The McGill Tribune Vol. 26 Issue 21 by The Tribune

I E w S

T A J h J REDMEN r EDMEN KNOCKED OUT OF HOCKEY PLAYOFFS, PAGE 11 77 -f P U x

ADMIT IT, EVEN YOU ARE A LITTLE BIT RACIST, PAGE6

_____________________ _T Th h ee M M ccG G ill ill

V o lu m e 2 6 Issue 21 • F e b ru a ry 2 7 ,2 0 0 7

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P u b lish e d b y th e S tu d e n ts ' S o c ie ty o f M c G ill U n iv e rs ity

P o w e r o f t h e in d ie p r e s s

F r o m B a r t o k t o H e n d r ix International Music Festival celebrates creative deviancy m ances o f m usic by artists and m usicians w h o w illin g ly and g le e fu lly challenged th e stan dards o f n orm ative m usical tra d itio n s in 2007 . M N M w ill showcase th e creative fre e d o m o f com posers such as Bartok, Cage, W ebern and Stravinsky, w h ile a tte m p tin g to resituate th e ir u n con ven tio na l approaches to m usic w ith in a c o n te m p o ra ry context. Present at th e festival's press conference was D on McLean, Dean o f McGill's Schulich School o f Music. McLean stressed th e im p o r tance o f th e M N M in n o t only raising th e profile o f McGill's already prestigious m usic program , b u t also in im p o rta n tly situ a tin g M ontréal w ith in th e broader c o n te x t o f n ew music. W hile th e n u m b e r o f concerts and o th e r events c o n s titu tin g th is year's M N M Festival is substantial, a fe w perform ances m ay be o f

J o h n S e m le y N o w in its th ird year, th e M ontreal N ew M usic International Festival Festival brings c o n te m p o ra ry com posers and m usicians fro m across th e g lo b e to M ontreal fo r 13 days o f c o n certs, conferences and w orkshops. This year's M N M Festival boasts an assem blage o f 72 c o m posers, 28 ensem bles, 11 conductors, 23 soloists and over 700 m usicians, all presented in p art nership w ith th e Société de M usique C on té m p oraine du Q uébec, th e M ontreal S ym phony Orchestra, CBC Radio Tw o (93-5 FM M ontreal) and Espace M usique (10 0 .7 FM M ontreal). The th e m e o f this year's festival is "D eviancy, C reativity and D iversity!"and it boasts an e cle ctic prog ra m th a t w ill, in th e w ords o f M N M C o-artistic D irector Denys Bouliane, "challenge taste, on all levels!" In a salute to "progressive delinquency," th e festival w ill feature perfo r

See N E W on p ag e 15

A rts s tu d e n ts to g e t p u r p le t h u m b s Incumbent president unchallenged Kayvon A

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A rts stu d en ts w ill take to th e polls on W ednesday to v o te fo r th e ir A rts U nd er g rad u ate S ociety executives in an e le ctio n w ith a flu rry o f co n te ste d seats as w e ll as an acclaim ed in c u m b e n t president. A to ta l o f 15 candidates w ill vie fo r th e vice -p re sid e ntial p ositio n s o f events, external, fina nce and in ternal as w ell as th re e representative p ositions to th e S tudents'S ociety. AUS President RJ Kelford said th a t his u n cha llen ge d b id is n o t a re fle ctio n o f apa th y and th a t th e society is con sid e ring p rese ntin g a c o n firm a tio n q ue stîftn to stu d en ts fo r th e u n co n te ste d p residential p osition. "W e've discussed it w ith o u r [ch ie f re tu rn : ing officers] and [d e p u ty re tu rn in g officers] as to w h e th e r w e ll p u t a "yes" o r "no" q u e stio n on th e b a llo t because w e're n o t sure if it's p ro to

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col," he said. "In term s o f p e o p le ru n n in g , w e have a great tu rn o u t and it's n o t less th a n any o th e r year. I w o u ld like to th in k th a t th e rea son th e president's p ositio n is u ncha llen ge d is th a t I ju s t d id a g o o d jo b this year." Kelford p o in te d to th e a cq uisition o f .a liq u o r licence fo r th e arts lounge, a m in i car nival d u b b e d "Arts Carnival Lite" as w ell as th e creation o f a th e a tre society as successes in his first te rm before o u tlin in g his p la tfo rm fo r a p o te n tia l second te rm . He hopes to organize a "full b lo w n "a rts carnival, run a successful frosh, p a rtn e r w ith a cha rity group, fo rm a co u n cil to fu n d fin e arts projects and m o n ito r th e arts space reallocation. 4 "I d id a lo t o f p roje cts th is past year and lo o k fo rw a rd to fo llo w in g th ro u g h on th e m

Game 2 McGill @ Concordia Fri. March 2nd - 19h30 If 3rd game necessary Concordia @ McGill Sun. March 4th -1PM

Basketball Mardets - M c G ill plays @ Bishop's Wed. f t b , 28th -19h00 Redraen - M c G ill plays <2>Laval Thurs. March 1 st - 17h00

N ew s

COVER PHOTOBYLEETIPTON

n a t io n a l

Q u e b e c e le c t io n s k ic k s t a r t t h e s m e a r in g Tuition for post-secondary education proves to be a contentious issue J ames G otowiec Students spending th e ir reading break in w arm er locales may have missed th e breaking news o u t o f Q uebec C ity last W ednesday. As expected, Q uebec Premier Jean Charest asked Lieutenant-G overnor Lise T h iba ult to dissolve th e N ational Assem bly in advance o f a March 26 election. Charest and Parti Q uébécois leader A ndré Boisclair wasted no tim e in boarding the ir cam p aig n busses to begin th e e lection m ud slinging in earnest. In an e lection p la tform released Feb. 17 , Charest prom ised to keep focusing on health care and education, and c u t taxes by $25 o -m illion over th e next five years. Boisclair, m eanw hile, has trie d to p ain t Cha rest as a prom ise-breaker. In a speech after being officially nom in ate d to run in th e Pointe-auxTrem bles riding in eastern M ontreal, he said th a t re-electing a Charest g o v e rn m e n t w o u ld be like h anding over Q uebec to a "pyrom aniac fireman." Boisclair has also had to deal w ith th e separation issue— he has taken criticism early on fo r p ro m ising a "p u blic consultation" on Quebec's place in Canada early in his g overnm ent's m andate. Both Charest and A ctio n d ém o cratiq ue du Q ue

bec leader M ario D u m o n t have said this is code fo r an o th e r referendum . A ccording to th e G lobe and Mail, a recent poll show ed th a t w h ile 48 per c e n t o f Quebeckers s u p p o rt sovereignty, m ost o f those polled d id n 't w a n t a n o th e r referendum . A poll released yesterday by Léger M arket ing show ed th e Liberals strongly in fro n t o f th e PQ. Thirty-seven per c e n t o f voters said th e y sup p orte d th e Liberals, w ith 28 per cen t backing th e PQ and 24 per cen t preferring th e ADQ. W he th er post-secondary edu ca tion w ill be a h o t-b u tto n issue remains to be seen. The Lib eral p la tform calls fo r abolishing th e cherished tu itio n freeze fo r in-province students. The plan w o u ld see tu itio n rising fo r Q uebec students by $100 per year over five years, to $2,168 by 20 12 . The Liberal p latform says th e party w ill also increase fu n d in g fo r bursaries to offset th e in creased tu itio n . The PQ has p ledged to reinvest $ i-b illio n in to Quebec's e ducation system, w ith th e bulk g o in g to post-secondary education. The S tudents' S ociety w ill be playing an active role in provincial politics in th e com in g m o n th . Vice-President External Max Silverman said th a t SSMU w ill be ru nn ing a cam paign to encourage students to vote and w ill be educat

ing th e m on th e various p arty platform s. He said th a t SSMU w ill n o t be takin g sides in th e elec tion , despite th e Liberals' stance on th e tu itio n freeze. "The cam paign w ill be non-partisan, en tirely," he said. "Yes, th e [Q uebec Liberal party] has decided to cam paign fo r . de-freezing tu ition, b u t th e PQ's p la tform on edu ca tion isn't m uch better, besides keeping th e freeze. There is no clear c o m m itm e n t fo r o u t-o f-p ro vin ce and international students, and n o t nearly eno ug h p ledged in term s o f investm ent." Silverman said th a t SSMU w ill also be pro v id in g students w ith info rm a tion on o th e r parts o f th e p arty platform s, n otab ly th e environm ent, healthcare and th e provincial debt. Silverman is also w o rkin g to clarify an im p o rta n t issue fo r o u t-o f-p ro v in ce students: w h e th e r th e y are e n title d to cast votes. D epend ing on th e inte rp re ta tion o f th e law, students fro m o th e r provinces w h o have been renting p ro p e rty fo r lon g er than six m o nths m ay be able to vote. Silverman said th a t he has been g e ttin g d iffe re n t answers fro m Elections Quebec, and is h op ing to g e t th e agency to give a clarification in w ritin g soon. ■

CITY

L'ACTUALITÉ.COM L o o k o u t! T h e lo o m in g fe d e r a lis t th r e a t!

CAMPUS

H o u s in g h u n t p o s e s

F ly in g S q u a d

p r o b le m s fo r s t u d e n t s

s t u c k in h a n g a r

Landlord registry hopes to ease woes

Members still optimistic

Kate S pirgen It's th a t tim e o f year again, w h e n M cG ill students e m erge fro m their, w a rm a p a rtm e n ts and brave th e cold w e a th e r in search o f w h a t th e y h o p e w ill be a b e tte r liv ing situ a tio n. M any seasoned a p a rtm e n t hunters are e q u ip p e d w ith a bad a ttitu d e and a cynical, eye fro m bad experiences w ith th e re n tin g process and lan d lord relationships th a t leave m u ch to be desired. M o ntre al s tu d en ts in p a rticu la r seem to have p ro b le m s ra ng ing fro m hiked rents, broken appliances, pest infestations and u n caring b u ild in g supe.rvisors, A lex Fraenkel, A uw al Isa-O didi and Sam K nig h t b e cam e so frustrated w ith th e ir landlords th a t th e y created an o n lin e registry o f landlords th a t w ill h o p e fu lly w arn a p a rtm e n t h unters against b u ild in g s w ith in c o m p e te n t supers. The Rental Board o f Q u e be c w as p u t in place to help w ith p ro b le m s such as these, b u t m o st stu d en ts are e ith e r unaw are o f its existence o r u n m o tiv a te d to take th e ir case there. C oncordia s tu d e n t M ichael Barry had a m ouse infes ta tio n in his a p a rtm e n t last year, and a lth o u g h it to o k his la n d lo rd o ve r three m o n th s to c o m p le te an e xte rm in a tio n , he never considered m a kin g an official c o m p la in t. "I have a lo t to do," he said. "I s h o u ld n 't have to be on his ass all th e tim e a b o u t it. It's his jo b to take care o f these th in g s and I d id n 't w a n t to w aste tim e try in g to fig u re o u t h o w to w o rk th e system . I th o u g h t a b o u t w ith h o ld in g re n t tho ug h." W ith h o ld in g re n t is n o t legal and c o u ld e nd in an e victio n , a cco rdin g to M cG ill O ff-C am pus H ousing. O nce a case is s u b m itte d , it can take up to e ig h t m o n th s to be heard at th e Board, a cco rd in g to represen ta tiv e Lindsay Zhang, and because m a ny stu d en ts m ove a p a rtm e n ts yearly, th e y d o n 't feel th a t filin g a c o m p la in t is w o rth th e tim e or th e $65 fee to file a case. "If m y a p a rtm e n t is th a t bad I'd m o ve th e n ext year instead o f w a s tin g tim e try in g to g e t m y lan d lord to fix it," Barry said. Paul Di Gaetano, U 2 p o litica l science and sociology, had sim ilar p rob lem s w ith his la n d lo rd a fte r a fire in his b u ild in g last July. "At first he was very co n ce rn e d a b o u t th e place and

w h e re m y ro om m ate s and I w ere g o in g to stay," he said. "The very n ext business day he had his insurance a ge nt th e re w ith a c o n tra c to r w h o specializes in post-fire re pair. That w as reassuring, u n til over tim e th e con tracto rs s to p p e d s h o w in g u p and th e lan d lord sho w e d c o m p le te apa th y a b o u t c o m p le tin g th e repairs, w h ic h still aren't c o m p le te ly finished." The key to living o ff cam pus seems to be cho osin g an a p a rtm e n t th a t is in g o o d repair w ith a landlord th a t is tru stw o rth y . Tanbem , a M o ntre al c ity service, w ill send an a ge nt to you r a p a rtm e n t and insp ect it before p o te n tia l ten an ts m o ve in. O ff-C am pus H ousing ide n tifie s broken locks and break-ins as c o m m o n p rob lem s w ith M o ntre al a p a rt m ents, as w ell as d isagreem ents over rent. "The m o st c o m m o n co m p la in ts w e see are ones a b o u t broke n refrigerators, e le ctric o r p lu m b in g issues o r re n t raises," Zh an g said. "Landlords in M o ntre al te n d n o t to be as involved as landlords in sm aller cities. The best th in g to d o is try to reason w ith th e landlord. Usually som e a g re e m e n t can be made." H ow ever, lan g ua ge barriers are o fte n an issue. "I d id n 't speak any French and a lth o u g h m y la n d lord claim e d to speak English, I kind o f d o u b t th a t he did," Barry said. "M any stu d en ts d o n 't k n o w h o w to deal w ith lan d lords," Pamella said. “You're usually d ea ling w ith a large c o m p a n y o r a la n d lo rd th a t o w n s a lo t o f houses o r a fe w blocks. Messages g e t relayed so you d o n 't really k n o w w h a t messages are g o in g around." The Rental Board W eb site gives th e m any regula tio n s o n raising rent, w h ic h is cap pe d d iffe re n tly fo r each b u ild in g based o n repairs, taxes and re no vatio ns.T he M c Gill O ff-C am pus H ousing W eb site is also a useful source, w ith a list o f tip s fo r th e ine xpe rie nced shopper, o n lin e listings, rules o n s u b le ttin g and a list o f te n a n t rights. "I c o u ld have p ro b a b ly learned a n e w lan g ua ge w ith th e tim e I w asted [w ith m y landlord]," Di G aetano said. "It w as used m o stly to e n tre a t h im to finish w h a t was started. I've been b itte rly d is a p p o in te d a t h o w u ncaring and u n scrup u lo u s p e o p le can be to w a rd s o thers in m y position." ■

V incci Tsui A lth o u g h it g enerated e nthu si asm w h e n created at th e b e g in n in g o f th e school year, th e S tudents' So ciety's Flying Squad, in te n d e d to be a g ro u p o f McGill students th a t could be m o bilized to represent SSMU at various d em onstrations, never fo u n d its w ings. Vice-President External Max Silverm an, w h o th o u g h t o f th e c o n c e p t b e h ind th e group, a d m itte d th a t it has n o t m e t since Novem ber. "At th e first m e e tin g [in S eptem ber] the re was a lo t o f enthusiasm and a lo t o f peo ple cam e out. We ju s t d id n 't have th e chance to fo llo w up rig h t aw ay because w e g o t side tracked by a b un ch o f things," he said. "By th e tim e I was able to call th e next m eeting, it w as already in to th e m id te rm exam p eriod so the re ju s t wasn't m uch ene rg y fo r it." SSMU President A aron D onnyClark was n o t d ire c tly involved w ith th e Flying Squad, b u t believed th a t there are o th e r reasons w h y th e g ro u p sto p pe d m eeting. "The politica l events on cam pus u n fo ld e d in u nfavourable ways," he said. "It's really m ore o u t o f th e c o n tro l o f th e person w ho's try in g to or ganize it." Silverm an h oped th a t th e fo l lo w -u p m e eting s cou ld have been used to d raw u p bylaws fo r th e fle d g ling grou p , w h ic h w o u ld have been m o de led on SSMU's P rogram m ing N etw ork, a c o m m itte e u n d e r th e VP C o m m u n ica tio n s and Events p o rtfo lio th a t helps to organize events on cam pus. Since th e bylaws w ere never a d o p te d by th e g ro u p o r SSMU, w h a t

is le ft is an em ail listserv th a t Silverm an uses to m o bilize volunteers for cam paigns taken on by th e External Affairs C om m ittee . Kathleen Burdo, Uo arts, is one o f th e volunteers on th e listserv and says th a t even w ith o u t th e Flying Squad, th e present setup is still an ef fective w ay to g e t p e o ple involved in th e s tu d e n t m o vem ent. . "It's kind o f d is a p p o in tin g b u t I feel like there's a solid g ro u p o f p eo ple th a t v o lu n te e r fo r th e External Affairs. C om m ittee," she said. "[Silverm an] certa inly has th e volunteers; th e w o rd still gets o u t.T h e c u rre n t system is p ro b a b ly n o t as e ffective as regular Flying Squad m e eting s w o u ld have been, b u t I th in k it works." Silverm an also believes th a t th e c u rre n t system is effective, b u t hopes th a t s o m e th in g sim ilar to th e Flying Squad can be started up again in th e future. "The Flying Squad d id n 't end u p h o w I w a n te d it to, b u t I d o n 't re ally consider it a failure. No one's ever trie d to d o a n y th in g like th a t a t McGill before and the re w as som e positive energy. A core g ro u p o f volunteers cam e o u t o f it, so I th o u g h t it was an interesting e xp e rim e n t and it's w o rth try in g so m e th in g similar, b u t I w o u ld change th e m a keup a little b it in fu tu re years." D onny-C lark is c o n fid e n t th a t so m e th in g like th e Flying Squad can appear in th e very near future. "I th in k this is s o m e th in g th a t can be revived later this year if th in g s really com e up," he said. "I certa inly w o u ld n 't be inclin ed to p ro n o u n ce it dead." ■

27.02.07 «The McGill Tribune • 3

C IT Y

C le a r in g t h e p a t h fo r b ik e s D e t e n t io n p o lic y Cyclists shovel for accessible winter cycle c o m e s u n d e r f i r e teers arrived w ith som e heavy e q u ip m e n t. The m an, w h o id e n tifie d h im se lf o n ly as François, rode in on th e back o f a small bulld ozer and cleared a n o th e r 10 m eters o f path, m uch to th e d e lig h t o f tho se in attendance. "I th in k th e [event is] a success because even th o u g h w e aren't th a t m any people, w e have g o o d m edia cover age, and w e have sho w n th a t it's n o t ju s t th e organizers th a t w a n t to g e t involved b u t everyone," said Sebastien Beaulieu, U2 m echanical e ngineering. "I th in k there's a need fo r m ore space fo r alternative m eans o f tra nspo rta tio n in th e city.The p u b lic transit systems are n o t sufficie nt and have reached th e ir full potential. So it w o u ld be g o o d to o ffe r som e alternatives." This was th e group's second m a jor event, fo llo w in g last Septem ber's "D ie-in" w h ic h saw p articipants lie in th e inte rsection o f Ste-C atherine and U niversity Street d u r ing M ontreal's th ird annual Car-free Day, to sym bolize th e rieadlv effects o f a u to m o b ile use.

