The McGill Tribune Vol. 24 Issue 7

PUBLISHED

BY

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B o a rd A c tin g

STUDENTS'

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SOCIETY

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JEN N IFER JE TT Starting in January, Students' Society acting President Andrew Bryan will replace Matthew Howatt, the democratically elected represen­ tative to the Board of Governors, the university's highest governing body.

While some student leaders say the decision was inevitable due to changes to the Board's structure, oth­ ers questioned the constitutionality of the decision and the speed at which it was made.

The decision, which requires approval by the SSMU Judicial Board, is a response to Board restructuring that has eliminated the SSMU president's voice-only seat.

Regardless of who represents SSMU at the Board, there is currently no guarantee that students will be repre­ sented on the Boards increasingly powerful executive committee, which may also be downsized.

Bryan argued that designating the president as the only SSMU rep­ resentative would strengthen the case for a student seat on the execu-

OF

MCGILL

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

UNIVERSITY

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five committee. Furthermore, he said, the president would be a more effec­ tive representative because of his "unparalleled sense of context. "[The president sits] on so many other bodies of the university," Bryan said. "They deal with the university on a day-today basis."

Sending the president to Board meetings also resolves confidentiality issues. Business conducted at Board meetings is sometimes confidential, and the SSMU representative is not able to share that information with the president in those cases.

FHowatt was acclaimed last spring. He pointed out the impropri­ ety of replacing the elected Board representative with the SSMU presi­ dent in a year when SSMU has no elected president.

"This does not have wonderful optics. It's true," Bryan said, but he added that long-term student repre­ sentation is more important than SSMU's short-term image.

"I think that's an acceptable

Some students fear editorial autonomy on campus is in danger; others believe it is dangerous. See page 8.

See STUDENTS, page 7

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P o c k e t $ 1 7 ,5 0 a

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H E A TH E R H A Q LA W R E N C E

Your friends are reading the Tribune. You will read the Tribune.

Everybody loves the Tribune. Not-so subliminal messaging... but in the same family as on-campus advertising. Many don't realize how "individual" taste and "personal" preferences have been molded by our branded environs. On the other hand, those who do often find guerilla tactics are the only effective way to fight the encroaching commercial cloud.

The upcoming Students' Society fall election period will allow students to voice their opinions on several SSMU fees. Specifically, the referen­ dum, which runs from October 29 to November 3, will ask students whether to renew the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students' Society's $ 1.50 fee, whether they would like the ability to opt out of the McGill Daily's $ 10-fee, and whether to adjust the SSMU membership fee to inflation.

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Giving more Since 1994, SSMU has collect­ ed a fee of $0.75 per student per semester in order to enable SACOMSS to provide support to sur­ vivors of sexual assault and to promote awareness of the issues surrounding sexual assault. However, the fee is subject to renewal every three years and expired last month.

At its last meeting, SSMU council passed a motion to include a question on the referendum that will ask stu­ dents if they want to renew this fee over the period from next semester to the Fall 2007 semester.

Fri.-S u n . O ct. 15-17 R ed b ird C la s s ic (M & W B ask e tb a ll) F r t- S u n . O ct. 15-17 M artlet Invitational T o u ram en t (W V olleyball) Fri., Oct. 15 at 7:30pm Redm en Hockey v s Ottawa (M cConnell Arena) Fri., Oct. 15 W So cce r v s Bishop’s at 6:30pm, M Soccer vs E T S at 8:30pm O c t.

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Giving less Former Students' Society execu­ tives and current undergraduate stu­ dents Rodrigo DeCastro, Mia Gewertz and Vivian Choy collected the required 500 signatures to submit a referendum question to Elections McGill that would let undergraduate students decide if they should be able to opt out of the Daily fee.

Elections McGill is currently reviewing the petition.

"Personally, I am dismayed that the former SSMU execs sponsoring

See REFER END UM , page 3

SPEAKERS

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NE WS W r o n g f u l ly c o n v i c t e d J u a n R o b e r t o M e le n d e z f a c e d e x e c u tio n

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Two years after Concordia University was rocked by violent protests, the adminis­ tration has banned a potential visit from for­ mer Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak.

Concordia has made the tentative decision that if a location with a lower security risk can be found and agreed upon, the visit may take place.

Two years ago police used tear gas and pepper spray to control a crowd of sev­ eral hundred people protesting a scheduled speech by former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The speech was can­ celled.

Nearly 200 students gathered at Concordia Tuesday to protest the Barak decision. The issue has sparked a nation­ wide debate on the issues of safety and free speech.

Hillel Concordia invited Barak to speak on campus later this month, but the request was turned down. Concordia's administration said that it is unable to pro­ vide sufficient security for the event to be held on campus, and instead offered to co­ sponsor the event at an off-campus site.

"The university has a responsibility to protect the security of students, staff, profes­ sors and neighbours while promoting free speech— at a location that security experts consider appropriate," members of the administration wrote in a letter to the National Post on October 7.

While Hillel has raised concerns that the university's refusal to host Barak is a vio­ lation of the right to free speech, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights saw the invita­

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tion as intended to provoke conflict in a community that has a history of friction between its Palestinian and Israeli students.

"It seems that there was definitely an element of provocation that happened there," said Jesse Rosenfeld, vice-president information of SPHR's McGill chapter, "especially considering Concordia's a school where Barak's policies and his viola­ tion of human rights have directly impacted the lives of many students."

Sara Kemeny, president of Hillel McGill, said the organization, is not looking for special treatment, but equal treatment.

"It is important for every idea to be per­ mitted in an academic setting," she said. "It is also the responsibility of the Concordia

r is k

"We welcome the decision to not allow Barak to speak at Concordia, but it was done for the wrong reasons," Rosenfeld said.

He said that the issue should not have been one of security but rather that Barak has been informally accused of participat­ ing in war crimes and human rights viola­ tions all across the Middle East.

"The fact is that if Barak is going to come and exercise his right to freedom of speech in Canada, he should also be sub­ ject to the full extent of Canadian law," Rosenfeld said.

"Canada is a signatory to the International Criminal Court. He isn't just simply an academic or an author or a pun­

A N D R EW BAU ER In 1984, Juan Roberto Melendez was wrongfully con­ victed and sentenced to death for murder. The Florida courts eventually realized their mistake— 17 years later.

Speaking to a group of students at McGill's Faculty of Law on Thursday, Melendez, 53, chastised the Florida law enforcement system for what he said is institutionalized racism, bias against the poor and the dehumanization of prisoners.

It is im portant for e ve ry idea to be permitted in an acad e m ic setting. It is also the responsibility o f the C o n co rd ia adm inistration to secure their cam pus.

—Sara Kemeny, president o f Hillel McGill administration to secure their campus. It is a shame that Concordia students have had their ability to exchange in free dialogue inhibited by violent mob rule."

Although Concordia administrators were not willing to host Barak's speech, they described him in their letter as a "man of peace."

Rosenfeld alleged that the Barak gov­ ernment is responsible for the deaths of fam­ ily members of Concordia students.

"There was definitely a lack of sensitif ity that was going on there," he said.

SPHR also took issue with the Concordia administration's reasons for not allowing Barak to speak on campus.

dit for one particular side, but he is actually personally responsible for the denigration of human rights and livelihood. You can't pick and choose where in the Canadian charter and where in the law you're going to apply things."

Rosenfeld likened the situation to the probable response if former Chilean dicta­ tor Augusta Pinochet were to come to Montreal to speak and not be prosecuted for the human rights violations he committed during and after the 1973 military coup in Chile. ■

What do you think of Concordia's deci­ sion? Send letters to oped@tribune.mcgill.ca

ANGLES C h illy o u t s i d e ? T h a t 's h e ll f r e e z i n g

ov er

REBEC C A C R A B ER

Jim Lehrer: Does the Iraq experience make it more likely or less likely that you would take the United States into another pre­ emptive military action?

President George W. Bush: ...The enemy attacked us, Jim. Senator John Kerry: Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us. Al-Qaeda attacked us.

—First presidential debate, September 30 for mailing absentee ballots looms ever closer T hefor deadline Americans residing abroad. I, for one, am wetting my pants with anticipation— though I have had problems actu­ ally receiving my ballot, proving that the Man is working against my agenda of truth, justice and cookies for all.

If the gravity of the situation has not yet occurred to you, dear American expat voter, here's a simple series of examples of the hypocrisy and incompetence you'd be supporting should you cast your ballot for George W . Bush.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan's "clear ties" between Iraq and al-Qaeda? Both are "sworn enemies of the free world" and "celebrated the September 1 1 attacks on America." Meanwhile, the September 1 1 commission report said there was never a "collaborative relationship."

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Oct. 4 that "To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two." He later retracted the statement.

The CIA's Iraq Survey Group announced last week that Saddam had destroyed his weapons of mass destruction more than a decade ago and actually represented a diminishing threat. United Nations SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan has called

the war illegal.

Bush opposes ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, ratified by 1 15 countries. He has also requested $36.6million for new nuclear weapons— dirty bombs otherwise known as mini-nukes.

Abuse of tax shelters costs the government $ 12- to $18billion a year— but Bush and House Republicans oppose provi­ sions to close corporate tax loopholes.

Bush is set to become the first president since Herbert Hoover to see a net loss of jobs during his term. One of every four working families are considered low-income or poor.

Job growth in September was 50,000 jobs less than needed to keep up with population growth.

Members of former warlords' militias now make up 90 per cent of the Afghanistan army.

Iraqi democracy will not be complete— two or three of the 18 provinces may not be allowed to vote because of violence.

The number of disenfranchised Iraqis could run into the millions.

Incensed yet? If you haven't received your ballot or aren't sure if you're on the electoral rolls, go to www.overseasvote2004.com for the complete b'wdown. ■

VLADIMIR EREM IN

Melendez discussed flaws in the US justice system.

Melendez was in Montreal for the four-day Second World Congress Against the Death Penalty. The conference was held in Canada this year due to its close proximity to regions in the United States and in the Caribbean that spon­ sor the death penalty.

Melendez was especially critical of Florida Governor Jeb Bush, whose budget cuts have removed many of the perks prisoners were previously entitled to, such as access to weights and yard time. He also disapproved of Bush's call for fewer appeals for death row inmates and speedier execu­ tions.

"The Bushes, they believe in killing," he said.

The audience was riveted by Melendez's account of his journey from migrant fruit-picker, to convicted killer, to freed man with a newfound appreciation of the banal.

"I was on death row for 17 years, eight months and one day for a crime I didn't commit," he said. "Now I can stare at a mountain for hours without getting bored."

A native of Puerto Rico, Melendez went to the United States for work, only to be wrongfully identified as a murder­ er by a Florida man with a grudge against him. Despite have ing an alibi, four corroborating witnesses, and no physical evi­ dence against him, Melendez was found guilty by a jury of 1 1 whites and one black.

"When a black man testifies for the prosecution, he has credibility," he argued. "When a black man and a black woman testily for the defense— no credibility."

Melendez spoke of the awful conditions on Florida's death row, saying that suicide is often a more palatable option than life.

"You better not get sick on death row," he said. "[People think], 'Why waste the best medication on a condemned man?"'

One story centred on a friend who collapsed on the bas­ ketball court during one of the four weekly hours when the pris­ oners were released into the concrete yard. When the inmates pleaded with a nurse to administer CPR, the nurse replied that there was no way he would provide CPR "to a nigger."

Melendez was finally freed when it was discovered in January 2002 that both his defence attorney and the prosecu­ tion had been in possession of a tape containing the true mur­ derer's confession.

"I was not saved by the system," Melendez said. "I was saved in spite of the system. I was saved by the grace of God." Judi Caruso, director of thejuan Melendez Voices United for Justice Project, pointed out that so far 116 death row inmates have been exonerated in the United States, including Melendez, who was the 99th inmate to be released, and the 22nd from Florida.

"The death penalty is an error-prone system," Caruso said. "In states with capital punishment in the United States, you can't sit on a jury unless you favour the death penalty." ■

the mcgill tribune | 13.10.04 |news

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D O U B L E TAKE D e a th

a t M c G ill, F o r g o t t e n

JO S H W ILN E R After first-year student Kathleen Currier was found dead in Douglas Hall on September 4, the McGill Reporter claimed that, "To the best of anyone's memory, the university has never had afnother] student death on cam­ pus."

However, the weekly paper, published by the University Relations Office, may have been suffering from institutional amne­ sia: Currier's death was not the first such tragedy at McGill.

Professor Myrna WyattSelkirk, director of Solin Hall since 1990, recalled the "hideous event" of the death of a McGill student in Residence in April 1997. The student jumped out of a Solin Hall window.

o r d e c e p tio n ?

"It happened," said Selkirk.

"A young man killed himself."

Calling the statement in the Reporter "factually incorrect,” she advised, however, that this should not be construed as any kind of "cautionary tale,” but simply a case of imprudent journalism.

"I don't think people were covering it up," she said. "They just didn't find it out. They didn't investigate very well."

A statement on the Reporter Web site says that the. paper's content is the responsibility of its editor, "who is guided by the director of the University Relations Office."

Maeve Haldane, editor-inchief of the McGill Reporter, declined to comment on the veracity of the statement.

Mark Reynolds, associate editor and author of the article,

attributed the statement to Dean of Students Bruce Shore, whose term began in 2001.

"There was no intention to mislead," Reynolds said.

Dr. Norman Hoffman, head of McGill Student Mental Health Services, remembered the tragedy in 1997. Himself a source in Reynolds's story, Hoffman echoed Selkirk's senti­ ment that this was not a cover up, merely a failure to uncover.

"Some people have been here a long time, other people have been here only for a few years. That information is not readily available. I don't think there is any one file where this information is kept. You kind of have to ask around to find out.

"No one is trying to hide the fact that tragedy happens occa­ sionally,” Hoffman added. ■

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Continued from cover their referendum question did not approach the DPS Board of Directors before approaching Elections McGill," said Daily Coordinating Editor Daniel Cohen. "The... referen­ dum question basically tells SSMU to tell the DPS how to collect its fees. I think it is totally inappropriate for any­ one to ask a political body like SSMU to interfere with how a newspaper does business."

The Daily, which disassociated itself from the Student's Society in 1981, currently relies on the student fee for the bulk of its funding, accord­ ing to Cohen. Undergraduate stu­ dents, who are automatically members of the DPS, have paid five dollars per semester to fund the Daily and its activ­ ities since 2002, when members of the DPS voted in favour of increasing the fee from $3.50. The university col­ lects the fee on behalf of the publica­ tion.

Cohen said it would have been more appropriate for DeCastro, Gewertz and Choy to take their con­ cerns to the DPS board of directors.

However, section 16 of the newly revised DPS constitution, which stu­ dents approved in 2002, prohibits stu­ dents from submitting any question to the CRO related to the DPS. Both stu­ dents and DPS board members are specifically forbidden to submit "ques­ tions reducing or eliminating member­ ship or fees.”

Choy said that the fee should be periodically reviewed.

"Asking students if they would like to see the availability of an opt-out... aims to facilitate the process of choice, now and in the future," she said. "In the face of rising tuition [and] increasing costs of living... there needs to be recognition of the limits placed on the budgets of students, col­ lectively and individually."

However, this choice has the potential to be detrimental to the Daily, according to Cohen.

"A loss of funding could damage the careers of our paid staff and com­ promise our ability to put out a quality newspaper," he said.

Choy pointed out that the Daily has advocated opt-outs for student-initi­

JULIA SCH O N FIELD

The McGill Daily: Refusing to back down since 1911. ated fees over the years and that it should not exclude its own fees from this debate.

"Come October 29,” she said, "students will have the chance to ask themselves if they would like the Daily Publication Society to lead by exam­ ple."

Cohen said that a referendum conducted under the SSMU regula­ tions is unfair to the Daily Publications Society, as "Yes" or "No” committees on any referendum question cannot include editors of student publications.

This means that the Daily's editors can­ not campaign on their own behalf.

"The Da;/y will not be intimidated by this referendum fiasco," said Cohen. "We have spoken truth to power on behalf of students since 191 1... and if that angers some peo­ ple, so be it."

The three organizing students maintain that the petition is ultimately a question of choice.

"Every student at McGill University deserves the choice to

decide for themselves what student ini­ tiatives they would like to engage in," Choy said.

Or, you can adjust the real value of what you have to pay SSMU council also passed a motion to pose a referendum question regarding the base fee that students pay. SSMU currently collects a base membership fee of $34.90 per stu­ dent per semester, but since 1992, inflation has decreased the real value of this fee by about $5.80.

The referendum question asks stu­ dents if they agree to correct this dis­ crepancy by increasing the fee by three dollars starting next semester, and pegging the fee to inflation in future years.

However, the total amount stu­ dents will pay will remain the same, as council also voted to eliminate the three dollars fee it currently collects for the SSMU daycare starting on May 1 of next year, as the Quebec govern­ ment granted it a subsidy this year. ■

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news [ 13.10.04 |the mcgill tribune

STUDENT IllS IlS i 1111111:1111:

news A . C o o kies a re tasty.

B. N ew s meetings have cookies.

C o n clu sio n : N ew s meetings a re tasty.

W e d n e sd ays a t 6 p m , Shatner 1 1 0 tribnrew s@ tribune.m cgill.ca

CORRECTION Students' Society blood drive co-ordinator Alex Khazzam's name was mis­ spelled in an article last week ("Give life, but only under certain conditions," 05.10.04). Also, SSMU only holds one of the three annual blood drives. The Tribune regrets the errors.

NEWS

E x p e c t a t io n s d a s h e d S p e e c h

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A Z A D E H TAM JEED I The governments one-sentence ref­ erence to education in the Speech from the Throne last Wednesday has left stu­ dent lobbyists feeling disheartened.

'To increase access to post-sec­ ondary education, the government will introduce legislation to implement its Learning Bond, an innovative savings vehicle that it announced to help lowincome families provide for their chil­ dren's post-secondary education," Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson said as she opened the new session of Parliament.

In a press release, Pier-Andre Bouchard St-Amant, president of la Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec, expressed his disappoint­ ment.

