The McGill Tribune Vol. 25 Issue 24

Vol. 25 Issue 24 I Monday, March 13, 2006

PUBLISHED BY THE STUDENTS' SOCI ETY OF MCGI LL UNIVERSITY

A rts appoints Manfredi dean S tu d e n ts

hail p o litic a l s c i e n c e

c h a ir as th e

rig h t c h o ic e

DANIEL AMIN

The Conter era fades away as presidential candidates look to the future. See pages 6 and 7 for our endorsements.

A s p ir in g e x e c s s q u a r e o f f C a n d id a te s s tr u g g le t o NIALL MACKAY ROBERTS On Wednesday, the Students' Society held debates in the Shatner building between candidates for next year's execu­ tive council. Of the six positions available, four are contested and will be appearing on ballots until voting closes this Wednesday. The other two, including External and Clubs and Services, have been acclaimed.

Debate attendance showed a marked increase from last year, when the SSMU Council room was only half full at the event's peak, Upwards of 60 students came to listen to candidates discuss their platforms in a generally cordial and orderly

s e t th e m s e lv e s a p a rt

atmosphere, a number of whom also stood in line to question candidates directly.

Communications and Events The race for the Communications and Events portfolio pits Dena O'Hara, U3 Biochemistry, against Gill Prendergast, cur­ rent vice-president communications for the Arts Undergraduate Society. Both candi­ dates are bilingual.

The majority of debate between O'Hara and Prendergast was subdued throughout the evening. In her opening statement, O'Hara spoke generally about updating the SSMU website and reversing negative stereotypes surrounding Frosh,

while Prendergast focused on diversifying SSMU events and using alternative media to promote them.

In perhaps the only point of con­ tention, a student asked both candidates if they supported using SSMU to advertise political events sponsored by campus clubs. Dena spoke in favour of the idea, saying SSMU had "the duty to give space in our mass e-mails." Prendergast, however, left the issue undecided.

"The issue is up in the air... It's some­ thing I would discuss with the executive."

Professor Christopher Manfredi, chair of the Department of Political Science, has been appointed to the position of dean of the Faculty of Arts. His term begins June 1 and will last five years.

"Every great university needs a strong Faculty of Arts," Manfredi said, "and I want McGill to be a great uni­ versity."

An advisory committee gave Manfredi its unani­ mous approval, and his selection was met with tremen­ dous approval from the Arts. Undergraduate Society executive.

"We think it’s great,” said AUS Vice-President External Jacob Itzkowitz. "Most of the executive is in Political Science. We think he's a great professor and we're very excited."

Adrian Angus, AUS vice-president academic, served on the committee that chose Manfredi. He said that Manfredi's vision for the faculty is what distinguishes him.

"As a member of the committee, I have full confi­ dence that Professor Manfredi will be a great Dean of Arts," Angus said.

Manfredi said he was excited about the new chal­ lenges he will face as dean. He acknowledged that the faculty currently faces many challenges itself, including classroom crowding, graduate, student funding and stu­ dent advising.

The state of advising in the faculty has been a par­ ticular complaint among students for years. Manfredi said he has no specific plans to fix this, but has started consulting with student groups on the issue, a move that Angus applauded.

"It's the number one student priority" Angus said. "I hope it's the number one faculty priority."

Manfredi conceded that many, students are unsatis­ fied with the number of advisors and that faculty advis' ing needs improvement.

"If students say it's a problem, then it needs to be looked at," he said.

There has also been discussion in recent years about the possibility of a new Arts building. While the new dean wouldn't dismiss the idea, he was not opti­ mistic that it would become a reality anytime soon.

See ATTENDANCE, page 3

The Tribune is seeking applications for the 2006-07 Editorial Board.

B e a T r ib u n e e d ito r.

2006-07

See CHALLENGES, page 4

Applications should be addressed to Editor-in-Chief Liz Allemang

News Editors (3)

Production Manager

Features Editors (2)

Design Editors (3)

Arts & Entertainment Editors (2)

Photo Editors (2)

Sports Editors (2)

Copy Editor

Opinion Editor

Online Editor

and include a cover letter, CV and three published clips or other relevant samples of work. Drop off applications in the McGill Tribune office, Shatner 110, by Friday, March 24 at 3:30 pm.

news

Cover photo by LUKAS BERGMARK

CAMPUS

S a d ie ’s sa y s g o o d b y e P r o v in c ia l b a n o n t o b a c c o s a le s f o r c e s c l o s u r e o f c a m p u s d é p a n n e u r KATHERINE SPIRGEN Sadie's Tabagie, a familiar and convenient stop for many McGill students seeking a quick snack or a pack of cigarettes, will soon be out of business due to the new provincial smoking law that forbids the sale of tobacco products on university and-col lege campuses. Managers at Sadie's,' which is owned and operated by the Students' Society, claim they will be unable to turn a profit without cigarette sales, and its shutdown has been scheduled for the end of this year.

Bill 112, which comes into effect at the end of May, bans smoking in all bars, pubs, restaurants and school campuses, in addition to outlawing cigarette sales in any campus building.

Sadie's currently makes roughly $15,000 from the sale of cigarettes every year, and there is no other product capable of bringing in the same sort of revenue, said General Manager Willow McLean.

"There’s no way we'd be able to make it without cigarettes," she said. "It’s such a huge' part of our profit that we can't find any single product that will make up the money well lose next year."

Although beer was suggested as a possi­ ble replacement product, McGill administra­ tors rejected the idea.

Ironically, Sadie’s will close after a year of record profits. Sales this year have doubled since the Sadie's returned to the first floor of the Shatner building after four years in the basement.

The decision to shut down Sadie's was

made by McLean and SSMU Vice-President Finance and Operations Eric van Eyken, then ratified without debate by SSMU Council on Feb. 9. The decision, however, was hardly a surprise.

"We've been talking about this since the 2003-04 school year, when we heard about the possibility of a tobacco ban," van Eyken said.

To keep from losing the revenue Sadie's brings in, van Eyken has suggested that SSMU install vending machines as a substitute.

"Vending machines will probably make more profit," he said. "They'll be open all the time, there won't be any theft and there’s no need to pay employee salaries."

McLean, however, disagreed.

“I'm skeptical about how much profit they'll make with vending machines," she said.

"If they want to run them themselves they'll have to buy the machines, which are about $800 each. It's a huge investment."

The proposed vending machines would carry products ranging from candy and drinks to frozen dinners and sandwiches. According to van Eyken, they might be placed in the room Sadie's currently occupies or scattered throughout the Shatner building.

The SNAX dépanneur managed by the Arts Undergraduate Society and located in the Leacock building will face the same restric­ tions on its tobacco sales as Sadie's, but it has not been targeted for closure thus far.

According to McLean, SNAX-which already earns three to four times more than Sadie's— may suffer less from the effects of the tobac­ co ban because of its location in a higher-traf­

LUKAS BERGMARK It's unclear whether a new plaque will commemorate everyone's favourite five-cent candy store. fic area.

"They pull a higher profit than we do sim­ ply because hundreds of people walk by them on their way to and from class," McLean said.

"People really only come in [to Sadie's] if they need cigarettes or are in the Shatner building for some reason."

Sadie’s Assistant Manager Kara Redden expressed frustration at SSMU's decision, claiming more could have been done to pre­ vent the store's closure.

"I think that we should have at least had an opportunity for alternate plans," she said.

“We could have reduced hours and wages— there's a lot we could have done if we had been given the chance."

Sadie's was named in memory of SSMU executive Sadie C. Hempey, who died on cam­ pus of a. heart attack in the 1980s. The last official day of business for Sadie's Tabagie will be April 28, the last day of exams. ■

CAMPUS

S c ie n c e s t u d e n t s c o n t i n u e t o s tu d y in t h e d a r k Burnside project faces delays, completion now expected fo r May JAMES GOTOWIEC

everything was a go, everything was going well," twice the $46,000 budgeted.

Management was doing its best to qet the proj­ she said.

"Basically what came of [the meeting] was ect finished.

Students optimistic for promised renova­ Filipski said she tried to contact the coordi­ that they under-budgeted,” she said. "They "The last thing they want is to see Marta tions to the dreary basement in the Burnside nator and his superior during the break but decided that since they only have allocated [so chain herself to the doors of Burnside," he said. building will have to wait until at least June received no response, and when classes much] money, they're going to have to cut the The problems seem to have stemmed before they can study in brighter conditions. resumed she found out that a new coordinator scope of the project." from poor communication between the depart­ The renovation project, had been assigned.

Yalovksy said the process for approving ment and its clients. which was to have been Vice-Principal and designing the basement renovation was "I don't think Marta's being singled out,” "I did w rite M artin G ra n t a letter completed during Reading Adminstration and not unusual, and involved a normal back and Grant said. "[Facilities] have a lot on their plate, Week, has seen a series of th re aten in g to ch a in m y se lf to th e Finance Morty forth between the architects and university over and I really do think they're trying to do their events conspire to keep B u rn sid e Pillars/' Yalovsky explained design and cost considerations. He said that the best on this, but I understand her frustration, I new lights and floor plugs that a new project university's Capital Projects committee hear it from some of the new profs we've hired —S U S P resid e n t M arta Filipski for laptops, as well as new manager was approved the project late last year, and that as well." furniture, out of the base­ brought in because McGill is fully committed.

Filipski said that she had written to ment study area. the previous one was on sick leave.

"Had I not said that Principal Heather MunroeThe Burnside renovation has been a proj­ "Unfortunately, just when [the project] we brought it for "T h e last th in g Facilities w an t is to Blum about the problems ect of the Science Undergraduate Society exec­ was getting into the crunch this fellow became approval by Capital se e M arta ch ain h erself to th e d o ors with the renovation and the utive for the past five years, according to SUS ill, and he has not been back," he said. ' Projects in December, perceptions it was generat­ o f B u rnsid e."

President Marta Filipski.

After being told the project would be then you could say, ing among students, and "When I did sit down with everybody in delayed yet again, Filipski e-mailed Dean of —D e a n o f S cie n ce M artin G ra n t would be meeting with 'Yeah, we're delaying it,"’ May," she said, "they told me that this was not Science Martin Grant to enlist his help in mov­ Yalovsky said. "But we Yalovsky about the issue. going to happen for the next 10 years" unless ing it along. She said that Grant was fully sup­ actually approved the university commitment to "I think they need to know that these are students contributed to the project. portive. go along with the students' commitment."

McGill students that are going to be contribut­ "The SUS pledged $10,000," she said, "He has committed money, and he sup­ Yalovsky said that the combination of the ing as alumni in the future," she said. "If they "and the Faculty of Science pledged a much ports me on the project," Filipski said. "I did contractor's estimates and the illness of the don't see their money being put to good use larger amount to get the project going." write him a letter threatening to chain myself coordinator had caused the delay, but the proj­ now, are they going to contribute in the future?"

Since then, Filipski said, the renovation has to the Burnside pillars." ect is now back on track.

Despite the setbacks, Filipski remained had three project coordinators. With each new After a meeting with the new project coor­ "Clearly the intention is to try to get the positive. coordinator the planning process had to start dinator on Wednesday, Filipski said that the ren­ work done in the month of May if possible," he "I still am optimistic that it will get done," over, which is what happened in late February. ovation was going to be scaled back, as esti­ said. she said, "but it has really made me aware of ■"Right before Reading Week I was told that mates from contractors came in at more than Grant said he believed that Facilities the red tape at McGill." ■

SS M U

the mcgill tribune | 13.3.06| news

E L E C T I O N

3

S e n a te r a c e s c o m p e t e f o r a t t e n t i o n C a n d i d a t e s in a c c l a m a t i o n - h e a v y c a m p a i g n o f f e r p r o m i s e s , b u t n o p l a n s R O B ER T C H U R C H

i > if

f|

I j f H

v

|

In an election cycle far overshadowed by the races for Students' Society executive positions. Senate candidates met last Tuesday night and offered the roughly 40 spectators a plethora of promises but few explanations as to how they plan to accomplish their goals.

Only three faculty Senate positions are contested this year, Science, Engineering and Dentistry, while most faculties saw their representatives acclaimed with little fanfare. Of the positions acclaimed, only the Arts senators-to-be attended the debate to face questioning—newly acclaimed representa­ tives from the Law, Medicine, Religious Studies, Education and Music faculties were not present The two candidates vying for the position of Dentistry senator also did not attend the debate, and no one ran for the Management position.

Arts Next year's Arts senators, Adrian Angus and Jacob Itzkowitz, outlined their plans during a Q&A session with the audience. Angus explained that student advising is his top priority for next year, citing his desire for the Faculty of Arts to hire more advisors in order to better serve student needs, while Itzkowitz said that he wants to push for more respect from the administration for students who serve on Senate.

"I look forward... to fostering an environment where both sides of the table realize that we're all working for students,” Itzkowitz said. "We can achieve really great things next year if the understanding is made that everything that is done at McGill is done for students."

Itzkowitz said he wants to work to change the widely held notion that the school administration values research issues more highly than student needs. He and Angus served on the Arts Undergraduate Society this year as vice-president external and vice-president academic, respectively.

Science The contest between Science Senate candidates saw SSMU Council member Lauren McGruthers debate Chris

Newlove and Shreyans Shah, all of whom offered their visions on how to better represent the Science faculty on one of McGill's highest governing bodies. There were few sub­ stantive differences between the candidates, with McGruthers and Newlove citing their experience working with SSMU and the Science Undergraduate Society as reasons to vote for them, while Shah listed his many academic and extracurricular activities, such as acting and participation in Model UN. "I sit on SUS council, so I'm well aware of all of the issues facing Science students," McGruthers said, "Obviously, since I'm a member of SSMU council, I'm aware of general issues facing students as well."

McGruthers said one of her main goals would be to present science students' wishes about the A+ grade to Senate, while Newlove focused on improving facilities and his experience as a member of the SUS presidential commit­ tee. Shah, who was by far the most articulate of the candi­ dates, repeatedly referred to student research opportunities as his main concern, "My first priority is research," he said. "Research in gen­ eral at McGill, and across the world, is becoming more inter­ disciplinary in nature, and I think that should be reflected in science, and in Senate specifically."

Throughout the debate, the candidates often ques­ tioned each other about their knowledge of how students are supposed to apply for research positions with professors.

Responding to questions from the audience, all candi­ dates present were forced to admit that they had never before attended a Senate meeting.

One of the candidates for science senator, Seema Brar, did not attend the debate.

Engineering The debate between the candidates for Engineering senator proved as tepid as the rest that evening. Current Engineering Representative Alexandra Rhéaume is compet­ ing with Avi Chaimovich, J.F. Haeck and Dean MacDougall for the faculty's single seat. Rhéaume, who has only held her

seat since the beginning of the winter semester, has only attended a single Senate meeting. As in the Science debate, the rest of the potential Engineering candidates were forced to admit that they had never attended a Senate meeting.

Rhéaume cited her wish to improve student tutorial services as a plank of her campaign platform, while Haeck said that he wanted to improve inter-university relations, giv­ ing his recent exchange to the University of British Columbia as an example. Chaimovich came under fire from his fellow candidates when he suggested that McGill implement a week-long break similar to Reading Week during the fall semester; his opponents charged that it would force classes to begin a week earlier and adversely affect students' sum­ mer work schedules. MacDougall, who this year served as vice-president finance for the Engineering Undergraduate Society and in previous years as an executive for the Civil P Engineering Undergraduate Society, cited his experience as his best qualification.

"This position [EUS vice-president finance] makes me uniquely qualified to be a senator," MacDougall said, "not only because have I dealt extensively with the finances of the undergraduate society, but because it really allows me to see where the money comes from and how the Engineering fac­ ulty deals with its finances. Through this position, I've also dealt extensively with the faculty and McGill administration on numerous issues."

The evening also saw debate over the four referendum questions appearing on the ballot, with representatives from all of the "Yes" committees facing questions from the audi­ ; ence. No committees were formed in opposition to any of the questions. The two committees that faced the most questioning were organized in support of a fee for CKUT, the McGill radio station, and the General Assemblies amend­ ment to the SSMU constitution, which would mandate semesterly GAs and lower quorum to 100 students. ■ For the Tribune's take on the referendum, questions, please turn to pages 6 and 7.

A tte n d a n c e up alo n g w ith s tu d e n t p a rtic ip a tio n P r e s id e n tia l c a n d id a te s a n s w e r q u e s t io n s f o r m o r e th a n a n h o u r Continued from cover University Affairs The two candidates for the University Affairs portfolio are | Finn Heather Upham, a Science Senator, and Malek Yalaoui, an Arts Senator. Both speak French.

Upham and Yalaoui, who share much the same profession­ al experience, struggled at the debate to differentiate them­ selves from one other. Their stances coincided on most issues, including challenging room-booking fees and reforming advising.

Instead, most of the debate hinged on differences of approach. Outgoing VP Max Reed identified their differences in questions he posed to both candidates. He asked Upham about concerns that she's not tough enough to defend student inter­ ests.

"I do approach things calmly," Upham acknowledged, "but 1 I don't back down when I have a position to defend. I may look I calm, but this is a necessary part of the job'1 ■ Reed then questioned Yalaoui on whether she could build | effective relationships with administrators.

Yalaoui responded that she had experience working with | professors and administrators on various committees.

"I tend to think of the admin as a sleepy student on a Monday morning, and the VP UA has to be that annoying alarm clock that won't shut up,” she said.

Finance and Operations Three candidates are competing for the position of vicepresident finance and operations: Laura Johnson, who speaks limited French, is a current executive with V-Day McGill. Jason Savedoff, who is bilingual, is a U2 Arts student running under the name "J-Swing.” David Sunstrum, who does not speak French, is a U3 student in Political Science and Economics and has sat on a number of finance committees. Of the three students running for the position, only Johnson and Sunstrum appeared at Wednesday's debates.

Asked a variety of questions by the students present, both candidates responded similarly. Both, for instance, declared their strong support for SSMU day-care and impartiality in clubs funding.

Sunstrum also expressed support for putting politically charged financial debates before Council rather than dealing with them alone.

"Whereas Finance and Operations should be concerned with running SSMU, I think the appropri­ ate arena for [political debates] is SSMU Council," he said.

Later, on a direct question regarding financial experience, both Johnson and Sunstrum seemed to stumble. Johnson in particular was unable to recall the definition of several accounting terms.

Johnson admitted she had never sat on a finance committee, but she described her lack of experience as a potential resource.

"Although I think this is a failing, I think it's also an opportunity to make decisions from a more impartial viewpoint," she said.

Donny-Clark and Mwotia kept it civilized. Pity-

President The race for president is contested by Aaron Donny-Clark, the current vice-president external, and Leon Mwotia, the current vice-president clubs and services. Both speak passable French.

Mwotia, speaking in French, used his opening statement to introduce himself to students as a candidate of experience.

Donny-Clark, who spoke second, focused immediately on the five priorities he has set for his administration, which include a five-year plan for SSMU. Donny-Clark, who has been criticized as too demure and too ideological to be SSMU president, attempted repeatedly to humanize his campaign.

"I, too, feel very much of a student," he said, "and I feel very

aware of the students' interests."

Mwotia, on the other hand, focused on leadership and teamwork, at one point even seeming to go on the offensive against his opponent.

"Being bound to one's ideology is similar to being bound to one's race," he said. ”l'm not bound by an ideology. I do have principles, but they're representative of student interests."

Mwotia, however, has been criticized for failing to complete tasks in the past, and current Vice-Presidents University Affairs Max Reed and Finance and Operations Eric van Eyken have declared their support for Donny-Clark. ■ Students can vote at www.electionsmcgill.ca until Wednesday at 5 p.m. Co online for full coverage of the SSMU debates, including acclaimed positions.

4

news | 13.3.06

| the mcgill tribune

SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS

W h a t d r iv e s t e r r o r i s t s ?

V is itin g p r o f e x p la in s o r ig in s o f n e w TR A CI JO H N SO N

th r e a t

C h a lle n g e s a h e a d D e a n w ill c o n t i n u e r e n e w a l Continued from cover

reporting on the deaths.

