The McGill Tribune Vol. 26 Issue 26

Published by the Students' Society of McGill University

www.mcgilltribune.com

Volume 26 Issue 26 • April 3,2007

M ontreal students strike against tuition hike Last-minute General Assem bly falls short of 500-person quorum K ayvon A fshari

A protest o rrg a n ized b y radical stu d en t association ASSÉ blocks o ff traffic w ith calls for free ed u cation

® M c G ill

^

p re se n ts

After th e recent provincial elections resulted in a Liberal Party o f Q u e b e c m in ority governm ent, students in th e province have kicked their defense o f th e tuition freeze into high gear. LAssociation pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudi­ ante organized strikes w ith several universities and CEGEPS last week, draw ing students in to th e streets w ith calls for free education.

"ASSÉ is for free sch ool so w e don't prom o te just th e freeze o f tuition," said ASSÉ spokesperson Evelyne Elife.

She added that ASSÉ focuses on taking their cam paign to the street, rather than m o bilizin g their constituents to take to th e ballot box.

"We don 't w a n t to be in the election cam paign because we don't w a n t to be associated w ith a political party," Elife said. "That's not i u r w ay to d o m obilization; w e think that all pow er is on th e street and it's not w ith lo bbying and c o ­ operation."

"It's very g o o d for students to be defendin g their rights because tuition rates are g oing to g o out o f control," said C oncordia student Robert Keaghan Jennings, w h o at­ te n ded th e dem onstration. "The p e op le in pow er don't su pp o rt a lot o f socialist ideas like edu cation for the masses."

Som e M cG ill students were present for th e protest even th o u g h the Students' Society did not take an official stance on th e strike. A strike general assem bly was called last w eek after Jessyka Boulanger, U3 biochem istry, co lle cte d th e re­ quired 500 signatures. The assem ­ bly, held W ednesday, o n ly attracted 62 participants, far short o f th e 500 required for quorum .

"I th in k it was an issue o f g e t­

tin g th e inform ation and spreading it around," Boulanger said o f the reason for th e low attendance. "I th in k it co u ld have been d o n e bet­ ter if the em ail co uld have been sent on the Thursday [before last Wednesday], If students d on 't have th e inform ation, th e y can't g o [to th e GA]."

Because o f the o n g o in g p ro b ­ lems w ith th e SSMU W eb server, executives w ere unable to send em ails to the SSM U listserv to a d­ vertise th e event. Vice-President C o m m u n ica tio n s and Events Gill Prendergast resorted to sending an em ail from her personal a cco u n t to students a bou t tw o hours before the m eeting started.

Vice-President External M ax Silverm an said that he did not th in k that th e General Assem bly w as a g o o d idea and that strikes need to be th e result o f a longer process o f b u ildin g m om entum .

"A strike should be th e last tactic after a long cam paign and it needs to have a lot o f m o m e n tu m beh ind it before it can be success­ ful," Silverm an said. "At M cGill, this cam e o u t o f now here and there was no m o m e n tu m g o in g into it. You can't just e xpect students to sh ow up and miss classes for a w h o le day."

Silverm an said that th e in­ ability to m eet qu oru m was not a reflection o f apathy on cam pus but rather o f "poor tim in g and organization."

Arts representative to SSMU Rachel Abs agreed w ith Silverman's assertions.

"I th in k it show s that th e G e n ­ eral Assem bly was called w ith on ly four days notice and on ly tw o o f th e m bein g sch ool days," A bs said.

“Also, it's co m p le te ly o u t o f context and there has been no m o b iliza ­ tion beforehand. Obviously, it's not g o in g to g et q u oru m ."*

Final Exam Coffee Breaks!

Come enjoy complimentary snacks and refreshments at the following locations: A p ril 10th:

Macdonald Campus-M a cd o n a ld -S tew a rt

A pril 12th:

A pril 17th:

M c L e n n a n L obb y: 1 0 :3 0 a m — 1 1 :3 0 a m

M c L e n n a n L obb y: 10:30am — 11:30 a m C h a n c e llo r D a y H a ll A trium : 1:00pm — 2 :3 0 p m

A p ril 18th: A p ril 19th:

A p ril 13th:

B r o n fm a n L obb y: 1 1 :30am — 1:00p m

A p ril 20th :

M c C o n n e ll L ob b y: 1 1:30am — 1:00p m M c L e n n a n L obb y: 2 :3 0 p m — 3 :3 0 p m M c L e n n a n L obb y: 1 0 :3 0 a m — 1 1 :3 0 a m

A p ril 16th:

S tr a t b c o n a M u s ic L obb y: 1 1:30am — 1:30pm

F oyer: 10:30am — 1 2 :0 0 p m

The M cGill Alumni Association wishes you good luck on your exams!

N ew s

COVER PHOTO BY LUKAS BERGMARK MCGILL ENQUIRER COVER PHOTO BY STEVEN CAMPBELL

CAMPUS

Prelim inary response to Task Force unveiled Student reps want to see advising and m entoring m ade priorities VlNCCI T s u i

The office o f the provost published a pre­ lim inary response to th e final report from the Principal's Task Force on S tudent Life and Learn­ ing last week, proposing various initiatives in the three broad areas addressed in th e report: advising and m entoring, student fun din g and space and buildin g a student-centred "learning co m m un ity" in a research-intensive university.

Incom ing Student's Society Vice-President University Affairs and current Arts Senator Adri­ an A n gu s was particularly interested in th e ini­ tiatives that have been proposed co ncernin g student advising and m entoring.

"W hat they're proposing is w h a t we've been pushing for years, w h ich is th e recognition that advising and m entoring are tw o different things," A n gu s said.

"Advising has always been m y to p priority, and it's on e o f the to p priorities of th e adm inistration. I th in k that if w e w o rk to ­ gether w ith th e adm inistration in th e co m in g year to really deal w ith this issue, it w ill make advising th e m ost im portant part o f th e d o c u ­ ment."

Current FinnU pham U phamwas was also en th u ­ areas areasand andcoco u te terminals,bubut Current V PVP U AUA Finn also enthumm p upte r rterminals, t thth o uoguhgth t looked ore detaile lookedforward forw ardtotomm ore detailed adm inistrative administration's that m ore w work need ed to be he don d on e on another resnonses scheduled srh ed i ileri for release releas early in th e fall siastic about th e adm inistration's co m m itm een nt ork needed responses to im proving academ ic advising services and student space concern: room booking. semester.That report w ill in clu de tim elines and "Other than trying to bring dow n costs, noted that the current system is inadequate. specific benchm arks for th e proposed initia­ getting th e on lin e room b oo kin g system up "We know that there are a lot o f professors tives, as well as an idea o f the fun din g that will and running efficiently should be major priori­ w h o are forced to d o advising; it's not their pri­ be required. ties for th e administration," he said. “M any stu­ ority and they m igh t not give th e best advice "Everybody is w aiting for dollar signs on to students," Upham said. “We need people dents have co m plaints from w orking w ith the everything, to see concrete plans and tim elines w h o can learn and retain inform ation about current boo king system." and for th e adm inistration to put th e m oney Upham had her ow n criticism s a bou t the students w h o are taking this course and that w here their m outh is," U ph am said. docum ent; specifically, that it lacked the force course; that process o f advising should be D eputy Provost Student Life and Learn­ to bring to gether all im portant units o f th e u ni­ left to professionals." ing M orto n M endelson was co n fid e n t that the Aside from academ ic advising, A n gu s also versity. adm inistration's response w ill be published by "I th in k it's detri­ th e deadline, but said that n ot all o f th e issues m ental to the adm in is­ w ill be tackled im m ediately. tration in the w ay that "Not everything can be addressed all at it is w ritten and the w ay once; w e don't have th e resources, w e don't have the time; w e don 't have the money, but that they're proposing to treat som e o f th e sub­ that's fine," he said. "The idea was to co m e up sections," she said. "It's w ith recom m endations that lead to progres­ sive ch ange over a num ber o f years and that's like 'We're n ot g o in g to d o anything about this, h ow w e plan to address them." because w e o n ly have control over a little part,' raised th e issue o f m aking libraries m ore useful Even if initiatives are n ot addressed im m e ­ as op p o se d to using this as a co m p le te lever­ spaces for students in his bid for VP University diately, th e final d o c u m e n t w ill include 'report age to get faculties and adm inistration w ork­ Affairs. Fie was im pressed w ith th e adm inistra­ cards"that set specific benchm arks so progress ing together." tion's co m m itm e n t d e ve lop in g m ore informal can be regularly assessed by the adm inistration space, such as group study areas, qu iet study Both Upham and A n gu s said that they and th e M cG ill com m unity. ■

Ithink it's detrimental to the administration in the way that it is written and the way that they're proposing to treat some of the sub-sections."

— VP University Affairs Finn Upham

CAMPUS

CAMPUS

Students panic to get organic

O nline W om bat craves M cG ill student opinions

Cam pus activists com plain over lack of transparency

Survey offers university ranking system

K a t e S p ir g e n

You are w hat you eat, or so they say, and three M cG ill m anage­ m ent students are p etitioning Health Canada to require that food products w ith genetically m odified organism s are labelled so that consum ers know w hat th e y are eating.

"We have a right to know w hat is in our food and to make the best decisions for our health," said Lana Jurdak, U2 marketing.

Genetically engineered foods differ from their organic counterparts in that they contain antibiotic-resis­ tant marker genes, viral prom oters and foreign proteins.They have been protested m ore vehem en tly than selectively bred organism s because w h ile selective breeding may make small, gradual changes to m any genes, gen etic m odification causes serious alterations to targeted genes.

"The problem w ith G M O s is that they weaken our im m u n e systems due to resistance o f antibiotics," said Vanessa W acleche, U4 m icrobiology.

"GM Os contain products that make us resistant to antibiotics. Also, w e don't know th e long term effect o f eating these foods."

A recent study at Purdue U ni­ versity^ projected possible effects o f G M O s and has raised concerns about unintended environm ental effects and genetically deficient specimens.

G M O s have already been la­ beled in num erous countries around the w orld and these students are arguing that there is no reason w h y

Canada shouldn't follow suit.

Launching a cam paign to pro­ m ote organic foods and help pre­ vent w hat th e petition calls "food safety risks o f genetically engineered foods,” Jurdak, along w ith W acleche and Asisa Khwaja, are also petition ­ ing M cGill Food Services to provide at least on e organic meal in all cam ­ pus cafeterias.

"Students at M cG ill have no ch oice bu t to eat genetically m o d i­ fied foods," Jurdak said. "By petition­ ing M cGill Food Services to include organic foods, w e h ope to not only give students greater variety in w hat they eat, but also to raise food safety awareness."

The petition to label G M O s has over 300 signatures so far and Jurdak and her peers have received favour­ able responses, but no substantive plans from M cG ill Food Services.

"M cGill Food and D ining Ser­ vices is looking at th e possibility o f offering organic food on cam pus at som e p oint in th e future," said M cG ill Food and D ining Services adm inistra­ tor Bill Pageau."The response has not been clear cu t as there are questions co ncerning th e availability as w ell as th e prices that products w ill be sold at as typically organic products do carry a higher price value proposi­ tion. W e are also looking at labeling food products in term s o f nutrition, calories and portion size for the co m ­ ing year.'B — additional reporting

by Trip Yang

J o sh S tark

The Students'Society has recent­ ly created a W eb site to discover w hat students and professors value in an undergraduate education. Launched tw o weeks ago and running until April 25, students pointing their W eb browsers to www.wombatsurvey.ca w ill be able to give their opinion s on w hat makes a g o o d education, a question that will be researched over th e course o f at least four years.

M ichael Shortt, U3 political sci­ en ce and econom ics, first created th e survey w hen he was hired last sum m er by then SSMU vice-presi­ d e n t university affairs M ax Reed to organize a study on educational

quality. This year, th e survey idea was revived by SSMU. "W hen [SSMU VP University Affairs] Finn Upham cam e in, she th o u g h t it was a g o o d idea," Shortt said. "We decided to have it in the second semester, so that first years w o uld have had tim e to get an idea o f w hat is g oing on."

Upham said that th e project is still in an early phase but that it w o u ld serve future students.

"This is sort o f a test run,"Upham said. "We're trying to get it o ff the ground and seeing h o w students re­ spond to it— to see if w e should be tw eaking it. The idea is that w e can set it up and give it to the people w h o follow us and they can just run

KATE SPIRGEN T hese lo vea ble creatures are com in g to a co m p u te r near you th is fall.

it next year, perhaps starting in Feb­ ruary instead o f April."

Shortt felt that this survey w ould have an advantage because it w ould put a focus on quality rather than quantity. Instead o f asking questions a bou t w here m oney is needed, the survey will ask questions about how that m on ey is used and h ow profes­ sors teach.

"M cGill currently does not have a lot o f research on quality issues," Shortt said. "We have a lot o f data on under-funding, or w here w e need m aintenance, or professor-to-student ratios, but w e don't actually know w hat the effects o f this on students are. And that's som ething I think we should have." . O ne exam ple o f this discrepancy is on the issue o f class size, w hich ac­ cording to m any other studies does not actually have a large effect on quality o f education.

"Adding on e m ore student i;o the class doesn't change much; w hat matters is h ow the professor teaches," Shortt said. "W hat you get is a lot o f inexperienced professors getting stuck in first year classes, or profes­ sors try to use th e sem inar form at for 8 o-person classes."

O ne o f the unique aspects o f th e W om bat survey is that it co m ­ pares the view s o f professors with those o f students.

"We ask the professors th e same questions a bou t them selves that w e ask the students, so w e can see w hether p eople agree," Shortt said, "like h o w accessible professors are, or w hether professors and students have th e sam e goals for an under­ graduate education." ■

03.04.07 - The McGill Tribune • 3

CAMPUS

Master Plan outlines future Prelim inary plan serves as guiding principle for sustainability and space K en S un

In an effort to address sustain­ able developm ent in McGill's future, Associate Vice-Principal University Services Jim Nicell presented the University Master Plan to Senate last week. Com bined w ith recom m en­ dations from Diam ond and Schm idt Architects, these nine prescriptions have been lauded as an excellent d i­ rective by faculty and students.

Though th e actual Master Plan d ocum en t contains over 100 pages o f ideas and potential developm ents, the executive sum m ary presented

by Nicell at cam pus m eetings distin­ guish nine primary directives. Named the "Planning and Design Principles," the suggestions focus on cam pus needs and interdisciplinary collabora­ tion, grow th and property acquisition, cam pus identity, research, teaching and learning, service areas and ad­ ministration, historic buildings, infra­ structure, cam pus accessibility and landscape design.

Throughout his presentation at Senate and afterwards, Nicell em pha­ sized th e value he placed on further input from students.

"The student voice has been present in the Master Plan-from the start, through the process that we have just com e through, especially in the last tw o years," he said.

Arts Senator Adrian Angus was impressed by Nicell's openness to crit­ icism and consultation and planned to ensure that students' needs are well represented as th e Master Plan develops.

"I think it is an excellent first step," Angus said. "What impressed me the m ost was th e com m itm en t that VP Jim Nicell has made to consultation.

As students, we will w ork w ith the university to negotiate for m ore living space and more classrooms. The uni­ versity has recognized the need for this space and we plan to w ork with them on further developing these principles and plans."

Though the faculty of arts is currently undergoing space realloca­ tion to increase classroom space and departm ental offices, Dean o f Arts Christopher Manfredi, the major force behind th e program, felt that the re­ allocation plans will not conflict with Nicell's Master Plan.

"The Master Plan is a set o f draft principles w hich will gu ide th e [fac­ ulty o f arts] use of space over time,” Manfredi said. “Our project is in fact com pletely consistent w ith the draft Master Plan. I don't think there's any contradiction."

The plan isn't w ithou t weakness­ es, however, and as Students' Society VP University Affairs Finn Heather Upham pointed out, there are cur­ rently no ways o f choosing between com peting priorities w hen funds are tight.

"What I w anted to hear about [at Senate] but didn't get inform ation on, is how w e assess these priorities when we develop these projects," Upham said. "I think the weaknesses will really co m e d o w n to how well w e can make use o f them . I see potential for prob­ lems w hen we're com paring co m pet­ ing priorities and how we decide on

how the m oney should be spent.

Upham pointed to the n ew M ac­ donald cam pus library, w here many funds were devoted to making the building sustainable at the expense o f wheelchair accessibility.

"When it gets dow n to a co m p e ­ tition between priorities, w e haven't talked about h ow to solve these problem s yet," she said.

Though the Master Plan em pha­ sized th e need to preserve historical buildings, Nicell pointed out that M c­ Gill had torn dow n inefficient struc­ tures to build new buildings such as th e G enom e Q uebec Innovation Centre.

"As part o f the Master Planning process, we will look at options for re­ developing areas, and in certain cases w e w ill tear dow n som e places to make room for new ones," Nicell said.

"There is a limited am ount o f space available to us and we're not going to cover up the beautiful green spaces [on campus]. If they have no heritage value whatsoever, then tearing dow n th e structure is a possibility."

To ensure that the Master Plan reflects the needs of the campus, Nicell urged students and faculty to give their recom m endations and criti­ cism to the Master Plan. The plan, at this point, has no concrete objectives for change or a tim e frame. "[The Master Plan] is the princi­ ple on w hich we will carry out further developments," Nicell added. "We're looking at the developm ent o f new space.The idea is that each and every one o f those projects is going in a di­ rection that we w ant to go." ■

ul P ■ ■ t |o

speed

Think your fam ily is w hite trash? In Arkansas, a KFC em ployee and her son staged a robbery and filed a fake police report to steal $1,137 from the restaurant's deposit bag. After being questioned by police, Tina Marie Brown, 41, adm itted that she intentionally let her son, Bran­ don Lee Deere, 24, punch her in the face. * W h o said big corporate executives can't have fun? For April Fool's Day, Google posted details of a new fake initiative on their W eb site: free internet through your toilet!