C harlie B lore The sun was shin ing b rig h t and th e th e rm o m e te r read a balm y -3 C th is past Sunday a fte rn o o n on w h a t could have been a p e rfe ct day to g o fo r a bike ride, if o n ly th e city's bike paths w e re n 't covered in snow. For m em bers o f VéloC ité M ontreal, a cycling enthu si ast group, th is is a p ro b le m th a t needs to be rectified. W ith this in m ind, th e grou p , a long w ith a n u m b e r o f lik e -m in d ed cyclists, broke o u t shovels and to o k to th e bike path in w h a t is b eing d u b b e d th e first M ontreal "Shovel-in."The goal o f th e day was to p rote st th e fa ct th a t M ontreal's bike paths are officially closed fro m Nov. 15 to A pril is e v e ry year by sym bolically d ig g in g o u t th e path th a t runs th ro u g h Lafontaine Park. "As it is, cyclists in M ontreal d o n 't really have a space," said one o f th e event's organizers, C laudine Gascon. "O ur space is b etw e en th e o p e n in g car doors, th e p o t holes and m ore cars on th e left. W e are citizens th a t g e t around in an ecolog ica lly responsible w ay and so w e th in k w e d e serve a b e tte r space." A cco rd ing to Vélo-Q uebec, a pp ro xim a tely 50,000 Quebeckers brave th e cold c o n d itio n s and use th e ir bi cycles as a m o d e o f tra n s p o rta tio n d u rin g th e w in te r m onths. Sunday's e vent d re w a cro w d o f a b o u t 25 peo ple and a sizeable m edia grou p . Participants w orke d in ro tating team s o f five, m aking s h o rt w o rk o f th e first 10 m eters o f path at th e B rébeuf street e ntrance to th e park, w h ile th e sounds o f "Bicycle Race" by Q ueen blared fro m a nearby b o o m box. "I read th a t a g ro u p w as o rganizing this actio n and I th o u g h t it was a great idea,” said cyclist and p a rtic ip a n t M ark Seviak."l like shoveling and biking, and I th in k it's im p o rta n t to g e t cars o ff th e streets. It's n o t necessary th a t everyone have a car in th e c ity and w h e n you can take a bike you should. W e’ll see if it has an im p a c t b u t I hope it does. If n o th in g else, it m otivates peo ple to k n o w th a t the re are o th e r p e o ple o u t the re rid ing th e ir bikes.” The surprise o f th e day cam e w h e n one o f th e v o lu n

B ik e r s c h o o s e m a n p o w e r o v e r m o t o r s f o r

K en S u n

Located in Bath, Ont., th e Kingston Im m igration Holding Centre opened on April 24 , 2006 to detain individuals sus pected o f terrorist activity by the Canada Border Services Agency. Many people have been under custody w ith o u t war rant or charge, leading to the Centre being dubbed "Guantanamo North" for acts tha t critics say violate the rights and freedoms o f individuals. On Feb. 17 , numerous organizations and com m un ity groups banded to g e th er to protest th e proliferation o f the KIHC and rallied to close the Centre. The pri mary organization behind the rally, the Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui, also wished to abolish ail security certificates and dem anded the release o f anyone under a security certificate, the end o f all proceedings to d ep ort five individuals currently under a security certificate and the end o f all deportations tha t w ould lead to tortu re o f any individual. "We have been w orking w ith the fam ily o f Mr. Charkaoui since his arrest under a certificate in May 2003," said co alition m em ber Mary Foster. "It is part o f a long-term campaign to obtain justice for the victim s o f security certificates and to g et rid o f the legislation w hich legitimizes th e abuse o f non-citizens in this way." NADINELESSARD The Quebec Public Interest Re s h o v e lin g . search Group at McGill University was

one o f the many groups th a t supported th e rally. However, it is uncertain o f the involvem ent McGill students may have had in the rally. "Our board supports th e dem on stration and its goals,"said Leila Pourtavaf, QPIRG coordinator. "I can't be certain about students being directly involved in the organizing, although I imagine some m ust be." The rally also com m em orated the one-year anniversary o f Adil Charkaoui's release from a federal detention centre. However, Charkaoui is still under a se curity certificate th a t requires him to b e , electronically m onitored by officials and police and im plem ents a curfew time. Days after th e rally, the Supreme Court o f Canada struck dow n th e use o f se cret testim ony th a t was used to detain Charkaoui. Andrew Telegdj, a Liberal MP for th e Kitchener-Waterloo riding, was a keynote speakers at th e event and a vital force behind the m ovem ent to close the KIHC. "Security certificates contravene the w ord a n d spirit o f the Canadian Charter o f Rights and Freedoms, the part o f th e constitution tha t is m eant to pre vent th e reoccurrence o f past abuses o f civil liberties,"Telegdi said. "Canada must never becom e a country o f them and us. The Charter must apply equally to all Canadians all o f th e tim e n ot just some Canadians some o f the time." ■

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f lu s h e d o u t o f M c G ill p o o l Swimming program temporarily relocates J o s h Sta r k M aking Waves, a n o n -p ro fit or ganization fo r special needs children had recently been expelled fro m McGill facilities. On Feb. 9 , a child suffering fro m diarrhea defecated in th e pool, resulting in th e entire M c Gill Currie G ym p o o l being drained. A lth o u g h at first it seem ed to be a m in o r issue, tw o weeks later, McGill athletics co n ta cte d th e organization and to ld th e m th e y w o u ld no lon g er be able to use th e pool. "I d o n o t th in k M cG ill handled th e situation well," said N ikki Fischer, M aking Waves president."! th in k th e y should have involved us in th e d eci sion m aking and should have b o th ered to fin d o u t exactly w h a t hap pened instead o f m aking a unilateral decision and in fo rm in g us at th e last m inute." Jill Barker, assistant m anager o f Recreation and Fitness, fe lt th a t th e decision was n o t taken lig h tly and was o n ly m ade after considerable discussion. "The im p a c t o f th e closing o f th e McGill p oo l fo r nin e -an d -a-ha lf days was significant. D uring this tim e th e McGill sw im team and synchro team , b o th o f w h ic h w ere tra in in g tow ard m ajor com p etition s, w ere forced to rent space at an outside facility."

Several o th e r program s, in clu d ing intram ural sports, w ere also post poned. As a result, McGill resched uled th e displaced program s in to tim e slots th a t had been reserved for M aking Waves. Since th e expulsion fro m th e M c Gill facilities, M aking Waves has had to seek o u t o th e r locations to hold its program . The o rganization is cur re ntly re ntin g p oo l space at CEGEP de Vieux M ontreal, w h ic h after substan tial pressuring, M cG ill has agreed to h elp pay for. Elowever, Fischer does n o t th in k McGill has d o n e e n o u g h to a cco m m o d a te M aking Waves.

"The situ a tio n has n o t been re solved to m y satisfaction," she said. "I still feel like this is an issue o f d iscrim i n ation since all o th e r kids are still al low ed in th e p oo l and I am insulted th a t o u r poo l tim e is b eing used for in n e r-tu b e w a te r polo." M aking Waves w ill be a llow ed back in to th e poo l facilities on A pril 1 , once th e c o m p e titiv e season is over. As a result o f th e C ity o f M ontreal's im p ro ve d w a te r q u a lity standards, McGill is cu rre n tly re view ing its p o lic y o f a llo w in g child re n in to th e poo l d u rin g th e regular c o m p e titiv e sea son. ■

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supportive," he said. "R ight n o w it's s tu d e n t-d rive n ; it w o u ld be nice if w e n e xt year," Kelford said. c o u ld g e t th e a d m in istra tio n b e h in d In th e race fo r A rts Represen it, like a u d itin g its o w n b u ild in g s arid ta tiv e to SSMU, five candidates are c o m p o s tin g on campus." c o m p e tin g fo r th e th re e positions. Chen, U 1 arts and science and A m o n g th e m are D evin Alfaro, Kath c u rre n t science cou ncillor, feels th a t leen B urdo and Jim m y Craig w h o he is in an a p p ro p ria te p o s itio n to have fo rm e d a g ro u p d u b b e d "Expe represent b o th arts and science stu rience M cG ill."H anchu C hen and Alex dents. Brow n are th e o th e r tw o candidates "I w a n t arts co u n cil to be m ore fo r th e positions. e ffe ctive at w h a t it does. R ight n o w Alfaro, w h o characterized th e it's ju s t a fo rm a lity and a ru b b e r adm in istration 's approach to th e e n sta m p arena," he said. "I ju s t w a n t v iro n m e n t as "piecem eal," said th a t m o re q u e stio n in g and m o re th in k in g p a rt o f his slate's p la tfo rm is to w o rk th ro u g h it. A rts and science stu d en ts th ro u g h SSMU to c o n tin u e its p ath need a voice and I w a n t to be th a t voice." All th e cha l "[Arts Council is] just a formality len g ed candidates and and a rubber stamp arena." fo r VP events, e xter — Hancnu Chen nal, arts representa Arts Representative Candidate tives, internal and fina nce are n o n -in c um b en ts. For a full to w a rd sustain ab ility as w e ll use it to list o f candidates and th e ir platform s, pressure th e u niversity to fo llo w suit. see page 8 The group's tw o goals are a chieving Election p e rio d w ill last fro m an ethical sustain ab ility possib ility W ednesday to Friday. ■ and m a kin g SSMU m o re relevant to arts students. "There are a lo t o f th in g s th a t th e — Additional reporting by Kate a d m in c o u ld be d o in g to be m ore Spirgen

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News Brief M cG ill shu ts d o o r to n e w W in d o w s A fte r several years o f d e v e lo p m e n t and delays, M icrosoft's latest o pe ra tin g system , W ind ow s Vista; h it stores last m o n th , p ro v id in g a n e w alternative for users as w e ll as a set o f in te g ra tio n challenges fo r businesses and institutions. The u pg ra de bug hasn't yet m anaged to b ite McGill, as th e university's n etw o rkrelated d e p a rtm e n ts test Vista's c o m p a tib ility w ith th e ir c o m p u te r systems. So far, th e y are stron gly suggesting "th a t you d o n o t u pgrade at this time." In fo rm a tio n Systems and T echnology C ustom er Services, a long w ith the o th e r IT d e p a rtm e n ts at McGill, has focused its tests on adm in istrative a pplica tion s in c lu d in g M inerva and WebCT, as w ell as p roducts th a t McGill purchases fro m softw are com panies and m odifies to fit th e university's needs. "At this tim e w e have n o t received an official Vista c o m p a tib le sta tem e n t fro m th e developers th a t m ake som e o f o u r software," said Denise Nahas, direc to r o f ICS. "We need to m ake sure th a t th e applica tio n s are fu n c tio n in g properly in th e McGill e nviro nm e nt. We d o n o t w a n t o u r users to run in to problem s th a t c a n n o t be resolved because th e y are ru n n in g o n an o fficially u nsup po rte d o pe ra tin g system." A cco rd ing to ICS's p ost on McGill's W eb site, one o f th e curre nt bugs is th a t Vista causes in te rm itte n t prob lem s w ith th e virtua l private n etw ork, p reventing users fro m brow sing th e in te rn e t and accessing M cG ill-licenced c o n te n t fro m hom e. ICS has also p rovid ed an o n lin e list o f m in im u m specs fo r using th e new OS, suggesting th a t a c o m p u te r be e q u ip p e d w ith at least one g ig a b yte o f RAM as o pposed to M icrosoft's suggested m in im u m o f 512 m egabytes. Nahas said th a t w h ile her g ro u p is n o t in a h urry to u pgrade McGill's c o m puters, th e y are still in th e process o f investigating hardw are data to d eterm ine th e university's capacity to upgrade. She said th a t th e cu rre n t system is still appropriate. "W indow s XP Professional is very stable and is by far th e m o st p o p u la r OS used at McGill. Currently, the re are over 9,000 XP c o m p u te r objects.registered in o u r directory," she said. "Nevertheless, w e need to be ready to react and u p grade in a tim e ly manner." — Kayvon Ashfari

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Everyone's a little bit racist J esse C h a s e r JESSE.CHASER@GMAIL.COM

ver reading w eek a frie nd o f m in e in tro d uced m e to th e soundtrack fro m th e Tony award w in n in g m usical Avenue Q. Essentially it's a c o m in g o f a ge-cum -w hat's you r purpose in life story, a "w e lco m e to th e real w o rld " m o m e n t fo r a recent grad w h o m oans "W hat d o you d o w ith a BA in English?" W hile th e song “It sucks to be me," is certainly a great one, I th in k th a t m y favo urite is "Every one's a little b it racist." In a w o rld w he re b eing p o litica lly correct is a w ay o f sh o w in g o ff ju s t h o w edu ca ted and sophisticated you are, singing such a song seems rather u n co u th . H owever, after hearing it, you can't help b u t smile. Perhaps surprisingly, it's n o t a depressing ballad a b o u t h o w we're all g o in g to hell; rather it's a to e -ta p p in g , fing er-sna pp ing sho w tu n e a b o u t a cce pting th e fact th a t m aybe no one is really c o lo u r b lin d and everyone makes ju d g m ents, even if the y're ju s t little ones, based on race, "even th o u g h w e all k n o w th a t it's wrong." The song's message is th a t everyone's rac ist— it's a fa ct o f life— and th a t m aybe instead o f p re te n d in g th a t we're not, w e should ju s t a d m it it, th e n perhaps w e cou ld all live in har m ony. ^ I recognize th a t this m ay be takin g thin gs a little far. I'm n o t suggesting th a t you g o up to som e on e o f a d iffe re n t race (n o t necessar ily a m inority, as th e song poin ts o u t th a t “b ig o try has never been exclusively w hite") and tell th e m th a t you're racist and p rou d o f it. The song suggests th a t w e have taken this p o liti cally corre ct th in g to o far, w h ic h is causing us to ignore and n o t talk a b o u t th e reality o f o ur prejudices. W hile I'm sure th a t these avoiders and deniers are n o t try in g to p e rp e tu ate racism, that's exactly w h a t the y're doin g. By n o t talking a b o u t som e thin g, w e as a society a llo w it to

J. F. K o s t u c k JFKOSTUCK@GMAIL.COM

I had a m b itio u s plans fo r Spring Break

con tinu e. O f course, in o u r PC w orld , racism by and large does n o t take place in p u b lic (m ak ing it th a t m u ch easier to avoid o r deny), b u t in backroom s, w ith sub tle gestures and th ro u g h k n o w in g eye contact. If you w a n t so m e th in g to stop, you have to talk a b o u t it. You have to let p eo ple k n o w th a t those subtleties o ffe nd peo ple and h u rt th e m , b u t you also have to a ckn ow led ge th a t mistakes w ill be m ade and p eo ple are ig n o rant— th e y m ay n o t k n o w th a t so m e th in g is offensive. As Avenue Q poin ts o ut, "everyone's a little b it racist som etim es, doesn't m ean w e g o around c o m m ittin g hate crimes." This doesn't ju s t a pp ly to racism, either; it's th e sam e w ith sexism, h o m o p h o b ia , transphobia and all o th e r prejudices. This su b je ct seems even m ore im p o rta n t on th e heels o f th e H érouxville declaration, a recent poll in Le D evoir sho w in g th a t 59 per c e n t o f Quebeckers id e n tify them selves as at least so m e w h a t racist and th e U nited K ing d o m reconsidering its p o licy o f m u ltic u ltu ra lism. These three th in g s seem to have caused th e d ia lo g u e on reasonable a cco m m o d a tio n , xe n o p h o b ia and racism to be seriously con sid ered and p on de re d in magazines, on e ditorial pages and, hopefully, around kitchen tables. Sadly, I sense th a t this line o f d ia lo g u e makes p e o ple u n c o m fo rta b le and thu s w ill q u ickly be pushed o ff th e radar screen. As Stop Racism Day approaches, I hope th a t everyone w ill sto p and consider racism. D on 't ju s t th in k it's bad and w ro ng , actually th in k a b o u t it. Examine y o u r o w n life— you r ju d g m e n ts, y o u r views, y o u r unconscious prejudices— because racism, o r any prejudice, w ill never be sto p p e d unless those w h o c o m m it it a d m it to it. If that's n o t y o u r style, d o n 't w orry, because as th e song says, "everyone is ju s t a b o u t as racist as you." ■

2007 . I was g o in g to g o d o w n south,

soak u p som e deliciou sly h arm ful UV rays, th e n so m e h o w return ju s t as pasty. Or, I was g o in g to g o up n o rth on an Alaskan cruise, soak u p som e deliciously harm ful UV rays and return slig h tly w o rld lier, b u t ju s t as fro stb itte n . I was g o in g to g o to Halifax fo r jo b interview s, N ew York fo r open a ud itio ns o r T oronto fo r in te rn ship o p p o rtu n itie s. In short: I was g o in g to be anyw here b u t M ontreal. But then, in a freakishly c o in cid e n tal chain o f events, each and every one o f m y plans fell th ro u g h . Flights g o t can celled, trains w ere o ve rb oo ked and even Craigslists rideshare p rovid ed m e w ith no escape routes fro m th e city. Unless m y spring break destina tio n fell som ew here on th e M e tro m ap, I was stuck— stuck in a cra pp y a pa rtm en t, in a cra pp y m o od , in cra pp y weather. Visions o f daiquiris, m argaritas and sex on th e beach (drin k or activity, you decide) p lagued m y th o u g h ts day and n ig h t. As everyone arou n d m e to o k o ff to m ore exotic locales, I becam e increasing ly bitter. W hy me? W hy d o these th in g s always happen to me? W hat d id I d o to deserve this? I c o n tin u e d to channel th e w ritin g team b eh ind / Heart Huckabees fo r a fe w m ore hours, until I eve ntu ally stew ed m y self in to a slum ber. I dream ed o f sandy beaches, clear b lu e ocean, palm trees, co co nu ts and th e entire m ale cast o f Lost. M y lusty dream s w ere so vivid, I could have sw orn th a t I fe lt th e C uban sun bearing d o w n o n me. W ow, Cuba's p re tty hot. A lm o st u n c o m fo rta b ly hot. U n co m fo rta b le in a very realistic kind o f w a y ... I w o k e up to th e sigh t o f m y b u ild in g

on fire. Yes, to th e sight. N ot to th e sound o f th e legally-required sm oke detectors, because th a t w o u ld im p ly th a t m y land lord actually cared a b o u t th e w e ll-b e in g (or survival) o f his tenants. Instead, I g o t to fin d o u t a b o u t th e fire th e g o o d o ld fashioned w ay: by nearly d yin g in it. It was nice— after all, retro's in. But I digress. The th ird flo o r o f m y b u ild in g was on fire. S pecifically th e th ird flo o r balcony, w h ic h w as a b o u t 10 feet fro m m y second-story b e d ro o m w in d o w . It to o k m e a m o m e n t to register w h a t w as hap pe nin g; after all, I had never real ly seen a fire before, a t least n o t one th a t I d id n 't in te n d to roast m arshm allow s around. It was a ctu ally q u ite p re tty — in an a b o u t-to -tu rn -le th a l kind o f way. I p ho n e d 911 as I fra ntically g a th ered th e first th in g s th a t cam e to m ind: laptop, je w e lry a n d fo r som e reason, a b oo k to read. Clearly w a tc h in g m y b u ild ing g o d o w n in a raging infe rn o w asn't e n te rta in m e n t e no u g h . I ran in to th e street ju s t as fo u r fire trucks w ere co m in g around th e corner. "Im pressive response tim e," I n o te d in m y state o f hysteria. it w as 40 m in utes before w e w ere given th e all-clear to return to th e b u ild ing. D espite th e fa c t th a t it was - 20 C and I was w ea rin g o n ly m y jam m ies and a leather jacket, I never once left m y post on th e o th e r side o f th e road. Later, I real ized h o w ridiculous I m u st have looked, in s n o w fla ke -p rin t flannel, clu tc h in g The DaVinci Code, h o p in g th a t e ve ryth in g I o w n e d w asn't being reduced to ash. A fte r surveying th e m in im al d a m age to th e second flo o r (the th ird flo o r was n o t q u ite as lucky), it d aw ne d on me: sure, I was stuck here fo r spring break, b u t here w as n o t such a bad place to be. ■

