The McGill Tribune Vol. 30 Issue 12

AN INTERVIEWWITH THE PRINCIPAL, PAGE 3

AT THE OPERA, A MÉNAGE À QUATRE, PAGE 14

Published by the Tribune Publication Society Volume No. 30 Issue No. 12

Tony Blair speaks to McGill on issues o f religion and globalization E x-P M

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By Sean W ood

N e w s E d it o r

T he CBC’s Evan Solom on interview ed Blair for 4 5 m inutes on Friday for an audience o f M cG ill students, professors, and adm inistrators. (H olly Stew art / M cG ill Tribune)

With his easy charm and boyish grin, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke to scholars, stu­ dents, religious leaders, and MPs at the Windsor Hotel on Friday.

Blair’s visit was prompted by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s funding of teaching and research on religion and globalization at M cGill’s Faculty of Religious Stud­ ies. Earlier that day, he led a class of the students of REFG 319: Religion and Globalization, the new course funded by the foundation.

Blair considers the issues his foundation promotes to be some of the 21st century’s most vital.

“Does religious faith become a force for progress? Or does religious faith become a source of conflict and sectarianism?” Blair asked. “I think that’s the dominant question of the 21st century.”

Finding such answers becomes more and more important as global­ ization accelerates, he said.

“In China you’ve got more practicing Protestants than in Eng­ land, more practicing Catholics than in Italy and more Muslims than in the whole of Europe,” he said. “And then you’ve got 100 million Bud­ dhists.”

The foundation is funding teaching and research at seven uni­ versities around the world, including

M cG ill

initiative

Yale, the National University of Sin­ gapore, and Peking University. Blair explained that the best approach to dealing with the challenges of reli­ gion and globalization is to “estab­ lish an intellectual framework” for discussion, which can only be done at universities. B lair’s ultimate hope is to raise religious literacy and re­ duce prejudice.

“When you’re a Christian and you learn that Islam reveres Jesus as a prophet, it somewhat alters ... your understanding of the religion,” he said. “When most people within Islam understand the debates over what the divinity of Christ is all about ... it gives them a completely different framework.”

But the road to tolerance may not be so smooth. Aditya Bhattacharjce, U3 religious studies and a student in RELG 319, thought that Blair glossed over the hurdles that this dialogue has to overcome.

“I thought he was a little too idealistic,” he said. “Education seems like a big part of his Faith Foundation, and there’s often a fine line between educating people and interfering in a foreign religion’s matters.”

While he praised the merits of inter-religious dialogue, Blair said that no amount of religious under­ standing will dictate policy.

“You can’t go into your comer and pray to God about what miniSee “ F O R M E R ” on page 3

A rc h ite c tu re s tu d e n ts v o te to stan d u n d e r E U S ’s u m b re lla E n g in e e rin g

By M aria Flores

U n d e r g r a d u a t e

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N e w s E d it o r The Engineering Undergradu­ ate Society passed a motion at their council meeting on November 9 fi­ nalizing the incorporation of the Ar­ chitecture Students Association as their seventh departmental society.

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r e p r e s e n t A rc h ite c tu re

The ASA held a formal referen­ dum on the potential incorporation, which ended the week before coun­ cil. Sixty-five per cent of ASA stu­ dents cast ballots, with 90 per cent of the votes in favour of the merger.

“There were a couple conversa­ tions over the summer, and then we came in September kind of knowing

R edm en Rugby

that we wanted this process to take place, so I researched with McGill how this could be worked out,” said EUS President Daniel Keresteci. “It is something that people have al­ ways kind of looked to as an option, but the right pieces never really fit together.”

The ASA’s main motivation to

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join the EUS was their lack of for­ mal recognition at McGill and ab­ sence of a Memorandum of Agree­ ment (Mo A).

“The main problem is that the ASA is currently not a formally rec­ ognized group in McGill. We don’t have a MoA with McGill, and we lack any kind of formal affiliation

Eastern Canadian Cham pionships Saturday, November 20 vs. St. M ary’s University 15hOO

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M cG ill

to any other groups or to the univer­ sity itself,” said ASA President Kyle Burrows. “It just became almost a necessity at some point; we realized that in order to continue to serve the students it was important to connect ourselves to McGill.”

Though some think that the new See “A RCH CAFÉ" on page 5

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EDUCATION

At UBC, Innocence Project marries law and journalism S tu d e n ts

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By M oo kie Kideckel

M a n a g in g E d it o r The wrongfully accused in British Columbia have a new ally.

Earlier this month, the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law ’s Innocence Project, which works to overturn misappropriation of justice, announced a new partnership with the UBC School of Journalism.

The model is based on simi­ lar successful collaborations in the United States. Professor Peter Klein of the UBC School of Journalism hopes that merging the two faculties’ skills will prove helpful towards overturning the wrongfully accused.

“Law students get into the nitty gritty of a particular case,” he said.

“The journalism students don’t have the legal background to understand everything about those details.”

Instead, journalism students

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can add a broader perspective that law students may miss.

“They can see the forest,” Klein said. “They can see if there’s a pat­ tern of cases in the province, or an area of the country, or a certain mu­ nicipality, where certain things are happening, or people are being tar­ geted for racial or ethnic reasons, or there is a suspicious pattern of docu­ ments going missing. We also train our students to get documents, to interview, to be dogged.”

If the experience of similar projects at colleges like Northwest­ ern University is any indication of the program’s effectiveness, the In­ nocence Project might help overturn some wrongful convictions in Brit­ ish Columbia. McGill has its own version of the program, Innocence McGill, which is student-run and supervised by faculty members and criminal lawyers. Klein sees these

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projects as part of a movement to­ ward closer collaboration between journalists and academics.

At UBC, he said, “We want to do a lot more knowledge transfer between some of the academic work that’s done and help that informa­ tion get disseminated. Some of the academics on campus are doing what I would call journalism ... you can look at someone like [Liberal leader] Michael Ignatieff, who was at Harvard but also working for The New York Times Magazine.”

Thomas Jundt, a McGill his­ tory professor, sees the same blurred lines, and has observed how journal­ ists cross into academic territory.

This may be in part because their prose tends to be more accessible than that of academic historians, but Jundt suggests that it may also be because journalists take bolder stances on the issues at hand.

B ritish

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“Professional history is critical, which does not easily lend itself to the type of celebratory narratives that seem to sell so well,” Jundt wrote in an email to the Tribune.

“Tom Brokaw can write about ‘the greatest generation,’ and sell more books than most academic histori­ ans could ever dream of. But train­ ing in history leaves most of us with the sense that every generation faces its own unique challenges and deals with them as best it can. H istories are], among other things, stories we tell ourselves about who we are, and given the choice many of us seem to avoid the harshness of mirrors in fa­ vour of more flattering portraits.”

At the same time, Jundt sees some positive changes occuring in the academy. In trying to reach a broader audience, he thinks that, academics are abandoning “overly formal, impenetrable, and jargon­

laden prose” in favour of a more ac­ cessible style.

Despite some movements to­ wards each other, though, Jundt does not see a trend towards convergence.

History will continue, he thinks, to “complicate our understanding of the past, while the public seems to prefer stories that flatten those com­ plexities.” The rest o f academia may be similar. Even if many academics write for each other, having a gulf between popular writing and spe­ cialized prose is likely necessary to ensure a strong critical focus.

When it comes to the law, Klein, at least, is optimistic about collaboration.

“As a learning experience, it’s been very helpful,” he said. “It’s too early to say if we’re going to get anyone out of- jail, but we’re get­ ting there. We’re doing some good work.”

CITY

Ghetto Shul set to open new student-run vegetarian café E atery

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By Tori Crawford

E d it o r -in -C h ie f Although it will be located a few blocks farther from campus than the Architecture Café was, McGill students will soon have a new option for student-run, reasonably priced lunches.

The Ghetto Shul, a student-run synagogue, will soon open a veg­ etarian, student-run café at its Park Avenue facility. According to Elana Schilling, programming chair on the Ghetto Shul student board, the proj­ ect began in the summer, but its im­ portance increased after the closure of the Arch Café.

“We realized this is really something that the students need,” she said. “Ghetto Shul is really a space for students and someplace they can call their own, and food is a part of that.”

Because Ghetto Shul is located in a former restaurant, Rabbi Leibish Hundert described the café as a “nat­ ural progression” for the group. The full kitchen meant that the building required few renovations, and that almost all of the food production, including baking bread, will be done on location.

“There will be a few options to choose from [and] simplicity is the key,” said Adam Stotland, who will be one of the café's managers as well as its chef. “Everything will be made from scratch that day and we will be

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careful not to waste, so I feel making a few items every day will ensure there are no leftovers.”

According to Stotland, the menu will include daily soups, rice and lentil dishes, curry dishes, sim­ ple sandwiches on homemade bread, baked treats, and, of course, great coffee. Prices for lunch will range from $5 to $10.

Stotland also emphasized that because the initiative’s main concept is “folk café,” the group is eager to hear suggestions from the patrons.

“We will have suggestion boxes where people can express their ideas on anything from decor to menu items,” he said. “I already have peo­ ple interested in sending me their carrot ginger soup recipe and their grandma’s brownie recipe.”

While the cafe will be staffed primarily by student volunteers, Schilling explained that the group hopes to widen their client base be­ yond the McGill community.

“Students who show their ID card will get a discount on food,” she said. “But the cafe will be open to the wider Montreal community as well, so anyone can come and check it out.”

Faculty of Education Chair Manny Freedman, who also helps coordinate the many concerts held at the Ghetto Shul, said the café will also look to display student artwork and possibly incorporate a musical aspect.

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G hetto S hul’s building on Park Avenue used to house a restaurant. (|oe Juda / M cG ill Tribune)

“I think we have this wonderful space, only slightly outside McGill campus,” he said. “It’s an open space for students to enhance their cultural knowledge, to get together and have fun.”

“Purely economically, not ev­ erybody at McGill has the capacity

to pay large sums for their food, and the reality is that the raw materials don’t cost that much for us, and we don’t have all that much overhead,” Leibish added. “Conscious eating and healthy food that is made with love are important as part of being a healthy person, and certainly im­

portant for a community of learning and study.”

The café plans to open for busi­ ness within the next month.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

I NT E RVI E W

P rin c ip a l H e a th e r M u n ro e -B lu m ta lk s tu itio n a n d research In

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Last week, Principal Heather Munroe-Blum sat down with report­ ers from the Tribune, the Daily, and Le Délit to discuss tuition fees, the university’s relationship with Que­ bec City, and competition between McGill and American schools. The interview has been edited and con­ densed. Thanks to the Daily and Le Délit fo r asking several o f the ques­ tions.

Won’t the increased tuition fees McGill is pushing for hinder accessibility to education?

My view is- that when you have low tuition fees and a declin­ ing investment per student on the part of government, accessibility is only hurt. It’s not facilitated. It’s not just quality that gets affected in that model, it’s accessibility. The value, which intuitively sounds right, that if you have low tuition, more péople will be able [to attend univer­ sity] simply doesn’t pan out in real­ ity. Those who are in financial need don’t need low tuition, they actually need a grant of some kind or a bursa­ ry to pay for all the things you need while going to university.

-- How has the departure of Minister of Education Michelle Courchesne changed McGill’s relationship with Quebec City, particularly with regard to the proposed university governance bills?

We actually don’t know where the government’s bill stands current­ ly. We haven’t heard anything about it, so that remains to be seen.

How does McGill review and regulate the companies it partners with to do research?

Our dominant interest has been in making sure that the research that’s

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funded here, whether it’s funded by industry or government, meets ethi­ cal standards and is consistent with the mission of the university. [With regard to] the extent of industrial in­ vestment in research in universities, Canada’s actually among the lowest in the Western world. It’s' viewed to be an economic problem that Cana­ da’s industry doesn’t invest in R&D, both in their own corporations and in universities. There’s actually a very strong interest on the part of the pro­ vincial and the federal governments to increase the engagement of indus­ try with R&D. But certainly we work hard on both the philanthropic side and on the research side to not have partners who are lacking in public integrity as judged by the law.

Do you think tuition fees should vary on the basis of the sal­ aries students can expect to make after they graduate?

It’s a very interesting question.

There’s another question that’s out there sort of parallel to that: Should tuition fees vary on basis of the cost of the program? I don’t think it’s black and white on either of those questions. For example, we don’t have enough physicians. 1 think you really want to think about the social good [created by such programs].

There are programs that cost m ore— Dentistry, Engineering, Medicine, M usic—and within that group, the potential for earnings is quite vari­ able. I’m married to a musician turned writer—I know that musi­ cians don’t have a good shot at mak­ ing even a meaningful wage. Even though it costs more [to run], I don’t think you want to charge the full cost of the program to Music students.

Medicine, I think you need to look

M un ro e-B lu m shows o ff her office’s C ro u p o f Seven paintings. (Alice W alker / M cG ill Tribune)

at what the societal needs are. En­ gineering, I think there’s a question about whether there’s somewhere higher than you might charge an Arts students that you could charge an Engineering student, because the costs are definitely higher and the compensation is higher at gradua­ tion, on average.

McGill has purchased two downtown hotels in the past two years to increase residence space.

How much does the university plan to keep expanding the resi­ dence system?

When I came in 2003, there was a lottery system for first-year students. There were not enough beds for all first-year students. That seemed absolutely crazy. We took out a bond issue for $150 million to

allow us to enhance and expand our holding with a dominant emphasis on residence, but it had to be in areas where the resources generated would pay off the bond. W e’re just about at the end of that process. We’re still without meaningful accommodation for couples, for graduate students, for others, so there will be a question in the next five years about going be­ yond where we are.

McGill frequently compares itself to the University of Toronto and the University of British Co­ lumbia in Canada. What Ameri­ can universities would you com­ pare us to?

We compare ourselves to the public universities in the Association of American Universities, [a group of about 60 research-oriented universi­

ties in the United States and Cana­ da]. That’s our sort of benchmark.