"The fact that the Throne Speech is silent on an increase of transfer pay­ ments for post-secondary education is a clear break from what [Prime Minister Paul Martin] recognized as a priority during the election," he said.

During his campaign, Martin had promised to allocate $ 8-billion to postsecondary education.

The government's plans for educa-

National Chairperson George Soule said in a press release. "The prime min­ ister is wrong if he thinks that students have forgotten about an $8-billion promise he made on June 4."

FEUQ and CFS will jointly lobby the government.

Canadian Alliance of Student Associations National Director James Kusie said that a number of potential and existing students have already been affected by the delay in educa­ tion reform.

"The fall semester has just started," he said. "How many qualified Canadians were turned away due to financial barriers?"

McGill Economics Professor Jennifer Hunt said that former US President Bill Clinton proposed some­ thing similar to the Learning Bond in terms of saving for post-secondary edu­ cation. Research has shown that the bonds mostly benefit relatively affluent families.

"Poor families aren't saving, so the existence of a way of getting a higher interest rate on money saved for educa­ tion won't help them," Hunt said. "Such an instrument may therefore have some benefit, but it will not help in granting

W e a re extrem ely disappointed that the prim e minister chose not to follow through on an election prom ise. The prim e m inister is w rong if he thinks that students have for­ gotten about an $8-b illion prom ise he m ade on June 4 .

tion are seen as disappointing, espe­ cially during a time when McGill administrators claim the university needs $ i 00-million per year to meet its goals, and are looking to students for that source of revenue.

Students' Society Vice-President Community and Government Affairs Daniel Friedlaender did not expect much to be said in the speech concern­ ing education, but was upset that the government decided not to follow through on its election promises. SSMU is lobbying the government to include a long-term plan for education in the February budget and to become more inclusive of low-income students.

The Canadian Federation of Students, a national lobby group of which SSMU is not a member, also expressed concern about the govern­ ment's commitment to education.

"We are extremely disappointed that the prime minister chose not to fol­ low through on an election promise,"

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access to post-secondary education to students from poor backgrounds. In Quebec, access to post-secondary edu­ cation is already very affordable to rel­ atively well-off families because tuition is so low, so the benefit of this instru­ ment will be low.

Hunt would prefer that the govern­ ment emulate the scheme that the Australian government has had in place since 1989. The government loans stu­ dents money for their education, charg­ ing a low interest rate. Students then repay this money through the tax sys­ tem, but if and when a student earns more money, that student repays in pro­ portion to his or her earnings. The only problem with implementing this scheme is that if the borrower leaves the coun­ try, the loans cannot be recouped through the tax system.

In the meantime, student groups will be working to gain more funding for education through the government's budget. ■

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the mcgill tribune j 13.10.04 j news

N E WS BRI EF S gories.

In so-called medium-knowledge industries—advertising, real estate and accounting, for exam plesalaries of. young women increased by 3 3 .4 per cent, compared with a 2 .7 per cent increase for young men.

Men's salaries actually dropped by six per cent in lov\nknowledge industries such as transportation and retail trade, while women's rose by 33 per cent.

C o ro n e r reveals c a u s e o f C u rrier d eath

The death of a first-year stu­ dent last month has been attributed to natural causes.

According to the Quebec coroner's office, Kathleen Currier's death was probably the result of an severe form of hepatitis that devel­ oped as a complication from mononucleosis.

Currier was discovered in her room in Douglas Hall early on September 4.

Dr. Pierre-Paul Tellier, director of Student Health Services, said there have been fewer than 10 documented cases of this complica­ tion.

—James Gotowiec Students helping students

A new student employment part­ nership between the Students' Society and McLennan Library means that two groups of students will now be available to assist their classmates in the library.

The first group, stationed at the information desk, provides informa­ tion on the MUSE database, answers directional questions and refers stu­ dents to the reference desk if neces­ sary.

The second group, called navi­ gational assistants, is available after full-time staff have gone home, accommodating student study habits.

They provide technical expertise to students who have trouble using the computers.

Library staff hope the program will extend to other libraries on cam­ pus.

Other services being offered include a 24-hour study space, start­ ing October 12, and a "Last Chance" term-paper workshop on October 16 and 30, from l-3pm.

For more information, visit www. library, mcgill. ca/services

—Jennifer Jett G e n d e r incom e g a p shrinks in a b ig w ay

A new Statistics Canada study has shown that the income gap between male and female university graduates has narrowed significantly over the past two decades. Women currently earn around 89 per cent of men's hourly wages.

The study examined the weekly wages of workers in high-, mediumand lowknowledge industries as well as the public sector, and then broke the results down by age and sex.

University-educated women between the ages of 25 and 35, working in high-knowledge industries such as engineering, pharmaceuticals and communications, saw their incomes jump 2 0 .9 per cent between 1980 and 2 0 0 0 . By con­ trast, growth in income for men of the same age was flat, at only .02 per cent.

The trend was even more pro­ nounced in lower-knowledge cate­

—Jacqui Wilson For more news briefs, visit

www.mcgilltribune.com

N E W S

A N A L Y S I S

Preventing sexual aggression in a student environment D A V ID M . N A TA F

A

Canadian study reports that 2 5 per cent of all female post-secondary students have been physi­ cally or sexually assaulted by a male date or boyfriend, according to information compiled by the Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children.

Among the reasons most often cited for the higher prevalence of such incidents in the university environment are easy access to alcohol, students living on their own and the availability of private rooms.

On the island of Montreal alone, there were 471 reported cases of sexual assault in the first four months of this year. This is an increase from 4 4 7 such incidents reported in the same period last year.

For the 2 0 0 2 -2 0 0 3 academic year, McGill University recorded only 25 allegations of students violat­ ing article 8 of the Code of Rights and Responsibilities, which deals with verbal, physical and sexual harassment.

Of those, only two were reprimanded.

Dr. Pierre-Paul Tellier, the medical director of Student Health Services, said incidents of rape in society can fre­ quently be attributed to poor education.

"Most people are not adequately informed about sit­ uations that may place them at risk such as going out alone, drinking too much alcohol," he said. In addition, "aggressors are not properly educated about the mean­ ing of 'no.'"

Denise Doucet, U3 International Development Studies, is the co-external coordinator for the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students' Society, which runs a sexual assault helpline.

"I can definitely tell you that there is a need," she said with regard to a sexual assault helpline on campus.

Doucet said that while the centre does not—for rea­ sons of confidentiality—track where the callers are com­ ing from, SACOMSS advertises its service mostly to mem­ bers of the McGill community.

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Joni Mitchell will receive an hontfl û t f j if orary degree from McGill at the Faculty of .

Music's fall convocation. • Janine Schmidt has I” '* '*"• *' * •' been named as Trenholme Director of Libraries.

She will begin on February 1 ,2 0 0 5 . • A Malaysian man who has married 5 3 times has gone back to his original choice. One of his marriages lasted for two tfj» M f § f F days. He is reuniting with his first wife, whom he married 4 5 years ago. • In other Malaysian marriage news, a fJW flfc Malaysian court ruled in favour of a man who divorced his I wife via text message in July 2 0 0 3 . As long as the message is clear and unambiguous, it is valid under Islamic Sharia law, p erfv the governmental religious advisor said at the time. • A dogs' np, * home in Battersea asked a film company to set up cameras in the aw * kennel overnight and discovered that one of the dogs was letting others out for a midnight feast. Now we know who let the dogs C ii • put, and the Baha Men can shut up. • Starbucks is now marketing (•*» liqueur to the coffee addicts who crawl there every morning. • Scientists are discovering growing evidence that some dinosaur species developed feather-like structures to keep them warm. The lat­ %r est discovery, the 1 30-million ancestor of the Tyrannosaurus Rex called Dilong paradoxus, was made in northeastern: China. • An Italian cv judge has ruled that having sex in a Fiar washroom s not illegal as tong in as the door is shut. • Japanese inventors do love to make women’s: lives easier. First they came up with a "Boyfriend's Arm" pillow for w i women who do not like to sleep alone in a big empty bed, and now Ctfc there is the "Sound Princess," a device that is being installed in public lu e Washrooms that makes a flushing sound in order to mask other sounds. • A new Home Depot in Manhattan has been New ip * Yorked—it has a doorman, a concierge and valet parking. • The European Union has published a map on which Wales does not li rgt{| appear. In its place is an extended Irish Sea. Eurostat, who put gtogether the European Union's official yearbook, promises that KM*1 If* Wales will be back on the map in 2 0 0 5 . • Here's a health tip fo- the 17 readers who managed to make it all the way to the a end: If you're buying your fresh tuna in bright red, because you think it's fresher or healthier, think again. Fresh tuna m h im | i e v turns chocolate-brown really quickly, so it is treated with ltt*4 J carbon monoxide in order to preserve the more appe' * tizing colour. Although carbon monoxide is the gas n i f m z k t i o t i 't you would normally associate with a garaget . %M<S ‘A t l i l h e plus-exhaust-pipe suicide, the American Food and Drug Administration says the practice is *à! n u ll t h e i r w o a a safe. ■

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5

"We do get calls from men," Doucet said. "We're one of the few services that offer services to both men and women."

Tellier said that male sexual assault experiences are sometimes not recognized as such.

"If they are forced to have sex when they don't want to by threats, then that is sexual assault," Tellier said.

"Threats including things said by women such as, 'Well, clearly you must be gay if you don't want to have sex with me.'"

prevent sexual assault within the community.

"While lots is being done by various groups on campus," he said, "I think more education can be done."

Daniel Friedlaender, Students' Society vice-president community and government, said that more can be done to improve safety around the community. "[There are] particular areas where the lighting is pretty bad," he said. "Some of the areas don't look quite as safe as they should."

SSMU's municipal commissioner, Friedlander said, will be working with the city of Montreal to try and get more lighting and phones installed in the Ghetto.

Some believe the best way for individuals to protect themselves is to learn self-defence.

"Self-defence is insurance," said Richard Dimitri, founder and rape-defence instructor at the Senshido school on rue Ste-Catherine. "Sexual assault centres are filled with people who thought they lived in safe neigh­ bourhoods."

Dimitri said the public is uninformed about proper : self-defense techniques. The worst thing a woman can do v in a potential rape situation, he said, is to antagonize her aggressor. A challenged aggressor, he said, will have his guard up, and as such is more likely to intercept or block a self-defence strike.

Instead, Dimitri said, she should trick the assailant by pretending to be passive and pleading, because the stroking of the aggressor's ego may let his guard down.

He said the reaction of the aggressor is likely to be, "I think she's a compliant, passive, borderline submissive.

[I] can't see a strike coming."

Rape-defence is a skill virtually any woman can learn, Dimitri said.

"Everyone else, due to the media, views selfdefence as a purely physical encounter," he said. "It's only 10 per cent physical."

He added that 9 0 per cent of all sexual assaults are committed by someone with a certain emotional involve­ ment.

Dimitri described such situations as more behaviour­ al and emotional, with the physical aspect as "merely incidental."

Dimitri was dismissive of traditional martial arts as a ! means of self-defence, comparing the idea to that of a professional kickboxer having confidence in his tennis skills.

"The rules, the ring, the fact the sparring ends at cer­ tain points, don't come close to a real fight or selfdefence situation," he said. ■ RESOURCES'

SACOMSS sexual assault helpline: 3 9 8 -8 5 0 0 .

W h a t c a n b e d o n e?

Tellier expressed mixed feelings on current efforts to

Senshido: I-8 6 6 -8 7 9 -5 6 2 0 or www.senshido.com

Why Northwestern?

We’re Passionate About Your Future in Natural Health Care!

“Our dynamic, ever-evolving curriculum poises us on the forefront of natural health care education in which patient-centered care, best practices, clinical relevancy, and business acumen are interwoven to insure the success of our graduates.”

-

Rob Scott, DC, Dean of Northwestern College of Chiropractic

“ I realized that Northwestern would truly allow me to develop into the best leader and doctor that I can be. Here I have the opportunity to learn how to truly care for the entire patient.”

- Brad Woodle, chiropractic student

“The professors constantly encourage you to apply scientific knowledge and develop critical thinking skills. It’s not simply memorization of anatomy, but an integration of science and real-world clinical practice.” a

- Alan Xu, chiropractic student N O RTH W ESTERN

H EA LT H S C IE N C E S U N IV E R S IT Y

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6

news | 13.10.04 | the mcgill tribune N E W S

S P E C I A L

a d m i s s i o n s , r e c r u i t m e n t a n d r e g is tr a r 's o ffic e

Im p o rta n t D a te s f o r

Tuition a c ro s s C a n a d a

2 0 0 4 / 2 0 0 5 C la s s S c h e d u le T u esd ay , N o v e m b e r 3 0 ,2 0 0 4

H o w

m u c h

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• L a s t d a y o f c la s s e s fo r c o u r s e s t h a t fo llo w th e T u e s d a y -T h u rs d a y s c h e d u le .

T h u rsd ay , D e ce m b e r 2 ,2 0 0 4 • L a s t d a y o f c l a s s e s fo r c o u r s e s n o r m a lly h e ld o n ly o n M o n d a y s (3 - h o u r b lo c k s ). (U n le s s t h e in s tru c to r h a s m a d e o th e r a rr a n g e m e n ts ).

F rid a y , D e c e m b e r 3 ,2 0 0 4 • L a s t d a y o f c la s s e s fo r c o u r s e s t h a t fo llo w th e M o n d a y -W e d n e s d a y -F rid a y s c h e d u le .

T u esd ay , Ja n u a ry 4 ,2 0 0 5 • F irs t d a y o f c l a s s e s f o r W i n t e r T e r m .

• O n th is d a y , s tu d e n ts s h o u ld fo llo w th e ir M o n d a y s ch e d u le .

For further information and other important dates in the academic year, please consult www.mcgill.ca/student-records/dates.

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M c G ill

Quebec

MEET MBA PROGRAM

There are 18 universities in Quebec.

The average tuition Quebec stu­ dents pay is $ 1 ,8 6 2 . For internation­ al students, the provincial government has capped tuition rates at $ 1 0 ,8 7 8 a year.

At McGill, however, tuition rates depend on the faculty. International stu­ dents in Continuing Education, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Religious Studies pay the least, $ 1 1,085, which is higher than the government regula­ tions. While management students pay the most at $ 1 5 ,0 0 0 , the government does not give that faculty any money.

The Quebec government set aside $ 1 1.5-billion of its budget for education in the last academic year, but Quebec universities are still current­ ly underfunded by an estimated $375million a year.

REPRESENTATIVES FROM:

With McGill administrators busy searching for ways to correct the uni­ versity's chronic under-funding prob­ lem, we decided to look at how much the governments in other provinces and territories love their educational institu­ tions.

The federal government presently bundles the tax money it transfers to provinces to pay for education togeth­ er with health funding. The provinces then decide how much money to allo­ cate to health and to education. As a result, tuition across Canada averages $ 4 ,1 7 2 this year, but differs from province to province.

Alberta, Asper,

British Columbia, Brock, Calgary, Caileton, DeGroote, HEC Montreal, Ivey, McGill, Molson, UNB Saint John, Ottawa, Queens, Rotman, Royal Roads, Saskatchewan, Schulich, Simon F Victoria, Wilfrid Laurier..!

Ontario

October 19,2004j 4:30 - 7:30 pm M arriott Chateau Champlain Place du Canada Montreal

CANADIAN MBA FAIRS w w w .canadtanm bafairs.com

The 2 7 7 ,1 0 0 undergraduate stu­ dents in Ontario pay an average of $ 4 ,9 2 3 a year in tuition, but as of April 2 0 0 4 there is a two-year tuition freeze on both regulated and deregu­ lated programs. Due to this freeze, the 2 0 universities in the province have received an increase in funding from the provincial government, which now stands at approximately $ 3 . 15-billion a year, according to Statistics Canada.

To improve the post-secondary education system in the province, the government has initiated a review of the design and funding of the system, which will be completed in early 2005.

Canada, with an average of $ 3 ,1 5 5 , the third lowest in Canada after Quebec and Newfoundland/Labrador. The 2 0 0 4 Manitoba provincial budget said that tuition fees will remain at about 10 per cent below 1 9 9 9 levels. Since 1999, university enrolment has increased by 2 8 per cent.

The territories There are no universities in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, or the Yukon Territory. The Northwest Territories government, however, has formulated a policy to help students afford university tuition in other provinces. The government pays all travel expenses from the students home to the nearest university offering his or her chosen program of study. The clos­ est universities are located in Edmonton, so the government will pay the cost of all travel expenses to Edmonton. If a student chooses to go to another university, no more than the amount of the travel costs to Edmonton is allocated. However, students who wish to pursue programs not taught at a university in Edmonton will be reim­ bursed for travel expenses to the clos­ est university that offers their specific program.

Saskatchewan The Saskatchewan government says that university funding in the province is "adequate."

Provincial grants make up 6 5 per cent of the average university's income, while tuition accounts for 28 per cent.

The average student pays around $ 4 ,8 9 4 .

Alberta The only province that has declared itself debt-free has experi­ enced tuition fee increases that are higher than less financially secure provinces such as Newfoundland and Labrador. There are approximately 9 8 ,1 7 3 students attending Alberta's four universities. Currently, 5 4 per cent of university funds come from the gov­ ernment, 21 per cent from tuition, and the remainder from private funding. In 1 9 8 2 , 85 per cent of funds came from government and eight per cent was supplied by tuition. Average university tuition in Alberta is $ 4 ,8 0 4 . Alberta students currently owe $366-million in debts from student loans.

Manitoba There are three major universities in Manitoba: Brandon University, the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg.

Tuition fees in the province have been frozen for four years at 10 per cent lower than the 1 9 9 9 rates. They are among the most affordable in

expensive programs lie at the $ 4 ,0 0 0 level, while others can cost upwards of $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 . The average student loan package is $ 6 ,8 8 8 . Bursaries vary greatly based on need, as do the sources of the bursaries themselves.

Post-secondary students in Prince Edward Island have the highest sum­ mer employment rates of any in the country.

Newfoundland and Labrador There are 1 7 ,0 0 0 students at Memorial University of Newfoundland, the provinces only university. The aver­ age tuition is $ 2 ,6 0 6 , unchanged from last year. The Canada Social Transfer is $243-million for the current academic year.

