and the run-and-gun offensive style of . new coach Sam Mitchell will go to waste.

The Pacers had the best record in the NBA last sea­ son and looked destined to represent the East in the final until Jermaine O 'N e a l got hurt and they ran into the mighty Pistons. H ow far they go this year again depends on the health of their oft-injured star.

The M ag ic could boast five new starters this year, but the team's success will hinge on how successful Grant Hill's 108th comeback attempt is. His versatility could carry Orlando into the playoffs in the dreadful East.

Cleveland Cavaliers* Key additions: F Drew Gooden, G Eric Snow Key losses: F-C Tony Battie, F Carlos Boozer W ith LeBron James's continued development, all the Cavs need to contend is for the supporting cast to pick up where Boozer left off. Don't underestimate the trade for Snow; he distributes the ball well and plays solid defence.

Chicago Bulls Key additions: G Ben Gordon"*", F Luol Deng+ Key losses: G Jamal Crawford, F Jerome W illiams SecondYear point guard Kirk Hinrich is a budding star, but for the Bulls to compete, they need to devel­ op their talented youngsters into consistent NBA per­ formers. Gordon and Deng look as if they might break the mould and live up to their potential.

Key additions: F Antawn Jamison, G Anthony Peeler Key losses: G Jerry Stackhouse, F Christian Laettner

The only reason this team won't be in last is because they're in the same division as the expansion Bobcats. Their only hope is if Walker can connect on any of the 3 7 threes he'll be throwing up every game, but that doesn't seem likely.

Key additions: F Eric Williams, G-F Ron Mercer Key losses: F Kenyon Martin, G Kerry Kittles ,

Milwaukee Bucks Key additions: G M ike James Key losses: F Brain Skinner, G Brevin Knight

Charlotte Bobcats Key additions: F Emeka Okafor"*" Key losses: Somewhere between 6 0 and 7 0

The Nets abysmal off-season included losing Martin to the Nuggets and having stalwart point guard Jason Kidd injured and unhappy. The result: N e w Jerseys reign atop the Atlantic Division ends.

—Adam Myers

Somehow, this undersized team'finished at .5 0 0 and The projected starters have a combined 19 NBA earned a playoff spot in 2 0 0 3-0 4 . That should be starts, and have as good a chance at competing as tougher this year, especially if point guard TJ. Ford the Tribune starting five. The one guy to watch is sec­ can't return quickly from off-season back surgery. ond overall pick Okafor, who could be a star.

—N o a h Scheinman —Sam Loeb

Philadelphia 76ers*

Key additions: F Brian Skinner, F Corliss Williamson Key losses: G Eric Snow, F Derrick Coleman Backcourt duo Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie are strong, but to succeed, the Sixers need a big year at centre from M arc Jackson or Samuel Dalembert.

Boston Celtics

Key additions: C M ark Blount, G G ary Payton Key losses: G Chucky Atkins, C Chris Mihm Believe it or not, Raef Lafrentz and Blount appear to be the best big men in the division. But even com­ bined with Paul Pierces consistently solid play and a rejuvenated Payton, they won't be enough to catapult the Celts into the post-season.

New Jersey Nets

WESTERN

Washington Wizards

A dismal team last season, the W izards didn't do much to improve themselves. The acquisition of the talented Jamison w ill help, but Kwame Brown needs to take the next step if the W iz are to sneak into the playoffs.

Atlanta Hawks

Key additions: F Antoine Walker, F Al Harrington Key losses: GJason Terry, F Stephen Jackson

Current NHL commissioner G a ry Beffman left the N B A offices in 1 9 9 3 , but his old boss David Stern has taken a p age out of .hockey's book this year. And since not much is going on in the NHL right now, fans can turn to its basket­ ball counterpart and find something familiar in the new divisional alignment and playoff system Stemming from the addition of the expan­ sion Charlotte Bobcats, the N B A now features 3 0 teams divided evenly between its tw o confer­ ences, each of which contain three divisions.

Last year, only the two division winners were guaranteed the top tw o playoff seeds, records notwithstanding. In this cam paign, though, each of the three division champs w ill take one of the top three seeds, regardless of their record. The remaining five playoff spots per conference w ill be aw arded to the teams with the best finishes.

The realignment w ill have a significant effect on several teams' chances for the upcom­ ing season. The winners include the M iam i Heat, w no play in the Southeast, the NBA's worst divi­ sion They should have an easy time getting a top-three seed and the important home-court advantage that comes w ith it. Another benefici­ ary is C a n a d as lone entry, the Toronto Raptors, w h o could steal first place in the w eak Atlantic Division. However, in the future, they may lose by facing the same fate as the Blue Jays, as Toronto is matched up with historically powerful and competitive franchises in N e w York and Boston.