"Acts of terror no longer provid­ ed any sensation... they became less interesting than traffic accidents,” Geifman said. .Geifman identified two phe­ nomena, systematic killing en masse and civilian-directed attacks, as the essential characteristics of modern terrorism. She also noted that suicide terrorism shocked Russia long before it became commonplace in the Middle East, and provided a chilling

gain an emotional release. Today, like at the turn of the 20th century, as Psycho-historian Anna Geifman social customs and communal ways spoke at McGill Tuesday on the psy­ of life are changing, some experience chology of modern terrorism in a lec­ what Geifman called "historical dislo­ ture sponsored by the Arab-lsraeli cation,” a psychologically difficult tran­ Peace Alliance. Geifman traced the sition that leaves the individual feel­ origins of terrorism to 20th-century ing lost and alienated in the face of new social systems. imperial Russia and drew parallels between anti-czar extremists and "Destructiveness serves as an contemporary suicide bombers in the outlet for anger and self-hatred in Middle East and Chechnya. these situations,” Geifman said.

"Losing individuality to join the radi­ The Harvard alum and Boston cals or extreme politics is University professor noted that terrorism as we. know it analogous to the cheap today first emerged in the "T h e raison d 'être of terrorists is to g e n e ra te fear, thrill provided by narcotics. early 1900s. a n d fear is n ot o n ly th e terrorists' in stru m en t, it is It’s a way out, provides "As early as 1907, the gripping excitement... and Russian extremists planned also th eir n o u rish m e n t. T h e y d e riv e n o u rish m e n t is another interesting to use an airplane, what they from o u r fear." game.” called a 'flying apparatus,’ to Despite the fact that —A n n a G e ifm a n attack the imperial resi­ terrorists are willing to die Professor, B o sto n U n iv e rsity for their causes, Geifman dences, preempting the Twin Tower tragedies by questioned whether many of them actually under­ almost 100 years," she said.

According to Geifman, before glimpse into the inner workings of a stand the rhetoric they espouse to justify mass killings. She pointed to the early 1900s, terrorist attacks were terrorist's mind.

"The raison d’etre of terrorists is the recruitment methods of terrorist rare and aimed at pre-selected tar­ gets. In Russia, "the birthplace of to generate fear, and fear is not only organizations, which often recruit in modern terrorism,” attacks were car­ the terrorists' instrument, it is also prisons and attract socially alienated ried out with little to no regard for their nourishment," she said. "They youth, and hypothesized that individ­ uals join radical groups as a way to civilian life. Unlike political assassina­ derive nourishment from our fear.”

Delving into the terrorist psyche, cope with intense social isolation and tions of the past, which sought to punish specific individuals, terrorist Geifman discussed the role of ideolo­ psychological stress.

"These people,” she said, "have attacks became a truly mass phe­ gy in acts of violence, arguing that ter­ nomenon and were so widespread rorists use political or religious rheto­ no idea what they are talking that Russian newspapers stopped ric to justify destructive behaviour and about.” ■

"A new Arts building is depend­ options to increase. ent on a place to put it and money "I think we're going to see the to finance it,” Manfredi said. “It’s not wide range of courses being offered * a pipe dream, but it's not something continue to grow," said Angus. that we can expect in the short term One important issue that will or even the medium term.” not be a problem will be relations Angus said that if the faculties between the Faculty and the AUS. "We're doing pretty well," said of Music and Management can receive new buildings or major Itzkowitz. "We work pretty well upgrades through donations, Arts together." should be able Itz k o w itz "A n e w A rts bu ild ing is d e p e n d ­ also said that to as well.

"It's going e n t o n a p lace to put it and Manfredi would to be up to the m o n e y to fin a n ce it. It's n ot a bring stability to dean and the the Faculty, people around p ip e d re a m , but it's n ot so m e ­ which has had him to find a th in g that w e ca n e x p e ct in th e several deans in donor," he said. recent years. sh o rt te rm o r e v e n th e m e d iu m In addition Former dean to making term ."

John A. Hall left changes and —C h risto p h e r M an fred i McGill last additions to the semester after N e w ly a p p o in te d A rts D ean faculty, Manfredi only two years hopes to contin­ in the position. ue the process of academic renew­ Since then, John Galaty has held the al. title of acting dean, and will contin­ "We've done a lot of curriculum ue to do so until Manfredi's term changes in the past few years. I begins in the spring. According to want to look at that," Manfredi said, Angus, in the past it has been com­ adding that he will consult both stu­ mon for deans to be appointed for dents and professors on curriculum. a second five-year term, meaning Angus is confident that the fac­ Manfredi may guide the Faculty of ulty will attempt to nurture and Arts well into the next decade. retain the new professors that have It is unclear when the search been hired in the last few years. As for a new political science chair will a result, he expects students' course begin. ■

S P R IN G 2 0 0 6 S S M U E L E C T IO N S

ADVANCED POLLING BEGINS THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 10th @ 10 a .m .

Log on to vote at: |w w w .e l e c t i o n s m c g i l l .c a / v o t e Graduating students can vote too! Polling Station for all students located in the Lobby of the Shatner Building

VO TE & Y o u co u ld w in a LAPTO P

courtesy of Elections McGill & University Bytes F U J I T S U S 6 2 3 1 B C E N T R I N O 1 .7 , 5 1 2 M B , 6 0 G B , D V D B u r n e r , 1 3 .3 ” C L E A R X P H , 4 lb s ( r e ta il v a lu e : $ 2 1 0 0 )

V O T IN G ENDS MARCH 1 5 th @ 5 pm Campus Computer Centre

Questions? Contact us at contact@electionsmcgill.ca

the mcgill tribune | 13.3.06 | news

5

NEWS BRIEFS Former SSM U exec passes away The McGill student community lost one of its greater lead­ ers last week. Fred Sagel, Students' Society vice-president univer­ sity affairs in 2002-03, passed away in an apparent suicide in Toronto on Sunday. After graduating from McGill with Joint Honours in History and Economics, Sagel had been pursuing a Master's in Economic History at England's Oxford University.

During his time at McGill, Sagel was Arts Senator for two years before being elected to the UA position. He was instru­ mental in the creation of the new Bachelor of Arts and Science degree, and pushed hard during his time in office for Senate to pass the discrimination and harassment policy. In 2003 he was awarded the Scarlet Key for distinction in character and leader­ ship.

Martin Doe, who was SSMU president during Sagel's time, made a statement at SSMU Council on Thursday about his friend and colleague.

"Few students have been as involved or accomplished as Fred," he said. "He has served as an inspiration to the genera­ tions of student leaders that have followed him."

Sagel was often referred to jokingly in the campus press as VP Sexy. A December 2002 review of his performance pub­ lished in the Tribune said that he devoted between 65^and 70 hours per week to his portfolio and was a "dedicated, intellectu­ al SSMU exec personality." It went on to note his service on 21 committees, and that he actually enjoyed it,

Doe, who at times struggled to fight back tears, echoed that sentiment on Thursday.

"Popular lore about Fred includes that he had served on at least 100 different university and student committees, and had received more late paper extensions than any other student in McGill history," he said. "He will be missed dearly."

Current SSMU President Adam Conter announced that SSMU would immediately rename its Senator of the Year award in Sagel's honour.

—James Gotowiec

Shapiro embroiled in controversy yet again Ethics Commissioner and former McGill principal Bernard Shapiro was in hot water again last week as he launched an investigation of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The probe will look into whether Harper violated a conflict of interest code when he recruited former Liberal MP David Emerson to the Conservative Party just weeks after the Jan. 23 election.

The Prime Minister has so far refused to cooperate with the inquiry, claiming that the Ethics Commissioner does not have the mandate to intervene in cabinet appointments.

"The power to make Cabinet appointments is a power that resides in the office of the Prime Minister, as the highest demo­ cratically elected official in the country," Harper said on Tuesday.

The ensuing political firestorm has pushed Shapiro into the limelight. Ethics critics said Harper's actions violate campaign

promises to bring more accountability to the federal govern­ ment. Opposition party MPs called on Shapiro to issue a sum­ mons compelling Harper to testify and to use the full powers vested in him by the law.

Meanwhile, Conservative Party members questioned Shapiro's motives. They noted that he did not investigate former Prime Minister Paul Martin after he allegedly tried to induce a Tory MP to cross the floor last summer. At the time, Shapiro claimed he did not have the authority to investigate senior polit­ ical staffers.

On Friday, the Globe and Mail reported that Harper approached former NDP MP Ed Broadbent about replacing Shapiro as ethics commissioner. Broadbent declined the appointment, but speculation remains that the prime minister may try to fire Shapiro.

Shapiro has been no stranger to controversy during his two years as ethics commissioner. In 2004 he upset many MPs by requesting that they disclose the value of personal assets. In November, a parliamentary committee found him in contempt of the House of Commons for mishandling a probe of Conservative MP Deepak Obhair and his brother-in-law.

In an interview with CTV News on Thursday, Obhair com­ pared Shapiro to the Nazi secret police.

"An ethics commissioner was appointed by us to look at our ethics," he said. "We did not appoint a Gestapo chief."

—Traci Johnson

This late in the semester, you must be getting bored with class. Come write for News!

There are cookies.

W ednesday, 6 p.m.

S h atn er 110 new s@ m cgilltribune.com

1745

CEDAR

I 1/ 2 , 3 1 /2 ,4 F rom

1/2

$725.

24 hr doorm an, H e a te d , E K terio r pool, D irect a c c e s s to m o u n ta in

V V H I$*4, 4n - \ l l i

&

B e a u e r lak e

llM

1 MONTH FREE (5 1 4 )9 3 2 -7 8 9 0 (5 1 4 )9 2 4 -4 3 8 3

DO W N TO W N 3421 DRUM M OND

I M OH. FREE 3 1 /2 , 4 1 /2

Luxury apt.

www.canada123go.ca 1-877-go123go

R e n o v a te d ,

TRAVEL & WORK ABROAD VOYAGER ET TRAVAILLER À L’ÉTRANGER

H e a te d .

Security, F ro m

$ 1 2 0 0

M U«M »<M >*M M » CALL: (5 1 4 )4 9 9 -0 8 9 3 (5 1 4 )9 2 4 -4 3 8 3

'

F ore ig n A ffa irs C anada

A ffa ire s é tra n g è re s C anada

Canada

SSM U e le c tio n a n d o

p

i

n

i

o

n

re fe re n d a e n d o rs e m e n ts

For the first time ever-or at least in recent memory-the Tribune has decided to forego modesty and actually make endorsements for the SSMU elections. As reporters, editors and stu­ dents who spend an ungodly amount of time in the Shatner building, the Tribune editorial board is full of opinions about this year's crop of hopefuls. By attending the debates and dealing with these pseudo-politicians on a daily basis7we hope we can shed light on the candidates and help students make informed decisions. We also aim to provide a viable alternative set of endorse­ ments, steeped in principles, to the many recommendations already floating around campus.

We chose the following candidates and sides to referenda after some intense discussion, but we had a few guiding standards. To us, not every position is political. A candidate's stand on

the tuition freeze, if not relevant to his or her portfolio, doesn't figure into our endorsements.

Instead, we looked for experience and leadership capabilities. We examined how a candidate would fit into an executive team and how they would deal with the administration. We chose based on platforms and ideas, not ideology.

We obviously encourage you to consider our insights when casting your ballot, but the most important thing is to vote and have your say in next year's SSMU executive. To do that, visit www.electionsmcgill.ca/vote anytime between now and Wednesday at 5 p.m. And then make sure to head to www.mcgilltribune.com on Wednesday evening, and be the first to find out the election results.

Leon Mwotia

SSMU President This is an especially tough one. For the first time in a while, students must choose between two presidential candidates who are undeniably smart, qualified and committed to their work. The truth is either Aaron Donny-Clark or Leon Mwotia would serve students well as president. Nonetheless, the Tribune strongly endorses Mwotia for this position.

It is important for us to disclose that Donny-Clark unsuccessfully brought a motion to censure the Tribunes editor-inchief to the Feb. 9 Students' Society Council meeting, in response to a commentary piece published that week. While stu­ dents should know that it happened, it was not a deciding factor in our endorsement. Instead, we chose Mwotia because of the attitude he would bring to the position of president.

This year Mwotia has demonstrated that he is willing to make difficult and unpopular decisions, a prerequisite for any president. The vice-president clubs and services sees more students than most executives, and continually hears from stu­ dents irate at funding or administrative decisions affecting the clubs and services in which they are deeply involved. Mwotia thus has substantial experience arbitrating among parties and making compromises, which is essential for team-building among the executive next year. Moreover, at the debate he repeatedly recognized that the students who charge into his office are the ones who put him there and thus deserve his respect, and he is willing to admit to them when he makes a mistake.

None of this is to say that Donny-Clark doesn't respect students or have diplomatic skills. He has done a remarkable job as vice-president external affairs in a year when SSMU withdrew from its national lobby group and engaged in the fed­ eral election campaign on its own. Although he is soft-spoken, Donny-Clark forms his thoughts clearly and brings practical ideas, such as a five-year SSMU development plan. It is also telling that two current executives are actively involved in his presidential campaign.

Donny-Clark's reserved manner could prove detrimental though, as the SSMU president is the face of undergraduate students. It could also be an obstacle to building teamwork among an executive that could potentially be entirely composed of strong-willed, hard-charging people. Further, Donny-Clark's motion on the Tribune-its merits aside—raises concerns about his respect of proper process. It is worth noting that Donny-Clark tried to slide the motion through council quickly, without even directly informing the Tribune's senior editors that it would appear on the agenda. Were Donny-Clark to take this sort of managerial and decision­ making tack as president, it could rub students the wrong way.

Similarly, this and other events have provided senior editors with an abnormal amount of Finn Heather Upham interaction with Mwotia, under whose portfolio the Tribune fall., This interaction provided insight into his management style. In his quest to accommodate students bringing all man­ ners of concern, he can be too slow to say no. Students also complain that he begins tasks without finishing them.

However, we find these to be minor concerns when compared to Mwotia's person­ In a race between two candidates who seem similar at first, the Tribune's endorse­ able nature and general qualifications for the presidency. We suggest that should Mwotia ment must go to the person most capable of defending student interests in a forceful win, he pare down his goals and focus on one or two projects so that he can bring them and constructive manner with university administrators. Finn Heather Upham is, without to successful completion. , equivocation, the best choice to fill such a role.

While Malek- Yalaoui is a com­ petent and experienced candidate, she has also proven something of a loose cannon in her interactions not Gill Prendergast only with the university, but also with those students with whom she per­ sonally disagrees. Such a lack of diplomatic skills certainly attracts For the post of VP C&E, experience really matters. And it's on the basis of that expe­ attention, but it is hardly the sort of rience that we endorse Prendergast. As the current Arts Undergraduate Society VP attention likely to endear many in Communications, Prendergast has been involved in planning events like Arts Frosh, and the McGill Senate to our interests as so understands the requirements of the C&E position. She's also used to receiving and students. dealing with student complaints, which often come to the VP C&E, and we quite like her At the debates last week, stance on better training for alcohol servers Yalaoui was questioned directly at SSMU functions. about her perceived interpersonal That is not say that Dena O'Hara is a failings. She tried eloquently to particularly bad candidate. Her ideas to deflect concerns by focusing instead lessen the role that alcohol plays in Frosh on her future desire to be more col­ week are intriguing and quite reasonable. laborative when working with McGill However, she failed to really convey what faculty and administrators. specific changes she would make to the cur­ Unfortunately, the time to display rent Frosh system and how her suggestions such collaborative energies was one could be implemented. Also, we'don't real­ year ago, when Yalaoui was first ly see the need to renegotiate the beer con­ elected to the position of Arts Senator. Now is not the time to be learning the art of con­ tract again, as the deal with Boréale seems sensus-building and tact, particularly when an exemplary alternative exists. to be working quite well,.

Upham has shown herself to be an intelligent, measured, rational representative of But while Prendergast is the better student demands. Her demeanour makes her accessible to students and to administra­ choice, she is not without flaws. We don’t tors, and her behind-the-scenes knowledge of the bureaucratic system qualifies her ide­ believe that the VP C&E should refuse to ally for the UA portfolio. Moreover, Upham has already helped to achieve an agreement advertise for politically-charged or controver­ on names of common usage with the university, while Yalaoui suggested at the debates sial events in the listserv, as Prendergast said that she was only marginally familiar with the issue and with other concerns of McGill's at the debates. However, C&E isn't a politi­ trans community. cal position, and this is a small issue that Prendergast can-and should-easily work For students who wish to make progress with the university in the 2006-07 school around. It's not significant enough to trump her experience, and she would be a very year, Finn Heather Upham is the only choice. competent C&E.

VP U niversity Affairs

VP C om m unications & Events

PHOTOS BY LUKAS BERGMARK AND ANDREW SEGAL

the mcgill tribune | 13.3.06 | opinion

D avid S unstrum

VP Finance & O p eratio n s Operations is the only three-way race this year, but it's pretty clear that Jason Savedoff (or J-Swing, as he appears on the ballot) isn't really running for anything. Our only wish is that he had been at the debates on Wednesday to spice up an otherwise boring evening.

So faced with the choice between David Sunstrum and Laura Johnson, Sunstrum gets our vote. While Johnson does'have accounting expe­ rience, she doesn't have the firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of.SSMU that Sunstrum brings to the table. We would have loved to see her challenge Floh Herra Vega for the C&S posi­ tion, where she seems to have more experience and would have been able to bring more to the role.

Sunstrum, meanwhile, has been active behind the scenes at SSMU, and has served on both the Finance Committee and the Operations committee. He's also got ideas: We applaud his plans to put better restaurants and a student-run cafeteria in the Sliatner building, and to ensure that execs stick to their budgets so there's more money for clubs. He will also continue to build on current VP Ops Eric van Eyken's efforts to turn Gert's into a profit centre.

However, his plan for the bar isn’t very concrete, and after spending a semester away from McGill on exchange, he needs to get up to speed on the current hot-button issues on campus. We're confident, though, that he'll work around these issues, and be an extremely successful VP Ops who will bring students' interests to the table.

M a x Silverm an ( a c c a im e d ) _____

VP External The fact that the VP External position has been acclaimed for the fourth straight year is of concern to us. However, unlike some previous acclamations, Silverman is qualified for the post.

He has participated actively in the External Affairs portfolio, attended several FEUQ conferences and was in charge of organizing the Reading-Week protest in Ottawa for $4.9-billion in federal trans­ fers. He has experience, and his desire to have a campus-wide discussion on our federal represen­ tation is commendable.

However, we are concerned that Silverman's rocky relationship with the Tribune this year may be emblematic of a larger problem with his diplo­ matic abilities. If he is to spend next year as an executive member, those skills need to be improved, especially when dealing with decisions that don't go his way at Council. Silverman also needs to work on his French if he is to effective­ ly represent McGill within the Quebec student movement. So while we're not entirely sold, we give Silverman a tempered thumbs up and are hopeful that he will do big things for stu­ dents next year.

Floh Herra (accaim ed)

VP Clubs & Services While we were disappointed that the position of VP Clubs & Services was acclaimed, we are generally optimistic about Floh Herra Vega, and applaud her enthusiasm for the position.

As co-administrator of Queer McGill, Herra Vega handled the aftermath of the Second Cumming protest professionally. Though the situa­ tion was messy and ripe for political mudslinging, she kept her cool and was rational throughout.

Further, she comes to C&S chock-full of ideas.

We appreciate her desire to overhaul Activities Night, which she intends to make less hectic by using more floors in Shatner. And though she has not been specific about her plans to revamp CultureFest, the thought is a good one.

One concern with Herra Vega, however, is that her involvement has thus far been limited to larger clubs and services that serve only a specific seg­ ment of the student body, This could result in her having difficulty dealing with the requests of small­ er clubs and being too focused om special interests, Herra Vega needs' to keep this in mind, but we are otherwise confident that her organizational skills and dedication will make her a very effective VP C&S.

7

Y es o r N o : SSMU R e fe re n d a B o a rd o f G o v e r n o r s c o n s titu tio n a l a m e n d m e n t s — YES After all the wrangling that students did to get a voice for both a student representative and the SSMU president on the Board of Governors, let's not let that effort go to waste. Vote ; YES on this question to ensure that the student rep to BoG is actually chosen by studentsthis year in a fall election, in the future during the spring election period-and that we have a say in how our university is run.