New Brunswick There are four public universities in New Brunswick, and three private universities. The average tuition for the province is $ 4 ,7 1 9 . The Canada Social Transfer for 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 is $352-million.

British Columbia According to Statistics Canada, the 2 7 universities in the province of British Columbia collect 5 7 .6 per cent of their revenue from government grants and contracts, 16.2 per cent from student fees and 7 .6 per cent from the private sector. Together, the federal and provincial governments spend an average of $ 8 3 2 .1-million in total on vocational training for the province. Undergraduate tuition rates, which average $ 4 ,1 4 0 this year, have seen a 6 4 per cent increase since the British Columbia Liberal party deregu­ lated university fees in 2 0 0 1 . Students in British Columbia have experienced a 15.6 per cent increase in tuition rates this year, which is the largest increase in the country for the third year in a row.

Nova Scotia Undergraduates at the seven uni­ versities in Nova Scotia pay an aver­ age tuition of $ 5 ,9 8 4 , the highest provincial average in Canada.

Without a tuition cap, and with provin­ cial funding that has dwindled from $ 2 12-million to $ 175-million in the past 10 years, students are bearing the brunt of a province unable to support post-secondary education. Not surpris­ ingly, Nova Scotians have the largest average student debt in Canada. ■

Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island hosts 3 ,2 6 6 full-time undergrad­ uates and 5 7 full-time graduate stu­ dents. Average undergraduate tuition is $4,1 10, and compulsory fees amount to $ 4 6 8 . Tuition fees tend to vary greatly by program. The least

Compiled by Christine Cullen, Katherine Fugler, Xiang Gu, Dany Horovitz, Sam Lazarus, Jay Paleja, Laura Saba, Max Shapiro, Mikelis Steprans, Sepand Tehrani and Jacqui Wilson

the mcgill tribune j 13.10.04 | news C A M P U S

N E W S

Students may still be shut out of executive committee Continued from cover trade-off," he said.

SSMU Vice-President Community and Government Daniel Friedlaender acknowledged the unusual circum­ stances, and suggested that SSMU hold a presidential by-election, reversing coun­ cil's earlier decision, and include Board representation as part of the president's mandate.

SSMU council voted not to hold a by-election after former president Alam Aili's September 3 resignation.

"I do believe that the president should sit on the [Board] executive com­ mittee,” Friedlaender said, "but we do not have an elected president and we have an elected Board of Governors rep­ resentative."

Currently, undergraduate students have two representatives on the Board: the president, who can contribute to dis­ cussion but not vote, and an independ­ ently elected representative with voting power. The presidents voice-only seat was eliminated in May as part of a restructuring phase the Board began last year to streamline the decision-making process. Once these changes take effect on January 1, only one SSMU represen­ tative may sit on the Board.

The proposed changes also place more power in the hands of the Board executive committee, which may be downsized to the exclusion of student representation.

Possible changes to the executive committee were first presented to Board members at their September 2 7 meeting.

Members of the SSMU Presidential Affairs committee discussed their options at a meeting on October 3 —Howatt was notified of the meeting fewer than 12 hours in advance. SSMU council made the decision quickly in preparation for Board negotiations on November 1 — especially because written arguments were due yesterday.

"Councillors really needed to get this information, process it [and] talk to

C A M P U S

other people about it," Howatt said.

"There was no reason why we had to do it this way."

The decision requires a student refer­ endum to approve a SSMU constitutional amendment eliminating the independent­ ly elected position. Such a referendum Mind-boggling BoG • Last year: The Board of Governors, the university's highest decision-making body, approved changes that will reduce the number of voting members from 4 5 to 25, effective January 1. Among the casualties: the SSMU president's voiceonly seat.

• Last week: SSMU council voted to hand the SSMU Board rep resentative's seat over to the presi­ dent in January, effectively dissolv­ ing the Board rep position.

• Coming up: This spring, SSMU will likely hold an election for the position of Board rep at the same time it poses a referendum question amending its constitution to eliminate that position.

cannot be held until this spring.

"The fact is they haven't gotten their ducks in a row in terms of the constitu­ tion," Howatt said. "If they had put this to a constitutional referendum in the fall, and we had it passed, then I would say, 'Go for it.'"

Gonzalo Riva, chair of the Presidential Affairs committee, said that the Board restructuring left councillors little choice in removing the Board representa­ tive. "[The decision will] look bad because we are being forced by larger actors to make a bad choice," he said.

Howatt disagreed. "[Councillors are saying], 'We're being forced into this, we're being forced into this.' No, we're not," he said. "We chose, and we made a bad choice." ■

ANNOUNCEMENT OF REFERENDUM QUESTION

T h e S t u d e n t s ’ S o c ie t y o f M c G ill U n iv e rs ity C o u n c i l p a s s e d t h e f o l l o w i n g r e fe r e n d u m q u estio n o n T h u rsd a y , O cto b er f h, 2 0 0 4 . E le c tio n s M c G ill will s u b m it this q u estio n to s tu d e n t vote d u r in g th e 2 0 0 4 F a ll E le c to ra l P e r io d :

Students’ Society o f M cG ill University Base Fee W H E R E A S the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) collects a base membership fee of $34.90 from all of its members in order to carry out its missions of service, representation and leadership; WHEREAS the SSMU has significantly expanded its services since 1992, including introducing the SSMU Daycare, providing infrastructure for over 150 clubs and 14 services, improving accessibility to the William Shatner University Centre, and providing a variety of food options; W H E R E A S the SSMU has also significantly expanded the scope upon which it represents McGill students since 1992, including active participation in lobby groups at both the provincial and federal levels to fight for access to education; W H E R E A S the real value of the SSMU base fee has declined by approximately $6.37 due to inflation since 1992, and will continue to do so; W H E R E A S the SSMU makes a concerted and sustained effort to generate revenues from sources other than student fees; W H E R E A S the SSMU Council has decided to eliminate the $3.00 per semester fee for the SSMU Daycare due to successful application for a Quebec government subsidy, so the proposed adjustment to the SSMU base fee would not increase the total amount of fees currently paid by McGill undergraduate students; Do you agree to adjust the SSMU base fee to com pensate for inflation by increasing it by $3.00 per student per sem ester starting in the W in ter 2005 sem ester and then pegging it to inflation as m easured by the Consum er Price Index every year thereafter?

Y E S /N O C A L L F O R A R E F E R E N D U M C O M M IT T E E

Students have the opportunity to fonn a ‘NO’ REFERENDUM COMMITTEE for this particular question, during the 2004 Fall Electoral Campaign Period. Referendum Committee Kits are now available at our office, Suite 405 Shatner University Centre, or ONLINE at www.ssmu.ca/elections The deadline for submission of completed kits is Monday October 18th, 2004

AN N O UN CEM EN T O F R E F E R E N D U M Q U E S T IO N

N E W S

It's getting hot in here M c G ill jo in s f o r c e s

fo r c lim a te

re se a rch

T h e S t u d e n t s ’ S o c ie t y o f M c G i l l

U n iv e rs it y

C o u n c il p a s s e d th e fo llo w in g

r e f e r e n d u m q u e s tio n o n T h u rs d a y , O c t o b e r f h, 2 0 0 4 . E le c tio n s M c G ill will s u b m it

GENEVIEVE JENKINS

Service, which provides seasonal forecasts and climate change scenarios. These two giants in environmental research provide fund­ ing for the centre.

Lin emphasized the importance of the "dialogue between scientists and social scien­ tists," which C2GCR makes possible with 17 faculty members from seven departments.

"Not many people understand the social aspect of environment studies," said Jenny

McGill's Centre for Climate and Global Change Research, also known as C2GCR, has been around since 1 9 9 0 , but the pro­ gram has expanded through recent collabora­ tion with four area universities.

The project will now encompass regional climate, rivers and paleoclimate, remote sens­ ing and ecosystem ecology. These are the additions of l'Université du Québec a Montréal, l'Université de Montréal, l'Université de Not many people understand the social Sherbrooke and l'Université aspect of environment studies Laval, respectively.

McGill is the biggest par­ ticipant in the program, con­ tributing its international climate variability pro­ DeMarco, U1 Environment. "It would be great to work with graduate students and professors gram and the Brace Centre for Water from other universities who understand the Resources Management on the Macdonald problem." campus.

Megan Vuksic, a U2 English and North Charles Lin, director of C2GCR, said this is the first time there has been such a "diversi­ American Studies major, agreed.

"Too often people take from the environ­ fied grouping of expertise at the research and ment without calculating the costs. W e need a training level."

C2GCR has also partnered with fine balance and the simultaneous study of both environment and economics." ■ HydroQuébec and the international Met

th is q u e s tio n to s tu d e n t vote d u r i n g th e 2 0 0 4 F a l l E le c t o r a l P e r io d :

Sexual A ssau lt C en tre o f M cG ill Stu d en ts’ Society Fee W hereas students have chosen to fund the Sexual Assault Centre o f McGill Students’ Society (S A C O M S S ) since 1994; W hereas the fee is subject to renewal every three years; W hereas S A C O M S S continues to provide essential services to the M cG ill and M ontreal comm unities; W hereas this funding is essential to maintain the quality o f service provided by SA C O M SS; Do you a g re e to pay $ 0 .7 5 p e r sem ester (W in te r 2 0 0 5 to F a ll 2 0 0 7 inclusive) to fund the S exual A ssault C e n tre o f M cG ill S tu d en ts’ Society (S A C O M S S )?

Y E S / NO C A L L F O R R E F E R E N D U M C O M M IT T E E S

Students h ave the opportunity to form a ‘ Y E S ’ O R ‘N O ’ R E F E R E N D U M C O M M IT T E E for the upcoming 2 0 0 4 Fall Electoral Period. Referendum Com mittee Kits are now available at our office, Suite 4 0 5 Shatner University Centre, or O N LINE at w w w .ssm u.ca/elections T he deadline for submission o f completed kits is Monday October 1.8*, 2 0 0 4

7

opinion

M o b lo g ic ? jAMES SCARFONE

A u to n o m y :

ta k e n

fo r

g r a n te d

ta k e n

fo r

g o s p e l

*Who is really going to care whether you live or die and who is going to know the most intimate motivation for your laughter and your tears is the only person to be trusted to speak for you and to decide what you will or will not do. " June Jordan, US poet and civil rights activist

A

utonomy. The condition of something that does not depend on anything else. The word worn with pride by champions of self-determination and free thought. The flattering hope of every teenage mind and national minority. The defiance of precedent.

The inconsistency in journalism?

As researchers of mass communications have demonstrat­ ed, autonomy is a complicated concept, one that is often janusfaced. In "Autonomy in Journalism," a paper presented at the Annual Convention of the Association for Education inJournalism and Mass Communication, August 1999 in New Orleans, German professors Armin Scholl and Siegfried Weischenberg pointed out that because of its natural limitations, editorial auton­ omy should be viewed not as "individual self-determination," but as "organizational self-regulation," where the publication is the gatekeeper. The difference, they maintain, is that self-regulation enhances accountability without compromising freedom of speech.

This nuance, though seemingly meaningless, ensures that the dangers of autonomy are avoided. Indeed, editorial auton­ omy, when too loosely defined, gives publications the freedom to alienate their readers, to become a true fourth estate that pro­ motes the illegitimate power of journalism. As Scholl and Weischenberg maintain, "Although autonomy is a necessary condition of free journalism, it is not a sufficient condition for a free society because too much of it is often suspected of devel­ oping the journalists' tendency to cut themselves off from society and opposing established institutions." Deciding what is fit to print should not be monopolized by journalists alone but moni­ tored by an informed, impartial external body. Of course, press advisory boards and councils are often designed such that they are, as NewsWatch Canada coined it, "watchguards with no bite," witnessing help­ lessly as perceptions of editorial autono­ my cause responsibility and morals to run amok. Case in point: look at us!

This is the Trib being autonomous.

SSMU sucks! The Board of Governors must die! By-elections are the root of all evil! All student government types caught canoodling in public places must be stoned A and gassed! Oh, and we hate brussel sprouts! Yes, we're editorially autonomous, we can say what we want. We can draw a little stick figure in the middle of our édita rial, who's gonna stop us! It's all in the name of autonomy!

Thus, self-regulation, while curbing the dangers, also ensures the advantages of editorial autonomy, notably journal­ ists' freedom to serve as communicators. "Journalists (individuals) ought to be free in selecting information and in covering stories; newsrooms (organizations) ought to be independent from exter­ nal influences, such as commercial or political constraints; media systems (society) ought to have guaranteed press freedom and

ought to be free from all kinds of censorship," insist Scholl and Weischenberg. The key is to couple self-referentiality—the jour­ nalistic tendency to view sources skeptically and see readers as a passive, indifferent audience in need of direction—and exter­ nal reference, a newspaper's ability to select the environmental areas by which it will consciously be influenced. This means turn­ ing a critical eye on press releases, offering well-substantiated opinions to readers and supplying analyses of social problems in an effort to affect the intellectual interest of the public. In other words, editorial autonomy should not sever a publication from its environment but allow it to be more selective about external impact.

Now, the trouble remains that autonomy is not a concept governing solely the relationship between journalists and their readers, but one that involves a variety of other bodies including advertisers, governments and corporations. However empower­ ing this more nuanced definition of autonomy may be, newspa­ pers are still vulnerable to whomever holds their purse strings.

Many publications admittedly choose security over freedom, resorting to grants and advertising revenues that jeopardize their ideals of independence. The partisan journalism of yore is no longer cost-effective: it estranges readers and thus repels adver­ tisers. In its place was born professional journalism, eager to break the link between newspapers and the man, yet ultimately only able to be "politically neutral" and "unbiased," surviving by adherence to the government-fed theory that there is a legitimate spectrum of opinion. Nowadays, being judgmental is a luxury.

While striving to counterbalance the status quo, publications often confuse critical analysis with bias, leading to media abus­ es that render their very existence questionable in the eyes of those who fund them.

With so many factors at work, one wonders whether a dis­ cussion of autonomy is even worthwhile, or whether it belongs in the realm of naïve ideals, a mere semantic storm in a teacup.

We say it is worthwhile. Recently, The McGill Daily attested that their autonomy is being challenged. Five hundred students, the minimum required to pass a referendum question, have official­ ly stated their request to make the student fees supporting the University's independent newspaper a choice. If the aforesaid definition of autonomy stands, students—those who read and fund the paper, and are members of the DPS—have to deter­ mine whether the newspaper has effectively transcended auton­ omy's dangers by advocating its benefits. If students believe this is the case, they vote against the referendum question; if they dis­ agree, they vote in favour of it. Even if autonomy is an ideal, even if freedom of the press is, realistically speaking, now a properly right of owners, then the Daily's freedom of the press is the property of students as fund-raisers. Either way, they decide.

However, if the Daily fee is someday optional, we urge stu­ dents not to opt out. Autonomy, however difficult to reconcile with the contemporary business of newspapers, is worth the pal­ try sum. Be what you want to be, no strings attached—autono­ my in its purest form. The Daily wants to do just that. Let them. ■

4 ° f f the board I have had just about enough. My ever-extending social limits have

been passed. A dreadful plague has infected a horrifyingly large majority of our peers, and I have found myself unable to endure their behaviour any longer. It's almost as if a memo has been passed around, one which I did not receive. New hot topic, to be discussed at all possible opportunities: yourself.

A natural listener, I genuinely enjoy hearing other people's sto­ ries, even when they tend to slope off on various far-reaching tanIs it possible that this widely adopted method of self-psychoanalysis has begun to backfire, slowly evolving into a me-me-me virus, enveloping all previously rationally-minded students? gents. Nevertheless, there comes a point when even the most patient can no longer tolerate the unfathomable heights to which this self­ absorption has risen. Some of my oldest and deepest friendships have morphed into relationships in which I can recite what my dear friend had for lunch every day last week, while she remains clueless

I s it really that big

a deal that Ehud Barak was forbidden to speak at Concordia? Heaven forbid the university might have concern for students' security, not to mention its property. How dare the administration sustain memories of the events that transpired two years ago when mini riots occurred outside the school in protest of Benjamin Netanyahu. Concordia students are clearly more protesthappy than us fellow McGillians. The university obviously knew that and thus decided to learn from a past mistake: don't appease the irate.

When our free speech rights appear to be quashed by administrators, it takes a fool to realize that many people will not put up a fight as a result. In the western world, for the most part, many take their civil liberties for granted, except when it comes to free speech. That and the right to bear arms in some pockets of the US, but I digress. So when Concordia students were told that Barak would not be per­ mitted to speak before them, they did what any Concordia student would do if something didn't go their way: get angry. Ho hum, more protests out front of Henry F. Hall Building. It's what comes from having such a combustible student body, where clashes between Israeli and Palestinian students are as standard as beheadings in Iraq. But it's also what comes from being overly stubborn.

The job of Concordia administrators is not as easy as that of a pharmaceutical lobbyist on Capitol Hill. They know that no matter what decision is made, there's going to be political unrest outside of their doors. Do students have to react this way, though? Let's look at past examples where controversial free speech was allowed.

There's the Netanyahu incident, where shattered glass and student injuries were preceded by the setup of snipers atop area buildings. Lyndon B. Johnson lovers will long remember when former prime minister Lester B. Pearson "pissed on his rug" while speaking against the Vietnam War on American soil. The Nobel Peace Prize winner was sub­ sequently held up by his lapels by the former president in an infamous fit of rage, exacerbating an already sour relation­ ship between the foreign leaders. Oh, and there's Charles de Gaulle arrogantly shouting "Vive le Québec libre" to the cheers of many separatists and the jeers of millions of Anglophones. This only sparked a national crisis that has sustained itself, even if it is just a minimal threat today.

Free speech should never be contained, but there has to be boundaries set in order to prevent potentially danger­ ous incidents. What was wrong with Concordia's decision to co-sponsor Barak's visit at an off-campus location? You still have one of the 20th century's most notable individuals coming to town to deliver a speech, which may or may not make any kind of a difference other than to instigate a mini­ war in Concordia's Middle Eastern community.