M eanwhile, the Central Divisions Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, likely the two best teams in the East, are hurt by realignment, as whichever team fails to w in the division w ill have to settle for the conference's fourth seed and the a ccom panying tougher matchups. But the biggest losers are the N e w Orleans Hornets, w h o switched from the East to the W est to allow the Bobcats to move in. W h ile the middling Hornets were playoff locks in the East, a repeat looks unlikely in the leagues toughest division, the Southwest, where the other Tour teams all qualified for the postseason last year. ■

Each division is listed in predicted order of finish

CONFERENCE

* playoff team

+ rookie

CANADIANS

Maple Leaf lacking San Antonio Spurs

Minnesota Timberwolves

Sacramento Kings

Key additions: G Brent Barry Key losses: G-F Hidayet Turkoglu, G Ron Mercer

Key additions: None.

Key losses: F G ary Trent

Key additions: C Greg Ostertag Key losses: C Vlade Divac, F Gerald W allace

Perennial Western favourites, the Spurs should con­ tend for their third title in seven years. Tim Duncan remains dominant if not boring, and new sixth man Bârry will be a good contributor.

As in previous years, the T-Wolves will count on reign­ ing league MVP Kevin Garnett to score, rebound, pass, block shots, and possibly pilot the team plane.

But will he be enough to lead them to an elusive title?

As always, the Kings are well balanced, with strong play at guard and up front. But the former "Bench M ob " lacks depth, and this balanced team has won nothing significant to date. Expect the same this year.

Houston Rockets*

Key additions: G Tracy McGrady, FJuwan Howard Key losses: G Steve Francis, G Cuttino M obley

Denver Nuggets*

Key additions: F Kenyon Martin Key losses: G Jon Barry, F Chris Andersen

Houston traded three starters in the off-season to Last year's team won 4 3 games led by the oh-soacquire M cGrady, who now teams with Yao M ing to smooth Carmelo Anthony and one-named phenom form an outstanding one-two punch for the Nene. Throw in the bruising Martin, who has more attitude than a St-Laurent bouncer, and you've got a Association's most improved team. team that will make big strides this year.

Dallas Mavericks Utah Jazz* Key additions: GJason Terry, C Erick Dampier, Key additions: F Carlos Boozer, F-C Mehmet Okur G jerry Stackhouse Key losses: C Greg Ostertag Key losses: G Steve Nash, F Antoine Walker Another season, another group of big name players Coach Jerry Sloan's pack of pick-setting, fundamen­ coming to the Mavericks. Even with the big overhaul, tally sound warriors will miss Ostertag as much as an there won't be much change in Dallas: you should old jock strap, while new big guys Boozer and Okur still expect lots of offence, not much defence, and a will fit in nicely. If Carlos Arroyo can retain his Olympic magic, then look out for the Jazz. team that falls short of expectations.

Memphis Grizzlies

Portland Trail Blazers

Phoenix Suns*

Key additions: G Steve Nash Key losses: None The Suns will rise all the w a y to a playoff spot this season, as Nash joins a young, talented roster that already features Amare Sfoudamire and Shawn Marion. W h o better to lead this club than the selfless Canuck, who dished out 8 .8 assists/game last year?

Los Angeles Lakers*

Key additions: F Lamar Odom, C Brian Grant, C Vlade Divac, F Caron Butler Key losses: C Shaquille O 'N eal, G G ary Payton The indomitable Shaq is gone, and, perhaps as importantly, so is Coach Phil Jackson. Kobe got what he wanted, but if he isn't up to snuff, Tinseltown will be devoid of the glitz and glamour of the playoffs.

Golden State Warriors

Key additions: F Brian Cardinal Key losses: None

Key additions: G Nick Van Exel Key losses: F Dale Davis

Key additions: G Derek Fisher, F Eduardo Najera Key losses: C Eric Dampier, G N ick Van Exel

Coach Hubie Brown must think his 10-deep rotation has "huge upside," but the Grizzlies won't repeat last year's success. W hile playoff contenders like the Nuggets, Jazz, and Rockets were active during the off-season, Memphis was very quiet.

It's the same story every year for the Jailblazers.

W hile their criminal records are impressive, their recent on-court records have been mediocre. Even with power forward Zach Randolph and defensive force Theo Ratliff, this team misses the playoffs by a mile.

The Warriors need a healthy Troy Murphy to average a doubledouble, as he did two years ago, if they want a whiff of the playoffs. However, odds are this will be a rebuilding year in the Bay Area.