Voting YES will also ensure that, because the representative will be democratically elect­ ed by Students' Society members, SSMU council can't bungle the appointment, as it did this past year when it chose Kalanga Joffres as BoG rep. Joffres then went to Malaysia in mid-year and left no replacement,

R e f e r r a l S e rv ic e s N e t w o r k F e e — Y ES While students are rightly reluctant to pay additional fees, this one is worth it. The $1.75 fee per semester—from which students can opt-out—will benefit valuable services (Queer McGill, SACOMSS, Nightline) that many on campus make use of, and it will free up money from the clubs and services budget to go toward other underfunded groups.

S S M U D a y c a re F ee— YES For just $1.50 more per semester, students can ensure that the daycare is actually viable for those who need to use it. Currently, waiting lists are long, and the daycare can only accept children within a very small age range. Providing additional funding will help shorten the waiting list and allow students with children under 18-months to make use of the daycare, both desirable goals.

j j j j

CKUT referendum question— YES, with reservations Currently, students pay $4 per semester to CKUT, McGill's campus/community radio sta­ tion. This amounts to about 40 per cent of CKUT's funding and entitles students to participate in all aspects of CKUT, from on air to production to working in the music library. The question asks if students want to continue to support CKUT at the current rate for a term of five more years, and students will now be able to opt-out of the fee. We support this renewal of CKUT s mandate as Radio McGill, but we are wary.

In the past, questions have been raised about the amount of student involvement in CKUT, which was basically near-zero. Other critics have argued that having only one half-hour . of McGill-centric programming ^per week is not sufficient. While CKUT has claimed that attempts will be made to further increase its availability to students, we are sceptical, There is : the possibility that much of what CKUT has claimed is simply election-year sloganeering: after j all, CKUT had not broadcast from the Shatner building in recent memory until last week.

However, we suggest voting YES, largely because of the impact of a NO vote. If students ; vote NO, then CKUT will cease to be affiliated with McGill and would have to be drastically j restructured. This would deprive those McGill students interested in CKUT of a valuable [ resource and harm one of the few remaining stations where deejays choose their own music, and these are not ends we want to accomplish. This does not mean we are bullish on CKUT. It remains to be seen if CKUT will follow through on its promises of increased student partici­ pation. If it does not, we would encourage students to call another referendum on terminat­ ing its fee next year.

General Assemblies constitutional amendment— NO Currently, General Assemblies can be called to discuss issues of importance by either 200 students or eight SSMU council members, with a quorum of 200 people to make a vote bind­ ing. Most recently, they were used to vote on last year's student strike, and on a resolution con­ demning the war in Iraq. This question asks students if they would like to rename the tradi­ tional GA the "Special General Assembly," and then create regular General Assemblies, to be held in the fifth week of each semester. It also asks if students want to lower the quorum required to 100 people.

We think there are two distinct aspects to this question, and it is unfortunate that they were placed together. The creation of regular General Assemblies is a good idea, in that it would allow SSMU to ascertain what is on students' minds and allow students to have a greater say. While we think holding it in the fifth week of a semester-and requiring motions to be submitted two weeks beforehand—might not allow for many issues to be on the agenda, we support the principle.

What we do not support, however, is lowering the quorum from 200 to 100. Two-hundred people comprises barely one percent of the undergraduate student body—if a group cannot turn out 200 people on an issue, then the issue is of little import to most students.

Lowering the quorum to 100 can allow exceedingly small yet vocal minorities to hijack the Students' Society business and the will of the vast majority of students. While SSMU council can overturn a GA decision, in practice, council is loath to do so, and constantly having to reverse GA decisions will tie up council and make it appear out of touch with students. So vote NO on this question to ensure that our democratically-elected SSMU councillors can deal with pertinent issues, and that the goals of less than half a percent of SSMU members can't over­ ride the Society's greater aims.

j | ; j j j : | j j j

opinion j 13.3.06 | the mcgill tribune

8

The helpless Romantic

Guest soap

A eulogy for Fred Sagel

Ire for Canadian tire

JAMES GROHSGAL RICH TSENG am not qualified to write this. Many knew Fred Sagel—the former Students' Society vice-president university affairs who passed away Sunday in Toronto—bet­ ter, deeper and longer that I did. I never called him to hang out, and I wasn't a sen­ ator or SSMU executive. What follows is an affective sketch of an extraordinary man by a mourning ex-reporter.

Fred overslept on the morning of the 2002-03 SSMU executive committee's first meeting with then-Principal Bernard Shapiro. Fred told me that he rushed to the SSMU to retrieve his suit and tie, but the doors were locked. So he ran to Shapiro's office in a sweater and a slept-in Oxford shirt. He got there on time, but he was alone. Meanwhile, the other five execs were waiting for Fred inside the SSMU office. After they finally decided to go in without him, they arrived at Shapiro's office to see Fred in the midst of a warm, calm, one-on-one conversation with the princi­ pal.

That’s how Fred worked best. I once asked him to explain his good relations with the administration. Bending overFred was tall, but managed to maintain eye contact with short people by folding him­ self over mid-spine—he said in his quiet bass that he built relationships before negotiating. We reporters never saw Fred in action as he lunched with members of his informal fan club (it included former Provost Luc Vinet, former Dean of Graduate Studies Martha Crago and former Libraries Director Frances Groen), but stu­ dents today can see the results of this approach.

Fred saved the study day between classes and exams. He helped usher in extended library hours and the Redpath Information Commons. He worked to improve academic advising, increase stu­ dent-professor interaction and implement

I

the recommendations of the Boyer Report on Undergraduate Education. He was a member of the most cohesive (though by no means monolithic) SSMU executive in memory. And unlike other student politi­ cians, he had faith in McGill's ability to change from within.

I thought Fred was amazing. Though we had both been Tribune reporters, and both perfected the double victory lap, I only felt comfortable praising him on newsprint. Here's what I wrote in September 2003, when Naeem Datoo's resignation left the SSMU presidency vacant: "There is one who could end the Shatner crisis, but he is indisposed: former Vice President University Affairs Fred Sagel, although returned as a hirsute U1 Science student, is too busy with linear algebra to be SSMU's Barbarossa." (Full disclosure: I once wore a homemade "Fred Sagel for President" t-shirt to a Council meeting.)

After we left SSMU, I saw him less, but learned more about him. I did have him over for dinner last summer, though. He talked about hiking in the Presidential Range, his newfound interest in Lenin's works, his modern European history course and the possibility of working in West Africa. Around midnight, a group of us took our Bailey's-spiked coffees outside for the walk back to the Westmount apartment where he was staying. As we strolled along Sherbrooke, I thought that maybe our friendship would solidify. Now that chance is gone.

Nevertheless, I'm lucky to have known this man. Most of us give the world only what we have to, but Fred gave it what he had. We at McGill owe him a great debt for gracing us with a mind so great and a heart so warm* We'll miss you, Fred. ■ James Grohsgai, Law 7, is a former Tribune news editor.

t's the first truly sunny Saturday afternoon this year and I’m sitting on St. Denis indulging in OF Johnny Walker Black, gaz­ ing out across a huge pothole spanning what used to be the road, the result of a contstruction project gone awry. I smell spring in the air, I taste water in my whisky, but in the asphalt, rubble and upended steel girders in the street, I see a metaphor for Canada's manhood. Simply put, the road to manliness is gone.

This sight reminds me of Ted, of the famous Canadian Tire demo-mercials as the solar-panel-powered battery charger, the instant motor-boat-fuel-spill-prevention-funnel and other such cleverly constructed but ultimately un-purchase-worthy devices. Well, the man has been hung out on his own power-tool rack. Canadian Tire has conduct­ ed many focus groups and discovered that even Canada, quite tolerant of the mediocre, has grown tired of this "average" family and their quest for tools to fit every home improvement scenario.

It's not as if he couldn't see it coming.

Maclean's published a special issue several months ago on the decline of male Canadian archetypes, devoting a section to Canada's Tim Allen-on-timbits. Ted, it seems, is the most recent devolution of the mythical Canadian man-Pioneer, Coureur de Bois, cowboy, mountie. Stalwart, all-natural, and sometimes angry, he marched through the great Canadian history pageant with a can-do attitude and the mountain-bred, fresh-air fed sinews to do it. But Ted. is somehow the end result: a boy forever trying to show off his toys, endlessly obsessed with being the Jones whose collection nobody can keep up with.

Ted's wimpiness is emblematic of today's males. Boys are increasingly restless and unable to pass the tests provided by our education system, female-to-male university

I

enrolment is now 58-to-42 and the frequen­ cy of male suicide and depression is also ris­ ing.

Moreover, more and more men are feel­ ing incapable of attracting the opposite gen­ der, which has led to an industry of books like The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society o f Pickup Artists and online self-help dating pro­

grams to flourish. Ted's love life, from what we see, coincides with this trend. As time has passed his wife, once content to smile nattily as her husband one-ups the neigh­ bours, has since usurped his role as lord of the tool shed. After fixing something with the doo-hickey of the week, she was last seen riding off with Ted's all-terrain-vehicle, forcing our despised tool-boy to walk. Just as Ted's has been effectively rendered a greedy, hap­ less child by the threat his wife poses to his toys, many adult males still see themselves as inadequate little boys, uncertain of how to take the steps to becoming full-grown men.

Men have been aware that they’re "soft­ er” than the generations that preceded them ever since Homer first sang of heroes who "picked up stones no two men today could carry." And perhaps ours is a time too com­ plex for the old-style male ideal; after all, the patriarchal father-figure, a brooding stoic steeped in effortless macho style, has since become the awkward, huffing buffoon of the eighties and nineties. Either way, the solution to this dilemma certainly won't come from Canada's national hardware outlet: its new campaign is geared to draw more attention to the unisex sin of coveting thy neighbour's goods-its most recent ad features a young suburban family peeking enviously over the backyard fence. The cavernous pothole beyond their driveway, just like the gaping emptiness that today's males feel because they are unable to truly become “men," are holes our consumerist culture cannot begin to fill. ■

Kleinium

Making tough decisions on Canadian health care JONATHAN KLEIN raduation is fast approaching for most of McGill's U3s, marking the end of four years of assignments, labs and exams. Now is also a time to reflect on accomplish­ ments and changes achieved since we arrived as bright-eyed freshmen. It also means looking to the future, a frightening concept for many, and trying to decide what to do with our lives.

Some science students, including me, are looking to careers in medicine. This involves a long, harrowing applica­ tions process, followed by (hopefully) an even longer and more harrowing stint in medical school. While deciding whether to pursue this path, and then while writing applica­ tion essays, I found myself thinking more and more about what health care in Canada could look like in five or 10 years.

It could be markedly different than it is now.

The government of Canada has recently engaged in much introspection on health care. Roy Romanow's 2002 report recognized that Canadians greatly value our current system, and will not accept a purely private model. The report also emphasized that changing demographic realities—like an aging population-mean that changes will be necessary.

G

Health care remains a hot-button electoral issue and in June 2005, the Supreme Court of Canada overturned a Quebec law banning private health insurance, citing long wait times and other inefficiencies in the public system as making some private options necessary.

So if the system is broken, how do we fix it? Like pretty much everything, the answer boils down to money. Reducing waiting times would require large investments of money, from all levels of government, for new facilities, personnel, equipment and more.

For many people, government intervention is the only option, and they lobby for transfer payments and an increased focus on health care. But this option would mean putting funds for other services like public transport and post­ secondary education on the back burner. Unless taxes are raised, more money for health care means less for other serv­ ices.

Another suggestion is to allow private facilities to oper­ ate alongside a strong public system. Adherents of this vision point to the SCOC decision as accepting greater input from private care. This system could follow a two-tiered model,

where people pay extra for private care. Or, private facilities could provide only a limited selection of services (elective surgeries, for example).

To me, maintaining a purely public health care system is ideal, since it guarantees equitable access for everyone.

However, the primary goal of any system must be to guaran­ tee the quality that Canadians expect and deserve. Where people's health is at stake, considerations of real-world per­ formance trump considerations of ideals, and remaining wed­ ded to a public-only model in light of more efficient ones puts people at risk. Principles may need to be compromised to ensure that people get the best possible service.

The future of health care in Canada is not a new issue, nor is it likely to be resolved in the immediate future. But the foremost concern must be the quality of care given to patients. We must then balance the ideal, of a public system with other government services we value and our willingness to accept more taxes. The solution that emerges may not be the one we would most like to see. But if it's the best way to keep people alive and well, then I hope we are responsible enough to accept it. ■

G uest so a p

I M c G ill T rib u n e Vol. 25, Issue 24 Editor-in-Chief Liz Allemang editor@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Jennifer Jett Andrew Segal seniored@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Robert Church James Gotowiec Niall Mackay Roberts news@mcgilltribune.com Features Editors Genevieve Jenkins Cristina Markham features@mcgilltribune.com A&E Editors Ben Lemieux Melissa Price arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors David Blye Adam Myers sports@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editors Lukas Bergmark Vladimir Eremin photo@mcgilltribune.com

ANDREW LADD

Women can be sexist, too

hope I wasn't the only one to notice the irony in the Features section of last week's issue. How is it that Genevieve Jenkins can spend half a page complaining about the negative messages contained in Cosmo and yet still unleash an offensive whopper of her own in the very same spread?

Jenkins wrote that "Men are will­ ing to marry a woman of lower IQ and/or socioeconomic status if she is good-looking." Please explain to me how this fails to further push women into "that realm of base competition where looks are the single most important thing and a unique identity is irrelevant," and can be construed as anything other than sexist drivel against men.

I realize that discrimination against men is not exactly the biggest problem facing the world these days, but that's no excuse to publish state­ ments that paint all men, in the broad­ est strokes possible, as sex-obsessed douchebags who will disregard all but the most heinous personal flaws in their quest to bang a hot chick. It's insulting to men and—as Jenkins astutely points out—makes life unpleasant for women, who have to waste countless hours worrying not only about their appearance, but about the idea that their boyfriends are perpetually on the verge of cheat­ ing on them.

I'm not going to pretend that looks aren't important in choosing

I

who to date (for men or for women), but the implication that any man would happily go out with a dumb-ass just because of her cup size is one of the most vacuous pieces of pseudo­ journalism I've seen since high school.

As for socio-economic status affecting dating choices, I am left almost speechless. I assume Jenkins is referring to studies that suggest you are more likely to end up marrying someone with an SES similar to your own, but if so, she completely misun­ derstands them.

The point of such studies is not that people consciously reject poten­ tial partners for being of lower socio­ economic status—rather, they reveal that if you have a high SES, you're unlikely to meet too many people with a low SES, and won't end up marrying them because you travel in different circles. Using such studies to suggest that all men consciously weigh up a potential partner's bank balance in deciding who to marry (and are happy to "settle" for a poor­ er woman who is also good-looking) is outrageous.

I agree that the culture surround­ ing dating these days is a pretty unhealthy one, and it deserves thoughtful criticism. But offhand gen­ eralizations about what men or women "are like" aren't going to help anyone, and have no place in articles that masquerade as progressive. ■

the mcgill tribune | 13.3.06 | opinion

DARK HUMOUR

9

by j a m i e G o o d m a n

MORE C A R T O O N MADNESS

Andrew Ladd is in U3 Sociology

Copy Editor Traci Johnson copy@mcgilltribune.com

Letters. Letters. I love ya, letters.

You’re only a page a-waaaaaaaaaaaaay.

Design Editors Matt Campbell Tiffany Choy Geneviève Friesen design@mcgilltribune.com Online Editor Marco Avolio online@mcgilltriburie.com

Flip to page I ! to read some screed.

Advertising Manager Paul Slachta advmgr@ssmu.mcgill.ca Publisher Chad Ronalds

OFF THE BOARD

W here has the Daily been?

Ad Typesetter Rieh Choe ONLINE at www.mcgilltribune.com Contributors Daniel Amin, Mohit Arora, Jennifer Bartoli, Tessa Blanchfield, Crystal Chan, Jamie Goodman, Jonathan Klein, Marit Mitchell, Oliver Nguyen, Julie Peters, Aaron Sigal, Katherine Spirgen, Rich Tseng, James Young

Tribune Offices Editorial. Shatner University Centre, Suite 110, 3 4 8 0 McTavish, M ontreal Q C Tel: 514 .398 .67 89 Fax. 514.398.1750 Advertising. Brown Student Building, Suite 1200, 3 6 0 0 McTavish, M ontreal Q C

H 3 A 1Y2

Tel. 514 .3 9 8 .6 8 0 6 Fax. 5 1 4 .398 .74 90

An d r e w s e g a l

In what might also seem surprising, I unequiv­ his is something that may surprise you: I don't hate the Daily. While some people—at both ocally support the Daily in this regard. I think there papers—may see a feud between the two prin­ is great value in having an independent press on ciple English-language voices on campus, I don't. In campus, and I think that SSMU should respect the fact, t read the Daily cover to cover every time it Dailÿs autonomy and freedom of the press— comes out. And it was in reading the March 6 edi­ although I don’t think, as Rosenfeld does, that press tion of the paper that I noticed an article by Daily ■freedom extends to not having your fridge News Editor Liam Churchill entitled "Daily staffers searched.

But in light of the Dailys justified defence of forced from Shatner office."

The article detailed how, last Saturday at about freedom of the press, I'm compelled to ask a sim­ 1:30 a m , SSMU security "forcefully ejected" Daily ple question: Does the Daily feel press freedom editors and staffers, who were working on the applies only to it, or does the concept of autonomy paper's production night, from the office. Churchill apply to other publications as well? While one might reported that Jesse Rosenfeld, a Daily staff member think that the Daily, which advocates for students' who was "forcibly removed" from Shatner, protest­ rights and is a voice for the voiceless, would support ed his ejection. Rosenfeld declared that SSMU secu­ other newspapers against intrusion from on high, its rity's actions and the building’s after-hours access actions this year have exposed an inconsistency between its words and its actions. policy undermine freedom of the press.

During the first semester of this year, the "It is a complete violation of freedom of the Tribune came before the Media Board, a SSMU press when SSMU sends in security to remove a reporter from a newspaper office," Churchill quoted committee, as a result of complaints brought Rosenfeld as saying. "It is an encroachment of free­ against two columns it printed. The SSMU equity dom of the press if they have the right to go through commissioner was also called upon to adjudicate, deemed these articles offensive, and mandated that our offices... and go through our fridge."

T

the Tribune take specific actions. Last month, the Tribune was dragged before SSMU Council when Council presented a motion to censure the paper's editor-in-chief, effectively censoring the paper.

Any reasonable observer would see these actions as intruding upon its editorial autonomy and freedom of the press. But did the Daily come to the Trib's defence? Far from it. Instead, it ran sensation­ alists articles about the SSMU investigation, colum­ nist Brandon Chudleigh's identity and the content of his prose. Following the censure debate, the Daily reported on the story, but offered no opinion as to the wrong-headedness of SSMU intervention in the Tribune's affairs.

Many times, this paper's editorial board has disagreed with Daily views and policies, but last year, we wrote an editorial supporting the Daily when its autonomy was put in jeopardy by a fee opt-out referendum. The Daily hasn't even come close to returning the favour.

Unfortunately, it seems that for the Daily, as for so many others groups and individuals on campus, free speech only applies when a view is popular or when the speech suits one's ideology. ■

The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University, in collaboration with the Tribune Publication Society. Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@mcgilltribune.com, and must include the contributor's name, program and year, and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication 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 the 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.

10

opinion | 13.3.06 | the mcgill tribune Learn a b o u t th e latest g r e e n p ro jects a t McGill.

E n g a g e in d ia lo g u e with th e M aster Plan Task Force regarding your vision o f c a m p u s 2 0 y ea rs in th e future,

L e tte rs t o th e e d ito r Wrapping up loose ends Your editorial states ("Fighting a culture of repression, defending a culture of repression, 14.2.06) that a student newspaper should be free to express its opinions, and that it will undoubtedly be unagreeable to some in the process: agree. It later states that students who disagree with an arti­ cle should write editorials in response to foster campus discussion: agree. It later notes that "opin­ ions should not be repressed simply because they are unpopular": disagree.

After reading "Muslims need to change their attitoon,” (7.2.06) I was not only disgusted but thoroughly disheartened by the way some people choose to "express" their views. Since when does expressing one’s opinion have to be in such derogatory and disrespectful way? It is not a matter of repressing unpopular beliefs, it is a matter of being decent and respectful when delivering such viewpoints.