BT P H O N E H O M E

Science and ideology don't mix B yron Ta u BYRON.TAU@MAIL.MCGILL.CA

ne th in g th a t o fte n gets m e in to tro u b le is q u o tin g controversial scientific studies to m y v iru le n tly ide o logical friends. Recent debacles inclu de research th a t shows th a t the re m ay be no such th in g as bisexuality and data th a t sho w differences in m en and w om en's IQ dis trib u tio n s. I understand th a t these are controversial ideas, however, there are larger and m ore d is tu rb in g trends at play. N ot o n ly are individuals a cce pting o r rejecting science fro m a preconceived ide o logical p o in t o f view, ide o log y and partisanship are also creeping in to th e public scientific debate. Take Charles Roselli and Fred Storm shak, tw o research ers w h o are inve stig atin g h om o se xua lity in sheep. D espite having d on e previous research th a t suggested th a t to le r ance fo r hom o se xua lity should be u ne qu ivo cal— based on a b iological basis— th e anim al rights g ro u p People fo r th e Ethical T rea tm en t o f Anim als characterized th e ir cur re nt research as try in g to "cure" gay sheep and d en ou nced th e h orrific im p lica tion s o f th e ir research in hum ans. Rosélli and Stormshak, o f course, had no such e ug en ic intentions. They are scientists w h o d ecided to pursue scientific tru th th a t m eets certain rigorous standards. But in an increas in g ly shrill politica l clim ate, th e y fo u n d th e ir valid scientific research u n d e r attack by ideologues p ushing an agenda. H ow a b o u t th e cu rre n t politica l deb ate over glo b al cli

m ate change? A fe w weeks ago, a th in k tan k linked to Exxon M o b il offered a $10,000 (U.S.) prize to produce e vidence th a t cou nte re d a UN scientific study. The study in q ue stio n stat ed in no uncerta in term s th a t clim ate change is a very real p h e n o m e n o n and th a t it has been caused by hum a n a ctiv ity. N ot to be o utd o n e , th e chairm an o f th e V irgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, offered his o w n massive rew ard fo r re search on h o w to rem ove carbo n dio xide fro m th e air. This politica l shell g am e o f b id d in g fo r scientific re search th a t advances one p articula r agenda o r a n o th e r is n o t a healthy d evelo pm e n t. Science m ust be b o th apolitical and non -ide o log ica l. Philosopher Karl Popper believed th a t this is w h a t distinguishes tru e science fro m o th e r academ ic fields. He n oted th a t even th o u g h th e systems o f th o u g h t o f b o th M arx and Freud had been disproved over and over by th e patterns o f h istory and a m o u n ta in o f em pirica l evi dence, staunch Marxists and c o m m itte d psychoanalysts refused to a ba nd on th e ir "pseudoscience" ideologies. On th e o th e r hand, w h e n age -o ld N ew ton ian physics was c o n fro n te d by Einstein's inn o va tive n e w theories and w h e n e m pirical data d em o nstra te d th e v a lid ity o f Einstein's th o u g h t, Sir Isaac's th e o ry was readily abandoned. Indeed, m any o f o u r c u rre n t problem s w ith th e p a rti sanship o f scientific d eb ate arise o u t o f a specific historical m o m e n t: fo r exam ple, w h e n Big Tobacco, specifically Philip

Morris, d ecided th a t it needed to be able to cast d o u b t on scientific studies th a t d em o nstra te d th e ills o f cigarettes. The co m p a n y set up a p ro je c t designed to p rod u ce re search th a t b en efited th e m and a p u b lic relations ope ra tio n designed to w id e ly dissem inate th a t info rm a tion . Their e no rm o usly successful PR c o u p in th e falsification o f science has n o w e xte nd ed in to o th e r fields, m ore specifi cally com panies hell b e n t on disp ro vin g clim ate change. A U niversity o f C alifornia at San D iego researcher show ed in a random sam ple o f peer-review ed jou rn als th a t the re was no scientific d isagreem ent on th e fun da m e ntals o f clim ate change. However, in a stu d y o f h o w th e press covered it, ro u g h ly 50 per c e n t o f th e coverage was dedicated to th e contrarian p o in t o f v ie w on g lo b al clim ate change. I am n o t suggesting th a t scientific studies are th e har bingers o f all tru th . Research like th e stu d y d em o n stra tin g th a t bisexuality m ay n o t exist can still be criticized on its m e th o d o lo g y, its scope, its conclusions o r o th e r grounds. W hat I am suggesting is th a t a pp ro achin g science in an ideological fashion is d e trim e n ta l to th e very spirit o f in q u i ry and rigorous standard th a t em piricism cham pions. The recent tre n d o f purchasing research frie n d ly to a p a rtic u lar agenda has p ro fo u n d negative social im p lications, and w h e n c o n fro n te d w ith evidence, preconceived ide o log y should never carry th e day. ■

27.02.07 - The McGill Tribune • 7

EDITORIAL

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N o G u a n t a n a m o N o rth L ast w eek, th e Suprem e C ourt o f Canada struck d o w n a law th a t allo w ed law e n fo rce m e n t agencies to d etain terro rism suspects in d e fin ite ly w ith o u t charge using security certificates. The una nim o us 9 -0 decision represents an im p o r ta n t step tow ards re-e valu ating the a n ti-te rro r legislation speedily im p le m e n te d in 2001 and defends civil liberties th a t w ere discarded in th e post 9/ n clim ate o f fear and u ncer tainty. It also charts a m ore p rincip led anti-terrp rism strategy th a n th e one backed by U nited States President G eorge W. Bush, one th a t is m ore practical and p o te n tia lly m ore effec tive. M em bers o f Parliam ent should fo llo w th e C ourt's lead and co n tin u e th e rollback o f controversial security m easures— in c lu d in g preve nta tive arrests and secret c o u rt hearings— th a t in frin g e o n rights p ro te cte d in th e C harter o f Rights and Freedoms. Traditionally, u niversity students are at th e fo re fro n t o f cam paigns to raise awareness a b o u t h um a n rights viola tio ns in re m o te corners o f the w o rld th a t lack th e p ro te ctio n s o f a liberal dem ocracy. H owever, students need loo k no fu rth e r th a n O ttaw a to fin d exam ples o f gross abuses o f pow er. In its ruling, th e C o u rt fo u n d th a t th e secrecy o f th e security-cer tific a te process used to d etain fo r e ig n -b o rn suspects vio la te d Section 7 o f th e C harter— w h ic h p rote cts th e life, lib e rty and security o f th e person and has been in te rp re te d to inclu de th e rig h t to a fair trial! The ru lin g also m a nd ate d th e rig h t to ju d ic ia l re v ie w w ith in 48 hours, an im p o rta n t guarantee o f d u e process th a t n on C anadian suspects has so far been denied. G o ve rn m e n t lawyers argued th a t th e use o f secret te s tim o n y against persons held o n security cer tificates a llo w e d th e g o v e rn m e n t to p ro te c t n ational security and c o m b a t in te rn a tio n a l terrorism . W hile these are serious concerns and sho uld n o t be taken lightly, there are b e tte r tools available to d efen d security interests,

specifically, to o ls th a t d o n o t infring e on C harter rights. In fact, th e Justices offered sug gestions on h o w to balance n ational security and hum a n rights w ith o u t d en yin g access to a fair trial. They rec o m m e n d e d e ng a g in g lawyers w ith th e a p p ro p ria te security clearance to hear classified e vidence on b eh alf o f th e accused and p o in te d to prec edents fo r special advocates set in th e British system. The Justices'ruling proves th a t Canada is n o t s o ft on te r ror; it ju s t refuses to a cce pt a G uanta n am o N orth w ith in its borders. It also sends a strong m essage to lawmakers, u ne qu ivo cally a ffirm in g th a t ind ividu al liberties c a n n o t and sho uld n o t be tru m p e d by hastily e n acted, reactionary m easures m o tiv a t ed by fear ra the r th a n facts. The best w ay to fig h t terro rism a t h o m e and abroad is to p ro te c t w h a t terrorists seek to destroy: respect fo r hum an d ig n ity and d e m o cra tic ideals. If MPs are tru ly c o m m itte d to p re ve n tin g acts o f terror, th e y should v o te to sto p th e assault o n Cana dian rights and fre ed om s in flic te d by tw o o th e r legal m easures passed in 20 0 1 . The provisions, c o n ta in e d in th e sw e ep ing Anti-Terrorism A c t th a t parallels th e U.S. Patriot Act, are due to expire M arch i.T h e first grants spe cial preve nta tive arrest pow ers and p erm its secret c o u rt hearings. The second allow s "investigative hearings" th a t can be used to c o m p e l te s tim o ny. Both should be allo w ed to expire, n o t because th e th re a t th e provisions w ere created to address has been e lim in a te d b u t because s h o tg u n ar rests and coerced te s tim o n y je o p a r dize d em o cracy instead o f d e fe n d in g it. A fter th e A m erican g o v e rn m e n t falsely accused M aher Arar o f te r rorism (based p artly o n in fo rm a tio n p rovid ed by th e RCMP), officials sent h im to Syria, w he re he was ja ile d and to rtu re d . The $ n . 5-m illio n se ttle m e n t aw arded in January to Arar, a Syrianb o rn C anadian citizen, m arked a tu rn ing p o in t in th e g overnm e nt's u n ila t

eral p u rs u it o f n ational security. Last w eek, th e ju d ic ia ry delivered a sim ilar w a k e -u p call, this tim e to Canadian lawm akers, and created a sharp c o n trast to th e c u rre n t A m erican legal cli m ate. Just three days before th e SCC ruling, a U.S. federal appeals c o u rt u p h e ld th e M ilitary C om m issions A ct o f 2006 , w h ic h allow s te rro r suspects to be prosecuted o utside o f norm al legal channels w ith o u t th e rig h t o f habeas corpus. As President Bush forges ahead

w ith th e w a r in Iraq, th e U.S.Congress rem ains paralyzed and una ble to or ganize th e s u p p o rt needed to deci sively reject th e executive branch's u n p o p u la r policies. In Canada, th e rollback o f overzealous legislation is set to c o n tin u e and w h ile lawm akers' actions m ay n o t d ire c tly affect events south o f th e border, th e y can make th e co a litio n o f th e w illin g reconsider its s u p p o rt fo r failed policies th a t bla ta n tly disregard respect fo r civil liber ties and h um a n d ig n ity. ■ by

K aty K o sterm an

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C o n tr ib u to r s

H eather Anderson, Laura Anderson, N aom i Brodkey, David Campana, Jesse Chaser, M aria Forti, Katy Kosterm an, J.F. Kostuck, N adine Lessard, John Semley, Josh Stark, Byron Tau, Vincci Tsui T ribune O ffices

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Tobacco is n 't so bad a fte r all Traci Johnson seems to miss th e p o in t o f investing ("McGill's pockets lined w ith tar,” 13 .0 2 .07). Inve sto rs'u ltim ate goal is to m ake a re tu rn on th e ir principal. Investing is n o t cha rity or g o o d w ill. It's a rigorous, zero-sum gam e. If she is so con cern e d a b o u t "investing in a to b a c c o c o m p a n y "m ig h t I suggest she take her $86 (the cost o f o ne share o f A ltria stock) and d o n a te it to th e Canadian Cancer Society, w h ile I b u y a share o f th e com pany, reap a nice capital gain as w ell as th e com pany's $3-44 annual d ivid en d fo r m yself and th e n d o n a te th e e q u iva le n t o f $86 at th e end o f th e year. That's th e w ay this gam e w orks.There are n o e m o tio n s in finance. — M atthew Hertz U2 finance W e a ll n e e d to d o o u r p a rt Re Richard Tseng's "Hey, som e on e save th e e n v iro n m e n t!” (13 .6 2 .07 ): I agree th a t a m o n g en

vironm entalists, som e d o n 't w alk th e talk and can be p re tty pessim istic. A m o n g us th o u g h , m any abstain fro m h o ld in g this apocalyptical discourse. W alking th e talk requires w ill and a b ility to change. W ith o u t having all o f th e necessary info rm a tion , m a kin g "e n lig h te ne d" choices becom es hard. W hich o p tio n is m ore e n viro n m e n ta lly frie n d ly to d ry y o u r hands: using a hand-dryer, paper o r a tow el? H ow is y o u r e ne rg y produced, dam s o r fossil fuels? Was th a t tre e clear-cut o r re sponsibly cut? D o you use b io d eg ra da ble soap to w ash yo u r hand tow el? We can d o m ore tha n slow d o w n o u r rate o f d e stru ctio n o f th e w o rld th ro u g h d ay-to-da y actions, th ro u g h b eing in volved, e n viro n m e n ta lly and politically, at m any levels, to b ring p e o ple in th e m o ve m e n t and g e t th e m to cha ng e th e ir habits and q uestion som e a utom atism s th a t can have h arm ful c o n sequences. If everyone ju m p s aboard th e enviro n

m e ntally-po w e re d boat, w e can reduce Cana dian em issions to a low e r level, decrease o ur glo b al ecological fo o tp rin t, ensure th e lo n g te rm hum a n species survival and repair o u r mistakes. — Lynne Champoux-Williams U2 environment & linguistics P o p c u ltu r e p u n s

Is the re no o th e r w ay to fill th e space on th e page th a n w ith onerous puns a b o u t a band's name? ("Holy Arcade Fire— can cults be th is fun?," 13 .02 .07). Did any self-respecting m usic jo u rn a lis t describe Led Z e pp elin as “soaring on th e stage" or Puff D addy "in flating th e crowd?" Please d o y o u r readers th e favo ur o f leaving such remarks th a t Arcade Fire "blazed" and "p u t th e stage in flam es" on th e e d itin g floor. For th e love o f God! — David Loach U i arts

The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University in collaboration with the Tribune Publication Society. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent.those of the Students'Society or McGill University 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 onlv 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. S a l s are decked upon and w S ^ ^ X î ü l toard. 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.

AUS ELECTIONS is proud to present...

The C a n d id a te s All Candidates DEBATE: Tuesday, February 27th, 7 PM, Arts Lounge / AUS Pub VOTE: Wednesday, Thursday & Friday online! President RJ Kelford: For my entire past year of AUS Presidency I’ve believed in demolishing the status quo. Undergrads in Arts deserve the best programs, services and events. Creating new opportunities to involve more students in AUS like the Community Outreach Committee and the McGill Fine Arts Committee are at the top of my priorities. Kicking old habits and traditions needs to happen once in a while. Questions about the way AUS works need to be constantly asked. Under my leadership I hope to see scaling-up of depanmental association's activities as well as AUS’. Opinions, ideas, questions and comments are welcome -email me,

VP A c a d e m i c Hey everyone!!! My name is Patrick Boilv, I am presenting myself for the position of VicePresident Academic of the AUS. I am a U1 pursuing a double major in Canadian Studies and Political Science. In my two years at McGill. I have been involved with the Canadian Studies Association of Undergraduate Students as minister of finance, and with Liberal McGill as V-P policy. I want to create better relations between students and the administration to make it easier for students to voice their concerns about issues like class sizes and space reallocation.

VP C o m m u n i c a t i o n Liz McLaughlin: Having held executive spots on New' Rez Council. First Year Committee of Council, and the McGill Psychology Students’ Association, I'm eager for another exciting roie! With the mission of greater accessibility, I plan to make Listservs more relevant and readable, while adding more information to www.ausmcgill.com; two additions 1hope to make are an events calendar and an executives’ report. Communication, however, is a two-way street, and I will be a resource tor every Arts student; my policy is to reply promptly to every email. I am excited to work with you and for you - thanks for your vote!!

Events

My ridiculously long name is Lauren Ahecassis-Kandravy. Try spelling that when you’re drunk! I'm running for VP Events, here’s why you should give *#@!. I’ll bring you cheap beer and a rocking good time. 1 have experience planning events and I will make this year the best yet! If I'm your VP Events, the video of you chugging 12 brews and smooching on lower field that is posted on the internet the next morning will be evidence of the good times you can't remember you had. All this courtesy of this year’s VP Events, me, Lauren Ahecassis-Kandravy. Andrea Merlano: I have been your AUS Chief Events Coordinator since the position was established in November. 1 brought you Carnival Lite and Pub Nights, and I’m working on an amazing Red & White Ball. When it comes to AUS events, no one knows more about the job than I do! Next year, I plan to involve student associations in Pub Nights and organize a full-fledged Arts Carnival, as well as a very original Frosh and Red & White Ball, bringing my creativity and experience to the job. As part of the Orange Evolution, I can and will make a positive difference in the AUS. Vote Andrea as your VP Events!