New Orleans Hornets Key additions: F Rodney Rogers, F Chris Anderson.

Key losses: G-F Jamal Mashburn (knee injury) Pity the Hornets. A mediocre team that made the playoffs in the East, they shifted to the toughest divi­ sion in the NBA and lost their top scorer to a season­ ending injury. Look for hard times in the Big Easy.

—Jonathan Klein

Seattle SuperSonics Key additions: F Danny Fortson Key losses: G Brent Barry, C Calvin Booth The Sonics lost sharpshooter and strong defender Barry but added no talent. Even if Ray Allen stays healthy and Rashard Lewis is an All-Star, the Sonics are still only half as good as the rest of the West.

—Joseph G ilg o ff

Los Angeles Clippers Key additions: G Kerry Kittles Key losses: G Quentin Richardson These veterans of the lottery process will close the g ap with their Staples Center roomies this year, but that doesn't mean they'll actually be better. Look for another year of fans hiding their heads in shame for pro sports' worst franchise.

—Dan M cQ uillan

N O A H S C H E IN M A N W ith the retirement of stalwarts Todd M acCulloch and Rick Fox, there will be just three Canadians on N BA rosters come opening day.

Those particular Canucks, however, will shine on the league's courts, which are becoming increas­ ingly global.

N e w Orleans centre Jamaal M agloire is expected to continue to develop into one of the league's most powerful big men against the Western Conferences tougher competition. Last year the Toronto native averaged a doubledouble for the first time, and his breakout campaign did not go overlooked in N B A circles—the former Kentucky W ild ca t was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

In the off-season, Victoria, BC's Steve Nash left the Mavericks for the Valley of the Sun, and he's not ready to start the twilight of his career yet.

At 30, Nash still has game, and w ill be expected to lead a team full o f talented but inexperienced players with shooting and lucid court vision.

Additionally, as the face of Canadian basketball, Nash has the added pressure of representing his country every time he takes the court, but he han­ dles the responsibility admirably.

Completing the trio of Canadian bailers is Samuel Dalembert, A w iry seven-footer, Dalembert mans the pivot for Philadelphia, and emerged last yèar as one of the NBAs elite shot-blockers. The centre, w ho grew up in Haiti before immigrating to Montreal, heads into his third pro season with increased expectations; he w ill get more minutes this year, and needs to match the increased opportunity with improved production if the Sixers are to go anywhere.

So, like C anada itself, the Canadian contin­ gent in the N B A is small in numbers but big in importance. And, a! the very least, M agloire, Nash, and Dalembert are good guys to cheer for.

the mcgill tribune | 11.2.04 | sports 2 3

S T A N DI N G S FOOTBALL

W

L

T

PTS

W

SOCCER (W)

T

L

PTS

L

W

SOCCER (M)

T

PTS

x-MONTRÉAL

8

0

0

16

x-McGILL

12

1

1

37

x-MONTRÉAL

11

1

2

35

y-LAVAL

7

1

0

14

/-MONTREAL

9

3

2

29

/SHERB.

8

4

2

26

/C O N C O R D .

4

4

0

8

ylAVAL

8

3

3

27

/U Q À M

6

5

3

21

| y-McGILL

4

4

0

8

CONCORD.

8

3

3

27

LAVAL

6

6

2

20

SHERB.

3

5

0

6

SHERB.

5

8

1

16

McGILL

5

4

5

20

BISHOP'S

1

7

0

2

UQÀM

4

8

2

14

UQTR

6

7

1

19

UQTR

1

10

3

6

CONCORD.

3

4

7

16

BISHOP'S

1

12

1

4

ETS

0

14

0

0

Soccer teams' playoff paths set

x-clinched division title /c lin c h e d playoff spot

ON

DECK

BOX SCORE

FOOTBALL—Redmen @ Montréal, QUFL semi-final, Sat. Nov. 6, lp m , CEPSUM. The Redmen can advance to the Dunsmore C up

McGill University vs. Université de Montréal

Q uebec cham pionship gam e with a w in over the undefeated Carabins, but M ontréal has already beaten M c G ill tw ice this year.

O c t 3 0 , 2 0 0 4 , a t M cG ill's Percival M olson Stadium

REDMEN RUGBY—Bishop's @ McGill, QSSF final, Sun. Nov. 7, 11am, Molson Stadium. Bishops upset C oncordia, the Redmen's

Score b y Quarters

1 2

main rival, in the semi-final to make it to this gam e. As a result, M c G ill has the opportunity to avenge last year's final loss to the Gaiters.

