VOL. 78 ISSUE 20
Feb. 26, 2018
Gee-Gees trial wraps up P.6
STRIKE A ROCK +Q&A
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Mayfair Theatre 1074 Bank St. Ottawa
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This is a story of two South African mothers and best friends, Primrose Sonti and Thumeka Magwangqana, who together take on Lonmin PLC, the third largest platinumextractor in the world. They live in Nkaneng, Marikana, an informal settlement in rural South Africa that sprung up around the mine. Although the corporation has significant legal obligations to the community where the mine is located, it was not complying with its responsibilities, leading to increasing tensions. When police opened fire on miners protesting low wages on August 16, 2012, killing 34 people, the incident sent shock waves throughout the world. These two dynamic women form a women’s organization, Sikhala Sonke (We Cry Together), and over time take different paths in their search for social and economic justice. The film follows their deeply personal journey as they take on a Goliath of high-powered enemies that appear to collude against the people of Marikana, and at the same time try to maintain a friendship that is threatening to break under the weight of this pressure. Out of dust and iron, the women of Marikana rise – Q & A to follow with Human Rights Watch Emergencies Division Researcher Jonathan Pedneault To purchase tickets ($5/ticket) from the Mayfair Theatre: Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis – cash only.
COMMUNITY PARTNER Changing Futures algonquincollege.com/gradcerts
In this week’s issue... Sexual assault trial of former U of O hockey players ends P. 6 Trial is over, but decision will not be announced until June 2018
Archaelogy deep dive P. 8 Kevin Brown breaks cold water diving record searching for artifacts Catch up on Gee-Gees postseason action P. 13 Basketball, Hockey, and Swimming are all competing There shouldn’t be assignments due on reading week P. 14 Break week should be an opportunity to reorganize ADULT & YOUTH SESSIONS
ROUND 4 MARCH 5 - APRIL 28, 2018
My partner says I’m having an emotional affair P. 17 Am I too close to my coworker?
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NEWS
NEWS EDITOR Anchal Sharma
news@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0061 @anchalsharma_
Feb. 18 BOA sees 2018 general election report Other motions include additions to SFUO constitution Anchal Sharma News Editor
T
he Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) held their monthly Board of Administration (BOA) meeting on Sunday, Feb. 18 following the 2018 general election. 2018 GENERAL ELECTION REPORT
Members of the SFUO elections committee gave updates on the elections report in detail. They discussed updating the website to allow for complaints and proxy voters to submit information directly online. They also touched on elections rebranding, incentivizing students to vote through competitive pledges and free coffee at Cafe Nostalgica, and mentioned that this year’s election saw the second highest voter turnout since 2012. They also talked about their choice of paper ballots as a commitment to transparency, as they ran into some issues with electronic voting in the past, as well as the introduction of a Meet and Greet event for candidates to talk to students prior to the election debates. The committee further discussed issues such as running out of ballots at certain polling stations, and the steps they took to try and fix these problems, including a system to replace ballots. The elections committee further took measures to “restore faith in the elections office,” like making sure ballots were stored in a locked storage room off campus and that multiple people were counting each ballot. Faculty of Social Sciences representative Philippe Garcia-Duchesne, who ran
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unsuccessfully for to be SFUO president on the Solutions slate, raised some concerns with the report, such as polling stations being moved without 24 hours notice as per the SFUO constitution, polling stations being opened two hours late, candidate profiles not being visible on the SFUO website, and questioning whether or not names on the ballot were in alphabetical order. Qussai Abu-Naqoos, the chief electoral officer (CEO) responded that the names on the ballots were listed alphabetically by last name, clarifying that polling stations were not moved to different buildings, rather in more accessible locations within the same buildings, and that the website designer was sick and therefore unavailable to update the website with candidate profiles. He also mentioned that certain polling stations like those at Roger Guindon Hall were opened later than others to better accommodate students. Hadi Wess, current SFUO president, commented on the “levels of ignorance” within the student body regarding the elections process. He also stated that members of the SFUO contribute to the misunderstanding and bullying by commenting on elections posts on the SFUO Facebook page. He also made it clear that if anyone “(thinks) there is election fraud going on then (they) have three options,” which he listed as follow: 1.