This goes way beyond what students want you to believe. It is not about their rights. They want you to know that they are upset (as usual), they want you to know that they won't stand for it (as usual), and they want you to sup­ port their anger (not surprised). Concordia's administration was right in cancelling a speech that could have incited rage and put its school's name on the country's front pages.

And that is what the angry mob would have wanted. It would have gotten its way. ■

B u t e n o u g^ h a b o u t m e about my current state of affairs. This is no fault of my own, I assure you, I am more than happy to share all my wonderful news. The interest with which it is received, however, leaves a lot to be desired.

Overheard a conversation between two people on campus recently? Sometimes it's as if a war were being waged, one of fierce competition and terribly high stakes: he who interrupts the other with more meaningless anecdotes in a five minute interval takes home the prize. I find myself in these positions more and more often, constant­ ly assuming the weaker, defensive side, nursing an awful headache as my opponent engages in a solitary war, getting progressively louder and more egotistical as my highly anticipated interruptions fail to surface.

Perhaps this sudden need to tell all can be attributed to the emphasis being placed on the now trendy notion of open communi­ cation. "Tell me how you feel," says Oprah. "Tell him how you feel," says John Gray. Wherever we look, we are being told to freely express our innermost thoughts and emotions, with the hopes that once everything has been unfurled, all will be well and nothing will be left to gnaw on our nerves. De-stressing in a nutshell. Is it possi­ ble that this widely adopted method of self-psychoanalysis has

LARA BEKHAZI

begun to backfire, slowly evolving into a me-me-me virus, causing previously rationally-minded students to unload their personal bag­ gage in all its forms onto whomever they happen to meet?

The disease is comprised of a set of rather disparate symptoms, one being the newly acquired inability to show any form of interest in the goings-on of others unless they affect you. FHow many times have you excitedly related something to a friend only to get a blank look or a 'mm' in return, more often than not followed by an eager "Do you know what happened to me today?!' Not to be forgotten is the fervent complaining and blind belief that unfortunate things (like rain, for example) only happen to—you guessed it—them.

My fear is that after such prolonged periods of unprotected exposure, I will also fall victim to this treacherous virus. My present state of benignity is floundering, giving way to irritation and a sharply honed impatience. Such turbulent grounds may be too easy a prey for the all-consuming "me." And so, this appeal is my last remaining form of combat, a last resort in the truest sense. Pray, dear students, think not only of thou selves; attempt to rejuvenate that lost sense of social responsibility that lies deep within you and perhaps one day, we may all be saved. ■

the mcgill tribune | 13.10.04 | opinion

Deconstructing the facade

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WorldChanger Natalie Fletcher editor@tribune.mcgill.ca

Secret Agents Katherine Fugler Ja m es Scarfone seniored@tribune.mcgill.ca

Communist Overlords Jen n ifer Je tt Laura Saba Lisa Varano tribnews@tribune.mcgill.ca

Kleptomaniacs Liz Allemang Brody Brown features@tribune.mcgill.ca

BandRoadies Daniel C h o d o s Lise Treutler arts@tribune.mcgill.ca

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BRETT SCHREWE

brett.schrewe@mail.mcgill.ca

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he challenge of cultural self-reflection is a diffi­ cult one, for its members are blind to its intrica­ cies and complexities by the practice of every­ day living within its friendly confines. Nonetheless, the observation of how others engage the world provides both a mirror and a moral anchor to keep ones system from drifting too far out of safe harbour.

For years, it has been thought that the Inuit have over 100 words for snow; a commentary on its importance and reliable presence from Iqaluit to Inuvik. Although this story has now received its urban legend merit badge, the idea underlying it knows no superficial boundaries. What is known well and honoured by a people is understood by what it nuances deeply in its representations of its engagement with the world. One need only recall the heritage of the depictions of animals in the cave of Lescaux to recognize this commonality.

The lineage of Western society has been steeped in warfare, from the days of Marathon and Imperial Rome to the persistent low-level conflicts endemic in the still-organizing global society. As a result, in the literal-dominated West, a legacy of vio­ lent division has marked out linguistic footpaths all over the pages of the Oxford English Dictionary, with words such as war, conflagration, battle, con­ flict, combat, hostilities and struggle representing only the tip of the iceberg. Nor is this vocabulary confined to activities that possess intrinsic competi­ tion, such as sports and economics. Even within

mainstream health care—where ostensibly there is a movement towards wholeness, tranquility and heal­ ing—war has been declared, as care providers aggressively decimate the ranks of invasive pathogens with an onslaught of overwhelming antibiotic therapy or fire salvos of radiation aimed at eradicating malignant tumours. Further, since the dawn of the industrial revolution, there has been a trend toward sequestering wealth and stabilizing governmental to protect the factors facilitating that process.

Strongly influencing these approaches is the dualism inherent in the Western world view, a pro­ fession of a creed separating good and evil, mind and body, war and peace, self and other, which in turn has lead to the tendency to signal marginalized phenomena in terms of their mainstream opposites.

This creates the perception that ideas outside the realm of our growingly inflexible current construct are temporary and bizarre deviations. Movements advocating peaceful conflict resolution are dis­ missed as non-violent, while groups emphasizing justice and social benefit as their prime movers are branded non-profit/non-governmental. Contrary to what years of grade-school grammar and math have taught, negating an opposite term does not yield a positive definition, especially when profit, government and conflict have been deified.

It is extraordinarily easy to respond to what is experienced, to induce what we are largely from

what we are not. However, to continue to renew subscription to that paradigm not only prevents a radical reinterpretation of wnat we wish to become, but ties us to the same dichotomous understanding of the everyday that has lead time and time again to conflict between self and other.

Interestingly, the dualistic path of the West, like Luke Skywalker, has a twin forgotten largely by the passage and events of time. From the same Greece that gave us Socrates and Plato, there is a lineage of underlying unity and wholeness, safeguarded and developed from Heraclitus and Asklepios to David Abram and David Suzuki.

This way is not necessarily better, but to infuse it back into our describing of the world is vital to tak­ ing our next steps through time. Therefore, by synergizing the anathema for processes that have injured our culture with the ideals of what we could be, the compass of true desire for change aligns with a deeper spiritual magnet, transforming us into post­ modern alchemists with the ability to connect dis­ parate bits of leaden frustration into integrated gold.

We are left with a reinvigorated and living lexicon, where the word peace signals not just an absence of war but, as Baruch Spinoza so artfully put it, "a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevo­ lence, confidence, justice." Above all, when the cave walls of todays society are discovered, we will not have left behind only dollar signs and mili­ tary symbols as our wisdom to the future. ■

Radically respectable

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DisgruntledWriter Sam Goffman sam .goffm an@m ail.m cgill.ca

Computer Geeks Lara Bekhazi Benji Feldman Heather Kitty M ak design@tribune.mcgill.ca

Party Girl Lynne Hsu online@tribune.mcgill.ca

AdvertisingManager Paul Slachta advmgr@ssmu.mcgill.ca

The Guitar Palyer Shawn Lazare

Publisher C h ad Ronalds

urs is a tolerant generation, or soTm told. In any case, we're a long way off from the vivid statement attributed to 17th century frenchman, Bishop Bossuet: "I have the right to per­ secute you, because I am right and you are wrong."

But our ideas of tolerance and toleration can be pret­ ty incoherent, iincluding everything from resigned for­ bearance to various kinds of acceptance or endorse­ ment.

Lost in the tolerance thicket is any sense of why we think tolerance is virtuous. If tolerance is simply putting up with others for the sake of creating a Hobbesian peace, or avoiding the costs that intoler­ ance would involve, then it seems not to be a virtue, but a mere strategy. Think about it this way: if our only reason for being honest is that honesty is the "best policy," then we won't be reliable in the way we expect upright honest people to be. So too with tolerance.

On the other hand, though political correctness smiles on terms like "full acceptance," tolerance that entails full acceptance is pretty meaningless. If we endorse X, then what's to tolerate? It seems like this notion of tolerance simply means changing our minds about things we dislike or disapprove, which surely isn't desirable. In fact, it's downright danger­

ous. As political scientist Rainer Knopff said, "Toleration, understood as equal approval, is not a widespread possibility. At best people can learn to be tolerant in an older sense of the term, namely, put­ ting up with what they hate rather than trying to elim­ inate it. But people are unlikely to learn this lesson from a public policy that treats hatred and toleration as polar opposites rather than two sides of a single coin. We should not be surprised when, having been taught that tolerance presupposes approval, people refuse to tolerate what they hate."

Many other ideas of tolerance are equally vac­ uous. The notion that something is "none of my busi­ ness," for example, has no place in the realm of tol­ erance: If I'm indifferent, then tolerance isn't doing any work. This is "so-called tolerance," which, as Alexis de Tocqueville remarked, "is nothing but a huge indifference."

In what, then, shall we ground our tolerance?

Unlike Locke, who appealed to his natural theology and Christian principles, our generation can and should base its tolerance on respect for the human person. This notion of tolerance doesn't imply that we refrain from finding faults in the behaviour of oth­ ers. How could we not, since we so often find faults in our own? Rather, it demands that we give under-

standing a chance. Sympathetic yet critical attempts to understand how personal choices provide fulfill­ ment, allows tolerance to be gracious rather than grudging, but simultaneously allows us to keep from being forced to compromise our own principles.

Tolerant people try to understand what others experience as good, even if they initially find this oth­ erness disgusting or threatening. Tolerance comes from the realization that to not allow a particular choice is to violate a huge part of the internality and integrity of the other person. We tolerate things that somehow conduce to some good, even if in them­ selves they might be anything but good. Thus toler­ ance may even mandate some kinds of support for things we deem undesirable. More often, a tolerant person will use persuasion and generally non-invasive intervention, always with great caution and respect for the other.

Ultimately, however, a tolerant, understanding person may still conclude that what they find objec­ tionable is intolerable, for example because it harms someone else. We shouldn't lose sight of this. To exchange mindless bigotry for sensitivity is what is desired. To substitute unthinking, all encompassing tolerance would be to empty tolerance of all its con­ tent. ■

Collaborators Bryan Arciero, Andrew Bauer, Bryan Badali, Dave Brodkey, Christine Cullen, Kim D'Souza, Hilary Elkins, Vladimir Eremin, Natalie Goldneberg-Fife, James Gotowiec, Joseph Gilgroff, Sarah Grynpas, Xiang Gu, Dany Horovitz, Kelsea Forzani, Gracia Jalea, Genevieve Jenkins, Leora Katz, Jonathan Klein, Heather Haq Lawrence, Sam Lazarus, Panthea Lee, Ben Lemieux, Sam Loeb, Melanie MacDonald, Cristina Markham, R. Scott Mclsaac, Melissa Miller, David M. Nataf, Jay Paleja, Shelby Parnes, Brendda Petroff, Casey Reynolds, Nick Rosen, Julia Schonfield, Brett Schrewe, Max Shapiro, Elisha Siegel, Mikelis Steprans, Azadeh Tamjeedi, Sepand Tehrani, Adam Wadsworth, Daryl Wile, Jacqui Wilson, Josh Wilner.

Tribune Offices Editorial. Shatner University Centre, Suite 110, 3480 McTavish, Montreal Q C Tel: 514.398.6789 Fax. 514.398.1750 Advertising. Brown Student Building, Suite 1200, 3600 McTavish, Montreal Q C H3A 1Y2 Tel. 514.398.6806 Fax. 514.398.74 90

Screw tfie international students I fail to understand the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec's out­ rage at using international students as cash cows ("International students: cash cows"—0 5 .1 0 .0 4 ). I for one don't think that McGill University is getting enough milk. Although I do recognize the impor­ tance of international students, as a taxpaying Canadian I am tired of subsidiz­ ing the educations of wealthy and mid­ dle-class foreigners while facing tuition increases myself. These “needy" individu­ als not only come to Canada to study for a very small fraction of what their educa­ tions might have cost them back home, but the quality of education at McGill is often much higher. Wouldn't it be nice if the educational institutions in their own hometowns gave Canadian students the same breaks we give them? I applaud Principal Heather Munroe-Blum and

crew, and say heap more tuition on inter­ national students; McGill is not charging them nearly enough! Canadian monies and subsidies should be for Canadians only!

—Kent Walker, Ph.D. student

McGill in Ontario?

It is indeed surprising to learn that FEUQ is pressuring the Quebec govern­ ment to force McGill to undercut the tuition fees it charges to undergraduates.

Quebec has been meting out a quasistepmotherly treatment to the Englishspeaking university for a long time now.

As if that were not enough, FEUQ wants to make a representation that would fur­ ther thwart McGills plan of increasing its internal funding sources—most of which goes to funding research in medical and doctoral categories in which McGill was recently rated as the very- best in

Canada. If McGill wants to remain at the cutting edge of research and continue to be recognized as an elite academic insti­ tution, it has to better fund the doctoral category in which it has a competitive edge. At this point the only viable strate­ gy for McGill would be to explore the possibility of having an alternate campus in Ontario—an English-speaking province with more funds than Quebec's paltry handouts. This would be a tough plan to formulate and implement but in the long run would ensure McGill's sur­ vival and its academic repute. True, McGill will have to compete with the likes of the University of Toronto and Western Ontario, but competition would force us to perform better. McGill just cannot keep expecting the Quebec government will eventually come around and see its point.

—Abhijit Ghosh, Ph D. Management

The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University, in collaboration with the Tribune Publication Society. All submissions, including letters. Dispatch Box. Parry & Thrust and Reaction Engine must include contributor's name, program and year, and contact information. Submissions may be sent by e-mail to oped@tribune.mcgill.ca. Anv material |udged by the Tribune Pub ications Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic, or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by_thei editorial board.

All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper. Subscriptions are available for $30.00 per year.

10 opinion | 12.10.04 | the mcgill tribune The Dose

DgRK HUMOUR

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A brief and partial glimpse into my psyche R O B E R T DALE

Here is Cluck. Observe as he demon­ strates two extremes: being exhausted and being fully awake.

S e x a n d se n sitiv ity

elis ia.siegel@mail.mcgill.ca

E L IS H A S I E G E L

P

icture this: A balmy night in Madrid and a beautiful girl from New York is sitting on my lap in a bar packed with Americans.

I've been on the road for weeks and I'm in my mustache phase, so I'm grateful for the compa­ ny. W e drink cerveza and Southern Comfort while she talks and I pretend to listen.

She tells me t she's on exchange, she miss­ es her dog, and she thinks that Spanish men wear their jeans too tight. I don't get much more than that. In truth, I don't really care. I'm too busy imagining what colour her panties are.

Don't get me wrong, I consider myself a sensitive male. I watch Sex and the City, and not just for the cleavage. I'm a firm believer in a woman's right to choose. I'd be more than happy to take a sledge-hammer to the glass ceil­ ing. And I really enjoy giving oral. But I doubt I'm shattering any great myth about men when I say that at the end of the day, I'm still a pig.

I don't say this because I'm sexist. Seriously though, I say this in spite of my profound respect

for women. I speak for all straight men when I say that we would be slovenly, overweight deadbeats without you. If it weren't for women, men would still be living in caves, surviving on Kraft dinner with cut-up hotdogs, playing wiffleball in the backyard and fondling themelves. I know that I only write this column in order to impress girls. If it weren't for women, I'd never bother to pick up a pen because Playsation 2 would be my only love. I'd wear the same pair of underwear until it was absorbed through my ass and into my bloodstream. In fact, I don't think I'd ever get off the toilet.

I speak for most men when asserting that the pursuit of sex is the driving force in our lives.

Whether we're pumping gas or standing in line at McDonald's, we're always thinking about sex. It's the first thing on our minds during our 8 :3 0 lecture and the last thing on our minds while we're "checking our e-mail" before bed.

When we were little boys, it had us staring at the breast self-examination card that hung in the

shower and it had us diving into dumpsters in search of used porno-mags. Even when we're having sex, we're thinking about sex. "Wow," we realize mid-coitus, "I'm havinq sex...With a girl!"

This is not an apology for the male libido, but a heartfelt thank you to all women. It's out of this deference for the stronger sex that I aspire to restrain my inner pig in favour of my softer side.

And to the benefit of momma's boys every­ where, we live in an era where the sensitive male is a sex symbol. You can be a "girlie-man" and still get laid. Thanks to famous softies like John Mayer, macho is passé. Yet I'm sure even The Dawson, king of the sensitive males, liked to picture Joey licking his gigantic forehead dur­ ing their scenes.

We live in a beautiful era of sex and sen­ sitivity. So ladies, if you catch us sneaking a peak at your cleavage, it's not because we don't respect you. It's because your body's a wonderland and we're nothing without you. ■

Neurotica

Z o m b ie c h e c k ! cristina. markham@mail. mcgill. ca

A

The trend of outlandishness proves to be consistent as we observe a hideous alien in a malformed business suit prepare to enact a diabolical plan of some sort.

C R IS T IN A M A R K H A M

s a self-professed hypochondriac who won't travel by plane, set foot in an ele­ vator, or try new food for fear of sudden anaphylaxis, it's comforting to know that there are people who are equally unglued. Rosie, my best friend, is one such person. Having neither a car nor a license, Rosie's 1 9 9 0 Toyota sta­ tion wagon has become my main source of transportation. On our way home from an eventful trip to the gelato parlour, Rosie checked the back seat before getting into the car. I applauded her on being so cautious, admitting I never would think to check my own car for a predator. "Oh, I'm not looking for a rapist," Rosie admitted. "I'm checking for zom­ bies!"

On the way home, mumbling between mouthfuls of gelato, Rosie and I discussed how we would go about surviving a backseat zom­ bie attack. As our plans began to involve elab-

orate diagrams and pulley systems, I realized something embarrassing: we had both thought about this before.

My knowledge of zombie combat can be linked directly to my love of bad horror movies.

Given that I'm prone to irrational fear, it would be in my best interest to avoid anything that gets my imagination going... but I can't help myself. Give me a movie about ghosts, zom­ bies, or Candarian demons, and I focus with an intensity I usually reserve for in-flight safety demonstrations. You may think these movies are simply a good way to kill 9 0 minutes, but I like to see them as a perverse "worst case sce­ nario" guide, providing rfie with key strategies for the inevitable day when Montreal is overrun with zombies. For example, by studying stock characters and comparing them to your own friends, you can easily determine wno would be the greatest asset to your survival and who

you should say goodbye to early on. Rosie, unfortunately, would be the first to go, while I would be most likely to be eaten by my boyfriend-turned-zombie a few hours later.