"Today ourToilet ISP team is pleased to be leading the w ay through the sewers, up ou t o f your toilet and — splat — right on to your PC," said President Larry Page. • A Pennsylvania man show ed up to his court DUI hearing last w eek intoxicated. Paul H. Zeigler, 45, was tested and show n to have a blood alcohol level tw ice that of the legal driving limit. Because he drove to his court case, police issued the alcoholic a second DUI ticket. • A W ashington man recently celebrated his 101st birthday w ith a renewal o f his driver's license, w hich he w ill receive in the mail in tw o weeks and expires in the year 2012. Alden Couch's 64-year-old son was glad to hear th e news. Bill C ouch said that he used to drive behind his aging father just to make sure he was alright.

• Attention was drawn to Panama's grow ing coffee industry, after a Panamanian com pany recent brewed w hat may be the largest cu p o f coffee ever. Producer Cafe Duran used 136 kilograms o f Arabica cof­ fee to brew a cup measuring three yards by 1.6 yards over four hours.

"We are really thrilled w ith this, Panama has don e it!" Ricardo Duran, director-ow ner of the com pany said. • A Danish w om an decided to use a police axe to break open her car doo r after her 15-year-old son locked him self in w ith the keys and w ouldn't open the door.

Rather than resolving to conventional m ethods to open the door, she sm ashed open the doo r and w indow , quickly changing the son's mind.

• A British study has found that getting covered in m ud may help reduce depression sym ptom s and im proving positive outlooks in test­ ed patients. G o ahead; get dirty. • A 12-year-old M ichigan boy has collected over 150 vacuum cleaners and has been collecting vacuum s since the age o f 3. Kyle Krichbaum even claim s to be able to identify all brands by their sounds. His curious h obby has landed him guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Ja y Leno, and he aspires to ow n a vacuum shop.

— Sources: Associated Press, The York Dispatch,

Reuters, Yahoo! News, BBC News

SSMU IS HIRING! T h e S S M U is s e e k in g a c r e a t iv e a n d h a r d w o r k i n g s t u d e n t t o f i l l t h e 2 0 0 7 - 0 8 M a r k e t in g M a n a g e r p o s i t i o n .

m

Description

TheSSMUMarketingManager isthesoleperson inchargeofall sponsorshipand creative marketingcontracts for SSMUevents andspecial projects. Thejobwill consist of die followingduties: 1) Preparingmarketingpackages for theSSMU. Emphasis isonevents.

2) Screeningclientsandcontracts basedon the marketingethical policy inplace.

3) Contract negotiation anddrafting.

4) Contract implementation before, duringandafter theevents.

5) Post-contract reportingand relationshipmanagement.

Requirements

w hat’s included: . new furniture . new appliances ces run .fu ll gym. .

'1 5 bedroom apts.

w hat’s not included: • old mattresg * . x J inàg ? &

^

neighbours • cockroaches • sweaty landlord

515 ste. Catherine st.w. liste

ExtremefamiliaritywiththeMcGill student market isamust. Involvement withoncampusevent organization isanasset; however, what wevalue most is theprovenability to maintainprofessionalismunder intenseconditions. Somesort ofeducationinmarket­ ingisrequired, andpast workexperiencesandreferences are valued. .All candidatesshouldbeavailablefor aminimumof: 15 - 20 hour workweeksinthe monthsofMayandJune, full-timefromJuly 1 toSeptember 1, upto 12 hoursadaydur­ ingSSMUback-to-school eventsandfor 15 - 20 hoursper weekduringtheschool year.

Compensation Compensationisonastipendbasisandcommissionswill alsobepaidstartingJuly 1.

However, candidates arestronglydiscouragedfromdependingontheposition as their only means ofincome. Past successful candidates haveagreedtodothejobwithlittleor nocompensation, solely becauseof thevalueofexperience theygained.

Why You Should Apply Ifyouareinterested inapost-graduatecareer inmarketing, this ishands down the best joboncampus. Theclientsyouwill beresponsiblefor dealingdireedywith, and onbehalfofMcGill have inthepast included: Much Music, Xbox, Playstation, Rogers Wireless, AppleCanada andsomeof thelargest marketingcompanies inCanada,

Application Procedure Interestedindividualsshouldsendacover letter andaÇVtogenman@ssmu.mcgill.cano later thanApril 10, 2007. Candidatesarealsoencouragedtosubmita5-page market­ ingpackage’ aboutthemselvesaspart oftheapplicationpackage. Themarketingpackageis not required, but isdefinitelyanasset. Furthermore, pleaseincludethenames, jobridesand contact informationofthree(3) referencesinyourapplicationpackage. Referencesshouldbe peoplewhohatedirectlyworkedwithyouinthepast, at ajob, projectorvolunteerposition.

Onlycandidatesthat qualifyfor aninterviewwill becontacted. ThenewMMwill Ire hiredbyApril 30,2007.

Questions? E-mail marketing@ssmu.mcgill.ca

4 • News • 03.04.07

The McGill Tribune

Thanks, writers!

It's been a crazy year betw een political shenanigans, adm inistrative catas­ trophes, Judicial Board cases and the infam ous blood drive debate and you've been there every step,of the way. We'd like to take a m inute and thank all of our cpntributors: Marshneill Abraham, Heather Anderson, Lana Ayoub, Annik Babinski, Emily Barca, Sonya Bell, M att Cam pbell, M argaux Carson, M atthew Cherian, Nora Coghlan, Kelly Daly, Ben DePetrillo, Ben Fried, Ezra Glinter, Kevin Hampson, Kelly Harris, M ahak Jain, Jessica Kostuck, Nour Kteilly, Alii Maclsaac, Kristin Maich, Frances Shapiro Munn, Julien Naggar, Isis Ortiz,Tom Quail, Elaine Radman, Fariduddin Rifai, Mira Sharma, Josh Stark, M ark Stern, Stephanie Tombari, Joshuah Touyz, Vincci Tsui and Trip Yang.

It takes a lot o f d edication to com e out to all o f the meetings, protests, tow n halls and m iscellaneous cam pus events. We know it's lots o f w ork to drop everything for that last-minute interview but all of your hard w ork paid o ff and you can see it in every issue. G ood luck to next year's news editors: Alii M a­ clsaac, Kristin M aich and Ken Sun. We know you'll do a great jo b and keep the news com in g to the people!

M B 1

— Your news editors

The Tribune is searching for columnists for 2007-2008. If you're interested in seeing your name in print every other week, please send a column theme, a sample column and six ideas for future columns.

Drop off your application in person at room 110 in the Shatner Building or email it to editor@mcgilltribune.com.

u

515 ste. Catherine st.w. titer!

.

m em berw orks canada

7

lu xu ry furnished &5 bedroom apts.

Res life on steroids.

Votre pq

L IE R

Saisissez

*

votre ch a n ce d e faire une différence au sein d ’une

é q u ipe o ù les o c c a s io n s ne m anquent p a s d e briller ! N o u s so m m e s le prem ier fournisseur d e solutions m arketing intégrées et notre su c c è s re p o se su r l’expertise et le d ynam ism e d e pe rson n e s co m m e vou s !

Your

ODDQ

This

is your c h a n c e to m a ke a difference within a team that

gives you the opportunity to shine! W e are a leading provider of integrated m arketing solutions, a n d ou r s u c c e s s d e p e n d s on the expertise and enthu siasm of p e op le like you!

Représentants au service à la clientèle

Customer Service Representatives

TEMPS PLEIN ET PARTIEL

FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME

Maîtrisant parfaitement l'anglais, vous avez un talent pour convaincre et, idéalement, une expérience en vente de six mois en centre de contacts.

Along with a perfed command of English, you have the ability to deliver excellent customer service.

Six months experience in a contad center is an asset.

VOS AVANTAGES :

BENEFITS:

• Salaire concurrentiel plus prime

>Excellentes possibilités d'avancement

• Competitive salary and incentive

• Gamme d'avantages sociaux, dont un programme d’assurance collective, des soins dentaires, remboursement des frais scolaires, un REÉR collectif

- Programme de formation complet et payé

• Complete range of benefits, including group insurance, dental care, a tuition reimbursement program and a group RRSP for full-time employees

• Abonnements gratuits et des rabais voyages

■Pour les étudiants, horaire de travail en fonction de votre horaire scolaire

• Lieu de travail moderne et facile d'accès, à proximité du 5 3 McGill

• Nombreux coure offerts par notre université d'entreprise (gagnant d'un prix Cubic)

■Activités mensuelles et prix pour le centre de contacts

Pour devenir membre de notre équipe dynamique, faites parvenir votre curriculum vitae par courriel à

• Complimentary memberships and rebates on travel • Modern, easily accessible workplace, dose to the McGill gg

■Excellent opportunities for advancement • Paid training >Several courses offered through our Corporate University (Cubic Award winner) ■Flexible scheduling for students, based on school schedules >Monthly activities and prizes for the Contad Center

jobs@mentberworks.ca ou par télécopieur au 514 847-8213

To join our dynamic team, simply e-mail your résumé to jobs@memberwork$.ca or fax it to 514-847-8213.

Nous souscrivons au principe de l'équité en matière d'emploi.

We are committed to employment equity.

03.04.07 • News • 5

www.mcgilltribune.com

PHOTOS BY LUKAS BERGMARK

NEWS SPECIAL

Aaron Donny-Clark

SSMU Report Cards It's that time of year again when we all start to worry about our GPAs and the Students' Society is no different. We've graded the SSMU executives on their performance this past year and highlighted the successes and failures of our favourite student politicos for your reading pleasure.

Max Silverman

VPExternal

M ax Silverman has don e the m ost tangi­ ble w ork o f any executive on cam pus this year.

Fighting to maintain the tuition freeze, fur­ thering student representation and trying to raise SSMU involvem ent all show that he has been dedicated to our best interests. Securing prospective m em bership in the Canadian Fed­ eration of Students and reserving ju dgm ent until seeing its effectiveness has been a sound decision. The CFS tow n hall, w hile poorly at­ tended, was at least an attem pt to inform the average student.

Silverman's m any trips, m eetings and plans have resulted in a more visible SSMU on cam pus and started to establish M cG ill as a national presence. We may not have official representation, but Silverman is in dependent­ ly furthering th e goals and interests o f our university's students one way or another.

However, w ith regard to CFS, Silverman supported a handbook contract w ith CFS that w ould influence students, if only by nam e recognition, before the u pcom in g referendum that w ould decide w hether or not SSMU w ill take full m embership. Silverman has long m aintained that CFS-Q uebec is not the an­ swer to our provincial lobby group issues and has started searching for alternatives such as a research centre with the Laval Students'Association but as o f yet, w e are still w ithou t provincial representation. He has w orked hard w ith our best interests at heart and w ill be carrying a lot o f m om entum into his second term next year.

Gill Prendergast

VPCommunications and Events Prendergast's first semester saw many initiatives and surprising successes, but the VP Com m inications and Events'second semester has seen a few speed bum ps, nam ely the pro­ longed dow ntim e o f the SSMU W eb site. Hav­ ing the W eb site and all o f its branches inac­ cessible to students impairs th e quantity and quality of com m un ication between SSMU and students. The bare m inim um o f executives' contact inform ation could have been left to give students som e better w ay to reach them.

The loss o f th e server was com pensated by the clarity and organization o f her regular listserv emails, w h ich h ighlighted other initia­ tives she took under her w ing this semester, notably the Faculty O lym pics and trips for students to hockey gam es in Kingston and Ottawa.

Prendergast has m anaged to run a series o f successful events, m ost of w hich either m ade m oney or broke even. She did this despite the loss o f th e Shatner ballroom, w hich basically resulted in the perm anent cancellation o f 4Floors. Finally, despite continuous, yet tacit, objections from the M cGill adm inistration against th e regular drinkfests that are OAP, SnoAP and Frosh, Prendergast worked hard to address their concerns, as well as students' environm ental wishes by changing to the use o f recyclable cups this year.

President Aaron Donny-Clark's tenure has been defined by controversy, and under his w atch the Society has been perceived by m any to be unresponsive to student opinion. He was also unable to deliver on num erous cam ­ paign promises, including the five-year plan and a more sustainable SSMU, and the way he approached issues often lacked pragm a­ tism and concern for th e cam pus at large. He should have brought the blood drive issue to th e Judicial Board before taking a stance in executive co m ­ m ittee and settled the debate instead o f having it drag out over the w h ole school year. That issue more than any other is probably w hat he w ill be rem em bered for, by those on both sides o f th e debate. This year students also lost valuable representation on the Board o f Governors because the President supported an im practical approach by asking his BoG representative to leave the board in a typical SSMU protest rather than staying to fight for presidential representation. Even after the SSMU election, Donny-Clark continued to negatively affect the political clim ate by taking an overt stance on the case betw een form er candidate Floh Herra-Vega and Elections M cG ill Ch ief Returning Officer Bryan Badali, claim ing that Jake Itzkowitz's m andate was "not legitim ate until Judicial Board says it is."

Donny-Clark also failed to make his presence know n outside of Shatner by doing small things like at­ tending McGill's sporting events. He seems to have catered to a select group o f students instead o f showing students that SSMU is actually relevant.

Dave Sunstrum

VPFinance and Operations Dave Sunstrum cam e into the vice-president fi­ nance and operations office on a platform to bring Gert's back into the black. W hile the bar has not fin­ ished w ith a profit this year (according to the m ost re­ cent estimates available), it has certainly not finished $70,000 in the red as in previous years.

Sunstrum has follow ed through on other long­ term plans such as the acquisition o f a SSMU book­ store, how ever it is uncertain if the store can offer better services than the M cGill bookstore w hile m ain­ taining viable revenue. A seem ingly headstrong move, Sunstrum's purchase of Haven Books lacked real discussion and transparency w ith the M cGill adm inistration and although he argued that confidentiality allow ed for a sm oother acquisition process, its secretive nature has further weakened relations w ith som e m em bers o f the adm inistration w h o w ould have liked to address com plaints about the M cGill Bookstore first.

Sunstrum has also started to set up an online fee o p -o u t system. The fruits o f his labour have yet to be seen, and th ou gh plans point to a fall 2007 launch, it is uncertain w hen these plans w ill actually be im p le ­ mented. The merits o f th e system are also slightly questionable, as providing an easy w ay for students to opt-ou t o f fees could deprive groups o f badly needed revenue.

This year, the VP Fops has show n creative and clear initiatives and his m inority report against the Cana­ dian Federation o f Students H andbook contract show ed that he is w illing take principled positions on issues, even if at odds with all o f the other executives.

Floh Herra-Vega

VPClubs and Services Floh Herra-Vega has don e a good deal to give cred­ ibility to the Students'Society on cam pus this year by in­ troducing a m otion at the last General Assem bly holding executives accountable to students' questions. Though she worked hard to create the Harm Reduction Centre and worked w ith environm ental groups to create a greener Shatner building com plete w ith com posting system, she seemed to have been neglecting the more m undane as­ pects o f her portfolio that apply to the average student.

Som e clubs and services executives have com plained of the slow turnaround tim e on emails and phone calls.

In this aspect o f her portfolio, Herra-Vega has received m ixed reviews. She also spent a goo d deal of tim e dealing w ith the failed SSMU server; however, no tangible progress has been m ade on the front and students have been left w ith no online w ay to contact SSMU and obtain inform a­ tion. All in all, Herra-Vega has don e w hat she said she w ould do, ridding Shatner o f room booking fees, revam ping Cul­ ture Fest and m aking Activities N ight m ore accessible.

Finn Upham

VPUniversity Affairs Back in D ecem ber w e gave Finn Upham a 'K 'o n the premise that she was hard at work, but w e were unaware o f the tangible results.

To her credit, she has acknow ledged this shortcom ing, and w h ile this is perhaps a natu­ ral aspect o f her m ore behind-the-scenes job, this year's VP UA could have fared m uch better on the publicity front.

That being said, there is a quieter sub­ stance behind Upham's w ork for students. In her capacity as a representative to Senate, Upham has worked w ith other senators to pose serious questions to the adm inistration on a range o f issues, including francophone students'rights and support for students having difficulty coping w ith the stress o f university. She has repeatedly raised objections to the chairing o f Senate m eetings and has been able to g et faculty onside in her quest to have the principal follow Senate procedure.

M ost recently, she has announced the launching o f her pet project, W ombat, to allow students easy electronic access to rate M cGill as a university. Upham's solid w ork has left a goo d legacy for her successor to take over.

Council SSMU Council has becom e increasingly polarized this semester, leading to long, involved debates on issues o f im portance. However, this d ich otom y may not be best for encouraging varied viewpoints. Councillors also seem to have confused their roles w ith those o f political pundits and tend to assert their own opinions, rather than those o f their constituents. Council docum ents are to be sent ou t tw o weeks in advance o f m eetings to allow the general student body access and voice to Council, but they don't seem to be succeeding.

O pinion

THE HELPLESS ROMANTIC

Democratic disconnect

VOX POPULI

mpromise is needed in Africa

R ic h a r d T s e n g RICHTSEN@GMAIL.COM

T

R o san n a M arm ont ROSANNAMARMONT@HOTMAIL.COM

L

ast M onday,form er prim e minister PaulM artin addressed a group o f students and professors, primarily addressing Canada's involvem ent in African develop­ ment. He constantly reiterated that Africa needs to m odel itself after China and adopt a Western-style market econom y. A lthough he was m ost recently PM, he has not shaken his finance m inister mindset.

M artin believes that the solution for Africa lies in e co no m ic unity w ithin the infrastructure of a market econom y. He claims that developm ent in the private sector, along w ith the protection of pri­ vate property rights, w ould allow a m iddle class to emerge, giving Africans both the will and the means to make the necessary changes. The w hole time, I could not help thinking that I was listening to a 17th century European thinker describing how an infe­ rior people could catch up w ith the West, how to make th e Africans mpre European and how to "Europeanize," as it were. Isn't that what 18th century missionaries— and 19th century colonialists, for that mat­ ter— th ou ght as well? Isn't that w hat 20th century Belgians did by placing theTutsis in pow er in Rwanda because their noses were more European? Are w e really thinking any differently today?

We have witnessed a continent once governed by tribal spheres carved up into 53 countries. We have seen the failure of the nation-state to accom m odate tribal politics., We have witnessed the adoption o f d e m o c­ racy and we have seen these democracies, rife with corruption, fail repeatedly. Will the Western system o f market e co no m y prove any more com patible? Do w e understand anything about African culture?