Within the public universities, when comparing our performance and our funding, we have two groups: those who are funded in a way that rep­ licates the way w e’re funded, and those who are funded the way w e’d like to be funded—that is, with a re­ ally high level federal government investment in graduate students and graduate research. When I say we punch above our weight, I mean that we perform, by some of these met­ rics, as well as public universities funded at a much higher level than we are, [such as the University of North Carolina].

—Compiled by Theo Meyer

F o rm e r le a d e r a im s fo r to le ra n c e Y O U ’ LL N E V E R BE BOB W O O D W A R D .

Continued fro m COVER

mum wage should be,” he said.

In his political career, Blair has had a variety o f experience with reli­ gious issues. In 1998, he helped en­ gineer the Good Friday Agreements, which assuaged sectarian violence in Ireland. As prime minister, he was often criticized for mentioning God in public, notably regarding his unpopular decision to go to war in Iraq. He is currently the British gov­ ernment’s Middle East envoy.

Even though Blair has moved on from party politics, the charm that won him elections was on full display. When interviewer Evan Solomon of the CBC asked him why his program had chosen McGill, Blair called it a “fantastic institution of learning,” prompting Solomon to quip that his political skills were “not rusty one bit.”

BUT YO U C O U LD BE B E R N S T E IN .

W R IT E F O R N E W S .

Xiomara Hurney-Cranston, U3 religious studies and anthropology, is taking RELG 319 and said she saw a different Tony Blair than the one she knew when he was prime minister.

“I have a different perspective of Tony Blair than when I thought of him just as a politician,” she said.

“He has such a negative reputation for Iraq, but I think this is a very, very important initiative.”

M E E T IN G S O N M O N D A Y @ 5:30 IN S H A T N E R iio

Curiosity Delivers, www.mcgilltribune.com

4 CAMPUS

C a s h re g is te rs a n d b a rte n d e rs k e e p in g b u s y a t C e r t ’s C a m p u s

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By M a tt Essert____________________

N e w s E d it o r What was once considered one of the least popular spots on the McGill campus has experienced a resurgence this year. Over the past few months, G ert’s Bar has seen significant increases in sales, profits, and popularity.

This September, Gert’s had $35,968 in sales and turned a $5,736 profit. This is especially impressive considering that last September the bar made $733 in profits, which at that point was considered a good sales month.

Nick Drew, Students’ Society Vice-President Finance and Opera­ tions, said that since the bar moved downstairs from the first floor of the Shatner Building nine years ago, G ert’s had lost thousands of dollars every year due to issues such as the amateur security services run by McGill athletes and the high prices that stemmed from the bar’s expen­ sive operating costs.

Drew said that the bar has seen a great turnaround over the past six months and sales have been quite impressive.

This past June, Gert’s had $7,555 in sales, mostly due to food and some beverage sales during the World Cup. In one week of July, when the bar was open for the World

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Cup final, sales reached $1,727. For a couple of weeks at the end of Au­ gust before school started, the bar earned another $7,702. In the month of October, Gert’s made $53,967.

Drew attributed these increas­ ing numbers to several causes. For one, SSMU and the bar managers have collaborated with different stu­ dent groups to hold more events at G ert’s.

“I think [the success] must [come from] a lot of collaboration with different groups,” Drew said.

“The bar manager is extremely re­ ceptive to having people in the bar.

This year we have a bar manager who does most of the events, and we have a night manager who plans out a lot of the night events with groups.”

Drew believes that the popular daily drink specials are also a seri­ ous draw for students. He said that along with the improved service at the bar, the drink specials have “im­ proved the bar’s image.”

One restaurant tenant who has been working at G ert’s for several years and has seen the bar change over time said he thinks that Natasha Geoffrion-Greenslade, the bar’s new manager, has “hands down” been the biggest factor contributing to its re­ cent success.

“There’s a new manager, whose focus is primarily on [running the

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bar], and she’s very good at what she does,” he said.

Under the previous manager, the tenant said that he received late payments and experienced problems with bookkeeping.

Geoffrion-Greenslade, who took over as the manager of Gert’s at the beginning of May, said that a lot of good work is being done this year at the bar, even though the suc­ cess of businesses in this industry is cyclical and therefore in some ways uncontrollable.

“One of the things is I think we have a great team this year. Every­ one is working very hard: myself, the night manager, Nick, our staff,” she said. “We introduced a lot of new things this year, probably be­ cause I was fresh and able to come in with a lot of new ideas. I think there’s a positive atmosphere in the bar all together.”

Although Drew is happy with G ert’s recent success, he said that there are still some improvements to be made.

“I think we still have some problems with the bar in terms of efficiency,” he said. “Now that’s it getting more popular, it gets a bit sluggish in terms of service.”

Drew said that the awkward design of the long bar can make bartending difficult for servers when the bar gets busy. Geoffrion-Greenslade

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C e rt’s is m aking m ore m oney than it ever has since its m ove to the Shatner basem ent a decade ago. (Sophie Silkes / M cG ill Tribune)

agreed.

“When you’re at a bar, you don’t want to wait half an hour to get a drink,” she said. “No matter how many staff members I put on in a night, the service can’t get that much better because it’s such a long bar, it’s very inefficient, our inven­ tory control system is very complex, there’s a lot going on.”

Next summer, major renova­ tions will take place to partially revamp the look of the bar, and to mainly make it more efficient. Drew said that the winning design from last year’s Great G ert’s Challenge will correct space problems and re­

shape the serving bar.

Drew said he hopes that the changes that have been made so far and those still to come will finally make G ert’s a long-term success.

“History has shown that we haven’t really run successful op­ erations with Haven, Gerts for nine years, the daycare,” said Drew. “So we really wanted to make sure we had an operation that would run suc­ cessfully.”

“This is a college bar,” added the restaurant tenant. “So it should be a serious money maker, especial­ ly now that it’s downstairs and more accessible.”

CITY

M o rd e c a i R ic h ler: M o n tr e a l icon o r A n g lo p h o n e bigot?

P ro p o s a l

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By Dylan Doyle

' C o n t r ib u t o r Internationally acclaimed au­ thor and journalist Mordecai Richler died nearly a decade ago, but two Montreal city officials have spear­ headed an initiative to see that the Montreal native is not forgotten.

Michael Applebaum and Marvin Rotrand have begun an online peti­ tion requesting “the City of Mon­ treal make an appropriate gesture to commemorate the contribution of Mordecai Richler in naming a street, a public place or building in his hon­ our.” The councillors are looking for the commemoration to occur before the ten-year anniversary of Richler’s death on July 3, 2011.

Many proposals for what form the tribute should take have been presented. Richler’s widow, Flor­ ence, has suggested that St. Urbain Street, his birthplace and child­ hood home, be renamed. Rotrand

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has claimed that it should come in the form of a renamed library, or a plaque near his childhood home.

Montreal was the setting of many of Richler’s novels. His works include The Apprenticeship o f Duddy Kravitz, St. Urbain's Horseman, and the award-winning Barney’s Ver­ sion, which was recently adapted into a film.

In addition to his work as a novelist, Richler wrote for ublications such as the National Post, and the Gazette, often making waves with biting comments about Quebec separatists.

The petition has therefore re­ ceived some opposition. Members of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste, a large Quebec nationalist group, have been particularly vocal. The group’s president Mario Beaulieu cited Richler as an alienating individual who was “anti-Quebec.”

"I don't think [commemorating him is] a good idea in Quebec be­

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cause Mr. Richler created many di­ visions," Beaulieu told the Canadian Press earlier this month. "For us, he's an anti-Quebec racist because he denigrated French Quebecers."

Maxime Laporte, the president of a sovereigntist student group at the University of Montreal, echoed the sentiment.

"Mordecai Richler, for me, is someone who through his writings and words [expresses] a contempt for the Quebec people," Laporte said. "Mr. Richler demonized certain politicians and was contemptuous of certain events in Quebec history."

Filmmaker Francine Pelletier’s new documentary, The Last Angry Jew, scheduled to air on Bravo in December, examines the bitter rela­ tionship between Richler and Que­ bec. While Pelletier acknowledges that Richler didn’t always write with tact, she makes an effort to tell both sides of the story.

“I realized in making the film

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that most Francophone Quebecers see him as the troublemaker, the one who irritated us by beating up on na­ tionalism, the Parti Québécois, and language laws,” she said. “But when people have read Mordecai Richler as a novelist, it changes their percep­ tion. They are ready to acknowledge he was a great novelist and a great Quebecer, even if he held views that were not the same as ours.”

Another prominent theme of Richler’s work, especially in Duddy Kravitz, was the adversity the Jew­ ish immigrant minority in the city faced, which Rotrand addressed in an interview.

"He epitomizes, for many Mon­ trealers, the experience of successive groups of immigrants—particularly in the Jewish community, but oth­ ers as w ell—who came to the city," Rotrand said. “For many people, they sense Montreal history in the writing."

As of last Friday, the petition

had 683 signatures, and had garnered support from some unlikely sources, particularly Jean-François Lisée, an advisor to former Parti-Quebecois premiers Jacques Parizeau and Luc­ ien Bouchard. Although it’s at odds with Richler on Quebec sovereignty, Lisée praised the petition.

“He is [one of] the top three writers that Quebec has produced in the last century. H e’s up there with our very best,” Lisée said. “He did write about Quebec in an astoundingly rich and original way. H e’s a gem, and I think it should be recog­ nized.”

Rotrand and others, remain realistic, recognizing that naming a street or public area after Richler will prove difficult, given the writ­ e r’s controversial reputation. But Lisée believes the effort is a worthy cause.

“Quebec cherishes its culture, and it should be reflected in its land­ scape,” he said.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

-------------------------------------- 5 News in Brief Quebec grad student dropout rate high, says CSE report The Quebec Council of Su­ perior Education (CSE) released a report last month about the high dropout rate among Quebec gradu­ ate students.

According to the report, 44 per cent of Quebec doctoral students will not go complete their diploma, while on average 20 per cent of mas­ ter's students will take an extra two to four years to complete theirs.

The report cited financial stress as a major reason for graduate stu­ dents to prolong and withdraw from their studies. Among other remedies, it recommended an increase in the number of merit-based scholarships in all disciplines.

Laurent Viau, president of the National Council for Superior Stud­ ies (CNCS-FEUQ) at the Quebec Federation of University Students, believes the problem is more than just funding, but rather a lack of aca­ demic guidance at the institutions.

Viau advocates a "more explicit relationship between academic units (or faculties) and students," and study plans for graduate students

A rch C a fé h e lp e d to s p a rk m e rg e r

that detail the student’s and faculty’s responsibilities and the resources available to students.

The number of graduate stu­ dents dissatisfied with their aca­ demic supervision speaks for itself.

A 2007 study by the CSE reported that 22 per cent of master's students and 16 per cent of doctoral students were not satisfied with their supervi­ sion or guidance.

The report put graduate drop­ outs in the context of today’s knowl­ edge-based economy, where a post­ graduate education is almost vital.

-It outlined three main objectives: to ensure that there will be educational options that will meet the collective needs of Quebec, to support indi­ vidual success at the graduate level through financial support and possibilties of mentoring, and to promote a successful campaign for develop­ ing high calibre graduate studies.

All in all, the council hopes, by bringing these issues to light, to convince both the government and Quebec institutions to raise educa­ tion levels and continue to offer high quality graduate studies.

— Anand Bery

S t a y

c o z y

C ontinued from CO VER

agreement is connected to the closure of the Architecture Café, Burrows claims this is a separate issue that only served as a wake-up call for the consequences of unofficial relations with the McGill administration. He added that the ASA was fortunate to be able to open and manage the café for so many years without a MoA from the university. “ [Joining the EUS] was some­ thing that we started investigating before that issue came up, but in the memorandum issued from [Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learn­ ing)] Morton Mendelson’s office re­ garding the numbers of the Architec­ ture Café it mentions as one of the reasons that the Architecture Café was not a formally recognized group at McGill,” Burrows said.

“The space is being renovated as a student space by Prof. Jemtrud and so w e’ll see what happens once we have this affiliation with the EUS,” he added regarding the for­ mer café.

Being part of the EUS, a for­ mally recognized student organiza­ tion, grants the ASA the corporate

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status and accreditation to effec­ tively represent its students through actions like negotiating with the university on formal matters. It also allows them to charge fees to their students and take advantage of the resources available to the EUS. The merger, Keresteci said, will also allows Architecture students to participate in events held by the EUS. By the end of last year, the EUS had already added a specific clause to its constitution allowing the addi­ tion of departmental societies.

“It was something that people always [considered] an option, but the right pieces never fit together, so when our executive came in Allan our VP Internal was the first one to reach out to the ASA.” The final step in the agglomera­ tion will be to ensure that the con­ stitutions of the EUS and the ASA are aligned.

“The ASA is now an affiliated departmental society of the EUS, their constitution remains the same but they are now in the whole struc­ ture of the EUS,” Keresteci said.

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According to Burrows, the way the ASA is currently run will not significantly change after its merger with the EUS. They will maintain the majority of their autonomy, but will now benefit from the connec­ tion the EUS has to McGill.

Alexandre LaPierre, a U2 Ar­ chitecture student, actively support­ ed the motion at council and thinks it was a step in the right direction.

“I think it is going to benefit the students a lot, as the president of the EUS said it will increase the sense of community between the EUS and the ASA,” LaPierre said. “So I think all the students are going to benefit from that.”

Due to similarities that exists between the study of architecture and of engineering both the ASA and the EUS are genuinely looking forward to their fusion.

“Career-wise, architects and engineers will be working together for the rest of their lives,” Burrows said.

s t u d y

O P olarize M e M a rk o D ju rd jic

Bring back handwritten invites I miss receiving invitations.

Paper invitations. Invitations for everything. Birthday parties, pool parties, other parties. Those flimsy cards were a precious commodity in elementary and middle school.

They’re now a relic of a time when people had to sit down and write by hand, and had to commit time, dedication, and care. Even if the penmanship was poor, it offered an authenticity that has recently given way to something more sterile. The culprit is, of course, Facebook.

