The Cascade Volume 7 Issue 12 2000-04-06

UCFVgivestuition announcement mixedreactions

by Christopher Bolster cascade

UCFV administrators are not celebrating just yet with the announcement of increased funding for post-secondary education and the continuation of the tuition freeze in British Columbia.

"The announcement is ,good news, but we are taking a wait and see approach," says Bob Warick, executive director of UCFV Community Relations.

"I don't like the tuition freeze and I don't think students like it either," says Student Union president Stephaine Martin, "Right now the Student Union is in the process of developing policy that would insure UCFV could not drastically raise tuition when the freeze is lifted. The policy would favour small incremental increases over a number of years with annual caps."

With this budget, the provincial government recognizes that British Columb~a has had the largest jump in university enrollment in Canada over the past six years. A recent Statistics Canada report shows that BC universi• ties have seen an 18.4 per cent increase In the number of full-time students, and a 10.7 per cent rise in the number of parttime students, between the fall of 1992 to the spring of 1999. With five years of the tuition freeze, institutions have not been

able to 'keep up' with the demand and provide adequate resources for their students. With more access for students,

BCextendstuitiontreeze,puts moremonevintoeducation

by Nicholas Bradley The Ubyssey

VICTORIA (CUP) • As expected, British Columbia's new provincial budget extends the province-wide tuition freeze for another year, but it also Includes additional funding for postsecondary education across the province.

The budget, announced March 27 by BC Minister of Finance Paul Ramsey, increased funding to the province's universities and colleges by $85-million a jump of 7. 5 per cent over last year's advanced education spending and confirmed that tuition fees in BC will remain at their current levels.

"The freeze has helped enrolment grow faster in BC than anywhere else in Canada," Ramsey said in his speech to the Legislative Assembly.

"Enrolment is growing throughout the province, reflecting our commitment to provide quality education and opportunities in all regions."

The new advanced education funding will be granted to post-secondary Institutions to help offset the cost of the tuition freeze, to increase core funding and to pay for new courses.

collapse,savsconference

by Hamish Copley the provincial government hopes that The Link (Concordia University) this budget will address the need of BC's

MONTREAL (CUP) The world's post-secondary institutions. environment is worsening and the

"There are students graduating from BC Institutions who have never biggest losers are poor countries, seen a tuition increase, and that is some- said delegates at a recent conference of activists from across the thingAmericas. to celebrate," said Finance Mister

The three-day Paulgathering, Ramsey, "But a tuition f~eeze alone held at the Universite de Montreal, will not guarantee access, 1f our post- d' d 1 k b t · · ,1 Iscusse In s e ween lnJUS s.ice, econdary InstItutIons cant afford to offer 1 1 1 11 d the I b I t ., eco og ca co apse an g o a I. "BC'I t d t d t seconomy. pos -secon ary s u en s

Delegates from North and will continue. ~o enjoy the second-most South America focused on the effect affordable tu1t1onin Cana~a. However, of environmental damage on the poor the fifth year of the province's tuItIon d th f1 11b d b $ 133 1 an e power ess.

activist from Central America. "Sometimes you get earthworms out of the tap. The [logging] companies call this drinkable water."

Mauricio said logging In El Salvador has destroyed the country's water table and polluted its rivers and lakes.

"A large part of the territory can no longer support life," he said.

Mauricio added that between the country's environmental collapse and its civil war, one-fifth of El Salvador's population has left the country in the span of a few years. He said native populations, who are the poorest segment of society, are the hardest hit.

"One of the focuses [of the budget] is investing In vital services, including education," Ramsey told the media Monday.

Of the $85-million in new spending, $39-million will go towards creating over 5,000 new spaces at universities and colleges.

The new funding has not yet been divided among BC's various schools, although some has been earmarked for Royal Roads University and the Technical University of BC, located in Victoria.

A capital development fund of $133-million will also go towards university infrastructure. A ministry official said that although the Minister of Advanced Education will announce new projects at a later date, approximately $97-million of this fund will be allocated to ongoing care and maintenance projects.

Another $117-million will go to research infrastructure.

_reezewi_ e accompanie Y mi_-

"There's no water left to drink lion to build and modernize colleges, urn- El S I d " ·d R s d versities and Institutes, plus $39 million ; va ~r, sai 0 en t to support 5,025 more student spaces, aunc10 erme o an environmen a Mixed reactions cont on page two.

Marie Mazalto, from environmental activist group Eau-Secours, said the first world has no reason to environment cont on page four.

The budget received an enthusiastic response from both student and university officials

la Paul Martin m11klngan Importantpoint or le he gettingroayto pick hla nose? The CilScado dooan't roally know • but we have an Interview with Mr. Martin on pagofour. Reporter Kent Bruyneel lntervlowod Mr. Martin when he travelod to Prince Edward Island.

"In the knowledge economy your greatoet natural roaource la In fact your younger minds," said Paul Martin In an excluslve Interview with Canadian Unlveralty Preas. "So they [students) really are the number one priority aa far as I'm concerned."

Fast-acting students aidteaching assistantin crisis

Three automotive students at the University College of the Fraser Valley were instrumental in rescuing their teaching assistant during a medical emergency recently.

While performing some maintenance duties in the automotive shop, program assistant Don Sciotti collapsed to the floor suffering from some sort of seizure. He lost consciousness and then stopped breathing. Larry Martin, Donovan Bohach, and Raphael Balachsan helped to stabilize Sciotti and restore his breathing and may well have saved his life, according to Rob Kilfoyle, manager of safety and security at UCFV.

"It's difficult to determine what the outcome might have been without the prompt and thoughtful actions of these students," said Kilfoyle. "I can say for sure, that the quicker you can re-establish an airway and get the victim breathing on his own, the better his chance for survival and long-term recovery.

"Calls were put through to 911 and campus first aid but the trio took it upon themselves to get Don breathing again and took great care to ensure that he didn't injure himself further while waiting for a medical team."

UCFV president Skip Bassford recognized the students for their quick thinking, ''All of us at UCFV have to be very grateful and proud of this class for coming through in a critical and crucial situation like this. We're especially proud of the three young men who rendered such an important action."

Trades director Harv McCullough added his praise and thanks on behalf of Sciotti, the department, and the whole institution.

"I'm very proud of the students and the whole class," says McCullough. "These young guys went above and beyond the call of duty and deserve credit for their heroism.

"I'm also very Impressed by the response from other areas of the UCFV community. While we were waiting for the ambulance, not only security and first aid, but also an employee relations representative was on the spot very quickly to see if they could help."

Three'stheCharm

UCFV Men's Basketball team brings home the gold

by Desiree Mayhew cascade

They say, "third lime lucky", but I doubt luck had anything to do with it when the Cascade's Men's team won their first national title on March 11th. Having advanced to the nationals on two other occasions in the team's history, and placing a respectable fourth and fifth place In the nation at those tournaments, this year's first place win came as little surprise to many local fans.

I recently ran into Wayne Jones, named provincial MVP, had a game high 36 poinl in the semi-final game against the Dawson College Blues, and another game-high of 23 points in the final game against the Humber Hawks. One would never have guessed he had just won a national championship, but he spoke with pride as he explained the fourstar accommodations, the tension

before each game, and the relief as each game was won.