Martin's recent activities in the African D evelopm ent Bank have guided Canadian initiatives towards encouraging "good gov­

ernance" (democracy), e co n o m ic develop­ m e n t (market economy), privatization and property rights. "The market system has won!," he proclaimed, and that is w hat we have to run with. But did we ever consider that such a system, relying on the individu­ alistic mindset, is detrim ental to th e co m ­ munal, collective social norms that are inte­ gral to African culture?

Can African culture reconcile with Western e co no m ic systems and allow Africa to develop? If not, w hat is m ore important, mere survival in a m odern d eveloped w orld or thousands o f years o f cultural heritage?

We can rightly accuse Paul M artin o f being Eurocentric and assum ing the superiority o f Western values and Western systems, yet if reconciliation is not possible, isn't he right?

The rom antic chooses culture. Paul Mar­ tin — the "realist"— has chosen life.

Both assume that culture is inflexible.

We have canonized it in som e kind o f Rousseauian utopia and, as such, it m ust be sac­ rificed entirely if Africa wants to survive in today's context. W hether w e like it or not, that context is the trium ph o f the market econom y.

African culture needs to and can make com prom ises. M artin has w rongly assumed that a market e co no m y in Africa m ust be form atted according to Western values because it is incom patible w ith existing cultural norm s.Those norm s are flexible. As co-chair o f the advisory panel o f the African D evelopm ent Bank, M artin m ust appreciate the versatility o f our ow n market system. If w e are going to consider Africa as "an equal" and "a partner," then the com prom ise must be mutual. ■

Rosanna M arm ont is a U i art history stu­ dent She doesn't think that Paul M artin has a ll o f the answers.

(

his colu m n was originally going to be about in co m ing arts Senator Phil Holdsworth, w h o w on his position by more or less doing nothing. Phil has exhibited the same dow n-to-earth approach to students that w on him the election: by becom ing a non-entity, absenting him self from the Arts Lounge and ignoring my e-mails. Yet it wasn't like Phil did absolutely nothing: in fact, as Arts Undergraduate Society vice president co m ­ m unications, his nam e has probably been view ed by proportionately m ore students in his constituency— the faculty o f arts— than either Jake Itzkowitz's or Floh Herra-Vega's.

Nam e recognition and visual exposure are probably the largest deciding factors for m ost students w hen it com es to SSMU elec­ tions. This is w h y Floh and her supporters are furious about w hat happened to her posters.

On the whole, it was a very dirty cam paign, w ith poor first year residence-dwellers being woken up and pestered to g o w ith candidate X, pam phlets flying all over cam pus and pun­ dits th rou gh ou t the political spectrum using couched dialogue and m eaningless plastic words.

Yet despite, or perhaps because o f these tactics, w e had one of the most."successful" elections in M cG ill history: voter turnout was 31.9 per cent. W hile it m ight seem that more people voting means m ore legitim acy in terms o f elected SSMU officials, this isn't the case, be ­ cause the Judicial Board— law students hand­ picked by current President Aaron DonnyClark— m ight d ecide that none o f our votes counted and make us d o it all over again.

W hile I agree that this election was partic­ ularly unfair, I d o not believe that a by-election w o uld be any m ore faire. Because we were not exposed to Floh's proposals suppporting her presidency to the same degree that m ost were to Jake's, w e were unable to make truly inform ed decisions at the booth. On the'other hand, a by-election w o uld entail Jake's nam e being dragged through the m ud as many vot­ ers w ould assume that the election was unfair

because he had m ore direct involvem ent with the destruction o f Floh's posters than has so far been established. Worse, if the results were reversed, w hat is to stop future candidates from tearing dow n their ow n posters and d e ­ m anding re-election if they lose?

The system o f fines currently in place often presumes guilt based on hearsay alone.

For all w e know, the people w h o defaced can­ didates' posters didn't even vote, yet many were similarly penalized for the actions o f ya­ hoos not on their cam paign team. Were this a three-way race, w ould Elections M cGill have been so quick to ju m p the gun and punish all other candidates for the misfortunes o f their opponents? Fortunately, those slandered had little to fear because fines, w hich happen after elections end and are therefore retroactive, have very little effect on election results.

The corollary is that fines are m eaning­ less. M any students .would be happy to hand over 5150 if it m ea n tth a t they could p u ta n im ­ portant-sounding title on their CVs. If the chief returning officer could directly affect election results, then it m ight actually affect w hat hap pens during elections. But he can't, because there is rarely any proof that candidates or their team s were the culprits.

The CRO on ly has one w eapon at his disposal w ith any bearing on election results: censure, w hich is essentially to spam to all stu­ dents w ith an email outlining the violation. If he believed that hearsay satisfied the burden o f proof to use it, then everybody should have been censured w henever a candidate felt that they had been wronged. It all leads us back to the problem o f how to prevent candidates from claim ing that they w o uld have w o n if the other side had played fair and Elections M cGill had tough ened their enforcem ent, possibly being awarded a w in by J-Board.The answer is simple: If regulations aren't tigh t enough, then enforcem ent m ust be hardened. That doesn't mean that candidates w h o feel that the cur­ rent rules disadvantaged them get to play again w ith new ones. ■

W ET PAINT

Raindrops on roses

• • •

D o m in iq u e Z ip p e r DOMINIQUEZIPPER@GMAIL.COM

R

ecently, a fam ily friend contracted meningitis. She may not live, and if she does, she will lose lim bs and serious functioning abilities. Fortunately, she was in the m idst o f a w onderful life w hen the illness hit; I use the term "fortunate­ ly" because it pains m e to think o f this happening to a vitam in D deficient investm ent banker w h o spends all of his daylight hours in a cu bicle dream ing of th e day w hen it's all don e and he can finally get back to life.

Correction: it doesn't pain me. That was a mere figure o f speech. Yet for some, even the co n cep t of pain is a mere figure o f speech. The G lobe and Mail recently featured an article on a congenital indifference to pain resulting from a gene m uta­ tion. Those afflicted w ith this condition usually suffer serious injuries dùe to their inability to heed their bodies' warning signals. However, the m ost com pelling finding is that som e sufferers have learned to sense pain: According to Dr. James Henry, a neurophysiologist at M cM aster University, "some other m echanism may eventually com pensate for the m utant gene."

To m y neurologically illiterate self, learning pain seems like a plausible process, but can w e also learn happiness? If pain is so protective, w h y does no o n e push for happiness as protection? Ah, but we do! Yet that's all w e d o — push for it.

It seem s that We are happily obsessed with the process of

becom ing happy, freely skipping over any actual state-verbs.

W ithout having lived the course o f hum an history, I feel safe making the assum ption that our generation, save perhaps for the 1960s, boasts more devices— material or activity-based— that prom ise comfort.

Yoga promises cathartic rtamaste, a latté soothes when your boredom reaches a palpable pitch, your iPod renders your m ood just that m uch m ore p oignant (leaving you mad as hell w hen you forget it at home, for no truly justifiable reason) and even this year's fashion had a m audlin approach— we all looked like the e m b o d im e n t o f w eepin g willows, drifting through the w inter m onths in our long layers that resembled reified sighs. So is it any w o nder that these m utant gene nonpainers learn to feel pain?

Physiologically, no. Figuratively, it's an even smaller w o n ­ der, since our obsession w ith having happiness— the driving force behind our com fort purchases— has even found institu­ tional manifestation: According to an article by T im othy Taylor in the Dec. 2006 edition o f enRoute magazine, there exist "the Happy Planet Index o f the New Econom ics Foundation, the W orld M ap o f Happiness as developed by the University o f Leicester, the happiness rankings o f the W orld Values Survey and a Canadian Index o f Wellbeing." If happiness, according to our current practices, is merely an absolute pain threshold,

(boredom being one o f the worst pains) how could these non-painers not becom e obsessed w ith pain? H ow could they navigate b ecom ing happy in our reality if they weren't worried about not feeling pain?

H ow counter-intuitive, to invoke the process o f "learn­ ing” w hen discussing such prim itive sensations as pain and pleasure. Have youiever noticed that people w h o are actually in serious pain don't talk about it? And people w h o are actu­ ally happy don't walk around bushy-tailed w ith M ary Poppins voices, m ost probably because we'd ask them , "What hap­ pened?!''W hy then, the tolerance for this w allow ing, Fray-lis­ tening, tea- drinking, M eredith Grey w aif culture? Does no one feel like snapping us with those neon-coloured, early-90s wrist bands and yelling, "Cut it out!” à la our early-9os kindergarten teachers? I certainly did w hen I walked into my kitchen this m orning and heard John Mayer whining, "I'm in repair, I'm not together, but I'm getting there."

W hy the insistence on this endless tortured journey? You m ight wake up w ith no hands tom orrow and then you'll need repair. I understand that w e all have our individual troubles, but as a generation, w hat are w e really all in repair from? It's cliché and it's crude, but please: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

And you th o u g h t that I w ould w rite a b o u t w hat I learned at M cG ill... ■

03.04.07 «The McGill Tribune • 7 r

J

1

.................. ...................T h e M c G ill

T r ib u n e

EDITORIAL

Exit stage left

w w w .m cgilltribune.com

E d it o r - in - C h ie f

Jam es Gotowiec

J am es G o to w iec

editor@mcgilltribune.com M

a n a g in g

E d it o r s

David Blye Traci Johnson seniored@mcgilttribune.com P r o d u c t io n M

a n a g er

Tiffany Choy production@mcgilltribune.com N e w s E d it o r s

Kayvon Afshari Kate Spirgen Ken Sun news@mcgilltribune.com O

pin io n

E d it o r

Adam Smith opinion@mcgilltribune.com F e a t u r e s E d it o r s

Rachel Melnik Elizabeth Perle features@mcgilltribune.com A

rts

& E n t e r t a in m e n t E d it o r s

Crystal Chan Ben Lemieux arts@mcgilltribune.com S p o r t s E d it o r s

Charlie Blore Aaron Sigal sports@mcgilltribune.com P h o t o E d it o r s

Lukas Bergmark Lee Tipton photo@mcgilltribune.com C o p y E d it o r

Terri Alderfer copy@mcgilltribune.com O

E d it o r

n l in e

Casey Collins online@mcgilltribune.com D es ig n E d it o r s

Samantha Chang Andrew Frankel Jessica Shapiro

T

im e sure flies w hen you're having fun. It also flies w hen you're on deadline, looking for a photo for the cover and counting dow n the m inutes until you have to send the paper out to print. That sort o f flying tim e is a little m ore stress­ ful.

I said at the start of the year, 26 issues ago, that the beginnings were th e hardest to write, but I've realized that it's the endings that are hardest to fathom. As the end o f the year and my tim e as an undergrad close in, I'm forced to ask: W here did the tim e go?

I suppose that a lot o f it w ent into class, so that I could receive the degree that I was ostensi­ bly at M cGill to get. Som e o f it w ent into partying and drinking, th ou gh m uch less than I w ould have liked. M ore than was probably healthy was spent in the Tribune office, endlessly trying to put out a perfect product.

I say "endlessly trying" because I have com e to the conclusion that it is im possible to produce a paper that is com pletely free o f mistakes. It w ould certainly be nice, but there are always typos, miss­ ing headlines or photo credits and som etim es er­ rors o f fact. There are always things that you look back on and know that you w o uld do differently, and there are always things that you wish you could have had just five m ore minutes to fix. There is never a perfect issue.

That's not to say that it isn't a goal. The great part about being a weekly is that you have 26 tries to get it right, or at least get it close to right. Tw en­ ty-six tries to get the perfect cover photo, run the in-depth investigation, snag that long-awaited in­ terview and print the w ell-argued editorial.

Every M onday night, as I flipped off the office lights on the way hom e from another long produc­ tion day, it was hard to keep from thinking "one more down." Unfortunately for m e m y tim e is up; as o f today I'm ou t of "one m ore downs." I've messed up w hat I'm going to mess up and I've fixed w hat I'm going to fix. As I look back on the year, I can't help but be incredibly proud o f w hat this team has accom plished. We've left the paper in better shape than w e found it, w hich makes for a successful year by any criteria.

I was asked recently w hether I w o uld do it all again, and I didn't have to think for long before an­

d v e r t is in g

M

MAL DE TETE

by

/

■ $0, THIS

EMOof w e

'

A

d

T ypesetter

P u b l is h e r

Chad Ronalds C o n tr ib u t o r s

Heather Anderson, Steven Campell, Jesse Chaser, M att Chesser, Liz Cooper, M allory Dash, John Dingle, Adam Heller, Philip Holdsworth, Judah Issa, J.F. Kostuck, Rosanna M arm ont, Joanna Reznick, M att Segal, Josh Stark, Keren Tang, Byron Tau, Rich Tseng, Vincci Tsui, Trip Yang, Carloyn Yates, D om inique Zipper T r ibu n e O

ffic es

Editorial Shatner University Centre

Suite no, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H 3 A 1X 9 T: 514398.6789 E: info@mcgilltribune.com A dvertising Brown Student Building

Suite 1200,3600 McTavish Montreal, QC H 3 A 1Y 2 T: 514.398.6806 F: 514398.7490

D ash

OO

it

1

‘ ’\ &

\ /f

s t iv e s 7

l g g d

( U.&H, E N 0 U.Gtl\S

jfU ’i i

if

■***^"'wniMi. mm.mi.m m ,,

(fA C u u T T

—v h tJ#** ?)

..*■* T££P

A N P

W Hit

e

? \

$2 / tn e

|j<™ ™ ssssSs.i

30!

(H U

*

j

H

Ô e iK O

..""“T OH

*

Paul Slachta

Vladimir Eremin

a llo r y

J

WttAT SHotAL-0 1 PftAW ~ V A fto u T ,, . S o \ C A N .., 'io.KX K n«q u J .

I cNt> WITH A B A N Crf AfcoutT If~ ~

M

-- r-ir-njfriij,,, 11 a

S a

L G S e g )'

, x. .

'>A:7"^ A. i

x-'" x.

Y

Reality distortion field

a n a g er

advmgr@ssmu.mcgill.ca

nights I've spent in th e office w ith 20 other dedi­ cated editors will stick in m y m ind long after I've forgotten how to derive a dem and curve.

The p eople w h o chose to sacrifice friendships, their marks and m any hours o f sleep to publish th e new spaper are am ong som e o f the m ost dedi­ cated I've ever met. W ithout them there w ould be no paper. M ost of them probably didn't know what they were getting into w hen they signed on, but they have (for the m ost part) stuck it out through thick and thin. Thank you, Ed Board. Thank you readers, for com in g back every week. And thank you Tribune, for providing a continued distraction and a more diverse set o f m em ories than I ever could have imagined. ■

OFF THE BOARD

design@mcgilltribune.com A

swering. W orking at the Tribune for the past four years is an experience that I w ouldn't trade for anything, not even to have m y M ondays back. The rush o f breaking the big story and getting the great picture always kept me com in g back, but I think that the coolest thing about being a part o f the Tri­ bune is walking around cam pusTuesday mornings, w atching people pick up the paper and th um b through its pages. I may not miss the occasional headache o f figuring out how to fill 24 pages, but I know that I am going to miss that.

M y tim e at the Trib has m ade me realize one thing, though. All o f those p eople w h o tell you that it's not w hat you learn in class that you'll rem em ­ ber in 30 years were right. The long hours and late

A

fter four long years, m y tim e at M cG ill is fi­ nally draw ing to a close. In just a few short weeks, I w ill graduate and jo in th e so-called real w orld. Frankly, I am glad to get ou t o f here.

W hile p e op le jo ke about th e "real w orld" and how different it is from university life, I th in k that m ost o f th e m see it as a joke and d on 't realize that w hat they are saying is actually qu ite true.

A friend o f m ine used the term "reality distor­ tion field"(originally co in e d by an A p p le em ployee to describe Steve Jo b s'a lm o st h ypn otic influence) to explain h o w strange it felt to walk into a class w here th e professor had bu ilt such a personality cu lt th a t he m ade Stalin look like a ch um p, but I th in k that it applies just as w ell to university life in general.There seem s to be a very large d isco nn e ct betw een cam pus life and everything else.

For instance, m any Canadians are concerned w ith h o w w e will be able to pay for ou r unsustain­ able health care system or w h eth er th e y w ill be able to get treatm ent in a tim e ly fashion should th e y get sick or injured. However, th e on ly health care concern at M cG ill is over m en w h o have sex w ith men's im agin ary'Y ight"to donate blood.

W hile th e rest o f Canada w orries a bou t the state o f th e e co n o m y and w h eth er w e can remain prosperous in th e face o f im m ense co m p e titio n from Asia, M cG illians are busy running around

passing General Assem bly m otion s a bou t "worker solidarity."

Cam pus groups sh ow am azing com passion in advocating for far-away causes like action on th e Darfur crisis or against sw eatshops in Bangla­ desh, but w here is that sam e feeling for needy groups closer to hom e? W hat a bou t th e hom eless in M ontreal or u nderprivileged native children liv­ ing on reserves?

Let's not forget the issue o f free (or frozen) post-secondary tuition. This seem s to be th e Holy Grail on Canada's university cam puses these days, but w h o else is really talking a b o u t this? As o f the 2001 census, o n ly 36 per cen t o f Canadians over 25 had a university degree or co lle g e diplom a. Even in clu d in g those w h o had o btained trade certifica­ tio n s o f som e sort, th e total is on ly raised to 48.3 per cent. That m eans that over half o f Canadians don't have any post-secondary edu cation at all. Is it really reasonable to expect th e m to pay th e en ­ tire cost— th rou gh their taxes— o f post-secondary e du cation for th ose w h o get it?

Let's not kid ourselves. W hile those w h o w ant free (or cheap) tuition co m pla in that th e already high fees discourage p e op le from lo w -incom e backgrounds from attending, Statistics Canada has show n this to be th e opposite. Q uebec, w h ich has by far th e low est tu ition rates, actually has no

A

dam

S m ith

h igher enrolm en t o f students from low -incom e backgrounds than any oth e r province. In m y ex­ perience, those w h o de m a n d free e ducation tend to co m e from g o o d fam ilies w ith (upper) m iddle class backgrounds and their parents are usually paying for th eir sch oo lin g (full disclosure: I'm one o f them ).They can afford today's tu ition and more, bu t th ey w o u ld prefer n ot to pay anything. In ef­ fect, w h a t th e y are asking for is a subsidy from the poo r to th e rich. The clarion call o f "accessibility" is just a disguise for their self-interest.