It's also good to have a few choice catch phrases on hand... my laborious studies have revealed that one's ability to survive in an apoc­ alyptic crisis is intensely tied to one's punning aptitude. If, for example, you are forced to decapitate a now-undead ex-girlfriend in selfdefense, your chances of survival will increase dramatically if you turn to your friends and utter, "She was dead to me anyway.” Finally, a prac­ tical application for Shakespeare 2 1 5 .

I'll admit that I am ever so slightly para­ noid, and that yes, zombies probably don't exist. But when 2 8 Days Later becomes a real­ ity, don't come knocking on my shelter door!

There's only enough food for two, and Rosie will already have eaten all the cheese. ■

Skiing in Bond's panties B Y C A SEY R E Y N O L D S

ACROSS

DOWN

I. To stumble 5. Behind 8. Did not lose II. Innovative concepts 13. Handy cleaning fluid 14. Exclamation of inspiration 15. Elvis had a pair of blue shoes made from this 16. Ethics Officer Association (abbr.)

17. Bro or sis 18. Pirates of the Caribbean actors Bloom; Johnny 21. Flightless Australian bird 22. Living room 23. Women's undergarment 26. James Bond or Maxwell Smart 28. Greasy spoon, often 32. Open Air Pubs (abbr.)

34. Electric or moray 36. Hamlet was one 37. Beluga, sperm or blue 39. Won-__ soup \ 41. Public transit in Toronto (abbr.)

42. International organization for peace and security 43. Selenium in the periodic table of elements 44. Buccaneers use these to get around 51. One takes confession to be absolved of this 52. A baseball player wears one 53. Spiderman director Sam 55. Company names sometimes end with this 56. Precedes cycle or angle 57. Popular footwear, singular 58. Canadians like to end remarks with this 59. Bag (Fr.) 60. Provenance of the 1993 Peace Accords

1. Fédération internationale du ski (abbr.)

2. Abbott and Costello or Wayne and Garth 3. Tormented king in Shakespeare 4. Large stirring spoon 5. Got the highest mark possible 6. Deluge by water 7. Exchanged 8. White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (abbr.)

9. Ontarians get their care covered by this 10. Steal 12. These appear on the edge of clothes 19. Formerly an independent state in West Africa 20. Kids' writer Blyton 23. Should be done when meeting royalty 24. Might be said in a team cheer 25. American Psychological Association (abbr.)

27. "Are we there__ ?"

29. Crooner Cole 30. Living tree in Lord of the Rings 31. Recreation (abbr.)

33. Disparaging insult, often derogatory 35. Expos' had one of these in their final game 38. Brings into effect legislation 40. Indian PM, 1947-64 44. Type of fir 45. One twelfth of a foot 46. Former seat of the High Kings in Ireland 47. The Aeneid or Iliad 48. Villain in Othello 49. Five of these went to market 50. Initials of Dansons character on Cheers 54. Small hotel

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sweet looking sheep cause so much controversy?

and Secretary Scott Parker, U2 Physiology, the Science and Morals Society was formed with the complete support of ne of the great benefits of going to a school like both SSMU and SUS. This was the first of three workshops O McGill is the wealth of clubs for all sorts of inter­ planned by the society this semester. The others, tentatively ests, ranging from the purely social to those with planned for October 28 and November 1 8, will both fea­ ture professors and topics to be decided upon by the mem­ more intellectual goals. The Science and Morals Society, bership at large. Incidentally, membership costs $5, with S&M for short, is one of the latter, dedicated to promoting social awareness of the implications of scientific knowl­ general concordance that food and drink at workshops is a nice little side benefit—second to all the wonderful, more edge. On September 3 0 , they launched their inaugural meeting in the depths of Otto Maass to a surprisingly full important scientific stuff, of course.

Next semester, the executive plans to start holding lecture room—although, in true McGill tradition, compli­ mentary tickets at the door for pizza and refreshments might debates, open for viewing to the general public, with par­ have helped attendance numbers. Treasurer Matthew ticipation restricted to the membership—although there will Cameron, U2 Anatomy, was thrilled with the response. "I be opportunities for the audience to ask questions. was shocked and pleased," he said. "To see that many Ultimately, the society has hopes of organizing a nation­ wide forum to discuss ethics in science, but the executive people interested in what we had to offer was great.

Undoubtedly disappointing for some, though, there admitted that effort will likely be at least a few years in the making. was nary a hint of leather in the house. The meeting was Though the society is open to students from all facul­ started with a quick speech by S&M Society President Sean Guerriero, U2 Biochemistry, who then introduced the ties, those with a strong scientific background will likely enjoy and benefit from it most. Those expecting heavy renowned McGill professor Dr. Joe Schwarcz, radio host, philosophical debates are bound to be slightly disenchant­ author and head of the Office of Chemistry and Society. ed. While Guerriero did maintain that there are definite Schwarcz, in an approximately hour-long presentation, spoke on a range of controversial cases, from animal test­ Arts and Management aspects, he said "we do want to ing to scientific fraud to scientific funding, pointing out some stick to science issues," reasoning that making the issues too commonly held misconceptions held by society at large. He vague might lessen the practical impact of the workshops. spoke of the need for students to educate themselves about The Society certainly seems to have a worthwhile goal in scientific implications. "So many choices in todays society mind, providing a forum to consider issues that are of defi­ nite relevance in today's world. are based upon scientific knowledge, he insisted. If you Perhaps the response at the first meeting is a sign of don't have the tools, you don't make the right decisions.

The goal of the club, explained Guerriero, is "to things to come. But like any event or club debut, lifespan expose the students of McGill to the ethical side of sci­ can only be determined by subsequent meetings and main­ ence," hoping that it will offer "insights into ethical issues tained interest. Otherwise, if the numbers end up dropping, they’ve never considered before." The creation of the sci­ Guerriero might be forced to entertain a greater Arts or ence and morals society was a response to the feeling that Management influence. And a little science-themed masterslave presentation probably couldn't hurt things either— the implications of scientific research could sometimes be glossed over in a laboratory setting. So together with unless they believe that kind of conduct falls outside of what they consider moral. ■ Cameron, VP Internal Adriana Redensek, U2 Biochemistry,

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nyone who's seen Supersize Me knows that encroaching corporate visibility on our campus is troubling. Of course, anyone who has had a minimum wage job or taken out a student loan knows that rising tuition fees are cause to justify commercial marketing on campus. That's why advertising on school grounds rankles with so many people. No one likes to feel like they've been bought or used, and there's some­ thing unsavoury about the idea that we're being manip­ ulated by people who don't keep our best interests at heart, especially at a university that is supposed to fos­ ter the free exchange of ideas.

Corporate advertising takes many forms. The fact that you can only get Molson beer at Gert's or with­ draw money from the Scotiabank bank machine in Shatner is due to specific exclusivity contracts with these companies.

We're supposed to be getting an education, and it's irritating to realize a big faceless corporation is tak­ ing advantage of us every time we go to the bathroom, with those posters staring us in the face. But on the other hand, it's not like Philip Morris is bribing the medical school to say smoking doesn't cause lung cancer.

They're simple, innocuous ads. W e can choose to read them or not, right?

Let's hope so. Because Zoom Media, the Montreal based company that puts those ads in the stalls, expends a lot of energy in making us respond, Pavlov's dog-like, to the products being hawked. Perversely, their Web site says that since we're "making decisions that will impact our future," it's the perfect time for cor­ porations to "get to know [us].”

Professor Dawn lacobuci, president of the Society for Consumer Psychology and marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, believes the reason corporations target univer­ sity students so intensely is because it works.

"The companies that advertise in schools are very aware of their captive audience," she says. "It's cost-

effective for them to place ads in schools because they know you're looking. And whether it's true or not, adults believe that your generation has a short attention span, so if you see a simple poster for just a few minutes, that's all you need for the image to stick with you."

But are students more likely to run out and buy hair dye, contraceptives or beer just because they saw an ad for it? We're supposed to be smart people here; surely we aren't that susceptible to commercial propa­ ganda.

Sadly, it is true. But at least we have standards when it comes the posters in the can.

"Kids who are in university today have been absolutely saturated with advertising since childhood.

There's a greater chance that they learn to tune out the media, and it just becomes background noise with little effect," lacobuci explains. "They've become cynical towards the media and its attempts to court them so aggressively. There's an idea that for teenagers to pay attention to an ad, it has to be particularly clever, or sophisticated."

Billboards, vending machines, ads or inserts in school newspapers, and most of the other media detri­ tus we're used to seeing around-campus, aren't test-mar­ keted and focused-grouped to death in the way a TV commercial might be. They rely on ubiquity rather than cleverness, and according to lacobucci, that might be enough.

"People don't think that they're more loyal to Coke, for example, because they're around Coke machines all day," she says. "But studies show that they will remember it, and when asked to recall a brand of cola, Coke will be the one they think of."

This theory is born out of a somewhat scientific experiment the Tribune conducted in 2 0 0 1 . During a blind taste test between Coke, Pepsi, and generic cola, most students couldn't tell the difference. But on a ques­ tionnaire, many students expressed a preference for one of the brand name drinks.

Still, McGill students have a history of fighting back against corporations trying to exert undue influ-

the mcgill tribune | 13.10.04 | feature 15

Buying inme b r a n d

L E O R A K A T Z & M E L IS S A M IL L E R

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ence over our space. In 19 9 9 , Coca Cola wanted to buy the rights to sell their drinks exclusively on campus at the expense of other brands, giving student groups about $ 10-million in the process. SSMU voted to reject the exclusivity deal after campus-wide protests.

Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, is anoth­ er example of student uproar against corporate place­ ment on campus. Like McGill, they also had a contract with Zoom Media. Sarah Lamble, a member of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group feels that this sort of presence was inappropriate.

"The administration made a deal with Zoom Media, and many people felt that there wasn't enough student input in the process," she explains. "We came to school, and suddenly there were all these ads all over campus, in the bathrooms, hallways, and cafete­ rias. Lots of students complained. They were upset that they had been left out of the decision-making process, and that this kind of marketing has no place in a pub­ lic university. A lot of students were morally opposed to some of the products being marketed, because they were tested on animals, or came from a company with a history of unethical business practices, and didn't like the idea of supporting those companies, even indirect­ ly" Within a week, Trent students fought back, quite literally, by vandalizing, spraying graffiti, and forcibly removing the ads. Since part of the contract stipulated that Zoom Media had to eat the cost of maintaining the posters, Lamble explains, "we hit them where it hurtin their bottom line."

Naturally, student representatives and groups did not condone the violence. But no one was able to put a stop to it either, so there was little Zoom Media or the administration could do. And since it was costing them money to replace the ads so often—to the tune of about $ 6 ,0 0 0 total—they had to notice.

"We realized that there was widespread senti­ ment against the ads, so OPIRG formed a working group called Students for Ad-Free Education (SAFE), and they approached the student council and the uni­

ppearance plays a significant role in one's identity, and as such, youth has become entrapped in the realm of superfi­ cial consumerism. Dressing in clothing with visible logos seems to be of greater importance than being an interesting per­ son, with a well-rounded portfolio of relationships and abilities.

Authors Matthew W. Ragas and Bolivar J. Bueno put if plainly in their book, The Power of Cult Branding (Prima Publishing, 2002): "We often judge others—even total strangers on the street—by the brand of car they're driving and the designer label on the clothes they're wearing,” they explain. "We are a society that is absolute­ ly addicted to brands. W e love them. W e need them. W e sur­ round ourselves with them."

Deem it as sad and pathetic as you like, regardless of how much we pretend to resist it, we are all guilty of brand shopping.

For one reason or another, you bought the Kelloggs Rice Krispies instead of the generic rice puffs, the Sony instead of the Samsung DVD player, or the GAP hoodie vs. the Space FB version. This is particularly true in a market where there is little difference between clothing from one brand to the next.

“Today's 'branding' of fashion has taken on a critical role in an era when there's not much in the way of new styling going on —just about every store in the mall is peddling the same styles of clothes," explains Terri Agins in The End of Fashion (William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1999). "That's why designer logos have become so popular; logos are the easiest way for each designer to impart a distinguishing characteristic on what amounts to some pretty ordinary apparel." It is not simply the logo that appeals to customers, it is the image beyond the brand In the article "Adolescents' brand sensitivity in apparel: influ­ ence of three socialization agents," printed in the International Journal of Consumer Studies, Marie J. Lachance, Pierre Beaudoin and Jean Robitaille considered the implications of purchasing selectively from retailers to be greater than simply buying an item of clothing.

"From peers, children and adolescents clearly acquire expressive aspects of consumer behaviour by developing con­ sciousness of the product social value," they noted. "Part of this expressive learning is the attention adolescents pay to brands and the formation of their brand preferences in clothing. Those teenagers who interact more with peers about consumer matters present a decision making style that is brand oriented." Rather than obtain a pair of jeans because they like them, a vast number of young people (including many a guilty party here at McGill)

versity administration to do something. The student council passed a resolution against the ads, but there was no escape clause in the contract. Trent was stuck with the ads until the contract ended, whether they wanted the ads or not."

At first Zoom Media tried to compromise, mainly by creating a "pee free zone": One toilet stall in each bathroom would not contain a poster. SAFE declined the offer, and eventually, Zoom Media caved, aban­ doning the project and removing the ads halfway through the original contract year.

"The student protests were effective," Lamble says.

"This was supposed to be the fourth year of a four-year contract, and there were no Zoom Media ads any­ where on campus."

It is hard to determine whether such a tactic would prove effective at McGill, or whether campus ads real­ ly bother us that much. And seeing that the provincial government is unwilling to cough up all of the money we need for the basic maintainance of the school, let alone hiring professors and research, accepting a little sugar for a little promotion seems like a small cost. After all, it's not like there's anyone in the toilet with you mak­ ing you stare at the pretty pictures.

A few are uncomfortable with the notion that our lectures are sponsored by a brewery or our buildings are being paid for in full by a sugar manufacture, but most aren't gung-ho or well off enough to care. While that may be the case, one can't help but wonder what the next step is. Will “educational" videos made by big name companies start popping up in the classroom?

Will the history of America get distorted when your text­ book expresses that the Pilgrims brought cool, refresh­ ing Diet Vanilla Coke to the Cherokee as a peace offer­ ing? Maybe it's that the silver lining is all we see because that lining consists of cash—lots of it. It is money that we desperately need, money that is not coming from anywhere else. But selling out has its price and eventually, perhaps too late, we may realize there are consequences to allowing the highest bid to fund our academic endeavours. ■

are forking over the cash so that they can fulfill a desired social perception. Really, would you be paying $ 2 5 0 for the celebrity favoured Seven Jeans if they weren't the spite-fueled envy of all of your friends?

It wasn't always like this. Canadian soldiers weren't check­ ing out each other's labels as they descended upon Juno Beach in World War II. And it doesn't seem likely that the suffragettes won the right to vote because they were dressed so damned well. Our generation, more so than any before, has an obsession with a kind of vanity founded primarily on dressing to impress Advertising companies take advantage of the larger population's insecurities and people's yearning to belong simply to sell prod­ ucts Michael Schudson, author and professor of sociology at the University of California, attributes the success of cult brands to their ability to appeal to those in need of emotional fullness: "[Advertisements'] effects on product sales may be questionable, but where advertising succeeds is in selling consumers on the pur­ chase of happiness."

To those who feel incomplete, this elated feeling can trans­ late into confidence, and perhaps even a sense of acceptance.

“Clothing is an important means by which adolescents gain social appreciation and develop positive self-esteem," add Lachance, Beaudoin and Robitaille. "Teenagers who conform to clothing norms are more likely to be accepted in their social environment than those who express their individualism."

The brands we wear immediately place us into categories, whether we are striving for that particular classification or we sim­ ply like the clothing. Those wearing FUBU are viewed as "gangstas." Juicy Couture are considered to be wealthy and snob­ by, supposedly concerned with fashion trends (though anyone in the know knows Juicy is so over). Those amiable American Eagle Outfitters wearers are laid back and not highly devoted to expos­ ing logos, yet trendy and still concerned with wearing brand names; an elitist brat in a beach bum's clothing, if you will. Those who opt for Nike are viewed as athletic types or, at the very least, as jock groupies who buy gym memberships and workout gear without ever stepping on a treadmill. And then there's our beloved McGill attire, modeled by those who are a little too proud of being a part of McGill's student body.

When sporting branded clothing, we must ask ourselves, how are we benefiting? By spending ridiculous amounts and for­ feiting our grocery money every single season, we become the unpaid employees of successful companies who have us foolishly morphing into walking, talking advertisements and getting nothing in return—unless you count the shopaholic's empty sense of selfworth. ■

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illed with the potently sweet aroma of pure ganja smoke wafting through green, yellow and red lights, Le Spectrum transformed into a harmonious community of music lovers last Monday, one reminis­ cent of the 1960s San Francisco scene. The crowd's vibe was infectiously friendly—an enemy was impossi­ ble to find.

The welcoming and relaxed atmosphere was cre­ ated in honor of the UK's favourite reggae band, Steel Pulse, who took command of the stage and made enthusiastic, uninhibited dancers out of the audience for the entirety of their performance.

Evident by the lights shining on the joyous faces of the red-eyed revellers, the concert itself was an utter­ ly high smile. The band played an engaging mix of songs old and new; even those unfamiliar with Steel Pulse's music had no trouble appreciating the reggae beat of true masters of the musical genre.

Since their formation in 1 9 7 5 in Birmingham, Steel Pulse has produced over 1 8 notable albums. This time around, the band was in town to promote their newest effort, African Holocaust.

The group, especially frontman David Hinds, has always been admirably committed to fighting global injustice, educating the masses and promoting positive messages. Their strong political and social conscience is evident in songs like "Global Warning.”