M ontréal M c G ill

3 8 4

MARTLETS SOCCER—Montréal/Laval @ McGill, Sun. Nov. 7, 5pm, Molson Stadium. If Laval wins the semi-final, the M artlets need to beat

Scoring Summary: First quarter

them to get into the national cham pionship tournament. If the C arabins emerge victorious, M c G ill is in regardless o f the outcome, as M ontréal is hosting nationals next week.

0 8 : 1 0 M cG IL l - R. Eeuwes rouge Ipuntj 1 0 :3 6 MTL -J.L; Lamarche 16 yd field goal 1 4 :3 5 M cG IL l - R. Eeuwes rouge

MARTLETS AND REDMEN BASKETBALL-Laval @ McGill, Nov. 5, 6 and 8pm, Love Competition Hall. The regular-season opener for both

Second quarter

2 0

3 4

Score

7 - 22

1 0 - 3

M c G ill teams against the team that is usually the class o f the QUBL.

0 1 :5 5 MTL - J. M roue 1 yd run (J.L. Lamarche kick) 0 9 :1 4 MTL - M . Shousha rouge (punt

CFL PLAYOFFS—Hamilton @ Toronto, Nov. 5, 7:'30pm; Saskatchewan @ Edmonton, Nov. 7, 4:00pm. Both games on CBC.

Third quarter

The rejuvenated Tiger-Cats head dow n the Q E W for a tilt against their arch-rivals in the Eastern semi-final, follow ed by a battle of the greens in the Alberta capital on Sunday.

0 4 :4 3 MTL • M . Shousha rouge (punt) 0 8 :4 8 M cG IL l - R. Eeuwes rouge (punt) 1 1 :5 5 MTL - J.L. Lamarche 21 yd field goal

Fourth quarter NBA—Rockets @ Raptors, Wed. Nov. 3, 7pm on Sportsnet.

The Raps' first gam e under new coach Sam M itchell w ill be a tough one, as it comes against Yao, T-Mac, and the revamped Rockets.

1 4 :0 2 MTL - B. Soucy-de-Jocas 18 yd pass from j . jo d o in (J.L. Lamarche kick)

FIRST D O W N S ...................

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)...............

PASSING YDS (NET)................

Passes AfrCom p-Int..............

TOTAL OFFENCE PlAYS-YARDS

NBA

MONTRÉAL 16 2 9 -1 2 5 225 2 1 -1 2 -0 5 2 -3 5 0

McGILL 23 2 6 -7 3 340 43-24-1 7 2 -4 1 3

TIP-OFF

TRIVIA

Z E N A H SURANI

Carly Vanderlee ♦ U0 Science ♦ Leaksdale, Ont. ♦ Swimming Q : How is the M cGill team d if­ ferent from the d u b team you swam with last year?

A : The d u b team w as more of an individual effort than a team effort. At university meets, you w ant to d o w e ll because you w a n t the team to d o w e ll and get a g o o d standing overall.

Also, a t practices, w e d o a lot more m ileage than I ever d id at club team practices.

Q : Do you wear the full-length bodysuits like the Olympians do?

Some people on the team w ear those. I w ear a halflength suit. The full-length suits give you an edge, but it's very minute, so it's basically a personal choice. Some of the

guys w e a r full-length suits [like Ian Thorpe], but most d e c id e to w e a r Speedos (laughs). ! swim backstroke, so my suit just feels a lot more a e ro d yn a m ic in the water than a regular suit.

Q: Swimming tends to be overlooked here at M cG ill.

How do you generate more fan support?

A : W e just usually talk to peo­ ple in cbsses and on campus about our upcom ing meets.

Also, you m ight have seen us stripping for money last w eek on rue Sherbrooke a n d in classes, and I think that m ight have attracted a b t o f attention as well. ■ —Compiled by Zenah Surarti

ROUND THE HORN

The new N B A season is upon us. Answer the fo llow ing questions about the league that w ill sw a llo w many, many irate hockey fans.

1. W h ic h active N B A head coach has been with his team for 1 8 years, the longest tenure in the league?

2. Jazz doesn't have much o f a history in Utah and there aren't many lakes in Los Angeles, but the teams are so named because they were originally located in w hat tw o cities?

This weekend marked the end of the regular season for the Redmen and Martlets soccer teams, and w h ile the road to the women's QSSF title goes through M olson Stadium, the men failed to qualify for the provincial playoffs, though they w ill still compete in the CIS cham pionship as hosts.