He said little of the quarterfinal game; with it's final score 90-65 UCFV, why bother? The semifinal game was close. Up by one at the half, but eventually winning it by a score of 97-85. He spoke about never doubting that the team could win ,t, and with that ph1losopt1y,led them to a win with his season high 36 points. "The gold medal game was tense,'' he said, ''but if it wasn't for Havi (Ryan Haviland, who shot a season high 23 points that game), we probably would not have won it."

"Next season?" He shrugged, and replied with a glint in his eye. "Maybe."

A final congratulation to all team members, coaching staff, and manager on their success in Edmonton. We'll see you next season.

National Results and Rankings:

1. 2

UCFV Cascades (BC); Gold Medal

Humber Hawks (Or,tario); Silver Medal:

College Montmorency Nomades (Quebec); Bronze Medal son, He stopped for a moment, and replied, ''I don't know." With that, we walked into to the building and parted ways. He turned back to me as

Having said that, we walked 3. toward the school and I asked him what he would be doing next sea•

4. 5/6* he began his walk away and said 7. "see you later," "For sure.11 I replied. 8.

Langara Falcons (BC) Dawson College Blues (Quebec)/St. Thomas Tommies (New Brunswick)

SAIT Trojans

NAIT Ookpics

BClaceslargestenrolmentincreaseinCanada

by Tristan Winch The Ubyssey

VANCOUVER (CUP) British Columbia has seen the biggest jump in university enrolment in Canada over the past Sil<years, state recent figures by Statistics Canada.

And the increase, say education analysts, can be tied to the province's tuition freeze.

BC universities have seen an 18.4 per cent increase in the number of full-time students, and a 10.7 per cent rise in the number of part-time students, between the fall of 1992 to the spring of 1999.

The increase means 53,013 students were enrolled in the province in 1997-98, up from 45,802 in 1993-94.

The provincial figures buck the national trend of decreasing enrolment. Over the same period, national student enrolment stayed roughly the same, dipping by less than one per cent.

Tara Wilson, spokesperson for the Ministry of Advanced Education, said that it's difficult to point to one reason why BC's numbers are higher those of other provinces.

''When you look at the study that Stats Canada did, compared to other provinces, BC is one of the only (ones] with any growth and the one with tHe strongest growth," she said.

Wilson suggested the provincial freeze on tuition fees may be one factor.

The number of full-time students in Ontario, for example, where there Is no tuition freeze, dropped by 1.8 per cent.

"We've been putting money Into (post-secondary education] since '91," said Wilson. "We're the only province that hasn't dropped the amount of money going into post-secondary education. In other provinces it's dropped by as much as 17 per cent."

Michael Gardiner, BC organizer for the Canadian Federation of

Students, was pleased with the numbers.

"It's obviously good news," he said. "BC has historically had much lower participation rates in universities than other provinces, and so this growth in enrolment has been very good news more young BC students having the opportunity to go to university."

Gardiner believes the tuition freeze, and the increase in spaces that has accompanied it, has allowed a greater number of students to attend university without a fall In entry requirements.

However, Gardiner also called for the creation of new classes to avoid overcrowding due to Increased enrolment.

"Rather than creating new classes, (universities) have just put more people into existing classes," he said. ''The result of that has been some sllghtly lower student-toteacher attention and some overcrowding in classes, and in some cases, some inavailability of required courses."

UCFVgivestuitionannouncementmixedreactions

continuedfrompageone.

including 400 in nursing and 800 in high-tech programs. A further $1 million will help to create 1,000 new coop spaces for high-tech students."

"We are still facing a 2 million dollar deficit, but with the new budget we are dealing with a new picture things don't look as dire as before the budget announcement," says warick

"These are very general

numbers. We are taking a cautious but enthusiastic view of the announcement," says Warick "About the third week in April we will receive the grant letter from the Ministry. At that point we will be able to get a better idea how the increase in funding will effect UCFV. We are 1/ery pleased that the government has recognized that university colleges have specific needs, particularly

with library funding."

With the additional 133 mil• lion dollars allocated for building and modernization in this budget, UCFV will take it's piece of the pie and put it towards two priorities: replacing Chllliwack campus's "old motel" with a new classrooms/library building and build a Student Activity Center (gym) for Abbotsford

a great-news

Mark Veerkamp, BC

for the Canadian Federation

tuition fee freeze has been

important

glad

improving

and

see it continued in this bud-

added that the number of new spaces was far beyond what the CFS had called for.

Douglas College's Neil Nicholson,

the Advanced Education Council of BC,

the 5,000 new seats is a positive

but notes more spaces will be needed in the future.

to see an additional

created annually to fulfil the

you consider we have colleges and institutes and university-colleges throughout the province in 110 communities, it means more students will be able, everywhere, to get post-secondary education.'' she said.

Shaw applauded the creation of 400 new nursing spaces, but noted areas such as trades training and English as a Second Language programs need to be funded as well.

"This goes a heck of a long way," said Robert Clift, the executive director of the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC, which represents academic staff at the province's four universities.

suggested a cost of $45-milhon

year would be necessary

accommodate these new seats.

Shaw, president of the College Institute Educators' Association, BC's largest post-secondary education union, was also pleased with the budget

Plagiarismuoeshigh-tech

by Stephanie Thiessen and Amy Carmichael

The Ryersonian

TORONTO (CUP) Cheat sheets written on sweaty palms are becoming passe in exam rooms.

These days, cheaters are joining the digital world by using cell phones and pagers with memory which are easy to glance at when a professor turns down another aisle or notepad computers that can be read during a quick trip to the washroom.

that shows his or her individuality, Cook added.

"If a different [fingerprint] is inserted, it can be simple to spot," he said.

Although most papers come as a result of students' hard work and thought, Cook says every once in a while he's "shocked" by clearly plagiarized work.

"Now that they've done it once, hopefully they'll do it again next year, and we'll get the rest of the way [there]," he said, calling for further financial support of post-secondary education in future budgets.

Clift stressed, however, the need for the province to support university research. Details of such support were not made clear in the budget.

his services to plagiarize essays.

He says he has around 20,000 pre-written term papers on his site.

I n red letters on the website is a warning that the papers should be used tor research purposes only.

However, Von Plato said he can't guarantee his service is being used for the right reasons.

''I just got a rnemo telling me to look for people that keep checking their watches, just in case they've got a computer or something in there," said Janet Lum, a politics professor at Ryeron University.

'

"Anything is possible now."

Dennis Mock, Ryerson's vice-president (academic), says he has increased the number of monitors on patrol during exams. All the monitors can do Is trust their instincts in sniffing out cheaters. "A little cell phone is easier to hide than a book of papers or answers written all over your arms," said one cheater. "Even if they catch you with a phone, you can just turn it off and they'll have trouble finding what you were looking at."

Politics professor Mike Burke says he can usually tell a cheater.

"They look nervous," he said. "They make odd kinds of movements. They're always looking down. And if they have a full exam book after the first five minutes, that's a dead give away."

Exam rooms, however, aren't the only place where students cheat. Some students are getting essays off the Internet.

John Cook, head of the English department al Ryerson University, says students can get into serious trouble by plagiarizing Internet essays.