Opinions should not be repressed when there are substantiated, especially on a university campus where we are encouraged to participate in con­ structive dialogue. But "Muslims need to change their attitoon" is no such example. When an article uses offensive language such as "...all of a sudden its fatwa fucking fever,” its author fails to recognize the number of peaceful dialogues that have taken place in order to explain the outrage around these cartoons and nonchalantly makes hasty generaliza­ tions about an entire nation of people being violent because of the irresponsible acts of some, repres­ sion would be strongly encouraged.

Amanie Antar U1 Education

The Trib has no clue, part one Contraversialist-extraordinaire Ben Lemieux’s latest offering in A&E, "Clubbed seals sell records" (7.3.06) is one of the most impressively ignorant and pseudo-sensationalist articles to ever grace the pages of the Tribune (and the competition’s been pretty tough lately). Let alone the fact that the sub­ ject of celebrities getting involved in politics or char­ ity to presumably serve their own needs has been clubbed to death years ago, the article suffers from acute journalistic irresponsibility and the irrepress­ ible drive of the writer to generalize and condemn blindly.

First off, comparing McCartney's innocent (but, granted, extremely silly and misguided) recent campaign to Bono's ongoing and relentless cam­ paign against poverty and AIDS is a huge mistake.

While I do not doubt the sincerity of Sir Paul's inten­ tions, the campaign did end up being little less than a publicity stunt. On the other hand, a bit of research into Bono's case would show that U2's inner relationships have been very tense because of his political activity, delayed How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb significantly, and nearly broke the band up.

Let's face it: Political activism doesn't sell shit.

There are much cheaper, simpler, and lessdemanding ways to attract media attention, like, say a male pop singer screwing a guy in a public wash­ room. What celebrities have over the workers at "Meals on Wheels” is a multi-million member audi­ ence. They have the natural charisma and convinc­ ingness that got them where they are in the first place. So the little percentage that is actually affect­ ed by their activism translates into a lot more heads. And the rest are probably pretty annoyed.

Nikita Ourazbaev U t Cultural Studies

Trib has no clue, part deux The McGill Tribune did a tremendous disservice

to students in its publishing of a set of lies about me in last week's Tribune. Firstly, I did respond to their requests for an interview. They chose not to print my response (which did not directly address their questions, but explained why). Secondly, I wrote quite clearly that my refusal to answer their questions was out of opposition to their apparent dislike for journalistic integrity. Thus, the accusation

of my "hostility to journalism" is misleading at best and borders on libel. Thirdly, I was never presented with the option of answering the McGill-related triv­ ia questions. To say I didn't respond to the ques­ tions is a blatant lie.

Appropriately, in so misinforming students, the Tribune provided the example of why I would not treat them as a journalistic source on campus.

Throughout the year they have consistently shown themselves to be more a tabloid than a newspaper, and to treat them otherwise would have been wrong of me. I have been limited in words for this letter, so I encourage you to read my reasoning for accusations of anti-journalism in this past week's Daily, or email me.

As to my platform, I encourage all students to check out my posting on Agora, my interviews with journalists on campus or to email me directly at maxwell.silverman@mail.mcgill.ca. Also, next year feel free to call me in my office at any time, at 3986798. I want to emphasize, I have nothing to hide, and want nothing more than an informed student electorate and an engaged student body. You would have known this if the Tribune had printed my response. Sadly, they chose not to and instead-in classic form-presented you with lies, libel, and content befitting a tabloid.

Max Silverman Arts Rep to SSMU 2005-06 Vice-President External 2006-07

Max has no clue, part one After having read Max Silverman's Hyde Park in the March 9 edition of the McGill Daily, I was could­ n't help but laugh. Digging himself into an even deeper hole, he'll probably be reaching China sometime soon. But that's beside the point.

Refusing to answer to The McGill Tribune because of their so-called tabloid tendencies is ridiculous. Answering to the real tabloid-paper on campus (need I remind students the Daily had once accused the Muslim Students Association of funding al-Qaeda) was just plain stupid. Holding a— pitifully acclaimed-position of VP external, Silverman's priority should be communicating with the student body. Using only one venue, its evident he won't be doing a very good job.

Just for his blatant disrespect towards the Tribune, I would encourage this newspaper to refuse to provide any coverage for his future work.

For the sake of the student body, and his.

The 5 t h Annual Rethink C onference:

fHEFUTUREISNOW Friday March 17 9:00 am-5:00 pm NewResidence Hall BallroomA > To register online, go to mcgili.ca/rethink or RSVP at 398-6247.

CONFERENCE OUTLINE: > Part I; Environmental initiatives at McGill > Part II: Seeing the Mure togeitier- the University Master Plan REGISTRATION: > There is no cfarge for the event, but a penalty of $10 will be levied for no-shows to cover the cost of refreshments. > Spaces are lim itai, therefore please reserve early.

First come, first served! > The Rethink Forum is an initiative by tie Subcommittee on the Environment, working group of the Senate Committee on Pliysical Development (SCPD).

PRESENTATIONS BY: > Dr. Morty Yalovsky, Vice-Principal, Administration and Finance > John GruzIesW, Chair, Master Ran Task Force > Jeanne M. Wolfe, School of Urban Planning > > > >

McGill Sub-Committee on Environment Greening McGill Gorilla Composting SSMU Environmental Committee

5 PGSS Environmental Council > Sustainable McGill Project

James Richards U3 IDS

Max has no clue, part deux Incoming Vice President External Max Silverman should not be wasting his time on debates of semantics. In his Hyde Park in the March 9 issue of the McGill Daily, Silverman states that it is a "baseless accusation" to say that he "refused to respond to the requests of the Tribune for an inter­ view." But in his email to the Tribune published together with the Hyde Park, Silverman states that he "will not respond to the questions posed by The McGill Tribune'.'

If that is not a refusal to respond, then what is it? By saying that he refused to answer their ques­ tions, the Tribune did not publish "lies," as he accus­ es, but instead told the truth. And while Silverman accuses the Tribune of being "libellous" in his Hyde Park, by misstating facts about the Tribune, he him­ self is being libellous.

Regardless of what Silverman personally thinks of the Tribune, students turn to it for information on what their elected representatives have to say on issues important to them. They will continue to do so during his term as VP external. If he hopes to be an effective representative of the student body, Silverman should work towards constructive com­ munication with the campus press, instead of this futile argument about what was clearly a refusal to answer the questions he was asked.

Laura Saba BA V5 Tribune News Editor, 2004-2005

Questions? Comments? Phone (514) 398-6247 or email rethink@ mcgii.ca.

To learn more about what we do, visit our website at w w w .m cgill.ca/rettiink

M c G ill

»LiM âÆ æI& ’-ftj , .*VZ

S c ie n c e

U n d e rg ra d u a te

S o c ie ty

E le c tio n s

2

0

0

5

Vote for science online at www.electionsmcglll.ca between March 18 and March 2 2 nd!

The highlight o f m y under* g ra d u a te d e g re e h a s b e e n g e ttin g

involved

w ith

th e

i n

i

your

re tu rn in g

P resid en t

Spencer Ng

W h a t's up? My n a m e Is M ike

Hey S cience! I'm Liti G ao

Looking fo r a VP ACADEMIC.

D upuis. H ere’s w h a t I b rin g

and

to

P re s id e n t.

Vice*

Finance,

I have

t h e ta b le : My prim ary

— ■

I n

a c c e s s ib le a n d to

7,000o rg a n iz atio n in to a $ 90,000 one- i have recovered $ 17,000 o f lost

a H

grow n a $

H

you,

I’m

ru n n in g fo r SLfS As th e current

s i te ,

u ltim a te ly leading

sp e a rh e a d e d

w h o 's

s tu d e n t, Eventually, w e will

sp o n la h e o u s

and

O tto

can

S te w a rt

B io,

m o st

G reen W eek a n d re v a m p e d

M aass

of

th e a n n u a l C harity Fair t o

b a d ly

ra is e

5000.

B urnside b a s e m e n t, lo ts o f

t h e ir

o p tio n s

w ith

re s p e c t to th e ir n e e d s a n d

m o re

th a n

$

b e fe ein g g ra d u a tio n , w ith

b e tw e e n

s t u d e n t s t o b e m o re a w a re

and lit

d in n e rs

in

th e

a b io c h e m istry

t h e im m in e n t d e c is io n s th a t

S o m e o n e w h o enjoys

lo n g w a lk s

SUS

1 am

and

■ do!

V o lu n tee r P la c e m e n t w e b ­

re s p o n s iv e

My n a m e is S am T orontour,

5’6" . N on-sm oker. S o m e o n e p a s s io n a te a b o u t w h a t th ey

VP E xternal, ! in itia te d th e

fo c u s Is m ak in g SUS m o re

SUS a n d w ork in g for you. As

Sam Torontour

Liti Gao

Mike Dupuis

Jason Chan

V P A C A D E M IC

V P A C A D E M IC

P R E S ID E N T

P R E S ID E N T

P R E S ID E N T

__ _______________

in tim id a te c a p a b le

T he

SU S

even

th e

in d iv id u a ls.

o rg a n iz e s

p ro ­

g ra m s t o h e lp s tu d e n ts ori­

s tu d e n t fu n d s. This m o n ey is n o w a ll co m in g bac k to

c o n c e rn s re la tin g t o t h e Faculty o f S cien c e, i w o u ld

N ext y ea r, I w o u ld like t o s e e a m o re e n v iro n m e n ­

m e e tin g s a n d exciting p ap e rw o rk . S o m e o n e w h o h a s

e n ta te th e m s e lv e s ac a d e m ic a lly a n d p re p a re fo r th e

y o u . f a m cu rren tly m axim izing t h e fu n d s d e p a rt­

lik e SUS to

m e d ia to r

tally re s p o n s ib le SUS, im p ro v e c o m p u te r la b sp a c e ,

ex p e rien c e in p a s t re la tio n sh ip s involving ac ad e m ic

fu tu re . As VP A cadem ic, it will b e m y priv ileg e to

m e n ts receive, a s w ell a s s trea m lin in g th e ir finances

b e tw e e n all th e

d e p a r tm e n ts , in th e h o p e s o f cre­

e x p a n d t h e n ew FIGS p ro g ra m a n d fu rth e r p ro m o te

w ork on FUSS is preferable. S o m e o n e w h o is w illing

w o rk o n y o u r b e h a lf o rg a n iz in g a n d cre a tin g p ro ­

fo r tra n s p a re n c y a n d accountability. As P re s id e n t, my

a tin g

s tu d e n ts .

u n d e r g ra d u a te re s e a rc h . In a d d itio n t o m y e x p e ri­

to : In c rea se S cience stu d y s p a c e a n d h o u rs , M ake

g ra m s , a n d t o b e y our v o ic e l a th e university. My

g o a ls a r e s tre n g th e n in g p ro fe sso r-stu d e n t re la tio n ­

C o o p e ra tio n w ith SSMU a n d t h e D ean o f S tu d e n ts

e n c e , I’m d e d ic a te d , e n th u s ia s tic a n d s u p e r friendly.

p e e r a d v is in g m o re inform ative a n d ac c e ssib le , Lobby

c o n c e rn is for y o u a s s tu d e n ts , a n d t will em p lo y ail

s h ip s , centralizing c o u rse ad v isin g , m aking SUS m o re

will b e v ital in b u ild in g u p o n t h e tra d itio n s t h a t w e

So c o m e a n d ta lk t o m e! 3 w o u ld love t o h e a r y o u r

fo r m o re o n lin e lec tu re re co rd in g s, o rg a n iz e a n d bring

o f m y e x p e rie n c e a n d re s o u rc e s t o h e lp y o u g e t th e

a c c e ss ib le , finishing re n o v atin g B urnside b a s e m e n t,

enjoy. S o if yo u d o n 't know , THIS IS MIKE!

c o m m e n ts a b o u t Im p ro v in g t h e u n d e r g ra d u a te sci­

all th e in form ation I n e e d o n g ra d u a te a n d p ro fes­

m o s t o u t o f y o u r a c a d e m ic e x p e rie n c e a t McGill.

a n d im proving ex a m in a tio n sc h e d u lin g (to n a m e a

e n c e e x p e rie n c e a n d m ak in g t h e SUS m o re a c c e s s i­

s io n a l

few ). Take control? Vote ja s o n fo r P resident!

b le for you!

S p en ce r VPA cadem k® votezfm e.SU S!

m o re

becom e a

m o te efficient

o p p o rtu n itie s

fo r s c ie n c e

Hey S cie n c e , m y n a m e is Jeff. Pm a U B iochem istry

Crim inal R ecord: P re sid e n t

o f VP E xternal. ! w o u ld like

s t u d e n t w ith

D e d ic atio n . P assio n . This is

of

w hat

w ith

P u n is h m e n t: VP

en su re

in

2

p e rfe c t

p ro s p e c tiv e

VP EXTERNAL

External.

In tern al can b e -su m m ed up

her

a t:

Jeff Smirle

Nahid Punjani Crime.-

t h o s e a r o u n d h er, m ak in g

me

Rime Salmi

Hussein jaffer E verything ,1 c a n offer a s VP

for

E-m ail

Hi, m y n a m e is R im e a n d I'm ru n n in g fo r th e p o s itio n

Gen Friesen

tim e s

In te r e s te d ?

VP EXTERNAL

G en n o t only lo v e s a, g o o d tim e , s h e a d o r e s w o rk in g to good

4

VP EXTERNAL

V P IN T E R N A L

V P IN T E R N A L

p ro g ra m s !

3

w o rd s:

E x p erien ce .

1 love d o in g :

o rg a n iz­

R unning

FUSS.

for

SUS.

2

H as

in te ra c te d

t o t a k e n e w le a d e rs h ip to

frie n d s.

and

a tte n d e d

t h e S cien c e U n d e rg ra d u ate

m any

SU S

72 F aceb o o k

I p a rtic ip a te cam pus

in

a c tiv itie s

VP in te rn a l. This inclin atio n

in g s u c c e s s fu l e v e n ts , a n d

th e ir m e e tin g s. M otive: As

S ociety. W hat I will d o is

in c lu d in g

led G en to F rosh Lead for th e p a s t tw o y e a rs , a n d

le a d in g s tu d e n t t e a m s to c r e a t e e n d l e s s m e m o rie s

ac tin g link from sc ie n c e t o th e university, t h o p e to

b rin g m o re o p p o rtu n itie s t o all o f y o u s c ie n c e s t u d e n ts

a n d p lay o n m u ltip le in tra ­ m u ral s p o r ts te a m s .

I will

b e c o m e a c o o rd in a to r for

t h a t y o u m ay o r m ay n o t

expand

to

b u ild

g re a t

2006. it's

v o lu n te e r

and

get

g re a t

e x p e rie n c e s

F ro sh ,

on

a il

C arnival,

th e

re s e a rc h o p p o u rtu n itle s for u n d e tg ra d s , esp e cially

w ith v a r io u s e x te rn a l o rg a n is m s ,

i will m a k e s u re

e v e n ts th a t th e SUS p u ts o n , a s w ell a s im p le m e n t

to w a rd s lab o ra to ry re search ex p e rien c e. At t h e sa m e

th a t n o t on ly y o u h a v e a c c e s s t o t h e b e s t o f w h a t

a fe w id e a s o f m y o w n . D ur s c h o o l h a s re ceiv e d th e

“60 Big }

tim e , ! will c o n tin u e t o p ro fe s s th e s tu d e n t voice,

M o n trea l h a s t o b rin g t o y o u r e d u c a tio n b u t th a t

s h o rt e n d o f th e s tic k in t h e p re s s t h i s y e a r s o Pd

th e ir re p u ta tio n in t h e McGill co m m unity, a s w ell a s

Go H om e." Now I w o u ld like th e o p p o rtu n ity t o lea d

a n d e n s u r e t h a t th e is s u e s o f sc ie n c e a re h e a rd uni­

y o u a r e a w a re o f t h e s e a n d th a t y o u d o t a k e a d v a n ­

like t o in c re a s e p o s itiv e publicity fo r McGill s t u ­

fo s te rin g g re a te r in te rd e p a rtm e n ta l co m m u n ica tio n .

t h e SUS t o an u n p re c e d e n te d y e a r - S cien c e k id s

versity w id e , I will c o n tin u e b ra n c h o u t t o th e com ­

ta g e o f th e m . ASI y o u h a v e t o d o is v o te fo r Rime!

d e n ts .

(S h e is a ls o s in g le , lo v e s Indian fo o d a n d h e r p e r

k n o w h o w t o p a rty - it's a b o u t tim e w e p ro v e it.

m unity th ro u g h charity a n d fu n d raisin g a n d y e t ag a in

For th e b e s t o f w h a t's o u t th e re .

d riv e n ex t y e a r by w ork in g c o n stru c tiv e ly w ith all

A b s o lu te O lym pics: S c ie n c e C arnival

her

re m e m b er. !'ve C o o rd in a te d t h e in sa n ity o f C arnival

2 y e a rs a n d

p rio rity to c o n tin u e th e tra d itio n o f fa n ta s tic SUS

th e p a s t

c a n ’t w a it t o ta k e Frosh a n d

e v e n ts like Frosh a n d C arnival b y s tre n g th e n in g

C arnival t o a w h o le new lev el - th e y s a y

fe e t d a t e is d rin k s o n a S t, D enis p a tio follow ed by

s triv e t o m ain tain a trad itio n o f a n am a zin g ‘R ed &

a lo n g w alk h o m e .)

W hite B ali' for o u r g ra d s . V erdict; Your choice.

p a rtie s in v o lv ed . V ote Jeff!

V P F IN A N C E

V P F IN A N C E

V P F IN A N C E

V P F IN A N C E

V P F IN A N C E

I a ls o w a n t t o e n s u r e a s u c c e s s fu l b lo o d

Adam Parent

Ernest Hon

Radoslaw Kaminski

Belinda Kong

Kathleen Lorenzo

G r e e tin g s ,

is

R ad o slaw K am inski. Alw ays

My n a m e is B elinda Kong

I'm K a th le en L orenzo, a VP

W hen

Calgary,

a n d I a m ru n n in g for V.P.

F in a n ce c a n d id a te . I’m o u t ­

t h e b e a c h , h ittin g th e gym

bio

th e r e , a lw a y s c o m m itte d , o n e g o a l in m ind: s e rv in g

fin an c e. My e x p e rie n c e a s

g o in g ,

a

S c ie n c e . B eing VP fin a n c e

p re s id e n t a n d e x e cu tiv e o f

e x p e rie n c e d .

g o o d b a c k g ro u n d in m a n ­

will allow m e t o d o w h a t I

s e v e ra l

e x e c u tiv e

a g e m e n t,

co m ­

love t o d o , m a n a g e fu n d s

V o lu n te e rin g

m anagem ent

E rn e st A lb erta m ajo r

My

H on

nam e

fro m

and

I am

stu d e n t,

a

i have

and

have

c o m m i t te e s and

tike

C harity

p o s itio n s

stro llin g

d ow n

and

o r p lay in g g u ita r a t Time

h e ld

S q u a re , y o u m ight find m e

in

in

r e s p o n s ib l e , I’v e

not

a

B u rn s id e

b a s e m e n t,

n u m b e r o f clu b s in hig h

b u rn in g t h e

cu rren tly

My n a m e is A dam P are n t

VP F inance o f FUSS.

a n d l w a n t t o b e y o u r VP

a n d m a k e s u re t h a t n o t o n e

C o m m ittee, McGill Faculty

s c h o o l, a n d

m inor. As y o u r VP F inance, i

penny o f your

goes

o f S c ie n c e C o m m ittee, a n d

th e

will e n s u r e th a t y o u r fu n d s

to

g re a t

th e O rigam i C lub h a s p ro ­

N ot fam iliar w ith w h a t a VP.

F inance fo r t h e u p c o m in g

p ro je c ts s u c h a s A cadem ia w e ek , Frosh a n d C arnival.

v id e d m e w ith first h a n d e x p e rie n c e in fin an c in g a n d

fin a n c e d o e s ? W elt, if you e le c t m e a s y o u r SUS VP

a c a d e m ic year. My m iss io n s t a te m e n t I s U s te n a n d

F inance, I’d m a k e s u re t h e SUS b u d g e t can b e n e fit

Act. I w a n t t o m a k e th e c h a n g e s t h a t y o u w a n t a n d

all sc ie n c e s t u d e n t s .