Send an email to the elections office and ask questions at elections@ sfuo.ca 2. Send an email to the elections committee at chairperson.elections@ sfuo.ca 3. Show up to the BOA meetings and ask questions Vice-president finance Rizki Rachiq, also incoming
SFUO president, spoke on the issue of cyber bullying, referring to a Facebook page called Beloved SFUO overlords, which posts memes about members of the SFUO and the 2018 election. Rachiq claimed that Protection services is aware of the page and of some board members who he says are involved and engaged by liking posts on that Facebook page. He also mentioned feeling attacked on the page due to certain posts which published photos from his personal social media accounts. “If requested, Protection will come to the board and talk to members involved,” he said. “You’re not going to take my photos and meme them like I’m your Sunday night show and laugh at me.” Following this, the BOA voted in favour of the motion to accept the election results and destroy the ballots. MOTION TO UPDATE THE SFUO CONSTITUTION Wess proposed a motion for a change to be added in the SFUO constitution as bylaw 11.22 regarding training for federated bodies. The motion, which states that its purpose is to maintain a “productive and constructive relationship with federated bodies”, consists of adding a section to the constitution called Leader Action regarding mandatory training for federated bodies of the SFUO in an effort to improve their relationship with executives. Wess also clarified that this motion would exclude medical and education fed bodies as their elections take place later on in the year. An amendment proposed by Faculty of Social Sciences representative Cori Trandafir to have the motion read “and SFUO executives are mandated to attend this
Photo: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.
training,” was passed. Faculty of Social Sciences representative Matthew Boulden also proposed an amendment to include “be it further resolved that incoming BOA members are allowed to participate in Leader Action,” into the motion. After some debate, this was adopted, as was the final motion initially proposed by Wess. EXECUTIVE UPDATES Wess mentioned that the next General Assembly will be taking place on March 13 at 6:30 p.m. in alumni auditorium. He also apologized for the lack of presidents and social roundtables that he said he was unable to host for the past few months due to work pressure, and said he will be hosting them again shortly. Vice-president services and communications Kathryn Leblanc also talked about elections rebranding which was done to be more appealing to voters, and she said it was inspired in part by Carleton University’s Student Association. Moumouni-Tchouassi addressed the success of various Black History Month events such as the Black Hair Workshop. She also mentioned upcoming events
like the annual Black History Month Gala which will take place on Feb.27, a panel on being black in post secondary institutions on Feb. 28, and the black market which will take place on March 15 and March 20. She mentioned rescheduling games night and the potluck that was planned for Black History Month as well and said it will now take place in March. M o u m o u n i-Tc h o u a s s i also said she heard from students about the need for more black femme discussion groups, and said she’s working on creating weekly workshops. For clubs, MoumouniTchouassi said that she has a backlog of bank letters to sort through and she has been trying to keep up with the online system which hasn’t been working. She also said that she will be extending the clubs semester into the summer semester to make up for some lost time. Another part of Moumouni-Tchouassi’s update mentioned the “elections post from hell,” referring to the SFUO’s Facebook post releasing the unofficial results of the 2018 general election. “Things happen, events happen and we react… one thing that has come up a lot is the overtly negative and sometimes anti-identity
comments,” she said, adding that the SFUO is looking into making better policies to combat cyber bullying. Following vice-president university affairs Axel Gaga’s report, Rachiq gave his updates regarding requests from federated bodies for their second audit, and getting updated numbers ready for the General Assembly in March. He also discussed working with companies like Greenshield to improve the health program and to get a Gardasil vaccine to be included in the student health plan. Rachiq then mentioned the Fulcrum’s article regarding complaints from SFUO employees about their working conditions. Rachiq said that “HR was exposed in a way that wasn’t relevant,” and that “it came forward during a sensitive moment which was the elections.” He also added that human resources staff go through training and that “if anyone is disciplined or fired, (they) go over a process...and sometimes ask lawyers if (they’re) doing the right thing.” “If you have any questions regarding the HR process, or any training we went over, you can send me an email,” Rachiq concluded. A live-stream of the Feb.18 BOA meeting can be found on the SFUO’s Facebook page.