"Chances are you will get caught," he said. "If it's professionally written, the professor will recognize it. If it's by another student, it's harder, but [the professor] will notice the difference between how you write on the exam and on the essay."

Everybody leaves a fingerprint in the writing

Yet it is harder to catch students plagiarizing essays than cheating on an exam. That is why some professors are starting to use technology to beat students at their own game.

"I was cruising the web, looking at essays," said philosophy professor Kenneth Montague. "And there it was. The very same essay I had JUstmarked was staring at me on the computer screen, and it wasn't written by the student who had handed it in."

Montague gave the student a zero on the essay.

He's found some commercial services on the web that check essays for plagiarism for a fee, but says he's not that committed to catching cheaters.

Philosophy professor Kenneth Montague, meanwhile, tells a story of a student he caught handIng in an essay that wasn't his own.

"It was too good," he said. "I checked out a website and thought, 'Boy, I'm looking at another guy's essay."'

Montague called the student Into his office, pretending not to notice the original essay that was displayed on his computer screen.

"He was sitting there sweating," Montague said. "I thoroughly enjoyed it."

Marie Dowler, director of Ryerson's writing centre, says material students download from the Internet is often not useful.

"Much of the stuff is rubbish," she said. ''There's no guarantee that people who are in the business of helping you cheat won't cheat on you."

Michael Von Plato, president of an American website called Al Termpaper, says he doesn't like 1t when people hold hirn responsible for students who use

"If someone says they are going to hand the paper In, I say bye-byei" he said, "If you were an encyclopaedia salesperson and you wrote something, how could you guarantee that it wouldn't be plagiarizing?"

The battle against educators who disagree with his service has been long in 1997, the company was sued by Boston University.

"The case was thrown out with an admonishment to the university that they had no right to bnng It [to court] in the first place.'' Von Plato said.

The right to sell essaysis protected under the freedom-of-speech provision In the U.S constl· tution, he says.

"It's a slippery slope," Von Plato said. "To what extent should a person be held responsible if he, in good faith, offers essays and says they're not for plagiarizing? If this is done anyway, should the distributor be held responsible?"

Von Plato says he supports the efforts of professors who try to track down the original source of a plagiarized paper, and is happy to tell the professor if the essay was purchased from him.

"More, I can't do," he said.

Some students who use essays found on the web plagiarize unintentionally because they don't know how to cite sources appropriately.

First-year engineering student Joe Phong says his friend got caught plagiarizing an essay unknowingly.

"He went through the essay, using sImIlar Ideas but writing it in his own words," Phong said.

"The professor said it was plagiarizing and he got zero. But it wasn't stealing In his mind."

PaulMartindiscusseseducation intodav·smodernsocietv

by Kent J. aruyneel The Cadre (University of Prince Edward Island)

provinces, every single year in the last four years we have increased those transfers and its our intention to keep on doing that.''

the continued role of government as principal financier for basic research, and applied research that may not be attractive to the private sector.

CHARLOTTETOWN (CUP)

• The promotion of a thriving student class is the most important priority for a successful modern society, says Canada's federal finance minister.

''In the knowledge economy your greatest natural resource is in fact your younger minds," said Paul Martin in an exclusive interview with Canadian University Press. "So they [students] really are the number one priority as far as I'm concerned."

In Charlottetown to address a University of Prince Edward Island Business Society function, Martin stressed his government's commitment to the funding of education.

During his interview with CUP, Martin pointed to diverse government programs aimed at helping students pay tuition, making the student loan system more accessible and flexible, and helping academic institutions with infrastructure and basic research programs.

"We have made it very clear that our priority, as a government is, in fact, education and health caret the finance minister said.

When asked about criticisms of the Millennium Scholarship Foundantlon, Martin said the problem Heswith the provinces.

He encouraged people to voice their displeasure if their province reduces a student's provincial loan by the same amount they receive from the federal millennium fund, as is the case in Ontario.

''I just don't think that's acceptable that the provinces would take that money out of the pockets of students," he said. " I think it is incredibly short sighted and I think that people ought to say that.'' Martin also critiqued the provinces for a, "lack of recognition of the importance of higher education."

The Millennium scholarships were supposed to be new money, Martin said, on top of the existing help students now have in paying back their tuition. He also defended the Canadian Health and Social Transfers (CHST) program, which provides federal money to the province's, as a successful and Important tool to fund of universities.

"Education is not removed from the CHST, the CHST has education very much in mind," he said. "We are increasing the transfers to the

As to the issue of whether education should be treated as a social program, along the same lines as health care, Martin spoke of a difficulty in distinguishing between social and economic programs. He reinforced, however, his belief that education is the crucial building block to a fruitful society.

"You cannot build a modern society, let alone a modern economy unless you invest in people's minds," he said. "(But] the line where social programs drop off and economic programs begin or vice versa Is probably grey. There is not a clear delineation, but education is essential if you are going to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor."

Martin also emphasized that governments, at all levels, need to understand the Importance of a financial commitment to the funding of higher education,

When asked about the exemption of students from the Bankruptcy Act, which has angered many groups including the Canadian Federation of Students, Martin defended the exemption.

"While students are incurring loans, interest is forgiven,'' he said. "We've also brought in income tax credits for students. We've basically said that If students have trouble paying back a loan, we'll give them deferments, both of interest and then ultimately of principal. In fact, we are allowing students to write off half the loan in 1O years if they can1t pay it back. So, essentially the whole purpose [of exempting students from the bankruptcy act] is to help students not have to go into bankruptcy."

On the subject of what he believes to be the private sector's role in the on-going financial support for universities, Martin spoke of a partnership between corporate and academic Canada.

Through initiatives like the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Martin said Ottawa would pay that portion of the partnership's costs that the university could not pay.

The inception of the CFI. according to Martin, was in response to universities contacting the government wanting t6 engage in work with the private sector, but being unable to do so as a result of a lack of money.

But Martin also said he believes strongly in

"I think that money is scarce and It is important to have a multitude of sources of funding," he said. "But I think that it is very important to maintain a university's Independence. I don't think that universities should be beholden to anybody whether it's the private sector, or, in fact. government."

He described a free university system as one of the "essences" of a modern, liberated society.

"I would not want to see the private sector dictating the future of our university system, and I believe that can be controlled," Martin said.

"Where the private sectors prepared to put up money, as long as it doesn't constrain the university's freedom I think it is a legitimate thing to do."

As to whether his government is doin~ enough to keep educated young Canadians from moving to the United States, Martin believes the battle to keep Canadians in Canada is primarily a "function of opportunity."

He further believes his government has made great strides to support small business and promote ideas in an effort to present sufficient rea• son for Canadians to stay in this country.

Martin also believes the flow of young minds in and out of the country, and the arrival of foreign minds in Canada from abroad, Is Important for growth and development.

"In a border-less world, young people are constantly going to look for their opportunities, and some are going to leave, and people from abroad are going to come here, and some of the people who have gone abroad will stay and then they'll come back." Martin said.

'There is nothing the matter with a young person leaving the country for 1O years and then coming back and bringing all those skills here and the same thing In reverse."

Ultimately, Martin wants Canada to be the destination for graduates and young people from this country because they can accomplish all their goals, financial or personal. here.