N eed a n o th e r re a s o n b e fo re l

m o re im p o rtan tly m a k e th e c h a n g e s w e n e e d t o

p le te d

my

will b e p ro p e rly s p e n t t o b e s t se rv e y o u r in te re s ts .

w a s te .

7. 50$

O rganize

I h a v e e x p e rie n c e a s a n exec in a n u m b e r o f s tu d e n t

I w ill m a k e y o u r d o lla rs g o fu rth e r a t t h e s e e v e n ts

m a n a g e m e n t.

o rg a n iz a tio n s a n d c lu b s. A cco u n tab ility a n d efficacy

s o S cien c e s t u d e n t s g e t m o re . B eing a VP in th e

$

a r e m y d o c trin e s ; w hich m e a n s th a t I’H g e t s tu ff

S tu d e n t

my

re d u c e th is n u m b e r th ro u g h t h e s e e k in g o f e x te rn al

can c o n v in c e yo u th a t Pm t h e p erfec t p e rs o n fo r th e

m a k e t h e s c ie n c e faculty t h e b e s t d e p a rtm e n t o n

done

o f lim ited

in v o lv e m e n t a t McGill g iv es m e t h e e x p e rie n c e I

fu n d in g via s p o n s o rs h ip s a n d fu n d ra isin g , t h a v e

iob? S’il g iv e yo u tw o .

c a m p u s.

re s o u rc e s . If y o u w a n t t h e m o st o u t y o u r m oney,

n e e d t o a s s u m e a ll t h e re s p o n s ib ilitie s . Your Vote

d o n e it in th e p a s t a n d I will b e a b le t o d o it ag a in .

A nd if Pm e le c te d , I w ork fo r yo u (th in k o f t h e p o s ­

th e re ’s on ly o n e c h o ic e.

c o u n ts . M ake it c o u n t fo r K am inski.

V ote fo r a B, g et a n A!

sib ilities).

right

and

m ake th e

best

out

V P C O M M U N IC A T IO N S

Union o f John A b b o tt Co lieg e a n d

V P C O M M U N IC A T IO N S

This is S tory a il a b o u t how , my

n in g for VP com m unications

f l ip p e d - tu r n e d

u p s id e

d o w n . I’d

ta k e

council

for

2006-

SUS

exceeds

I like m o n ey (w ho d o e s n 't? ).

S S M U REPRESENTATIVE

y e a r,

like t o

S alut!

got a

I’m

ru n n in g

for

Sapna Srivastava Hey

Guys!

My

nam e

is

Science rep b ec au se I feet

like h o c u s p o c u s t o a large

SSMU R ep for SUS! I'm from

th a t

s lic e

tra d itio n a lly

M o n trea l a n d I'm a U i in

experience can b e s t serve

politically a p a th e tic sc ie n c e

A na to m y a n d Cell Biology.

S cience s tu d e n ts . This p ast

s t u d e n t s . Yet a lot o f is s u e s

T he jo b o f a SSMU R ep is to

SSMU

is

w h e re

my

of

us

m in u te ju s t right s it right

w h e n I a m n o t in th e

4th

a g o o d VP Com for your

year, i s a t o n SSMU council

d isc u sse d

floor cubicles

Duff

year! in w e s t C algary b o m

as

a ro u n d

building, f enjoy exercising,

a n d ra is e d , in t h e s cien c e

w atching m ovies a n d just relaxing w ith friends. I h o p e I ca n c o n trib u te to council next y ea r a n d h elp m a k e th e com m unication

o u ts id e o f sc h o o l. ! p u lled up t o McGill w ith my

inter-R ez

to

g e n e ra l council an d

g iv e

th em

C om m unication & E vents com m ittee a n d SSPN, a s well

n itin ), A+, tu itio n , ro o m b o o k in g fo r c lu b s , e tc . As a

m e e tin g s . I fe e l th a t i w o u ld b e a w e s o m e fo r th is

a s on S tu d e n t Athletics Council. In a d d itio n , I h av e

Ü

jo b b e c a u s e I’v e b e e n a p a r t o f lo ts o f d u b s a n d

to s it o n m y th ro n e a s VP C om fo r next year!!! VOTE

th em a n d a d d t o their ex p eriences a t McGill. S ee you

RITU MOD!

on

go

m e e tin g s

us

m axin' relaxing ait co o l, a n d s o lv in g s o m e p ro b lem s

in th e n u m erous ev e n ts an d o p p o rtu n itie s available to

sat

c a m p u s affect

and

lab w h e re ! s p e n t m o s t o f m y d a y s , chillin' o u t

1 w a s finally h e re ,

I

VP

SSMU

d irec tly : te x t-m a tc h in g (tur-

b o o k s , i lo o k e d a t m y k in g d o m ,

E xternat.

C ouncil

at

th e

stronger a n d do m in an t. S o th at s tu d e n ts can ta k e part

ail a t Meet th e candidates!

S S M U REPRESENTATIVE

S a p n a a n d I’m ru n n in g for

th e re , PH te ll y o u w hy I’d be

McGill com m unity

th ro u g h z z n d , v o te A dam

cracy in n e r w o rk in g s feel

a n d im m unology s tu d e n t. So

lines within th e

18t h

SSM U 's th e McGill b u re a u ­

2007.3 am a Uz M icrobiology o f th e

M arch

P are n t fo r VP F inance.

Patrick Mlneault

Jean-François Fournier-Héroux

Hello Science! My n a m e is

SUS

th a t

S S M U REPRESENTATIVE

S a ra h Ekdawi a n d I am run­

fr e s h m a n

kn o w

100,000in s p e n d in g an n u a lly ? My first priority is to

Ritu Modi

Sarah Ekdawi

in

Did y o u

I'm

m id n ig h t oil.

2

P h y s ic s

apd

M ath

d o u b le

m a jo r

an d

s c ie n c e info, from th e SSMU

experience w orking w ith o th e r executive a n d legisla­

N e u ro scien c e m inor, a n d m e m b e r o f v a rio u s stu -

o rg a n iz a tio n s in high s c h o o l a n d c e g e p , s o

tive g ro u p s a s a n IRC executive th is year. Je su is bilin­

d e n t/c lu b /e v e n t c o m m itte e s a ro u n d McGill. I h a v e

e x p e rie n c e .

gual. My experience o n SSMU council m ak e s m e a stro n g c h o k e for th is p o sitio n , a n d ^ lo o k forw ard to

e x p e rie n c e d e a lin g w ith th e b u re a u c ra c y from th e

p o te n tia l! S o. b e tw e e n M arch j t h a n d th e

in s id e a n d th e o u ts id e . I will a c t a s a s tr o n g voice

V ote S a p n a fo r SSMU Rep!

re p rese n tin g my fellow S cience s tu d e n ts next year.

for s c ie n c e s tu d e n ts a t SSMU a n d re p o rt bac k to

Thanks -

SUS a n d t h e s tu d e n ts .

VOTE JF!

F R E E

P I Z Z A !

C o m e M e e t th e C a n d id a te s o n Frid a y , M a rc h 17 t h , 2006 a t G E R T 'S fro m 11 a .m . — 2 p m . Free p iz z a fo r th o s e in a tte n d a n c e !

1 h av e

I will d o th is jo b t o th e b e s t o f my

8

22nd,

A re you in te re s te d in p a r tic ip a tin g in a re search s tu d y on m en to e v a lu a te th e HPV vaccine?

W e are r e c r u it in g m e n w h o are:

• 16 - 26 years old • S e x u a l l y a c t i v e w it h o t h e r m e n • n o p l a n s to r e lo c a t e in t h e n e x t 3 y e a r s

To participate, or for m ore inform ation, contact McGill Student H ealth Services health.prom otion@ rncgill.ca or 51 4-3 9 8 -20 8 7

If y o u d e c i d e to p a r t i c i p a t e y o u w ill; • R e c e iv e f in a n c ia l c o m p e n s a t i o n for t h e t im e y o u c o n t r i b u t e to t h i s s t u d y a l o n g w it h y o u r t ra v e l c o s t • B e n e fit fro m t h e e x p e r t i s e o f t e a m o f h e a l t h p r o f e s s io n a l s

B u t p r e s c r ip tio n imnsaui r a n c e

d ru g

i s c o m p u ls o r y .

If you're eligible for a private plan at work or through your spouse or parents, you must join that pian. Otherwise, make sure you're registered for the public plan.

a r e y o u c o v e r e d .q c .c a Régie de l'assurante maladie

Q uébec S o

s t u d e n t liv in g P E R S O N A L

H Y G I E N E

T a m p o n s

d o n ’t

lo v e

JULIE PETERS She's wild. She's untrammelled. She's free. She likes to run in circles in the forest under a full moon. She waters her aloe vera plants with her menstrual blood. She's just the kind of Dirty Hippie who shuns tampons and pads for the more earth-goddess-friendly "alternative menstrual product".

Well, not really. In fact, we really need to retire this out­ dated Dirty Hippie image attached to things like menstrual cups and replace it with the image of a younger, better edu­ cated, more responsible and nicer-smelling woman I like to call the "Responsible Menstruator."

This woman knows a few of our seemingly innocent friend the Tampon's dirty secrets. First of all, tampons are mean to our poor, abused environment. According to E Magazine, 6.5-billion tampons and 13.5-billion sanitary pads, plus their packaging, ended up in landfills or sewer systems in 1998. The average woman will go through 10,000 tam­ pons in her lifetime. Even grosser, tampon applicators are one of the most common forms of beach litter.

Tampons can also be pretty cruel to vaginas. They are made of bleached cotton and sometimes rayon, and there is a relation between their varying absorbency and the rare but potentially fatal Toxic Shock Syndrome. Tampons can also tear fragile vaginal tissue, increasing susceptibility to bacteri­ al infections. Further, the bleaching process used in most tampons (OBs excepted) produces trace amounts of dioxin, a chemical that can cause cancer. The FDA asserts that the amounts are too minute to have an effect, but for my part, I'm not that cool with even a little bit of carcinogen up in my cooch.

But that's just me.

So what's a girl supposed to do when she loves equal­ ly the environment, her vagina and her deodorant? The ads we see on TV would have us believe tampons and pads are the only options, but it turns out there are a ton of alterna­

What: Panel discussion "Implementing Chaoulli v.

Quebec: Opening the q j door to private health ——> § care?" ^ Who: McGill Health Law u Publication and the Health I Law Students’ Association.

13 When: March 22, 5-7 p.m.

Where: Moot Court Contact: to I www.healthlaw.mcgill.ca

42

1/1 U

14 2 0 C r e s c e n t

y o u r

v a g in a — -b u t y o u

tives out there. A few examples are reusable Lunapads or GladRags, padded panties; all-natural, reusable sea sponge tampons; organic and unbleached tampons and pads and, my personal favourite, the menstrual cup. Tampon ads, with their plain white walls, clean-cut clothes and images of ster­ ile blue liquid in a test tube standing in for blood imply an unspoken anxiety about the "dirtiness" of the abject-ified by­ product of menstruation. In fact, it’s perfectly safe to wash and reuse menstrual products: The bleach in tampons is much worse to have inside your body than a clean cup or sea sponge. The re-use factor in all these products is certain­ ly a plus for the environment, and some of them, like the menstrual cup, are also way more efficient and convenient than conventional pads and tampons.

The rubber Keeper, or its flashier, if somewhat more annoyingly named silicone cousin the DivaCup, is kept in during your period for up to 12 hours and lasts for 10 years.

Think about the waste you produce during one cycle, let alone 10 years. That means that one individual woman can make a dent in the landfill. Then, you don't have to feel so bad about not composting. Also, there's never been a single case reported of TSS associated with the Keeper, and there aren't any chemicals in there to worry about if you forget about it for hours on end.

Unfortunately, we have to describe these marginalized products as "alternative," which brings people back to the Dirty Hippie and scares away many women who like to, say, shower daily. It is true that you can use the blood you collect in a menstrual cup to water your plants if you really want to, and one way the Keeper's Web site suggests of cleaning it during your cycle is to rinse it in "your own sterile urine," but it's certainly not only for soap-haters. It's just not for vaginahaters. Believe it or not, menstrual blood is not evil, and it doesn't happen in a near-uncontrollable hemorrhage of hor­ ror-flick gore. Being comfortable with your natural processes is not just a cheesy Women's Day cliché: It can do really

sh o u ld

good things for your self-image.

A lot of women are freaked out by the idea that they would have to put this seemingly huge acorn-shaped cup into their own bodies—with their fingers. But a frighteningly large number of women have never actually encountered the inside of their own bodies. Tampon applicators function like a really convenient ten-foot-pole-you never actually have to touch yourself to use one. How can you love your vagina when you have to use a completely unnecessary con­ traption to get a little wad of cotton in there?

Of course, the ideological fear-mongering of tampon ads can go both ways. Looking at some of the Web sites for alternative menstrual products can make tampons look even scarier than they are. They do not contain asbestos, which is rumoured to make us bleed more and thus require more tampons. They can't do things like get lost inside your body, make you spontaneously combust, or grow little demons that will eat your fallopian tubes and leave you infertile.

Tampons are what they are, and it is your responsibility as a consumer and vagina-owner to be informed about your options and how they will affect your relationship to your t body and the world around you.

Not being grossed out by your own tbody doesn't have to mean trashing \your soap. It is true that cooties are kept [well in check with regular showers, but we shouldn't let pieces of cor­ porate bleached-cotton deal ’ with our periods for us. So do fa five-minute Google on it, get I informed and think about joining Pthe ranks of sexy, intelligent and clean "Responsible Menstruators" ' everywhere.

KEEPER.ÇQM

High-five for Keepers!

WE ARE PRESENTLY LOOKING FOR...

s fb c w w w .a

M en

Clinical Research Organisation

C o m p e n s a to r y in d e m n it y u p to $ 1 5 0 0

r m .c o m

1 8 a n d o ld e r

S m o k e rs N o n -s m o k e rs

A n a p h a r m

O u r s t a f f w o u l d b e p l e a s e d t o a n s w e r a ll y o u r q u e s t i o n s . C a l l u s n o w o r v is it o u r w e b s i t e if y o u m e e t t h e a b o v e c rite ria s .

( 5 1 4 ) 4 8 5 -75 5 5

| 1

866

ANAPHARM

Call center hours: Monday to Friday: 8 am to 9 pm Saturday: 9 am to 5 pm

DO W NTOW N 1 1/2, 3 1/2, 4 1/2 burnished / Unfumishec From $775

\

O n e m o n th F R E E , T w o m o n th s on c e r t a in a p t s l 191 18§M M i l C a ll M O W 5 1 4 -4 0 2 -2 1 2 2 5 1 4 -8 4 9 -5 2 1 4

Y E A R S o f c o n fid e n c e

Anapharm offers you much more than you expect. Participating in one of Anapharm's clinical research studies means: * Receiving a medical assessment • Being cared for by well trained medical personnel * Receiving a compensatory indemnity based on the length of your stay and number of return visits • Dedicated concern for your comfort, health and security.

Quebec • Montreal • Trois-Rivières

fe a tu r e s A

g e n e r a tio n

A m e r ic a n g o W

h y

o n

m e n

t o

th e y ’re

o f

N o r t h

a r e

fa ilin g

h ig h e r

d is a p p e a r in g

(a n d

w h a t

w e

G E N E V IE V E JE N K IN S

n 1929, women were first consdered "persons under the law” in Canada, In the 1960s, they banded together to fight for workplace equality. And in 2000, Canada appointed its first female Supreme Court Chief Justice.

These advances were extremely significant for the North American women's movement. But in all the hoopla surround­ ing the feminist movements of the past 100 years, there have been some troubling trends in its impact on education systems.

Right now, we are in the midst of an interesting turnaround in gender representation in academia: In 2005, the state of Minnesota reported that, for the first time, more women than men earned degrees statewide in every category, including master's and Ph.D. And the number of women earning bachelor degrees has outstripped of men in the entire United States since 1982.

While many may be aware of these statistics, it’s interesting to consider why this turn­ around has occurred and what the reper­ cussions will be. Is it simply because women are now more confident in their own abil­ ities and the oppor tuni ti es have been made available to them?

Or has there been a fundamental shift in I:; : the educational focus of r elementary and high schools that benefits women more than men? Perhaps the greater percentage of women in higher education is not just a sign of a long-awaited equalization of the genders. It may be, instead, a sign that men are falling behind for reasons society has been slow to discover.

I

Missing models

Professor Jon Bradley teaches in McGill's Faculty of Education. Before he came to McGill, he was a schoolteacherone of the few men who braved what he calls the "female cohort" of elementary school education. "We have to remem­ ber that about a hundred years ago, all teachers were male; we seem to forget that only recently, in modern times, has the schoolroom become a place for women," Bradley says.

Part of the problem for boys in public school education, according to Bradley, is that they do not have any male teach­ ers. It is not that the female teachers are attempting to make life or learning difficult for the boys, only that they may not be aware of the difficulties boys have in a female-dominated class­ room.

"If I were being very politically incorrect and cynical, could I say that an essentially female elementary school teaching cohort is unable to understand and manage boys? It is logical that a female would be more inclined to accept the girls in the cohort," he comments.

And the gender imbalance looks as if it will continue.

Bradley reports that only five per cent of his 200 B.ED Kindergarten and Elementary students are male, Further, he notes that few men go into education because they are ostra­

t o

e d u c a tio n a n d c a n

d r o p p in g

o u t

d o )

cized by a society that, devalues the position of an ele­ mentary school teacher and by a peer group almost entirely female. Fie says, “And what do they learn very quickly? They learn they are different, that they're treated differently in schools; they're probably suspected of being homosexual, at best, and a pedophile at worst."

This results in a Canadian elementary school system fea­ turing a predominantly female teaching, which shapes a cur­ riculum that may or may not take gender differences into account. This deficiency can help account for the reason why men don’t pursue higher education with the same frequency as women. But it is far from the only factor.

Suiting our strengths

Rather than searching for the similarities between genders and the reasons why women can succeed as often as can men, it is worth examining the differences in ways of learning. Men, according to a study on learning styles conducted at the University of New Mexico, grasp concepts better through hands-on training, as was offered in the earlier models of high school curricula. Women, conversely, seem to learn more effec­ tively from lessons taught in the intellectual way.

"We know that boys and girls learn differently: Girls talk more; girls like lots of explanation; they will talk something through and retalk it and retalk it," Bradley notes. "Boys are

"A lot of the traditional learning demands at McGill— a lecture, an exam—favour what we would call a female learning style." much more direct, they're much more physical—boys will push and shove and punch."

These are not habits generally encouraged in the class­ room, at any level, though the gender imbalance in teach­ ing staff may make conditions more conducive to typ­ ical female learning and less so to typical male learning.

"When we've studied male teachers in elementary schools, male tedchers generally allow for more noise in the classroom," says Bradley. He sug­ gests that it may be bet­ ter, at least in some cases, to put boys in a learning envi­ ronment that doesn't hamper their prefer­ ences.

"I don't want to give the impres­ sion that females can­ not teach rhales; I don't believe that for a moment,1 he says. "But if our schools are to mirror society, to be rep­ resentative, is it good that our tegchers are white, female and middle class?

"I think we now have to elevate our understanding of how children learn," he continues, "in order to embrace the notion that there are now gen­ der factors that we have not taken into account before."

Changing curriculum

Chief among these gender differences is that men and women traditionally studied disparate subjects. But in the last 15 years or so, the Canadian education system has been changing. The previously stalwart circuits of high school career preparatory classes—home economics, industrial workshop, woodshop, etc—have been eliminated in favour of a more ".cerebral" or "intellectual" type of learning. The former have been taken out of the curriculum in order to better prepare the majority of students who intend to go to university. In prepar­ ing the majority, however, the revamped high school instruction may be leaving some students without options for their posthigh school years. As it turns out, those students are mostly male: In 2005, Statistics Canada found that males continued to drop out of school at a higher rate than femals, and in 1999, 15 per cent of 20-year-old males had not completed high school, compared to nine per cent of females.