The Martlets finished up their season w ith a 7-1 thump­ ing o f Université du Q u é be c à Trois-Rivières at M olson Stadium Friday night, and a 1-0 shutout o f Sherbrooke on Sunday to ca p a 12-1-1 regular season. Jennifer Scanzano led the w a y for M c G ill with a hat trick, and Toni Pascale scored twice, including the eventual game-winner in the 46th minute. Danielle Day and Catherine Scott a d d ed singles in the rout.

Day also netted the game's only g o a l on Sunday against Sherbrooke, with the shutout go in g to Kristina Perusco. The Martlets earned a first-round Dye to start the playoffs, and a w a it the winner o f the Laval-Montréal match. The QSSF final is slated for Sunday at M olson Stadium.

The Redmen, on the other hand, split their weekend games, and finished in a tie for fourth in the men's QSSF reg­ ular season standings. O n ly three teams make the provincial playoffs, so M c G ill has time to rest up before hosting the nationals.

The Red 'n' W h ite started the weekend off on the right foot w ith a convincing 4 -0 w in over UQTR. C a ptain Jean-Paul Desjardins scored the first g o a l of his career to open the scor­ ing in the seventh minute, and Danny Jones put the Redmen up by tw o before halftime. M c G ill iced the gam e soon after the break, with Fabio Scappatticci and Jamie Scholefield finding the back o f the net only five minutes into the second half.

That left M cG ill's playoff future in their hands, as they took on second-place Sherbrooke on Sunday. A w in w ould have leapfrogged the Redmen over U Q À M for the third and final playoff spot, but Sherbrooke w as too much for M c G ill, as they took the gam e 2-0.

Redmen rugby squad marches into final The men's rugby team looked sharp on Sunday, defeat­ ing Sherbrooke 6 1 -7 in the QSSF semi-final. It w as M c G ills second victory in as many weeks against the Vert & Or. After disposing the Vert & O r last w eek to end the regu­ lar season, there w as some concern that the Redmen were looking past their opponent and focusing too much on the Q u e be c final. But those concerns were quickly muted, as M c G ill cut dow n on mental mistakes that plagued the team in last week's match. M att de G ra ff led the w a y for the Redmen, scoring one try and booting a single-game confer­ ence record eight converts. M a rk Ihnatowycz scored three tries, and Aaron Chase touched dow n twice. Tony Pringle, Pat W e ld o n , and C a le b Balloch a d d ed single tries in the rout.

In Brief The Redmen hockey team w as on the road this week­ end, tying UQTR 2-2 on Friday and beating C on co rd ia 5-3 across town on Sunday... The hockey Martlets spanked Carleton 12-1 Friday night, and pulled out a nail-biting 4-3 w in over O tta w a , with Christine Hartnoll netting the gamewinner with 1 :2 9 rem aining... Laura W ilso n w on gold in leading the M c G ill women's cross-country team to first place a t a meet at the Plains o f Abraham in Ste-Foy on Saturday...

The Redmen finished second in the same meet, with David G ill taking home the individual g o ld ... The Redmen volleyball team fell on Sunday to Laval in straight sets, 14-25, 16-25, and 1 9 -2 5 ... The Martlets had slightly better luck, m anaging to steal a set from the Rouge et Or, Dut still lost 2 5 -2 3 , 192 5 , 1 8-25, 1 8 -2 5 ... The Redmen basketball Jeam went 1-2 on an east coast swing over the weekend. They w o n their first gam e 7 2 -6 2 over St. M ary's University, but lost 8 4 -7 5 to Dalhousie before falling 6 1 -5 3 to A ca d ia . They finish the pre­ season with a 5 -4 record.

INTRAMURAL CORNER At the end of a grueling season of com petition, there's nothing better than being a b le to say, "W e w on, and you lost.” W e ll, to the victors g o the spoils, so here's your rew ard: the enduring fam e that accom panies a mention

3. W h ic h St. Louis H a w k w on the N B A s first MVP tro­ phy, a w a rd e d after the 1 9 5 5 -5 6 season?

on the back p a g e o f the Tribune. In any case, w e salute

4 . W h ic h long-time Portland Trail Blazer and member of the original Dream Team w as honoured as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame's class of 2 0 0 4 ?

M en's soccer A:

this year's outdoor intramural champs.

MISN Impossible

M en's soccer B:

Azzurri

M en's soccer C:

Teamo Supremo

5 . W h o is the NBA's all-time leader in three-point field goals made?

W om en's soccer A: W om en's soccer B:

Eye of the Tiger Chikita Bananas

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Co-rec Ultimate Frisbee A:

Huck if Harder

Ca-rec Ultimate Frisbee B:

Hot Stuff

M en's flag football A

4thandlongs

M en's flag football

Canadian Gladiators

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