NEWS | 5
Gee-Gees’ sexual assault verdict to come in June
Court hears from Gee-Gees hockey coach, complainant’s friend Eric Davidson Editor-in-Chief
The trial of former University of Ottawa hockey players Guillaume Donovan and David Foucher for sexual assault ended on Friday, Feb. 16, with a decision to be given on June 25. Donovan and Foucher were charged after allegedly sexually assaulting a student at Lakehead University in February of 2014. The trial, which ran from Feb. 5-16 in Thunder Bay, had been moved back twice, first in August of 2016 and then in August of 2018. The allegations led to the hockey team being disbanded temporarily, and the team’s coach at the time, Real Paiement, was fired. In the first days of the trial, the complainant, whose name is protected by a publication ban, alleged that while she was with Donovan’s roommate, another Gee-Gees player at the hotel, having a con-
sensual sexual encounter, when Donovan entered from the adjoining room, and two other Gee-Gees players came in and started nonconsensually having sex with her. According to the CBC, when the trial resumed on Feb. 12, Christian Deslauriers, a lawyer for Donovan, repeatedly suggested that the complainant had consented to a threesome with one of the men that entered the room, which the complainant denied multiple times, saying, “that did not happen.” Donovan’s defence also asked the complainant if she had attempted to coordinate her story with one of the witnesses when making statements to the police, which she also denied. She said she was initially hesitant to get the police involved. On Feb. 13, Celina SaintFrancois, the lawyer for Foucher, questioned how
the complainant had identified Foucher, who was the captain of the team at the time. The Crown then questioned a friend of the complainant, whom the complainant called to pick her up following the alleged assault. The friend said the complainant was “hysterically crying.” The friend said she then told the GeeGees coach, and later the U of O, that there had been an incident, but did not name the complainant. She said the university went to the police. The Crown then questioned former hockey player Mathieu Leduc, who said the team had been partying in the adjoining room where the alleged sexual assault took place. He also said he saw Foucher and two other players who were “naked except for boots” enter that room. He later said that he “did not see a sexual as-
The trial took place in Thunder Bay, concluding on Feb. 16.
sault take place.” On Feb. 14, former coach Paiement said that he interviewed the players after he was informed of the incident, and concluded that the complainant had agreed to a threesome. Paiement said he had decided not to involve police.
In closing statements on Feb. 15, the lawyers for the defence called the complainant a “liar,” and said she had not provided a consistent timeline of events, and that her identification of Foucher was weak. The Crown said that consent was the main issue,
Photo: CC, wallyg.
and the court should believe when she said she had not given it. He also called into question Foucher’s testimony, as Foucher had told his coach that he didn’t remember the incident. Justice Chantal Brochu said that a decision should be made in the case by June 25.
Carleton student dismissed from university for mental health concerns Administration’s decision comes following two hospitalizations Anchal Sharma News Editor In a Facebook post from Monday, Feb. 5, a now former Carleton University student, Falum Gibson opened up about the circumstances of her removal from the university. Gibson was a secondyear psychology student with an 11.0 CGPA when she was hospitalized in November of 2017 for mental health related issues. Gibson said that after being hospitalized for two weeks, she received notice from the university that she was being put on academic probation due to her absence. She filled out the required documentation to return to school, and was back in Leeds residence for the winter holidays. According to Gibson, the school had given her a safety plan that she followed carefully. She was told to call campus security in the event of an emergency,
Photo: Jean-Luc Ducamp.