He concluded by making a personal commitment to keeping the development of education, and increasing student financial aid at the top of his priorities.

feel safe about its supply of drinking water. She said many countries have sold off their water supply system to private companies, causing the price to rise.

"The repercussions have been shocking in Great Britain/' Mazalto said 1 ''where rurmlng water has become expensive for the poor." She added that in one region in France the price of water tripled after privatization

Lucia Antonio Montero, a native activist from southern Mexico, said large corporations, with the help of the Mexican governmeht, are now pushing native farmers off their land and cutting down the region's forests.

"The government has privatized land that belonged to the community," she said. "[The new owners] plant eucalyptus trees, w~ich destroy the soil."

Montero described the situation as a "debauchery.''

"It's a question of life or death,11 she said. "The destruction of our forests and rivers matter to all our peoples. (Canada and the U.S.] invests the

"There'sno water left to drink in El Salvador," said Rosendo Mauricio Sermeno, an environmental activist from Central America. ''Sometimes you get earthworms out of the tap. The [logging] companies call this drinkable water."

most money into these companies."

For tr,ose who want to change corporate

policies, Toronto activist Fran9ois Meloche suggested making a small investment in the corporation doing the damage.

"For three dollars, I become a shareholder," he said. ''Then I can present the point of view of [protesters]."

Meloche is one of the activists fighting to get Talisman, a Calgary-based oil company, out of the Sudan. A recent Canadian government report said Talisman's drilling interests in the African country are helping fuel Sudan's civil war.

Meloche said activists should invest in companies that are environmentally and socially conscious, to encourage other companies to do the same.

"It is possible to buy 'ethical funds' at a Caisse Desjardins," he said. "Anyone can buy these at any bank, for $20 a share."

t:lllt:lldl

University College of the Fraser Valley Office A226 33844 King Road Abbotsford, British Columbia V2S 7MB

phone (604) 854-4529 fax (604) 859-5187 cascade@ucfv.bc.ca

ChristopherBolster edltor-ln•chleff production

MelissaKennedy managingeditor

Jesse Macpherson arts&entertalnmenteditor

JamesClark staff writer

editorial

by Christopher Bolster

About two weeks ago I found this Robert Louis Stevenson quote and was 1mmed1atelyenamored with it. I started using it on my email signature line. However, it wasn't until a couple days ago, when I was trying to figure out what to write for my last editorial, that I began to really think why I liked so much. It's amazing how endings make you stand back and reflect. I finally figured that the best thing that I could write about would be why I am sitting here tonight writing this piece.

Why did I get involved with the Cascade? I'm not g~ing to sit here and tell you the story of how it all happened, I'm going to tell you the story how I remember it. (I love Dickens.) I would love to tell you of how I eagerly waited at the Cascade office door on my first day of university so that I could talk to the editor about writing, but that just wouldn't be true Now what was the reason I got involved with the Cascade? I'm trying to remember, but lately the shortterm memory has just been terrible. Oh yes. I got suckered Into it. Well sort of

It was 1997 and my friend Lisa Chew was the Production editor. I was taking some political science classes with Ron Dart and one day in October we started talking about the upcoming APEC conference in Vancouver. At that time I was learning about what had happened in Indonesia over the past twenty-five years and I felt a great sense of bitterness toward the Indonesian government on how it had unjustly treated the East Timorese. I remember thinking that if anything like the invasion of East Timar happened in Canada, we would not put up with it. In fact I was convinced that it flew in the face of Canadian values. So when I heard that the Prime Minister of Canada had Invited President Suharto of Indonesia to the APEC table I was shocked. Do we trade with dictators and mass murders?Then I asked myself. if I am shocked about this, won't Canadians also be shocked if they knew about this? I went into the Cascade office for the first time after that political science class and wrote a piece about APEC. I was bitten by the bug. Before that point I didn't know why I was going to school. The only thing I knew was

I

that I needed a piece of paper to get a job. After writing that piece, I knew the job. I wanted to be a journalist. I wrote for the Cascade that year, mostly human rights pieces and the occasional arts piece. But it wasn't until that summer that things really started to happen. Lisa had applied for the Editor-In-chief job and got it, but she was still looking for some one to do production and layout. One hot July night we were hanging out and she asked me if I wanted the job. At first I was unsure about the prospect: I'm not what you would call a computer person. In fact I still don't consider myself to be one. (I writing this piece on the same 286 PC that I wrote my APEC article on.) However, I was an interested technophobe.

I took the job. It started really rough. I didn't know about what I was supposed to do. You could say that I was thrown into the deep end and expected to learn how to swim. (After talking to a bunch of student press people I now realize that this is the essential character of this undertaking.) When I thought that things were getting better it got a lot worse.

Lisa was in her final year of her history degree and she decided that the paper was too big of a time commitment. She quit. It was like my only paddle just broke and I was a long way off the coast. She recommended to the Student Union that I was the best candidate to take over the cascade and they offered me the job. I reluctantly accepted. The rest of the year is kind of fuzzy, but I do remember that 11was full of chal-

Tho CascadeIs lho UCFV sludenls' free press Ed1lorlal c;ontenlIn 100%Joporohl froni the slud!lnts' governing body, lhe UCFV Sludent Union ne Cas~de Is published twelve times per year. from Septemberto April. The Cascadehas a circulationof two thousand papers, d1strlbutod throughout Abboi.ford, Chilliwackand Mission.Tho Ctiilel!dc Is a proud memberof tho CanadianUniversity Press, a nationalcooperativeor unlverslly and college nowapapera.The Cascadefollows the CUP eth,cal policy concerningmaterialof pr&Judlcialor opprossIvonaturo.

Letters to I/le Ed/tor

Letter length should bo kGptunder four hundredwords. Letters lhat are longer th:ln tho 11mItwill be poilud In the Cascadeomce for public viewing during C41scadeon,ee hours.Tho Cascadewill consider publishinganonymous loth:rs only if circum&tancesIndicatethe posslblltyfor negativereprecusslonstor tho Co!le4ldOHonestlypeople, don't whine to me about not wanting your name attached to you/ lcttur boeiiuso you a10afraid to stand behindwhat you wnte, It la quite pothetie

Oaadllnu

The de~dline101oil

Submls11onsere

disk please se\/8 yovr article m lexl formal e g. '.txt'

0/sd;,/mor 1M opinionsend values expressedm the articles of the Cascade newspaperare those of the lndlvlduolwruers and do not nccosaarllyronocttile values cf the University College of tho Fm•or Valleyor tho UCFV Studont Union. All submissionsare reviewed,howeverlhe Caseode retamsthe right

publlcatlon

editing

lenges and looking back I wish that I had known some ---------------~ more technical stuff about producing a newspaper. Looking back on this year I can't say that I would change much. I worked with an interesting group of people who brought their own talents and shortcomings to the job. The main point of importance is that I still remember why I got involved. I really believe that the alternative media In Canada is the voice of change and progressive thinking. When I think back over the past two years, I can't help but to think that what we did was good. There were rough times, but on the whole the Cascade had a couple years of real development. Of course hindsight is twenty-twenty. Some peoplehave criticized me for wearing my idealism on my shirt sleeve. I don't see it that way: I keep my ideals close to my heart. That is where I have found the time and inspiration for the Cascade. I'm looking forward to representing the interests of UCFV students on the Board of Govenors next year. Have a great summer !

the

"The mark of good action is that appears inevitable In retrospect.". Robert Louis Stevenson

Mayhew, Tristan Winch, Stephaine Theissen, Amy Carmichael, Kent Bruyneel, Tim Bateman, Tim Bateman, Bob and Larry, Sam Wagar, Jin David Kim

It was a day like any other day, except that it wasn't any other day it was spring semester registration day!! Oh horror of horrors, woe of woes! If only I could have somehow known but alas, I'm Just a dumb ol' monkey: trusting, naive, gullible Jorj I can't believe I actually thought the people who worked in and ran the registration office had a single solitary clue as to what in the whole goddamned world they were doing. They know nothing. Nothing! Nu-th-ingl Nada, zip, zero, zilcho, el blanco mindos!