The absence of career-preparatory and hands-on learning may be contributing to the higher drop-out rates of male adoContinued on next page

the mcgill tribune \ 13.3.06| features 15 Continued from previous page

lescents. In the US, approximately one-third of stu­ dents do, not finish high school in time, but near­ ly 90 per cent of these students are not failing their classes when they drop out—they are simply bored with the provided education.

But it is not only in high school that the curriculum is taking a turn in favour of the feminine learning style.

Elementary schools, too, are altering their approach to teaching. In many places, recess is being shortened or eliminated entirely in exchange for more time in the classroom.

According to Bradley, however, "Without recess, boys' learning curve decreases sharply; girls' decreases, too, but less sharply."

It seems that even small alter­ ations in the system in favour of more learning time, though seem­ ingly beneficial to children's intellec­ tual development, may be making education less, bearable for boys and discouraging them from participating in further schooling.

Where does it start?

Even those men who do manage to make it to higher education face trouble. Men drop out of university at a higher rate than women, and the institu­ tions of higher learning in Canada do not appear to be changing their teaching tactics to compensate for the dwindling numbers of men.

"A lot of the traditional learning demands at McGill—a lecture, an examfavour what we would call a female learning style," Bradley says. "In other words, it's very oral, very ver­ bal, it's passive."

Because of the ways men and women learn, this is a format that benefits women. And the trend seems likely to continue.

"If our schools are to mirror society, to be representative, then is it good that our teachers are white, female and middle-class?"

"As we move to larger classes, and teleconferencing classes where there is little room for interac­ tion, for asking questions of the instructor, where .it’s easy to get off-task, I think those conditions, gen­ erally, are more appealing to a female learner than a male learner," Bradley says.

Gendered mentality

While there are institutional factors—the absence of male role models, the lack of attention paid to male learning styles, curricular changes—that stand in the way of men attaining higher edu­ cation, there may be another reason for the disparity: Boys are not as interested in high­ er education as girls.

Jack Jedwab, execu tive director of Association for Canadian Studies and a McGill professor, analyzed a 2003 study of 15-yearold Canadians. He found that women were more likely than men to believe that college edu­ cation, at a minimum, was necessary to suc­ ceed in the world. He writes, "On the basis of gender, men are more likely than women to think that a high school education will suffice towards achieving success."

This was not an isolated observation. A May 2004 study by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, entitled "Aspirations of Canadian youth for higher education," noted that it is at the post-secondary level that gender differences become most apparent. "An apprenticeship, trade, or vocational school pathway is more popular among boys than among girls (9.3 per cent and 3.3 per cent, respectively). In further contrast, 43.7 per cent of the girls, compared to 34.9 per cent of the boys, say they want more than one university degree."

The study's conclusion about gender and the difference it makes is definitive: "Confirming trends that were detected in the 1990s, young women seem to be aiming the highest." If this is indeed the case, we should expect increasing numbers of young women in higher education, and the trend will be significantly more difficult to curb.

The repercussions of this gender imbalance are, as yet, difficult to determine; perhaps someday we will reach a point of equilibrium for gender participation in higher education, but we need to remain aware of these shifts in order to prevent further inequity. While Bradley says that, "At some point, you're responsible for your own learning," we are making it less possible for boys to assume responsibility with the adequate means. ■

The final frontier for women in academia Seeking g e n d e r parity at t h e highest levels o f s c i e n c e JAMES Y O U N G

Women have come a long way in acquiring equal rights to education, yet there remains one final frontier that women have yet to overcome. In Canada, while women make up 58 per cent of the undergraduates in science, only 12 per cent of professors are female. This persisting anomaly has led to inquiry as to whether gender parity in the upper echelons of science is achievable.

Last year Lawrence Summers, a noted economist and former president of Harvard University, hypothesized that the lack of women in the upper fields of science has to do with biological differences between men and women.

Though Summers' conclu­ sions prompted outrage, they also stirred debate over the real reason behind a science centred gender gap.

Dr. Shree Mulay, a dis­ tinguished scientist and director of the McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women, asserts that there is indeed a lack of women-not just in science, but in in all teaching positions in higher education.

"There is a continued need for women to be represented at the higher levels of academia," she says.

Gender parity skeptics claim efforts to encourage equality in the sciences would undermine the notion of excellence at the highest levels, but Mulay rejects that asser­ tion. She suggests that as women gain pres­ ence in scientific fields, a new work culture will emerge that is better for female scientists and the scientific institutions where they work.

It could be the enviroment of certain businesses them­ selves that are deterring female interest: "Scientific institutions do not have a family-friendly atmosphere," Mulay notes. She says that by not providing things like flexible working hours, they are deterring women who might otherwise consider a career in science.

Encouraging wbrnen to go further in science can be viewed as part of the general goal to encourage diversity.

"Academic institutions must ensure that diversity becomes a priority," Mulay says. "Right now, it's just an add on."

Perhaps the most important question is: where are all the female science undergraduates going? Women have a much higher presence in biology and physiology than abstract sci­ ences such as physics. Women seem to be attracted to profes­ sional careers in medicine, rather than studying at a university or a lab. Many women who have chosen careers in medicine express a desire for practical application, not studying abstract theory.

Biological explanations cannot be counted out. Biologist Peter A Lawrence, who believes that men are better suited for some types of scientific inquiry, maintains that a 50-50 parity in physics is a pipe dream. However, Lawrence still believes involving more womeh in science is a desirable goal and would lead to betterment of science as a whole.

While academics can debate the desirability of bridging the gender gap and how to implement changes, women increasingly see careers in science as attractive, and women are currently entering the field steadily. While the decision to choose a career in science ultimately lies in the hands of the women themselves, if current trends continue, it seems as though women will soon cross this last frontier of higher edu­ cation. ■

M USIC

S h y

T h e A f te r D

A R

K ’s

sh a ll A ll

A b o a r d !

MELISSA PRICE

Friday's All Aboard! party, featuring British DJ Shy FX, was one of the best-promoted events in recent memory. Those eye-catching, well-designed posters and flyers have been ubiquitous over the past few weeks; even the least observant among us probably gathered a vague impression of the event-something about trains, dancing and the letter C. It was unfortunate, then, that legal quag­ mires arising last Wednesday led to Station C (1450 Ste-Catherine E.), the event's intended location, breaking their contract with promot­ ers AfterDARK Productions. Staff at the venue claim that the City of Montreal filed an injunc­ tion, threatening.them with a sizable fine if the event went off as planned. The upshot was that All Aboard! was temporarily homeless.

You've got to hand it to the guys at AfterDARK, though-they don’t let The Man get them down. With only a day left before the party, they managed to finagle some permits and find a new location, complete with shuttle service from Station C for anybody who wan­ dered there by mistake.

"It was so down to the last minute, but the party went off as great as I could have hoped for," said promoter Morgan Pampe. "It's a testament to how well our team worked."

As it turned out, the change of venue was probably a blessing. The Darling Foundry, located at the corner of Ottawa and Prince to the west of Old Montreal, is a large abandoned factory that has been partially revamped into an art space, but mostly still looks like an aban­ doned factory. It’s situated in a neighbourhood marked by industrial decay and sketchy alleyways, so I'd suggest bringing either a burly friend or some form of weaponry if you're walking there at night—it scared the living crap out of me, and I had steel-toed boots.

Once you get there, however, it's well worth it. The dance floor is one huge room, with a ceiling about 7,000 metres high and

H A N D S

OFF

THE

in h e r it p a r ty

t h e k e e p s

random pieces of machinery tucked into cor­ ners. Since, being a metalworks factory, it has no bar facilities, organizers had constructed a makeshift affair involving folding tables and huge coolers. The best part about the place is its acoustics: The bass echoes into a booming avalanche that you can feel through the walls all the way to the front door. It's inescapable!

After Skratch Bastid's (reportedly) straightforward hip hop set, which I missed due to being lost somewhere frightening, Bonjay took the stage with a gorgeous cover of TV on the Radio's "Staring at the Sun," instant­ ly grabbing everyone's attention. The duo then proceeded to get—and keep-everyone mov­ ing, as DJ Pho spun a set that skipped from frantic-paced jungle to smooth trip-hop and back. Singer Alanna Stuart alternately lent her richly melodic vocals to the tracks and just danced with the rest of the crowd, clearly hav­ ing a great time.

True to his name, Shy FX seemed to pre­ fer to let his turntables- do the talking. Fie slipped onstage quietly and went right to work, letting the rumble of bass signal his arrival. And let me tell you, the sound this guy makes is huge. Spinning a mix of reggae, jungle and R 'n' B that occasionally dipped into chemicalsoaked trance, he sent a pulse through the room that got everyone moving—a huge, smoky, strobe-lit room full of hundreds of dancing people is an awesome sight indeed.

"I didn't get to stop running around and calm down until 2:30 [am], but it was worth it to see how much fun everyone was having," Pampe said.

The good news is, the AfterDARK crew has more plans up its collective sleeve.

"We’re planning something for the end of April," Pampe said. "Tentatively, we're looking into getting 8-Track, Kanye West's DJ, to per­ form. It's going to be great." ■

m MELISSA PRICE

Shy FX, hard at work mixing up some sweet grooves, top; above, people having way more C heck

afterdarkevents.us

fo r

fu tu re

fun than you.

updates.

C A N V A S

C h e

G u e v a ra :

T h e

m a n ,

th e

im a g e , v

recent exhibition at the International Center of the icon-like status Guevara has taken on, ended up being Photography in New York City titled C h e! R evolution somewhat perplexing when one is surrounded by dozens of copies of the image. What are we really looking at? At a n d C om m erce, which ran from Dec. 9 to Feb. 26, an icon that has become part of our popular culture, or at put together various art works and objects representing a deeply politicized face that stands for communism and the revolutionary leader. From badges and coasters to the eradication of poverty? The placement of the image on lighters and underwear, Che has seen it all.

Great artworks also carry his figure—be it the Andy day-to-day objects actually waters down Che’s complex Warhol series of Che in an icon-like pose, or Raul quest for revolution and equality, making us associate the Arrellano's representation of the Cuban guerrilla leader as picture with a rather simplistic message.

The most famous and ubiquitous picture of Che, Christ being crucified by those who do not understand his divine-like status. The cover of Madonna's album altered in color or size, is based on a 1960 photograph by Alberto Korda. This print is said to be one of the most A m e ric a n Life bears the singer with a Che-like appearance.

The exhibition raised many questions about representa­ widely reproduced photographs in the world, and makes a tion, and how multiplying the visibility of an image may deep statement about the circulation of images and the alter its significance, transforming all but its most superfi­ power they retain. In that regard, the exhibit points out the irony of the use of the picture by displaying the various cial meaning.

It suffices to look around the McGill campus: It is hard advertisements that have used Che's image as a market­ not to come across at least orte Che-decorated t-shirt or a ing device.

The 2000 Smirnoff Vodka campaign is a prime exam­ couple of poorly-sewn Che badges on a scruffy backpack.

The New York exhibit, although designed to demonstrate ple: Using the marginal figure of Che to make the drink

A

th e

le g e n d JENNIFER BARTOLI

appear stronger, powerful and rebellious shows how peo­ ple and companies can alter the value of the image to suit different purposes. In a lawsuit he brought against Smirnoff, Korda argued: "To use the image of Che Guevara to sell vodka is a slur on his name and memory." Korda later settled out of court for $50,000.

The same idea is found in the Magnum ice cream campaign of 2002, which used the slogan, "The revolu­ tionary struggle of the cherries was squashed as they were trapped between two layers of chocolate. May their mem­ ory live on in your mouth."

Using the image in these ways obscures the original revolutionary message of Guevara. Even when the image is used on t-shirts today, the intent clearly resembles a fashion statement more than it does any kind of substan­ tial message. The mass production of the Che image has forever altered the true meaning of Guevara's quest and goals. His ideologies are watered down by this plethora of images—they're made available to all, but they've lost their initial meaning. ■

the mcgill tribune | 13.3.06 | a&e \7 B O O K S

W

PREVIEWS

e l c o m

C a n a d ia n

e

t o

p o e try

CRYSTAL CHAN Tired of being well versed in Shakespeare, Whitman and Ginsberg but not in today's fringe poetry? Most people have had to read extensively from anthologies with titles like Best o f English Poetry, 2 0 th Century Poetry and so forth.

F uture W elcom e seems an odd name in the bunch.

This is the 10th and lat­ est book of poetry and short stories from the Moosehead Anthology series, which was started in the seventies. The series is dedicated to show­ casing modern writers, most­ ly Canadian, all of whom are at the forefront of the avantgarde. Editor Todd Swift has compiled a subversive and relevant body of writing, introducing his themes with discussions on recent events like Hurricane Katrina and the "war on terrorism.” The theme of this anthology is futuristic technology, with a "retro kitsch that popularly defines the '50s—works about the future, robots, space travel, technology, and sci-fi terror," Swift goes so far as to compare the writing he has chosen to the weird and fantastic B-movies of the fifties.

The new collection opens with two of the edi­ tor's own poems and follows with work from a diverse group of writers. These range Fifties

t h e

General Merriment. Feel Good Day—Gert’s and around campus—March

f u t u r e

a n th o lo g y

p u b lis h e s

compiled by Melissa Price

20

V o l.

10

anywhere from the Canadian poet David Wevill, who emerged in the high society of modern poetry in mid-century (his wife was the woman for whom Ted Hughes left Sylvia Plath), to Bill Bissett, one of the most innovative manipulators of language today.

The anthology is an interesting read, but not necessarily an enlight­

ening one. There are some true gems, but they are hidden among their often drab neighbours. As Swift himself confesses, the focus was on selecting poems based on their themes and flow. The after-effect of reading the anthology is the feeling that one has just absorbed an overview of present and pressing themes and forms in poetry, and for this it is recommended.

The future of this futuristic collection, then, will depend on the same factors that B-movies do.

Only time will tell if this anthology pushes its fea­ tured authors into cult sta­ tus, or if it is relegated qui­ etly to the forgotten shelves of most modern poetry, especially modern Canadian poetry. Swift understands these possi­ bilities,- hoping that "per­ haps, in the margins of the larger, canon-forming col­ lections (the ones from Norton and Co.) readers, writers, and critics yet to be born (or manufactured) will here discover the truer artists of their time. If not, there is always the frisson of dusting off-a truly lost anthology like some sort of time capsule, and mar­ velling at the utterly forgot­ ten many. The exquisite tension between such possible loss and achieve­ AMAZON.CA ment is where (or why) B-movie kitsch, minus the shaky camerawork. great writing unfolds.” ■

As the cheerful and exuberant young man who came by the Trib office explained, Feel Good Day is all about making people feel good. The Feel Good Day Fun Patrol will accost you on the way to class and ply you with candy. Wellwishers will offer you free raffle tickets that give you the chance to win excel­ lent prizes, like gym memberships and gift certificates. It's possible that random dance parties will erupt around campus. The centre of it all takes place at Gert's, which will be transformed into the Feel Good Day Fun Zone, a magical fantasyland of cheap pizza, fruity drinks, games, XBox, funny movies and other feel-good ways to wile away the day (at least from noon to 5 p.m.). Check out feelgo od day.ca for updates and more details.

Music.

Stereolab-Cabaret La Tulipe-4530 Papineau—March 15 Giving a music genre a name like "post-rock” is a bit strange-it seems to imply that rock is over and done with, dead and gone, which most people would agree is far from the truth. Whatever you want to call it, however. Stereolab's music is creative, innovative and gorgeous. Pairing spare electronica and vin­ tage keyboards with unconventional chord progressions and offbeat instru­ mentation, the London-based band divides and conquers the building blocks of rock. The bilingual vocals of Laetitia Sadier, who hails from France, put a dis­ tinctive final touch on the tunes. Stereolab also has an endearingly quirky obsession with surreal sci-fi, yielding perplexing yet intriguing song titles like "Puncture in the Radax Permutation" and "The Man With 100 Cells.” Doors open at 9 p.m. Call 529-5000 for ticket information.

Theatre. Everybody's Welles—Saidye Bronfman Centre Theatre—5170 Cote-Ste-Catherine—through March 19 Patrick Dubuis and Martin Labrecque's one-man play, originally written in French, made its Anglophone debut on March 5. The play, which stars Dubuis, follows a timid and retiring film scholar whose life is changed in small but crucial ways by the films of Orson Welles. It's a bit of an unofficial— and not strictly accurate—Welles biography, with a little social analysis mixed in for good measure. Most of all, the play is in and of itself a multimedia tribute to the creator of Citizen Kane, picking up on the themes and motifs of his films and weaving them into the overall story. From the sound of it, audiences should leave as affected by Welles' work as the protagonist.

Performances at 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 2 p.m.

Wednesday and Sunday, 8:30 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday. Call 7397944 for tickets and other information.

Music. Polémil Bazar-Plaza Theatre-6505 St-HubertMarch 17 Well, yeah, the venue is so far north and east of most students' beaten paths that it might as well be Siberia. And yes, the fact that -Polémil Bazar's songs are all in French might scare off those with less confidence in their language skills. But the minute the band takes the stage, all of that will go clear out of your head as they strike up their odd assortment of instruments and launch into one of their infectious, high-energy tunes. Singer Hugo Fleury is such an engaging frontman that even if you can't understand a bloody word that comes out of his mouth, you still won't be able to take your eyes off him. Furthermore, any band that understands the value of a well-placed trombone riff is awe­ some in my books. Doors open-at 8 p.m. Call 790-1245 for tickets.

Are you more concerned with the here-and-now than the hereafter?

We Unitarians certainly are. We believe there is an

Join the Education Undergraduate Society. Elections for the follow in g p o sitio n s are happening right now!!!

President VP Academic VP Administration VP External VP Finance

essential goodness in people, not inherent sinfulness.

We have no creed or dogma which must be accepted, believing that the search for “truth” is ever-evolving, and that each of us has a

Senator Rep to SSMU Tutoring Coordinator Secretary Reps for all programs

responsibility to search for it in ourselves.

Please join us in the search any Sunday morning at 10:30.

For more information:

N

o m

in a t io n

k it s

a r e

a v a ila b le

3 7 0 0 T h e

d e a d lin e

F o r

m

o r e

f o

r

in f o r m

s u b m a t io n

M

e

in

t h e

E D U S

o f f ic e

,

w w w .ucm tl.ca or phone 485-9933.

T a v is h

is s io n p le a s e

is

M

a r c h

c o n t a c t

1 5 th

a t

n o o n

3 9 8 - 7 0 4 8

The Unitarian Church 5 0 3 5 d e M a is o n n e u v e W. (V e n d ô m e M e tro ) Special programs for children every-' Sunday at 1.0:30

18 a&e | 13.3.06 | the mcgill tribune T H E A T R E

T e a c h in g M c G ill

S avo y

P r in c e s s S o c ie ty

r e v iv e s

TESSA BLANCHFIELD

Id a a

a

t h in g

o r

t w o

c la s s ic

inspiration from larger than life characters. As she explained, Lady Blanche is "a mix of Cruella De Vil and Ursula, the big octopus from The Little M erm aid. Yeah, and some of my mom."

The comedic antics of three brother characters played by Maxime Begin, Mark Piggott and Tony Spears were awarded laughs in every scene. The song "We Are Warriors Three". showcased their natural chemistry. All the actors worked well off each other’s energy-a true sign of a tightly-knit cast. Travelling together throughout the play, Fusca, Gordon and MacLeod showed a brotherly rapport, had good tim­ ing and danced quite well.

First-time director and choreographer Jonathan Patterson credits the production's success to the tal­ ented and dedicated cast and crew: "I really enjoyed working with this group of people because, of all the casts I’ve ever worked with, they know what they're doing a ll the time. They always come prepared, They learn quickly, and we got our work done in record time for Savoy."

Patterson did not forget the talented musicians that provided the backbone of the operetta. "We have an 18-piece orchestra who work their asses off for every performance, and I think that all the hard work has really paid off." Clive Chang, the youngest musical director in Savoy history, skilfully led the fairy tale through its ups and downs, and despite missing a bass player on Wednesday, the orchestra pulled through the performance with little difficulty.

Princess Ida proudly continued the Savoy tradi­ tion. Packing the house more nights than not, the group of devoted students breathed new life into Members of Princess Ida's cast, basking in the glow of 19th-century glory.