and said she called them in January when she started having suicidal thoughts. Gibson was then hospitalized for a second time, for one night, after which she returned to school. The university administration then told her it could no longer support her needs. “They had a final meeting about it on Jan. 10,” she explained, referring to ad-
ministration and student success services staff, adding that it was conducted without her. “They said they couldn’t support me anymore and I was asked to leave by Jan. 12.” Gibson said, writing in her Facebook post that “it was very clear that they were only concerned about liability, and not that a student was deeply
struggling.” Steven Reid, the media relations officer at Carleton told the Fulcrum in a statement, “While the university cannot disclose personal information about any student, we can confirm that we provide additional transitional support to students who decide to withdraw from their studies and leave res-
idence due to extenuating circumstances.” “The university’s focus is on enabling successful transitions not evictions. Carleton staff work with the students and advocates on their behalf, including health care workers and counsellors in other communities to aid in students’ transitions from residence. We are pleased to continue to work with the student and are supporting her through her transition,” the statement continued. Gibson said she reached out to the equity services at Carleton University following her removal, who said they would look into the issue, but she has yet to hear back from them. As of right now, Gibson is also on academic probation with OSAP, which limits her ability to apply for a loan were she to decide to attend a different university. She is also currently staying at a hospital in her hometown of
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Peterborough, as her family home is not wheelchair accessible, something she once praised Carleton for, as she explains in her post. “The reason I chose Carleton was for their impeccable wheelchair accessible facilities. I made so many friends, and met so many people, and now I do not even have a place to call home,” she wrote.“Many students with disabilities choose to live at Carleton because this is the most accessible school for them during their studies. However, I am now learning that they are not so welcoming to students’ who have invisible disabilities.” Gibson also fears that her situation will deter other students from seeking help, although she hopes this won’t be the case. “Students shouldn’t be afraid to reach out for help,” she said. “It’s so important to do so, because things can get out of control very quickly.”
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A&C EDITOR Ryan Pepper arts@thefulcrum.ca
ARTS&CULTURE U of O student and team set new ice diving record (613) 695-0062 @pep_ryan
Brown dove 132m under ice, searching for Indigenous artifacts Ryan Pepper
Arts & Culture Editor
U
niversity of Ottawa anthropology master’s student Kevin Brown broke the world record for deepest ice dive at 132 metres beneath the surface, in an exploratory dive in Mazinaw Lake in late January while searching for underwater Indigenous artifacts, his area of research.
“We realized (Lake Mazinaw) was so deep that probably no other diver went there before, so most likely everything the (First Nations) people would have dropped would still be in the water,” Brown said. “One of the guys, at one point said, ‘You
know, if you do that, you’ll probably be the first people going to that depth.’ We looked online and realized we were actually breaking the record.” Breaking a depth record is, of course, not without its problems. “You’re very alone down there,” Brown said of being at 130 metres underwater. “The pressure is so strong that it pushes at your nervous system … the pressure is basically screwing up your nervous system. The density of the air is also thickening due to the pressure.” There are many dangers associated with diving to those depths, especially in cold water. Decompression sickness, also known as “the bends,” is the most common diving-related hazard, and occurs when a diver ascends too quickly. Nitrogen bubbles get into the bloodstream and joints, and in severe cases can cause paralysis or circulatory shock. To avoid decompression sickness, divers must ascend slowly,
which increases the chance of hypothermia in cold waters like those in Mazinaw Lake. Although Brown was only at a depth of 132 metres for eight minutes, the total dive time was over two hours in freezing water. “You need to stay in the water—if you exit you’re going to get decompression sickness and most likely die, but if you stay in the water you’re going to be hit with hypothermia and you might end up passing out,” Brown explained. There’s also the chance of a deadly increase in CO2 at such depths, which can knock a person unconscious. Brown has been diving since public school, and is a founding member of PTO Exploration, a technical diving outfit based in Ottawa. Although he now dives for academic research, he has been doing serious exploration diving for about a decade. As Brown puts it, anyone who dives at a high level will get into exploration diving eventually,
Kevin Brown and team set a new ice diving record.
as they try to push the limits of their abilities. “Any diver who stays long enough in the field will do it,” said Brown. “You reach a place in diving where you want to go deeper or longer, but there’s no more classes for that.” While Brown might be getting a lot of the coverage, the dive wasn’t a one-man affair. He dives with a team of about 10
others who make the explorations possible. “It’s a team effort, and without them I wouldn’t be able to do anything,” Brown said. This dive isn’t a personal record, Brown stressed, but a “team record.” Diving might seem like something people do for fun on Caribbean vacations, but Canada has world-class diving spots of its own. Diving is easy to get
Photo: Sebastien Pelletier.
into, Brown said. All dive shops offer classes, from beginner to advance levels. “Some of the spots in Canada are the best in the world for diving,” Brown said. Although they came up empty-handed, Brown and his team are planning a larger, two-week expedition looking for shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean this summer.