I went down on the morning of registration, a day of first come-first served frenzied madness, to pick up a number. The number was for when the office opened at 9 and registration would begin, The man In the big yellow hat, my living companion and sometimes pit-crew boss (yes, I do a little stock car racing on the side. I got a pretty sweet set of wheels. She's a real 'bute', nice raised seat so I can see over the dash, hole in the chair for better tail comfort, and a pair of fuzzy bananas hanging from the rearview .but I digress), had spoken with the office earlier in the week. Hat had to register too and had asked If there was any phone-in registration, because he had to work that day. "NO", was the answer, ''there is definitely no phone-in whatsoever you must come in person " Hat asked when he (meaning me by proxy, it's not like I couldn't tear myself away from scratching the nether realm and guzzling Guinness for one morning lo help out my dear ol' Hat) should come In and he was told that the numbers would be passed out at 7:30 and that no one ever showed up in the morning so 7.30 should be fine

So I get there at 7.29 and people are lined up from the reg office down to Facilities. There were folks camped out with sleeping bags, coolers of food. guiters and bOoks What the F•ck was going on here were they suddenly selling Backstreet tickets?! (Hey,

curiousJoritriestoregister

how'd that asterix get there, I didn't write that, I wrote F*ck it, did it again HEY EDITORS, yeah you, WHAT IS THIS SH•T. Heyll CUT THAT OUT! Now look; let's be fair. If I think a U is more appropriate for the conveyance of my perspective In this article than a goddamned asterix, shouldn't I have that freedom? So let's just chill with the •'s for awhile O.K.? Thanks, now I can get on with my F#cking story you think you're so-o-o funny fine, have it your way [read as mumbles: "you stupid fuchin' bashturds"] so anyway) I couldn't believe my eyes. Well, I can't blame registration for not anticipating or expecting such an enormous turnout. I got in line and got my number.

• I was in the 1S0's. About four people ahead of me I heard someone ask the number lady if there was any alternative to this packed house She told him to go to Mission. I had read in the spring timetable that only the Abby and ChllHwackcampuses would be open for registration, so I stopped the person who was heading off, and asked the lady about what I had read. ''Oh really? Well I guess you can't go there then." You guess?I The student thanked me for having saved him a trip maybe .we still weren't clear on whether the Mission campus was open or not, but he figured he ought best stay put

A few hours later I spy a friend of mine al the pay phone in the lobby. He waves me over and wt1Ispers,"a guy I know Just phoned 1n his courses from a cell out in his car, I'mthinking it's worth a try" That made sense, although I was sure the office had made It clear to Hat that there were no phone-ins what i;ould it hurt to try. We got through ''Hi, I'm at work" rny friend said froin the phone not fifty feet from the operator his end flooded with the same ambient noise as hers, "and I'd lrke to register So would my friend. Ile also

works here where I am."

We got registered.

The fellow I saved from a trip to Mission, incidentally, paid someone further up the number chain to register him. If only I could have helped him a second time. Oh, and another friend, having missed the number rush in the morning, and having been told there were no phone-in alternatives and to come back the next day, called from work to complain. She was registered right then and there over the phonel

That's not all folks. When I got my registration receipt in the mall, it had someone else's CREDIT CARD RECEIPT on ill With the expiry datel And their Student Number!! It wasn't even for an amount remotely close to mine! Brilliant!II I called down immediately; fearing some wacko had received my credit card slip on his receipt, and I was told that the operator who had handled my transaction was away on vacation for a week. How's about I call back then. Call back in a week?!. Are they all INSANE!llI The office closed nve minutes later. First thing the next morning I stormed down there, mad as a monkey in the middle of a registration fiasco (hey, i was a man key In the middle of registration fiasco) I got my card receipt and returned the other student's (hey, other student, you probably don't even know I had your slip, I doubt very much they even told you Don't worry, I'll give you a call I can do thal I know all about you now thanks to the registration office and their bumbling I'm sending you some flowers and chocolates to show good will. they'll be on your next Vtsa statement)

The other day I heard someone say "why can't the~ 1 get things straight In the registration office even a monkey could do 1t."

I'm Insulted

PrivatisedMedicareisnotacceptable

by Tim Bateman The Brunswickan

FREDERICTON (CUP) Ralph Klein should have his passport taken away.

There are some things we hold dear in this country: maple syrup, hockey, battalions in blue helmets and socialised Medicare Klein is slowly chipping away at the latter by trying to eradicate It from our collective history and from our future.

Klein, the premier of Alberta, wants to Institute a system of prlva• tised Medicare in his province, a system that will operate within the existing framework of publicly-accessible health care.

If Klein has his way, he and his Tories will pass a bill that will allow forprofit health clinics to provide, on a contract basis, surgery to patients who require care for anything other than on an out.pati~nt basis.

Critics of the bill are concerned this will pave the way for a twotiered medical system styled after the United States.

It is still unclear how this bill would be applied 1n practice. Will this service be offered to only those who can afford it, or will everyone have equal access to the privatised clinics on a referral basis and have the cost

covered by Alberta Health Care? Not even Klein seems to know the answer.

Initially, Klein intimated that he would invoke this bill even if the federal government put its foot down. Then he said he would send a draft of the bill to Ottawa for approval before Introducing it.

In the face of attacks from opposition members, Klein said he would employ "truth squads" can you say Orwellian? to spread an accurate interpretation of the proposed bill.

In the course of all the spindoctorlng about the Issue, the least clear of all his quips has been to imply that by privatising health care, the Tory proposal will save Medicare How do you simultaneously protect the integrity of a socialised medical system by Inviting corporate enterprises to control it?

Bui will Klein's dream, if implemented, mean the end of a Medicare?

After all, we are only looking at one province and one excessively conservative premier. However, I have to wonder how long it will be before Ontario Premier Harris in Ontario follows suit.

Harris has already indicated that the health care system must be analzsed and reconsidered. This isn't surprising.

Harris takes many of his cues from what Klein has instituted in Alberta.

And will New Brunswick

Premier Bernard Lord be far behind? He too Is threatening to follow In the footsteps of the guns-blazing mentality of current Conservative slash and burn policy.

Yet health care aside, Klein's proposed bill points to a much larger issue, and one of much greater concern.

One of the effects of a reduction in transfer payments to the provinces has been the granting of greater provincial power. This means that the power of the State is being transferred, in place of dollars, to provincial leaders.