VP E x t e r n a l Roy Jahchan: AUS is looking for a VP Externa! that pushes the status quo both in AUS and SSMU. We need strong representation at SSMU but also in the community. 1plan to head an Arts Outreach Committee giving students the opportunity to get involved in the community. I also intend to create relationships with other Arts Societies in Canada to discuss a Canada-wide Arts Journal. If serious Arts issues arise,I’II hold public meetings with students. I’ve worked as VP-Internal for the past year and hope you’ll re-elect me to the Arts Undergraduate Executive so I can continue to serve you. My name is Cole Ryan and I want to be your next VP External. VP External works closely with other faculties and Montreal’s community, while voting at SSMU Council. My experience in these fields is extensive: from planning SSMU events with

representatives of all faculties to managing SnowAP's bar to coordinating 4Floors, I’ve worked with leaders from all of McGill’s faculties and SSMU. Additionally, this year I am directing the highly-anticipated Inter-Faculty Olympics! I want to create a series of meet-and-greets with McGill alumni, expand AUS’s presence in the Montreal community, and strengthen ties with other faculties. Thanks for voting! Sana Saeed: Tvvo reasons why you may not vote for me: 1. You don’t see me as a representative for Arts Students or 2. You don’t like minorities. I’ll get over it. I, however, think I’d make a decent VP External, representing you the way you should be represented. Aside from working with municipal/provineial school administrations. I've been very' involved in campus organizations and have gotten to know the ‘inner workings’. I’m extremely bold-headed when protecting my own or a group’s interests, but always diplomatic. As your VP External, I'd bring commitment, experience, a sense of humour, and some nachos to the table.

representing the voice of students. I am open-minded, approachable, and devoted to making your experience in the Faculty of Arts both meaningful and unique. Being VP Internal would give me to opportunity to support each department in the Arts Faculty as well as AUS as a whole. I would be honored to represent the Arts Undergraduate Society, your department and you in the 2007-2008 year!

Arts Representatives to SSMU (31 I'm Devin Alfaro, a U2 sociology and geography student who's running for Arts representative with Kathleen Burdo and Jimmy Craig as part of Experience McGill. In my two years here 1 have been extremely active on campus, holding positions such as member of the SSMU external affairs committee and political coordinator for Queer McGill. I'm running on a threepoint platform. First, 1 believe that we need to make McGill a more sustainable place. Second, we need to work to get the McGill administration to establish an ethical purchasing policy. Third, we need to make SSMU more relevant for Arts students. Alex Brown: Hi! I’m a UI student, am organized, dedicated and aware of Campus and Arts students’ issues. I currently serve as VP internal of FYCC and sit on SSPN, the events committee for SSMU. I also sat on SSMU Council as interim FYCC representative. In these positions 1 have gained experience dealing with McGill and SSMU, as well as helping ran large events such as 4Floors. 1 know that SSMU can and should do more for students, and 1 look forward to making Arts students' voices heard on important issues such as space reallocation, external relations and sustainability policies at McGill.

VP F i n a n c e Hey Arts students! I’m Angie King and l want to be your AUS VP Finance. Why, you ask? I love student government and managing money. Specifically, I’ve been in numerous student groups and this year I’ve been on Rez council and Inter-rez council. I’m majoring in economics and math, so you can count on me to get the numbers right. Making things happen is what it’s ail about, which means it’s essential to have someone committed to financial planning. I’m ready and excited to do the job. To get the most out of your AUS, vote Angie for VP Finance!

Elizabeth Mirhady: Why will 1 make a fantastic VP Finance? Most importantly: TRUST. You can feel secure knowing that your Arts fees will be handled in an efficient and effective manner. Secondly: EXPERIENCE. I am currently VP Finance for the Religious Studies Undergraduate Society, a member of AUS Council and of the AUS Financial Management Committee, and 1know how the system works. Thirdly: ACCESSIBILITY 1am looking forward to working closely with Departmental Associations and answering questions you have concerning your Arts fees. Together we can change the world... or at least the AUS financial statements.

VP I n t e r n a l Michelle ‘Mika’ Kissenkoetter: VP internal needs to be: Creative - Upgrading the Lounge, student space, AUS events and developing communications systems between the AUS and its departments are among my top priorities; Cooperative - I have collaborated with several departments and student associations, and will build more departmental and student representation in the AUS; Dedicated - 1 am already working on ideas and networking to best represent you and help the AUS support departmental initiatives. You will benefit from more innovative programs and empowered departments. As part of the Orange Evolution, I can and wil! make a positive difference in the AUS. Vote Mika as your VP fntemal! Matthew Segal: VP Internal’s main responsibility is being there for the students and departments — and after serving as Sociology president and AUS Representative before that, I’m going to dojust that! My goals: l) Improving interaction between the departments, including helping them co sponsor events and share resources or ideas. 2) Facilitating smoother transitions within departments by creating ’transition manuals’ and a database of former departmental execs to provide guidance. 3) Assisting the AUS and departments in implementing more sustainable/eco-friendly policies. Most importantly. I'll listen, answer every' email, and never forget AUS’s duty to represent Arts students and their departments! Thanks for voting! My name is Rosa Gaia Saunders and I am running for VP internal of the Arts Undergraduate Society. As the current president of InterResidence council, I am committed to building strong communities while

1, Kathleen Burdo. am a U0 Social Justice/Philosophy student This year I have been extremely active on campus, working extensively with the External Affairs committee and the Queer McGill executive. I’m running for Arts Representative to SSMU, with Devin Alfaro and Jimmy Craig as part of Experience McGill, because 1 want to see SSMU and AUS become the student-focused bodies that they should be. 1 plan to pressure SSMU to follow its ethical purchasing policy, make McGill more environmentally sustainable, starting with the Arts buildings, and make SSMU more relevant to Arts students. For representation that matters, vote Kathleen Burdo. Ilanchu Chen: I have a vision, one in which SSMU council acts as a role model for its student population, not as a disconnected group whose decisions are out of touch with the students. 1 want both AUS and SSMU to be even more environmentally responsible, to commit to further community outreach, and to have absolute accountability. I served on SSMU Council this year, and I have the experience needed for the job. If elected, and I will again ensure every voice is carefully considered and every decision is made with the utmost rationale. I will work for you.

My name is Jimmy Craig. I’m a psychology and poli-sci student: 1 currently sit on the SSMU council as the First Year representative. As such.

I know how the SSMU runs, and how to get things done for my constituency. I’m running for AUS Rep to SSMU with Kathleen Burdo and Devin Alfaro as Experience McGill. If elected. I’ll work towards ensuring the implementation of a comprehensive ethnical purchasing policy, push for a sustainability audit of Leacock, and finally, I wil! drive to make the SSMU more relevant for Arts students through furthered communication. Vote Jimmy Craig. Vote Experience McGill.

9 • S t u d e n t L iv in g • 2 7 .0 2 .0 7

X VS Y

U n le a s h in g s o m e M c G ill- m a d e d r a m a Battle onstage: two campus theatre companies faceoff PLAYERS'THEATRE

TUESDAY NIGHT CAFE

P ro du ctio ns: D urin g 2006 - 07 , Players' has staged The Women in Black, Talking to Terrorists, Fefu and Her Friends, Macbeth and Beyond Therapy, a lo n g w ith th e annual McGill Drama Fes tival.

P ro du ctio ns: Thus far in th e 2006 -0 7 season, TNC has p ro d u ce d The Ends o f the Earth, Mercy Seat and Art as w e ll as th e ARTifact festival. A c c o m m o d a tio n s : TNC's the atre space in M orrice Hall seats arou n d 50 students and is "certainly lim ite d as far as lig h ts and s e t-b u ild in g is concerned, b u t if you can w o rk arou n d these lim its a n d ... em brace th e in tim a cy o f th e room , TNC is a great place to p u t on a show!" says Lily D ionne-Jerm anovich, one o f th e producers o f th e ARTifact festival. "[TNC] has a real coziness a b o u t it,” adds Players' Theatre's Technical JAMES G0T0WIEC D irector Elizabeth Wanless.

A c c o m m o d a tio n s : Locat ed in th e Shatner Building, “Players'Theatre is a black box th e a tre ... We seat 114 and have a fu ll backstage w ith te ch b o o th , dress ing, costum e and p ro p room s and a w o rk area," says Wanless. "[Players] is m ore profe ssio na l... th e y sell c ho cola te bars and t' shirts at interm ission,"adds D ionne-Jerm anovich.

W in n e r: You d ecide . "Both theatres are run by s tu d e n t executives and F o un de d: 1978 . showcase s tu d e n t productions," says Wanless o f Players'. “The cho ice o f the atre space fo r a sho w really d ep en ds on A ffilia te d w ith : th e McGill English D ep artm e n t. th e director's vision. W e're p a rt o f th e sam e c o m m u n ity and Executives: are volu nte ers (i.e. unpaid). Executive m e eting s are very have th e same goals o f p ro m o tin g s tu d e n t theatre. W e've all w orke d w ith each o th e r in past show s and in each other's casual ("b u t e fficie n t,"co m m e n ts D ionne-Jerm anovich). theatres.They're d iffe re n t spaces and d iffe re n t experiences." TNC takes th e sam e c o m p lim e n ta ry a ttitu d e tow ards W h a t else? "TNC's fro n t-o f-h o u se person fo r th e n ig h t bakes or brings som e goo die s to have o u t, w ith a little c u p th a t reads 'dona Players'. "I th in k th a t th e presence o f b o th theatres on cam pus tio n s 'b e s id e it!"explains D ionne-Jerm anovich. is essential: th e y balance one a n o th e r out. H aving tw o th e atres run by tw o d iffe re n t sets o f s tu d e n ts ... mixes up th e the atre scene and th e kind o f a rtistic/th ea trical o u tp u t at McGill," con clu d es Lily D ionne-Jerm anovich o f TNC.

JAMES G0T0WIEC

Founded: 19 21 . A ffilia te d w ith : th e S tudents'S ociety. Executives: are paid a small sum. W h a t else? They run w orkshops. "These w orkshops are usually tw o to three hours lon g o n w eekends o r evenings. Past w orkshops have inclu de d im prov, acting, a u d itio n in g , tech o p e ra tio n and design, and stage m anaging. S om etim es w e have m em bers o f th e McGill the atre c o m m u n ity run w orkshops and som etim es w e b rin g in professionals fro m th e greater M ontreal c o m m u n ity.T h e y're a great w ay to gain experience and g e t involved!" explains Wanless.

— compiled by Maria Forti

Tickets for shows are $6 for students a t both TNC and Players'.

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Though less-than profitable endeavors, zinesters aren't complaining:"Sfaf/omiery was a labour of love/'says Danny Spitzberg, a former McGill student and co-editor of the former Montreal-based literary zine.

A n o t h e r ---------re a s o n to g o u

D o n 't m e s s w it h t h e sm all p re ss s p r e a d by

Rachel M

e ln ik

f you like Fish Piss, th e n you're in th e rig h t place. C laim ing to have been p ub lish ed "irregularly since 1996 ,” Fish Piss is ju s t one o f th e m any in d e p e n d e n t small press p u b lica tio n s cir cu la tin g th ro u g h o u t M ontreal's th riv in g u n d e rg ro u n d literary scene. Like o th e r in d e p e n d e n tly fun de d, self-d istrib u te d m agazines— or zines, as th e y are m ore c o m m o n ly called— Fish Piss publishes w orks o f p o etry, prose, art, com ics and review s by u p -a n d -c o m in g local geniuses. Fish Piss refers to itse lf as a m agazine, b u t you aren't g o in g to fin d it in th e new sstand o f you r local m e tro stop. Zines are d is trib u te d via trade, m a iling lists or uncovered in in d e p e n d e n tly o w n e d record shops, cafes and special u n d e rg ro u n d zine “distros." A lth o u g h th e te rm origin ate s fro m th e w o rd "magazine," this is n o t y o u r average People o r Time. Zines te n d to be q u irkie r and m ore radical because th e y cater to a sm aller readership w ith specific interests. M any o f these specific interests aim to p ro m o te p a rticu la r politica l or social ideologies. O thers p rin t e xp erim en tal literature o r personal accounts o f daily life. Z ine publishers d o not. a tte m p t to c o m p e te w ith mass m arket mags; instead, th e y ta ilo r th e ir p ub lica tio n s to ta rg e t a specialized d e m o graphic. "All zines cease to c a te rto com m ercia l enterprise,"says Anna Lew enthal, c o o rd in a to r at B ibliograph, M ontreal's o n ly zine library.Titles at B ibliograph range fro m fem inist, q u e e r and vegan to foosball, p oodles and absinthe. Are zines, therefore, th e d o m a in o f th e artsy, in d ie -c u ltu re obsessed hipster? A b so lu te ly not, especially con sid e ring th a t th e c o n c e p t has existed since th e in ve n tio n o f th e p rin tin g press. T h e y m a y lo o k c h e a p — b u t th a t's th e p o in t "Anyone you ask w ill g ive you a d iffe re n t answ er a b o u t thei'r origin," Lew enthal inform s. "Som e say th a t zines w ere started b y th e Punk m o ve m ent, others say th a t th e y w ere started by th e u n d e rg ro u n d in Russia." W hatever th e ir origin , zines appeal to anyon e w h o is "open to change and e xp erim entation," m aintains M cG ill English professor R obert Lecker,

w h o specializes in c o n t Canadian Literature. Even Thom as Paine o lu tio n a ry A m erican w a p o p u la r 18 th -c e n tu ry Paine w ro te and d istrit in flu e n tia l p am p hle t, G dence. They te n d to be per issue. Zines rarely m terested in th e m oney. "After thousands of dollars,"says D anny S p it tionaery, a M ontreal-bas Since 20 0 6 , S pitzberg ar have created an indepei zine w ith tw o n e w p u t Only One Shot Only. Des isn't com p lain ing . “Stationaery was a I; In an a tte m p t to de o fte n p o o rly -m a d e — on paper. The b in d in g is flir n o t in te n d fo r th e m to b For this reason, Lev Founded in 2005 , Biblioç zines and a lternative cor p e n d e n t pub lica tio n s m< Plateau, B ibliograph also screenings and p e rfo rm ; M ost o f B ibliograpl som e French zines," Lewe On a personal level,

2 7 .0 2 .0 7 • T h e M c G ill T r ib u n e • 11

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rop those celeb rags for some lesser îown mags It's hard to dispute th e m erits o f -brow, m ainstream magazines, w ell-read coffee shop regular :ell you The Economist is info r me, The New Yorker is intellectual, that Esquire transform ed Robert ney, Jr fro m form e r d rug add ict ispired creative genius in less

tha n a thousand words. Even celeb rity rags like People have th e ir o w n lit erary fo llo w in g : W ho can resist read ing a b o u t Britney's latest adventures in rehab? Yet, som etim es w e students w a n t to add a b it m ore spice and so p histication to o ur b athroo m reading

stash. No m a tte r h o w m uch you love you r regular periodical, be it Harper's or Cosmo, brow sing lesser know n m agazines and fanzines can be an interesting alternative to y o u r usual reading repertoire. Here is a g u id e to som e p ublications th a t you probably haven't read, b u t should:

(Semi) local and n o te w o rth y : Vice: Catering to a generation o f post-collegiate h ip sters, this eye-catching m agazine prides itself on p ublish ing ta b o o and controversial con ten t. A lth o u g h Vice was origin ally fo u n d e d in M ontreal, th e m agazine has since fo u n d its niche in th e Big Apple. M aisonneuve: W inner o f th e Canadian Newsstand Award, Maisonneuve publishes w e ll-w ritte n and insightful jou rn alism on culture, science and th e arts. The m agazine offers an u n p re te ntio us perspective on M ontreal goingson, w ith th e goal o f "answ ering life's questions w ith o u t being cant o r cool." Maisonneuve is a m ust-read fo r every M o ntre al tw e n tyso m e th in g . M atrix: Based o u t o f C oncordia, this m agazine p u b lishes poetry, prose and essays th a t all pertain to a par ticu la r the m e (the latest one was "Food Glorious Food"). Book reviews are also plentiful, o ffe ring a g lim pse in to a n u m b e r o f u p -a n d -co m in g Canadian voices. Geist: In German, th e w o rd "geist" means "m in d " or "spirit." Published in Vancouver, this q uirky m agazine fea tures w orks by Canadian writers. The W alrus: "No one ignores a walrus," n oted David Berlin, th e co -fo u n d e r o f this Canadian general interest magazine. Indeed, The Walrus has an extensive d is trib u tio n and has p ublished w orks by M argaret A tw o o d , D ou g las C oupland and Stephen Lewis.This n ew p u b lica tio n has fu lfille d th e need fo r a Canadian e quivalent to The Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker. P olitical: S tra ig h t G oods: This o nlin e Ca in in d e p e n d e n t news w eekly res 20 n e w stories in every edi

tion . The title says it all: Straight Goods view s itse lf as “a w a tc h d o g fo r w ork ing Canadian consum ers and c iti zens."

m ental Eye*.

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evvas :er." he ? Sense to colonists pressing fo r in d e p e n r a t least relatively cheap a t a b o u t $2 to $5 rrofit, b u t th e n again, zinesters are rarely inin and o ut, w e m ade a n e t p ro fit o f e ig h t

3 fo rm e r McGill s tu d e n t w h o c o -e d ite d Sta

rary m agazine d is trib u te d in over 15 cities, co -ed ito r Ilya Zaychik, a n o th e r McGill alum , press bearing th e same title as th e ir fo rm e r ns u n d e r its belt: Other Investigations and less-than-profitable endeavour, Spitzberg af love," he says. lem selves a pa rt fro m glossy mags, zines are pse. "A lo t [o f zines] are p rin te d on cheap w e n th a l notes. "People w h o m ake zines d o nd forever." believes th a t it is essential to "save zines." s an archival p ro je c t th a t contains over 600 om ix). The library aims to m ake these ind e olically assessible. Located in th e heart o f th e zine w orkshops, readings, in d e p e n d e n t film ay local musicians. as are English, b u t o ne can "d efinitely fin d says. ith a l devotes herself to B ibliograph because

S cientific: Seed: W ith a slogan th a t states "science is culture," this m ag provocatively com m en ts on th e latest issues and develo pm e n ts in th e w o rld o f science. If you th in k th a t astrophys ics are boring, Seed w ill change y o u r m ind. M e n ta l Floss: Meed a conversation start er? Mental Floss celebrates th e usefulness o f useless know ledge. O ften sp o rtin g A lb e rt Einstein on th e cover, th e m agazine presents trivia in an e n lig h te n in g and hum orous m an ner. The Ecologist: Enviro-freaks love this m onthly, b u t so should th e general p op ula tion . Founded in 1970 , this British m ag pro vides c o m m e n ta ry on recent ecological is sues. A nd really, w h o can resist a m agazine w ith a cover th a t features G eorge W. Bush h old ing a massive ear o f corn?

Literary: K itchen Sink: W ith top ics ranging fro m sex to God, this m o n th ly literary p u b lica tio n .aim s to em brace contradictions, challenge stereotypes and expand self-awareness. The Believer: Pubjished in San Fran cisco, The Believer features articles a b o u t w riters, artists and literary trends. The cover is in trig u in g in and o f itself; in an average issue, one m ay see a series cartoon carica tures o f h ig h -p ro file artists. W atch fo r th e likes o f British-1 ndian a u th o r Salmon Rush die on th e same page as"folktron ika"sin ge r/ so n g w rite r Beth O rton. G ran ta:T h is distinguished British liter ary m agazine has been publish ing fictio n, m em oirs and professional jou rn alism since 1889 . A fte r e xperiencing a financial crisis in th e early seventies, Granta was relaunched in 1979 , pub lish ing h ig h -p ro file w riters such as A ru nd ha ti Roy, Gabriel Garcia M arquez and Ian McEwan.