Unity for Action to perform original musical on materialism
Club promises comedic show, with proceeds going to LGBT charity Ryan Pepper
Arts & Culture Editor Unity for Action, a student club at the University of Ottawa, is gearing up for their annual musical. This year, the club is tackling materialism, with all proceeds going to LGBT Youth Line, a charity that offers counselling, advice, and an outreach hotline for LGBT youth. Unity for Action studentled club that organizes events based on its members’ passions, said Rebecca Mason, a former communications student at the U of O and long-time member of the club, who directed this year’s musical. Coffee houses are common, with members performing what they’re interested in, such as spoken word, music, or dance. One of the club’s biggest highlights is their annual musical, with proceeds going to charities and causes chosen at the beginning of the year. This is the seventh year of the club performing a musical. The
group settled on doing an annual musical, Mason explained, because it was a medium that could easily get their chosen social justice topic across, while gathering a big crowd. “It was decided that, okay, what big event can we host where we can get a large number of people and that we can kind of craft around a social issue in society,” Mason said. “I think a musical was the logical answer to that.” The club writes their own musical every year, which is the best way to keep the production within their limitations and budget. “Since we donate all of our money, it’s not as if we have money to spend … so, when we write it ourselves, it’s easier to know what our limitations are,” said Mason. The club tends to take a comedic or lighthearted route when they can, even though they often deal with heavy topics like mental health or domestic abuse. Mason explains that
8 | ARTS & CULTURE
they are always careful to be respectful of the subject matter, but don’t want audiences to feel weighed down by the heaviness of the topic. This year’s musical is about materialism, which allows the group to be funnier than they could have been with more personal topics like domestic abuse. The musical has a classic ‘life-swap’ plot, where a rich, famous woman who is miserable and ungrateful for her celebrity status swaps lives with a regular girl who desires fame and fortune. Over the course of the play, the regular girl discovers that fame and money don’t guarantee happiness, while the celebrity learns to be kind to the people around her and better appreciate them. The musical is also unique in that they don’t write their own songs, but take popular music that fits the subject matter. Keeping with the comedic angle, the musical will feature “Rich Girl” and Simple Plan’s “Welcome to My Life,” for some
The musical runs March 10–11.
cheesy throwbacks. “It’s for a great cause, and all of the money is going to that good cause. It’s also a lot of fun to see people who love what they’re doing, who love performing,” Mason said. “I think
Photo: Larissa Chiu
it’s a good story, again, with materialism, you have something that comes into play a lot these days.” “It’s just a fun time and it’s for a great cause.” The annual Unity for Ac-
tion musical runs Sat. March 10 at 8 p.m., and Sun. March 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Cost is $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Tickets can be bought in advance by emailing unityforaction@gmail.com.
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Enter-Space student exhibit explores the idea of ‘spaces’ Five visual arts students demonstrate growing use of multimedia in art Ryan Pepper
Arts & Culture Editor A student exhibition exploring the open-ended concept of ‘spaces’ and the way we interact in and with them is open now at Gallery 115, with a vernissage set for Tuesday, Feb. 27. The exhibit, called EnterSpace, is being curated by fourth-year University of Ottawa visual arts student Anika Lalonde, and features works by bachelor of fine arts students Kelsea Shore, Maria Merheb, Lila Maitre, and Lalonde, and master’s student John Ancheta. “Enter-Space is all kinds of different interpretations of spaces. A space is an undetermined or determined amount of area that you can present differently: digitally, through Instagram, or through virtual spaces using phones, or a really abstract soundbased (space), or things you can recall or remember,” said Lalonde. “It’s really
open to interpretation.” The interpretations of “space” really are varied in this exhibit. Lalonde pointed out Shore’s exhibit using phones to explore virtual space, in which people can see themselves in the screen, while Merheb photographed typical winter scenes in the eastern National Capital Region (NCR). Lalonde pointed out that the number of artists using multimedia in this exhibit is part of a growing trend in the wider art world. As technology increases and becomes more accessible, artists are exploring ways to use common technologies in unique ways. For instance, Lalonde uses Instagram to make maps and a photo board of her walks around Ottawa. “There’s definitely more multimedia going around,” Lalonde said. “Like combinations of two different mediums or using digital sources as their medium of expression.” There is now an in-
teractive element to art that was unavailable a decade ago. The other pieces on display are a photo book of Sandy Hill houses by Maitre, and a sound and video installation by Ancheta. The multimedia element at the exhibit is somewhat of a rarity in Ottawa right now. There aren’t any other shows in the region quite like it, Lalonde noted, so this is the best opportunity to explore the burgeoning use of multimedia in art. The vernissage on Feb. 27 will be an opportunity to meet the artists and enjoy some food and drink. Lalonde says people should come out to explore the multimedia element, as this is the latest trend in the art world overall. The big draw, says Lalonde, is “the fact that it’s media-based.” Gallery 115 is always open to student artists, and any visual art student can pitch an idea for an exhibit and
The gallery runs until March. 2.