I have also often w o ndered h o w m y friends w h o co m p la in a bou t 10 a.m. classes being too early are ever g o in g to survive in th e w orking w orld w h en th e y have to be at th e office by 8:30.

Unlike th a t political science lecture th a t you're al­ ways late for, you can't just slip in th e side d o o r 15 m inutes late and quietly take a seat at th e back o f th e office, h op in g th a t th e boss doesn't know w h o you are.

W hile this lack o f rationality has som ew hat d isappoin ted m e in my tim e here, that is not to say that I haven't enjoyed it. I have learned a lot o f useful th in g s— som e o f th e m in class, even— and b e co m e a different person. I have m et a lot o f great people too, b u t ultimately, I'm just glad to be g ettin g ou t o f here to a m ore sensible place.

Bring on the real world. ■

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 yçar and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by theTribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. T h e Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions.

Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

8 • The McGill Tribune • 03.04.07

JUMBO SHRIMP

2006-07: The year of the columnist

UNCOMMONLY THOUGHTFUL

The question of questions J esse C h a ser JESSE.CHASER@GMAIL.COM

M

y editor hates w hen I ask rhetori­ cal questions. They're a bad writ­ ing device. He always tells me to give my opinion instead o f just asking questions. The problem is that I always have far more questions than answers and w henever I think that I have figured som e­ thing out, it just leads m e to ask more. But perhaps questions are the best answers.

Answers have an air o f certainty and finality. In reality, very few things are either and m ost are neither. Questions lack such pretension. N ot only do they ask w here w e should g o from here, they also ques­ tion how we have arrived at w here w e are.

They're not as neat or as formal and they do not fit as well into a little check box, but they're more honest. Questions acknow l­ edge that they don't know. They acknow l­ edge that they're not sure.

It makes sense to me that m ost peo­ ple prefer answers to questions. A n sw e r? fit. They're w hat is expected. In theory, answers are good, but in reality, they're always deficient in som e way or another— hence the volum es o f critiques to answers offered by anyone from Darwin to Marx.

These answers are only accepted as "truth" until a new answer is discovered anyway.

Answers may be m ore fulfilling, bu t ques­ tions are more enduring.

M y life has never'fit into a check box very well. I used to ask "why didn't I fit the answers?" Now i ask w hy the answers don't fit me, I still don't have an answer for either.

M aybe I'm a freak, a genetic mistake, a w il­ ful traitor to m y sex. M aybe it's the patriar­

chy im posing so-called "natural"categories that don't really fit anyone. M aybe its so­ ciety's problem for being uncom fortable w ith people in the m iddle. I don't know, but I d o know that I feel better asking the second question than I did w hen I asked the first.

For me, at least right now, that ques­ tion is m y answer. It's not solid and it's not all-knowing, but it doesn't pretend to be those things. It acknow ledges its weak­ nesses with th e question mark at the end.

No matter w hat I write, however, I long for an answer to that question. Even if it's probably wrong, .! just w ant som e­ thing to hold on to. I w ant an answer to th row back at all o f those hateful people w h o have m ade my life miserable. I want to know w h y these people are so scared of difference. But longing for answers makes me ask m yself w h y I w ant an answer. This leaves m e again w ith nothing but ques­ tions.

I w ant to thank everyone w h o has read this colum n, written a letter to the editor about it or written to me directly. I appreciate the Tribune giving me an o p ­ portunity to raise questions and my edi­ tor for insisting that I find (at least a few) answers.

I hope that you have enjoyed the colum n. I hope that you have disagreed. I hope that it has m ade you ask questions. I hope that you find som e answers— I hope that / find som e answers— but right now all I have is m y question, and that's good enough. ■

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

T

he past year has been an interesting one for me. It was my first year out o f residence, m y first year cooking my ow n meals and m y first year w ith a colu m n in the Tribune. This has resulted in endless room m ate drama, abundant hate mail and several severe cases of food poisoning. Since this is my last col­ um n before sum m er vacation, I th ou ght w hat better w ay to com m em orate 14 is­ sues' w orth o f self-indulgent rants than by addressing those w h om my writing has pissed off? That sounds about as goo d an idea as peach-carrot custard.

I'll start w ith the m ost recent cre­ ative conflict: my parents. Despite the fact that it was m y birthday last week, w e haven't spoken for about a m onth. It just so happens that about a m onth ago, I felt inclined to toss a penis joke into one of m y articles. Never m ind the fact that half m y fam ily is equipped w ith such an a p­ pendage; for m e to speak o f it— and in a pu blic forum — was dishonourable. G ood little Asian Catholic girls don't know of such things, m uch less write about them.

I had brought sham e unto my family, Mulan-style. I'm not sure how m any an­ cestors I have to pray to before m y sins are absolved, but until then, penis.

Speaking of penis, I m ade the critical mistake o f m entioning the fact that I'm a colu m nist w h ile on a date a few weeks ago. W hen asked w hat I write about, I explained how I provide readers w ith a very un-Carrie Bradshaw-esque female perspective on the eccentricities o f u ni­ versity life. "So you're a feminist," he said.

"So you're an idiot," I responded. He never called again.

M y girlfriends have been slightly m ore receptive to my literary endeav­ ours, to the poin t w here they occasion­ ally give me permission to write about them , albeit anonym ously. For example, I have a friend— let's call her Tina— w ho enjoys the sim ple things in life: sun­ shine, baby ducks and hard candy. Tina thinks that I write m uch as i co n d u ct my lifestyle— in a very unladylike manner.

Tina and m y parents w ould get along famously. Tina thinks that no young lady should be writing about sex, alcohol or private fam ily matters. Com e to think of it, I'm not entirely sure that Tina believes in literacy at all. W hat I am sure that Tina doesn't believe in, however, is fidelity, or at least she didn't w hen I saw her kissing a random guy at a bar last week. I w o n ­ der how m any o f my friends'boyfriends I just m ade nervous.

Despite all the frivolities that my colum ns usually consist of, I occasionally take the tim e to write about "real news," usually critiquing the Twister board of authority that is the M cG ill adm inis­ tration. As m uch fun as it was making vague yet pointed com m ents ridicul­ ing ex-friends and lovers alike, I have to adm it that being given the opportu nity to accuse the principal of Canada's top university of being a space robot is pretty aw esom e as well.

I could take the tim e to quote the handful o f emails- that I have received from those w h o I'm certain can only be m em bers o f th e faculty, but I w ould hate to add m y editor to this list o f people I've angered over the past year, because this colum n is about 16 hours overdue. ■

BT PHONE HOME

Climate change crisis for make benefit glorious nation of Canada B yron T au BYRON.TAU@MAIL.MCGILL.CA

A

spectre is haunting the world. It is the spectre o f cli­ mate change. Here in Canada, in fear— or perhaps giddy anticipation— of a spring election, the Harper governm ent has beefed up its environm ental bona fides.The national paper o f record, the Globe and Mail, runs weekly, full-page stories dedicated to the loom ing crisis. This winter, the U.S. m edia reported on the unprecedented m ild weather w ith a bizarre cross betw een giddiness and dire concern. The Academ y o f M otion Picture Arts and Sciences even gave Al Gore an Oscar.

However, here in Canada clim ate change is nothing to fear. Rather, if Canadians were an ounce more cynical and self-serving, they w o uld realize they stand to gain a great deal from the upcom ing disruptions. Before I'm flayed alive by my fellow student activists, let m e state first that this piece should read as a jovial send up. Second, I unequivocally be­ lieve that clim ate change is real and that the e co no m ic and hum an cost will be significant. However, given that w e have probably reached a tipping point anyway, it m ight be tim e for Canadians to take stock, coun t their blessings and enjoy som e good, old-fashioned self-centered cynicism.

In a recent Atlantic M onthly piece, Gregg Easterbrook detailed w h o will be the e co no m ic winners and losers in the

com in g clim ate change crisis. Europe? Soon to be a barren, icy wasteland. Hong Kong? Flooded. The Netherlands? Being know n as the "low countries," they too w ill be underwater.

Phoenix, Los Angeles and the rest o f the "sun belt?" Unbear­ ably hot. Canada? Top o f the winners'list.

Land, Easterbrook points out, is a scarcity, and Canada has a great deal— especially land that is currently sub-tundra and fairly uninhabitable. As the g lo be warms, he envisions a mad homesteader's dash for Nunavut (and Siberia), as green­ ing lands beco m e increasingly available and the indigenous Inuit populations are, once again, encroached upon. "Nuna­ vut," Easterbrook writes alm ost wistfully, "[a] final victim o f manifest destiny."

Further, as the Arctic Sea ice melts, Canada will be privy to, and m ight even have sovereign jurisdiction over, the fa­ bled Northw est Passage. From Henry Hudson to Lewis and Clark, explorers have long dream ed o f an all-water route to the Pacific. Soon, they w ill have one. In 2005, a Russian vessel reached the North Pole w itho u t the aid o f an icebreaker. Be­ fore long, the Arctic ice will be sparse en ou gh to allow ship­ ping through the North Pole, shaving thousands o f kilom e­ ters off long shipping routes. Churchill, M anitoba, currently the icy "polar bear capital o f the world" and accessible only

by one train line, could be the next Singapore, a bustling port o f com m erce.

Also, as Easterbrook points out, there is oil in th e Arctic.

W hile it is to o expensive to recover at this point, concerns a bou t peak oil and the possibility o f dw indling supplies will surely drive prices up in th e com in g decades, m aking this a valuable resource. Canada has m ade no secret o f its military exercises and strategic interest in defending its rightful claim to such oil. Easterbrook makes one final point: As interest in zero-em issions pow er is bound to grow, in the wake o f the com in g disaster, Q uebec is poised to be an even bigger dealer in clean hydropower. All rivers leading into James and Hudson Bay could be dam m ed to feed the pow er-hungry northeastern United States at a hefty profit.

If Canada plays its cards right, it could w ell be the pre­ m ier hegem onic and strategic resource pow er o f the 21st century. Assum ing the country escapes the devastating w o rldw ide depression that is sure to follow the collapse o f Europe and the decline and destruction o f m any im portant Asian cities, Canada could becom e a truly global beacon o f light in a w orld o f depressing darkness. Bleeding-heart en­ vironm entalists o f Canada, quit com plaining. Your country's econom ic, m ilitary and political future is at stake. ■

Letters to the editor Tim Allen vs HBO's Donnellys Re "Are you smarter than the other people watching?" (27.03.07): Ben Lem ieux com m ents that th e characters on The Black Donnellys being "about as tough Tim Allen," but did he know that on 2 Oct. 1978, Tim Allen was arrested w ith 1.4 pounds o f cocaine? He faced life im prisonm ent but testified against his partner and served tw o years and four m onths (during this tim e he also had an am azing m ustache that rivaled even David Crosby's form idable cookieduster).

He then w e n t on to play the biggest m oron ever on probably th e shittiest sitcom in th e history o f television, voice Buzz Lightyear in the fucking Toy Story movies, play Santa Claus a bunch o f times, star in G alaxy Quest and write books about his view s on quantum physics in his spare time. W hat could be tough er than that?

—John Sem ley U2 cultural studies & history Everybody loves Paul Re "Former PM makes surprise visit to M cGill" (27.03.07): Former prim e minister Paul M artin presented m any excellent ideas and expressed him self very eloquently.

However, w hat I appreciated th e m ost was his interest in th e students' opinions and suggestions. If th e politicians w h o are d i­ rectly involved w ith Africa take the tim e to listen to w hat ordinary students like us have to say, m aybe change at this level really is possible. No longer w ill I say, "Africa needs help, but w hat can I do a bou t it at my 20 years?" Input is possible, and apparently a p­ preciated; change, then, appears not to be as inaccessible as I thought.

— A nna Pavlichenko U2 French & political science • O ne o f the subjects that M artin cov­ ered, m ining rights, deserved further clarifi­ cation. No area in the w orld has better natu­ ral resources than Africa, but they are alm ost entirely m ined and drilled by European and North Am erican com panies. W hile it is not in the hands o f the United Nations or the African Union to dem and certain form s o f com pensation for this cash flo w export, I think that th e AU really needs to target foreign-run organizations that, w h ile pay­ ing small am ounts in export taxes, really do bleed the land dry.

Take the diam ond trade, for example.

Ignoring th e fact that conflict diam onds w ould be co m e valuable to the w orld again if their profits w e n t to th e African D evelop­ m ent Bank or another reputable organiza­ tion, legal diam ond m ining could prove an enorm ous source o f revenue for th e AU if they introduced proper tariffs on the gems.

It seems ludicrous to th in k that the co m ­ panies w o u ld ever sell w hat is such a huge source o f profit, but if the AU could mass a certain am ou nt of funds, the UN could make it highly beneficial for th e com panies to sell control back to Africa. The best lo n g ­ term financial goal is to get Africa's natural resources back into their ow n hands. Doing so w o uld provide long-term stable ben­ efits.

— Conor Graham U2 m usic • I was th orough ly impressed with Martin's ability to handle the constant grill­ ing from the audience. However, I w ould like to make a point concerning his op ti­ mism regarding Africa's e co n o m ic future.

He argued that by 2040-2050, w e w ill see a grow ing and prosperous- Africa, m uch like the China w e see today. I w ould beg to dif­ fer. Before w e can create a "united" Africa, w ith e co n o m ic structures similar to the EU, w e m ust bring unity w ithin inividual African nations. H ow can w e think o f such grandi­ ose plans w hen so m any Africans die from preventable disease, m alnutrition, AIDS and genocidal violence? We m ust take pains to end the relentless civil strife w ithin African nations, to build goo d governm ents and to end corruption.That is w hen w e can put the African Union and the African D evelopm ent Bank to goo d use. In order to build som e­ thing great, you m ust start w ith the basics.

— D an Tracy Us psychology • M artin talked a lot a bout the market and his vision for Africa beco m ing united like the European Union. He definitely knows a lot about econom ics, but I don't th in k that he really has the first idea a bou t social prac­ tices and the diversity of cultures in Africa. I think that this is a reflection o f how special­ ization breeds com partm entalization.

His undying belief and com plete sup­ port o f the capitalist market has allowed him no tim e to understand how som e o f

these societies work. The people w h o chal­ lenged him on his free-market approach did understand m ore about African societ­ ies, but very little a bou t econom ics. For all those future/present econom ist and social activists, I w o uld advise you to diversify your know ledge bases. It w o uld be great to m eet an econom ist w h o cared about social dy­ namics and culture.

joke but now it is an e co n o m ic powerhouse.

This makes m e question w hy I have so little faith in Africa follow ing these foot-steps. For the sake o f Africa, let's hope I'm wrong!

— Tania Colaneri U2 arts

• I may not be a huge fan o f Paul Mar­ tin, but I was very im pressed by his ability to answer students' questions in an honest and clear manner. The entire experience also helped to ease som e of my bitterness towards politicians in general. It was great to see a man o f political pow er and im por­ tance taking tim e to discuss the future of Africa w ith a group o f university students.

Being, given the op p o rtu n ity to engage in dialogue w ith an experienced politician al­ low ed our entire class to see first-hand the im portance o f discussing different possible m ethods o f helping Africa develop as a country. There is trem endous pow er in en­ gaging in dialogue w ith others and looking .at different means o f solving conflicts and helping others. This session was one o f the m ost m em orable experiences that I have had as an undergraduate at McGill.

• Students were w arm ed by Martin's ability to talk to us as equals, stating that he w o uld "be very interested in [our] views," although som e were skeptical: There stood before us a form er PM well versed in the art of rhetoric, o f course he w o uld w o o us. Som e w en t as far as to imply, in the af­ termath, that he is no m ore different than any other politician, none o f w h om can be trusted.

It is w ith that same attitude that so m any o f us recede from society, take an extrem ist environm ental stance (because politicians aren't doing anything), find som e small tow n to live in, drive hybrids, eat or­ ganic, and have on e self-righteous child to m inim ize population grow th.This pessim is­ tic assum ption that politicians are deceptive, dishonest, dubious crooks interested only in w inn in g votes has em erged in dem ocracies worldw ide. People th in k that politicians are ou t to get us.This is the pu blic environm ent that politicians face today and politics has changed to cater to our skepticism.

Cam paigning n ow is m uch m ore co n ­ cerned w ith opposin g co m petin g parties than debating policies. W e are so interested in corruption and scandal that politicians are reduced to pathetic bickering— "so and so said this" and "so and so lied about that."

Our preoccupation w ith revealing politi­ cians as the bad guys has paralyzed political action. W hen M artin appeared on campus, I hope that at least som e o f us found e ncour­ agem ent w hen w e discovered that he too was human.

— Elizabeth Robinson U3 history

— Rosanna M arm ont U i art history

• Martin's sense o f optim ism troubles m e because I don't agree w ith m any o f the beliefs that he holds. For example, he be­ lieves that it is possible that Africa w ould one day be com parable to China. I could be wrong, but I d o u b t it. Africa w o uld need to undergo m any changes before reaching the same level as China. I don't believe that leaders o f each nation are ready to give up their power. N ot so long ago, China was a

• W hile a classmate later rem inded us that M artin is a politician and w inn in g pe o­ ple over is w hat he does, I have to confess that, alhough he is not m y favourite Canadi­ an prim e minister, I found m yself impressed w ith his optim ism and co m m itm e n t to the future of Africa and the role he will play in its developm ent.

— Liz Bradley Us Latin Am erican studies • I especially liked Martin's point about the market system and that it has proven to be the only system that works. Sure it has flaws, just as any system does, but it is the only system that works. I hate it w hen stu­ dents say that it is a terrible system. If they have better ideas, then m aybe they should try their hand at being prim e minister.