I recently had to invite as many friends as I could to a play I ’m per­ forming in. The process of going through a list of friends to pick those I wanted to invite was frustrating to say the least. The prospect of simply “inviting all” became more appeal­ ing with every subsequent group of people I scrolled through. The worst part about knowing the “invite all” feature exists, and not receiving an invitation to a massive event, makes one feel even more left out of these social events. There’s something about receiving an invite of any sort that makes the invitee feel ap­ preciated by the inviter. If some­ one took the time to click on your name alone, then there’s a wonder­ ful sense of elation, especially if the event is small. But Facebook has simply made the process of staging an event a bore.

Using mass texting and mass Facebook invites as ways to contact people has negated the ever impor­ tant aspect of having to invite a per-

W iÈ B E Ê f t

rc o m T

Learning to network

It’s only when standing in a room full of strangers that you real­ ize networking is not at all as easy as it seems. In fact, it might be the hardest thing a young professional has to do, and unfortunately, one of the most important things McGill doesn’t teach us.

Last weekend, I attended a conference in Ottawa for political junkies where we heard from no­ table Canadian political figures like Prime Minister Stephen Harper and

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son while physically in their pres­ ence. These days, when I get invited to events, I feel less important and special than I used to. Although this may seem selfish and self-obsessed, I appreciate being invited to events in person. Even if I don’t attend, simply having someone take the time to invite to your face carries an element of real friendship. Seeing an invite, and then seeing that 400 other people have been invited to the same event immediately negates some of the connection you feel to­ wards a person, and thus removes some of the excitement of attending.

Lazy invitations make for lazy at­ tendees, many of whom put “maybe attending” in an effort to placate those who made the event and sent out the invitations. What happened to RSVPing that you were coming, and then actually coming? Some try to escape this by texting their friends plans and event details, but these are immediately noticeable as mass texts: “Hey, come to our place Friday at 10” reeks of impersonal­ ity, and the least you can do is put “Hey guys...etc.” We know you’re inviting at least five of us with this same message, so lay off with the half-assed attempts at making them seem personal.

It’s easy to criticize Facebook, but by doing so we are really criti­ cizing ourselves, as we have accept­ ed this situation as the norm.

Yet the very nature of writing your friends’ names on that small line that read NAME, and penciling in your address and phone number, one card at a time, made your par­ ties and events seem special, im­ portant, and even downright holy.

Those cards took effort. Next time there’s a party, go to the dollar store, pick up a stack of those flimsy little cards, and send them to the people who most deserve a proper invite.

L et’s bring the cards back: I, for one, miss them.

I liked George W. Bush. I know this is a blasphemous thing to admit nowadays. The anti-Bush faith con­ tinues to flourish. Indeed, I didn’t like every single thing he did. But with the release of his new memoir Decision Points, it’s timely to elabo­ rate my defence of him and his ad­ ministration.

George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act, empowering the Department of Homeland Secu­ rity to coordinate the defence against terrorism. There’s no doubt that the PATROT Act helped prevent any ensuing domestic terrorist attacks after 9/11. It allowed the Bush ad­ ministration to freeze the assets of dozens of terrorist organizations. It allowed law enforcement to use rov­ ing wiretaps on suspected terrorists.

Previously these wiretaps were per­ fectly legal when used on drug deal­ ers, but not on terrorists, America’s worst enemies.

Bush also takes a lot of flak for his decision to authorize enhanced interrogation. Those tactics are vital, and save lives. There is no doubt of this conclusion. Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey sug­ gested that almost half of American intelligence on al-Qaeda came from those techniques. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the “mastermind” of 9/11, released a treasure trove of in­ formation after he was interrogated.

Enhanced interrogation is not necessarily torture. The legal ar­ gument put forward by the United States government, the idea that tor­

New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton. I didn’t feel intimidated by these great politicians, but I was in­ timidated by my peers. The students at the conference were intelligent, well-versed in Canadian political history, but most importantly, knew how to shake hands and make small talk.

While I was first in line to take a picture with the politicians, my friends were first to introduce them­ selves to each other. I was surprised that during the rare and short fiveminute breaks, my friends didn’t run to grab a glass of water or a snack, but instead used their lim­ ited free time to network with one another. It soon became painfully aware to me that small talk wasn’t my best asset. For a girl who wants to pursue a career in journalism or politics, this revelation felt like a flashing red danger light that my fu­

ture might be in jeopardy. So, am I totally doomed? The short answer is yes, but my inner optimist suggests there’s still some hope for me and other timid people.

Queen’s University career counsellor Cathy Keates says that the social component of conferences or events are extremely valuable for students. Work relationships are fos­ tered and new friendships are made.

She believes that it can be very in­ timidating, but it’s something you can get over once you get used to it.

When I thought about how this weakness might affect my future, I realized, as with any other problem, that the first step is admitting I have one. I feel uncomfortable in social situations where I must ask fellow students what organization they are a part of, what student leader­ ship positions they’ve attained, and which 50 extra-curricular activities

In defence of George W. Bush

ture should be more closely linked to the idea of long term harm, is compelling.

The fact is that those techniques work, and they wouldn’t be contro­ versial if they didn't. Corroborated with other sources, information ex­ tracted under interrogation can be powerful. Former army intelligence officer Rick Francona once suggest­ ed that the combination of isolating an inmate and keeping them in the dark produced workable intelligence within three days, on average.

There’s no doubt that tech­ niques like the “stress position” are extremely coercive. They’re not the techniques that anyone is keen on using. If politely asking al-Qaeda’s zealots to give up infor­ mation worked, 1 would support it.

The problem is that it doesn’t. Lives have been saved because of what enhanced interrogation has accom­ plished.

Then we come to Iraq. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know American intelligence was wrong about Iraq. There were no weapons of mass destruction. But hindsight is irrelevant. Bush had in front of him intelligence from not only the CIA, but also MI6 and other leading sources that Saddam Hussein had these weapons.

We still aren’t capable of ob­ jectively assessing George W. Bush’s presidency, and we won’t be for a long time. The anti-Bush crowd which claims this ability to do so is wrong. Hatred of the former president is irrational. The decisions mentioned above and in Bush’s memoir represent only a fraction of the Bush presidency, but an impor­ tant one. Someday, we will better know how effective of a president he was. Until then, he’ll continue to be demonized by those who un­ derstand so little about him and the choices he made.

they’ve participated in. However, students who are about to gradu­ ate need to perfect this small talk, since the ability to relate to other people, communicate effectively, and promote yourself is a part of the lifelong job process we are about to embark upon. Even if we have the skills and experience required for a job, if we can’t sell ourselves, we won’t even be considered. If I let my belief that Id o n ’t have this skill stop me from even trying, then yes, I am “doomed.” But the point is that I don’t have to be.

I can change my skills. Four years at McGill have taught me more about interacting with books and computers than about interact­ ing with students and teachers. Now that I ’ve recognized it, I’m ready to change. Granted, it won’t be easy, and will probably be awkward as I maneuver social situations asking

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strangers personal questions, but it will be something that will get easi­ er. The first step starts with acquiring confidence. Soon-to-be graduates like myself feel intimidated leav­ ing the protective school bubble and entering a new social environment.

But w e’ve been educated at one of the best universities in the world, and with that should come pride, not shyness. Probably the most impor­ tant thing to do is just to put yourself out there. Yes, it’s awkward and dif­ ficult the first 10 times, but I know that if I try hard enough, it will get easier, because at every new event I can meet people who will help me foster greater confidence in myself as I practice meeting other new people. And the next time I attend a conference, I will be the one ready to network with both the presenters and the audience during those brief, precious free moments.

TheMcGill

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7

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Last week, the Students’ Soci­ ety Legislative Council updated the 2008 version of the equity policy.

There are problems with certain parts of the amended version. While they’re largely definitional problems, they’re anything but semantic. Fu­ ture interpretations of the words in this document could lead to clubs unjustifiably having their funding cut. The wording of a document with such potential consequences must be perfect, and as right now it definitely is not.

For one thing, councillors amended the original definition of oppression, which was ambiguous, but the amendment is similarly un­ satisfactory: “Oppression means the exercise of power by a group of peo­ ple over another group of people with specific consideration of cultural, historical, and living legacies." This is grammatically convoluted to the point that it effectively means noth­ ing. It’s unclear, for instance, which

party is meant to consider “cultural, historical, and living legacies.” As it reads right now, it sounds like it’s the oppressor’s consideration of “lega­ cies” that makes their power oppres­ sive. Presumably, council meant this to be a consideration taken by the equity commissioners. In addition, the phrase “the exercise of power” is problematic A group of people exercising power over another is the definition of government. SSMU exercises power over students every day: it levies fees, makes decisions about the student centre and events, and claims to speak on behalf of the student body. This definition leaves room for the interpretation that SSMU might be violating its own equity policy by merely existing. Ad­ ditionally, what exactly are “cultural, historical, and living legacies?” Leg­ acies of what? These will have to be interpreted later, and given both their importance and ambiguity, it’s unfor­ tunate that council will actually have

almost no say in what these words will ultimately mean.

Another issue can be found in a section that is supposedly meant to protect free speech, but which can also be read to mean the exact opposite. Section 3.2 states that the equity policy should not be read as limiting dialogue on controversial political issues, provided it’s “on le­ gitimate topics” and “conducted in a respectful, non-coercive, collegial manner that conforms to the policy on discrimination and harassment.”

It’s unclear why any part of this, be­ sides mandating conformity to the preexisting policy on discrimination and harassment, is necessary. The Tribune has repeatedly called for a more respectful campus debate, but doesn’t support an attempt to man­ date such a thing. The legitimacy of a topic and the respectfulness and collegiality of debate are subjective and open to interpretation and discussion.

That an appointed committee has

the power to remove a club’s fund­ ing if they deem it in contravention of one of these is antithetical to the stated purpose of encouraging open discussion. Independent groups like the Tribune, the Daily, and the Que­ bec Public Interest Research Group, which operate events in the Shatner Building, but over whose funding SSMU has no influence, pose an ad­ ditional problem. The worst punish­ ment they can get for violating the equity policy is a demand for a letter of apology. SSMU's equity policy in effect gives them relatively greater licence to speak freely than the clubs whose purse strings equity can cut.

Even if council knew what they meant when writing this new equity policy, the people who will have to interpret it in future years may not have the same ideas. Solidifying pol­ icy into words means it needs to be intelligible for the future. Parts of the new policy are nearly unintelligible now. It needs to be reconsidered.

Copy Editor Kyle Carpenter

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Sadinsky, M axim e

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L ogan S m ith, A d a S onnenfeld, B rendan S teven, V icky T obianah, Ju lia W ebster, Jake W inn

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In 2008, there were 4,330 Cana­ dians on waiting lists for organ trans­ plants, and 215 of them died before receiving the potentially life-saving surgery they needed. At the moment, there are 1200 people on the waiting list in Quebec alone.

Looking at these numbers, it’s clear that the legislation proposed last Thursday by Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc, designed to make the Quebec organ donation system more efficient, is an important step in the right direction. The proposed chang­ es would have the province join the Canadian Live Donors Registry, a federal program launched last year to help facilitate kidney transplants from live donors, and would also re­ vamp the province’s system for post­ mortem donations. The current sys­ tem, in which individuals who wish to become donors sign the back of their health cards, would be replaced with one where interested donors in­ dicate their interest when they renew their health card every four years.

The names of potential donors would then be entered in an electronic pro­ vincial registry, which doctors would be required to call when one of their patients dies.

While any effort to increase do­ nation rates is significant, the entire country should be looking to larger systemic changes if the waiting list for organ transplants is to be signifi­ cantly reduced. Canada should fol­ low the lead of other countries such as Spain and Australia, and imple-

ment an opt-out system of organ donation. In such a system, every individual would automatically be considered a donor unless they indi­ cate otherwise.

While research shows that the majority of Canadians support organ donation, only a small minority have actually signed donor cards or reg­ istries. In an opt-out system, the or­ gans of those who have not bothered to opt-in, who don’t know how, and those who do not have their donor cards with them at time of death and have not made their wishes clear to their families, would not go to waste but would instead help to save the lives of as many as eight people. In addition, research has indicated that the increase in donors that such a sys­ tem would likely provide could help to stem the growing black market for organs.

O f course, there are individuals and groups with moral or religious opposition to organ donation. To help ensure that these people would be able to indicate their convictions, the opt-out system would need to be simple, accessible, and available to even those who are illiterate or don’t speak French or English. It would also need to be accompanied by a large public information campaign to inform individuals of their right to opt-out as well as instructions on how to do so.

An opt-out system is not about coercion or deception; it’s about en­ suring that the organs of interested

donors who currently fall through the cracks are utilized effectively. This method rests on one major assump­ tion: that most Canadians would be willing to help save the lives of oth­ ers if given the choice. * * * Some of us, however, though in agreement with the recent Que­ bec legislation, don’t believe Canada should switch from an opt-in donor system to an opt-out one. We believe that in discussing such important is­ sues we must use a vocabulary other than the merely utilitarian. While we understand the horrible reality that Canadians die every day for want of organ donors, it’s too drastic a step for the government to declare ownership over every person’s corpse barring an explicit request from that person or their family that no such assumption about their wishes be made. It’s too easy to conceive of possible circum­ stances in which something could go wrong. When you’re dealing with an issue as important and irreversible as what happens to someone’s body after they die, there’s no room for error.

The idea that a person should have to explicitly state that they don’t want their organs removed after they die—even if for humanitarian and un­ questionably good purposes—seems to us too dystopian to be taken seri­ ously as a nationwide proposal. To make it the law of the land would be

to effectively disparage the “moral or religious opposition,” to declare the government’s avowed support for those in favour of donation and its disapproval of those opposed.

The resources that would go into a nationwide campaign informing people of their right to opt-out could and should instead be used for mobi­ lizing a massive campaign to inform people of why they should and how they can opt-in to the current system.

If done properly, this could probably achieve the same result o f increasing donor rates among those who would indeed wish to donate their organs to medicine after they die, but are too uninformed about how they can sign themselves up.