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creativity

This M agazine: O ne o f th e lead ing in d e p e n d e n t m agazines in Cana da, This Magazine offers an alternative perspective in to political issues.

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she appreciates "th e 'w a y in w h ic h these a lternative cultures are able to express themselves." G e n e ra tio n s X, Y and Zines Yet, zines are ju s t as im p o rta n t

jto th e w riters as th e y are to th e readers. "In d e p e n d e n t p u b lish in g is e xtre m e ly im p o rta n t because it establish es a fo u n d a tio n fo r a n u m b e r o f writers," Lecker claims. "So m any w riters g e t th e ir b ig break this way." Here a t McGill, a n u m b e r o f students have broken in to th e literary w o rld by s u b m ittin g to Steps, a literary m agazine fu n d e d by th e A rts Un dergraduate Society. "M cG ill doesn't have a fin e arts program , and it has a very sm all cre ative w ritin g program ," says Steps Fiction and Poetry E ditor Lily Pepper, U2 philosophy. Steps provides students w ith a w ay to eng ag e in so m e th in g creative o utside o f th e ir usual course load. This 10 -year-old q ua rte rly p u b lishes prose, p o e try and a rt in a m agazine-style form at. C oo rd ina tin g Editor M ichael Stewart, U3 english, sees Steps as an “a lte rn a tiv e "to th e m ore m a in stream cam pus p ub lications, such as The M cG ill Daily and th e Tribune. "It's an o p p o rtu n ity fo r students to take p art in a d iffe re n t kind o f w rit ing," S tew art says. Perhaps because o f th e ir m ore progressive nature, zines o fte n fin d th e ir n iche w ith a y o u n g e r gen eration o f creative folk. "W e are catering to a yo u n g e r audience," Lew enthal m aintains. "Zines have m ore currency to p eo ple in th e ir teens, 20 s, and 30 s." Indeed, m ost o f M ontreal's local zine scene is d o m in a te d b y a y o u n g g ro u p o f w riters, w h ic h includes th e editorial staff o f n e w ly launched Lip and Laura Roberts o f Black Heart. Up, th e brain child o f C oncordia s tu d e n t Alessandra Naccarato, is a zine th a t showcases literature and art th a t deals w ith politica l issues. An A lberta native and freelance w riter, Laura Roberts edits Black Heart Magazine, a n otab le M ontreal-based p u b lica tio n th a t deals

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Faith Based: T ikkun : This b i-m o n th ly pacifist new spa per com m en ts on A m erican and Israeli politics, history, cultu re and religion fro m a progres sive liberal Jewish standpoint. Its nam e stems fro m th e H ebrew phrase "Tikkun Olam," w hich means "to d o good." In C haracter: N o te -w o rth y co n trib u to rs th a t include Ivy League professots and N ew YorkTim es staff w riters fill th e pages o f In Char acter, w hich "seeks to illum ina te th e nature and p ow er o f everyday virtues— and h o w those virtues shape o u r vision o f th e g o o d life." For each one o f its tri-annual issues, th e m agazine takes on a spiritual question and ponders it w ith o u t accusations, biases o r im positions.

w ith sexuality in an in te llig e n t, th o u g h t-p ro v o k in g m a nn er w h ile still "strok ing y o u r m o st errogenous zone: y o u r d irty mind." A nd these zines are n o t targe ted exclusively to a university educated, tw e n ty s o m e th in g d em o grap hic: B ibliograph has recently c o n d u c te d w rit ing w orksh op s fo r h ig h school students. "It's a g o o d w ay fo r teenagers to express them selves, w ith o u t parents o r teachers brea thin g d o w n th e ir neck, "L e w e ntha l says. In 2004 , a C hicago m agazine called ROAR organized an all-day S tud en t Z ine Festival, a im ing to s u p p o rt zine -m a kin g and d is trib u tio n in p u b lic high schools. The recent upsurge o f z in e -w ritin g a m on g y o u n g w riters is a tre nd th a t avid zinesters d id n o t anticipate. "A b o ut a decade ago, the re was a scare th a t zines w o u ld disappear w ith th e rise o f th e Internet,” Lew enthal explains. T ired o f b lo g g in g ? W ith th e increasing p o p u la rity o f b lo g g in g , a n e w gen eration o f w rit ers have been able to freely express th e ir m usings and o pin ion s w ith o u t th e constraints im posed u p o n th e m by m ainstream media. "In a way, b logs are o n lin e zines," Lew enthal says. "The w riters have no e d ito r lo o k in g over th e ir shoulder, and th e y are catering to a specific read ing p u b lic — even if it is ju s t 12 o r so friends w h o happen to visit th e ir site." B logging aside, in d e p e n d e n tly p rin te d mags have fo u n d a great deal o f p o p u la rity on th e inte rn et. N o te w o rth y w ebzines range fro m Go Book Your Own Fucking Life— a g u id e to a vo idin g "to u rist traps" w h ile tra ve lling in b ig cities— to Maximumrocknroll, a self-proclaim ed "p u n k/ha rd co re m usic almanac." W hile m o st zinesters still prefer th e p rin t m e d iu m because it is m ore a rtistic and easily transportable, th e y are n o t co m p la in in g a b o u t ezine culture. M any p ub lications, like Steps and Stationaery use th e w e b to th e ir advantage. "O ur b u d g e t is lim ite d and w e o n ly p rin t a b o u t 750 magazines," Stew art says. "H aving Steps o n lin e allow s us to reach a broader audience." ■

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_________ SPRING ELEC T IO N PERIO D _________

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CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

CONSTITUTIONAL: AMENDMENT - ELIMINATION OF BoG

Whereas the SSMU seeks to rename the portfolio of the Vice-President (Communication and Events) to better reflect the duties of that Vice President;

Whereas the referendum by which the SSMU added section 9 to its constitution in 2006 was based on false premises; Whereas the SSMU has a longstanding position in favour of having its President represent it on the Board of Governors of McGill University; Whereas this amendment would clarify the membership's support of this position;

The following constitutional amendments are proposed: To replace all instances in the constitution of “VicePresident (Communications and Events)” with “VicePresident (Internal)” and to replace 7.4 in the following way: 7.2 The duties of the VP (Internal) shall be: To ensure a good rapport between the Society and its membership To coordinate the Society's relations with Faculty, School, and other student associations, and to facilitate communication amongst these groups. T a coordinate and oversee the programming of activities and events of the Society in a manner not inconsistent with policies set out from time to time by Council; To reside in the Montreal area throughout the term of the office. Do you agree to these proposed constitutional amendments? YES/NO

The following constitutional amendments are proposed: To delete section 9 Article 9- SSMU Representative to the Board of Governors 9.1 The duties of the SSMU Representative to the Board of Governors shall be: - to represent, in cooperation with the President, the members of the Society to the Board of Governors; - to report to Council, at least once per semester, about the issues before the Board of Governors; - to meet regularly with the President and the Executive Committee to discuss issues before the Board of Governors; - to attend meetings of the Senate Caucus Do you agree to these proposed constitutional amendments? YES/NO QPIRG STUDENT SUPPORT Whereas QPIRG (Quebec Public Interest Research Group) is an independent non-profit volunteer organization and a member of the PIRG network, which has over 200 chapters in the United States and Canada; Whereas QPIRG provides funding, space and resources for many social justice and environment-related initiatives on campus;

CKUT FEE INCREASE Whereas CKUT Radio McGill 90.3 FM is a non-profit campus community radio station made up of our 300 volunteers which produces alternative music and spoken word programming broadcast to the McGill campus, greater Montreal community, and across the world through www.ckut.ca; Whereas CKUT is not funded by McGill University or the Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU), but is partly funded by a student levy from which students can opt out; Whereas the current student levy of $4.00 per student per both Fall and Winter semester but not been increased since 1988. Since then, inflation has significantly reduced the real value of funds raised by the levy;

Whereas QPIRG McGill organizes the annual Radical Frosh on McGill Campus as well as a host of other popular education events and material such as the School Schmool alternative organizer; Whereas groups such as Greening McGill, the Childcare Network and the McGill Global AIDS Coalition are working groups of QPIRG; Whereas QPIRG has existed at McGill since 1980 and since 1988 students have paid $3.00 to QPIRG per semester, with the ability to opt out; Do you support QPIRG continuing as a recognized student activity supported by student fees, from which any student may opt out, with the understanding that a "no" vote will result in the termination of all undergraduate student fees for QPIRG? YES/NO CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT - FEE REFERENDUM RESTRICTION

Whereas increased funding will support the maintenance and improvement of CKUT facilities, equipment, operations and programming - a service available to every McGill student, staff, faculty member and the Montreal community;

WThereas fee referenda in the spring electoral period are often overshadowed by the SSMU elections in the same period;

Do you agree to increase the opt-outable CKUT student levy from $4.00 to $6.04 per semester phased-in at the rate of an additional 51 cents per each Fall and Winter semester over the two years commencing Fall 2007? YES/NO

The following constitutional amendments are proposed:

Q u e s tio n s , C o m m e n ts , In q u ir ie s ?

Whereas all increases in fees deserve sufficient debate;

To change article 1.5 to: Ancillary fees may only be modified through referendum. Each ancillary fee may be raised only once every three (3) years. Add an article 20.5: Referenda to raise ancillary' fees or create new ancillary fees shall be held in the Fall referendum period except in the case of council-initiated exceptional referendum periods as per article 20.4. Do you support these constitutional amendments? YES/NO

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT - AFFILIATION STATUS Whereas there are certain faculty associations that are not able to meet McGill's minimum requirements for the collection of fees; Whereas these associations would like to be accommodated under the SSMU; The following Constitutional Amendments are proposed: Add the following section: Section IV - Affiliation Status Article 15 - General 15.1 The Society shall make available certain administrative services for student associations at McGill, such as faculty and departmental associations, that meet the conditions set out forthwith. 15.2 Those associations receiving said services shall be said to have Affiliation Status. An association with Affiliation Status shall be termed an Affiliated Association. Article 16 - Eligibility 16.1 Only those student associations which are defined by academic units of McGill and whose members are members of the Society are eligible for Affiliation Status. 16.2 An association shall be considered to be seeking Affiliation Status upon having made a decision to do so at the appropriate decision-making body of that association. 16.3 Legislative Council shall have final approval of an application for Affiliation Status. Article 17 - Services 17.1 Affiliated Associations shall have insurance, accounting, and administrative services made available to them by the Society. The Society shall also undertake agreements with the Royal Institute for the Advancement of Learning (RIAL) on behalf of Affiliated Associations. The Society may choose to offer other services as it sees fit. 17.2 The nature and terms of these services shall be defined as per a contract between the association and the Society. Article 18 - Obligations 18.1 All Affiliated Association activities that are conducted through Society services shall be considered endeavors of the Society and shall be subject to this constitution, notably the preamble. 18.2 Affiliated Associations shall follow relevant procedures as set out by the Society from time to time. Society-association contracts shall take precedence over Society procedures. Article 19 - Termination 19.1 An association shall no longer be considered to have Affiliation Status when either the Legislative Council of the Society, or the relevant body of the association so decides. The Society-association contract shall take precedence over such a decision. Do you agree to these proposed Constitutional Amendments? YES/NO SSMU ENVIRONMENT FUND FEE

McGILL TRIBUNE FEE

Whereas the SSMU has historically budgeted less than $2000 per year for environmental initiatives, which is not sufficient for substantial changes to its environmental impact, and this funding is erratic and its size and distribution depend entirely on the will of the Executive Committee and Council; Whereas many environmental projects on campus are student-initiated and student-run and suffer from sparse and inconsistent funding; Whereas, if passed, the SSMU Environment Fee would create a dedicated budget for more environmentally friendly infrastructure at both SSMU events and within the Shatner building, environment-related student jobs and a yearly commitment of at least $10,000 to student-run environmental projects: therefore

Whereas the McGill Tribune is the official newspaper of the Students’ Society of McGill University;

Do you agree to fund the SSMU Environment Fee at a rate of $1.25 per semester, from which any student may opt out, from fall 2007 for a period of no longer than three years. YES/NO DAILY PUBLICATION SOCIETY FEE INCREASE Whereas the Daily Publication Society (DPS) is an independent, studentrun, not-for-profit organization that publishes The McGill Daily and Le Délit Français; Whereas the DPS relies exclusively on advertising and on direct student support through a levy—rather than on McGill University or the Student Society of McGill University—for its funding; Whereas students authorized an increase in the DPS fee to $5.00 per semester in Spring 2002; Whereas the cost of printing The McGill Daily and Le Délit Français has more than doubled since 2002; Whereas the rent paid to maintain the Daily Publication Society's offices in the Shatner building have increased substantially since Spring 2002; Do you agree that the Daily Publications Society fee be increased by $1.50 per semester, to a total of $6.50 per each fall and winter semesters, as of Fall 2007? YES/NO

Whereas advertisers are increasingly looking to place their advertisements in locations other than newspapers, resulting in significantly decreased advertising revenues and placing the Tribune in financial difficulty; Do you agree to a fee of $0.50 per each fall and winter semester, fully opt-outable and to be renewed by referendum in the winter of 2010, to be allocated solely to the Tribune, to support the paper and its activities on campus? YES/NO BLOOD DRIVE REINSTATEMENT

Whereas holding blood drives is a substantial and pressing objective, Whereas some students consider unethical Hema-Quebec’s screening policies. Whereas not all students agree on the measures adopted by SSMU to oppose Hema-Quebec’s screening policies. Whereas SSMU has decided to ban blood drives based on their interpretation of article VIII of the preamble to the constitution “All Students’ Society endeavours shall be undertaken with full respect for human dignity and without discrimination on the basis of irrelevant personal characteristics that include but are not limited to race [...], sexual orientation or social class.” Whereas, since the current interpretation by SSMU of Article VIII prevents blood drives, this question is essentially a referendum on the; interpretation of the constitution by SSMU, Whereas, blood drives save lives Should SSMU reinstate blood drives in the Shatner building? YES/NO

CAMPAIGNING WILL TAKE PLACE FROM MONDAY M ARCH 5th to SUNDAY, M ARCH 11th. VOTING WILL BEGIN FRID A Y, M ARCH 9th @ 9 a.m. AND END W EDNESDAY, M ARCH 14th @ 5 p.m.

A r t s & E n t e r t a in m e n t m u s ic

FILM

A c lo s e r lo o k a t O f M o n t r e a l

V ig ila n t h e ro ism on tw o w h e e ls

Bryan Poole discusses kraut-rock and angst Laura A nderson A m o n g even th e best o f c o n te m p o ra ry m usicians, lo n g e v ity is a rare trait. The m o st p rom isin g artists can easily be shrugged o ff after a sub-par so p h o m o re release. O f M ontreal challenges this trend. Its m o st recent release fro m Polyvinyl Records, Hiss ing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer, marks a n o th e r h ig h p o in t in the band's nearly decad e-lon g m usical career.

0FM0NTREAL.NET L o n g -liv e d O f M o n t r e a l a c t u a lly h a ils f r o m A t la n t a .

In s u p p o rt o f th is alb u m , th e band has em barked o n a le n g th y to u r th a t runs u n til th e end o f April, w ith a final sho w at th e Coachella Festival in California. Band m e m b e r Bryan Poole d e scribes th e to u r so far as a successful one. "The crow ds have been great," Poole com m en ts. "W e've been selling o u t every show w e've been p la y in g ...w e have o u r m inds b lo w n every n ig h t. People are g e ttin g really in to it and really ex cited."

POP RHETORIC

For those unfam ilia r w ith th e band, O f M ontreal is th e creation o f s in g e r/g u ita rist Kevin Barnes. The g ro u p e m erged fro m a b u b b lin g m usic scene in Athens, Georgia a m idst association w ith th e p ro m in e n t E lephant 6 C ollective. The band released its d e b u t album , Cherry Peel, in 1997 and several sub seq ue nt album s in c lu d ing th e acclaim ed Satanic Panic In The Attic in 2004 . They have ex perienced flu c tu a tin g success and a ch a n g in g cast o f bandm ates, settling o n th e cu rre n t line u p a b o u t three years ago. O f M ontreal has also experienced a h ig h tu rn o v e r in record labels, b u t Poole says th e g ro u p is satisfied w ith its c u rre n t situation. "It's th e best th in g that's h ap pe ne d to th e band. It's been al m o st n ig h t and day as far as g e ttin g th e records o u t to people." O f M ontreal w as o rig in a lly influ en ced by sounds and styles lon g dissipated fro m th e p o p m usic sphere. "W e started o ff being influ en ced by th e Kinks, Pretty Things, all these sixties bands, psych bands, s tu d io inn o va tive bands,"explains Poole. Recently, however, th e band has m o ve d away fro m an exclusive sixties focus. "We're o p e n in g u p to all sorts o f thin gs: w o rld music, A frobeat, E thiopian music, kraut-rock," Poole later elaborates. This e vo lvin g stream o f influence p erfe ctly dem onstrates th e versatil ity o f th e band, and was likely its key to rem aining successful over such a lon g p eriod o f tim e. O f M ontreal's m o st recent a lb u m is a p ro d u c t o f this change, sho w in g a darker side o f Kevin Barnes tha n had been exposed in previous records, w h ic h w ere geared p rim a rily tow ards escapist fantasy. A lth o u g h all o f th e songs centre on relatio nship problem s and personal crises, Poole hesitates to call Hissing Fauna a c o n c e p t album . "I th in k c o n c e p t album s ju s t d o n 't work," he explains. "I d o n 't th in k Kevin set o u t to m ake a n y th in g b u t to ju s t w rite songs. They all happened to be a sim ilar th in g ; th e y w ere heartfelt, th e y w ere personal. They w ere feelings a b o u t real events in his life.” Perhaps p art o f w h a t makes this a lb u m so e ffective is its u n i versal a pp licability. "That's w h a t songs d o fo r people," Poole says. "Love songs, o r break up songs, o r any kind o f songs, peo ple can a p p ly it to themselves." Flowever, even on w h a t c o u ld be categorized as a depressing a lb u m , Barnes doesn't lapse in to acoustic angsty drivel, as lesser artists m ay in d u lg e in w he n a tte m p tin g to c o m m u n ica te personal pain. Fie has a g ift fo r song w ritin g th a t is e vid e n t in his m usic and c h a llen gin g to his band m em bers. "It's d e m a n d in g fo r sure, as far as th e m usicality o f it," explains Poole. "Kevin w rites insane songs. Fie always has and he always w ill. W ith Kevin's songs, yo u r brain expands try in g to play them ." As fo r th e fu tu re o f th e band, n o th in g is set in stone. There has been discussion a b o u t fu tu re recordings and it is a pp aren t th a t th e band w ill c o n tin u e m aking m usic tog eth er. "There are always plans fo r n e w records," Poole continues. ''They're all m alleable b e cause this to u r is g o in g to be a lo n g tim e in th e m aking. It's ju s t try ing to stay h u n g ry and creative; b eing g o o d w ith one a n o th e r."* O f Montreal plays in Montreal March 12 at La Tulipe (4530 rue Papineau). Call (514 ) 529-5000 for ticket information.