—Jason M artin U2 econom ics

— H annah Kohn U3 political science & psychology

VOX POPULI

Let's reallocate some space P h il ip H o l d s w o r t h COMMUNICATION@AUSMCGILL.COM

T

he Tribune's story on the arts space reallocation issue ("Faculty and alum ni protest arts space jumble," 27.03.07) is the third one on this subject that has been published by a cam pus paper (not counting Le Délit) and once again I was disappointed to find that it lacked the bal­ ance o f a tw o-sided argum ent that g o o d jouralism should demonstrate. The reality is that this m ove is likely to be posi­ tive for students and staff, even if the adjustm ent m ight be painful at first.

M ore students are likley to get to enjoy the historic quality o f the arts building by holding classes in M oyse Hall.

The classrooms in the arts building are on ly used for a small percentage o f English classes and that percentage is only a small portion of the different faculty groups that use them.

They w ere evaluated by a study group that looked into the quality o f teaching facilities and classrooms at M cGill as in­ adequate and ineffective teaching spaces and marked as a high priority for change. Students using laptops, w hich is increasingly com m on, will actually be able to find a plug in th e n ew rooms.

The renovations w ill add tw o m odern classrooms to

Leacock, w ith natural light com in g from glass brick place­ m ent in the walls facing the w indows. The m ove will also lead to increased space for students to gather in Leacock for studying, m eeting w ith teaching assistants and g roup work.

The m ove o f the com puter labs is also positive, as it w ill give arts students continued 24-hour access to all o f the co m ­ puters currently in Leacock, as well as washroom facilities.

The m ovem ent has also m ade available space for a second student space w ith the possibility of a student-run café, and a courtyard in the summer.

The Arts Undergraduate Society executive has m ade every effort since w e found out about this proposed m ove to consult students and decided that given the pros and cons, it was in the best interest o f the general arts popu la­ tion. We did not ignore, as the article says, the voice o f the D epartm ent o f English Students'Association.

The French Language and Literature Student Associa­ tion has expressed its belief that this m ove will benefit its students. The AUS executive has worked through m uch of the year to hear argum ents from students and obtain clear information, and it is a pity that this inform ation has not been

clearly represented to students.There are a significant n um ­ ber o f com plicated issues that have been considered in the decision to make the changes that are scheduled, and they have definitely not been taken lightly. The am ount o f space needed, w hich classrooms are m ore effective than others, the required size o f new classrooms, office space, student access, student space costs, office space and others were all taken into account.

O f course, som e people w ill be negatively affected and com plain, but this decision is not being taken because it is the easiest solution and definitely has taken into consid­ eration as m uch as possible the needs and com plaints o f those involved. The quick fix w o uld have been to just d u m p those w h o needed space into the new b uilding that started this w hole shuffle. Dean o f Arts Chris Manfredi and Associ­ ate Dean M ary M cKinnon are doing this to benefit as m any people as possible and I fully support them . ■

Philip Holdsworth, U3 p oltical science & international de­ velopm ent studies, is the AUS VP Com m unications. He thinks that he has solved our puzzle.

S tudent L iving h ow to

...

HOW TO...

Pack up and go!

Let's talk toilets and Taoism

Use free boxes to move, add bubble wrap, then make a kick-ass fort L iz C ooper

and wide. W arning: Do not forget to tape th e bottom o f the box before you put stuff in it.

The place you leave be h in d: You are required to clean your house before you go. In residence, you get charged if you don't. Tide-to-go pens w ork for fab­ ric stains, w o o d markers for scratches on furniture that are staying. Also, toothpaste can fill in holes in th e walls pretty well. Be sure the toothpaste colou r m atches the wall colou r th o u g h — people tend to notice neon green smears on a w hite wall, not to m ention the m enthol smell in the air.

Last m inu te details: M any tim es p eople forget to change their address on Minerva, w ith their bank and their p hone com pany. A sim ple phone call to either in­ stitution will rem edy this. You don't w ant to fall behind on paym ents or let your bank statem ents and personal inform ation fall into the hands o f the new tenants. You can usually transfer your landline n um ber (unless it's a residence landline) and this helps distant relatives w ho w ant to invite you over for dinner to find you at a m o­ ment's n o tice ... yay? ■

That tim e o f the year has com e. Your lease has ex­ pired, your year in Rez is up and you are m oving on to bigger and better places. W hether you're leaving be ­ hind a sketchy landlord or a prison cell-sized rez room, these helpful hints w ill make the process as painless as possible, even for the m ost seasoned mover. A lot o f these tips may seem redundant, but are easily forgot­ ten in the stress o f finals, trips hom e and the rush to decorate a new aparment.

M ake a list o f everything: This may seem obvi­ ous, but you'd be surprised h ow m any people think it unnecessary, get to their new place and realize a few m onths later (the night o f an unexpected blizzard in 40 weather) that the box filled with their w inter gear never quite m ade it ou t o f th e m oving van.

Selling: If you are leaving th e city, sell the heavy things that can easily be replaced, like pots and pans and bulky furniture that hold no sentim ental value. If it's an intra-city move, prioritize: for example, you have a huge, beautiful Ikea desk but you do not w ant to dissem ble and m ove it. If you still like it, look up how m uch it was online and see if you can break even (factoring in m oving costs) by selling it and getting a new one.

Movers: Are they even neces­ sary? If yes, book them soon. Qocube. com is an easy-to-use W eb site that helps you find movers and it even sells packing materials and storage boxes. If you are looking for som e­ thing m ore specific, check th e Yellow pages, or G o ogle "m oving service Montreal." Check the M cGill classi­ fieds for bang-for-your buck movers: It has 147 matches w hen you type in "movers" w ith prices as low as a $25 flat fee.

Storage: Facilities exist and need to be found ASAP. Som e storage co m ­ panies include moving, so look for a deal if you need both services.

Boxes: Size does matter. You'li w ant them big but not to o big. Only pack per box w hat you can carry w ith ­ out throw ing ou t your back. Provigo, M etro and even the SAQ give them away for free. To wrap things, bubble wrap is best, but newspapers (like this one) can w ork just fine. After the move, consider building a box fort just like you did in pre-kindergarten.

Tape: Don't use scotch tape. It will not be strong enough to hold cardboard boxes together, period. Go to the post office, the M cG ill Book­ LEETIPTON store, Zellers, Bureau en Gros— th e list T h e m iscella n eou s "stuff" bo x is th e a ntith esis o f sm art packin g. goes on— and buy tape that is sticky

cc <

D

M onday

Tuesday

W ednesday

Thursday

Add Zen with a little Feng Shui R ach el M elnik Sensing that things in your life just ain't right? It could be as sim ple as th e placem ent o f your furniture.

According to the 5,000-year-old C h i­ nese practice o f Feng Shui, the ar­ rangem ent o f objects in your hom e can predeterm ine your fate. Feng Shui revolves around the Taoist no­ tion o f Chi, w hich postulates that everything around us— living or not— is com prised of energy. W hen that energy is flow ing improperly, aspects o f our lives may seem to be a bit off-kilter, w hether they relate to our health, careers or relationships.

Luckily, th e art o f Feng Shui holds that interior decoration can re­ lieve som e o f life's biggest problems.

A slight alternation o f the angle o f your bed or the strategic placem ent o f a mirror can help restore a sense o f balance to your happy place. Feng Shui uses a special m ap that deter­ m ines the so-called proper placec h a n n e l y o u r in ner B u d d h a . LEETIPT0N m ent o f things in a particular room.

Every space in a room coincides with health, love, career, wealth and w isdom . O b ­ jects should be positioned so that they add harm ony to those areas. For example, a toilet in the wealth corner o f a bathroom is bad luck, because you w o uld literally be flushing your m oney dow n the drain. Placing living things such as plants, however, can have an optim izing im pact on your life. If you're looking to overcom e a cold, a cactus in your health corner may help you feel better. Here are som e m ore decorat­ ing tips to help you add som e Zen to your den: ♦ Avoid clutter. A ccording to Feng Shui, if your h om e environm ent is in chaos, so is your life. Therefore, clean ou t all o f those outdated papers or clothes that you no longer wear.This w ill help you m ove on from the past. ♦ Take out your trash daily. If there's garbage in the can, there's garbage in your future. ♦ If it's broken, fix it.Throw away anything that is in need o f repair. W hen objects do not function, neither w ill you. ♦ Keep excessively bright lights and sharp objects to a m inim um .T hose things w ill only add hostility to your surroundings. ♦ Mirror, mirror, on the wall: who's the calm est o f them all? Feng Shui guru Karen Rauch Carter m aintains that mirrors possess "transcendental properties."They can draw in both positive and negative energy. If you place them in a neutral location, such as a living room, they can "reflect"the room's peaceful aura. Yet, a mirror across from one's bed can disturb one's sleep, as it w ill intensify your nightmares. ♦ The answer is blow ing in th e wind. O pen bedroom w indow s for at least 20 m inutes a day, as it w ill allow all the "stale" Chi to filter out as the fresh Chi enters. ♦ The door is the entryway to your Taoist haven. M ake sure that it opens freely w itho u t any obstructions. ♦ Like the door, w indow s should be free from obstruction. Keep them clean and open so that the tranquil Chi can illum inate your room. ♦ Beds should always be p ositioned against a wall.The m ore stable the bed, the m ore stable your life. ■

Friday

Sunday

Saturday

Burma Solidarity Collective presents: Total D en ial A docum entary on corporate financed h um an rights abuses in Burma April 4 ,6 p.m., Leacock 26

_ i

<

u CO D ÛL

S < u

10

11

12

13

14

Want to advertise in the Campus Calendar? For just a toonie you can advertise your event up to two weeks in advance.

Email calendar@mcgilltribune.com for more information, or drop by the Tribune office in Shatner 110 .

15

POD PEOPLE

M oving noise

T M c G ill McGill Security Services works with you for a safe community

Street Safety Tips

Tunes to pack to It's difficult to leave your apartment behind. With so many memories eliciting tear-jerking nostalgia, not to mention the back pain, moving is intensive labour. Here are some musicians who share your sentiment: "M ove Along," All Am erican Rejects "Heavy Lifting," A m bulan ce Ltd. "Push," M atchbox Twenty "Pull," Blind M elon "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," Paul Sim on "I'm Bound to Pack it Up,"The W hite Stripes "Life for Rent," Dido "I've Changed M y Address," Diana Krai I "Com ing Home,"The 88 "Tenant Enemy # 1," The Dropkick M urphys "Never Leave Lonely," Ben Harper "Old Apartment," Barenaked Ladies "Across the Ocean," Azure Ray "New Kid in Town,"The Eagles "Em pty Room," Marjorie Fair "Calling It Quits," A im ee M ann "How Can You Keep M oving (Unless You M igrate Too)," R yC oo d e r "Destination Now here Near," The M atches "Switch,"Will Smith "She M oves in Her O w n Way," The Kooks "Carryin'that Load," Ray Charles “Let's Lynch the Landlord," Dead Kennedys

— compiled by Rachel Melnik

Thank You! Features w o uld like to send a shout-out to all o f their bright and goo d-lo okin g contributors: C onor Graham, Shiran Teitelbaum, Ricki Gurwitz, Joanna Reznick, M eghna Marjadi, Severine Koen, M atthew Cronkite, Ross Walker, Sana Yusuf, Jacqueline Rowniak, M ichael Shortt, Saud Aldawsari, Maria Forti, Oliver Gingell, Liz Cooper, Riva Gold, Julie Zhang, Clarice Connors, Ed Petrenko, Haydar Mahdi, Lindsay Frank, Niki Hyde and Shea Sinnott.

W ith exams coming up, your attention will be rightly centred on your studies. McGill Security Services wishes all students success at this time of year and asks you to remain street smart when you are walking to and from campus. Please concentrate on your studies when you are sitting down with your books o r computer and focus on your surroundings when you are walking about, especially late at night. H ere are a few safety tips to remember:

-

W hen walking, walk in the m iddle o f the sidewalk and walk facing oncom ing traffic.

- Try not to overload yo u rself with books or other item s. Keep your hands as free as possible.

- D o not wear m usic headphones while walking or jogging.

- D o not read while walking or standing on a sidewalk.

- I f you carry a purse, carry it dose to your body, prefem bly in fro n t Carry no m ore m oney o r credit cards than you absolutely need.

- Ify o u w ear a pu rse with a shoulder strap, be prepared to let it go i f snatched. Otherwise you could be knocked down and h u rt - Be aware that your shoes and clothing m ay hinder an escape. Think o f what to do in case o f an attack (e.g. kick o ff high-heeled shoes).

- Be very careful using outside A TM s at night o r in unfam iliar surroundings.

- Know your surroundings and do not be reluctant to rep ort illegal activities and suspicious loiter­ ing. M ake use o f your sen ses; listen fo r footsteps and voices and take note o f other people in the area.

- Study the cam pus and neighbourhood with resp ect to routes betw een your residence and class/activities. Know where em ergency phones are located. U se the night route m ap found on our website.

-Avoid travelling alone. Walk with a buddy.Avoid "shortcuts". I f you have to travel alone, use the Wa/ksafé service (514-398-2498) after dark here at M cGill. W hen W alksafe is not available, Security Services agents (514-398-3000) will provide the service within certain limits.

Smoke-free environment P

I A

C

E

Welcome to new and returning students!

Since 1964 B

re a k fa st and m o re

Hours:

Don't forget your hamburger and breakfast cards.*

Working and studying the best of both worlds !

Become a

Customer Service Representative and take advantage of the following benefits:

*Sept. to end of April

Monday - Friday 7 :0 0 a.m. to 3 :0 0 p.m.

Weekends - 7 :0 0 a.m. to 4 :0 0 p.m.

Holidays - 8 :0 0 a.m. to 3 :0 0 p.m.

224, rue Milton, Montréal (QC) H2XIV6 Tel.: (514) 285-0011

• Permanent posiuon (20 to27.S hours OR20 to37.5 hours) • Competitive salarv of $14.48 to $15.93 per hour • Evening bonus ($1 extra after 6:00 pm) • Excellent bonus package • Comprehensive benefits package • Up TO50% OFFPRODUCTSANDSERVICES • Reimbursement of gym membership fees • Full training (full- or part-time) For further details:

PLACE MILTON...Where McGill Students and Friends Meet Daily

www.fidoreality.ca

So what's the This is the only campus-wide yearbook...

Take the good times along Don't miss out on your chance to be part of the McGill history books, w hile studying at the best University in Canada in one of the most beautiful cities in the greatest country in the world. $42.00 plus tax gets you a Yearbook $25.00 plus tax gets you a Photo $67.00 plus taxes gets you Immortality

jo ste n si Jostens is an official supplier of graduation rings to McGill University.

Available at HF Photo Studio.

Grad Photos 2007 BOOK NOW! Appointments Call (514) 499-9999 2057 Stanley Str.

“ A rts & E ntertainment THEATRE

Merchant of Venice delivers the goods Transcendant themes guarantee otherwise risky business H eath er A

n d erso n

Lovers o f beauty and w isdom should not miss the D epartm ent o f English, Drama and Theatre Program's perform ance o f The Merchant o f Venice. A fem inist-friendly fashion show, the production is a colourful catalyst for self criti­ cism that engages the intellect and the heart.

Director Myrna Wyatt-Selkirk and assistant d i­ rector Charlene A. Lewis put it this way: "If you both identify w ith [the characters] and despise them, then w e have succeeded."

Co stu m es to d ie fo r in M e r c h a n t o f V e n ic e .

Shakespeare's classical and subversivethem es are parallelled by the costum e design.

In this Italian Rénaissance rendering o f Mer­ chant, the characters are m ostly clothed.sim ply and elegantly— but w ith dashes o f m odernity throw n in, including Punk-rock hairdos, Bassa­ nio's Christina Aguileraesque red jockstrap and The Prince o f Monaco's "Rock the Casbah" getup. The behind-the-scenes players, such as the costumers, clearly invested m uch effort to bring unique flare to Shakespeare's classic characters.

The action o f the play is set into m otion w hen the titular merchant, A n ton io (Adam

Goldham er) takes out a loan I from the and that should he forfeit, Shylock claim a pound of flesh The loan for Antonio's bosom friend Bassanio (Makenzie Tan, w ho wishes to marry the intelligent and wealthy Portia, portrayed with professional punch by Katherine Folk—Sullivan. Aside from flashing the cash, Bassanio must earn ^

«ç

lit H L

'' v

'

s

*

T

.

^

a***

correctly betw een caskets o f A n to n io discovers "all that glisters is n ot g o l d T gold, silver and lead— and pay dearly if he errs. M any Wyatt-Selkirk's directing steers a course besuitors are disappointed until Bassanio's insight tw een extremes to highlight broadly applicable triumphs. M eanwhile, Antonio's business venaspects o f humanity. Som e o f the play's more tures fail at sea and he forfeits his bond. Shylock controversial undertones are explored, but not claims his due w h ile Bassanio, m uch to Portia's dw elt upon unnecessarily. The production neichagrin, is w illing to die for his friend. An ensuther exploits nor eschew s the possible fem inist ing show dow n betw een jus­ tice, m ercy and newlyweds, proves that w om en were recognized for their w isdom long before Gloria Steinham declared it to be so.

Though Shylock's re­ quest seems unrealistic, ac­ tors em brace their characters in such a w ay as to appeal to the m odern M cGillian. Phil Li-Wei Chen's rubbery ren­ dering o f Shylock's servant, Launcelot Gobbo, is both hi­ larious and disturbing. Chen's baw dy h um our delights, but takes on an eerie quality in the treacherous self-actual­ ization o f Gobbo's alignm ent w ith Christianity. Dan Clegg's seamless delivery o f Shylock (replete w ith a convincing eastern European accent) declares the cost o f staking one's identity. Clegg largely credits his perform ance to Wyatt-Selkirk w h om he says,

You can partake in the catharsis April 5 until Saturday, April 7 at 8 p.m. in Moyse Hall.

Save your pound o f flesh for your own risky busi­ ness— adm ission costs $5 for students an d is sure to satisfy.

PHOIU5 LUUK1 tSY O f OWEN EGAN

"made possible the Shylock you see on s age

m essage and Antonio's hom oerotic longing for his friend does not g o unnoticed. "He just can't seem to get w hat he wants,"Wyatt-Selkirk muses in wistful sym pathy on open in g night. A n ton io and th e suitors, she explains, are "all risk takers."