There’s no sense in compound­ ing the tragedy of Canadians wait­ ing for organ donations by risking that something be done with a per­ son’s dead body which they would not want to have done. Assuming Canadians would want their organs donated to medicine unless they ex­ plicitly state otherwise does exactly that. There’s room within the current opt-in system for improvement, as Quebec’s proposed changes demon­ strate, and we support whatever al­ location of federal funds is necessary to ensure that voluntary—and only voluntary—organ donations increase dramatically.

8

Commentary Catherine Leurer Help support mothers This year, especially in Quebec, “autonomy” seems to be a hot topic word. The idea that people have a right to make their own choices is a common argument, especially for anyone who takes a pro-choice stance. But these words, “autono­ my” and “choice,” are somewhat misleading when used outside of the context of a real situation. When a woman faces a crisis pregnancy, for example, how much of a choice does she really have? When facing the financial realities of mother­ hood, abortion may seem like the only possible route. In this situation, does it count as a choice if there is seemingly only one viable option?

No woman should ever feel as if she is being forced into an abor­ tion, whether it’s because of a lack of resources or an absence of emo­ tional support. The difficulties of an unplanned pregnancy are immense, but they need not be insurmountable.

Women should be able to embrace their womanhood and their mother­ hood, without also dealing with debt or poverty as a consequence. As Margaret Colin, honorary co-chair of Feminists for Life, eloquently put it, we need to fight “for the rights of pregnant women—for society to change to accept them, not for them to change to be accepted by society.”

The financial difficulties, the time

Commentary Martin Law

The politics of the poppy I didn’t know whether or not to buy a poppy for Remembrance Day this year.

In the Canadian consciousness the red poppy is a symbol of respect for soldiers, those who fought in wars from the First World War to the present day. The poppy, and Re­ membrance Day in general, reminds us of the sacrifices made for the freedoms that Canadians and others enjoy today. I accept this, but with a weary heart.

I believe there is a much dark­ er, unspoken spectre of history with which we have to come to serious terms. Each November 11,1 carry an unspoken feeling that the Cana­ dians, or anyone else for that mat­

commitment of motherhood, and the pressures often added by close family and friends, should never co­ erce a woman into abortion. Young mothers should feel loved and sup­ ported, and should know that their child will feel the same love and support.

Imagine yourself dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, finding yourself thrust into the role of moth­ er or father. How are you going to support your child? Where will you find the money for the endless sup­ ply of diapers, baby wipes, bottles, and clothing? How will you find the time to care for your child? Will you be able to continue your edu­ cation? These kinds of stresses are what push women towards abortion every day. But despite these pres­ sures, there is a light in the darkness.

For those who are brave enough to challenge these problems, there are crisis pregnancy centres that pro­ vide both financial and emotional support to mothers in need. They provide women with the necessities that allow them to follow through with their pregnancies and their role as a mother. This w eek, Choose Life is running a diaper drive to support the pregnancy centres that provide this service. These centres are in need of diapers, baby toys, and cradles. We invite you to bring in these supplies, or to make a mon­ etary donation towards the cause.

There will be a table set up at the Y-intersection, and collection bins in many buildings on campus. Join us in making sure mothers have the support they need.

Catherine Leurer is Choose Life VP-Internal, and can be reached at catherine.leurer@mail. mcgill.ca.

An article recently published in M aclean’s magazine, titled “Too Asian?” has generated controversy by presenting non-Asian Canadian students and families as concerned about attending universities with large Asian populations. Campuses that have the reputation of being too academically focused at the ex­ pense of a robust social scene are negatively cast as “too Asian.”

While the article is light on po­ litical correctness—one high school counsellor says, “Asians are the new Jews” — its real flaw is the oversim­ plification and gross generalization of a minority culture.

But for the authors to boil the discrepancy down to Asian students as “strivers, high achievers and single-minded in their approach to university” and white students as “more likely to choose universities build their school lives around so­ cial interaction, athletics and selfactualization—and, yes, alcohol,” is a comparison that unfairly promotes an “us versus them” mentality.

At other times, the article is grasping for straws to stir its drink.

The authors write that “there is lit­ tle Asian representation on student government, campus newspapers or college radio stations.” The Univer­ sity of British Columbia’s student

ter, who died in the First World War probably died for no greater cause.

T hat’s around 60,000 soldiers, over half of those slain Canadians we me­ morialize on November 11. With that in mind. I don’t find Remembrance Day to be only a day of dignified respect, but also of tragic solemnity, where we must confront an unjustifi­ able loss. We don’t seem to acknowl­ edge it explicitly, perhaps because it seems outright wrong to say. To hear the words at our Remembrance Day service that our soldiers “gave their tomorrow for our today” is emotion­ ally moving. However, to examine what exactly half of our war dead fell for with a cold, objective view is quite another.

Taking Professor Peter Hoff­ man’s First World War history course last year made me question the real extent to which the sacrific­ es of Canadian soldiers contributed to anyone’s freedom. The reason Canada fought in the First World War was based on British interests in maintaining a certain balance of power, among other political goals.

To add any moral significance to

the war aims and motivations seems downright false. Additionally, the seeds of the Second World War were laid in the treaties that emerged from the First. Did those Canadian sol­ diers die making a sacrifice towards what they believed they fought for?

We must contend seriously with the chilling idea that perhaps they just died horrific deaths, for no greater purpose than guaranteeing an even greater war two decades later.

What of the poppy? Isn’t it a symbol for all conflicts and sacrifices for our way of life? I understand that.

But to me, it’s still a specific symbol of the First World War. It evokes for­ eign fields senselessly soaked with the blood o f thousands of human be­ ings, and represents one of the most horrific wars humanity has known.

In Scotland, the poppy was popu­ larized by a campaign launched by Field Marshall Douglas Haig, whom I don’t regard in his common image as a butcher, but under whose com­ mand a young man from my family died at Ginchy in the Somme. And for what? I ’m entitled to question why we wear a symbol each No­

Commentary Trip Yang “Too Asian?” is too simplified

life is cited as an example, where the student executive contains no Asian members for the 2010-11 year. I have a hard time believing the demographic makeup of one unspecified student body at UBC is representative of Canadian student life in general. It’s comical to think that a reputable magazine hires such nonsensical inductionists.

Reader response has not been surprising. The Chinese Canadian National Council criticized the Ma­ clean’s article as “fear mongering.”

One Toronto executive director of the council labelled it “definitely racist.” It also unfairly targets one visible minority group as cliquish when the problem of self-segregat­ ing communities is really an im­ migration issue. If there is a silver lining, it's that the Asian Canadian community can use this opportunity to re-evaluate the group’s self-iden­ tity within a multicultural society.

As “model minorities,” Asians have often been depicted in main­ stream media as academic superstars who are hardworking and careerfocused. My own parents, extended family, and friends of Asian descent have often embraced the virtues of being perceived in such positive light. Whenever I pondered if our group’s overachievement and suc­ cess can sometimes breed backlash, my concerns were dismissed as fool­ ish and illogical.

But living in an oblivious bub­ ble is an unhealthy mentality that should be remedied. If there are members of another culture who are discouraged from attending a prestigious university because the high number of Asians presumably raises the curve, then we shouldn’t be afraid to examine the concerns.

vember 11 that was popularized by the man who commanded while an ancestor of mine died.

I’m not alone in this skcepticism. The British journalist Jon Snow has refused to wear a poppy for public broadcasts before Remem­ brance Day, saying we can choose to remember (or not remember) in whatever way we like. I agree with him insofar as we have a freedom of expression, and those we com­ memorate died for us to have that right. The Guardian, commenting on Snow, made the point that in France, where the war struck even worse, few wear the equivalent cornflower, yet many still remember.

I bought a poppy anyway, and I always have. But I feel a strange cu­ riosity towards the red plastic adorn­ ment on my lapel. Like any sym­ bol, it will carry whatever meaning people choose to give it. For me, it represents sacrifice, and I just leave it at that.

Martin Law is a U2 history stu­ dent, and can be reached at martin, law @mail.mcgill.ca.

When Princeton sociologist Thomas Espenshade claims that Asian stu­ dents require an extra 140 points on the SAT to have an equal chance at university acceptance as white stu­ dents, we need to scientifically test and peer review the phenomenon, and if true, make the community conscious of it.

The publication of “Too Asian?” and the subsequent outrage reminds us that it’s important not to sweep contentious matters under the rug.

If some feel that Asian students are more socially challenged, that Asian students segregate into their own campus cliques, and that there is a correspondingly higher standard for academic success, then these issues should all be spotlighted for discus­ sion, even if it makes us cringe.

I ’ve also encountered those who are very cognizant of the reper­ cussions of being a model minority.

When I interviewed for Columbia University in my last year of high school, my Chinese-American inter­ viewer and Columbia alumni bluntly asked, “There are so many qualified Asian candidates applying to Ivy League schools. Trip, what can you bring besides good grades and an af­ finity for the piano?” I proceeded to explain how impressive my bench press-to-height ratio was.

While most Columbia rejectees reluctantly attend New York Univer­ sity or Cornell, I was lucky to end up at McGill. And it seems the stars have aligned—I ’ve even met a cou­ ple of Asian students here who are involved in student life, like to drink, and can interact with others -without speaking Mandarin or Korean.

Trip Yang is a U3 economics and psychology student, and can be reached at trip.yang@ mail.me gill.

Re: McGill earns B+ in univer­ sity sustainability rankings So McGill only got a B+ rating for sustainability. It’s not that bad, and considering all the other stuff McGill has on its agenda, it should be happy it was able to pull that off.

I mean, McGill could be like those other universities that spend all their time in the library and go to the SEI office hours all the time, but McGill has a life, and it has other things to do. Really, a B+ isn’t that bad for McGill. At least it’s not one of those institutions where sustainabil­ ity grades are all inflated just so the university can get into sustainabil­ ity grad school. McGill cares more about being challenged and doing the best it can, and in this case, that was a B+.

James Hirsch U3 political science and North American studies

S t u d e n t

L iv in g

MC GI L L I A N S AFTER MCGI L L

A Day In Khirdalan with the Peace Corps B a c k g a m m o n

re p la c e s

By Jake Winn Contributor I wake up at 7 a.m. to the sounds of roosters, ducks and goats in the backyard, undoubtedly argu­ ing over who will be the choice for tonight’s meal. My room is freezing.

The kitchen is warm because of the stovetop burner that’s constantly left on; I do my best to stay in there. The day begins quickly, with the boys running around the house dressing in their neatly kept school uniforms, my host father grumbling as he leaves for work, and my host mother stuffing fresh milk, bread, and tea down my throat as she lectures me on how I’m not dressed warmly enough. In this country, if your hair is wet, or if you’re missing a layer of clothing, you will get sick, and you will die.

I make my way down the main road to the local school where Peace Corps has set up a makeshift class­ room for us. Five of us have four hours of language instruction in this icebox everyday. As I walk, I keep alert, avoiding trash piles and stray dogs. I give my daily nods to the various shopkeepers; the butcher, the mechanic, the teahouse owner. A

b e e rs

at

B ifteck fo r th is

bus on its way to Baku city passes by. It’s packed full and all eyes are on me. I give a quick wave to a little boy whose face is firmly pressed up against the window; I ’m probably the first American he has ever seen.

By this point, I ’m used to the daily harassment, the “fishbowl effect” as we like to call it: the pointing, the snickering, the “Hello, where are you from?” 1,000 times a day.

I ’m careful as I cross the street.

Occasionally, I have to jump out of the way as a brand new Mercedes flies by, or I help give a push to a broken down Soviet-era car on its way to the market, carrying double its weight in apples in the trunk and backseat. The rift between dilapidat­ ed, post-Soviet underdevelopment and new oil wealth is ever-present.

As four hours of language instruc­ tion come to an end, I make my way home for lunch, only to return for another few hours of technical train­ ing. In these sessions, we prepare for our new lives as Youth Development Facilitators where w e’ll work direct­ ly with at risk communities. There are 14 of us. It’s a strong group, and everyone is uncontrollably excited to finish training and begin our service.

The city of Khirdalan is only a tem­

'M a m a t .y t t .e .’iS-------! che.e.j5e>caK**

By Chelsea Lytle & M o n iq u e Evans

C o n t r ib u t o r s This cheesecake is not the spring form New York cheesecake you’re used to. Rather, it’s supple and pudding-like in texture, with a delicious cream cheese flavour.

It has a graham cracker crust—a must for cheesecake—and a soft cream cheese filling. A sour cream topping is a perfect garnish for this yummy treat.

Crust: • 1 stick butter, melted • 4 tbsp. sugar • 1 package of graham crackers Smash the graham crackers until they are fine crumbs. Add the sugar and melted butter to the

crumbs and mix together. Press into a pie plate.

M cG ill

T he butcher “shop”; apples for sale in an Azeri m arket. (Jake W in n / M cG ill Tribune)

porary site for us. We’ll all be sent to different, permanent locations by the beginning of December.

Following the technical session, I prepare for two conversation clubs with the ninth, 10th, and 11th grad­ ers. English conversation clubs are Peace Corps’ fail-proof starter pro­ gram, a comprehensive way to meet the local youth and integrate our­ selves into the community. They’re the building blocks for all other de­ velopment initiatives.

The kids took a lot out of me.

I get home just as it’s getting dark, and struggle to answer my family’s questions about how my day went as I wash up for dinner. Tonight we

eat Yarpag Dolma (ground meat wrapped in grape leaves) smothered in yogurt. As is customary, all meals are accompanied by fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, pickled vegetables, and, the most important of all Azeri foods, bread. Following the meal, my host mother serves us tea and pomegranates as my host father and I play a few games of Nard (Azeri backgammon). The two brothers look on, smiling ear to ear as they watch their father destroy me, over and over again. Very few words are exchanged, especially after I finally manage to win a game.

As the night winds down, I retire to my room to finish up some home­

work for tomorrow. I jump rope and do pushups, but there’s no shower for me tonight. There’s not enough water, and the water that we do have is ice cold and would take hours to heat up. Instead, I get by with Rus­ sian brand baby wipes and strong deodorant.