The more provinces have to pay into health care, the greater their say in how it is run. Does Klein have the constitutional right to upset something like health care? Chances are it will have to be debated amongst the justices of the Supreme Court.

In essence, however, the cur• rent situation has more power in the hands of the provinces since the beginning of Confederation.

I propose that it is time for the federal government to start reeling in some of the powers that have been extended to the provinces.

Finance Minister Paul Martin is sitting on a nice nest egg an estI· mated surplus of $95-billion over five years, Now is the time for the federal

government to replace some of what they had to cut in the aftermath of the Mulroney Free•Trade debacle and to renegotiate the ratio of federal-provincial decision making power.

Taking back some of the power that is held by provincial leaders like Klein and Harris can protect those institutions which Canadians use to identify themselves, those institutions which clearly delineate us from Americans.

We are living in a time when the federal government Is virtually powerless to compete with its provinces and at a time when Canadian culture is still under heavy threat of increasing Americanisation.

Using health care as an example we can see that the need to reinvest in Canada is duly upon us.

In the United States health care is not a right, it's a commodity. In Canada, health care exists on an equal access basis. This is only a small part of what makes us Canadian, but In many ways it is a big indication of the threat of an increasingly Americar, influence in Canada.

Premiers like Klein and Hams should not have the. power to let this happen. Rather, the federal government should take back the country and keep it from becoming a commodity to be bought and sold on American mar-

RomeoMustDie...notatIllellaxaBic

Jet Li, star of The Black Mask, and bad guy in Lethal Weapon 4 (god, have there really been 4 of those?) has a new film, and It's a good 'un. Based loosely on the tale of Romeo and Juliet. the Blacks and the Chinese along a small stretch of lucrative waterfront property and battling it out and the son of the head Chinese warlord falls for the daughter of the head black warlord.

The action scenes were increadibly well coreographed, bringing to mind many a Jackie Chan fight scene. A couple of the stunts were too obviosly doctored, but the majority of the action sequences were outstanding. Interesting was the decision to use xrays of the internal damage to bodies instead of showing anything too terribly graphic. So if some one got a metal shard through the heart, instead of the usual blood and guts we saw an xray image of what was happening, pretty neat-o. The acting was all adequate, sometimes even good. Jet Li had very little dialogue: wise move.

A strong story, excellent visuals and acting that made par add up to a suprisely good film worth the price to see it on the big screen.

-jesse macpherson

TransrestiteSllakes11earean11c;;

UCFV's theatre company tackled Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors during the month of March. Now when I say they tackled Shakespeare, I mean they jumped him, wrestled him to the ground, sat on his chest and gave him nugies and arm burns until he cried 'uncle'.

The gist of the story is a mix up. Two sets of twins get separated at birth, one set going with the father, the other with the mother. Years later the two sets end up 1nthe same town and a lot of hilarity ensues as the two Ant1pholus's and their servants, the Dromios, are mistaken for each other by the town folks. Yes, this is where they got the idea for that flick, Big Business, with Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. Boy, I'm alr~ady laughing just thinking of It.

Director Bruce Kirkley made the decision to make two substantial changes to William Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors. Citing M.C. Escher's multiverse images as inspiration, Kirkley first suspended the setting of the play. Not quite set In its original period, not quite the 60's, the ambiguity of the time added a nice element. Lori Rippin's costumes of brightly coloured capes, robes, tights, and bell-bottoms, worked well with the classic rock and golden oldies that underscored the play. Kirkley also made '

the ballsy decision that most of the main characters would be played by the wrong sexes. So men played the lead female roles, and, you guessed it, women played the lead male roles. It took a little adjustment the first few times that two women call each other 'sir' or men are referred to as wives, but eventually I caught on.

Jenny Campbell and Elizabeth Vidito, as the two Ant1pholus, performed well as men and weren't afraid to bound across the stage, cane swinging, leaping and yelling, in pursuit of their respective Dromios. They both earned themselves with airs of cockiness, indignant self-assuredness, and obstinate stubbornness: just like real men!

Though we rarely saw them on stage together, the Dromios, played by Chandra Goody and Alexis Quednau, had a really terrific symbiosis, playing each other very accurately. They both put a lot of effort into their physical acrobatics and played the action sequeces with the Antipholuses well.

Stephen Kurowski. as Adrianna, and Joel Murdoch, as Luciana, played the two leading 'ladies' over the top. It worked. What could have been stale turned out to be a riot (of the humorous variety, not the

WTO variety) as Kurowski and Murdock 'gayed up' their characters: prancing. flapping hands, tittering and lisping. It may have been cheap, easy laughs, but it kept things interesting.

Two other notables supporting cast were the Courtesan, played by Jordan Shartner, and Abess, played by Kurtiss Macguire. The Courtesan first hits the stage to the song "Wild Thing", drenched in heavy red lighting, wearing an enormous codpiece. Shartner was not shy, thrusting his mighty prop numerous times during his dialogues, always speaking with the sultry tones you would expect from a Shakespearian prostitutes, trapped in the 60's, played by a man. What I liked about the revised Abess character was that the role was updated from a holy man in an Abbey to a Hare Krishna. Macguire played it cool as a meditative cucumber.

The show felt longer than it should have, some of the scenes dragged, but none of the performances were weak and the interpretation was fresh.

-jesse macpherson

Hednoize

Searching for the End

On Wax Trax records, this is the first release from Hednoize. This two man collaboration mixes Trent Reznor-esque club beats with Depeche Mode-ish vocals. The album Is cohesive, and the music is tight. But something about it just wasn't right. I think it was the blend of two styles that might not be meant for each other. Though the vocals were strong and the music was original, the mellow

singing didn't fit over top of the aggressive rhythms. Some combinations work, and others don't, The first time a glob of peanut butter was spread over a chocolate bar, I'm sure there were mixed reviews, but It was refined and perfected and put in a wax cup. The same may be the case with Hednolze: they have some good ideas, I'm just not sure they've refined them enough (and little plastic cups wouldn't hurt either),

-Jesse macpherson

--TheBloodhoundBan--

Bloodhound Gang Hooray for Boobies

The bloodhound gang, apart from NOFX, Is probably my favorite band. So to that rap weenie that wrote in last week, here is my pro-rap review. Hooray for Boobies is the Bloodhound's third fulllength album and probably their best. With songs ranging from vaginas to women's breasts to sex to Voltaire's Candide, they seem to cover all of my favorite topics. That's why I love them so. The song, The Bad Touch Is currently the number one most requested song across America so it won't be long till they become your younger sister's favorite

group. How do they sound? Good, like the Beastie Boys crossed with Duran Duran and Andrew Dice Clay, but better. Buy this album but don't listen to it until you become sick of it. As a taste of the lyrical genius behind this album I'll quote from the press release, as Jimmy Pop describes the inspiration behind I Hope you Die, the albums first track. "Whether they admit it or not, everyone has hoped someone they hate would die. You can imagine my jubilation when that filthy whore Mother Teresa bought the farm."

-James Clark

MichaelPen

Michael Penn MP4 [days since a lost time accident] Michael Penn returns with his fourth album, thus the M, the P, and the 4. A very strong effort, filled with tight musicianship and insightful lyrics. Vocals reminiscent of an early Mickeal Stipe, backed by haunting melodies immediately capture the listener's attention and lull one into a dreamy daze.