Was Wyatt-Selkirk running a risk in direct­ ing an oft allegedly anti-Sem itic play? In fact, one m ight sooner call the play a portrayal of Christian hypocrisy than Jewish barbarity. Per­ spectives voiced at a Friends o f the M cG ill Li­ brary sym posium , "Shakespeare and the Jews" last w eek suggested that Shylock is,no ordinary villain. Professor o f Shakespearian literature Paul Yachnin says, "Shylock causes us to exam ine the' fine line betw een civility and barbarity...and w e realize that that history is e m bedded in our­ selves." ■

Phil Li-Wei's Lau ncelo t G o b b o provid es co m ic relief and a to u ch o f d ia b o lica l charm .

POP RHETORIC

All the w orld's a sequel A

E

verything Old Is New Again"is a song by the Barenaked Ladies, but these days I feel it w o uld apply just as well to Hollywood. Despite the thousands o f highly-paid p eople w orking in the film industry (and the m any m ore toiling away in obscurity som ew here in Los Angeles, just waiting for their big break), they just can't seem to com e up w ith original ideas anymore.

Instead o f innovative screenplays, w e are subject now m ore than ever to a barrage o f sequels and remakes. Granted, these have always existed to som e extent, but it seems that these days the default option is to reuse an old co ncept be­ fore considering som ething new. Just take a look at what's playing in the theatres these days and you will see such pulp as The H ills Have Eyes 2 and a sequel to the ghastly Are WeThere Yet? (which, in their infinite w isdom , th e screenwriters named Are We D one Yeti). Hopefully they will be don e soon.

Starting later this week, you will be able to see Blades of Glory, a w acky picture starring Will Ferrel and Napoleon D yna­ mite himself, Jon Heder. W hile this is not technically a sequel or remake, and I haven't seen it yet, the trailers and reviews all suggest that just like Anchorm an and Talladega Nights: The

Ballad o f Ricky Bobby, Ferrell will play a sort o f boorish and offensive yet lovable buffoon w h o som eh ow com es ou t on to p in the end because despite the fact that he's a moron, his character is g oo d at w hat he does. After m uch hilarity, he will probably get the girl too, despite her dallying w ith som eone else along the way. I'll a dm it that I love a lot o f w hat Will Ferrell does and I have seen nearly all o f his movies, but after 10 years or so— he often did the same type o f stüff on Saturday Night Live to o — the schtick is starting to wear thin.

I d on't w an t to blam e him because he is a sym ptom and not a cause o f Hollyw ood's malaise, and w hile his film s may be getting a touch repetitive, at least he and the guys he can usually be found w orking w ith (Ben Stiller, O w en Wilson, etc.) are doing som ething a little bit different each time.

Unfortunately, a lot o f them aren't. A look at the 10 high­ est-grossing film s o f 2006 reveals five that are rehashes o f one sort or another. They're not alj bad— Casino Royale is th e best Bond flick in a w h ile and I have heard that the third X-M en was g o o d — but farther dow n the list there are som e pretty crappy ones. For instance, was there really a need for Scary M ovie 4 — or even Scary M ovie 2 or 3, for that matter?

dam

S m ith

The eco no m ist in me says that it's just the market speak­ ing and that those people w h o w asted $84-million on going to see The Santa Clauses are free to do so, no m atter h ow m o ­ ronic I th in k that that m ight be. I can't argue w ith that logic, but it still doesn't sit well w ith the gru m py old man in me. W hy did that piece o f garbage have to get m ade in the first place?

Having to w ork w ithin the sequel fram ew ork reduces the scope for creativity. W hen making a second (or third or fourth) iteration o f a series or just remaking an old idea, filmmakers are constrained in their selection o f characters, story lines, décor, etc. Film, as w ith all art, is about creativity and expres­ sion. Churning out form ulaic rehashes for th e sole purpose of making a fast buck or tw o goes against that principle.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I feel that back in the day— al­ though I'm not precisely sure w hen this "day" was— the stu­ dios tried harder. There have always been awful movies, so if they're going to turn ou t a bunch o f uninspired, insipid crap, couldn't they at least make it crap that w e haven't seen be ­ fore? If you saw Saw and Saw II, I'm pretty sure that you can figure ou t w h a t happens in Saw III w itho u t wasting $12 to find out. ■

The McGill Tribune

14 • Arts & Entertainment • 03.04.07

Dining is crazier at Les folies Plateau hot-spot an intimate delight that caters to student budget K eren T ang Chic, loud and dark, Les folies is the sem inal hip Plateau eatery. A live DJ spins his stuff by th e entrance, w h ile the restaurant's patrons b ob to the beat o f th e music. A lth o u g h this Californian cuisine-inspired restau­ rant was absolutely packed, the host cordially invited our party to wait at the bar, w here w e sipped on-tap m elon cocktails and gin and tonics w h ile w atching young, hip couples yelling at th e to p o f their lungs as if

th e y w ere d in in g in a club.

W hile waiting, w e peered into the op e n kitchen tucked right next to th e bar and w o ndered w hat each dish on the grill was.The kitchen only added to th e co zy feel, although the tiny space co uld barely fit th e three or four cooks rushing orders inside.

W e w ere seated w ithin seven m inutes, cram m ed in betw een tig h t­ ly fitted tables. This created an inti­ m acy that flow ed from one table to th e next; the other couples and our party shared everything, from elbow -

FILM

Jon Heder is dynam ite in

even th o u g h the co n d im e n t c o m ­ bination is a local favourite. It also helped that th e fries w ere o n e o f the* better plates I've had in a restaurant that does not specialize in poutine.

Overall, I co n clu d e d that the entire Les folies d in in g experience relies half on th e restaurant itself and half on your ow n m ood. We began our night w ith beers at 7 p m.; by 9 p.m., w e w ere starving and ready to settle for anything. Les folies was an easy place for us to feel at ease in; th e atm osphere had the perfect the

room to salt and pepper.

D espite th e upscale façade, th e food is very reasonably priced. M y w est coast California-style w rap c o n ­ tained chicken pieces sliced so fine that th e y disappeared w ith o u t m uch chew ing. M y din ner partner's Nor­ w egian croque, a sm oked salmon sandw ich w ith grilled cheese on top, had a lovely seafood aroma. W hat im pressed m e the m ost was the fact that th e server brou gh t ou t fries w ith both ketchup and mayonnaise.

I always have to ask for mayonnaise,

Every k i l l e r

beat, alcohol, food and the people.

However, th e loudness o f the place, a cram ped atm osphere (thank g o o d ­ ness I'm not claustrophobic) and the fact that the bathroom did not really fit w ith th e rest o f th e déco r were am on g the drawbacks o f this other­ w ise inviting Plateau niche spot. ■

$$ ($-$$$$) Main course ~ $77.95 707 Mont-Royal Est (514)528-4343

l i v e s n e x t d o o r t o someone

Blades of Glory Actor dishes on religion, skating and Will Ferrell J u d a h Is s a

. Jon Heder, o f Napoleon Dynamite fame, may well have m et his W aterloo on the figure skating rink. Heder stars opposite Will Ferrell in the new co m ­ edy Blades o f Glory, about tw o male figure skaters w h o get stripped of their gold medals and banned from singles com petition, only to, return as a team and com pete in th e pairs division.

"Skating was a challenge," ad­ mits Heder, "but I loved it. There are so m any aspects to it: balance, agility, grace and pizzazz.” Not to m ention ac­ cidents. The actor suffered a broken ankle w hile training that nearly dis­ rupted the film ing schedule. "I wish I could say it was a cool accident, but it wasn't. Ijust crum pled on to p o f it [in a spin] and I broke it."

Fortunately for Heder, the ankle healed quickly and film ing resumed w ith him in the role o f Jim m y MacEIroy, a golden-haired, dreamy-eyed skater beside Ferrell's "rock 'n' roll" character, Chazz M ichael Michaels.

So how was w orking w ith Fer­ rell? "There are pros and cpns," Heder jokes."He's w onderful and easy-going and has no ego, but he's to o funny and he'll make you look bad. [How­ ever], I can skate circles around him,” he adds w ith a laugh.

Despite the hazards skating presented, the actor enjoyed learn­ ing to spin w ith w orld class instruc­ tors. M any professional and O lym pic skaters were on hand, either directly involved in the m ovie or merely as spectators on set, and Heder was treated to expert technical advice from none other than Scott Hamilton.

The costum es were another perk, as Heder was allow ed certain creative freedoms. "The peacock costum e was my idea," he proudly inserts.The inspi­ ration behind the feathery outfit was a swan costum e worn by Am erican skater Johnny Weir for a 2002 routine.

Director Will Speck did not hesi­ tate to follow his actors on the ice.

"Speck really go t into it," Heder reveals.

"That was a lot of fun." Know n for their G eico commercials, Speck and co ­ director Josh Gordon clearly shared the same vision and the same goals

for the movie. The form er dealt more w ith the story developm en t and the actors' direction, w h ile the latter took care o f the technical aspects o f the film.

Heder adm its to being partial to com edies and th e chance to make people laugh. He m odestly acknow l­ edges that if he has any strengths, it's in physical co m edy and his ability to bring a character to life through "m ovem ent and positioning." How ev­ er, he is not averse to trying his hand at other types o f movies, including drama, "as long as there's som ething interesting a bou t it” and the charac­ ter is not "too goofy!"

D R E A iy f t V h H K S

d is tu rb ia .c o m

V IO L E N C E

P IC T U R E S *

Copyright©2007DreamWorksILCandCofdSpringPictures. MlRightsReserved.

IN T H E A T R E S A P R I L

E A R N

Blades o f Glory is playing at Para­

mount Montreal.

$ $ $

T H IS S U M M E R

"P edro offers his protection."

A nother factor know n to greatly influence Heder's choice o f roles is his religious upbringing. A devout M or­ m on w h o spent tw o years in Japan on a mission, the actor is careful to choose roles that are "clean," to a cer­ tain degree and true to his ow n char­ acter and upbringing. A soon-to-be father, he w ants to d o w ork that his fam ily can watch.

The m ulti-faceted Heder is also a big anim ation fan. He and his tw in brother Dan are looking to get in­ volved in co m puter anim ation and h ope to produce and direct a feature soon. The actor m entions having a new project com in g out soon with his company. "It's a penguin surfing m ovie and I'm the only non-penguin.

I'm a chicken from Sheboygan." ■

1 3

(If you're staying in M ontreal) T h e S S M U is seekin g students from April 30th until Ju n e 30th to sell advertising s p a c e for the student handbook and other publica­ tions. T h e s e positions are proven m oney-m akers for talented, d yn am ic, articulate individuals w ho can clo se s a le s . *

*

*

P ro te c te d T e rrito rie s

*

*

*

O n ly s e r io u s c a n d id a t e s n e e d a p p ly

T h e s e a r e NOT t e l e m a r k e t i n g p o sitio n T o g e t t h e lo w d o w n , c o n t a c t :

PAUL SLAO H TA

(514 ) 3 9 8 - 6 8 0 6

03.04.07 • Arts & Entertainment • 15

www.mcgilltribune.com

EVENTS

Reviews

Organized anarchy W hen m ost people think o f anarchism, intim idating im ages o f bom b-tossing individualists w ith spiky hair and m ore piercings than skin spring to mind. But at th e Anar­ chist Bookfair, it's all about the art.

"You see all types of people, all intrigued by the books," says Norm an Nawrocki, one o f several organizers for the event and a cabaret artist, author, artist, musician and part-time teacher. "I guess the thing that's m ost im ­ pressive is the range o f curiosity of the public and the hunger for the ideas and to know more. We're looking for ways to help you know more."

The Festival o f Anarchy takes place th rou gh ou t May and was started by the M ontreal Anarchist Bookfair (May 19), n ow in its e ighth year.The Bookfair is a one-day event that draws between 5,000 and 7,000 people each year.

Com prised o f 100-200 tables o f books, magazines, art and t-shirts, am ong other things, the Bookfair spawns interest in other anarchist activities. The result is the m onth-long festival, w hich includes a poetry reading (May 6 ), the Anar­ chist Theatre Festival and the new ly created A rt and Anar­ chy M ontreal 2007 exhibit (May 3-13).

The Anarchist Theatre Festival (May 28 and 29) is partly bilingual and features pieces about any subject relating to anarchism, specifically w ork that is anti-State, anti-capitalist, non-sexist, non-hom ophobic, anti-Em­ pire and anti-authoritarian. It's organized by a volunteer collective o f actors, playwrights and other supporters o f the theatre and tries to encourage new work. W ith sub­ missions from all over th e world, th e current lineup in­ cludes excerpts from Accidental Death o f An Anarchist, a look at erotica and anarchism, a piece on a German ter­ rorist murdered in prison, a m usical co m e dy and a clown.

Art and Anarchy is a purely visual exhibition, including paintings, photography, sculpture, installations, sketches, prints, quilts, posters, stencils, etches, prints, cartoons and more. It w ill include a variety o f established and em erging visual artists, com in g both from M ontreal and around the world. The subm issions will be displayed around an exist­ ing exhibit, "Paper Politics," curated by New York anarchist artist Josh M acPhee and consisting o f 174 socially and p o ­ litically stim ulating prints. W hile the exhibit has been dis­ played in cities such as Chicago, New York and Seattle, this will be its first appearance in Montreal.

"We w ant to reach everybody," Nawrocki says. "This

isn't just for the regular art crowd. It has a lot to say to peo­ ple. It deals w ith questions about war, sentences, refugee status, globalization— it addresses a lot o f current issues.

It's not just for anarchists. On the contrary, it's for every­ body, and that's w hat we're trying to d o — to make it a c­ cessible to everybody."Fie smirks." Even M cGill students."

"If you're going to make art, you need freedom.

Freedom and art are interdependent because you need

UALBERTA.CA A n a rch ist festival presents th e o ry a n d practice.

freedom to create," Nawrocki continues. "Artists gravitate tow ards anarchism because anarchism has a w orldview that's condu cive to freedom, and so to art... Hopefully people will be inspired to act, change things. Challenge the w orld.around them." ■

The exhibits depend entirely on volunteers, who will work with the artists and probably get to muck about with wire. Contact artanarchiemtl@hotmail.com for Art and An­ archy, and anarchistfestival@yahoo.ca for the Anarchist Theatre Festival.

70VO: \ Study, tfudy, 4tudy, (mite tenut feafeen, âtudy. cunite ot&en tenm faafien, âtudy, âtucly, âtudy...

J

McGill Nightline can help. ‘ Anxious? ‘ Overwhelmed? ‘ Stressed? ‘ Need a distraction?

We're here to listen.

398-MAIN Confidential

Montreal, this indie-rock band has been touring the city, no d o u b t trying to refine its musical identity. Ephemeral as we speak is the studio-engineered product o f that journey. This, their d e b u t release, is a masterful, wellcrafted effort that is rich in unapologetic emotionality.

The band seems to thrive in the epic am bience o f the studio as they roll through m elodically repetitive pat­ terns that build them selves up in a grandiose m anner rem iniscent o f Iceland's pop-rock princes Leaves. In this way, a lot o f the songs on the album are pro­ phetic, som etim es excessively so.

O ne o f the better songs is "A Perfect Sight,"which has an enthralling m e­ lodic quality that bears a vague familiarity. In fact, at times, Surface o f the Atlan­ tic's David Douvelle has a vocal depth and earnestness similar to Radiohead's Thom Yorke. But som e o f the sincerity o f the repertoire wears off as fragile em otionality verges on m eaningless uniformity. The band's som bre and m el­ low style is a bit am orphous and even generic; an unfortunate affliction that separates the profound from the every-band. Being too generic, Surface runs the risk o f being engulfed by a musical genre crow ded by similar ideas. Despite this, it has great technical and artistic potential if it can avoid becom ing the radio-friendly co m m on denom inator.

Downward dog days?

You con do !it. f

M atthew A rnot

Surface of the Atlantic. Ephemeral as we speak. Based in

Festival stresses regim ented radicalism C arolyn Y ates

c o m piled by

and

Anonymous*

Stress got you down?

Take a break with a unique selection o f fitness activities designed to ease anxiety around exam -tim e.

Part m editative and part physical, it’s the perfect opportunity to get your nose out o f the books and stick it in a mat.

Yoga Tuesday & Thursday April 1 0 - April 2 6 1 7 h3 0 - 1 8 h2 5 or M onday & W ednesday April 1 1 -A p r il 2 5 1 7 h0 0 - 1 7 h5 5

S t u d e n t s a n d g y m m e m b e r s $ 1 8 .0 0 N o n - m e m b e r s $ 3 7 .0 0

Register in Client Services McGill Sports Centre 4 7 5 PineA ve 3 9 8 -7 0 1 1

S ports

REPORT CARD

Rebound year for M cG ill Athletics All but men's volleyball seem to be on right track SUBJECT

GRADE

VOLLEYBALL

For the volleyball Martlets, 2006-07 was another solid year, w h ile for the men, it was one m ore season o f frustration. McGill's w om en m atched a team record for regular season wins, posting a 16-9 record in th e very strong QSSF conference. But despite an historic upset victory over Laval earlier in the year, com e playoff time, th e Martlets w ere ousted in tw o straight gam es by the eventual conference cham ps from Ste-Foy. Jennifer Thom pson was the standout player for this year's edition o f the Martlets, b ecom ing the youngest M cG ill athlete ever to be nam ed a first-team All-Canadian. T hom pson w ill return to lead the M artlets again next year but th e team w ill be hurt by the departure o f a num ber o f veterans including tech n ique Christine Borisov and setter Valerie Savard, both o f w h o m w ere QSSF all-stars this season. Nevertheless, if younger players can fill the holes created by these departures and Thom pson can continue to blossom, M artlet volleyball appears to be headed in the right direction.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for the Redmen. After posting another winless regular season, the m en in red and w hite have n ow gon e five years w ithou t a w in in QSSF play, a streak w hich borders on the ridiculous even given the high quality o f the confer­ ence. Though the Redmen can draw som e solace from their w inn in g record against OUA teams in exhibition games, it w ill take major im provem ents before M cG ill can even approach som e level o f com petitiveness in league play. W ith their lone QSSF all-star Vincent Jazeron returning to France after spending a year at M cGill as an exchange student, it w ill take som e brilliant recruits and an enorm ous effort to reverse the Redmen's fortunes next year.