What I wouldn’t give for a morn­ ing lacrosse practice on Forbes Field, a quick breakfast in the Shatner Building before class, a study break at Timmy H o’s in the base­ ment of Redpath, or even a beer at Biftek to celebrate the end of yet another week. At this point, McGill seems so distant.

O D D S & ENDS

Parents replace student with dog H o w

o n e

Cake:

By Alison Bailey

3 c. cream cheese 3 beaten eggs 1 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Mix cream cheese and eggs until smooth. Add sugar and va­ nilla and mix. Pour the mixture on top of the crust. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes.

T opping : • 2 c. sour cream • 1 tsp. vanilla • 3 tbsp. sugar Mix together. Allow the cake to cool, and then add the topping.

Bake at 400F for an additional 10 minutes.

F e a u tre s E d it o rs

• • • •

a l u m n u s

p air o f e m p t y

At the end of August, my sister packed her bags and moved to Chicago to study art, leaving my parents as empty nesters. My parents had spent, just as they had done for me, roughly 18 years holding my sister’s hand, wiping her mouth, and making sure she got up every time she fell. Now they’d have to just trust that she’d survive in Chicago by herself. They suddenly had twice, or even thrice, as much time on their hands.

To fill the void their children left, some couples start going to the theatre or develop hobbies. My parents bought a dog. Our one-yearold puppy, Eddie, has slowly but surely replaced my sister and me.

Over the past weekend, I realized the full extent of the problem: my parents worship the ground this dog poops on.

My parents have become those “dog people” that I used to mock, the ones who treat their dog like a human being. Who in their right minds would leave a dog an inheritance?

n e s te r s

is l e a r n i n g t o

Now I ’m starting to question the future of my financial comfort. I can already see my dad using patrilineal inheritance as a justification: “Eddie is after all our only male offspring.”

They do the most embarrassing things, like call Eddie my brother and put him on the phone. They buy umbrellas with golden retrievers on them and attend the Dog W hisperer’s show in Ottawa. Eddie somehow got a needle embedded under his jaw, and my parents spent the equivalent of two iPads to remove it. No matter what Eddie does, my parents will always love him.

If I were to rate how my parents see my dog through an arbitrary point system, this is roughly how it would go: Eddie eats my shoe: Alison: -20 points Parents: +5, because I should have put my shoes away.

Eddie wakes me up at 8 a.m.: Alison: -5 points. If he had given me an extra hour it would have been cute.

Parents: +20 points, because they told him to do it. “Good boy!”

Eddie tries to roll over but gets stuck

c o p e

halfway: Alison: +10, he looks like a turtle, that’s hilarious. H e’s so stupid.

Parents: +20, he looks so cute.

On a recent weekend visit back home, I took the dog for a walk.

In my everyday outdoor attire, a beige pea coat and jeans, we headed towards the park. I didn’t realize I should have suited up for World War Three.

By the time I got home both Eddie and I were completely covered in mud, despite every other dog and owner at the dog park remaining sparkly clean. As I walked through the door, Eddie had about -543 points in my books. The sly grin on my parents’ faces killed me. I could tell Eddie had just gained at least another 20 points.

What they see in this dog puzzles me. All I know is that I have to forget about my inheritance because there are more pressing concerns.

Next time I come home, Eddie will have my room and I’ll be sleeping in the kitchen.

R

e m

e m

b r a n c e

D

a y

At ii a.m. last Thursday, veterans, soldiers, and the McGill community gathered to remember the victims of war. The solemn ceremony featured a 21-gun salute and pipes and drums from the Black Watch of Canada. It was the second year that McGill hosted the Royal Canadian Legion, Quebec Command’s ceremony.

“We are the Dead. Short days ago / We lived, fe lt dawn, saw sunset glow, / Loved and were loved, and now we lie. / In Flanders fields. / Take up our quarrel with the fo e: / To you from failing hands we throw / The torch; be yours to hold it high. ” —Lt. John McRae (1872-1918), former McGill professor of medicine

Photos by Anna Katycheva, Sophie Silkes, Alice Walker and Julia Webster

ONLY THREE W EEK S LEFT TO W R IT E FOR T H E M C G IL L T R IB U N E IN 2 0 1 0 !

C O M E T O A M E E T IN G A N D F IN D O U T H O W T O G E T IN V O L V E D :

NEWS: MONDAYS AT 5:30 IN THE TRIBUNE OFFICE FEATURES/STUDENT LIVING: WEDNESDAYS AT 5:30 IN THE TRIBUNE OFFICE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: TUESDAYS AT 5:30 IN GERT’S SPORTS: WEDNESDAYS AT 5:45 IN THE TRIBUNE OFFICE

12

Curiosity Delivers - mcgilltribune.com

O D D S & ENDS

O n e , tw o , th r e e , Z u m b a In se c u ritie s

d o n ’t s t o p

B y M o o k ie K ie d e c k e l M a n a g in g E d it o r Last Sunday, I experienced the wonderful world of Zumba for the first time.

For those unfamiliar with Zumba, it’s essentially line dancing to pop and Latin music for the sake of getting in shape. Picture a square dance meets Sweatin ’ to the Oldies meets a bar mitzvah in Colombia, and you’re starting to get the idea.

This is “Cotton Eye Joe” and “The Cha Cha Slide” for the 21st century.

And it’s good exercise, too.

For some reason, Zumba tends to be a female dominated activity.

Maybe it’s because years of televi­ sion have taught us that fat and ugly men inevitably end up with beautiful wives, and so men feel less inclined to exercise. Maybe it’s because some guys have a macho complex that makes them eschew cardio for weights. Or maybe it’s because for some reason guys don’t think they’re supposed to like dancing. Either way, men do not seem to do Zumba.

Except for me. This kind of

th is

g u y f ro m

s h a k in g

dancing feels just like camp to me, where every Friday night w e’d Is­ raeli dance. Girls changed into pants so nothing indecent would happen, and guys changed into skirts be­ cause, hey, twirling around in one is the most liberating thing in the world. Then we spent about 45 min­ utes working off dinner, with the extra motivation that I had to look sharp for Saturday lifeguard and tan­ ning duty.

I didn’t wear a skirt to Zumba, I thought my thigh high running shorts would do the trick just fine. But I did try to bring some of that spirit of freedom (read: being an attentionseeker) into class that day. And so, I became the only male at Zumba.

This really shouldn’t have been a big deal, but I had had some previ­ ously negative experiences being the only guy in a group. Like when I was seven and dreams of being Chip in the stage production of Beauty and the Beast led me to enrol in acting classes. I was the only boy, I cried, and I quit. Or in grade three when I got stuck being the only boy in a group project. I cried about that one

his

b o o ty

Shaking insecurities & calories o ff at th e sane tim e w hile doing Z u m b a . (Alice W alker / M cG ill Tribune)

too. But now as a strapping 21-yearold, with a female friend-base nearby and my girlfriend Georgina for sup­ port, this was going to be nothing.

There would be no tears today.

But there’s no accounting for the thoughts that swirled in my head. At first, there was a steady stream of “It feels so good to move,” transitioning into “Am I that obnoxious guy who can’t follow instructions and is ruin­ ing the exercise experience for all the girls?,” into “Lfh oh, do all these girls think I’m some pervert who’s

BACK T O C A M P U S

c a n

reasons. We’re all people, and all people—male or female—have the right to get in shape by standing in line, marching side to side, moving their hips in a circle, and jumping back and forth with vibrating thighs to sweet Latin beats.

I’ll be going to Zumba again, and I encourage others to come too. Sometimes you just have to say goodbye to self-consciousness, let go of shame and pride, and just dance. Or if you prefer to do it at home, buy the videogame.

BITS & PI ECES O F MCGI LL

T h e e x c h a n g e e x p e rie n c e W h a t w e

just here to watch a room full of girls in tights shaking it?” I usually don’t think gender matters. But it was a bit hard to ignore at first.

Thanks to the power of the music, Zumba kept getting better. By the time we reached Pitbull’s “Calle Ocho,” my thoughts were gone as I happily shook my rump with the rest of the girls. Sure, I dance to the beat of my own drummer, and yes, that drummer tends to be offbeat, but that’s just the way I do. And I know I’m not there for the wrong

learn

a b o u t

By Am anda de Souza________ _____

C o n t r ib u t o r McGill students, living up to their overachiever stereotype, are always looking for ways to enhance their university experience. That’s precisely why year after year many McGillians participate in the McGill Exchange/Study Abroad Program, taking on the role of international student and returning with more than another stamp in their passports.

Students typically leave on ex­ change sometime during their third year. This gives them two full years to adapt to and understand M cGill’s academic and social environment.

Yet in speaking to multiple return­ ing exchange students, I noticed a common trend among them. They all expressed a great deal of trouble re-acclimating to the McGill envi­ ronment.

“You forget that the lifestyle at McGill is so difficult to maintain,” says Ari Jaffe, U3 Management, who spent last semester on exchange in Bangkok, Thailand, “At McGill you have to be a superhuman. Exchange was nothing like that.”

Whether they’d gone to Bang­ kok, Sydney, London, or Sao Paulo I found these students’ symptoms fol­

M cG ill f ro m

th e

lowed a similar pattern, ultimately leaving them in a reverse culture shock state when they return to the Roddick Gates.

The process begins once you’re admitted to the program. “It’s all so surreal until the plane actually lands,” said Diana Stem, a U3 IDS and Management student who spent last semester at the University of Leeds in the UK, “There is a period of shock when you arrive to realize that you have to build a life in a new city.”

However, the reality of ex­ change quickly kicks in. Proudly bearing the McGill name, you’re warmly welcomed by your new community. Between the travelling, new friends, and the ease of pass/ fail courses, the bulk of these five months are spent more as a getaway than an academic experience. But what goes up must come down.

“The thought of leaving ex­ change behind was heartbreaking,” said Jaffe.

This is where most recently re­ turned students find themselves. “It was surprisingly difficult to readjust to the McGill environment,” said Stem. “You realize after experienc­ ing student life somewhere else, the competitive nature and stress level

o u ts id e

M c G ill’s fro g lo o k in g

in

that is synonymous with McGill is unique to it as well.” Acclimatizing back to McGill requires more than suiting up in Canada Goose.

McGill provides students with the opportunity to study abroad at some of the world’s most reputable institutions, so the level of academ­ ics is relatively similar. Why then are McGill students under so much more stress? Alana Romoff, a U3 cultural studies student explained, “Wë tend to put so much emphasis on the hardships of this school that we take for granted the great things that make McGill such a positive personal experience for us. My friends at McGill are what I came to cherish most about university.”

Jaffe and Stem agreed that the well-rounded student we ideal­ ize here is an unnecessary standard worldwide.

We don’t need to be so con­ cerned with being in the top five per cent of our class in order to feel accomplished. So in this pre-finals season of multiple papers and sec­ ond round midterms, let us use the example of our peers overseas and view our degrees not as a means to an end, but as a larger journey out­ side of Leacock, Shulich and Redpath.

D etails

o n

th e

a d m in is tr a tio n

By Alison B a i l e y _______________

F e a tu re s E d it o r There is a frog above the en­ trance to the James Administration building. Although most students walk by this building every day, it’s an architectural detail that’s easy to miss. If you’ve noticed it, you may be wondering what it has to do with administration or McGill; in reality, it has very little to do with either.

(H olly Stew art / M cG ill Tribune)

b u ild in g

The Medical Building, built in 1872, used to stand where the James Administration building currently does. It burned down in 1907, and a new biology building was built in its place. A small brick structure to the west of the building was constructed to serve as the animal house. While the current structure doesn’t house any laboratories or classrooms, the frog remains intact as a reminder of its original purpose.

A & E THEATRE

W h y d e lib e ra tio n is n e c e s s a ry T w e lv e A n g r y

M en

s h o w

u s

w h a t ’s w r o n g

w ith

th e

judicial

s y s te m

By Alexander H am ilton

C o n t r ib u t o r Closing the fall season at Play­ ers’ Theatre, the cast and crew of Twelve Angry Men take on the daunt­ ing task of performing an American classic on the McGill stage. Based on the 1954 teleplay by Reginald Rose, Twelve Angry Men has been adapted twice for film, performed on Broadway, and the original motion picture was inducted into the Na­ tional Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Director Natalie Gershstein’s production aspires to a realis­ tic portrayal of this timeless account of 12 jurors deciding the guilt or innocence of a young man charged with murdering his father.

Set in a crowded and, at times, claustrophobic jury room, the play recounts a single juror’s stubborn refusal to succumb to the pressures of his peers in the decision over the murder trial. The action of the play revolves around the protagonist’s at­ tempts to convince his fellow jurors to review the evidence presented, and revise their quick judgment of the case. His attempts to alter the group’s verdict are presented with both subtlety and complexity, focus­ ing on the shifting dynamic of the group and the varied interactions be­ tween the 12 characters.

Twelve Angry Men is an impor­ tant artistic depiction of the Ameri­ can judicial system that manages to resonate as well with audiences today as it did 50 years ago. The characterization of the many preju­ dices inherent in American society can be viewed historically as a com­

T he jury exam ines evidence in

Twelve Angry Men. (Saskia

mentary on McCarthyism, fascism, communism, or as a timeless indict­ ment against all forms of bigotry.

The piece’s message is perennial und it remains relevant in the face of social change thanks to its astute depiction of humanity.

The protagonist, Juror Num­ ber Eight (Rowan Spencer), dis­ tinguishes himself from the group with his deliberate aloofness and introspection. Although Spencer’s performance controls the stage, his talent lies in his ability to disconnect from the action and to lead the jury with reason. The group’s interac­ tions are dominated by the bigotry of Jurors Number Three (Matthew Banks), Number Six (Alex Rivers), and Number Ten (Matthew Steen), whose aggressive views and un­

N ow icki / M cG ill Tribune)

willingness to engage in rational discourse eventually alienate them from the rest of the jury. However, the play’s true antagonist appears to be a stockbroker, Juror Num­ ber Four (Andrew Cameron), who coolly matches Spencer’s charac­ ter point for point with reasonable dissent. As the play progresses, the more rational characters—Juror Number Nine (Gerard Westland), Juror Number Eleven (Martin Law), and Juror Number Five (James Kelly)—quickly line up on the side of the protagonist, while the rest of the cast—the Foreman (Leo Im­ bert), Juror Number Two (Richard Carozza), Juror Number Six (Max Lanocha) and Juror Number Twelve (Max Lloyd-Jones)—take longer to be convinced.