B-grade comic book adaptation done right J ohn S emley As th e latest a d d itio n to a long line o f second-string su perhero movies, Ghost Rider m ay n o t blaze any particularly n ew o r e xciting trails fo r th e genre, b u t unlike so m any o f its cin-. e m atic contem poraries, it approaches in h e re n tly silly subject m a tte r w ith e no u g h to n g u e -in -ch e e k b o m b a st to save it fro m eternal d am nation. Equal parts Faust and W est Coast C hoppers leather base ball cap, Ghost Rider is th e absurd and e pic tale o f Joh nn y Blaze (Nicolas Cage), an ecce ntric m o to rb ik e rider living a not-so-secret d o u b le life as th e Devil's b o u n ty hunter. In a selfless a t te m p t to save his d yin g father, a y o u n g Blaze (played by M a tt Long) strikes a deal w ith evil incarnate, M e phistopheles (Peter Fonda). In exchange fo r curing his father's te rm in a l cancer, Blaze agrees to one day assume th e role o f th e titu la r G host Rider, a s o rt-o f supernatural repo m an w h o collects th e c o n tracts o f those ill-b e g o tte n e n o u g h to sell th e ir souls to Satan. Flash-forw ard to som e years later. Blaze is called u p o n by his d e m o n ic overlord to p reve nt th e villainous Blackheart (Wes Bentley) fro m unleashing hell on earth. T h ro w in a th ro n g o f d isg ru ntled police officers and a busty, superfluous love in terest (Eva Mendes), and you g o t you rself a g e n -u -ine m ovie, kids!

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By day, Blaze is ch a rm in g and w eird, and played w ith p itc h -p e rfe ct p eculia rity by th e alm ost-always o d d b a ll Cage. By n ig h t, “in th e presence o f evil" as th e film 's narrator (The Big Lebowski's Sam Elliot) tells us, Blaze transform s in to G host Rider, a skeleton w ith a fla m in g head w h o wears a spiked leather jacket and drives an equ ally gnarly chopper. A nd w h ile Cage m ay b ring a certain subdued sensibility to his c o m ic b oo k C o n tin u e d o n N E X T P A G E

(R o ck , ro ck) ro c k 'n' roll o ld s c h o o l Jo h n S em ley

L ast Friday, th e Los Angeles Tim es reported th a t th e long a nticip a te d reunion o f Van Halen's (m ore or less) o rigi nal lin e u p has been cancelled. F ollow ing th e January a n n o u n c e m e n t th a t th e hair-m etal d em ig od s w o u ld finally ascend to th e musical Valhalla th a t is th e Rock and Roll Hall o f Fame, th e prom ise o f th e band's reunion w ith original fro n tm a n and rock icon David Lee Roth has dissipated, as if inevitably. Tough break, perhaps, fo r those loo king forw ard to fina lly seeing Roth (w h o was nam ed "th e m ost obnoxious singer in hum an h istory" by The Rolling Stone Record Guide) strut around an a m p h ith e a tre stage in a to o -tig h t cat suit and b ust in to som e a rth ritic h ig h -kick acrobatics. But fear not, classic rock fans, fo r a lth o u g h this Van Halen to u r m ay be shelved indefinitely, you can revel in th e fa c t th a t w e are living in th e age o f th e classic rock revival. Yes, 2007 w ill see "reunion tours" o f som e o f th e m ost p o p u la r names in stadium rock. A reunion by te p id British prog-rockers Genesis kicks o ff in June, a lb e it w ith o u t th e group's esoteric o riginal lead vocalist and flau tist Peter Ga briel, and th e early e ighties three -p iece The Police w ill take th e stage in Vancouver on May 28 fo r th e first o f its u m ptee n reunion shows. Furtherm ore, as if hell itself has indeed fro

zen over (again),The Eagles are reported to be releasing th e ir first s tu d io a lb u m o f n ew m aterial since 1979 . Well, b ig deal, right? For classic rock fans— and I crin ge even using th e term "classic rock": tw o relatively b e n ign w ords th a t w h e n c o m b ined inexorably con jure u p caustic im ages o f bands like For eig n er and Kansas squaw king a bun ch o f s h itty songs that, fo r w ha te ver reason, peo ple gave a d am n a b o u t 20 or 30 years a g o — it is kind o f a big deal. The p ro b le m is th a t these Best Buy sponsored "rock"co ncerts n eg lect ^ s u b s ta n tia l d e m ographic, nam ely m e (and p eo ple like me). O f these recently reform ed groups, The Police are really th e o n ly ones I'd be interested in seeing (they're am azing and n o b o d y can convince m e oth e rw ise — listen t o ZenyattaMondatta if you d o n 't believe me). But fo r Christ's sake, I'd have to start selling surplus organs o n eBay.de o r w easeling m y w ay in to th e w ills o f dying, a fflu en t w o m e n (a ch a p te r in m y per sonal h istory I'm n o t eager to revisit) ju s t to afford a ticket. Tickets fo r th e July 26 Police show at th e Bell C entre (the July 25 sho w is sold o ut) start at $59 fo r nosebleeds and th e o nly d ecen t flo o r seats I could fin d w o u ld set m e back $95 each. A nd those seats are beh ind th e stage. Behind th e stage.

I w o u ld love to check o u t th e concert, b u t th e deck seems hopelessly stacked against me. Plus, I k n o w th a t if I did m anage to hock e n o u g h plasma to g e t a pair o f tickets, I'd be plunked a b o u t a half m ile fro m th e stage, surrounded by a bun ch o f 40 -so m e th in g assholes in M em bers O nly w in d breakers w h o w o u ld spend th e w h o le tim e yellin g a b o u t h o w great th e S ynchronicity to u r was in ' 83. All I'm saying is th a t those o f us in o u r early 20 s w h o are w ise e n o u g h to kno w th a t we're g e ttin g rip pe d o ff paying $20 to see a bun ch o f W o lf bands tro t arou n d th e ir glo rifie d "m etal sensibilities" and lam e e n o u g h to w a n t to see The Po lice live are g e ttin g taken fo r th e proverbial ride.There should be som e n e w system w he re th e y charge a percentage o f y o u r inco m e o r so m e th in g fo r d iffe re n t level seats. That w ay I could be fro n t ro w fo r FREE! But really, th is re -em erging stadium rock business paradigm is system atically e xcluding those o f us b orn u nd er th e bad sign o f Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet. Also, if anyone w ants to give m e a tick e t to T h e Police co n ce rt o r ju s t send m e m o ne y th ro u g h th e mail, con tact me. The grey m ong oo se how ls at noon. I'll be th e m an in fro n t o f th e A rts Building sm oking tw o cigarettes. ■

2 7 .0 2 .0 7 • T h e M c G ill T r ib u n e • 1 5

cou nte rp art's h ard -d rin kin' persona, th e skeletal G host Rider is rendered m ore faith fu lly: chains, Penance Stare, cheesy flam es and all. W rite r/d ire c to r M ark Stephen Johnson is no stranger to B-list Marvel Com ics ada ptatio ns-h e was at th e h elm o f 2003 's rem arkably m edio cre Daredevil-but he brings a low -

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b u d g e t, C orm anesque awareness to Ghost Rider, w h ic h is b o th tru e to its source m aterial and necessary fo r any film th a t revolves arou n d a b u rn in g o u tla w skeleton w h o rides a m otorcycle. P utting Easy Rider veteran Fonda in th e role

o f M e phistopheles is th e ty p e o f h alf-jo ke /ha lf-de cen t p erfo rm a nce th a t marks th e atm o sph ere o f cheeky selfawareness th a t perm eates th e film . W hile Cage's q u irk y histrionics and th e film 's g id d y n e o -g o th indulgences m ay m ake fo r q u ite th e rom p, Ghost Rider is n o t w ith o u t its flaws. Blackheart, th e archenem y o f G host Rider in th e com ics, never sheds his hum a n guise to assume his m ore m enacing d e m o n ic form , w h ic h w ill likely d is a p p o in t m any diehard fans. Similarly, th e role o f M ephistopheles, one o f th e M arvel universe's nastiest bad guys (ranking a longside A pocalypse and Galactus), is d e c id e d ly d ow np layed , th u s relegating m uch o f th e villain's p o te n tia l to th e realm o f th e im m in e n t sequel(s). T h ou gh Ghost Rider m ay be accused o f an abu nd an ce o f trite dia log u e and sho dd y special effects, th a t is p a rt o f th e fun. It m ay n o t possess th e b ox-o ffice d raw in g p o w e r o f Spider-Man o r X-Men and its p rotagonist's brand o f eternal ly m o ralistic vengeance is exactly th e sort o f ass-backward heroism th a t W estern cinem a doesn't need these days, b u t nonetheless, Ghost Rider is th e u ltim a te g u ilty plea sure o f superhero film s. It's no Batman Begins, b u t it has e n o u g h supernatural a ction and g ap ing logical paradoxes to keep fans o f th e m ore obscure c o m ic b oo k heroes pla cated— th a t is until Tom Selleck dons th e Eye o f A g a m o tto and battles all th in g s mystical in Doctor Strange. ■

N e w m u s ic liv e s Diversity takes centre stage in unconventional fest C o n tin u e d fr o m C O V E R

p a rticu la r interest to M cG ill students. On th e eve nin g o f M arch i, in McGill's o w n Pollack Hall, th e C o n te m p o ra ry M usic Ensem ble o f M cG ill w ill p er fo rm th e s o u nd tra ck to Fritz Lang's classic G erm an expressionist film , Metropolis. W hile th e CME perfo rm s A rg e n tin e a n co m p o se r M a rtin M atalon's b rillia n t score, Lang's film w ill be p ro je c te d o n a th e a tre screen in its c o m p le te , 140 -m in u te version. Also, fo r tho se w ho se tastes align th e m m ore to w a rd s rock and roll th a n musique concrete, a p e rfo rm a n ce on M arch 3 at th e Société des A rts Tech n o lo g iq u e s w ill feature a rrangem ents

o f Frank Zappa's "Z o m b y W o o f" and. "Black Page" as w ell as Jim i Hendrix's "M achine Gun" fo r cellos and saxo phones. Edgard Varèse, th e alleged "Father o f E lectronic Music," o nce preached th e c o n te m p o ra ry im p o rta n c e o f "serious" m usic w ith his icon ic p ro cla m a tio n th a t "th e present day c o m p o s e r refuses to die!" W ith a varied and e xcitin g prog ra m , th e 2007 M N M Inte rn ation al Festival is b o u n d to create awareness fo r c o n te m p o ra ry n e w m usic, b o th on th e M o ntre al m usic scene and abroad. It w o u ld seem th a t, to a p p ro p ria te one o f Zappa's aphorism s, n e w m usic isn't dead— it ju s t sm ells funny. ■

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J o in g u e s t s p e a k e r M aym e V in e b e rg , B A 7 2 M LS 7 4 , o f In tim a te S e ttin g s , fo r h e r p o p u la r s e m in a r “ T h e A r t a n d th e E tiq u e tte o f th e D in in g T a b le ” . E n jo y a fo u r-c o u rs e d in n e r, w h ile le a rn in g h o w to n a v ig a te a d in in g e xp e rie n c e w h e th e r in a s o c ia l o r b u s in e s s c o n te x t! Tickets* can be purchased fo r either M a rch 6, M arch 13, o r M arch 22. The sem inar will take place a t the N e w R e s id e n c e H a ll C o n fe re n c e F a c ilitie s a t 6pm . Other seminar topics, many of which will be presented by McGill alumni, include: • Healthy Eating • Dressing for Success • Networking Skills • Environmental Issues • Managing Personal Finances • Interviewing Skills (*) An $20 admission fee will apply to the Dining Etiquette workshop

F o r m o re in fo rm a tio n a n d to re g is te r: _____________________ w w w . a l u m n i . m c g i l l . c a / b a c k p a c k ___________________

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Billy Bob goes to space! H eather A nderson You d o n 't have to be a rocket scientist to n otice th a t th e title o f th e M i chael Polish's (Northfork, Twin Falls Idaho) latest film , Astronaut Farmer, is in co n gruous. W hat's more, NASA's w ho lesom e heroes have recently lost som e o f th e ir g lo rifie d m ystique: b o th th e film and th e recent incarceration o f astronaut Lisa N ow ak (arrested fo r th e a tte m p te d m u rd er o f a rom antic rival fo r her extra-m ari tal affair lover) suggest th a t being a g o o d parent is a loftie r aspiration th a n flying to th e m oon. Billy Bob Thornton's latest persona, small to w n genius Charlie Farmer, w ill stop at n o th in g to realize his dream o f travelling to o u te r space. A fter being dis charged fro m th e m ilitary space program fo r refusing to p u t w o rk before fa m ily, Farmer becom es e m b itte re d tow ard th e fa m ily ranch and b e n t on realizing his o riginal dreams. A udie (Virginia Madsen) has m arried in to Charlie Farmer's proje ct o f b u ild in g a rocket ship and b o th she and th e ir three children are c o n te n t to dream a long w ith, him . H om e harm ony ends w he n th e fa m ily and th e CIA begin to see Charlie's spaced o u t ways as crazy rather tha n quirky. It becom es apparent th a t th e cost o f this dream m ay be th e w elfare o f his fa m ily (having 10,000 gallons o f rocket fuel in th e barn can be a little nerve w racking fo r fa m ily life). As if it w asn't e no ug h th a t th e ir names are Shep, Stanley (a girl) and Sunshine, Charlie's kids are pulled o u t o f school to be daddy's g rou n d crew and it seems th a t th e o n ly o th e r th in g he'll be g ivin g th e m is th e licence to be kno w n as th e n e ig h b o u rh o o d "space MOVIEWEB.COM cadets." Even Charlie has som e falte ring second th o u g h ts w he n his first launch sends h im h urtlin g I t 's a k i d s ' s p a c e r a c e . across th e Texas cou ntryside at lig h tn in g speed and lands h im in th e hospital. Charlie Farmer is a d iffic u lt hero to ro o t for. Kudos fo r flo w e r children and alternative education, b u t frankly Charlie's m etallic h o b b y horse, "The Dream er" is a stand-in fo r any m id life escapist a dven ture. Charlie's o w n personal space race and th e n egligence created by his ego ist deadline obscure th e film's deeper the m es— th e im p orta nce o f cherishing c h ild h o o d and fam ily. Farmer's farfetched fancies are sim ply distracting. The m ark o f a tru e hero is th a t he know s w h a t th e rig h t th in g to d o is ...a n d does it. But instead o f sym pathizing w ith Farmer's distress at the MOVIEWEB.COM bank's im p e n d in g foreclosure, one asks,"Why " M y d a d d y 's a r o c k e t m a n ! " n o t farm , Charlie?"The orchestral crescendos th a t accom pany visual sweeps up th e side o f The D ream er rocket emphasize phallic im plications th a t are ridiculous, w hile th e rolling o f credits set to Elton John's Rocketman encapsulates th e value o f th e film's m isplaced potential. This film does have its shining m om ents, like w he n an aspiring you ng hoosier gets b ounced fro m th e school g ym w here th e dream -dashing aerospace trib u n a l is m e eting to access Charlie's case. M om ents later Charlie makes a stir ring plea to th e tribunal, w h ic h concludes w ith this classic, if clichéd o ne liner: "If w e d o n 't have o u r dreams, w e have nothing." Touché, b u t it's no excuse fo r th e reckless pursu it o f lost o pp ortu nitie s. T h o rn to n is con vin cing as a receptacle o f childlike w isdom , b u t th e best per form ances go, appro pria tely e nough, to th e three kids. Inspiration also seeps th ro u g h in th e panoram as o f th e countryside (actually film e d in N ew Mexico) and view s fro m space, "w here th e dreams are made." S tockpiling c o m b u stib le m aterial fo r som e thin g o th e r tha n a warhead, Charlie is a g o o d rem inder th a t th e essence o f th e A m erican dream is personal liberty. Astronaut Farmer w ill lift you r sights fro m th e banal (N orth) Am erican dream o f having a deck to retire to, b u t d o n 't skip class to see it. Instead, study hard and fo llo w th e film's w orth y, th o u g h obscured, message: g ro w up to have fam ilies th a t dream together. Three astral bodies o u t o f five. ■

1 6 • A rts & E n t e r t a in m e n t • 2 7 .0 2 .0 7

FILM

N o p la n e s , ju s t c h a in s Samuel L. Jackson's latest is more of a Black Snake murmur B en L em ieux

C o u n t r y B lu e s — b r id g in g t h e g a p b e t w e e n w o m a n in

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By far one o f th e season's m ost audacious film s, it w o u ld take a picture o f m ythic p ro p o rtio n to m atch Black Snake Moan's premise. Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) is a Tennessee farm er and fo rm e rly celebrated local blues m usician cau gh t at th e end o f a b itte r divorce; his w ife leaves him a b ru p tly for his w ea lth ier and livelier yo u n g e r brother. The m o rn in g after his missus'and brother's final farewell, Lazarus discovers a halfnaked, b rutally beaten y o u n g w om a n passed o u t in his d rive way. G ood Samaritan and g o o d Christian th a t he is, Lazarus carries th e w om a n back to his house and th e n roots around to w n to ascertain her identity. Lazarus q uickly discovers th a t "Rae" (Christina Ricci) is a notorious to w n p arty girl, reputed fo r having "th e sickness" (w h ich is used th ro u g h o u t th e film as a stand-in fo r som e strand o f h o o d o o -ifie d nym phom ania). Shocked by Rae's u n g o d ly lack o f m oral fibre, Lazarus does ev e ryth in g in his p o w e r to nurse th e young, bruised sex a dd ict back to health, in clu d in g shackling her to his radiator and voic ing his d e te rm in a tio n to "cure you o f yo'w ickedness!" The th rill o f w a tch in g a Biblical, blues-beltin' Sam Jackson shackling a half-naked, sex-hungry Christina Ricci to his furnace fo r tw o hours is definite ly th e m ost leg itim ate excuse fo r m aking a film since Alien Vs. Predator (it's an intergalactic sho w d ow n ), y e t b o th o f these film s m ade th e devastating error o f b lo w in g th e m a jo rity o f th e ir b u d g e t on a cool con c e p t and trailer instead o f on a d ecen t script o r c o m p e te n t direction. The film is inconsistent. Black Snake Moan tries to be a se rious portrayal o f abuse, disability and rehabilitation, y e t Rae's recovery is a ll-too -fre qu en tly spo tte d w ith frivolous co m ic re lief and her disorder itself is characterized by hopeless clichés (i.e. m aternal n eglect and deep-seeded d addy issues). There is also a con tinu al e ffo rt to provide u p liftin g , idyllic portrayals o f rom antic love and com p an ion ship ; and th o u g h th e clos ing sequence delivers in spades, th e bulk o f th e picture suffers fro m Lazarus' drab, to ta lly superfluous ite m h o o d w ith local pharm acist A ngela (S. Epatha Merkerson). Even th e couple at th e heart o f th e picture, Rae and her o n ly-tru e-love Ronny (Justin Tim berlake), share o n ly a fe w m inutes o f screen tim e. The film tries to resolve Rae's problem s in eccentric fashion, yet she ends up sortin g o u t her dem ons over a "y'all need to be honest w ith me" sofa o n e -o n -o n e w ith Ronny and th e ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM to w n reverend (John C othran, Jr.)— w h o m th e y o u g h t to have c h a in g a n g a n d c h a in ju s t called Pastor Phil. Also p rob lem atic is th a t th e vast m a jo rity o f Black Snake

D O W N E Y JR .