O u tsta n d in g Redman: Vincent Jazeron O utstn d in g Martlet: JenniferThom pson Players to Watch: Vijay Gopalakrishnan and A m y Graham

I

REDMEN: C

MARTLETS: A-

—John Dingle

TRACK AND FIELD It was an up and dow n year for M cGill's track and field athletes, but one that ended w ith a definite low. Despite being (the hosts o f th e CIS National Cham pionship, both the Redmen' and M artlets failed to medal at the event and each team ended up finishing a disappointing 14th out o f 24. Both team s had co m e into the m eet on a high after strong performances at the QSSF cham pionship. The M artlets easily captured the Q uebec title by a margin o f 49 points over their nearest rival,^ While th e Redm en placed second behind only Sherbrooke, the eventual national cham pion. Two long-standing M c G ilf records also fell over the course of the year, as M axim e Beaum ont-Courteau surpassed an i8-year-old mark in the pole vault and David Faille broke a 20-year-old record in th e 60m sprint.

However, once on the national stage, M cGill's athletes could not step up against Canada's university best.Top medal hopeful Jessica Warren slipped to a fifth place finish in the wom en's 1,000m, w hile on the men's side David Faille just missed ou t on qualifying for th e 60m final in a very deep field. High ju m per Keith Esche provided McGill's best result of the m eet w ith a fourth place finish.

Despite th e lack o f medals, the w eekend did see four M cGill athletes post personal bests and the experience o f being the host team will likely help the Redmen and Martlets w hen M cGill hosts the CIS Cham pionships again next year. With nine-tim e Q uebec coach o f the year Dennis Barrett leading the squad and another year o f training to prepare, a stronger finish at next year's event seems m ore than likely.

REDMEN: B+

MARTLETS: A-

O utsta nd ing Redman: Keith Esche O utsta nd ing Martlet: Jessica Warren Players to Watch: M axim e Beaum ont-Courteau and Heather M cCurdy

— JD

BASKETBALL A sub-500 record and an early playoff exit may not seem like m uch to celebrate for m ost teams, but for Redmen basketball, the 2006-07 cam paign will be rem em bered as a success. After tw o consecutive 2-14 seasons, th e men's team desperately needed to turn its fortunes around this year. W ith a 7-9 record and their first trip to the post-season since 2003-04, that's exactly w hat they did.

M cGill was led by guard Sean A n thony w h o had a breakout season in his third year wearing the red and w hite.The Vancouver native averaged a team -high 13 points w hile also leading the team in rebounds (80) and steals {26). His clutch shooting and stellar num bers were goo d en ou gh to earn Anthony a spot on the Q uebec university all-star team.

The other bright light on this squad cam e from the outstanding play o f rookie M atthew Thornhill. The Dawson Col­ lege product also averaged 13 points per gam e w hile finishing w ith the third m ost rebounds (64), assists (27) and steals (16) on the team.

REDMEN: A-

O utsta nding Redman: Sean A n thony Player to Watch: M atthew Thornhill

-Charlie Blore

Despite finishing w ith a losing record (7-9) for the ninth consecutive season, this year's version o f the M cG ill Martlets served notice that they m ight be a force in years to come.

W ith a starting line-up that featured no seniors (the on ly senior on the team, Marie-Eve Beaulieu-Demers, suffered a nasty co m p o u n d fracture early in the season), the Martlets relied on a trio o f sophom ores to lead the charge. Point Guard Christine Kennedy and F Catherine Parent both turned in strong seasons, but the real revelation was G Nathifa Weekes.

Weekes led the league in both steals (3.2 per game) and assists (4.0) and finished second in scoring (13.3 points per game), he also set a M cGill single-season record for steals (106) en route to being nam ed the Q uebec conference defensive player o f the year and was nam ed a second jteam all-Canadian.

W hile th e M artlets can boast a pair o f big victories over perennial pow erhouse Laval, inconsistency marred this young team all season. Four losses to the fourth-place U Q AM Citadins resulted in a third place finish for M cG ill— one w in behind the Bishop's Gaiters.That seeding gave the Gaiters h om e-court advantage Which proved to be a major factor as Bishop's clowned M cGill 62-48 in the sudden-death semi-final.

Alth ou gh the Martlets fell short in their playoff bid, they show ed signs o f hope for M cGill hoops fans, and next year should be able to deliver the program's rst w inn in g season since the mid-nineties.

O utsta nd ing M artlet: Nathifa Weekes Player to Watch: Christine Kennedy

— Matt Chesser

MARTLETS: A-

03.04.07 • The McGill Tribune • 17

SHOOTING OUT THE LIGHTS

£*\ CBC, I'm f S i ' watching

We'd like to extend a huge th a n k you to everyone w h o co n trib u te d to th e section this year. W ith o u t all your co n trib u tio n s th e section w o u ld n 't have been nearly as strong as it was.

Thank you to ou r co lu m n ists for th e ir w o rk th is year. Segal, for his d isg ru n tle d average fan perspective, and Heller for his relentless attacks on the state o f th e sports e n te rta in m e n t m edium .

We also w ant to th a n k o u r d esign e d ito r Sam for her tireless creative efforts in laying o u t o u r section every week.

A big th anks to Dave Blye, o u r w a lkin g reference g u id e and m an a g in g editor. You kn o w m ore a b o u t sports than anyone should.

We'd like to th ank all the readers, w e h op e you enjoyed reading the section as m uch as w e did p u ttin g it together,

A

dam

H

eller

T

his past week, the Canadan Broadcasting Corporation m anaged to extend its broadcasting rights for the historic Hockey Night in Canada franchise until 2014, in a m ove that was greeted w ith a w h im pe r by sports fans— the bang having already been stolen byTS N in their m uch earlier co up o f th e Olym pics, curling's Brier and Tournam ent o f Hearts and the CFL. The deal allow s Canadian hockey fans to collectively sigh in relief and relish in th e fact that the national gam e will not be ruined by having to shift up six channels on th e dial to CTV. The deal, m ore im portantly, ensures th e survival o f CBC and stalls its seem ingly rapid progression to obscurity. I don't know h ow m any p eople w ant their tax dollars to g o tow ards a CBC headlined by Little Mosque on the Prairie and the Rick Mer­

S A V E B IG ON STUFF Y O U ’D BUY ANYWAY

cer Report.

I w rote several m onths ago that the richer and non-subsidized CT V-G lobem edia— ow ner ofTSN , CTV and num erous other p roperties-w o u ld d o a better jo b o f covering hockey on Saturday nights. This opinion has obviously been lost on NHL Com m issioner Gary Bettman, and because th e financial terms o f the new CBC deal have not been released, it is difficult to determ ine how th e netw ork m anaged to hold on to its prized possession.The fact is that CBC does a solid jo b covering hock­ ey and it's com forting to see the gam es remain on that chan­ nel: it makes inherent sense for the national gam e to be on th e national channel. The CBC's HNIC has been around for half a century and despite Bob Cole's rapid descent to senility and Harry Neale's knack for the inconsequential, there is always a place for tradition in the gam e o f hockey.

The CBC deal included broadcasting all gam es on www. cbcca, a w e lco m e m ove for any M aple Leafs fan w h o has gam es blacked o u t on random w eekends in th e M ontreal area, or for all those non-Leaf pucksters in th e rest o f the country w h o get the early Toronto feed. Things, however, w ill largely remain th e same. The obvious dearth o f quality broadcasters is seen on any night w here there are m ore than tw o gam es w orth watching. H opefully the snooze fest know n as Satellite Hot Stove will be shot into orbit and never seen again, and m aybe Don Cherry can be on the air m ore than 10 m inutes every n ight considering the massive contract he is pulling in— but that m ay be asking to o m uch. Tradition only goes so far w hen m atched against TSN's better cameras, com m entators and overall coverage.

W itho ut this deal, CBC w o u ld have sim ply been killed o ff in due time. The national broadcaster— if it can still be called that— has used Hockey Night in Canada as a life raft for th e past decade. The m ain players in this T V deal claim that CBC will make m oney o ff o f it (not likely) and that it was financed c o m ­ pletely by private funding. The best, and m ost ironic part o f this w h o le occurrence, was that the CBC paraded ou t the oftcriticized Don C herry w hen the deal was signed, crediting him as a pillar o f the broadcast that is n ow saving Canada's te le ­ vision network. With all th e abuse Cherry has taken over the years from th e Left and CBC's adm inistration, w h o w o uld have th o u g h t that he w o uld be the o n e to tie together the integral knot o f Canadian identity that is the purportedly "liberal" CBC? The moral o f this story is that th e m ore things change, the m ore th ey stay th e same. The television hockey market is more lucrative, m ore tech n olo gically advanced and m ore co m p e ti­ tive than ever. Yet the bloated and inept CBC som eh ow m an­ aged to oüt-m anoeuvre its opposition. All I can be sure o f is that on Saturday night I am still g oing to g o to channel six and, for the next three hours, w atch Canada's p u blic broadcaster do w hat Canadians apparently w ant it to do most: show us our hockey.

Finally, I'd like to thank w hoever o u t there read this co l­ um n and anyone from TSN w h o w ould w ant to hire me as a PR man. I w o uld also like to thank the m ajority o f Canada's p o p u ­ lation that doesn't w atch hockey on Saturday nights and yet finances the CBC through their taxes, allow ing the rest o f us to w atch Canada's gam e on channel six, not twelve. Finally, I w ant to thank the M ontreal Canadiens fans for not buying up all the seats during an away Leafs gam e so Leafs Nation can invade the Bell Centre, proving yet again that Toronto, n ot M ontreal, is th e true M ecca o f hockey.

As Raptors co lou r man Chuck Swirsky w o u ld say,"Get ou t th e salami and cheese, this o n e is over." See you next year.*

now g e t t in g

c a rd e d

is a good thing

the SPC Card”gets you exclusive discounts at hundreds of Canadian retailers.

$2995 s tu d e n t ta x p re p a ra tio n

come in today or call

■

1 800-H R B L O C K hrblock.ca

H&R BLOCK

|

’Individual results vary. ” O ffers valid from 08/01 /06 until 07/31/07. Valid at participating locations in Canada only, fo r Cardholder only. O ffers may vary, restrictions may apply. Usage may be restricted w hen used in conjunction w ith any other offer or retailer loyalty card discounts. Cannot be used towards the purchase of g ift cards or certificates 'T o qualify, student must present either fi> aT2202a documenting 4 or more months of full-tim e attendance at a college or university during 2006 or (ti) a valid high school identification card. Expires July 31.2007. Vafid only at partidpating H&R Block locations in Canada. **N0 PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Purchase o f H&R Block products or services w ill not increase chances of winning. Begins 2/1/07 and ends 5/15/07. Open to legal residents of Canada {excluding Quebec residents) who are 13 or older and were full-tim e students for four or mote months during 2006 at a high school, college or university. There w ill be 1 random draw to award the prize. Skill testing question required for award o f prize. See w ww.rockwithblock.ca for O fficial Rules and how to play w ithout purchase. Odds of w inning vary based on participation, void in Quebec and where prohibited.

The McGill Tribune

18 «Sports *03.04.07

ATHLETES OF THE YEAR FROM THE CHEAP SEATS

M cGill T ribune M ale A thlete o f th e Year— M athieu Laforest

Fire up the YouTube M att S egal

T

wo semesters ago I sat dow n at m y com puter, punch in g ou t th e first o f th e biw eekly colum ns that have graced this space since. Eight hundred w ords every other w eek doesn't sound like a lot. It's not. To any arts student reading, th a t’s a drop in the bucket. To any science student reading... oh, w h o are w e kidding, sci­ ence students can't read prose. As I've laboured over my 800 w ords on ce every 14 days, m y editors have laboured over everyone's several hundred words, every week, w hile co m p o sin g another several hundred o f their own. M ost of this article contains a best and w orst o f sports m iscellany from th e past year. Well, w h en it com es to m y tw o editors, they're both the best, so that's o n e category dow n.

in the same studio? Even after a day o f football, they make you w an t to w atch three m ore hours.

Worst: Sportsnet Connected, business as casual. Re­ packaging SportsnetNews as younger, hipper and m ore informal, Rogers has taken w hatever tiny m o d icu m o f professionalism they had and tossed it away. Replacing their set w ith Jason Portuondo slum ped on a barstool does not say "cool" or "target demographic." O n the plus side, perhaps Sears can now sponsor the anchors' awk­ ward w ardrobe choices.

Injury Best: Joel Zumaya, guitar hero. The Tigers hard throw ing right-hander was sidelined w ith wrist and fore­ arm inflam m ation during the W orld Series, w h ich seem ed in n ocen t en ou gh for a pitcher w h o regularly hits triple digits on th e radar gu n.Th en th e truth emerged: Zumaya irritated his pitchin g arm — and d em olished his prid e— by overin du lgin g on th e popular v id e o gam e Guitar Hero. If Joel does that again, look for him to be playing solo.

Worst: Shaun Livingston, w et n oo dle impersonator.

No on e said dislocating a kneecap should be graceful.

The C lippers guard's entire leg turned to jelly w h ile racing d ow n the co urt on a fast break, yet no foul was called on the play. Why? Because no on e to u ch e d him. Yuck.

Sports-related YouTube video Best: Tony Romo, hair metal diva. An eighties cover band. A classic headbanger. Mr. Belding. Then, like the cherry on top, the lead singer screams into his m icrophone th e greatest q u ote since JFK beckoned young Am ericans to ask w hat they can d o for their country. "If [Mr. Belding] is co m in g up here, then Tony Rom o is co m in g up here!"

A n d if you are pin ch in g yourself, rubbing your eyes, not able to believe that this is actually happening, well, Tony has som e advice for you: don't stop believing.

Worst: Greg Ostertag, giant honky. Ordinarily, it w ould be an injustice to sum up a man's entire professional ca­ reer in a 13-second Internet clip — w here he's playing an­ other sport, no less.The form er Utah Jazz centre stands in for som e p in g-po ng against an elated pre-teen. Ostertag, expressionless and m oving his arms just en ou gh to co n ­ tact the ball w ith his paddle, barely keeps up. The punch line, courtesy o f th e venerable sports blog Deadspin: "Greg Ostertag plays p in g-po ng exactly like you'd expect Greg Ostertag to play ping-pong."

Addition to TV sports Best: Chris Collinsw orth and Bob Costas, broadcast­ ing impresarios. It's quite simple, really. The best football co m m entato r and th e best all-around sports broadcaster,

THIRD MAN IN

I

Fine Best: Chad Johnson, el m ejor receptor. It was just cool. W hen C h addy broke ou t "O cho Cinco", he knew he was g oing to get fined. W orth every penny. (Also, sham e on th e NFL for being so predictable; allow th e man to have a little harmless fun.)

Worst: Vladim ir Radmanovic, totally stoked but goofy. Vlad revealed that his separated shoulder was from a snow boarding accident. Uh-oh. Considering that high-risk activities are forbidden in his contract, the Lak­ ers slapped him w ith a $500,000 fine, m aking it th e m ost expensive snow boarding vacation in history.To add insult to injury, his team m ates have n ow nicknam ed him "Half Pipe."

Way to ruin your broadcasting career Best: Rick Sutcliffe, ram blin'm an. If you haven't seen Sut's perform ance as a guest in th e Padres TV booth, ch eck ou t this other YouTube favourite. After a day o f drinking and g o lf w ith Bill Murray, the slurring, stuttering form er pitcher and current ESPN broadcaster w ondered aloud about George C lo on ey and w h y announcer M att Vasgersian was still in San D iego after all the m on ey he'd been offered to g o elsewhere.

Worst: Tim Hardaway, (gay) player-hater. The quotation:"W ell,you know I hate gay people, so I let it be known.

I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am h om o ph o bic. I don't like it. "W ho w o uld have guessed that John A m aechi w ill m ake m ore m on ey in his post-basketball career than Hardaway?

Not sim ply the top male athlete at M cGill, M athieu Lafor­ est is arguably the m ost d o m i­ nant male badm inton player in both Q uebec and Canada in his age group. On the national, non-university level, the 23-year old show ed his skill against the country's prem ier am ateur ath­ letes at the 2007 Canada W inter Gam es in W hitehorse w here Laforest had his ow n Yukon goldrush, capturing th e to p spot in both the singles and doubles categories. As a m em ber ofTeam Q uebec— Laforest was also the province's flag bearer in the o pening cerem onies— he soundly de ­ stroyed his badm inton com petition, not dropping a single set in his tw o golden events. He also added a "disappointing" silver medal in mixed doubles.

At the university level, Laforest was in a league o f his own. As he had at the Canada W inter Games, he brought back to M cGill gold m edals in singles and doubles from the QSSF cham pionships at UQAM. A lth ou gh not th e same com petition as he found in the Yukon events, Laforest never played dow n to his opponents and instead displayed the killer instinct expected of top athletes. With dom inating perform ances at both the university and Canadian lev­ els, Laforest cem ented his place as the to p male athlete this year at McGill.

M cG ill T ribune Fem ale A thlete o f th e Year— Charline Labonté

Charlie, as she is referred to by her teammates, put together as dom inan t a season as one could im agine this year. The rookie— and let us em phasize the fact that she is in her first year at M cG ill— posted an am azing record o f 23-2 in her 25 regular and post-season starts. But that was nothing com pared to her sim ply awe-inspiring 0.80 goals against average, .957 save percentage and 13 shutouts— breaking school records for starts and w ins in th e process.

To put this in a little better perspective, consider the fact that the form er Team Canada O lym pic gold medal w inning goaltender virtually guaranteed her team a victory every tim e she started be­ tw een the pipes. Labonté didn't allow a single goal in 52 per cent o f her games, didn't allow m ore than tw o goals in any gam e except the CIS cham pionship final and never allow ed m ore than three— all this for a team that scored an average o f 4.5 goals per game.