The comprehensiveness of the cast’s performance is remarkable, in particular its ability to represent a wide range of mannerisms and stereotypes. Gerard Westland is con­ vincing in the difficult role of an old man, thanks in part to some great makeup. Also notable is the dyna­ mism between several of the ac­ tors. The interaction between Juror Number Twelve, an ad man lacking in convictions, and Juror Number Eleven, a German immigrant with an outsider’s perspective on the situation, is especially enjoyable to watch, as is the strange alliance that forms between Jurors Number Three and Number Four.

The play’s staging adheres to Gershstein’s realist aims. The paint­ ed faux wood floor frames the action

nicely, and frequent use of props, like two switchblade knives and an overhead projector, enhance the pro­ duction. Lighting is used to focus the audience’s attention on the ac­ tion when it shifts to the washroom, and when seated around the table the characters stagger their chairs and situate themselves so as to avoid blocking anyone.

Even with 12 actors in such an enclosed space, the play’s action manages to shift smoothly. While certain characters are speaking, oth­ ers will mime dialogue, or position themselves to the sides of the stage.

The careful realism of Twelve Angry' Men is broken only a few times, in particular during one indelible scene where the characters turn their backs on Juror Number 10’s dogmatic monologue. The moment is blatant­ ly theatrical, but the performance retains an overall realistic quality throughout.

Gershstein’s production of Twelve Angry Men is a thorough and methodical performance of the play that succeeds in capturing the impetus of Rose’s original script. Al­ though this version doesn't attempt any radical modifications, its critique of prejudice, reason, and persuasion in the judicial system remains re n t­ able and necessary.

Twelve Angry Men plays from November 17-20. Tickets are $6. For more information visit ssmu.mcgill. ca/players/

P o p Iffie to r ic The Unexpected Appeal o f Teen M om

I ’ll admit it: I love M TV’s Teen Mom. I’ve been addicted since sea­ son one of 16 and Pregnant, think­ ing that the show would be exactly the mind-numbing hour of reality television I would need to carry on with my life. But three seasons later, I’ve come to appreciate the show in more than the normal, so-bad-it’sgood way that MTV is famous for.

And according to the ratings, I’m not alone. The premiere of Teen Mom in December 2009 attracted over two million viewers, making it M TV’s highest debuting show in al­ most two years. Last week’s season

two finale drew 5.5 million view­ ers, making it one of M TV’s highest ranked shows of the season along with Jersey Shore. It seems odd that two shows with so little content or form in common would become M TV’s newest hits, and their stark differences show a clear divide in viewers themselves.

On the surface, Teen Mom is your average documentary-style reality TV show. There’s the dra­ matic editing, staged yet informative conversations, and of course, lots of crying. But the show is also dif­ ferent from its reality TV siblings.

Unlike Laguna Beach and The Hills, Teen Mom doesn’t portray luxury as a given and having a job as a back­ drop for drama. Instead, the show features a decidedly anti-glamour aesthetic and aims to depict a more

“real” version of the lives of Ameri­ can teens.

In a time where 10 per cent of the American population is unem­ ployed and nationwide morale is at an all-time low, it makes sense that people would gravitate toward TV that doesn’t romanticize the posi­ tion of people struggling to make rent and pay bills, while Snooki and The Situation get paid thousands of dollars to show their faces in Miami clubs for 10 minutes a night. Teen Mom also doesn’t seek to romanti­ cize the idea of teenage pregnancy and the complications that go along with it. More often than not, the “confessionals” of these girls often include the same phrase: I love my child, but I wish I had done things differently^ In an age of aggressive ab­

stinence-only education in many American high schools, “conscience clauses” that permit pharmacists to deny girls the ability to fill their birth control prescriptions based on moral opposition, and the continuing importance placed on girls’ virgin­ ity, it’s fascinating to see how teen mothers navigate a world in which they appear to have broken every rule laid out for them. MTV doesn’t exploit or shame these girls because of their situations, rather the show is a venue to promote contraception and comprehensive sex education.

The teen moms are given the chance to tell the world how they feel in the face of intense scrutiny and judg­ ment from those around them, and they implore their audience to think before they act—something young adults rarely hear from people their

own age.

It’s unlikely that Teen Mom's exposition on the difficulties of teen pregnancy will lead to social change or less depressing statistics about teen parents, their education, and lack of work, but it promotes a stron­ ger position on acceptance of sexual­ ity and the importance of education in preventing life changing events that can be easily avoided. While Teen Mom's highest viewer demo­ graphic is women aged 18-34, more men have been tuning in as well, making it one of cable television’s biggest hits this season. Here’s hop­ ing MTV keeps up with Teen Mom, because it’s more than just another reality show.

—Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite

Curiosity Delivers - mcgilltribune.com

1 4 OPERA

D o n ’t c h e a t o n th e q u e e n O p é r a

d e

M o n tre a l

p e r f o r m s

D o n i z e t t i ’s

R o b e r to

D evereu x

By Brahna Siegelberg_____________

A & E E d it o r As a broke college student, at­ tending an opera can be jarring and strange: spectators are dressed to the nines, songs are sung in languages most of us don’t understand, actors are wearing over-the-top costumes, and melodramatic stories are being unfurled before us. But if you sus­ pend your cynicism, if only for a couple hours, then what you will discover is an unabashed world of aesthetic delight that thankfully didn't get left behind in the Roman­ tic period.

And that’s just what happened on Saturday night, when the Opéra de Montreal opened its latest play, Gaetano Donizetti’s Roberto De­ vereux. A whirlwind of colour and orchestral sound, the play began with an overture that included “God save the Queen,” signalling its main subject: Queen Elizabeth I. An opera in three acts, Roberto Devereux tells the story of a love quadrangle involving the Queen, her favourite, Roberto Devereux Earl of Essex, his lover, the Duchess Sarah, and her husband, the Duke of Not­ tingham. Written in 1837 as part of a series of Tudor dramas, the opera covers one period in the life of Eliz­ abeth I —arguably one of the most studied monarchs in European histo­ ry. Although Elizabeth isn’t the op­ era’s title character, it’s her jealousy, rage, and ultimate revenge that drive the play’s action and lyrical focus.

Like most operas, Devereux is not a history in song, but a highly romanticized and dramatized take on a quasi-historical moment. Rob­ ert and Sarah are lovers, but when Robert goes to fight in Ireland—

O n e H a lf o f the love quadrangle. (Sophie Silkes / M cG ill Tribune)

where, historically, he staged a coup against the crown and failed to quell the Irish “rebels” —the Queen forces Sarah to marry Nottingham. When Robert returns, Elizabeth is willing to forget his treachery if he admits that he loves her, an exchange that is explored through a dramatic rec­ itative in which Elizabeth belts “Are you in love?” and he answers with a solemn “N o.”

To add fuel to the flame, Eliza­ beth gives Robert one more chance to save himself from the gallows— where he’s been sent for treason to the Queen on two accounts—by naming his secret lover, which he gallantly refuses to do. Meanwhile, Nottingham, looking to exact re­ venge on Robert on behalf of his wife, declares in a rich, power­ ful baritone, “Blood I wanted, and blood I got!” Although Elizabeth is outraged by Robert’s infidelity and treason, the play ends with her inner torture at the thought of her dead lover. Her powerful final aria, “Vivi Ingrato” (“Ingrateful Life”) exposes

at once her anger and deep remorse.

It’s interesting to note the im­ portance Donizetti attributed to the character of Robert, as he’s nei­ ther the title character of the story on which the opera was based— Francois Ancelot’s Elisabeth d ’Angleterre—nor even the central figure in the opera itself. Yet Rus­ sian tenor Alexey Dolgov justifies his status as the title character, as it was his soaring tenor that carried the play. Although Robert has technical­ ly done what any woman—even one without the power to declare a death sentence—would call sleazy, he manages to maintain the sympathy of the audience with his exquisite vocals and powerful stage presence.

A rarely staged opera, D e­ vereux is still considered a master­ piece of the bel canto style—one that features the prima donna so­ prano and the virtuoso tenor, as op­ posed to the extinct castrato. Greek soprano Dimitra Theodossiou, who plays Elizabeth, captures the stage presence and dramatic flair charac­

teristic of the domineering Queen.

However, often singing shrilly and unpleasantly, she proves that she’s no diva. American mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Batton, who plays Sarah, can’t sing like a prima donna either, but the scenes between her and Rob­ ert are stirring and poignant.

If you’re not for the singing, go to the opera for the vibrant costumes and the elaborate set designs. In one scene between Sarah and Robert, Elizabeth suddenly looms over the lovers like a judge at his lectern. Al­ though her presence is meant to be metaphorical, it was a brilliant move

on the part of the director, evoking not only Elizabeth’s power over the relationship but her status as a standin for England itself.

Roberto Devereux has all the components of a great opera—love, lust, and betrayal—and serves as a reminder of a powerful and compel­ ling art form that is rarely appreci­ ated by today’s youth.

Roberto Devereux is playing at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts on Nov. 17, 20, 22, and 25. For more information call 514-842-2112 or go to operademontreal.com

T E L E VI S I ON

C o m m e n ç a is t h a t w ill m a k e yo u th in k C a n n e s

L io n s

F estival

By Lilian Jordy

C o n t r ib u t o r Last Wednesday, Cinema du Parc showed a screening of Cannes Lions, a part o f the prestigious an­ nual film festival in Cannes, which honours the world’s most creative and effective ads. The competition’s 57th anniversary presented eight awards to Canadian agencies, two of them from Quebec.

This two-hour experience— screening a little under 100 clips— was thought-provoking to say the least. Accustomed to the monotony of generic TV commercials, people outside the industry usually regard

s h o w c a s e s

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b e s t a d v e rtis in g

advertisements as purely functional, not artistic. But watching ads like ‘’Arctic Sun” for Tropicana orange juice triggers an uplifting emotional response: in the Canadian Arctic, an artificial sun rises in the dark morn­ ing sky over a bewildered crowd, followed by the “brighter mornings make for brighter days” slogan. Ef­ fects such as slow motion filming combined with sentimental piano music worked to create a vibrant atmosphere that resonated with the audience.

The most powerful clips, how­ ever, were far from pleasant in con­ tent. These often tackled difficult subject matter, like the Canadian

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Cancer Society’s three-minute mon­ tage of touching monologues from cancer survivors. The ads touched up politics several times, the most memorable being an Italian Rolling Stone clip denouncing their govern­ m ent’s sleazy sex and drugs scan­ dals. The video’s narrative voice calls for rock ‘n ’ roll behaviour to return to the hands of musicians, or­ dering us to “reclaim our alcoholic coma and the stench of passion.”

Words like these are shocking and memorable in this context because we are never explicitly told by the media to pursue such actions. Com­ bined with the beautifully crafted camerawork, viewers couldn’t help

but be hypnotized. This clip proves that political views and thoughts can be more inspiring when reshaped by a creative frame of mind.

Similar to the Rolling Stone ad, environmental and health is­ sues were raised in original ways, especially the winning entries by thefuntheory.com, an initiative of Volkswagen. The very successful "Piano Stairs” clip had over 18 mil­ lion hits on YouTube before the fes­ tival; the video shows how remodel­ ling public stairways into piano keys that play notes- when stepped on can actually deter people from using the escalator. Other ingenious experi­ ments advertise the concept of “Fun

Theory,” which posits the best way to get people to do things is to make them fun, as a way to reach out and change our behaviours for the bet­ ter; doing so creatively provides dull messages like “be healthy and exer­ cise” with enjoyment value.

Whether a viewer seeks thought-provoking messages or purely audiovisual enjoyment, the Cannes Lions Festival offers a wide variety for everyone. It offers cre­ ative interpretations of the world we live in today, and is food for the con­ temporary mind.

The Cannes Lions Festival is now playing at Cinema du Parc

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

15

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By M arian Chen__________________

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C o n t r ib u t o r Creatingmusic isn’talwayseasy with 23 people, but it’s something Effusion, one of M cGill’s a cappella groups, manages to achieve.

“It is a huge feat for us to create a tight sound with so many people,” says President Kelsea Whittle.

Effusion held auditions at the beginning of the school year where over 200 people auditioned.

“Usually you know fairly quickly if someone stands out, but this year we had so many great sing­ ers [that] it was a problem to narrow it down,” Whittle says. “We are so lucky to have so many talented voic­ es join our group.”

Whittle describes Effusion as a “family” and emphasizes the huge amount of work that the group mem­ bers put in.

“During auditions, we can tell who has prepared and we re­ ally value that because our group expects a high level of work once you’re in.”

Effusion is currently preparing for their upcoming concert, “Love and Heartbreak,” on November 21.

On the idea and theme behind the concert, Whittle says, “This is kind of an all encompassing theme and we feel like this is something the au­ dience can all relate to.”

Indeed, Effusion aims to in­ volve more of the Montreal com­ munity this year with some promo­ tion for the concert coming from

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television appearances on CTV and Global.

Effusion plans to be belt out a variety of music ranging from R&B to soul to love ballads at their con­ cert.

“We realize that people like a variety,” Whittle says.

It seems that Effusion is well on its way to achieving its goal, as they have been asked to perform at a num­ ber of different venues in the spring.

In February, the group will be doing a showcase with Gregory Charles, a well-known singer and songwriter in Quebec, and will also be performing in Toronto for a Haiti fundraiser. On top of all this, the group will also be the opening act for Aloe Blacc on Tuesday at Le Belmont.

With so many upcoming proj­ ects, Effusion is busy preparing their

repertoire with their musical direc­ tor, Andrew Wang, who arranges many of their songs.