curate the space. The irony of the exhibition happening in a space isn’t lost on Lalonde, who wants visitors to be aware that as they explore these
Photo: Parker Townes.
other spaces—Sandy Hill, the eastern NCR, abstract video spaces—they are themselves in a space. “Keep in mind that it’s a space, and there are differ-
ent ways to view and perceive a space, and hopefully (visitors) see their world differently,” Lalonde concluded on her hopes for the exhibition.
REAL TALK: Does my hijab make you uncomfortable? Zainab Al-mehdar Fulcrum Alum
Every good movie has a great villain. One that is hated and feared by all. How is this villain created? Society. Society chooses who to banish and who to mark as an outsider. *** Growing up, kids asked me, “Do you shower in that?” or “Do you have hair under there?” and my younger self, so naïve at the time, laughed it off with everyone else. I remember the first time I wore it, my mom asked me “Honey are you sure you want to wear this?” I replied without hesitation, “Yes, mom. I want to be like you and Wafa (my sister).” One of my favorite memories is of my first class photo in which I wore my hijab. I wore a gold track suit and a two piece beige hijab. It was a deliberate decision. A conscious thought: I want to look good. The image of myself as a 10 year-old standing in front of a mirror and admiring my hijab before heading out to school is something I hope I never forget. It was an exciting morning. I couldn’t wait to show off my
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hijab to my friends. I wanted to be like my older sister and was giddy at the thought of putting a hijab on just like her. It was a choice created by admiration and fueled by love. Never did my decision falter nor was I ever embarrassed by it because I watched my sister carry herself and all I could think was, man, she looks cool. When I look back, my earliest memories are filled with joy and warmth and my hijab is at the centre of it all. Yet, as I step outside my front door today, the warmth is replaced by unease. *** It’s hard not to notice something so obviously visible. Something that may be foreign and odd to many, and growing up people didn’t shy away from making it harder to “blend in.” *** When you fast forward 12 years later and people still ask you, “Do you have hair under that?” or “Did your parents force you to wear that?” you realize that the questions have evolved from innocent inquiries to judgmental remarks. My hijab became a conversation start-
er—to discuss the political and economic state of Muslim countries. And all I can think to myself is, why in your right mind do you think that’s the most appropriate thing to talk to me about?! It becomes a way for people to impose what they think it means, and it only takes one comment to make it visible. To make you stick out like a sore thumb. As women, it’s the most obvious thing about us, rendered all the more visible when people deliberately try to make a comment about our hijab. Their smiles are always a tad too bright and you can tell it’s forced, borderline uncomfortable, and yet we’re completely unfazed. Because this is what happens when you’re a walking, talking representation of your faith. When the first thing people see is your headscarf and not your smile. When their eyes go straight to your head and then away, as if they’re afraid you’re going to catch them staring. Or when their eyes latch on and refuse to look away until you conform to their image of ‘normal.’ So you find yourself
Illustration: Alina Wang.
working overtime. Laughing politely and smiling reassuringly at everyone that passes by. The hijab causes enough attention as it is. Try to avoid ruf-
fling feathers—any more than they’ve already been ruffled. Try to act like a ‘normal’ person. So yeah, excuse us for not wanting to apologize or to ex-
plain one more time why we (freely) choose to cover our hair. I’d like to sincerely thank and acknowledge my friend Zaynab Ali, who collaborated with me on this piece.