It's often said that a goaltender's jo b is to give his or her team a chance to w in every night and that's precisely w hat Labonté did this season.

— Compiled by Charlie Blore and Aaron Sigal

This past school year, although I have appreciated th e co m plim e n ts from my m inuscule co n tin g e n t o f loyal readers (hi M om and Dad!), I've m ostly enjoyed th e vicious rebukes in the discussion forum on mcgiiltribune.com.

"Your piece should be retitled: The C heap Shots," a poster nam ed "Mitch" w rote w ith pith and w isdom . “You deserve no seat at all, and there's no standing room for you either. H elp w ith your [new year's] resolution: try pok­ ing yourself in the eyes."

W ith my index and m iddle fingers em phatically thrusting into my eye sockets, I bid all m y readers— w h eth er they adore or abhor m e — adieu. ■

B lo w in g th e w h is tle on ab u se

n m y seven years as a referee I have heard it all. Every bad name, every slur, every form of sarcasm and every "original" joke in the book. I have been physically threatened, physi­ cally abused and criticized even w hen I have .been flawless.

Once, after w aving off a goal late in a cham pionship game, I was cursed at by coaches, yelled at by players a year younger than m e and jeered continuously for the final tw o m inutes o f the game. After I finally skated o ff the ice, I had adults three tim es m y age w aiting outside my dressing room d oo r to make snide remarks about h ow poorly I had performed. I was thir­ teen years old at the tim e and it was a house league hockey game.

Apparently abuse com es w ith th e territory— it's "part of m y jo b ” to put up w ith swearing and intim idation on a daily basis. But I'm sick o f it; I'm fed up w ith the culture o f sports, and the notion that referees m ust have a "thick skin". I'm tired o f looking the other w ay because I don't w ant to be labelled as an official w ith "rabbit ears". But m ost o f all I hate seeing good officials d rop out o f the sport because they just cannot or will

not put up w ith the abuse any longer.

Hockey Canada estimates that one-third o f its officials drop ou t every year. That's alm ost 10,000 referees calling it quits per season. European youth soccer leagues have recent­ ly m ade a plea for new refs and in the m eantim e are autho­ rizing coaches to officiate gam es them selves because of ex­ trem e shortages. The scene is similar all over the world: people w ould rather flip burgers than call penalties.

The problem s are systemic. Players are to blam e for their constant chirping, and so are referees for turning the other cheek for to o long. But th e real culprit is the culture that al­ m ost glam ourizes a lack o f respect for officials. O ne w ould never think o f cursing at a teacher for a bad mark or flipping o ff a judge, yet even my poor lip-reading skills can discern som e rather nasty remarks com in g from NHL coaches w hen a call goes against them .Then there are the ridiculously childish displays put on by baseball skippers w h o decide they're not getting a fair shake. Kicking the dirt, throw ing bats and flail­ ing your arms w ill get you, at best, on highlight reels, and at

M att C hesser

worst, throw n out o f the gam e— w hich ironically usually leads to m ore flailing and possibly a base pad going airborne. Is this the type o f behaviour w e w ant to encourage?

Verbal abuse is abuse, and it should not be tolerated under any circumstances. W e hold players responsible for all physical acts o f aggression, so let's set the same standard for anything they say. Supervisors should encourage referees to eject abusive players, coaches and spectators from the game, and should attach autom atic suspensions to any instances of taunting. Teach our young officials that if a player or coach wants to talk to a referee, they must be respectful and polite and that even com m ents like "that's a bullshit calf'should war­ rant a m inor penalty. If you disagree, try telling your profes­ sor that your latest paper got a "bullshit mark" and see what happens. If the punishm ent becom es a serious deterrent, the abusive behaviour will eventually decrease.

So next tim e you get mad in an intramural hockey gam e and w ant to yell at th e referee, stop and th in k carefully first.

Because if it's me you yell at, I'm throw ing your ass out. ■

03.04.07 • Sports • 19

www.mcgilltribune.com

Think you're the next Bill Simmons? In the meantime, how about being the next Adam Heller or Matt Segal?

To apply to become a Sports columnist next year, email us at sports@ mcgilltribune.com

SACK OF THE YEAR This Year's Winner—Tim Hardaway, former point guard for the Miami Heat There are so m any excellent candidates for this honour but, truly, no on e encapsulated w hat this award is about quite like Mr. Hardaway. W hile Terrell O w ens ran am uck on a more consistent basis, it was all so predictable His com plaints about not getting the ball en ou gh or that his coaches or team m ates w ere inadequate; it was all just par for the course.

Timmy, on th e other hand, really attacked the basket w ith his attempt. Saying "I hate gay people" and that "there's no place for that kind o f thing in this country" will get you serious consideration for this award every year.

But you have to adm ire Hardaway for going the extra m ile by tacking on the form ulaic song and dance about f w anting a second chance once all hell broke loose. The NBA and his sponsors w ere quick to recluse them selves from any relationship w ith #io and Hardaway was just as quick to try and redeem him self by m eeting w ith a gay I rights group and suddenly claim ing a change o f heart. Isn't it funny how quickly th e pulling o f a shoe endoi m ent can make a b igo t reevaluate his w orldview ?

Everybody-makes mistakes, but this was no mistake. Hardaway expressed him self fully on a to p ic know ing full well w hat reaction it w ould elicit— the interviewer w arned Tim w hat he was saying m ight be view ed as 1 h o m o ph o bic w hich on ly spurred Hardaway on. He wasn't m isquoted and nothing was taken ou t o f context; he exposed him self for w hat he is and is paying the price for it.

What's the sack o f the w eek about? It's about gutlessness, poor ju dge m e nt and ignorance. Tim show ed the w orld he had all those qualities in spades w hen he opened his m outh on the controversial to p ic o f gay athletes f in team sports. No on e deserves this award more.

Friday, March 30,2007

f r g a il E xp en s e s Paid by Ch eq u e by Category

Dear Science Students, In light of recent events, the SUS is publishing its financial records of Frosh 2006. All documents are based on bank information with the exception of the Finalized Budget Submitted by the VP Internal. These reports were presented and approved by the General Council of Mar 21, 2007. Hopefully, with this information, it will clear up misconceptions that may have arisen as a result of the Daily article (Mar 12/07) and the subsequent letter from the executive.

Your questions regarding Frosh spending should be directed to the VP Internal, Genevieve Friesen, intemal@sus.mcgill.ca.

Regards, The SUS Executive 2006-2007

S U S Frosh B u d g et 2006 Submitted by Genevieve Friesen Sep 12, 2006 Pay 1: Thursday. August 31st. 2006 É vent ■

Item

Opening Cermontes

Stage and Sound Breakdance rs Field house

Food

One Time Expenditures

Expected C ost

Giovan's Pizza Wings

A ctual C ost

Event

$1,000.00 $800.00 $500.00

$1,054.04 $800.00 $0.00

Insurance T-Shirts/bags Bracelets Dnvesafe

$3,000.00

$3,000.00 $400.00

Permits Mail-Outs

Night Parly

737

Expected Co. A ctual Cost

Item

$1,500.00 T l

$1.500.00

Printing Postage Supplies Photocopying

$4,000.00 $10.000.00 $700.00 $700.00 $300.00

$2,522 36 $9.60997 $476.79 $1,138.75 $150.00

$600.00 $663.00 $300.00 $500.00

$600.00 $663.00 $300.00 $500 00

$300.00 $500,00 $2,500.00 $1,000.00

$300.00 $1,000.00 $4,774.40 $1,000.00

Day 2: Friday, September 1st. 2006

Event

$4,000.00

$1,621 89

Limo Security Beer Meeting

$1,000.00

$4,000.00

SAQ depot

$300.00

$500.00

$300.00

$50.00

Walkie-Talkies

$350.00

$550.00 $24,085.27

M K U Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Expected Cost

Carnival

Klodas Stage and sound Elvis Impersonator

Actual Coat.

.

Franx Supreme (breakfast) BBQ (lunch) handout (dinner)

Food

Pub Crawl

Tips/SUS Stop

Night Party

Glowsticks

IT

m

... ig:

$1,700.00 $1,400.00

$1,700 00 $1.900 00

$600.00

$0 00

$2.000.00

$2.500.00

$1,500.00

$300.00

Income

Source

K N um ber A m m pt ‘ $50.00 140 $7.000 00 $20.00 60 $1,200.00 $65.00 412 $26,780.00 $75.00 394 $29,550,00

firP te te o n

Leaders Volunteers Early Froshees Late Froshees

m

s m

I Total Amount Am assed Dav 3: Saturday. Seotember 2nd, 2006

Event

Item

Beach Club

Admission Buses

- Expected'Cost

$64,530.00|

Sponsorship

Actual Cost ■ Total Sponsorship

$3,570 00 $3.349.85 $2.727.27 ! $3.486.54

Food

Night Party

Dagwoods International Food Fest Coco Bongo

$3,300 00

$3.079.26

$3.000.00 J

$3,000.00

$500.00 :

$500.00

90.00 395.13 3 837.49 15 075.36 476.79 3 443.85 900.00 195.50 1 138.75 3 276.65 2 522.36 1 367.40 1 482.96 1 030.78 150.00 1 075.73 1 130.68 1 330.35 1 025.68 262.20 874.41 583.00 1 054.04 170.77 1 019.62 9 718.45 215.43 150.00

Total Expenses

$54 488.38

F r o s h 20 06 R e v e n u e D e ta il A c c o r d i i d to B a n k S ta te m e n ts Date

T y p e o f Reven u e

A m o u nt

13-Aug-06 13-Aug-06 13-Auq-06 13-Aug-06 23'A ug-06 23-Aug-06 2 3-Aug-06 23-Aug-06 23-Aug-06 28-Aug-06 28-Aug-06 30-Auq-06 30-Aug-06 30-Aup-06 3Q-Aug-06 3Q-Aug-06 31-AUB-06 1-Sep-06 1-Sep-06 1 -Sep-06 1-Sep-06 1-Sep-06 6 Sep-06 6-Sep-06 28-Sep-06 12-Oct-06 25-Qct~06 25-Oct-06 16-Feb-07 16-Feb-07

Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration MasterCard payment from Frosh Registration Visa payment from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Regisfration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cash from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration Cheque from Frosh Registration US/CDN Adjus from Frosh Registration cheque US/CDN Adius from Frosh Registration cheque Cheque from sponsorship Cash from Frosh Registration MasterCard payment from Frosh Registration Visa payment from Frosh Registration Cheque from AUS for te n t Rental compensation SSMU Reimbursement for Beer

$975.00 $975.00 $975.00 $793.37 $975 00 $975 00 $975.00 $32500 $327 12 $2,935.00 $7,070.00 $350.00 $1,125.00 $225.00 $975.60 $447.09 $975.00 $2,100.00 $5,200.00 S746.30 $270 93 $65.00 $60.00 $18.61 $1,500.00 35.496.76 $550.00 $701.00 $2.432.83 $8,464.74

'T o ta l o f G ro s s R e ven u e R e ce ived in the S U S B a nk A c c o u n t fo r F ro sh 2006

B|giS|il£||hdi=.

$4 9.00 4.35

C atego ry

A m o u nt

Total Frosh Registration Revenue Received in the SUS Bank Account Total Frosh Sponsorship Revenue Received in the SUS Bank Account Other Compensation and Reimbursement

$36,606.78 $1.500.00 $10,897.57

To tal o f Raw Reven u e R e ce ived in the S U S B a nk A c c o u n t fo r F ro sh 2006

$4 9.00 4.35

Grand total Amount Made Amount Spent

Beer

$4,500.00

737 BBQ Beach Club Beer Bracelet Buses Coco Bongo Costume DriveSafe Food Insurance Kloda Meeting Mise Permit Phone Bill Postage Printing Pub Crawl Security Sound Equipment Rental SSM U Park Stage / Sound (Opening) Supplies Tent rental T-Shirt/Bag Volunteer Food Website

Profit/Loss

$69,030.00 $55,110.27* $13,919.73

$69,030.00

$56,326.85

F ro s h 2 00 6 F ln a n c jj0 _ S u m m a £ ¥ _ B a s e c L o n j3 a n k jja tg J j^ ^

$12,703.15 To tal R e ven u e A cc o u n te d by D e po sits $49.004.35

Total ex pe n se A cc o u n te d by C h eq u e $54.488.38

Other expected revenue claimed by VP Internal ________________________

I $1.700.00lApple + McGill nightline Other expected expenses_____________ _____________________ I 'fjSSMU

Net incom e -$5.484.03

FITNESS & RECREATION CLASSES S P R IN G 2 0 0 7 COURSE

M A Y 7 - JUNE 18 DAY & TIME COST WKS Member/Non-member

KIDS' AQUATICS Olympic Way - W hite (3 -14 yrs) White Adv (3-14 yrs) Green (3 -14 yrs) Blue (3-14 yrs) Bronze (3 -14 yrs) Silver (3-14 yrs) Gold (3 -14 yrs)

6

18:30-19:25 11:15-12:10

28.95/42.12 28.95/42.12

6

Tuesday Tuesday

18:00-18:55 19:00-20:25

22.81/35.97 30.71/43.87

6 6

Power Yoga Spin Private Training

By appointment Mon. & Wed. Tues. &Thurs.

Monday Wednesday Mon. & Wed. Tues. & Thurs.

By appointment

17:30-18:40 17:30-18:25 18:00-19:25 18:00-19:25 17:00-17:55 18:00-18:55

43.87/48.26 30.71/57.03 22.81/49.13 18.43/31.59 18.43/31.59 26.32/52.65 '36.85/63.17 43.87/48.26

1.5 hr 6 6 6 6 6 6 1.25 hr

PAY-AS-YOU-GO FITNESS Abs, Back & Bootie Body Design Boot Camp Retro Cardio Power Yoga Step Spin

Monday Tues. & Thurs.

Wednesday Tues. & Thurs.

Thursday Wednesday Monday

17:30-18:25 18:00-18:55 17:30-18:25 17:00-17:55 18:30-19:25 17:00-17:55 17:00-17:55

2.17 2.17 2.17 2.17 2.17 2.17 2.17

Tuesday and Friday Tues. & Thurs.

Mon. &Wed. Mon.& Wed.

17:30-19:30 17:00-20:00 17:30-19:00 19:00-20:30 19:00-20:30

50.01/76.33

6

29.83/56.15 29.83/56.15 29.83/56.15

6 6 6

AQUATICS-ADULTS Adults Learn To Swim DANCE Hip Hop Social Dance FITNESS & WELLNESS Fitness Appraisal Hatha Yoga Kick, Punch, Jive & Jam Pilâtes

MARTIAL ARTS Aikido Kickboxing Shaolin Tae Kwon Do SPORTS Squash Intro Squash (Private) Squash (Semi-Private) Tennis Cardio Tennis - All Levels

Tennis - Private Tennis - Semi Private O u t d o o r pursuits Equestrian (transportation required)

Hiking

Rock Climbing

10:30-11:15

Saturday

11:15-12:00

Tuesday Saturday

Tuesday Wednesday by appointment by appointment Monday Wednesday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Saturday Sunday Tues. & Thurs. by appointment by appointment

17:30-18:25 18:00-18:55

18:00-18:55 17:00-17:55 19:00-20:10 17:30-18:40 18:00-19:55 17:30-18:40 10:00-11:55 10:00-11:55 18:45-19:55

30.71/43.87

6

21.06/25.44 14.92/19.30 30.71/43.87

45 min 45 min 6

38.61/51.77 38.61/51.77 61.42/74.58 38.61/51.77 61.42/74.58 61.42/74.58 76.33/102.66 21.93/26.32 15.79/20.18

McGill A T H L E T I C S 2007 SPRING SESSION Registration opens April 10, 2007 in the Sports Complex Through the spring and summer months, M cG ill students must purchase a membership in order to gain access to the Sports Complex. Special student rates are in effect fo r all those w h o w ere registered th ro u g h th e 2007 w inter semester.

FULL SPRING & SUMMER MEMBERSHIP

April 30 to June 22

28.95/42.12

Saturday

M cGill Students

STUDENT MAY SPECIAL $33 * Includes free access to PAY-AS-YOU-GO fitness classes through May & June • Non-members registered in courses may use the facility only during their designated class times.

• Most classes begin the week of May 7 and run through week of June 11, 2007.

• Pay-As-You-Go classes begin April 30 and run until June 22, 2007.

• Classes will not be held May 21, 2007.

All prices listed do not include GST & QST I COURSE

13:30-15:30 13:30-15:30 All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day

140.38/149.16 140.38/149.16 43.87/48.26 43.87/48.26 43.87/48.26 43.87/48.26 70.19/74.58

DAY & TIME

COST

ms

ISTAFF FITNESS A q u a Fitness Bad m inton

6

Belly D ancing Body D esign Body D esign D an ce A ero b ics Spin H atha Y o g a 1 H atha Yo g a II

Saturday Sunday Saturday, May 12 Sunday, May 27 Saturday, June 2 Sunday, June 17 Saturday, May 12

$99*

6 6 1 1 1 1 1

Intro to Pilâtes Fitn ess W alkin g Pilâtes P o w e r Yo g a Lite Recess Tennis

Tai Chi

Mon. & Wed. Mon. & Wed. Monday & Friday Tues. & Thurs.

Tues. & Thurs.

Tues. & Thurs.

Mon. & Wed. Tues. & Thurs.

Tues. & Thurs.

Mon. & Wed. Tues. & Thurs.

Tues. & Thurs.

Mon. & Wed. Mon., Wed. & Fri. Tues. & Thurs.

Mon. & Wed.

12:15-13:00 12:30-13:15 12:00-12:45 12:30-13:15 12:15-13:00 13:00-13:45 12:30-13:15 13:00-13:45 13:00-13:45 12:00-12:45 12:15-13:00 12:15-13:00 12:15-13:00 12:00-12:45 12:15-13:00 12:30-13:15 13:00-13:45

513.16 513.16 $13.16

6 6 6

$13.16 $13.16 513.16 $13.16 $13.16 513,16 513.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16 $13.16

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

IN FO : 5 1 4 -3 9 8-7000 o r w w w .ath letics.m cg ill.ca