Some of the upbeat tracks bring to mind the song-structuring of Wilco or Mathew Sweet, and the layering is done very well, giving us a very

clean sounding collection of songs. A couple favourites are the first track, Lucky One, which opens the album enthusiastically; track five, Footdown, combining catchy vocal melody with innovative backing vocal harmonies; and track nine, Trampoline, a soft, slow piece that showcases Michael's vocal talents and accute musical sensibilities.

I am very pleased with this album. Very, very pleased.

LeonaNaess

Comatised

The debut album, Comatised, by Leona Naess, is champ. As I listen to it I think back to those parties that everyone has gone to once in their lives. You know the ones where just after midnight someone decides to break up the atmosphere of drunks trying to get laid with an impromptu concert. Maybe it's sobriety but this time the music is really good. Leona has a melodious airy voice and she sings

with a quiet intensity that allows you to feel the passion in her songs. Leona's beautiful vocals are backed up by strong guitar rhythms and drumbeats that enforce without overpowering her voice. If you're looking for a comparison, think of a happy Fionna Apple mixed with an upbeat Sarah Maclaughlan minus the pretentiousness. If you want to label this genre call it avant-folk; I can't believe I said that.

-James Clark

-jesse macpherson

istenlJust Listen

0 orld music influences

hy S,1111 U¾1gnr

by Sam Wagar cascade

There's a world of music out there. And it doesn't all follow the rules that our western trained ears think are normal and "natural". If we listen with an open heart and mind, breathe with the breaths of the musicians, move our arms with the plucking of the strings and our hips and feet to the drums, we may come to understand a little.

There's a couple of strata of music in every culture • there's the "official" music, the "high art" music that people point to as being the peak of their culture. Sort of like thinking that symphonic music and ballet are the epitome of the culture and the music of Europe. And then there's the music that people make and listen to, which often gathers some ideas from the official music even while it feeds ideas back into It.

The official music is more stiff and formal and much more conservative Beethoven and Brahms and Bach will always be accepted as great official composers, while popular musicians, even musicians of genius like Miles Davis, may never make It Into the canon. This is not unique to the West the great music of India, the raga, the gamelan of lndonesla, Chinese court music, Japanese all have formal structures and patterns that are slow to change. In some ways that is a good thing there is music of astonishing power and subtlety inside those traditions.

But the music I want to talk about is the music of the people traditional but flexible, open to growth and experimentation and change. This is the music that we listen to and dance to and play In celebration and sing together. But not Just the music from around here • the music from around the world.

There are tt,,ese great sources of musical ideas:

1. Europe which gave us symphonic, chamber, country/Celtic/folk, and significant instruments in the mandolin, guitar, piano and organ, as well as the twelve tone scale, standard musical notation and harmony.

2. Africa which gave us rhythm and polyrhythm and a huge variety of drums plus and the improvisational tradition of blues and jazz.

3. India whose musics are just beginning to come here (although Ravi Shankar brought raga thirty

years ago it never was more than an accent) with their highly complex structures and rhythmic patterns and the chamber orchestra reduced to the tabla and sitar.

4. Indonesia whose gamelan orchestra with it's completely unWestern sense of harmony and structure (based on a 17 tone scale) and the staccato rhythms.

5. China and Japan the Chinese scale based on a tonal language which is so harsh to Western ears, and the Japanese emphasis on attack on totally committed rhythm and playing, the wonderful Kodo drums.

6. And a great assortment of gracenotes from other places Arabic singing via Bulgaria and North African immigration to France, the simple and profound choruses of original peoples in the rainforests around the world, the digeridoo from Australia (surely one of the most interesting Instruments • formed by termites hollowing out a tree branch so every one is unique), Tuva throat singing or Inuit singing, the Gaelic folksongs of Nova Scotia and Scotland, the delayed beat and unusual harmonies of reggae, soca and other Caribbean popular music

The endless shuffling and synthesis on the popular cultural level as songs move around, instruments are traded and people move from place to place, is what has produced much of the interesting variety of music. Purists may attempt to argue that there are authentic musics untouched by any hint of synthesis and mixing but I'm dubious. At any rate the most interesting music has grown out of the meeting of musical cultures.

Although there have been influences from the earliest limes I'll just try to look at what's happened here In North America.

The indigenous music of the Americas had flutes, ocarinas, drums and small choruses. Low population density in most areas meant that class stratified cultures which could have developed a more elaborate and formal type of music did not develop, and the enormous death rates from disease immediately after the Europeans arrived decimated the musical cultures along with everything else. So very little influence from the First Nations has come into music and that only in the last few decades.

The Europeans came in separate clumps the French and British to the north, the Spanish to the Caribbean and south and Portuguese and a few

Dutch to the south. They brought both the classical high culture traditions the church music, the orchestral music and the instruments of those traditions and the popular music of peasant France, Scotland, England, Spain and Portugal together with their instruments.

In some places this music stayed uninfluenced by other traditions in Nova Scotia, rural Newfoundland, rural Quebec and Appalachia. The music from these places now the folk music of Newfoundland's Great Big Sea, the Rankins, Ashley Macisaac, the whole Cape Breton Celtic invasion Is coming at us as a revelation.

Soon after European settlement the great wave of African influence began. Hundreds of thousands of people were kidnapped and sold from their homes in Western Africa to Brazil (where slavery was not abolished until 1888), to Cuba, to·the United States and Caribbean plantations. Although they brought nothing physical they built drums when they landed and brought syncopation, rhythm and polyrhythm into the musical conversation.

Directly from the African influences we gained blues, jazz, soca, samba, reggae, rap. Mated with European ideas we got rhumba, bossa nova, rock and roll, and country and western The effects on popular music have been profound and far ranging, And the trade began going back the other way pedal steel guitar in Nigerian high-life, reggae through Africa, country in the south of Africa, all moved back in the last century from America.

But there are whole worlds of music that came with other Immigrant groups but have not yet made an Impact Chinese music has stayed ethnic, southern and eastern European sounds, and the music of India. Indian music with Ravi Shankar made a minor breakthrough and the complex loveliness of the sitar has been added to the textures of rock for thirty years. But it's only been in the past five or ten that bhangra, a blend of Indian rhythms and sounds and electronic tinkering and house music has begun to be heard.

There are many wonderful syntheses waiting to be made, connections that Canada as a nation of immigrants is uniquely positioned to explore. My ears are waiting.