Effusion will no doubt be mak­ ing an impact in and beyond the McGill and Montreal community in the future. However, Whittle prom­ ises that they will never forget where they got their start.

“We will never forget where we came from,” Whittle says. “We love our McGill audience and they have been so supportive over the years.

This gives us a way to share music with people and this has become a big part of my university experi­ ence.”

Effusion will be selling tickets on Friday, November 19 in the lobby o f the Leacock building. For more information visit effusion.ca.

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Everything In Between, the second studio album from L.A. noisepost-punks No Age, has been billed as a more mature effort than their frantic, noisy, and critically acclaimed debut Nouns. In the words of gui­ tarist Randy Randall himself, “[it’s] not getting boring, just getting rich­ er.” Sample it for yourself this Thursday when they play La Sala Rossa.

Lucky Dragons open. $15/$17.

MUSIC Bahamas Le Divan Orange Thursday, November 18

Afie Jurvanen brings his solo project as Bahamas to Le Divan Or­ ange this Thursday. H e’s played with the likes of Feist, Jason Collett, and Howie Beck, but his solo work is starting to gain just as much attention.

His debut album Pink Strat was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize and nominated for a Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. Katie Moore opens. $19.20.

S E E K IN G : A & E Editor M ust love music, movies, theatre, dance, and long nights in offices ;) I f you know som eone w h o fits this d escrip tion , send a CV, cover letter, and three relevant w ritin g sam p e to a rts@ m cgil trib u n e.c o m by Novem ber 20.

Curiosity Delivers - mcgilltribune.com

1 6 — CD Reviews

In C o n c e rt:

Matt & Kim: Sidewalks

Sandman Viper Command: Everybody See This

The Details: The Original Mark EP

Back with their third album, Sidewalks, indie rock favourites Matt & Kim please with their tried and true formula of shout-out cho­ ruses, heavy synths, and simple drumbeats.

The songs on Sidewalks are just as good as previous efforts.

The album opens with “Block After Block,” a tune filled with huge synth chords, cymbal crashes, and M att’s characteristic vocals—half-shouted, half-whined. The influence of vet­ eran producer Ben Allen comes out most on “Cameras” with odd sam­ pling choices, including tubas and a xylophone. It’s a good song that’s obviously been well engineered, but it ends up feeling almost out of place. Matt & Kim also try their hand at some mellow songs. The piano ballad “Northeast” is a light number about New England that works pretty well. However, these few deviations fail to move Matt & Kim away from their predictable use of similar effects and melodies.

Matt & Kim will always be a great band to see live because of their high energy and ear for melo­ dies. But Kim’s drumming is messy and Matt tends to shout out the same line several times in a row louder and louder. But when it comes down to it, Sidewalks will always be a great album to put on if you’re look­ ing for a good time.

—Alexander Hamilton

Burlington, Ontario’s Sandman Viper Command’s debut album, Ev­ erybody See This, is a blend of both complex and simple songs played with a chemistry that can only come from being best friends.

SVC has a raw, retro, garage rock feel, which gives off an authen­ tic youthful rage. The theme of the album seems to be a group of teen­ agers trying to make their mark in the world, something SVC has done fairly successfully.

The album opens with the single “Strawberry Quick,” which is sure to grab the attention of any heartbroken teenager looking for a little something to ease their an­ guish. Mirroring the life of a typi­ cal teen, the album provides just the right measure o f teen angst balanced out with uptempo songs like “Ba Ba Ba” and “Using Everybody.” For the most part, the album is consistent from start to finish, although songs like “Yo Bobcat" and “The Metal I ’ve Spent” stray from the frenetic guitar rock of the rest o f the album.

Like any up-and-coming band, SVC wants to achieve a sound that they can call their own. Everybody See This is an impressive freshman effort. Hopefully this will not be the last we hear from them.

—Kathleen Masaki

Winnipeg band The Details’ The Original Mark EP is a six-song collection of tracks that will go on their second full-length album. Pro­ duced by Stephen Carroll of the Weakerthans and recorded by Bran­ don Reid, who has worked with the National, the EP announces the band’s presence on the independent music scene through its melodic in­ strumentals and introspective lyrics.

The Original Mark is a bal­ anced mix of upbeat and serious songs, showcasing the musicality of the band and leaving the listener wanting more. The title track opens the EP on a strong note with pleas­ ant vocals and piano melodies that carry into a string interlude. The rest of the tracks rock harder, but they still maintain the calm and intro­ spective nature of the band’s overall aesthetic.

An unfortunate low point is the final track, “Floor Plans (Remix),” which seems to take inspiration too literally, using synthesizers to create a track almost identical to something released by the Postal Service. It doesn’t fit with the rest of the tracks, and brings down any uniqueness that existed in the previous five.

The full-length has no release date yet, but it will be interesting to see if the band will be able to make a truly original album that won’t get lost in the shuffle.

—Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite

British folk troubadour Johnny Flynn played an enchanting show last Saturday at Cabaret Mile-End in support of his recently released sophomore album Been Listening. Though lacking his usual backing band, the Sussex Wit, and a little light on banter, Flynn was able to command the room with just his voice and guitar, and songs like “Lost & Found” and set closer and fan favourite “Tickle Me Pink” spoke for themselves, or, in the case of the latter, with the help of the enthusiastic crowd. Though it would’ve been nice to hear the horns and strings so prevalent on his albums, that the songs were just as affecting stripped down to their bare essentials is a testament to Fly­ nn’s songwriting talent.

GRADUATE E N G IN E E R IN G PROGRAMS AT T H E UNIVERSITY OF SO UTHERN CALIFORNIA

A D V A N C E your E D U C A T I O N and C A R E E R

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T he U.S. C om m ercial Service at th e U.S. C onsulate G eneral in M ontreal will h o st an inform ation session o n D ecem ber 1, 2 0 1 0 to in tro d u ce th e U niversity o f S o u th ern C alifornia (USC) an d its M aster o f Science p ro g ra m s in E ngineering.

Prospective g rad u ate stu d e n ts currently enrolled in or w ith a n ea rn ed B achelor o f Science degree in E ngineering, M ath o r a H ard Science are encouraged to atten d th is event. Places for this in fo rm atio n sessio n are lim ited.

G et a n overview o n lead in g p ro g ra m s su c h as G reen Technologies, Financial E n gineering, P etro leu m E ngineering, A erospace a n d M echanical E ngineering, A stronautics a n d Space Technology, C hem ical an d M aterials E ngineering, an d B iom edical E ngineering, am o n g other disciplines.

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INFORM ATION SESSION: D ecem b er 1 , 20 10 , 5:00 p.m . to 7 :o o p.m .

DAYLIGHT FACTORY 1 0 3 0 St-Alexandre St., Montréal, Qc H 2 Z 1 P3 Square Victoria Metro

S p o r t s RUGBY— MC GI L L

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d o m i n a n t victory

By Rebecca Babcock

C o n t r ib u t o r The McGill Redmen Rugby Team earned the right to be called champions on Sunday night, aveng­ ing their single regular season loss by defeating the Concordia Stingers 22-10 in the Quebec Student Sports Federation Championships. In the biggest game of their season, the Redmen turned in their best perfor­ mance to win their fifth consecutive QURL title.

Both teams, although nervous, started strong. In the first minute, a penalty was called against Con­ cordia; however, M cGill’s Gideon Balloch missed the conversion.

Cameron Perrin made a fantastic first half run. He was almost in the clear when a Concordia player made a nasty play and pulled him down by the collar of his jersey, choking him in the process. McGill was awarded a penalty kick but, again, it missed.

A few minutes later, Concordia committed another penalty and Bal­ loch redeemed himself, making the kick and scoring the first points of the game to make it 3-0 for McGill.

In the 23rd minute, Concordia an­ swered with a successful kick of its own, tying the score at 3-3.

Then the Redmen took control of the game. In the 28th minute, Bal­ loch scored the first try of the game off of some great offensive passing.

He then succeeded at the conversion to make the score 10-3.

For the rest of the half, McGill dominated both offensively and de­ fensively, making some great runs, lineout plays, and impressive hits.

Return to the shinny rink for NHLers

The North American profes­ sional sporting world is primarily made up of the so-called “Big Four” leagues—the National Football League, the National Basketball As­ sociation, Major League Baseball, and the National Hockey League.

Still, while the NHL will always have a strong base in Canada, it’s an afterthought for the majority of Americans. The NHL’s attempts to make the game more exciting, such as the incorporation of the shootout, haven’t quite had the impact that the league was looking for south of the 49th parallel.

T h e Redm en celebrate th e ir Q U R L title in style; Brendan O ’Sullivan shows o ffh is m edal and ‘stache. (Ada Sonnenfeld / M cG ill Tribune)

In the fifth minute, a Concordia player received a yellow card for a late tackle. McGill took advantage of this and with only a minute and a half to go Balloch scored the second try of the game and the conversion making the score 17-3 McGill.

The second half started off a little messy for both the Stingers and the Redmen. Concordia was offside for the first kick and then were pe­ nalized for hands in the ruck. McGill was called for a knock-on and a skewed lineout throw.

However, the most costly pen­ alty was by Concordia’s Auguste Stoker who received a second yel­ low card for intentional obstruction and was ejected from the game. Con­ cordia played the rest of the game a

man down.

Sam Skulsky had some huge hits and stole some balls during the game.

“It was really a team effort— the team allowed me to get into posi­ tion to make those tackles.” Skulsky said. “We really clicked today which is good, we really wanted it and we came out with all guns firing.”

In the 11th minute of the sec­ ond half, Concordia scored a try and a conversion to narrow the gap to 17-10.

Again, McGill answered, as Balloch scored the third try of the game. He didn’t make the conver­ sion, but the lead was enough and the game finished 22-10 for McGill.

“I was ecstatic,” said McGill

Head Coach Craig Beemer. “I was really happy with our defence. The boys showed up ready to play and everything that happened is totally on them. They worked hard all year; the focus in practice was great. Their loss against Concordia helped our intensity level going into the play­ offs and I couldn’t be more happy with them.”

The McGill forwards captain, Alexander Sunell, agreed with his coach.

“We took everything we have been learning all season and put it in one game,” he said. “It’s surely the best game of the season. We just need to work on being a team like we were today; nothing will stop us if we play as a team.”

Six players on the team —Sam Skulsky, Keelan Chapman, Liam Brown, Roderick MacKenzie, Max Gregory, and Jong-Wook Lee— have earned a berth on the Quebec University Rugby League’s all-star squad.

Chapman said, “The game was tough in the first 20 minutes, but once we got the motor running ev­ erything fell into place and we were able to get the phases going and get those breakthroughs to get those tries.”

Their next game is the Eastern Championships on Saturday, No­ vember 20, at 1:30 p.m. at Molson Stadium.

This changed last week, when the NHL announced a change to the All-Star Game format that has sports aficionados drooling in anticipation.

While fans will still have the oppor­ tunity to vote in six starters (three forwards, two defencemen, and a goalie), team captains will fill out their lineups by choosing the rest of the two squads in a fantasy-style dfaft.

By introducing this change, the NHL has come up with an ingenious idea to try and make the perennially lacklustre event exciting. Injecting a schoolyard style draft into the AllStar Game is unprecedented in any of the major sporting leagues. Ev­ eryone can relate to the days on the playground when two captains se­ lected players for their team one by

one from a pool of eager kids. See­ ing professional hockey players do this on national television is going to be a joy to watch.

What may bring an even bigger smile to the faces of those watching is the reaction of the player who is selected last. On the playground nobody wanted to be “that guy.”

When the final name was called, the remaining player would join his/her teammates knowing that they truly were an afterthought. “Fine, I guess w e’ll take Joey,” the captain would say as little Joey hung his head and moped on over to the rest of his teammates.

As the NHL struggles to com­ pete with other professional sports in North America, I applaud its will­ ingness to take risks and go against

the grain. Sometimes these changes work out (eliminating the two line pass rule), while other times they do not (the dreaded shootout). Nev­ ertheless, the NHL has successfully realized that in order to have any chance of increasing its American fan base, it has to spice up its prod­ uct.

I give further props to th e NHL for recognizing the reality of the fan experience in sports today. Fan­ tasy sports and “franchise mode” in video games have become as big a part of sports as actually following the games. There’s an indescrib­ able thrill in assembling a squad of all-stars and seeing them work their magic together on the same team.

Now, for the first time, sports fans will see their dreams turn into real­

ity.

The concept of the all-star game in any sporting league has lost a lot of its lustre. Except for the MLB, many fans are uninterested in seeing athletes half-ass their way through a game that has no significance. How­ ever, NHL players are fired up about these changes and hopefully that will translate into a better product on the ice. Giving team captains the agency to choose their own team will make players more accountable and ratch­ et up the competition. I cannot wait to hear the phrase “With the first pick in the 2011 NHL All-Star draft, Alexander Ovechkin selects...”

—Jon Rubenstein

Curiosity Delivers, www.mcgilltribune.com

18 SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING

S y n c h ro t e a m ’s to p ic a l c h o re o g ra p h y a b ig h it M cG ill

s y n c h ro n iz e d

s w i m m i n g

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d e f e n d

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title fo r sixth

c o n s e c u tiv e

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By Sam H u n te r

S p o r t s E d it o r With precision, the McGill synchronized swim team executed their routine and left the competition floundering. The McGill White team won the competitive team event.

The six-time consecutive Ca­ nadian University Synchro Swim League champions put on a dazzling performance and look primed for yet another big season.

The highlight of the competi­ tion was M cGill’s White team ’s vampire-themed routine, which started off with a few neck-nibbling poses and ended up with freshman Carrie Mouck walking on water (and the arms and shoulders of her submerged teammates).

“We were really happy with how we swam,” Mouck said. “[The choreography] is a pret­ ty big group effort between all the swimmers and the coaches.” Mouck added. “Generally, the coaches will give us an idea of what they want, then w e’ll play around with stuff, and then we put it all together.”

Head Coach Cassandra Bilogan was also enthusiastic about the teams’ performances.

“I think all the swim teams swam really well today, it’s always good in front of an audience, it gives them that adrenaline that they need to be really... showcase-y, I guess,” she said.