"Destroying Earth was not Jah's plan—it's the work of man," chanted Hinds. "We don't want no weapons of mass destruction!"

In a time of war and constant uncertainty, linger­ ing racisms and inequalities, Steel Pulse's music seems to be more relevant and necessary than ever. Though African Holocaust was inspired specifically by the Sudan crisis, there's an underlying message about the international indifference so commonly directed towards Africa as a whole. Steel Pulse aims to define themselves by breaking down the complexities of

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social and political conflicts into poetically simple lyrics and music that feels oh-so-good to the ear.

It's no secret that Steel Pulse knows how to pump a room full of upbeat vibes. Bill Clinton knew it back in 1 9 9 3 —the group became the first band to perform during US presidential inaugural festivities. They've also performed live with the likes of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bob Dylan, INXS, Stevie Wonder and Santana.

There's no doubt that a Steel Pulse concert allows you to, as Bob Marley said, "Forget your weakness and dance!"

What else can you ask of a band? ■

NEWREAIM.COM D A N IE L C H O D O S

L

ook out for Minnesota rapper Brother Ali at Foufounes Electriques this Wednesday. Ali's been involved in the underground hip hop scene since 1 9 90, but he released his first major CD, Shadows on the Sun, in 2 0 0 3 .

Though he only began releasing albums in 2 0 0 0 , Ali says he's participat­ ed in hip hop culture since the age of seven, both as a rapper and as a graffi­ ti artist.

Ali, who adopted the Islamic religion at the age of 15, considers himself to be a very spiritual person. His music is imbued with this spiritual sense. "I think a lot of emotion has been taken out of rap music. A lot of the time you don't get humour, you don't get love, you don't get excitement, you don't get fear. I try to present myself as a whole person."

His music is at once inspirational and comical. He preaches self-confidence and love for your fellow man, while interweaving amusing wordplay into his tracks. In "Forest Whitaker,” for example, he starts off, "Depending on the day/and depending on what I ate/l may be anywhere from 2 0 to 35 pounds overweight."

Ali, who is relatively obscure in the mainstream music scene, enjoys doing underground tours. He loves meeting the fans who support his efforts. "We don't get a lot of fame and money, so the big reward we get is to meet the people."

In March, Ali performed at Le Spectrum, opening for Atmosphere. He's toured the US four times now. Currently, he's on a run through Canadian East Coast. Acclaimed by Pitchfork Media as one of the great voices to emerge from the underground scene this century, Ali is definitely worth seeing. ■ NATALIE GOLDENBERG-FIFE

Steel Pulse offers peaceful reggae vibes to crowd.

The show begins at 9:00p m on Wednesday, October 13 at Foufounes Electriques (8 7 rue Ste-Catherine OJ. Brother Ali can b e found prior to the show on W ednesday between 5pm and 7pm at Zulu Records (21 168 rue d e Bleuryj.

C A N V A S

F a s h io n o v e r fu n c t io n higher than they should. Consider the white shaggy boots that have been selling like mad since they came out last winter as a prime example. Sure, they're adorable and trendy, but I can't even begin to imagine how they would function on the streets of Montreal. I estimate, oh, two wears before the frilly hair becomes a matted, tangled mess, and the shiny white colour turns a shade of grimy grey. Even if they claim to be waterproof, boots cho­ M y lon g est-lastin g p a ir survived 4 m onths b e fo re th e ru b b e r b ro k e a n d sen solely for their aesthet­ p eele d off. I w a s fo rce d to lug them b a c k from E u ro p e d o u b le -b a g g e d ic value are guaranteed to end up a hideous, muddy to a v o id leav in g a trail o f b o o t cru m b s b eh in d . pile of destruction.

Above all else, Diesel boots are the worst—the root of all evil. The purchase is can drop down to -40°C. Snow can reach knee-height. easily justified by how comfy and warm they feel in the When the city finally plows the streets and sidewalks, store. But the minute you step outside, you discover your though it may seems a blessing at first, our boots are forced new footwear is the exact opposite of waterproof! Step into to battle slush, sand and salt. Comfort instantly emerges as the shallowest of puddles and your socks will remain soggy the biggest factor in boot shopping. The cost is merely a for the entire day. Just to add to my list of complaints: salt hurdle to jump. doesn't wash off these boots, ever, and the rubber sole Most baffling is how even in our extreme climate, brand names and seasonal trends weigh in considerably sucks. My longest-lasting pair survived four months before

I don't want

to admit it, but deep down I know winter is on its way. Chilly weather, though depressing, does have its fashion advantages—no bikini anxiety, soft and cud­ dly outerwear accessories and my personal favourite, win­ ter boots.

Finding the right pair of boots is no easy task, espe­ cially in Montreal. As we all know, January temperatures

BRENDA PETROFF the rubber broke and peeled off. I was forced to lug them back from Europe double-bagged to avoid leaving a trail of boot crumbs behind.

And though Sorrells are warm, they are completely out of the question as far as I'm concerned—I'm in Montreal, not Saskatchewan!

The only boot I have no beef with is the Ugg. Although utterly hideous—and thus aptly named—these are the most useful boots I've found. They're warm but not sweaty; water­ proof yet easy to clean; and very durable. Despite their $ 2 8 5 price tag, Uggs are an excellent buy. Just stay away from the fakes, as indicated by the number of complaints floating around campus. These grievances aren't exactly surprising, considering every single brand is now pumping them out.

W e all have tough decisions to make this winter.

Do we opt for the moderately priced, fashionable-not-functional "winter" boot and freeze, get dirty and suffer from trench foot? Or do we pull out our credit cards, suck it up to toe-care necessity and dish ’out the major money? Your choice, but it's a small price to pay to feel smart in a world of undergraduates in the Faculty of Fashion. ■

the mcgill tribune | 13.10.04 | a&e ] y

PREVI EWS

M ffiU L 'S M M HT

MUSIC. Interpol—October 1 2 —Metropolis —59 Ste-Catherine E. Along with Secret Machines, six-year old rock group Interpol will be bringing their show to Metropolis this Tuesday. The New York band has played sets for both Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live. In releasing their second album, Antics, the quartet has been criticized to some extent for leaving their slightly gothic roots and taking on a more "shiny and happy" approach with their sophomore effort. Nevertheless, with tracks like "Not Even Jail" and "Evil," its clear that their style shift has only served to improve their overall sound and lyrical quality.

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MUSIC. Mr. Something Something—October 14— Le Swimming—3643 boulevard St-Laurent. This ninemember afro-funk group hailing from Toronto will bring their funky, high-energy rhythm to Le Swimming Thursday night. Having recently released their self-titled debut album, this jam band is being lauded for their West African style that blissfully combines catchy lyrics with a variety of horns to make their fans get up and dance.

Known not only for the music they make, but also for promoting a strong social conscience and for their sometimes acrobatic use of (often limited) stage space, these guys are worth seeing, midterms or no midterms!

FESTIVAL. Montreal International Festival of New Media and New Cinema—October 14 to 2 4 —various venues. Presenting 2 0 8 works of all kinds from 4 2 dif­ ferent countries, the 33rd annual Festival of New Media and New Cinema is truly a Montreal institution. The diverse array of crowd-pleasing options, from featurelength fiction and documentary to multiplayer games to workshops with industry professionals, won't leave any­ one wanting. For instance, the "Sprint for.your Script" competition will present the works of seven amateur writ­ ers at Complexe Ex-Centris on October 19. There is way more to learn about this exciting week-and-a-half of cosmopolitan media celebration, so check out their Web site at www.fcmm.com.

COMEDY. Dan Quinn—October 14 to 16—Ernie Butler's Comedy Nest. Not only is Dan Quinn a talent­ ed, young, up-and-coming comedian, he's also been praised by critics from all over North America for his ability to appeal his show to his particular audience.

Having performed at the Just for Laughs comedy festival and won the award for the funniest comic in Canada, he's been approached by countless executives, from all the major US networks, as well as Paramount, Dreamworks and Disney. His subtle and witty style has been compared to the likes of Ben Stiller. Being a 27year old Canadian, Quinn's performance at the Comedy Nest this week is sure to enthrall most McGill students.

SEE THE ORIGINAL A H O R .R 0 R . F i LIT! B Y + A K A S H I s H i m i z u

FILM. Team America: World Police—opens October 15—various theatres This non-traditional take on interatinal terrorism, from the twisted genius of South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, is original in a number of ways. For starters, the film consists of a team of five patriotic Americans bungling around, trying to save the world from "terror." The twist: these warriorsoldiers happen to be puppets. Furthermore, unlike most politically-bent movies these days, Parker and Stone manage to take shots at both the left and the right, fea­ turing a dismantling caricature of leftist crusader Michael Moore, and also a scene in which Team America acci­ dentally shoots down the Eiffel Tower.

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DANCE/THEATRE. Romeo and Juliet—October 14-16, 21 -23—Theatre Maisonneuve (Place des Arts)— 175 rue Ste-Catherine O. This unique dance recital recounts the tragic Shakespearean tale of the original star-crossed lovers. Choreographed by idiosyncratic French director Jean-Christophe Maillot, who brought Cinderella to the Montreal stage in 2 0 0 0 , this perform­ ance is set to the vibrant music of Sergei Prokofiev. Fans of English drama, stage theatre, dance and classical music alike will be enraptured by this piece, which plays sporadically over the next two weeks at Place des Arts.

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FESTIVAL. Biennale of Montreal—September 24 to October 3 1 —Place d'Armes—250 rue St-Antoine O. The fourth annual installation, the Biennale is a celebra­ tion of architecture, as well as electronic and visual arts.

It focuses on issues such as ways to re-think the structure of the city of Montreal, how to safeguard cultural land­ marks from private commercialization and the discussion of potential new projects. A must-see for any architec­ ture, landscape or civil engineering student, the admin­ istrators of the festival will show films and conduct sym­ posiums on the theme of the public domain. Visit their web site at w w w .ciac.ca/biennale2004.

C R E D IT S : H O U R .C A ; C E S T W H A T .C O M ; N O U V E A U C IN E M A .C A ; C O M E D Y N E S T .C O M ; M O N T R E A L M IR R O R .C O M ; M O N T R E A L P L U S .C A ; M O N T R E A L P L U S .C A .

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o all whose eccentricity, creativity and freedom have been denied, repressed or betrayed—especially women."

With such an honest invitation to the audience written on the program, it's appropriate that Journal of Peddle Dreams played in the small, intimate Studio 303 (372 rue Ste-Catherine O.), a black box theatre with a capac­ ity of approximately 4 0 . The small crowd shuffled to their seats and with that, Zl^ear-old performer Elizabeth Langley appeared on stage with her chest bound by a large ace-bandage, her feet clad in combat boots and her thighs in leather shorts. Without delay, she commenced her hour-long multime­ dia performance exploring the trials of eccentric Australian writer Eve Langley's life.

Langley the writer experienced a tragic, if artistically clichéd, existence as an artist, wife and mother. A stint as a cross-dressing itinerant farm laborer as a child, a disastrous marriage, her descent into depression and her subse­ quent committal to the Auckland Mental Institution—by her husband, who then sent their three children to an orphan­ age-defined a life-long career that was troubled at best. She managed to publish two novels, The Pea Pickers and White Topee, but her ten other works remained unpublished.

After her release from the mental institution, Langley declared herself to

be Oscar Wilde—reborn as a woman—and later had her name offi­ cially changed. At the end of her long struggle with life, she died alone in a three-room hut where her body lay for a month before it was discovered.

Langley the performer skillfully cap­ tures the writer's struggles with the com­ peting demands of motherhood, wom­ anhood and the creative muse. Journal of Peddle Dreams opens with the pro­ jection of a letter from Eve to friend Nan McDonald, describing the alienation of the institution. The letter is signed, "O.W." Dragging a shiny red handbag across the theatre floor, Langley wrestles out a baby head and a stick of wood with a look of sad relief and sadness while the ominous sound of a typewriter underscores the moment. Mostly silent during the show, Langley's few lines are worth every letter. As her subject, she declares, "Society has no place for me." Projections of the writer's poetry and journal entries indicate the solace the artist finds in nature. The perform­ ance concludes as Langley enters a closet on the right side of the stage to disrobe. She emerges in a man's suit.

The audience clearly understood Eve Langley's hard knocks and perhaps some left interested in learning more about her. At the same time, we're forced to ask ourselves as we leave the theatre wondering what is so important about this particular writer's battles. To put it bluntly, when was the last time you heard of an artist celebrated for his or

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uesday used to be a dreary day. Still recovering from the weekend, another day of school on the horizon—Tuesday represents relaxing at home for many students. But not for Will Mackay and his friends. Beginning last year, Mackay and company began a now hugely popular tradition of "beer pong" at Bar des Pins, a legendary dive on the corner of rue des Pins and avenue du Parc, known to most patrons simply as BDP. Beer pong, for the uninitiated, involves two teams of two, sitting at opposite ends of a rectangular table, taking turns trying to throw a ping pong ball into one of several beer-filled cups positioned in a diamond-shape on their opponents' end.

When a ball lands in a cup, the opponent must chug that beer. Once one team's cups have all been consumed, that team loses, and as punishment must drink what remains on the winning side's end as well. Drunken debauchery ensues.

Having engaged in lively games of beer pong since high school, Mackay, U3 Urban Systems, spearheaded the idea to get a game going at Bar des Pins.

"We were at BDP on a Tuesday," says Mackay, "and we were the only peo­ ple in the bar. There were four of us there, and it was pretty fuckin' dead. Basically, I asked Mike [the manager of BDP] if we could play beer pong. We showed up the next Tuesday and he was shocked to shit!"

Thus, a great Tuesday tradition began. Of course, Tuesday nights also represent the famed Café Campus retro party. But for those who want to avoid

her healthy home life?

"I was born only 3 0 years after Eve Langley, but all of my opportunities were completely different," muses Langley when posed the above ques­ tion.. "I think it' is important to remind people that there are still battles to be fought even though we are benefiting from those that have been won."

Her fresh perspective on the idea of the "troubled artist" is undoubtedly the most worthwhile aspect of this pro­ duction of Journal of Peddle Dreams. It is unfortunate, however, that Langley's attitudes play such a small part in the performance, creating the play's only failure. ■

BENJI FELDMAN Mackay puts his money where his mouth is, big as it may be...

hour-long line-ups in the dead of winter, beer pong at BDP is an excellent alterna­ tive. So far this year, people seem to be heeding this advice.

"There were at least 6 0 people in the bar last Tuesday," said Mackay.

While Mackay's weekly tradition partially explains the upsurge in attendance at Bar des Pins over the past couple of years, the opening of New Residence Hall on Parc has sparked a whole new demographic of BDP clientele. The bar is now inhabited on Tuesdays by a combination of Mackay and his friends, as well as dozens of eager Res kids.

"I usually play one game and get my ass kicked by some freshman. For some reason, they think I'm supposed to be, like, Wayne Gretzky or something. I start­ ed it, but it doesn't mean I'm good at itl" Mackay, who hails from vibant New York City, is getting no shortage of atten­ tion while he's around Bar des Pins.

"I showed up the first week this year, and there was a crowd of people there who were like, 'are you the cups and balls guy? The bartender said to talk to you."'

Beer pong nights have become so popular, in fact, that Mackay is applying for club status through SSMU. They have the makings of a potentially intriguing organization. "We have a meeting place, a meeting time, a bunch of members.

We're pretty freakin' legit," says Mackay's roommate and fellow inaugural beer ponger, Mike Poblete (U3, Religious Studies). They even have their own constitu­ tion.

Becoming an officially recognized McGill club could bring some much-need­ ed funding for beer pong nights. Currently, Mackay shells out approximately $9 per week to cover the cost of the balls and cups, which he distributes around the bar. "It used to be the balls would just recycle themselves. But we have all the fresh­ men now, so a lot of balls get lost, a lot of balls get trampled because there's so many people there."

"The hope is, if we get club status, to do charity events. You know, beer pong clothing drive, beer pong food drive... We want to be drinking with a cause."

In the future, Mackay intends to hold beer pong tournaments. Next year, after he graduates, Mackay hopes someone will take over the reins, and keep up the tradition.

In the meantime, he's happy with his legacy. "We just can't believe we got girls to come to BDP on Tuesday nightl" Having never missed a Tuesday since beer pong's BDP inception, he has no complaints. "I'm having a great year."B

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I t's been a wild ride for the Delays. Touring with mega-sen­

sation Franz Ferdinand across Canada and the United States has taken them to new heights of fame and glory.

At Saturdays sold out Metropolis show, they proved that their colourful pop style is edgy enough.for a crowd of Franzaholics.

"At first we felt a bit out of place because we're so dif­ ferent stylistically," says Greg Gilbert, the scruffy, affable vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the group. "I'm always kind of pessimistic when we start, but this has been a good result."

Bass player Colin Fox agrees. "We're definitely more angular and more psychedelic."

The Franz Ferdinand crowd reacted well to their British art-pop—a strange marriage of the Byrds, the Cocteau Twins and the Beach Boys, with piles of sunny melodies and their "unforgiving Wall of Synth," a term coined by key­ boardist Aaron Gilbert. Sold out shows and consistently positive reviews throughout the tour have resulted in a rapid growth in their following and strong sales for their debut album, Faded Seaside Glamour.

At the concert, many Delays fans were created when the band blew the crowd away with their strong single material, including "Nearer Than Heaven," "Long Time Coming," and "Hey Girl.” Once converted, the capacity

crowd lit up to the surprise new it song, "Lost in a Melody."

"It's actually really exciting," Fox says. "That track in particular is getting the best [crowd] reaction so far."

Needless to say, the boys are anxious to start recording their next album, which they hope to do before the year's, end. Gilbert hopes the upcoming studio sessions will give the band a chance to loosen up and experiment.

"I think Stay W here you Are and Wanderlust are good markers of where we're going," he says, thinking back to the early Delays days. "When you're making your first record, you overanalyze it. It's like there's all this stuff you've built up in your head since you were a kid about what it's going to be like, and you start to think that things like how you stand when you're recording are important!"

"We're starting to use the space more,” adds Fox. "We've also learned that sometimes, you can make things better by taking things away, and as a result we've improved."