Gilbert and Sullivan's storybook world. ■

Submission. That is the cynical fate of the title character in Gilbert and Sullivan's Princess Ida, or Castle Adam ant, staged by the McGill Savoy Society over the last two weeks. Savoy has consistently pro­ duced quality G&S operettas for the past 43 years, and Princess Ida was no exception.

The headstrong, pint-sized princess, played .by Megan Skidmore (who also shone as Cunegone in Opera McGill's Candide) was betrothed at birth to the prince of a neighbouring, rival country. Prince Hilarion, portrayed by Daniel Fusca, is the lovesick fiancé, who must convince Ida to forgo her extremely misandrist attitude. ' To convince the man-hater to love him, Hilarion and his two companions, played by Eli Gordon and Cameron MacLeod, disguise themselves as women and infiltrate Ida's all-female university. It kind of sounds like an old teen movie thrown in a time machine, complete with romantic finale: In the end, Princess Ida, abandoned by her blossoming yet ulti­ mately weak students, surrenders herself to the force of Man and marries Prince Hilarion.

Although the ending may not be progressive, there was nothing holding back cast members from showing off their talents. Throughout the three acts, the players maintained a high level of energy and enthusiasm. Among the most notable were the stand­ out performances of Margaret Folkermer and Kelly Winter. Folkermer played Lady Psyche, a witty book­ worm who aids the lovesick prince. Lady Psyche's comical stage presence and exuberance served well to counter the sneering, conspiring veneer of Winter's Lady Blanche. Winter played the villain well, drawing

The

PUB

&

RESTAURANT

invites you to come celebrate

S t. P a tr ic k 's D a t March 17th & 18th and + Parade Day March 19th

Importedanddomestic draught beer ontap.

FREE ADMISSION 1 2 1 9 A U n iv e r s it y

We have 21 to choose from.

2

•

F L O O R S

8 6 1 -4 4 4 8

•

L IV E

M

U S IC

F a c in g P la c e V i l l e M a r i e , b a c k o f p a r k i n g lo t

the mcgill tribune | 13.3.06 j a&e ! 9

B O O K S

Anderson makes mediocre debut D e s p ite

p r o m is in g

s w e a r w o rd s

and

p e n is jo k e s ,

REVIEWS

compiled by Ben Lemieux

Various Artists/Death From Above 1979. Romance When listening to Death From Above's rau­ cous, thundering debut album, the last thing you'd say to yourself is: "Damn... I could get down to that in a club." Lo and behold, thesé beat masters and dance/techno conduc­ tors have taken it upon themselves to issue a 13-track col­ lection of DFA remixes, ranging from the keyboard-heavy dance grooves of Fred Falke’s take on "Black History Month" to La Peste's dense, grungy cover of "Better Off Dead." Even though several DJs reprise the same songs, each piece on this album reflects a distinct and individual approach to the song, often providing additional instrumental depth, better production values and more layered results than the primal and repetitive original album.. For those of you who appreciated DFA until you realized that every one of their songs sounds exactly the same as the one that came before it, Romance Bloody Romance is an often clever and unmistakably worthy cover album.

B loody Romance.

S h o w b i z fa ils t o

p e rfo rm

M ARIT M IT C H E L L

ally to the Niagra Region of his any credible way make him difficult native Ontario. As he probes deeper to identify with and effectively keeps While Showbiz is a light and into Wynn's sordid past, he the reader at arm's length. Because entertaining read, it is evident that becomes increasingly entangled in the reader comes to feel greater this is the first novel from Jason the network of identities, occupa­ empathy for Wynn than Grant, the Anderson, a film critic at Eye Weekly tions and aliases Wynn assumes in conclusion is disappointing. Three in Toronto, The first-person narrative order to stay alivé, and more impor­ chapters of frenzied action feel is witty and even poignant at times, tantly, stay in show business. rushed and anticlimactic, leaving but there is little variation in sen­ Simultaneously, Grant becomes loose ends. tence structure and character devel­ embroiled in a conspiracy far more Anderson shows promise. Had opment is lacking. The premise is elaborate and deadly than he could he more carefully maintained the unique and interesting; the potential possibly have anticipated. numerous characters and subplots, exists for a truly riveting comical sus­ The structure and tone of the S howbiz could have been a thor­ pense novel. However, Anderson novel make it clear that Anderson is oughly satisfying and engaging read. fails to capitalize on the elaborate attempting to create a hilarious and Unfortunately, the questions left in web of characters and clues he intense page-turner in the style of the reader's mind detract from the establishes early on.

Colin Bateman's Dan Starkey novels. overall experience of the novel, Set in an alternate reality paral­ He falls slightly short of the mark, try­ rather than enhancing it. ■ lel to our own, Showbiz follows ing to force in edginess and humour Nathan Grant, a Canadian journalist via the word "fuck" and superfluous struggling to make a living in the cut­ penis jokes. Nathan Grant's timid, throat environment that is New York awkward and pitifully self-conscious City. In Grant's world, President Canadian personality is painfully S H Q W B IZ Teddy Cannon was assassinated on stereotypical; perhaps Anderson Nov. 22, 1963 in New Orleans. feels that being Canadian himself Americans are still fascinated by gives him licence to play up these Cannon, with entire magazines still clichés. Interestingly, his writing style devoted to scrutinizing every aspect is the antithesis of his protagonist's of his life and death. While killing character: clear, concise and direct. time in a used record store, Grant While Grant waffles, Anderson out­ comes across a 1962 recording of lines his waffling in short, clean comedian Jimmy Wynn doing statements. impressions of President Cannon. A As the plot develops, the read­ bit of investigation reveals that, er becomes fixated on discovering although extremely famous during Jimmy Wynn's fate rather than Cannon's lifetime, Wynn's career Grant’s. Every few chapters, died along with the subject of his Anderson interrupts Grant's first-per­ mimicry. Intrigued, Grant pitches the son narrative to insert one of Wynn's rise and fall of Jimmy Wynn as a memories. These glimpses into the story idea to a Cannon-obsessed thoughts of the comedian heighten magazine. readers' desire for Grant to track TORONTOIST.COM Grant's investigations lead him down Wynn. Grant's bumbling style A possible side effect of reading from New York to Las Vegas, Los of investigation and failure to'react Angeles, rural California and eventu­ to his increasingly dire situation in Showbiz is illustrated on the cover.

3480 McTavish

a t Tan? N O W IN

P IZ Z A S L IC E S C h e e s e ................... ............................................ 1 . 6 5 P e p p e r o n i ..................................... . . . . 2 . 0 0 A l l D r e s s e d .......................................... 2 . 0 0 V e g e t a r i a n ............................................ 2 . 0 0 S p i n a c h .....................................................2 . 0 0 C h i c k e n ( G r a i n - F e d ) . . . . ............... 2 . 2 5 -F u ll P iz z a s A v a iia b le H O R S D ’O E U V R E F a l a f e l ........................................................2 . 0 0 A y r a n ............................................................1 . 7 5 B a c k l a w a ................................................. 1 . 2 5 F r e s h J u i c e ..........................................3 . 5 0 S A L A D / S m a l l ................................. 3 . 0 0 S A L A D / M e d i u m ...........................4 . 5 0 S A L A D / L a r g e ............................ . 6 . 0 0

G E R T S

M A N A K IS H Z a a t a r ..............................................................1 . 5 0 Z a a t a r & C h e e s e ................................ 2 . 0 0 L a h a m B a a g i n e ............. ....................... 1 . 7 5 C h e e s e F a t a y e r . . ............................... 2 . 0 0 S p i n a c h F a t a y e r .................................. 2 . 0 0 S p in a c h & C h e e s e F a t a y e r ..2 .0 0 C h e e s e ............................................................2 . 5 0 F e t a C h e e s e .............................................2 . 7 5 S u j o k ................................................................. 2 . 7 5 S u j o k & C h e e s e ................................... 2 . 7 5 K e f t a .............................

3 .2 5 C h i c k e n ( G r a in - F e d ) ............................... 3 . 2 5 S h a w a r m a ................................................... 3 . 2 5

G erts B ar n ow h a s M c G ill W ir e le s s !

Nine Black Alps. Everything Is. Finally, Nine Black Alps is the first decent pop-rock act to come out of the UK in years.

Let's face it, other than.the lesser known Snow Patrol and KT Tunstall, the Kingdom's musical landscape has produced a barrage of over-hyped mediocrity. Thanks to these Manchester newcomers, however, Everything Is back on track.

The record leaps out of the stereo from the first track onward, dishing out a ferocious riff-driven punk-rock with all the attitude and intensity of Muse or American Minor. The album relies upon Sam Forrest's powerful sandpaper voice and catchy songwriting to maintain its forward thrust, though thankfully not at the expense of musical and lyrical inventiveness. Producer Rob Schnapf can tack this one up on his wall of fame alongside his work with Elliott Smith and Beck, and audiences can turn toward Nine Black Alps for a propulsive and thoroughly enjoyable rock 'n' roll sound that may put the UK back on the map.

She Wants Revenge She Wants Revenge. This could have been a good album. Drawing heavily from new wave masters New Order (in fact, often sounding exactly like them), showing considerable panache for sculpting moody, ominous overtones and writing equally effective, dismal lyrics, She Wants Revenge appears to have all the makings of a killer electro-rock album.

The problem-seems there always is one, and it's the same goddamn prob­ lem with 99 per cent of bands today-is that singer Justin Warfield can't bloody sing. This doesn't mean he sounds like, say, William Hung, just that he simply isn't any good. Put it this way: If you're never going to change your expressive tone, never going to bother holding a note and restrict yourself to about a one-octave vocal range, why even bother? Take a look around. Franz Ferdinand. The Killers. Arctic Monkeys. We're looking at an entire generation of singers who sing about five tones and never deliver any stylistic diversity, and She Wants Revenge has turned into little but the next in the sequence.

Fuck New Order. Please start taking after Jeff Buckley. Please.

l ’’’ " f jjp ji Æk Jte ^ a \f£ Ê

David Gilmour. On An Island. Over a decade since his last studio release, the ex-Pink Floyd writer and guitarist handily dis­ pels any notion that he's lost touch with his roots or his other­ m worldly composition and playing abilities since the legendary space rock ensemble's salad days. On An Island boasts 10 silky, textural ambient rock songs harkening back to Floyd's main­ stream 1975 effort, Wish You Were Here. Gilmour's soundscapes are much like his playing, never flashy or explosive, but focused on nearly palpable mood settings, each song like a self-contained stylistic capsule. On An Island incor­ porates the ethereal blues "This Heaven," the dreamy opener "Castellorization" and the Vangelistic "Red Sky At Night"—which could well have been a long-lost studio cut from Blade Runner's momentous soundtrack.

Many critics have been underwhelmed by Gilmour’s latest, likely failing to con­ sider that his goal-be it in his career or within the scope of a single song-has never been to impress people. Along the same lines as guitar legends such as Roy Buchanan and Robert Fripp, Gilmour is about simplicity and soul above all else. By that standard, On An Island is as strong a work as you can expect to hear from him.

A -B -C -D -E -F -G W o n ’t y o u w r i t e f o r A & E ?

M e e t i n g s M o n d a y s a t 5 : 3 0 in C a f e r a m a a r t s @ m c g illt r ib u n e .c o m

W

i a p s G b ®a0jQ3@0

TESO L Certified 5 Days In-Class or Online/Correspondence All Ages*No Experience*No Degree*

-8 8 8 -2 7 0 -2 9 4 1 O v e rs e a s Jo b G u a ra n te e d

« ■ 'M

M

iM

Tt S0 t

i i f fi f OB]...............

l

sp o r ts H O C K E Y — L A K E H E A D

4,

R e d m e n

fa ll

M c G ill

fir s t

d e n ie d

R E D M E N

in

O

In a season where the Redmen performed exceptionally on the power play and between the pipes, the Lakehead Thunderwolves did them one better.

The home side's goaltending and special teams were the difference in Saturday night's Ontario University Athletics hockey final as Lakehead defeated McGill 4-0. T-Wolves goaltender Grant McCune stopped all 26 McGill shots fired his way and Lakehead scored three times with a man advantage as the OUA West champions won in front of a sold out crowd of 3,735 at Thunder Bay's Fort William Gardens.

"We outshot them, we had our chances," said Head Coach Martin Raymond. "We had some opportunities to score some goals and we hit four goal posts and missed two or three open nets. We weren't really sharp. It may have been the fatigue, we had to leave early on Friday morning. Regardless of the fatigue and the fact that we played on the road, we still outshot them in their own barn.'Even though we weren't executing to my taste, we can still play."

The Redmen struggled to get out of the gate in the open­ ing frame, taking numerous penalties and failing to make good on any of their own chances when up a man. The Redmen even enjoyed a two-man advantage late in the period but were again denied by McCune, who made a phenomenal cross-crease save on a shot by McGill's leading scorer, Shawn Shewchuk. That stop proved to be a the turning point; soon after killing the second penalty, Lakehead took the lead when forward Tobias Whelan fired a powerful backhander past goaltender Mathieu Poitras at 18:58.

"Unfortunately, the reffing didn't help," Raymond said.

"When you're on the road like that and you have travelled half a day to get there it's not an easy situation. The difference was the power play. They executed on theirs and we didn't.”

Thunderwovles dominant in the second

The second period began in similar fashion to the first, with McCune making a great save on a shot by forward Sam Bloom.

Soon after, Redmen forward Guillaume Demers was called for hooking, and Lakehead took advantage.’ Forward Mike Jacobsen fired a blistering slap shot past Poitras at 4:51 of the stanza, puttting the Thunderwovles up 2-0.

McGill quickly earned another power play in this hard-hitting affair, but again were unable to convert. In a series of unfortu­ nate events for the Redmen, forward Charles Gauither shot rang off the goal post, while linemate Marko Kovacevic missed a wide-open net. These mistakes would not go unpunished as

RED

U A

Q u e e n ’s C u p

DAVID BLYE

THE

0

F in a l in

6 0

y e a rs

Lakehead would score on both of its next two power play chances, extending the lead to 4-0 heading into the third.

"The reffing is different in Quebec," Raymond said. "We have to get used to [the difference]..Everytime we tried to play physical we wound up in the box and I’m not sure the reason. It’s a one game championship and the ref is giving momentum to the other team. You would like to think that the reffing would be more neutral. Everything is so emotion­ al in the playoffs and the refs have important decisions; sometimes they make mistakes.”

More strong goaltending turns aside comeback attempt

Needing to get going quickly, the Redmen came out fired up to start the third period. It looked as though Lakehead wanted them to keep up the intensity, taking yet another quick penalty. But the Redmen were again stymied

by McCune, as they would be throughout the entire period.

Lakehead played defensive hockey in an attempt to protect the lead and the Redmen outshot the T-Wolves 9-2.

But even with all the penalties, the Thunderwolves were again successful in keeping the Redmen off the score sheet, and captured the first Queen's Cup in school history as a result. McGill is going to have to use this as a learning expe­ rience to ready themselves for nationals.

"It's a learning experience playing against bigger teams," Raymond said. "We are a smaller team, we are a skating team. We need to play our style of game regardless of the opposition."

Redmen denied their spot in history

For McGill, the loss was tough to swallow, as the Redmen were gunning for their first Queen's Cup since 1946. The OUA East champs managed to outshoot Lakehead 26-16, but just couldn't solve McCune. What made it even harder to take was that despite McGill haying the most points and being the number one team in the conference, the game was played at Lakehead's arena.

Raymond attributed this problem to Quebec teams having to play in an Ontario league and abide by their rules and stipula­ tions.

However, even with the loss, the season is far from over for the Red 'n' White. By virtue of winning the OUA East, the Redmen clinched a spot in the CIS national championships, to be contested in Edmonton later in the month. McGill will take the week off before heading west to begin their quest for nation­ al glory. In addition to Lakehead, the Redmen will be joined by OUA bronze medallists Wilfrid Laurier, who defeated longtime

Redmen nemesis Trois-Rivières 2-1 on Saturday to earn their spot. Other teams competing are Canada West winner and host University of Alberta, Canada West runner-up Saskatchewan and Atlantic winner Acadia.

While the loss undoubtedly hurts for the Redmen, it is also one of the few times the team has faced any real adversity this season. McGill will need to build on the experience, and return victorious from the Gity of Champions. ■ —A d d itio nal rep ortin g by A da m Myers

Z O N E

B a c k

o ff

B o n d s ,

h e

n e v e r

r e a lly

ollowing the players’ strike of 1994, Major League However, it seems as if one man has become a scapegoat Baseball faced a crisis: Fans were noMonger willing to for baseball's drug problem—Barry Bonds. Bonds has support the game that had abandoned them. Baseball become the target of the commissioner, the media, con­ gress and everyone else crusading against steroids, and was going to need a miracle to come along and change its this is a major cop-out. fortunes.

The only thing Bonds is guilty of, though, is being the That miracle came only a few years later, when offence brought fans back. Home runs were the name of best "cheater"-a loose term, since baseball had no drug the game, records started falling at an unbelievable pace testing policy in place at the time-in a game where up to and-above all-Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa "saved" half of all players were "cheating." McGwire bulked up and the game in 1998 by chasing Roger Maris' homerun his homerun totals increased over his career averages just record, which hadn't been touched in almost four decades. like Bonds' did. The same happened to countless other Of course, we didn't know then what we know now: players. So why is Bonds the only guy still being picked on?

The miracle really came in the form of "the cream" and Given the recent allegations that Bonds took steroids as far "the clear,” and that it was steroids which made the game back as eight years ago, the constant meddling of the big again, both literally.and figuratively. What we thought media into his affairs and Bud Selig warning of a possible was the juiced ball era turned out to be the juiced player suspension, Bonds is being treated unfairly.

First, G a m e o f S h a d o w s - the new book exposing era.

Of course, it's likely that MLB executives knew what Bonds' steroid use, written by two journalists with the San was going on and turned a blind eye for the sake of the Francisco C hronicle—has not provided any new informa­ game. But now, with baseball as popular as ever, it has felt tion. The book sets out to tell all that Bonds started taking the need to crack down on steroids. This is a good thing; steroids in 1998. Is this a big surprise? Absolutely not. performance-enhancing drugs should not be legal in sport. Bonds' homerun totals and hat size both skyrocketed in the

F

c h e a te d

ADAM MYERS

late 90s, so any reasonable person could have guessed as much.

Secondly, Bonds takes a lot of heat for alleged steroid use because he set the single-season home run record in 2001, and this season stands to pass Babe Ruth and pos­ sibly Hank Aaron on baseball's career homerun list. And many have been clamoring for an asterisk next to Bonds' place on the all-time homer charts. Bonds, however, never cheated. If Major League Baseball never stipulated in its rules that steroids were not allowed, then how can any player be faulted for trying to get a leg up? Until the drug testing policies were put in place before the start of last season, all players on steroids have a "Get Out of Jail Free” card.

Baseball did the right thing by banning steroids when their use started to get out of hand. Players stopped taking them, and those who didn't were suspended. Thus far, there's no proof Bonds took steroids after they were banned, so technically he's done nothing wrong. If people have it in for Bonds for his animosity toward fans or the media, that's one thing, but everyone should lay off Barry on this one. ■

PROFILE — R E D M E N

N H L

o r

R e d m e n

g o a lie

the mcgill tribune | 13.3.06 | sports 2 1

H O C K E Y

M a c -H a r r in g to n ? s h in e s

AARON SIGAL The plan, when he arrived at McGill back in 2004, was to walk out with a Mechanical Engineering degree in hand. But for Redmen goalie Mathieu Poitras, a dif­ ferent piece of paper could be the end result of his university tenure-an NHL contract.

The second-year netminder has been turning heads both on campus and in serious hockey circles with his eye-popping statistics and superlative backstopping abilities. Poitras put together a stunning 2005-06 campaign, setting an all-time single-season CIS record with seven shutouts and leading the coun­ try with a 1.40 goals against average.

This culminated in Poitras winning the Bill L'Heureux Trophy as the most outstanding player in Ontario University Athletics, a first for a member of the Redmen. And, of course, NHL scouts have been stan­ dard figures at recent Redmen games.