(this is Sam's lnstallrnant of what we hope will become a regular review and commentary column of roots and world music -arts ed)

a farewelltramtileStudentUnionPresident

I am quickly approaching the end of an exciting and important period of my life. I have been involved in the Student Union Society at UCFV for the past 5 years, originally as the Director of Finance and this year as the President. I have seen the shift from an apathetic student government to a very proactive and involved student government. I have witnessed from the UCFV administration, an improvement In the attitude regarding student government. I have been a part of the growth of UCFV, the students, student clubs and associations and the Student Union. Deciding not to run in the recent election was a difficult decision for me, I feel attached not only to the work, but to the people I worked closely with and to the students who benefited from the involvement of the SUS. And I certainly still have a great deal of commitment to several projects I have started and would like to see to completion. At the same time, I also feel that in order to have the SUS grow and reach the level of governance and prestige it requires to achieve its objectives, then new blood, new Ideas and new people are imperative. It Is time for me to step aside, look fondly back on the successes of the past few years, gain a bit of wisdom from the failures and feel proud to have been a part of it all. With this in mind, I would like to encourage the student body to get a bit more active in university college life, work closely with the new Student Union to affect important changes that will touch all students. The incoming Student Union has several big issues to tackle the seemingly never ending gym issue, student housing potential and the certainty of a Student Union/Student Activity Building among others. I urge you to extend a warm welcome to the incoming council, they have their work cut out for them. And as for me, I will continue the struggle as one of the Student Representatives at the University College Council. And what have I learned? Patience, perseverance, diplomacy (well, sort of) and how to open a can of wtioop-ass Goodbye and good luck.

Liam Bal/agiler

IS oasis

By Jin David Kim

TORONTO (CUP}. He's attractive and well-groomed. As I walk through the door I am immediately drawn to him. As I try my best to make a good first impression he smiles and nods attentively.

This man is not Liam Gallagher, but the Four Seasons hotel concierge who directs me to the Sony rep who directs me to the lead singer of Oasis, the greatest thing since J.C. and the Apostles • or so "they'' say.

Liam Gallagher, as I will later realize, is the anti-concierge. If he and the concierge were to actually meet, they would annihilate each other, leaving nothing more than the scorched earth upon which they both once stood.

, "They" are the undisputed Britpop kings, whose sophomore album, Morning Glory, sold over 13 million albums, spawning hit single after hit single all the while taking equal parts criticism and praise for their Beatlestinged sound.

In the UK, Oasis is as popular as speaking with an accent. They are in town promoting their latest album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. Since completing the record, Oasis acquired two free agents and released two from the team roster.

"The old guys went back to their homes with their kids, and the new guys left their homes from their kids," says Gallagher.

The new guys, Andy Bell and a chap named Gem, fit right in with the group. They play football together and consid· er each other mates, Gallagher adds.

"I don't think Morning Glory was an amazing album," he replies when I ask him to explain the success of their most acclaimed record. "I mean, we recorded it in two weeks. You know what I mean? Two fucking weeks. So we didn't put a lot of time into it, we Just banged It out."

However, when they banged

out their third album, Definitely Maybe, their popularity seemed be waning, selling only six million copies world· wide.

Although Liam partly blames poor production, he seems more comfortable with, "'cause you can't do that all the time."

The heart of the band is Liam's brother1 song-writing virtuoso Noel.

Noel writes relatively simple tunes, content with three or four chord progressions per song maybe even per album • with unchallenging but soaring melodies.

Like the band's heroes, the Beatles, their songs are singable by even the tone-deaf.

Where tt,ey differ, however, is that while John and Paul could make you cry, Liam sings with all the soul of a beltsander. Instead of delving into the music, Liam drives right over it as if it were a stretch of highway, smooth and straightaway.

Liam and Noel make headlines in the British tabs whenever they fight, which is often. Trying to get a rise out of him I press Liam on their apparently tumultuous relationship. He lets me down by getting all mushy.

"I can't get tired of these songs. They mean a lot to me, because they're written by him," he says. "I mean, If they were wrote by someone else, that'd be a different ball game, you know what I mean? If we weren't brothers, that'd be a different ball game. You know, Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend got a weird vibe. He's my brother, you know. We're similar."

We're similar. He draws it out as if he's just grasped the last piece of a puzzle. •

"We're similar, you know what I mean? We've gone down that similar path so it all seems like natural to sing his songs 'cause we're singing about the same things. We're living a similar life so it's pretty natural.''

This vulnerable, truly authen-

tic, side of Liam Is almost endearing. Somehow sensing this, he pulls back and lashes out to take the heat off.

"Yeah, we [Liam and Noel] live around the corner from each other. Gavin, out of Bush, lives on the block He lives across the park. He only lives there because I live there. Now I want to move away, as far as possible away from there,"

Naturally, I ask him if he's ever had Gavin over for a barbecue or Tupperware party.

"There'd be no fucking chance. He wouldn't last fucking five minutes in the same room as me.''

"Mentally.Physically. Musically. Not knowledgeable." The • incessant braggadocio isn't as obnox• ious to listen to as one might imagine. This is partly due to what Liam refers to as his, "positive vibes, all the time", which means, I think, when he's really laying into someone, you're relieved that you're not the target.

The other part of Liam's charm is that, at 27, he jabbers like a precocious child. He may speak brashly on a myriad of subjects, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's In full control of the words.

Liam's mantra of "You know what I mean" is most likely ''Is that what I mean?" Liam may not know what he should be saying, but he's definitely convinced he should be saying it loudly. His disdain for his contemporaries Is legendary.

"What do I listen for? Melody. Good songs. People who can rock and roll, not just rock, you know what I mean? Good voices. Star quality. Character,'' he rattles off the criteria as confidently as he would colours of the rainbow. Like Radiohead, I suggest?

"No, they're students. They're boring student music. I don't like them."

"Thom Yorke doesn't have a good voice?" I ask.

When he answers no, I blink. Liam1s giving me a headache. Yorke may be an ugly devil but his voice is

nothing short of angelic. His opinion of Bush "Rubbish!" • is more severe than his opinion of those fans Oasis shares with that band.

"They're a bit confused, to like our band and their band. It's really a bit deprived or something. It's a bit muddled up because they're totally worlds apa,i, Like the park, see? We're on other sides of the park."

According to Liam, though, everybody's on the other side of the park. Does he like any contemporary music?

''I like a band called Travis, from Scotland. That's about it really."

Travis, also on the Epic record label, is often compared to Oasis. The terrific B-side on their first single off their new album, The Man Who, is a cheeky cover of "Hit Me Baby (One More Time)". If you haven't heard it you will soon.

Liam calls American artists ''terrible", and then "fucking terrible". Was he talking about boy-bands and bubble-gum?

"Korn and fucking Limp Bizkit, which is even worse," he mutters. Oasis fills his criteria of good music and more, says Liam.

"They've got a band here that likes being on stage, and that likes being In the limelight, and likes all the things rock and roll brings you. You know, we're not ashamed of our fame. Not like all these dlckhead American bands who start a band and then say they don't want to be famous. Bollocks."

He pauses, taking a drag from his rapidly depleting cigarette.

"So that's appealing, you know. It gives them [fans] hope, like, yeah, I want to be in a rock and roll band."

Homeward bound, I decide that he's right. He is Inspiring and makes me want to be in band. But then my headache gets worse and I realise he also makes one heck of an argument for being a concierge.

(Standing on the Shoulder of Giants is currently available in stores.)

The Community Women's Centre@UCFV Room A224 604-864-4669

Upcoming/Ongoing Events:

morning walking club, check with Centre for times and locations.

-Women's camping weekend at Hicks Lake, once in July, and again in August. dates to be announced. Sign up now at the Centre. Extra

is

at no charge.

-Lesbian drop-in (Wednesday 6pm-8pm)

check

-Silent

theCentre.

Centre Hours: check

Spring

Centre

possibl