Fans can still expect the same soaring melodies accompanied by the synth—there will be no shortage of detail on this next record.

Into the vast landscape of indie pop they will roam, with legions of newly won fans at their heels. But even as their popularity soars to meet the heights of their stratospher­ ic melodies, the Delays still see plenty of room to improve.

"This isn't the limit of our ambition," Gilbert notes with a wry grin. One gets the feeling that he'll have reason to smile for a very long time. ■

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Book— Write Across Canada by Michael Winter et al.

Write Across Canada is neither a historical docu­ mentary nor a work of fiction. It is both. Commissioned by the Ottawa International Writers' Festival, this book gives 19 Canadian writers the opportunity to send Olivia and Bruce, two lonely lovers and haters, on a road trip across the country. What we end up reading is a fascinating patchwork of Canadian literature.

Write Across Canada is not only the perfect introduction to some of our coun­ try's greatest authors, but also to Canada itself, as each chapter brings us to a new city.

The premise is exciting from a writer's perspective: each of the 19 writ­ ers were given 4 8 hours upon receipt of the story so far to craft a 600-word chapter in their own style, taking Olivia and Bruce to wherever they want in their home city. Obviously, the chapters don't flow as naturally as in a work by a single author, but don't let that deter you. Peter Schneider, given the task of the introduction, sums up Write Across Canada : "The stitching may be crooked, but this is one beautiful, crazy quilt."

And it is just that, taking our protagonists through love and hate, aban­ donment and reconciliation, pregnancy and violence—each dealt with in a subtle but touching manner. For Canadians and non-Canadians alike, this short but lively read is a perfect memory—or discovery—tool for our vast landscape of personalities and places.

—Lise Treutler

t M l CD—Trouble by Ray Lamontagne New Hampshire native Ray Lamontagne's debut album, Trouble, was clearly inspired by the jazz-folk crossover artists of the 1950s and 60s. From beginning to end, the emotionally-charged Trouble is a warm reminder of the adored classics released decades ago by musical powerhouses Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Stephen Stills, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, while simulta­ neously boasting hints of the musical and poetic styles of modern songwriters like Damien Rice and Ben Harper. Lamontagne draws the listener in with his smooth, whimsical vocal performances, delivering all the grace and intimacy of a good friend playing by a campfire. Unfortunately, due to the occasional stylistic uniformity of Lamontagne's songwriting and arrange­ ments, some of the ten tracks on Trouble fall flat, but the weak links are quickly forgiven upon listening to solid compositions such as the soaring "How Come," "Shelter," "Burn," and the powerful title track.

While Lamontagne's debut offers no eternal classics of its own, Trouble demonstrates an array of musical possibilities for this artist in the future. Until then, his debut certainly serves the noble—and no doubt well-appreciated— purpose of helping us remember all we loved so dearly from the textures and sounds of old.

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strolling into your Economic Development class one day to find some men giving out McDonald's ham­ burgers. You take one and sit down. The professor iden­ tifies the men as representatives from the World Trade Organization and McDonald's, and he explains that they will be presenting the WTO's solution to world hunger. You start eating your burger as the WTO rep begins to talk.

The solution to third-world starvation, he claims, is a revolutionary idea: the Re-Burger. In a nutshell, burgers made from human feces: Now, he happily exclaims, a sin­ gle burger can be enjoyed 10 times over, increasing its nutritional value exponentially.

You stop chewing.

Relax. The burger you got was a real hamburger made of meat—or whatever ingredients McDonald's burg­ ers consist of—and the graphic video you saw about the process of making re-burgers was a gag.

Chalk it up to Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonnano, two political activists with a biting sense of humour.

Masterminds behind past initiatives such as the Barbie Liberation Organization and a mock George W. Bush site—in response to which an angry Dubya declared "there ought to be limits to freedom"—the duo now repre­ sent the Yes Men, a group that seeks to reveal social prob­ lems linked to increasing globalization. This documentary film chronicles their story as they sift through a pile sheet of corporate bullshit.

In 1 9 9 9 , our heroes set up a mock WTO web site to poke fun at the organization. Soon, however, the site is mistaken for the real thing and the Yes Men find themselves being invited to speak as WTO reps. Figuring that they

don't have anything to lose, they begin globe-trotting under monikers such as Granwyth Hulatberi, Kinnithrung Spratt and Hank Hardy Unruh. In an effort to expose the first world's exploitation of third world citizens under the guise of free trade and economic efficiency, the Yes Men begin sprouting wacko theories in hopes that someone will take note.

And it is incredible what they get away with. From global economic conferences to CNBC, nobody bats an eye.

Capitalize on the democratic process by selling votes, they argue. America was wrong in deeming slavery a problem and thus dealt with it inappropriately, they claim. The Civil War deprived slavery of its natural devel­ opment. The right thing to do, they say, would have been to leave slavery to its own devices.

As Lincoln quivered in his grave, the crème de la crème of the corporate crop simply looked at him blankly and nodded.

The Yes Men keep pushing farther, past the bound­ aries of logic, but to no avail. The so-called movers and shakers of the world are revealed to be mere automatons, digesting whatever is put in front of them without the slight­ est bit of discomfort. What makes The Yes Men so enter­ taining—or perhaps so disturbing—is that the imposters are never questioned. How gullible is mass media? How inhumane are today's corporations? How stupid is the gen­ eral public?

Unfortunately, the Yes Men don't propose any actual solutions to the problems they so desperately try to point out. And although it is not cinematic triumph, the film is an interesting study into how far a suit, a tie and a fake busi­ ness card can get you in today's world. ■

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The Martlets did their best Jekyll and Hyde imitation on Thanksgiving Monday, coming out with a strong first half in their game against the Université de Montréal Carabins, but struggling to find their game in the final 4 5 minutes while limping to a 0-0 draw.

The first half saw the Martlets push the play forward towards the goal, often stringing together strong sequences. McGill generat­ ed opportunities, and a series of close calls had the McGill fans col­ lectively gasping and sighing at the near misses. The Red 'n' White seemed poised to find the back of the net and take control of the game, but a defensive breakdown in the 40th minute that almost resulted in a Carabin goal seemed to rattle the team and shake its composure. This trend seemed to carry into the second half, where the Martlets simply couldn't find the sharpness they had in the first.

"It was mentally tiring just watching it," said forward Alanna Maloney. "The fact that we could­ n't put together any passes in the second half, and that we were sim­ ply booting it up the field to players fhat weren't even there—it was really frustrating. "[The Carabins] were playing 'kick and run' and we were just... chasing them," she added. "And that's not the way that we should be playing with the skills our play­ ers have."

Those skills were put to the test early in the second half, as the Carabins spent the first five minutes

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pressuring the McGill defence. But in the 50th minute, the Martlets took it back to their opponents, with a scoring chance by Carly Dejoie failing to find its way through the Montréal defensive wall.

Ten minutes later, midfielder Sarah Chmielewski passed a free kick down the wing to a streaking Maloney, but she was unable to convert the opportunity. Another Chmielewski free kick just minutes later was punched away by the Carabin goalkeeper, and Morag Carvalho-Mitchell's rebound from in close was also turned away.

Though McGill wasn't at its sharpest, the Martlets still seemed to have luck on their side. In the 67th minute, defender Kate Rogers held back a Montréal striker by the jersey, preventing a breakaway after Rogers had been beaten oneon-one. Though furious Carabin players, coaches and fans plead­ ed their case, the referee failed to punish Rogers for the infraction.

Rogers, when asked if the grab was intentional, admitted that she had, in fact, done it deliberately.

"It was definitely a penalty," she admitted. "The only reason the ref didn't penalize me was because he didn't know who I was after we quickly formed a wall. It just seemed like no one knew what was going on —not even the other team."

The controversial non-call seemed to take the life out of the game, and the final 2 3 minutes were played without incident. After the game, Head Coach Marc Mounicot expressed his disappoint­ ment with the Martlets' play.

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"I was upset in the second half because they didn't do what I asked them to do," he said. "I told them to play with more intensity and aggressiveness, but for the entire 4 5 minutes of the second half we lost all 5 0 -5 0 balls. We had a 0-0 game because we were organized and a little bit lucky. We didn't play well."

Though the game may have been disappointing, it is important to acknowledge that the Martlets were missing seven players, who were playing with the West Island Lakers at the club-level national championship. Their absence cer­ tainly hurt the team, but Maloney wouldn't blame just that for the Martlets' unexcepfional play.

"With all the Lakers being gone, I think that we were afraid that we didn't have the potential we usually have," she said. "But we weren't giving ourselves enough credit, and everyone played too defensively because of it. As a consequence, we didn't play well. There were obviously some good points during the game, but I'm critical because I expect more and I hope that hav­ ing a full team again will help us achieve what I know we're capa­ ble of."

Ultimately, though, little harm was done, as the Martlets retained first place in the Quebec Student Sport Federation standings, and learned a valuable lesson. No team, even one as talented as the Martlets, can turn up the intensity like a flick of a switch. McGill .was just lucky that the price of this les­ G R A C IA JA LEA son wasn't an extra tally in the loss The Martlets swarmed Montréal but couldn't propel themselves to victory. column. ■

Z O N E

Criticism of America's pastime is off base O

ctober is upon us and that can mean only two things: midterms and playoff baseball. While most of us would like to put off thinking about the former, I will turn my attention to the latter.

Baseball, for years America's pastime, has seen its pop ularity fall off markedly in the past decade, thanks in large part to the 1 9 9 4 players' strike. Fans were further turned off by rising ticket prices and controversy over the juicing of both the balls and the players. But those who ignore the game should take heed, as playoff baseball is arguably the most exciting sporting event of the year.

First of all, in baseball, playoff teams deserve to be there. In contrast to the NBA and NHL, where over half the teams qualify for the playoffs, and even the NFL, where more than one-third make it, Major League Baseball grants a pre cious eight post-season berths. Furthermore, those teams have endured a grueling 162-game schedule in which they play virtually every day, and have also staved off competition from two or three teams waiting to take advantage of any dry spell and snatch away their playoff spot. So, unlike basketball or hockey, where teams seem to make the post-season almost by default, MLB's teams earn their right to play for the title and

are not inclined to leave without a fight. This results in gritty, determined play and a pressure-filled atmosphere, which makes for great viewing.

The fact that baseball is a phenomenal team sport but also the only game with true one-on-one battles helps make for enthralling story lines, and thus jacks up the excitement of the contests. There is nothing better than watching a domi­ nant pitcher take over a game and win almost single-hand­ edly for his team (witness Jack Morris's 10-inning complete game shutout in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series] or see­ ing two greats battle it out, one just waiting for the other one to crack (like Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens going at each other in the 2001 Fall Classic). And while every minute of a baseball game is an exhilarating one-on-one battle between batter and pitcher, the thrill gets elevated when a great hitter like Boston's Manny Ramirez steps up to the plate to face a superlative pitcher like Mariano Rivera-something that happens frequently in the playoffs.

As for the argument that there is no action in the game, I say that in playoff baseball, every event is magnified in importance. Since the teams are so good, every base hit and every out is at a premium. When runs are hard to come by,

JO N A TH A N KLEIN

the excitement that comes from a run being scored is magni­ fied exponentially. For comparison's sake, Took at basketball, where it doesn't matter what happens in the first quarter, since both teams will just be tied at 9 0 with two minutes to go any­ way. With runs at a premium, the significance of putting one across—and the tension that arises when runners get on base—is all the more heightened.

Finally, baseball is timeless. Not just in the sense that it has been around for over 100 years, but because baseball is the rare sport not governed by a clock. So a baseball team cannot simply play preventative defence and drain the clock at the end of a game to preserve victory. Nowhere in the sports world is the saying "It ain't over 'til it's over" more appli­ cable than in baseball. Every play counts just as much as every one before it, and a team is not finished until it has made 2 7 outs.

Baseball is a beautiful game, and in the playoffs the beauty shines through even more, despite the seemingly end­ less four-hour games. So to all non-fans who have written off the sport, watch one game and you'll realize that it won't be easy to turn away. At the very least, I'm confident you'll find it far more gripping than studying for a midterm. ■

S O C C E R - C A R A B I N S 4, R E D M E N

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Karim Toumi of the Université de Montréal sprinted across the field before propelling off the ground in a series of triumphant handstands and flips, celebrating his second goal of the game. As the Carabins players chased Toumi and the home crowd erupted, the McGill players walked quietly toward midfield, their heads down—a moment that encapsulated the joy and frustration the respective teams experienced throughout the con­ test.

Just days after the Redmen out­ played the Carabinsa in a 1-1 tie at Molson Stadium, the McGill squad seemed no match for its opponents, falling 4-0 to Montréal on Monday afternoon at CEPSUM. Midfielder Alexandre Scott summed up the dejec­ tion the entire Redmen team was feel­ ing.

“It was an embarrassing effort," he said. "We didn't even fight."

Following Friday's draw, the Redmen coaches and players were confident that if they played with inten­ sity and executed their revised game plan of winning the short balls and

B A S E B A L L

-

R O U G E

then going for long ones, victory would ensue. However, the game was one-sided from the very beginning, as the Carabins used their height and physical play to win loose balls and earn quality chances, while the Redmen always seemed one step behind.

Toumi opened the scoring less than ten minutes into the game with a header off a corner kick, but halftime rolled around with the score still at 10. Despite the Redmen's sloppy first half play and the Carabins' seeming dominance, McGill managed to remain within striking distance.

The floodgates opened in the second half, though. In the ninth minute of the half, Julien de la Riera added a header of his own, and just minutes later, Boubacar Coulibaly con­ verted a penalty kick, awarded after Redmen goalie Jose Luis Valdez clotheslined a Montreal player in an attempt to clear the ball. Tournis sec­ ond goal, off another corner kickheader rounded out the scoring.

McGill's only real scoring threats came when the game's outcome had been all but secured, but they were still turned away by the Montréal keeper.

Even though the Redmen were

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10,

sports

missing a number of key players, Head Coach Adam Mar wouldn't use that as an excuse.

"The guys didn't show up today, there was no intensity," he said. "The team hasn't completely gelled yet, and we have six games left [before the playoffs start] to do it."

While their spot in the national championship is secure as hosts of the event, Monday's outcome is an indica­ tion that the Redmen have a lot of work left to do if they are to compete for the title they crave.

Despite the loss, the Redmen still think they can beat the nationally topranked Carabins, and defender Derek Tsang was among those players that attributed the result to their own poor play rather than Montreal's excellence.

"We're the best team," he said.

"If we play our system, we won't have any problems.”

Although confidence and morale clearly remain high—and the squad's talent is indisputable—the Redmen need to figure out a way to convert this assurance and ability into goals and wins as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, this season could end up as nothing more than one big missed opportunity. ■

R E D B I R D S

Write for sports! sports@tribune.mcgill.ca Drop by the office for more information, Shatner 110 or call 398.6789

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The fourth-ranked McGill Redbirds entered the Quebec Student Sport Federation final series looking to end the Laval Rouge et Ors dominant string of eight consecutive conference champi­ onships. But Laval was not ready to be usurped, and made this statement clear by sweeping the best-of-three tourna­ ment, winning their ninth straight confer­ ence title.

After dropping a close 4-3 deci­ sion on Friday, the Redbirds had their backs up against the wall in trying to hold off Laval the following afternoon.

But the defending champions were too strong on this day, and chased Redbirds starter Jordan Beitel from the game after 3 2 / 3 innings, en route to a 10-7 vie tory.

The Redbirds were unhappy with the balls and strikes all afternoon, claim­ ing that the home plate umpire had a rather unreliable strike zone. The uncer­ tainty that came with every pitch seemed to rattle the McGill squad just enough to take them off their game.

"He was pretty inconsistent throughout the whole game," said Beitel, who allowed all 10 runs.

"Usually you'll have a lower or higher strike zone, but he didn't have either."

Things unraveled for the Redbirds in the fourth, when Beitel surrendered seven runs, including a bases-loaded double from Vincent Michaud and a two-run home run from Jeff Bordeleau.

Beitel didn't help himself by walking two batters in the inning, but he also fell victim to an error-prone defence behind him. With one out and a runner on first, second baseman Paul Gross fielded a soft ground ball. Gross attempted to erase the lead runner on his way to sec­ ond, but his throw hit the Laval player in the back, and both runners were safe.

"My mind was saying 'go to first,' but I thought I had a chance at second," said Gross. "It was kind of a reflex play."

That proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back, as a walk, sin­ gle, two doubles and a home run later, the Redbirds were down by six.

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Redbirds pitcher Jordan Beitel picked off two runners in a 10-7 loss.

Beitel did what he could to help his own cause, making several defen­ sive plays and picking off two baserunners at first base. When asked if the pickoff move was something he prac­ ticed, Beitel deadpanned, "Not really, because there aren't usually many peo­ ple on base."

Though the Redbirds kept putting the pressure on Laval in an attempted comeback, they were undone by a lack of dutch hitting. In both the fifth and sixth innings, they loaded the bases with no outs, but were unable to break things open. They scratched out two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth, but were in position to do a lot more dam­ age.

"We had some tough luck getting the big hit," said Gross. "It was the same yesterday—good chances, run­ ners on, but no luck. But that's base­ ball."

Manager Ernie D'Alessandro and his team were especially upset about an apparent missed balk call that cut short the McGill rally in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and runners on first and third, Redbirds shortstop Jonathan Comeau took off for second base.

Bordeleau, who earned the save with two scoreless innings of work, nabbed Comeau at second, diminishing the McGill threat. The sparse crowd and Redbird clubhouse erupted at the non­ call but to no avail.

Despite frustration over some of the calls, D'Alessandro was very pleased with his team's effort, especially Beitel.

"He gutted it out," said D'Alessandro of his starter. "He didn't have his A-stuff, but pitched well enough to leave with the lead."

The key blow came off the bat of Michaud, who clearly has the Redbird coach's respect.

"Michaud's a great hitter," he said.

"You just can't make mistakes with him."

Although the Redbirds weren't pleased with the officiating, they could­ n't blame the umpires for the loss, as the Rouge et Or seemed to be affected more by poor calls. Laval pitching gave up nine walks, compared to just three from the Redbirds. Ultimately, McGill was undone by its lack of clutch hitting.