Don't fixate on that when talking to Poitras though. The 22-year-old from Gatineau sharpened his goaltending skills during three seasons with the RouynNoranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. But during his time there, Poitras struggled with the QMJHL's all-consuming focus on hockey.

Accordingly, he turned to McGill and to the CIS, where the ice takes a backseat to the classroom.

Knowing that, it might seem a bit strange that a player who all but gave up on the traditional path to stardom is attracting so much attention. But Redmen Head Coach Martin Raymond believes that the transi­ tion from junior hockey to CIS was the perfect tonic for Poitras.

"He's a serious student," Raymond says. "And he enjoys the university atmosphere and the fact that the focus is not entirely on hockey. I think at times he was a little uncomfortable in Major Junior hockey and being in this university environment has given him a spark."

o n

an d

o ff th e

"Poitras is the man," says Redmen captain PierreAntoine Pacquet- "You can't have a very competitive team without a good goalie, and he's definitely one of the best, if not the best, in Canada right now, and that's a huge part of our success as a team. He's solid in net and nothing gets him off his game. He's so con­ sistent."

Poitras himself thinks that last part is a pretty fair assessment of his style.

"I don't try to do anything flashy," he says. "I just know that I have to stop more pucks than the guy at the other end of the ice. I don't really work anything special; I just work on staying calm and maintaining focus for the whole 60 minutes."

NHL in the cards?

Poitras' vaunted calm and consistent demeanour in net has led to another consistency—professional interest in Poitras. The netminder had already attracted attention from the NHL, as he was invited to Anaheim's and Washington's summer evaluation camps in 2004 and 2005, respectively. And this out­ standing season—on the heels of his 2004-05’s CIS rookie-of-the-year-award-winning campaign—has sure­ ly put the goalie squarely on the NHL radar.

Poitras is naturally intrigued by the possibility of an NHL future. But right now, his focus is on McGill’s championship run this season, along with completing his academic pursuits.

"I came to university to switch my priorities from entirely hockey to engineering," Poitras says. "My objective in hockey is to go as high as I can, though.

So I'm not closing the door on the interest, but I love my life here-my friends, the players-and my passion for engineering is growing. So it would have to take a huge exception for me to alter my objective and leave McGill."

No matter what direction he chooses to go, Poitras is a man who seems destined to suceed, what­ ever the field. ■

Cool under pressure, hot on the ice

u n til M a rc h

1 8 th !

• Store wide savings on books, clothing and giftware • Huge range of textbooks at or below cost

c G

bridesmaid MOHIT ARORA ith the NBA season entering the final stretch, it's a fore­ gone conclusion that New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets point guard Chris Paul will walk away with Rookie of the Year honours at season's end. Averaging 16 points and eight assists per game, Paul has a surprising Hornets squad playoffbound.

Paul has been a revelation, and his play has been admired and welcomed by everyone in and around the NBA, except for maybe Charlie Villanueva. The Toronto Raptors forward would probably be clearing space on his mantle for the ROY trophy if it weren't for Paul’s sensational abilities.

Instead, Villanueva's season has gone by almost completely unheralded, in no small part due to his playing for the Bad News Brontosaurs. People fail to recognize that, since the Raptors' woe­ ful 1-15 start to the season, the team has actually been mildly competitive, and Villanueva-in the top three in rookie scoring and rebounds-is a big reason for that.

After all, this is a team that has Matt "Red Rocket" Bonner for its sixth man. My editor, Andrew Segal, has a theory that every play­ er in the NBA, if given the minutes, can produce decent numbers and make it seem like he's actually a good player. Bonner is a shin­ ing example of this. Bonner is in the NBA because he can shoot the three and he works hard, and he does this every night for the Raptors. But if he's your team's sixth man, your team isn't very good.

(A quick side note on Andrew's theory, though. It seems kind of dramatic to call it a "theory," doesn't it? Basketball is a sport in which even the losing team scores 95 points a game, so wouldn't it seem intuitive that a bad player can still score? How is this a the­ ory? It's like saying "I have a theory that basketballs are filled with air in order to bounce." Oh, why thank you, Newton.

Furthermore, there are rumblings that this "theory" doesn't even belong to Andrew. He claims to have been the first to articu­ late such a sentiment, obvious though it may be, so he should get credit. Others aren't convinced. So in a best-case scenario, he's Captain Obvious. At worst, he's a fraud. In all fairness, though, he does get more flack about this than a whistleblower at Phillip Morris. Okay, back to the column.)

While the NBA's top rookie debate is a one-man Paul-Star game, the NHL has itself a two-horse race on its hands, with a cou­ ple of Clydesdales named Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.

At first glance, it seems they're pretty similar. Both have put up spectacular offensive numbers on putrid teams, and carried those squads all season. So, it's shaping up to be a tight race for the Calder Trophy, right?

Wrong. The NHL's rookie race is just as one-sided as the NBA's. Crosby has been as good as advertised. The Kid can do it all, and his rookie season is Calder-worthy in every aspect. But Ovechkin's been better.

While both of them play for bad teams, Crosby's bad team is at least filled with players who were once good. Guys like Mark Recchi, Sergei Gonchar, John Leclair and Zigmund Palffy have all had arguably their worst seasons, but they've at least proven that they know how to play hockey.

Ovechkin, meanwhile, is playing on a team of nobodies. He has amassed 79 points this season despite the fact that Washington's next leading scorer, Dainius Zubrus, has only 35. His 42 goals represent a quarter of his team's offensive output, but his 37 assists are most remarkable, considering to whom he's passing the puck. The Capitals' next leading goal scorer Matt Pettinger, is so obscure that when I tried to open up his ESPN.com player profile, my computer crashed.

Add to that the fact that, despite playing 21 minutes a night for a team that gives up a full goal more than it scores every night, Ovechkin is only a -1 on the season, and you have your clear choice for Rookie of the Year.

But it's a shame, really, that the spectacular performances of Paul and Ovechkin will end up overshadowing those of Villanueva and Crosby.

Charlie V came into Toronto as the widely criticized first draft pick of the post-Vince Carter era and found himself on a team des­ perately seeking legitimacy. And he did all he could do. Meanwhile, Sid the Kid went to Pittsburgh and was saddled with the responsi­ bility of saving not only a franchise on life support, but also an entire league. Yet he, too, has done his absolute best.

In any other year, they'd both be adding to their trophy collec­ tion, but this year, they're just young players hoping to turn their crappy teams around. ■

W

:

M a r c h I n v e n t o r y B l o w - o u t SA L E !!!

L IB R A IR IE M

Always the

ic e

This spark has evolved into an inferno, as the white-hot Poitras has helped land the Redmen a berth in the upcoming national championship. But the Redmen, who went 20-1-3 in regular season play, wouldn't be headed to Edmonton later this month without teamwork-the timely offence and smart defence that surrounds Poitras. And the goalie is quick to acknowledge his teammates.

"I try to give as much credit to my team as possi­ ble," Poitras says. "Every time I get a shutout or an award, I remember that it's because of them. I know that the goalie is always the first one to get praised or blamed. So Ijust put everything on the team, the good and the bad."

His fellow Redmen, of course, realize exactly what their stellar goalie means to them. And they give the compliments right back to Poitras.

E x te n d e d

G im m e s o m e M o

i l l BO O K STO RE

3 4 2 0 r u e M c T a v ish S t M o n tr é a l Q C H 3 A 3L 1 T e l (5 1 4 ) 3 9 8 7 4 4 4 w w w .m c g ill.c a /b o o k s t o r e

■■j.njg..»...--------- i . t i .M -» a u i t i i .1 ; ■i n t t.. . * , i

G ot a

b e e f w ith

t h e lib r a r y ?

Let's d e a l w ith it.

T h is

y e a r S S M U

M c G i l l L ib r a r ie s W e

w a n t to

th ro u g h

k n o w

w ill d o n a te

$ 5 0 0

th e

Im p r o v e m e n t F u n d .

w h e re

L ib r a r y

y o u

t h in k

0 0 0

it s h o u ld

to

b e

s p e n t.

E M A IL : l i f @ s s m u . m c g i l l . c a

r

s

.

*

B ® @ If* w h e n w e d o your stu d en t taxes

;

:

'Æ Ê illlft lllls

mm

G e t w

i t h

a

c o u p o n

f o r

s t u d e n t

t a x

a

f r e e

m

e d iu m

D o m

in o 's

P iz z a

p r e p a r a t io n :

Come in today or call 1 -8

0 0

-HRBLOCK

H & R B LO C K

To qualify, student must present either ® a T2202a documenting 4 or more m o o fe of M time attendance a t a college or university doting 20Û5 or ftii a valid high school identrltaition card. Offet and coupon expire tune 30,2006, Coupon valid for a medium one-topping p in a only at (aticipating H&R Block locations in Canada.

H O C K E Y — M A R T L E T S

3,

St.

F-X

2

Martlets have blades of bronze M c G ill

fin is h e s

th ir d

a t C IS

c h a m p io n s h ip

T a k e y o u r d e g re e to a w h o le n e w le ve l o f s u c c e s s .

Learn to m anage international developm ent projects overseas.

A D A M MYERS

It looks like McGill has re­ entered the Bronze Age. For the fourth-straight year, the Martlets found themselves playing in the bronze medal game at the CIS national championship tournament, held this year in Antigonish, NS. And for the third year in the past four, the Martlets captured that medal-an achievement to be sure, but still short of that elusive gold.

However, despite being disap­ pointed not to be playing for top spot, the Martlets claimed the bronze on Sunday with a determined effort against host, team St. Francis-Xavier.

Valerie Paquette and Vanessa Davidson scored the shootout, giving the Martlets a 3-2 decision.

The Martlets battled back from two one-goal deficits against the XWomen. Christine Hartnoll tied the game at two with just under seven minutes to play, sending the game to the extra session, while Brittany Privée also scored for the Martlets, Kalie Townsend was solid in net for McGill, stopping 22 of 24 shots and all four shots in the shootout, although her effort was - overshad­ owed by Katie Harvieux of the XWomen, who faced an offensive onslaught in the form of 42 McGill shots.

Martlets tame the Dal Tigers

The tournament started on Thursday, although McGill—placed in a pool with Atlantic runners up Dalhousie and Ontario champions Wilfrid Laurier-didn't play its first game until Friday. The Martlets got the loser of the opening game, which was the Dal Tigers, who fell 4-2 to the Golden Hawks. Dalhousie looked extremely out of place in the game, never mustering much of an attack as McGill dominated the contest win­ ning 2-0. The result would have been worse if not for Dal goaltender Kristen Ladouceur who was magnifi­ cent, stopping 43 of 45 Martlets shots.

"I just wanted to go out and play as hard as I could,” Ladouceur said.

"This was our first chance at the nationals. It was disappointing, but a great opportunity for our program.”

The McGill program,, on the other hand, kept its momentum rolling from last week's Quebec con­ ference hockey championship.

Captain Patrice Mason opened the scoring against the Tigers in the sec­ ond period, and Christine Hartnoll added an insurance marker just over three minutes later. Kalie Townsend stopped 16 shots to earn her third shutout this season.

"Right from the opening whistle you could see that [Hartnoll] really wanted to have an impact on the game," said Martlets Head Coach Peter Smith. "She had nine shots on net and gave us a terrific effort out there.

"I thought we played well," he continued. “We were a little nervous in the beginning, this being our first game, but overall it was a good start.

We've been [to the nationals] a num­ ber of times, and often the toughest game to play has been the first one."

McGill denied a chance at gold

The Martlets entered their sec­ ond game of the tournament on Saturday against Laurier, with the winner advancing to the national championship game. Unfortunately, the Martlets were vanquished by the defending national champions 4-1.

McGill got into some penalty troubles early in the game, taking three penalties in a span of 5:38 in the middle of the first period. They held their own during Laurier's two power plays but finally broke on the third one, as Hawks defenceman Lauren Meschino's point shot was tipped before it reached the net and slid past Townsend.

The Golden Hawks never looked back—adding two more in the second period—both off the stick of Candice Djukic to extend the lead to 3-0. Christine Hartnoll replied for the Martlets toward the end of the peri­

od, but it was as close as McGill would get. Laurier tacked on one more insurance marker to seal a 4-1 victory.

"We didn't get outworked tonight, just outscored," Smith said.

"Wilfrid Laurier is a great team. We give them credit. They played hard."

Laurier went on to lose the national championship against Alberta in a rematch of last year's final. The Hawks fell 2-1 to the Pandas. ■

Internationa! Project M anagem ent is th e only postgrad u ate p ro g ra m in C a n a d a th a t show s you h o w your degree ca n change th e w orld.

Call416-675-6622, ext 3032 oremail rupen.das@humber.cafor further information.

Applyfor all Business Schoolprogramsat the OCASwebsite - www.ontariacolleges.ca

< &

HUM BER The Business School w w w .b u s in e s s .h u in b e r.c a

B O X

S C O R E

Martlets 3, X-Women 2 (McGill wins OT shootout 2-0) SCORING SUMMARY FIRST PERIOD: St.FX: Christina Davis (Candice Ernst), 6:17 (PP) SECOND PERIOD: McGill: Brittany Privée (Amanda Carmichael), 1:01 THIRD PERIOD: St.FX: Candice Ernst (unassisted), 4:37 McGill: Christine Hartnoll (unas­ sisted), 13:40 (PP)

S tr e ss g o t y o u d o w n ?

OVERTIME (5 minutes): (no scoring)

T a k e a b r e a k w ith a u n iq u e s e le c t io n o f f itn e s s a c t iv itie s d e s ig n e d to e a s e

SHOOTOUT: MCG Vanessa Davidson SCORED (on Katie Harvieux). WG STFX Candice Ernst missed (saved by Kalie Townsend).

MCG Christine Hartnoll missed (saved by Katie Harvieux).

STFX Brayden Ferguson missed (saved by Kalie Townsend).

MCG Shauna Denis missed (saved by Katie Harvieux).

STFX Christina Davis missed (saved by Kalie Townsend).

MCG Valerie Paquette SCORED (on Katie Harvieux).

STFX Kelly Boudreau missed (saved by Kalie Townsend).

a n x ie ty a r o u n d e x a m -tim e .

P a r t m e d i t a t i v e a n d p a r t p h y s i c a l , i t ’s th e p e r fe c t o p p o r tu n ity to g e t y o u r n o s e o u t o f th e b o o k s a n d s tic k it in a m a t.

Yoga Tu e sd ay & T h u rsd a y M a rc h 28 - A p r il 20 1 7 h 0 0 -1 8 h 0 0 or M o n d ay & W ed nesd ay M a r c h 2 7 - A p r i l 19 17h 3 0-1 8 h 2 5

A R O U N D

T H E

H O R N

Redmen 10th, Martlets 15th in Track and Field Championship

Mid-distance runner Stephen Douglas earned a bronze in the 1000 metre and the men's 4x400m relay squad won gold at the 2006 CIS Championships in Saskatoon. Douglas ran at a time of 2:29.13 while the relay team ran winning time of 3:21.65. On the women's side, pole vaulter Hannah Moffatt finished fourth with a jump of 3.70m.

McGill nordic ski coach André Laplante was 52

A memorial service was held Friday for André Laplante, coach of the McGill University Nordic ski team and an associate professor in the Department of Mining, Metals and Materials, who died suddenly after a local competition on March 5. He was 52.

Laplante collapsed of an apparent stroke, shortly after completing a cross-country orienteering ski race with the team at Morgan Arboretum on the University's suburban campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.

One of his common sayings was "to let the rocks talk" and his contributions to the mining industry with­ in Canada and abroad were significant. He was an internationally recognized expert for his research in gravity methods for recovering gold. Among his achievements, he made many positive contributions to

S p in the advancement of the Canadian mineral processing industry, especially in the areas of testing, and research and development. He conducted countless technical presentations and papers to the field of mineral recov­ ery. He was considered a pioneer in developing and creating the industry's standard characterization meth­ ods.

Born in 1953, Laplante studied engineering at Université de Montreal, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in 1974 and a master's degree in 1976. He completed a doctorate from the University of Toronto in 1980 and was employed by McGill later that year.

Laplante was appointed as an associate professor in 1986 and later named an honorary visiting researcher at the A.J. Parker Research Center for Hydrometallurgy at Murdoch University in Western Australia.

A man of great faith, he was an avid sports lover, with a penchant for bridge and chess. He was known for his wonderful teaching abilities, exemplary honesty and enormous jo ie-d e-vivre. A great teacher and schol­ ar, he had the uncanny ability to make people laugh as he shared his wisdom and humanity. He was passion­ ate about everything that he did and about his family.

Laplante is survived by his wife Carol-Susan, as well as his children Jeremie and Amelie, his brothers and sisters Pierre, Bernard, Monique and Helene.

M o n d ay & W ed n esd ay M a r c h 2 7 - A p r i l 19 1 8 h 0 0-1 9 h 0 0 S tudents a n d gym m em bers $22.00 N o n -m e m b e rs $47.00

R e g is t e r i n C lie n t S e r v ic e s M c G ill S p o rts C e n tre 4 7 5 P in e A v e 3 9 8 -7 0 1 1

it’s not too late; you can still write for sports sports@mcgilltribune.com

L o o k in g

fo r a w ay t o g e t in v o lv e d ?

A p p l y n o w f o r o n e o f t h e S S M U P o s it i o n s f o r t h e 2 0 0 6 -2 0 0 7 a c a d e m i c y e a r !

The Students' Society of McGill University is currently seeking enthusiastic and dedicated people to fill the following positions: S S M U R e p r e s e n t a t iv e to M c G i l l

We are also looking for coordinators and volunteers for the following SSMU events:

B o a rd o f G o v e rn o rs L a y o u t a n d G r a p h ic D e s ig n e r In t e r e s t G r o u p F in a n c e A d m in is t r a t o r

Fro s h , Activities Night, S N O W A P , Blood D rive, Culture Fe s t, Eq u ity W eek.

S p e a k e r o f C o u n c il (2 ) R e c o rd in g S e c r e t a r y F a c u lt y R e la t io n s C o m m is s io n e r F ra n c o p h o n e C o m m is s io n e r (2 ) J u d i c i a l B o a r d J u s t ic e ( 3 rd o r 4th Year Law ) S tu d e n t E q u it y C o m m is s io n e r

We also need student involvement a s members at large to several com m ittees:

A c a d e m ic R e s e a r c h C o m m is s io n e r S tu d e n t In v o lv e m e n t

S e n a te C o m m itte e s (m c g ill.c a / s e n a te )

C o m m is s io n e r

C o n s t it u t io n a n d B y la w R e v ie w C o m m itte e

S S M U H a n d b o o k E d it o r a n d C h ie f

M e d ia B o a r d

M c G i ll T r ib u n e E d it o r a n d C h ie f

F in a n c ia l A f f a ir s C o m m itte e

S a fe t y C o m m is s io n e r

S tu d e n t E q u it y C o m m itte e

M in i C o u r s e M a n a g e r (2 )

L i b r a r y Im p r o v e m e n t F u n d C o m m itte e

Po st M a n a g e r

P r e s id e n t ia l A f f a ir s C o m m it t e e

S S M U F ro n t D esk S ta ff

U n iv e r s it y A f f a ir s C o m m itte e

E le c t io n s M c G i ll C h ie f R e t u r n in g O f f ic e r

C lu b s a n d S e r v ic e s C o m m itte e

E le c t io n s M c G i l l D e p u ty

C o m m u n ic a t io n s a n d E v e n t s C o m m itte e

R e t u r n in g o f fic e r

O p e ra t io n s C o m m itte e

E x t e r n a l A f f a ir s C o m m itte e

E le c t io n s M c G i l l E le c t io n C o o r d in a t o r

O r J u s t v o lu n te e r s Frosh: leaders and O-Staff OAP servers SNOW AP Servers SSMU Volunteers Promotions, team posters etc.

T h e d ea d lin e to apply fo r a n y o f th e s e p o sitio n s is 5 pm on M a rch 3 0 th

All applications must include a CV and a cover letter and can be submitted to the SSMU front desk, located in the 1st floor of the Shatner University Center (3480 McTavish St.) to the attention of Adam Conter. These can also be sent by email to pre$ident(g).ssmu. mcaill.c a with the subject line as GETINVOLVED 2006. For more information please see the SSMU Website at www.ssmu.ca