M c G ill’s vam p ire-th em ed routine w as the highlight o f th e afternoon. (M a x im e Sawicki / M cG ill Tribune)

Laura McClemont performed the only non-novice solo. McClem­ ont swam for the Canadian national synchro team from 2003 to 2009 but quit the program in order to focus on finishing her degree.

“While I was swimming on the national team I was [a] part-time [student] because I was swimming 40 hours a week,” she said.

Still, synchro for McGill is dif­ ferent this year than it has been in years past since the squad recently transitioned from competitive club

to varsity team status.

Coach Bilogan and coach Lynn Macrae both felt that the newfound status has produced a tangible ben­ efit to their team, however slight.

“It’s those little things,” Mac­ rae said. “I think the swimmers and the coaches have all noticed the transition from club to varsity even though day-to-day it doesn’t change so, so much, Even getting a little additional pool time, having all the varsity gear, it’s very motivating overall. We feel like these past years

winning championship-after-cham­ pionship... it’s nice to finally get the recognition.”

“I think that we went to varsity and didn’t get cut because of our performance—this is our seventh consecutive year w e’re going for winning national championships,” Bilogan added.

The athletes also feel that they are being taken seriously as an or­ ganization.

“Our sport is often marginal­ ized as just being a bunch of weird

bathing suits and flopping around in the water. But [varsity status] vali­ dated us as being a real sport,” said McClemont.

With six consecutive league titles hanging around the pool, and a chance for a seventh this year, no one should be questioning the valid­ ity of M cGill’s synchro team.

The team competes next at the Eastern Canadian Championship Meet on January 16 at Queen’s Uni­ versity.

THIRD MAX IX What happened to retiring in style?

Nobody wants to be “that guy” on campus. The guy in the seventh year of his undergrad and still trying to fit in. The guy who tirelessly at­ tempts to convince you that the vic­ tory lap is, in fact, cool. Allen Iver­ son has become "that guy.”

On October 29, Allen Iverson signed a two-year contract with the club Besiktas Cola Turka. Never heard of them? You’re not alone.

Besiktas is a professional basketball team based in Istanbul and belongs to Europe’s second-tier league, EuroCup. The 11 time NBA all-star and former MVP was showered with media attention as he landed in Is­ tanbul, and Turkish fans are eagerly anticipating his debut on November 20. To the dismay of many fans, he’s made it possible for the words “Iver­

son” and “second tier” to be put into one coherent sentence.

The past two seasons have been a struggle for Iverson. Plagued by injuries and personal issues, he made a gradual descent from su­ perstardom to the Detroit Pistons bench, to being out of the NBA be­ fore the 2009-2010 season ended.

In July, Iverson posted on his Twit­ ter account, “I want to return to the NBA this season, and help any team that wants me, in any capacity that they feel that I can help.” H e’s now Istanbul’s biggest basketball celeb­ rity after he received no calls and no contract offers from NBA teams.

Larry Brown, the coach of the Phila­ delphia 76ers during Iverson’s ten­ ure, said, “I think it’s sad having him have to go to Turkey to finish his career.” Sad is exactly how I felt as I read the headlines of Iverson’s sign­ ing. Allegedly, his plan is to domi­ nate in Turkey, show the NBA that he’s still a star, and eventually make

his return. However, his aspirations sound like a daydream.

Disappointingly, this seems to be a growing trend in the world of professional sports. Take David Beckham, for example. The Eng­ lish soccer star left Europe to play for the L.A. Galaxy of the MLS. He was also conveniently injured for the 2010 World Cup. I say con­ veniently because anyone who has seen him play recently can tell you that he is not the same Beckham that led the English squad so many years ago. Following him to North Amer­ ica was French soccer deity Thierry Henry. The once unstoppable Henry spent most of the 2010 World Cup helplessly huddled on the bench in a parka. Both Henry and Beckham were no longer competitive in Eu­ rope and knew that it was time to take their leave. Their awareness of their own abilities is appreci­ ated, but their desperate attempts to stretch their careers are not. I grew

up watching Beckham and Henry This may seem overly pessimistic, tear up the field in Europe. Seeing but as Iverson starts up his “revital­ ized” career at the sold-out game them in the MLS doesn’t' make me in the modest Besiktas J.K. Arena, nostalgic, it makes me disappointed. where the seating capacity is 4,500, Iverson’s decision is not any different from the career shifts of he will quickly realize that it doesn’t Beckham and Henry. Iverson is one compare to the days when he was the of the most decorated players in most dominant player in the NBA, NBA history, but h e’s now 35 years playing at the Wells Fargo Centre old and nowhere close to being the before the eyes of 20,000 adoring player he once was. His Besiktas fans during the NBA playoffs.

I ’m not undermining these ath­ contract will make him $4 million richer—not too significant for a man letes, their careers, or their pure love for their respective sports. They’re who has made over $200 million still productive players for their throughout his NBA career.

With all this in mind, how is - new respective teams. I just miss retirement not the obvious option the classic curtain calls of legendary for Iverson, Beckham, or Henry? athletes, like Wayne Gretsky’s emo­ tional ceremony, that left you feeling What is it that drives these formerly majestic athletes to seek acceptance pleasantly reminiscent. I ’m a sucker elsewhere when they are no longer for picture perfect endings, and ath­ letes like Iverson are raining on my fit for the top level of competition?

They’ve all had their share of ac­ parade. complishments and recognition, so —Mari Mesri why not quit while they are on top and leave with their dignity intact?

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

BASKETBALL—MCGILL 8 2 , BISHOP’S 65

Redmen rock the rims in opener Rookie Simon Bibeau leads young M cG ill team to easy win

By A dam Sadinsky________________ Contributor

It was a night of new begin­ nings for the Redmen basketball team as they opened up their Que­ bec University Basketball League season with an 82-65 victory over Bishop’s Gaiters on Saturday night.

Freshman Simon Bibeau led the team with 18 points as McGill (1-0) delivered a win for Head Coach David D ’Aveiro in his first regular season game behind the bench.

For a team full of new faces, the win on Saturday should help the confidence of this promising McGill squad. The Redmen started out cau­ tiously, trading baskets with the Gaiters (0-1), and only led by four points at halftime before they pulled away with a 28-15 third quarter to put the game out of reach.

“We played well in stretches— I thought especially in the third quarter we came out and played some pretty good defence and exe­ cuted our offence,” said Head Coach D ’Aveiro. “We played fairly well throughout the game.”

The Redmen were led by two young Montrealers in Bibeau and second-year point guard Olivier Bouchard. Bibeau had five rebounds and a pair of steals to go along with his team-leading 18 points, while Bouchard contributed 15 points to the winning effort.

In the first half, both teams struggled in their first regular season game. Neither team shot well, and at

the end of the first quarter the score was tied at 16-16.

The struggles continued into the second quarter, but with less than 20 seconds to go in the half, Bibeau hit a clutch three-pointer, grabbed a rebound, and made a buzzer-beating layup for a five point swing that gave McGill a four point edge and all the momentum going into the half.

In the second half, McGill came out flying and never looked back.

They scored the first 12 points to build up a lead that would later swell to 25 points in the fourth quarter.

“To start the second half we at­ tacked the rim a little more, played with more confidence offensively,” D ’Aveiro said, “Defensively we had some steals and got some scores off them.”

Bouchard said the team owed a lot to their new coach.

“Coach told us that this was the time to impose our will on them, and we did,” he said. “We had to play hard defence and run on offence. We took good shots and we won.”

Neither team had a particularly good game shooting from the field.

McGill only shot 38.8 per cent and Bishop’s finished with a weak 37.5 per cent. However, free throws played an important role in the Redmen’s victory as they got to the line often in the second half and hit 76.7 per cent of their free throws while the Gaiters shot a dismal 37.9 per cent from the charity stripe.

Michael White, the only senior dressed for McGill, had two high-

light reel dunks that brought the crowd to its feet. White had 10 points and added six rebounds. Nicholas Nishikawa pulled down eight boards to lead McGill to a 41-33 rebound­ ing advantage.

On the other side, Onnex Black­ wood led the Gaiters with 18 points, while Alex Audette-Genier had 12 in just 19 minutes.

Despite the win, there’s still work to be done for the Redmen.

D ’Aveiro stressed patience with his young team and recognized that there will be a learning curve despite their performance in their first game.

“With a young team you’re going to make a few more mistakes than you would with a veteran team, so you’ve got to be patient,” he said.

“You don’t want to make the same mistakes twice. We’ve never played with a lead of 20, so we need to work on playing with a lead.”

Bibeau, the star of the game for the Redmen, was happy to get off on the right foot.

“It’s kind of like the first year for everyone,” he said. “But we have lots of potential and I love what’s going on here. I’m loving the ex­ perience, with a new coaching staff and newcomers on the team it’s been easy to adapt. I made a great deci­ sion [to play for McGill].”

McGill and Bishop’s will meet again on Thursday night in Lennoxville. The Redmen’s next game at Love Competition Hall is on Sat­ urday, November 27, against the UQAM Citadins.

f o r tw o ye ars

The McGill Sailing Team is suspended for the next two years.

The team was already under scrutiny by the administration and recent events pushed McGill Athlet­ ics to action.

On October 23, three team members—Leif MacDonald, Jus­ tin Cruanes, and Renee Gladden— were detained by police for steal­ ing a parking sign after a regatta in Maryland.

The bail for MacDonald and Cruanes was initially set at $175,000 U.S. for each due to concerns that they were “flight risks,” while Glad­ den’s was set at $1,000. All three students were released after a bail hearing, though Cruanes, who is not

a Canadian citizen, was unable to re­ turn to Canada for two weeks due to the ongoing investigation.

All charges were eventually dropped.

MacDonald expained that he and his friends who were involved felt bad for their roles in the incident but that the sailing team shouldn’t be punished for something involv­ ing only a few members “We feel like it was something that four people did away from the team and it was something we shouldn’t have done but it doesn't reflect [on the team as a whole]... it’s not like we had team meetings where w e’d report back all the things we stole from the States this week­ end,” MacDonald said. “We haven’t had a team meeting yet, but I do plan to apologize.”

The team was already on proba­ tion due to activities that took place

Salacious solicitation scandal NCAA FOOTBALL: Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is one of the most exciting athletes you’ll ever see. His passing and running abilities are sublime (watch his ridiculous highlights on YouTube) and he’s the runaway favourite to win the Heisman Trophy. That is, until last week, when the news broke that Newton’s father, Cecil, had attempted to solicit a “pay for play” agreement for his son in the neighbourhood of six figures.

Cecil has admitted to the charges but contends that his son was un­ aware of his dealings. Regardless, this is another devastating blow to the integrity of amateur col­ lege athletics south of the border.

If Newton plays the rest of the season (and doesn’t get suspended

by Auburn or the NCAA), look for him to dominate, for Auburn to remain undefeated and for the National Championship game to be surrounded by serious (and de­ served) controversy.

Lions roughly ridden

Sports in B rie f S a ilin g te a m s u s p e n d e d

F o r those o f you who d o n ’t keep T SN as yo u r hom e p a g e o r Sports Illustrated as y o u r bedtim e reading, we know sports can be hard to understand, this section is fo r you.

during “rookie night” last year.

“We’ve investigated [the charges in Baltimore] and a number of other administrative situations that we had throughout the year, and w e’ve informed the sailing team that they’ve been suspended and that the suspension is the result of a number of infractions, including that event,” said Executive Director of Athlet­ ics and Recreation at McGill, Drew Love. “When we looked at the dif­ ficulties that we were seeing and ex­ periencing throughout this year [the suspension] was really done under the understanding that they were on probation,” he added.

The suspension means that “[The sailing team is] -suspended for two years from all varsity activity, [from] participating in any varsityrelated events, and [from] using the name McGill in any competition,” Love said.

Sam Hunter

CFL PLAYOFFS: In what is sure to go down as an all-time great Conference semifinal play­ off game, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the B.C. Lions 41-38 in double overtime.

Adding insult to injury, former Lion Jason Clermont scored the winning touchdown against his former team. Saskatchewan will go on to play Calgary in the West­ ern Finals. In the other playoff game, Toronto defeated Hamilton 16-13 in the “Battle of Ontario” to set up a classic Eastern Confer­ ence final matchup against rival Montreal.

Pacman chews up Margarito BOXING: Manny Pacquiao, the pride of the Philippines, staked his claim to be considered one of box­ ing’s all-time greats Saturday night when he absolutely demolished Antonio Margarito. Margarito, who was 17 pounds heavier and

4'A inches taller, was beaten so badly by the quick and powerful Pacquiao that he will need serious facial reconstruction surgery to re­ pair his fractured right eye socket.

This victory keeps the door open for a potential $100 million super­ fight with undefeated defensive wizard Floyd Mayweather Jr. It may be too late however, as Mayweather is facing domestic abuse charges and potential jail time.

Three kings or three stooges?

NBA: The Miami Heat now have more losses than they do all-stars.

The new “big-three” suffered their third and fourth losses of the sea­ son to Utah and Boston, respec­ tively. Looks like the Heat could use some more talent in South Beach.

NHLers unaware of how to properly tip cabbies NHL: Hockey players seem to have a serious problem with cab­ bies. Less than a year after Stanley Cup hero Patrick Kane assaulted a taxi driver over $1.20 (Kane has a contract worth $31 million), Calgary Flames centre Brett Sutter was arrested for drunkenly suckerpunching a cabbie in Phoenix.

This is getting outrageous—do NHLers need to be refereed at all times?

Straight cash homie NFL: Randy Moss took the field for the Tennessee Titans on Sun­ day. After getting himself kicked out of New England and Min­ nesota for bad behaviour (watch “Randy Moss—One Clap" by DJ Steve Porter for an incredible all-time compellation of Moss’ ridiculous quotes like, “Straight cash homie.” and “I play when I want to play”), this will be the third team that the former all-pro receiver has suited up for this season. Moss struggled again this weekend with one catch for 26 yards. If his poor performance and attitude continue, maybe he’ll get a chance at team number four later this season.

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