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ZodiacMovfe.com

plan?" H ow can he reconcile his piousness w ith his lifelong (and equally soulful) c o m m itm e n t to "th e Devil's m usic?"N one o f this is explored. The o n ly role th a t is offered any tru e d e p th (in term s o f script, at least) is th a t o f Ronny, a role that,, ironical ly, was handed to Tim berlake, w ho, th o u g h he does n o t fully disgrace himself, sim ply doesn't have th e chops to deliver the nuance and p rofo un d self-d o u b t th a t th e character requires. Jackson and Ricci b o th deserve m ad props fo r g oin g a ll-o u t m e th o d on this one (Jackson spending b etw e en six and seven hours a day learning to play g uitar and sing for th e picture; Ricci fo r harnessing a physical m etam orphosis th a t b o u n d her to an all-sugar diet), b u t th e ir jo in t onscreen charisma is barely sufficie nt to lift Black Snake Moan fro m th e m ediocre. The tru e p ity is th a t Jackson can sing a m ean (and rem arkably honest) blues; it's ju s t to o bad th a t d ire cto r Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) c o u ld n 't for once d ro p th e clichés and th e latent m isogyny and d o th e same. ■ Black Snake M oan opens March 2 .

COMPILED BY CRYSTAL CHAN

Science. Ice Age Mammals, until March 1 ; M ontreal Science Cen tre (333 de la C o m m u n e 0., corne r St-Laurent). Global w a rm in g is a s o u n d -b ite w o rth y issue fo r politicians and e n v iro n m e n ta l ists alike, even th o u g h w e are in th e m id st o f an ice age, scien tific a lly speaking. You can learn im pressive co ckta il-p arty facts such as these and m u ch m ore by catching th e Science Centre's Ice A ge e xh ib itio n this w eek. It features a rare, c o m p le te M astodon skeleton and inte ra ctive activities galore, am d runs until th e end o f th e m o n th . To g et to th e Science Centre, take th e m e tro to th e Place d'Arm es O ld Port station on th e orange line.

LI FE M usic. S hout o u t o u t o u t out, March 2 ; The M ain Hall (5390 St-Laurent). The fast rising e lectric dance band

A KI L L E R

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J a c k s o n 's p l a y i n g is a h u g e s t e p u p f r o m T i m b e r l a k e .

Previews

G YLLEN H A A L

R U FFA LO

Moan's characters are one-dim ensional. W hile Jackson and Ricci are able to b ring a considerable a m o u n t o f vivacity and a u th e n tic ity to th e ir roles, it does n o t change th e fact th a t Lazarus and Rae are w afer-thin, com p osite characters. Their d ialogue and reactions to situations appear m ore form ula ic tha n spontaneous, w hich, ironically, is contrary to th e spirit o f th e blues th a t Lazarus appears so deeply im m ersed in. The film is an u ntap pe d o p p o rtu n ity fo r a character set in his ways to g rapple w ith religious am bivalence. H ow can he accept th e h u rt his w ife and kin have d on e to him as a p art of"G od's

is celebrating its first Juno fo r alternative a lb u m (for d e b u t a lb u m Not Saying/'Just Saying) w ith a N orth Am erican tour, and th e g ro u p is m aking its M ontreal sto p this Friday n ight. The band tries to d efy genres; its house beats are laced w ith ro ck bass and a healthy a m o u n t o f co w b e ll th ro w n in fo r g o o d measure. The g ro u p is beloved fo r its live shows, w h ich feature incred ible energy and m ake use o f all th e gear on an im pressively clu tte re d stage, fro m clear vistalite d rum sets to specially set synthesizers. Tickets are $13.50 a n d th e y can be pre-purchased at www.admission.com.

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IN THEATRES MARCH 2

Theatre. The Suicide, u n til March 3 at 8 p.m.; Ludger D uvernay Theatre o f th e M o n u m e n t-N a tio n a l (1182 St-Laurent). The Na tion al Theatre School's g rad u ating class presents Russian play w rig h t Nikolai Erdman's The Suicide, w h ic h th e Soviets banned after its d e b u t in 1929. Everyman Sem yon Podsekalnjkov c o n tem p late s taking his life as he finds h im se lf u ne m plo ye d and at th e m ercy o f his w ife and less tha n frie n d ly m other-in-law . His life takes a strange tu rn w h e n he sud de nly find s h im se lf th e idol o f subversive social groups io o kin g fo r a m a rtyr fo r th e ir various causes. The private te m p ta tio n o f suicide becom es a p olitical goal fo r those around him , m uch to Semyon's dismay. The p ro d u ctio n prom ises to be a th o u g h tfu l and revealing, a rare chance to see an English a da ptatio n o f one o f th e m ost p o p u la r plays in Russia today. Tickets are $7 and are available at th e M o n u m e nt-N atio na l Box O ffice. You m ay also call (514) 871-2224 fo r tickets and m ore inform ation.

S ports HOCKEY— PLAYOFF WRAP

R e d m e n d r i v e t o M o n c t o n d e r a i l e d in T o r o n t o After series win over Concordia, offence goes cold in next round C h a r l ie B lo re a n d A a r o n S ig a l A fter a late season 11-1 ro m p over th e U niversity o fT o ro nto , th e R edm en w ere surely salivating at th e p rosp ect o f m auling th e Varsity Blues fo r a second tim e, w ith a s p o t in th e OUA East Finals against perennial rivals U niversity o f Q uebec at Trois-Rivières on th e line. McGill fo u n d o u t Saturday n ig h t in heartbreaking fashion, how ever, th a t everyone starts th e playoffs o ff w ith a fresh slate. D espite firin g 54 to ta l shots at Toronto's Ryan Grinnell over th e tw o gam e series, th e n in th-ra nked R edm en cou ld n o t „ fin d th e back o f th e net, posting 1-0 and 2 -0 losses in a pair o f em barrassing upsets, e lim in a tin g th e squad fro m th e postseason. McGill's snipers w ere shut d o w n by th e acrobatic g o a lte n d e r and a corps o f defen cem e n w h o blocked shots w ith reckless abandon as th e R edm en fire d blanks on 14 pow er-plays in th e tw o contests. "W e tried tom a ke ad ju stm e ntson ou rp ow er-p lay,"said avisibly d isa pp oin ted Head Coach M artin Raymond."! th o u g h t w e m oved th e p uck a lo t b e tte r on th e m an advantage b u t w e re n 't g e ttin g shots th ro u g h . If w e d o n 't score on o u r pow er-play, w e d o n 't score, because o u r five -o n -five play has n o t been impressive, this year." C o n c o r d ia p u s h e s M c G ill t o t h e b r in k

The postseason cam p aig n began w ith a h ard -fo ug ht, physical perfo rm a nce in th e OUA Eastern C onference q ua rter final, as McGill pushed aside its cross-tow n ene m y C oncordia tw o gam es to one.T he Redm en looked like a team w ith so m e th in g to prove as th e y engineered a d o m in a tin g 6-3 v ic to ry in g am e one. A lth o u g h th e R ed'n'W hite con ced ed tw o late goals, th e final result was never in d o u b t after a solid first p eriod in w h ic h McGill ju m p e d o u t to an early 2-0 lead on th e stre n g th o f Louis-Sim on Allaire and Lucas M adill m arkers.The R edm en pep pe re d th e C oncordia n et w ith 42 shots and special team s again proved decisive. Raymond's squad w e n t an im pressive 4-for-7 on th e p ow er-play w h ile also s lo ttin g h om e a sho rt-h an de d goal fro m w in g e r Chris C hurchill-S m ith d u rin g one o f McGill's a sto un din g 10 penalties. G oaltender M athieu Poitras held th e fo rt fo r th e Redmen, s to p p in g 15 chances in c lu d in g a pen alty shot save th a t preserved a 1-0 McGill lead o n ly seconds after th e goal had been scored. D espite a 5-1 lead late in th e th ird period, C oncordia rallied w ith tw o goals, foresha d ow ing th e struggles th e Redmen w o u ld e n c o u n te r in g am e tw o . "The penalties th a t w e to o k w e re n 't stupid penalties; th e y w ere actio n penalties," R aym ond said. "But w e w ere d e fin ite ly d isa pp oin ted a b o u t g ivin g up th e tw o goals late and I let th e team k n o w a b o u t it." A lth o u g h th e boys in red and w h ite e nd ed up on th e w ro n g end o f g am e tw o's 6-5 result, th e m atch was a p la yoff classic. C oncordia rallied fro m a 5-2 th ird -p e rio d d e fic it and stole v ic to ry fro m th e jaw s o f defeat in o ve rtim e w ith an unscreened w riste r fro m defencem an Jessie G oodsell at th e p oin t. Again, th e Redm en d o m in a te d th e first fram e, posting a see m ing ly insu rm o u n ta b le 4-1, m argin on th e stren gth o f goals fro m forw ards M arko Kovacevic, Shawn Shew chuk, Benoit M artin and Allaire. However, w ith o n ly 13 m in utes le ft and

C hurchill-S m ith. Kyres m anaged to deke G rinnell b u t w asn't th e ir backs against th e proverbial w all, th e Stingers d u g deep able to keep co n tro l o f th e p uck as it slid w id e o f th e net. and th e usually steady Poitras faltered as C oncordia posted U nlike th e C oncordia series, McGill strug gle d on th e three unansw ered goals and pushed th e gam e to extra tim e. p ow er-p la y against U o f T, g o in g 0-for-8 in th e gam e, in c lu d in g Again, McGill's goalie looked porous as he w h iffe d on th e 30 seconds in th e offensive zone w ith a 5-on-3 advantage. o ve rtim e w inner, a llo w in g C oncordia to square th e series at one. "It's to u g h to w in a g a m e w h e n y o u d o n 'ts c o re a g o a l.W e n e e d "W e cam e o u t all rig h t in th e first p eriod b u t w e sat back to capitalize m ore on ourchances,"R aym ondsaid."lf a nyth in g this and d id n 't skate in th e last h alf o f th e game," said a frustrated hockey c lu b likes to havea g u n to it's head; it's been like th a t all year." Sam Bloom . "W e feel w e have th e team to beat these guys and A lth o u g h th e y m ay e njo y th e pressure, th e Redm en failed to ju s t th ro w it aw ay in th e th ird period is p re tty d isa pp oin ting . W e all have to skate harder and keep th e ir goals u n d e r two." to respond Saturday n ig h t facing e lim in a tio n in Toronto. McGill th re w e ve ryth in g th e y had at th e Varsity Blues and b e n e fite d fro m Clearly d istu rbe d by th e ir late gam e collapse in gam e tw o , th e Redm en unleashed th e fu ry in th e th ird contest, a d o six pow er-plays b u t sim ply c o u ld n 't solve G rinnell.The fou rth -yea r g o a lte n d e r kicked aside 33 shots in c lu d in g num e ro us q u a lity o r-d ie situation, p o u n d in g th e ir o p p o n e n ts in to subm ission scoring chances on his w ay to his second consecutive shutout. w ith a resounding 8-0 v ic to ry and 2-1 series w in. W hile th e "C om ing o ff th e 11-1 loss it w as a m a tte r o f p ride fo r us," offence let loose on th e C oncordia net, especially d u rin g a th ird period in w h ich McGill posted six goals, th e focus o f said th e s ta n d o u t keeper. “W e kne w it w asn't o u r best gam e b u t [McGil] was ru b b in g it in o u r faces by keeping th e ir to p m any M cC onnell Arena fans was on th e fresh face in McGill's players o u t w h e n it was 10-1. That was a b it o f a m o tiv a to r net. Jean-M ichel Filiatrault m ade his p la y o ff d e b u t in th e fo r these last tw o games. It d e fin ite ly feels g o o d now." e lim in a tio n gam e as coach Raym ond b enched his tw o -tim e The w in n e r fo r T o ro nto cam e a t 17:36 o f th e second OUA player o f th e year after a shaky p erfo rm a nce in gam e tw o . Poitras w o u ld n o t see th e crease again in th e postseaon. w h e n M ark W rig h t g o t b e h in d th e McGill defence and tip p e d a Joe Rand pass b e h in d Filiatrault. Sim on Barg sealed th e W hile Filiatrault proved up to th e task, th e forw ards p ro vid e d an a m ple m argin fo r error, spearheaded by a S hew chuk hat-trick. v ic to ry and th e series fo r th e Varsity Blues by p o ttin g a short handed goal in to an e m p ty -n e t w ith 56 seconds to play. “O ur p ow er-p la y was on fire; I th in k th e w h o le series w e A lth o u g h th e Redm en w ill suffer b o th th e loss o f captain played w ell. It's g o o d to see th a t after a year o f s tru g g lin g w ith Benoit M artin to g rad u ation and a su m m e rfu ll o f'w h a t ifs flo o k fo r th e power-play," S hew chuk said. "It was a b ig b ou nce back fo r everyone. It w as a little b it em barrassing w h a t hap pe ne d last th e y o u n g c lu b to return n ext y e a rfo ra s tro n g e rc a m p a ig n . A rm ed gam e, and I th in k everyone kne w th a t and was upset by it." w ith rising ta le n t and a m ple m o tiv a tio n fro m this loss, McGill should again challenge fo r a to p ranking in CIS men's hockey. ■ S hew chuk w asn't u nd ersta tin g th e prowess o f th e u n it — additional reporting by David Campana th a t w e n t 7-for-8 in th e m atch and 14-for-24 in th e series. v O ffe n c e g e ts lo s t o n w a y t o s e c o n d ro u n d

In w h a t proved to be a tig h t g am e one o f th e OUA East sem i-final, th e Varsity Blues g o t th e lone goal late in th e th ird w h e n le ft-w in g e r Joe Rand banked a shot fro m th e goal line o ff a mass o f h u m a n ity in fro n t o f n e tm in d e r Filiatrault fo r a p ow er-play marker. Like tw o prize fig h te rs in the o p e n in g rounds o f a title fig h t, neither team seem ed to w a n t to m ake th e first mistake. The result was a relatively low inte nsity g am e th a t saw fe w q u a lity scoring chances at e ith er end o f th e ice. McGill's best stretch cam e in th e last h alf o f th e second period. The R edm en picked u p th e te m p o slig h tly and w ere a lm ost rew arded w ith a goal w h e n rig h t-w in g e r Teddy Kyres streaked past th e T oronto defence and to o k a pass fro m Chris

A fiv e R e d m e n ru s h a g a in s t C o n c o rd ia w a s n o w h e r e t o b e

LUKAS BERGMARK

f o u n d a g a in s t t h e V a r s it y B lu e s .

THIRD MAN IN

R e q u ie m fo r a d e a d lin e O

n Feb. 21 , 20 0 1 , th e C olorado Avalanche fe lt th e y needed one m ore player to g e t them selves over th e h u m p and g o fo r hockey's b ig g est prize, th e Stanley Cup. They w ere already very strong offensively, led by th e likes o f Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and M ilan H edjuk b u t Gen eral M anager Pierre Lacroix fe lt th a t w ith th e trade deadline lo o m in g , th e club's defence still needed im p ro ve m e n t. It was on th a t Thursday th a t th e Avs sent Adam D eadm arsh, Aaron Miller, Jared A ulin and th e ir first round pick in th e sum m er d ra ft to th e Los Angeles Kings in exchange fo r fo rm e r Norris Trophy w in n e r Rob Blake, th e re b y d elivering th e w e t dream o f th e hockey talking heads: th e b lo ckb u ste r trade. The rest is history. M ission 16 W was a success and th e Avalanche cam e h om e w ith th e Cup. But th a t w as in th e days before th e salary cap. Before, team s cou ld n o t o n ly a fford— b u t w ere able— to splash o u t big sums o f m o n e y and m o rtg a g e th e club's fu tu re to ac quire th e last piece o f th e puzzle. In th e "N ew NHL," clubs are forced to w o rk u n d e r a very strict set o f financial guidelines th ro u g h o u t th e season. Now, team s c an no t sim p ly com e up to th e trade d eadline and acquire superstar rent-a-players u n

less th e y m e e t a n u m b e r o f specific guidelines. Today, team s are no lo n g e r tra d in g players, b u t contracts. Last season, th e first u nd er th e cap, th e b ig g est trade was, arguably, b etw e en C olorado and M ontreal. The team s sw apped goaltenders Jose T heodore and David A ebischer— n o t q u ite th e Rob Blake deal. U nder th e n e w fixed structure, th e b ig tim e deals d o n 't take place until th e off-season, w h e n franchises k n o w w h a t th e y can and c a n n o t accom plish u n d e r th e n ew cap fo r next year. The same is tru e in th e NBA. W ith its salary cap in place, all m id-season trades are essentially team s transferring dollars fro m th e ir payroll. Instead o f blockbusters, th e fans and th e m edia are given m in n o w s like th e recent tra de o f Toronto's Fred Jones fo r Portland's Juan D ixon. Given all these n ew realities, o ne w o u ld th in k th a t th e m edia w o u ld eve ntu ally com e to understand th a t th e b lock buster trade largely doesn't happen on dea dlin e day. M uch like th e NHL, it n o w com es in th e off-season, after players are d eem ed free agents and team s kno w h o w m u ch cap space th e y have to w o rk w ith . But this doesn't sto p th e p u n d its and th e w riters fro m e xp ecting th a t a big -tim e , m u ltip la ye r deal is

im m in e n t. For exam ple, d u rin g last week's NBA d eadline day, th e names w ere flyin g o ff th e board: Carter, Kidd, Gasol, Bibby and countless others w ere all exp ected to be on th e move. But w ith th e financial equalization u nd er th e cap, n on e o f th e m cou ld be legally dealt. The basketball c o m m u n ity was, o f course, up in arms a b o u t th e lack o f m o ve m e n t and desire fo r im p ro ve m en t. The same w ill likely be tru e to d a y w h e n th e NHL has its annual trade deadline day. W ith all three m ajor sports n e t w orks in Canada d e v o tin g hours o f d aytim e coverage to any poten tial m ove, you'd th in k th a t everyone was on th e m arket and th a t every team w o u ld surely sw ap a fe w players. But w ith no b on afide superstars believed to be on th e m arket, th e fe w team s w h o can g e n u in e ly afford to trade u p w o n 't be eying a Rob Blake this w eek. M aybe th e y 'll acquire an Adrian Aucoin. Hockey and basketball m edia types invest so m u ch tim e and e ffo rt in to .th e d eadline th a t th e y seem to have fo rg o tte n one crucial fact: m o st team s fly so close to th e cap, th a t th e y can't afford even th e slightest increase. So d o n 't w atch th e ro u n d -th e -c lo c k coverage o f th e tra de deadline e xp e ctin g a massive deal— you 'll o n ly be disa pp oin ted . *