And though the Redbirds can take pride in the season they had this year, there is no doubt that a few key at-bats will linger with the team this off-season. ■

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VIRGNIASPORTS.COLLEGESPORTS.COM play against the Atlantic Coast Conference squad, which went 18-13 last year and made it to the second round of the NIT. "This was a great opportunity to play a Division-1 school," he said. "We weren't scared, we were excited."

The lure of a D-l opponent also brought a throng of people to the game.

The players seemed to feed off of the energy of the crowd, one of the largest in recent memory, and Armstrong is hopeful that vigour will remain when Quebec conference play starts on November 5.

"I'm hoping everyone comes back to our regular season games," Armstrong said. "We just play that much harder." ■

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I opponent since 1985.

"If we can play with them, we can play with anyone in Quebec," said fifthyear guard Derek Armstrong, who was second among Redmen scorers with 14 points. "We didn't play our best game, if we had played our best game and lost by 30, it would have been a lot worse."

The Cavaliers, based in Charlottesville, came to Montreal as part of a pre-season exhibition tour, and leave the city with a 3-0 record, having also defeated Royal Military College and Concordia. Third-year forward Greg Rembeyo-who finished with a career high 16 points, and led all players with nine rebounds and three steals-was thrilled with the chance to

te n

H o ck e y

SH ELBY PA RN ES

The McGill Redmen held their own against the NCAA Division-1 University of Virginia Cavaliers for 10 minutes.

Unfortunately for the Redmen, even exhi­ bition games against American oppo­ nents run for a full 40.

For the remainder of the Sunday afternoon meeting at Love Competition Hall, the Cavaliers overpowered the undersized and outmatched Redmen, resulting in an 83-46 Virginia victory. A solid crowd packed the 1,000-seat venue for the matchup.

The Redmen—buoyed by Thursday nights 66-57 victory over the University of Lethbridge in their first Canadian Interuniversity Sport game of the season—took a six-point lead five minutes into the game, and fought a back-and-forth battle with Virginia until the ,Cavaliers seized the lead for good at the 1 1:25 mark. McGill was turnover prone throughout the half—finishing the game with 2 4 —and the Cavs capital­ ized on a number of miscues to open up a 42-26 advantage at the break.

"We came out and played ball for 10 minutes," rookie McGill Head Coach Craig Norman said. "We were able to execute our stuff against a top US school, showed great talent and learned a great deal."

A McGill rally early in the second half was cut short by the sharp shooting of freshman Virginia guard Sean Singletary, who finished with a team high 16 points, and the Cavaliers coast­ ed to an easy victory. Still, Cavaliers for­ ward Gary Forbes gave the Redmen credit for their tenacity.

"They didn't give up and go down even as they were losing. They kept scrapping and playing real physical," he said.

- Despite the outcbme, the Redmen can take away some positives from hanging tough against their first Division-

C O N V E R S I O N

• Ottawa • Kingston • Toronto • Niagara Windsor • Calgary • Vancouver

Falls

1. SuperSkank Fight Night at Gert's Sit back and survey the dance floor at Gert's on a packed Thursday night, and watch as the meat market gets into full swing. Girls wearing tennis skirts get into fights with other girls, and guys clash outside over who called dibs on said girls—this is as close as you'll get to an unlicensed brawl outside New Jersey.

2. Nascar Night in Hicktown, USA With events like the Subway 3 0 0 at locations such as Talladega, Alabama, it's hard to resist checking out slack-jawed yokels talking about gear ratios and thanking Jesus for each win.

3. Cover-Up Night on Capitol Hill What scandal will the politicians cover up next? After Watergate, Whitewater, and Gary Condit, what revelation will they throw at us next? Will it be the secret fact that John Kerry is actually a robot made at an abandoned GM plant, or that Dubya can spell at a second-grade level? The closer we get to the election, the juicier the scandal will be.

4. World Championship Darts Night at the local pub How these men can be considered "athletes" in any way, shape or form is beyond me. Some even encourage slamming back a few pints before a game to get warmed up. If your dream job is being sponsored by Milwaukee's Best, this game is for you.

5.

Frustration Week at James Administration Building Want to see grown men cry because they forgot to keep the pink slip instead of the yellow slip, and as such McGill threw out their application? Just have a seat at the admissions office and laugh at how flustered people get deal­ ing with these bureaucrats. At the end of each year, a select few are shipped off to Ottawa to work for the civil service.

6. Gong Show Night at SSMU Council Where else can two hours of civi­ lized discussion be turned into a six-hour

LCS R o a d

in

to

C a n a d a

rollercoaster ride of stupidity and foolish­ ness? Watch as councillors spend hours deciding what not to do while gallery members (mainly from the press) try to stop from falling asleep. With a new speaker each week, who knows who will make a cameo appearance.

7. Curling Night in Kelowna Watch household names like Randy Ferbey and Russ Howard battle it out every weekend at various locations across the country. Stay tuned for live events from North Battleford and Flin Flon later in the season.

8. Field Hockey Night at Forbes Field Girls, in pleated skirts (or skorts), running around with sticks. Need I say more? Except that they play all the matches away from home (that's right, I checked). So unless you're willing to drive to Guelph or Ottawa, then you might as well stay home and watch the tennis team, except their season is already over. Sucks to be you, buddy.

9. Intramural Hockey Night at McConnell Arena Only at McGill can Reba McIntyre take on The Music Goons in a night of rock 'em sock 'em hockey—just without the rock 'em sock 'em part, as it's noncontact. Also notice that the Zamboni man wields power over everyone and forces teams off the ice less than three seconds after the final whistle.

Regardless, it's a fun place to get drunk before going out.

10. Hockey Night in Canada on ESPN Classic Remember the 1972 Summit Series that your dad always used to talk about? Well now you can finally watch it on ESPN Classic. See stars like Paul Henderson and Vladislav Tretiak play for the sheer joy of representing their coun­ try and the love of the game. Except that it was actually a political battle of East versus West. But they claim that they played for the love of the game, when really there was an ulterior motive. Hey, wait: I guess the players on ESPN Classic aren't that different from the guys we're not watching today. ■

PREVIEW to

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JO S E P H G IL G O F F

American League Championship Series: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees In this series, there's good news and bad news for tortured Red Sox fans. The good news is that, on paper, the Sox have the superior team. On the hill, Curt Schilling leads an impressive staff that also features Pedro Martinez, while the Yankees rotation has been ineffective. At the plate, the Sox line­ up-featuring MVP candidates Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz—is one of the few that can stack up with the Yankees' star-studded offence that includes.

Finally, Boston's defence is much improved following a trade that shored up the shortstop and first base posi­ tions.

The bad news? The "on paper" method of picking a winner is about as effective as going by which team has the cuter uniform. The Yankees have a history of stepping up come playoff time, and the Red Sox have a history of losing to the Yankees. In the end, this series will be won by the more confi­ dent and experienced team. N ew York in seven.

National League Championship Series: Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals The Astros had an improbable run to take the wild card and beat Atlanta to capture their first post-season series.

Now, they look to keep their Cinderella streak going by pulling an upset over the St. Louis Cardinals, which beat the Dodgers in four.

On offence, the teams are evenly matched. Carlos Beltran, a recent addi­ tion to the Killer Bs, joins Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Jeff Kent among Houston's mash­ ers. The Cards, though, boast the pow­ erful trio of Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen, and trade-deadline acquisition Larry Walker adds even more pop.

The difference in the series will come down to pitching, and there, Houston has the goods. Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt simply will not lose cru­ cial games to the Cards' mediocre starters, and overpowering closer Brad Lidge will protect the leads in. the late innings. Clemens will face off against his former team in a World Series showdown. Houston in six.

S T A N

the mcgill tribune | 13.10.04 | sports 2 3

DI N G S W

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Record number of athletes honoured Principal Heather Munroe-Blum handed out certifi­ cates to 179 McGill athletes from 2 7 sports as they received recognition as members of the Student Athlete Honour Roll, at a ceremony held at Tomlinson Hall on October 5. That breaks the record of 170 honourees, set in 1995.

"We're very proud of that number," McGill Director of Athletics Robert Dubeau said, while also issuing a challenge to the other McGill teams to top the swim team, which had 46% of its members qualify by earning a CGPA of 3 .5 or above.

In addition to congratulating the competitors, Munroe-Blum challenged them to help assist athletics at McGill.

"We want you to bring crowds out to events," she said. "The senior administration wants to see a bigger turnout, and if you can think of better ways we can do it and work with you, tell us.”

Carolyn McCabe—captain of the swim team and the 2 0 0 3 -0 4 Quebec female athlete of the year—presented Munroe-Blum with a plaque thanking the principal for her sup­ port of athletics, which included practicing kicking a football for months in preparation for the ceremonial kickoff to start the Redmen's 2 0 0 3 season. Receiver Rob LeBlanc was pleased with Munroe-Blum's backing.

"It's nice for the university to make an effort for us, because people often don't'understand the time and commit­ ment individuals make to athletics," he said. "We put in up to 3 0 hours a week, so to be recognized is gratifying."

B O X SC O R E

D E C K

FOOTBALL—Laval @ McGill, Sat. Oct. 16, 1pm, Molson Stadium Want two great reasons to go to the game? It's homecoming weekend, so a big crowd should be on hand, and a Redmen win earns them a tie for second place in Quebec with the fourth-ranked Rouge et Or, the defending national champions.

AAARTLETS AND REDMEN SOCCER-Bishop's and ETS @ McGill, Fri. Oct. 15, 6:30pm, Molson Stadium Both teams appear in line for wins here, as they face two weak squads.

Bishops has only one win this season, while ETS has scored only a sin­ gle goal, while surrendering 34. If you like your soccer high-scoring, then these are the matchups for you, as McGill will likely put up gaudy numbers.

MARTLETS HOCKEY—McGill @ Concordia, Fri. Oct. 15, 1pm, Concordia's Ed Meagher Arena The regular season-opener for last year's national bronze medalists and this year's national championship hosts. If they want to medal again this season, they'll have to do it without the help of Olympic gold medal­ winning goalie Kim St-Pierre.

REDMEN HOCKEY-Ottawa @ McGill, Fri. Oct. 15, 7:30pm, McConnell Arena Starved for hockey? The Redmen start their 2 004-05 campaign tonight, looking for redemption after missing the playoffs last year by a single point.

CFL—Lions @ Alouettes, Sun. Oct. 17, 1pm, Molson Stadium The 1 2-3 Alouettes failed to clinch top spot in the East on Monday when they fell to Edmonton and Toronto won. The quest continues today, but they'll face a challenge in the form of the West-leading Lions, who recently welcomed back pivot Dave Dickenson from knee surgery.

Virginia Cavaliers 83 @ McGill Redmen 4 6 October 10 , 2 0 0 4 , Love Competition Hall U. Va. TOT-FG TOT-FT RBNDS MIN MD-ATT MGATT TP O-TOT AST TO Player 4-4 2 2 12 1-1 19 4-9 Reynolds 2 1-1 1 00 0 2 CM Campbell 0 6 G1 2-2 1 Bannister 2-5 22 0 1 1-4 3-5 1 15 04 Soroye 1-1 0 0 GO 0 0 GO Lodge 0 0 GO 9 1-3 4-6 25 Forbes 9 G4 0 0 1-2 Joseph 4-8 25 G3 1 3 7 1-3 5-5 18 Cain G3 0 1 19 GO 6 Smith 2-5 7 1 1 1-2 2-4 3-4 Clark 15 1 0 10 1-2 5-7 G1 18 Brown 3 3 2-2 16 2-5 Singletary 2 3 7-12 15 9 31-64 18-24 83 3-20 Totals McG Player Hor wood Siemiatycki Armstrong Bier Martin Rembeyo Reid Begly Jersak Thompson Anthony Totals

Martlets win, Redmen second at Laval X-country meet McGill was fleet afoot Saturday at Laval, with the women taking home top spot and the men finishing second to the host team.

The women led the meet with 19 points, with Laval's 4 0 putting them a distant second. McGill did their damage with a 1-2-3 finish, with Laura Wilson of Sarnia, Ont., taking the 4-km event in a time of 15 minutes, followed by Jane Cullis of Vancouver (15:32) and Megan Vuksic of Regina (15:43).

Also earning points for McGill were Lauren Whyte of Belleville, Ont. (15:56), and Whitney Mosley of Port Alberni, BC (16:27).

Adrian Walton of London, Ont., paced the Redmen with a fifth-place finish in the 8-km race with a time of 2 6 :5 8 , as the Redmen accumulated 4 7 points, taking runner-up hon­ ours to Laval, which accumulated 22 points in the victory.

Other McGill runners to earn points for the squad were Jeff McCabe of Toronto (26:59), freshman Stephen Douglas (27:24) of Pictou, NS, Patrick McAulife of Seattle (28:05), and freshman Daren Stockard of Oak Hill, Calif. (28:50).

TOT-FG TOT-FT RBNDS MIN MD-ATT MD-ATT TP O-TOT AST TO 0 1 GO GO GO 0 2 6 1 3 1-3 G3 32 G5 3 G3 1 6-6 14 33 4-12 2 GO 1 0-0 0 23 G2 0 6 0-0 0 2-4 9 2-2 5 G9 2 4-5 16 27 6-8 4 4 ai 29 2-11 1-2 5 1 0 GO 0 ai GO 18 1 M 0 2 9 CK) 2-2 0 0 0 0-0 GO 00 1 0 2 1-4 2-2 GO 2 12 12 24 15-46 16-20 4 6 3-20

Rookie's three points help axe Acadia First-year forward Jean-Michel Daoust, formerly of the QMJHL's Gatineau Olympiques, netted two goals and added an assist in helping the McGill men's hockey team defeat the Acadia Axemen 4-2 in pre-season action Friday night. Daoust's unassisted tally 3 7 seconds into the third peri­ od broke a 2-2 tie, and raised his pre-season total to a team­ leading seven goals and 10 points in McGill's five pre-season games.

Greg LeBlanc tied the game at two apiece on a setup by Daoust, and Benoit Martin netted the insurance goal on the power play midway through the third period.

Redmen rookie goaltender Mathieu Poitras stopped 2 7 shots in earning the win, as the Redmen outshot Acadia by a 32-39 margin.

Q U I C K H IT S

O U R

BA D

After five weeks of NFL football, it seems even Dan Rather would have been more accurate in his predictions.

Here's just a sample of what we didn't see coming:

BENJI FELDMAN Alex Kirshner ♦ Ann Arbor, Mich.* UO Science ♦ Martlets Lacrosse Q:

W hy

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fund-raising.

M cG ill?

I

A: It was basically (University of] Michigan or McGill, and I didn't want to go to school two miles from my home.

Also, lacrosse isn't a varsity sport there because they're pretty hardcore into every other sport.

Q: What's it like being a rook­ ie on the team?

A: it's not load. There are three UOs, but there’s also a bunch of other new girls, and every­ one's really nice. Our rookie night wasn't bad unlike some of the other teams; they just made us go clean up the sta­ dium. W e had to do it for

Q: Speaking of that, how does your team raise money?

A: W e have bake sales every Wednesday in Leacock.

We've been doing a good job fundraising. It's kind of a pain to have to sit behind the table and beg for support, but what can you do?

The Detroit Lions (predicted record 5-1 1) go from not winning on the road in two years, to winning away from Ford Field twice this season en route to an early tie for the Central division lead, well ahead of... Green Bay (10-6), which has now dropped four in a row. Will we see the Doug Pederson show at quarterback?? Well, no, of course not, but things are still pretty bad. But not as bad as... The Miami Dolphins (6-10), who we predicted would finish last in the AFC East. But did we really think they would win six games? Opposing corner backs have caught more passes than Miami receivers, and the Dolphins running game seems to be stuck in reverse. Maybe they could use a guy like... Ricky Williams, whom we applauded for leaving the NFL on his own terms, and who is now beg­ ging to return. Ricky, we thought you had more conviction.

Ricky, we thought you had more pride. Ricky, we thought you had more money.

| T e a c h Q: What's your practice schedule like?

A: We practice every morn­ ing at seven. It's brutal. 1 just get up and I'm like "this sucks." By the time I get to practice it's okay, but it's pret­ ty rough getting up that early every morning. ■

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In Brief The McGill women's rugby team defeated St. Francis Xavier University 26-16 on Friday in the inaugural McEwen Cup Challenge, played in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue... The Redmen rugby team extended its win streak to six with a 17-10 defeat of Concordia at Molson Stadium Wednesday... Martlets cross-country runner Laura Wilson and Redmen hockey player Jean-Michel Daoust were named McGill-Peel Pub athletes of the week for the period ending October 1 1.

IN T R A M U R A L C O R N E R McGill intramural sports are largely about great games being played under great names. Here is a salute to some of our favourite team names this fall season.

An Album Cover—Men's ball hockey B. Not a fan of the ladies, are ya Trebek?

Bad Mamma Jammas—Men's ice hockey D: McGills favourite intramural team is still a big draw.

Balls r Us—Women's ball hockey A: Ball you, Ball me, Balls r Us!!!

Funky Cold Edema—Coed ultimate B: Never has water retention seemed so fly.

Girls with Balls—Women's outdoor soccer B: Not a refer­ ence to The Crying Game.

MSN Impassible—Men's outdoor soccer A: Scouts say this team selkiestructs in five seconds...

More Cowbell—Men's flag football B: Christopher Walken's game face would scare the bejesus out of us.

gets you a campus

JO ST EN 'S Canada are the official photographers for the Students' Society o f M cG ill University

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Education Engineering Biochemistry Physical & Occupational Therapy Arts/Science Physical Education/Kinesiology Biology

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Oct. 4 - 6 Education Building Oct. 1 2 - 2 2 McConnell Engineering Oct. 18 -1 9 & 21 - 22 Jostens Studio Oct. 25 & Nov. 1st Jostens Studio Nov. 1 -5 Brown Building Room 1203 Nov. 8 -1 0 Jostens Studio Nov. 24 - 26 Jostens Studio

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F o r a p p o in tm e n t c a ll: 4 9 9 - 9 9 9 9