The McGill Tribune

18 • Sports • 27.02.07

U P O N FURTHER REVIEW

SACK OF TH E WEEK T h is W e e k 's W in n e r : T im H a r d a w a y — R e t ir e d N B A p o i n t g u a r d

T r a d i n g s p a c e s : N H L e d it io n

Hard to g o w ith anyone else in this spot, even th o u g h the re w ere som e w o rth y perform ances over th e last tw o weeks (see Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, A.J. Sm ith, Dan Hawkins, etc.) But Hardaway to o k b e in g an id io t to a w h o le n e w ieyel d u rin g th e NBA all-star w ee ke nd w h e n he said "I hate gay people,"and tha t"the re 's no place for [ho m osexulaity] in Am erica o r th e world." Try as w e m ig h t to fig h t it, there's b ig o try in all walks o f life. But usually tho se in h ig h -p ro file positions have th e g o o d sense to at least hide th e ir d ated w o rld views. Sports, fo r w ha te ver reason, are still b rin g in g u p th e rear in term s o f acce pting d iffe re n t cultures and lifestyles. In th a t sense .Hardaway is less to b lam e th a n th e e n v iro n m e n t o f w h ic h he's a part. W ith th e possible e xce ption o f a co n s tru c tio n site, you w o u ld be hard pressed to fin d a m ore m acho w o rkp la ce tha n th e dressing ro om o f a men's profes sional sports team . Hom osexuals are still seen as sinister and soft by m any in this w orld . The result is countless athletes having to live th e ir lives in th e closet for fear o f b ein g shunned by team m ates. C om m e nts like those u tte re d by Hardaway o n ly fu rth e r th a t senti m e n t and p e rp e tu ate th e v ie w in m a jor professional sports th a t if you com e o u t or accept those th a t do, you risk b ein g ostracized.

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Isn't the re so m e th in g in h e re n tly w ro n g w ith a player playing less th a n 25 p er c e n t o f a season w ith a team and p o te n tia lly m aking th e d ifference b e tw e e n a c h a m p io n ship v ic to ry and m issing th e playoffs altogether? The w h o le idea o f th e playoffs is to p it th e best team s fro m th e regular season against one a n o th e r fo r all th e marbles. O ne need loo k no fu rth e r tha n th e Stanley C up playoffs o f last season to understand h o w im p o rta n t these transac tions can be. The E dm on to n Oilers cam e w ith in a hair of m issing th e second season and it c o u ld be argued w o u ld n o t have m ade th e playoffs had it n o t been fo r th e last m in u te acquisitions o f w in g e r Sergei Sam sonov and g oa lte nd er D w ayne Roloson. O nce in, E d m on to n rode Roloson to th e Stanley C up finals and, had he n o t been inju re d in Game O ne o f th e series, m ay indeed have w o n th e m th e u ltim a te prize. Therefore, had th e M innesota W ild n o t strug gle d last season, th e Oilers w o u ld p ro b a b ly n o t have had th e p la yoff run th e y did. H o w is th a t right? O n th e o th e r side o f th e led g er w ere th e Carolina H ur ricanes. Plagued by th e loss o f key p erform ers like Eric Cole, th e d u b reached o u t fo r veteran attackers M ark Recchi and D oug W eight. Increasingly, succeeding in th e playoffs is b e c o m in g a b o u t th e players you add at season's end. The NFL has its trade d eadline p rio r to w eek six o f the regular season (this is ro u g h ly th e end o f th e first th ird o f th e regular season). True, you w o n 't g e t th e tra de deadline dram atics th a t you d o in th e NHL and NBA b u t at least you'll AP/MARKHUMPHREY k n o w th e best team w o n , rather th a n th e team th a t m ade F o rs b e rg a t an th e best acquisitions tw o weeks before th e playoffs began. — C harlie Blore

Call m e crazy, b u t lately it seems like th e NHL has tin ke re d — and failed— to o m any tim es. The p o st-lo cko u t era is J one o f e xtrem e e xp e rim e n ta tio n w ith m any on-ice issues that, arguably, d id need som e s lig h t alterations. H ow ever I th e deb ate over th e p la cem e nt o f th e trade d eadline in th e seasonal schedule seems grossly superfluous and th e ! p rosp ect o f m aking it earlier in th e cam p aig n is u tte rly ridiculous. Currently, th e last day fo r transactions takes place I w ith , fo r th e m ost part, a pp ro xim a tely 20 gam es le ft in each team's respective schedule. W ith a lm ost exactly three j quarters o f th e season com p lete , by th e tim e th e trade d eadline rolls around th e vast m a jo rity team s k n o w th e ir play i o ff fates— contenders, b u b b le team s o r sim ply those w ith p in g p o n g balls in th e ir im m e d ia te future. By m a intain ing [ th e status q u o and keeping th e d eadline late in th e season, th e NHL allow s its clubs to p ro p e rly evaluate th e ir realistic j postseason chances and make a p p ro pria te adju stm e nts to th e ir rosters— e ith e r loa d ing u p fo r a run at th e C up o r j h o ld in g a salary d u m p in g fire-sale. W ith later, and therefore, adequate assessments o f tru e p la y o ff probabilities, th e d eadline w ill encourage fan j interest and e xc ite m e n t on tw o d iffe re n t levels. W ith a deeper D-Day, th e b u b b le team s w h o m ay look like p ote n tia : postseason p articipa nts tw o weeks earlier in th e season w ill have fallen o ff by d eadline day, th e re b y a llo w in g th e m j to unload m arquee assets o n to sup erior team s. In d o in g so, tra de deadline days are m ore likely to w itness th e ever| desired b lo ckb u ste r deal: W ith an earlier c u t-o ff date, team s still unsure o f th e ir d estiny w o u ld be m ore cautious and j re luctan t to deal im p o rta n t, h ig h -im p a c t players. Also, th e transfer o f high-salaried, to p -flig h t ta le n t w ill raise th e qual ! ity o f play in th e Stanley C up to u rn a m e n t— th e u ltim a te spectacle fo r th e NHL in its struggle to a ttra c t n e w fans— as i p la y o ff squads w ill be s tren gth ed by th e ir n ew addtions. — Aaron Sigal

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27.02.07 • Sports • 19

w w w .m cgilltribune.com

S p o rts B riefs

L a st C all

COMPILED BY CHARLIE B l ORE AND AARON SlGAL

STANDINGS Hockey (W) McGill

W 17

L 1

T 0

OTL 0

p 34

Hockey(M)

OTL

Volleyball (M)

p 26

UQTR

Laval

McGill

Montreal

18 14

Ottawa

Carleton

Ottawa

Sherbrooke

Concordia

McGill

54 . O

ON DECK

BOX SCORE

M artlets B asketball— M cGill M artlets at Bishop's G aiters; W ednesday, 7 p.m..

The Martlets finished up the regular season àt 7-9, good for third place in the Quebec conference o f the CIS. The Martlets w ill n ow face second-place Bishop's (8-8) in th e one game w inner-take-all Quebec Conference semi-final.The tw o teams have squared o ff four tim es this season and the Martlets have a 1-3 record in those meetings. The tw o last m e t on Feb. 16 w hen Bishop's handed the Martlets a 68-48 beatdown.

SCORING SUMMARY FIRST PERIOD: (no scoring) SECOND PERIOD: 1. T o ro nto - M ark W rig h t (Joe Rand, Chad Elliott) -1 7 :3 6

Redm en B asketball— M cG ill Redm en at Laval Ro uge et Or; T h ursday, 7 p.m..

The Redmen and Rouge et Or have battled fou r tim es as well this year, and McGill has m anaged ju s t one w in in those meetings. The tw o teams w rapped up the ir regular seasons against one another this weekend w ith Laval spanking the Redmen 81-63 on their ow n hom e court. M artlets H ockey— C o n co rd ia Stingers at M cGill M artlets; W ednesday, 7 p.m .,

S aturday, Feb. 2 4 ,2 0 0 7 T o ro n to V arsity Blues 2 vs. M cG ill R edm en 0 V arsity A rena

THIRD PERIOD: 2. T o ro nto - Sim on Barg (M ark Heatley) -19:03 (SHGÆNG)

GOALTENDERS: McGill: Jean-M ichel Filiatrault (L, 1-2; 1GA, 27 saves, 59:15) E m pty-net: (1 GA, 0:45)

The Martlets sustained the ir first defeat in over a year w hen the y fell to Ottawa 2-1 tw o weeks ago.That being said, McGill should have no problem steam -rolling Concordia in this I best-of-three series. The Martlets beat the ir cross-town rivals * all fou r tim es the y m et this season by a com bined score o f I Toronto: 18-5. Game tw o w ill be played Friday at Concordia and game Ryan G rinnell (W, 2-0; 0GA, 33 saves, SHO, 60:00) three, if necessary, w ould be Sunday n ig h t at M cConnell I Arena. SHOTS BY PERIOD N H L H ockey— O ttaw a Senato rs at Caro lin a H urricanes; TEAM: 1 2 3 - Total Tuesday, 7 p.m ., RSN McGill: 14 11 8 - 3 3 I These tw o teams are jockeying for playoff positions in the Toronto:10 9 1 0 - 2 9 Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes are suffering through ^ some injury woes at th e m o m en t b u t have added centre POWER PLAY (Goals / Chances): Anson Carter from Colum bus to help d ow n the stretch. The McGill: 0 /6 I Sens meanwhile, are com ing o ff a fig h t filled back-to-back Toronto: 0 /4 i series w ith Buffalo and have looked like the O ttawa o f old H I I since Christmas.

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M cG ill ladies u p s e t Laval o n th e c o u rt C atherine Parent n o tch e d a d o u b le -d o u b le as McGill d o w n e d n in th ranked Laval 60-36 in w om en's basketball a t D onald Love C o m p e titio n Hall. It was o n ly th e second loss o f th e season fo r Laval, b o th o f th e m road contests at McGill. The M artlets, w h o finishe d regular season play a t 7 - 9 , have o n ly w on three o f th e ir last 35 m e eting s against th e Rouge e t Or, d ating back a decade. M cG ill led 18-8 after th e first quarter, 27-16 at th e h a lf and 41-25 after three pe riods. Their tenacious defence forced 30 Laval turnovers in th e gam e and a s tu n n in g 18-6 edge in steals. Parent recorded g am e -h igh s in b o th p oin ts (18 ) and rebounds (12 ). She was g o o d on e ig h t o f 18 a tte m p ts fro m th e field, h it one three pointer, m ade one o f tw o shots fro m th e foul line and was credited w ith three steals.Team m ate PG C hristine Kennedy added 12 p oin ts and p ulled d o w n five rebounds. McGill sho t 38.1 per c e n t fro m th e field, 38.5 fro m beyond th e th re e -p o in t arc and 70.0 fro m th e fou l line, com p ared to Laval, w h o w ere held to a p altry 22.9 fro m th e floor, o n ly 8.3 fro m th re e -p o in t range (i-fo r- 13 ), to g o a lo n g w ith an im pressive 92.9 fro m th e cha rity stripe (i3-for-i4). W h o needs an O ly m p ic g o ld m edal? M cG ill M artlets g o a lte n d e r C harline Labonté was nam ed as th e 2006 Fe m ale A m a te u r A thle te o f th e Year at th e inaugural TEAM 990 sports personality o f th e year awards lun che on a t H otel Place d'Arm es in O ld M ontreal on Fri day. O ly m p ic diver A lexandre Despatie earned th e e q u iva le n t award fo r male athletes, w h ile Canadiens captain Saku Koivu w as ann ou nced as th e M ontreal sports personality o f th e year. Labonté backstopped Team Canada to a gold m edal at th e 2006 Turin W inter O lym pics in w h ic h she w o n all three o f her starts, p osting shu tou ts over Russia and Finland and a llo w in g one goal in the g o ld m edal final, a 4-1 v ic to ry over Sweden. Since jo in in g th e M artlets last fall, she has posted a stellar 28 - 2 -2 record w ith a 1.36 goals-against average, a .930 save percentage and 10 shu tou ts in 32 starts overall. Sean A n th o n y : M cG ill's a ll-s ta r eager Sean A n th o n y is th e lone McGill representative on th e Q uebec univer sity men's basketball all-star team , a nn ou nced last W ednesday. The 6 '4 " fo r w ard w as picked to th e QUBL second team in v o tin g c o n d u c te d by th e league's head coaches. A n th o n y is e ig h th in th e conference scoring race (13.1 p oin ts p er gam e), n in th in re b o u n d in g (4.7 rpg), 10 th in assists (2.13 per gam e) and n in th in fie ld -g o a l s h o o tin g (48.9 per cent.) Joining A n th o n y on th e second team are UQAM's M arc-O livier Beauchamps, Concordia's Ben ja m in S orm o nte and Bishop's D oug M cCooeye and Em m anuel Nicolas, Jr.

3 9 8 - 3 4 5 9

4L TM0 k .

M a rtle ts ru n aw ay w ith Q u e be c title Jessica W arren and D eborah Lightm an each w o n a pair o f g o ld medals as McGill cap ture d th e Q uebec u niversity w om en's track and field c h a m p io n ship in Q uebec C ity on Saturday. It was th e n in th conference title in 13 years fo r th e M artlets, w h o w o n seven o f 17 events to finish first w ith 145 points. S herbrooke was a d ista nt second w ith 96 , fo llo w e d by Laval ( 72 ), UQAM (12 ), M ontreal (8) and C oncordia (5). W arren e m erged victo rio us in th e 1 ,500 m etre race w ith a tim e o f 4 :45 .15 . She also ran th e lea d off leg o f th e w in n in g 4 x 800 m relay, w h ic h w as clocked in at 10 :2 4 3 6 . O th er m em bers o f th a t relay inclu de d Sonia Jean-Philippe, N icole Koenig and Lightm an, w h o ran th e ancho r leg. Lig h tm a n also finished first in th e 1 ,00 0 m w ith a tim e o f 2 :56 .62 . O th e r g o ld m edalists fro m McGill inclu de d D eenie Q uinn (3,00 0 m, 10 :49 .63), Esther U sborne (pole vault, 3 .40 m), H eather M cC urdy (triple ju m p , 11 .11 m), and th e 4 x40 0 m relay squad (4 :06 .52) com p ose d o f S tephanie Rosen thal, H illary Kellar-Parsons, Sabrina Lavoie and A ly McPhee. McGill's D en nis Barrett also w o n w om en's coa ch-o f-the -ye ar h onours fo r th e n in th tim e.

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MANAKISH Zaatar Zaatar & Cheese Laham Baagine Cheese Fatayer Spinach Fatayer Spinach &Cheese Fatayer Cheese Feta Cheese Sujok Sujok &Cheese Kefta Chicken (Grain-Fed) Shawarma extra vegetables G e rts B a r now has M c G ill W ir e l e s s !

1.50 2.00 1.75 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.50 2.75 2.75 2.75 3.25 3.25 3.25 0.75

L a b o n té p osts a n o th e r s h u to u t as M a rtle ts d o w n Ravens Top-ranked McGill e xp lod ed for three th ird period goals in a span o f 1:30 en ro ute to a 4-0 v ic to ry over C arleton in th e final Q uebec gam e o f th e regu lar season on Sunday. The w in , h ig h lig h te d by g o a lte n d e r C harline Labonté's CIS-leading 10 th shu tou t, m arked McGill's 18 th straig ht w in against Carleton and im p ro ve d th e M artlets lifetim e record against th e Ravens to 31 - 0-1 w ith 17 shutouts. Valerie Paquette tallied w h a t proved to be th e g a m e -w in n e r w ith a p o w e r play m arker at 5:43 o f th e m id d le period. McGill cam e o u t firin g on all cylinders in th e final stanza, w ith goals fro m A m y Soberano, Vanessa Davidson and Alyssa Cecere.

BOX SCORE Sun d ay, Feb. 2 5 ,2 0 0 7 M cG ill M artlets 4 vs. C arleton Ravens, 0 M cC o n n ell Arena

SCORING SUMMARY FIRST PERIOD: (no scoring) SECOND PERIOD: 1 . M cG ill - Valerie Paquette (V. D avidson) 5:43 THIRD PERIOD: 2 . M cG ill - A m y S oberano (J. Sheehan, L. Zane) 6:53 (PP) 3. M cG ill - Vanessa D avidson (L. Zane ) 7:18 4 . M cG ill - Alyssa Cecere (K. Elzinga, C. W ard) 8:36 SHOTS BY PERIOD TEAM: 1 2 3 Total C arleton 2 3 9 14 M cG ill 1 2 1 8 1 4 44

The Stu d en ts1 So ciety of McGill University Awards of Distinction T h e S tu d e n ts ' S o c ie ty o f M c G ill U n i v e r s i t y

H a v e y o u l e f t y o u r m a r k ? T

he Students’ Society o f McGill University invites applications for its Awards o f D istinction. Two (2) scholarships o f $ 2 5 0 0 fo r fu ll-tim e undergraduate studies at McGill will be awarded to students who show evidence o f outstanding leadership in the McGill com m unity through significant contributions to student activities coupled w ith excellent academ ic perform ance.

To be eligible, you must have been a fu ll-tim e (m inim um o f 24 credits) undergraduate student at McGill University, downtown campus, during the 2 0 0 6 - 0 7 academ ic year. Scholarships will be paid upon presentation o f proof o f fu ll-tim e undergraduate registration at McGill University during the 2 0 0 7 - 0 8 academic year. Please note th at the application requires an official transcript to be sent directly to the Selection com m ittee to be received by the application deadline. Applications are available as o f February 12th, 2 0 0 7 at the SSMU Front Desk, or online at h t t p : / / w w w .ssm u.m cgill.ca

C o n to rt:

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Finn Upham Vice-President (University Affairs) ua@ssmu.mcgill.ca

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