ARTS & CULTURE | 9
MOVIES HAVE SEEN
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (1973)
YOU SHOULD
Ryan Pepper
Arts & Culture Editor
WHY IT’S FAMOUS Jesus Christ Superstar holds a big place in theatre, as one of only two major Broadway musicals about Jesus Christ— the other being Godspell— and it’s definitely the bigger, more dramatic of the two. It also has some serious musical pedigree behind it—the music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who also composed Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat, Phantom of the Opera, Evita, and Cats. The show also offered a pretty unique view of Jesus for the time, in the early ‘70s. Also, Jesus’s rock scream.
WHY YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT There are probably three reasons why you haven’t
seen it: you dislike musicals, and when you heard that it had zero dialogue and was by the same guy who made Cats, you ran the other way; you don’t like hippies for whatever reason; or you’ve seen one too many milquetoast Christian movies (here’s looking at you, Heaven is for Real), and you’re skeptical of explicitly Christian entertainment.
WHY IT MIGHT BE TOUGH TO GET THROUGH While Superstar is far from usual Christian fare, it is still a musical about Jesus, the apostles, and Judas, and that can be uninteresting or off-putting to some people. It also lacks dialogue, which many find frustrating. It also has an unusual premise—the movie is technically a bunch of hippies recreating Jesus’ last days,
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and that premise leads to some anachronisms, like tanks rolling through the desert or machine guns being sold at the market, which might be corny or strange to some viewers. It’s also very 1973. The costumes, dancing, and music are dated for sure, and unless you are a big fan of music from that era, you might not be interested.
WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT ANYWAY Superstar is “the greatest story ever told” set to an amazing rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack. Every performance is powerful, with not a bad actor or singer in the cast. Songs like “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” became huge hits outside of the musical, while others,
namely “Gethsemane,” feature some of the best singing Broadway has to offer. The movie, filmed on location in Israel, focuses on a human Jesus, and Webber and lyricist Tim Rice create a convincing portrait of a man both out of his element and not in control of the situation. Divinity doesn’t really come into play—this is the story of a man doomed to die, and we all follow him, through one tremendous musical number after another, to the gruesome conclusion. It also has a complex and sympathetic portrayal of Judas, played by Carl Anderson, who betrays Jesus because, as he says, “Jesus can’t control it like he did before/ And furthermore I know that Jesus thinks so too.” Also, Jesus’ rock scream, again.
BEST SONGS -“Everything’s Alright”: Yvonne Elliman shines as a loving Mary Magdalene, but it’s the theological debate that features prominently here—Judas is shown to sympathize much more with the poor than Jesus, who delivers the jarring, but powerful line: “there will be poor always, pathetically struggling.” It’s also the first hint of Ted Neeley’s (Jesus) powerful singing. -“The Last Supper”/ “Gethsemane”: the emotional climax of the musical. Judas betrays Jesus amongst a flurry of high notes and emotive singing, while “Gethsemane” features Neeley’s singular rock scream as he resigns himself to his fate. -“Superstar”: The groovy ending track, in which Judas attempts to understand why Jesus would have chosen to
be born in Israel 2000 years ago instead of today.
FUN FACTS -Only Elliman and Barry Dennen (who plays Pontius Pilate) appear in both the original album and the film. Elliman later went on to have a successful disco career. -Director Norman Jewison had directed the film version of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof two years earlier. -Most actors in this film are best-known for their role in this movie—few had big careers afterwards. Neeley is probably best known for reprising his role of Jesus in many other performances. Bob Bingham, who played Caiaphas, retired from show business shortly afterwards, and got a job as a manager at a zipper factory.
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SPORTS
Daniel Birru SPORTS EDITOR sports@thefulcrum.ca @FulcrumSports
Dominating performance sets up quarterfinal matchup with Queen’s
Gees overpower smaller Varsity Blues in the paint to win first playoff matchup Zack Goobie
Associate Sports Editor
T
he University Ottawa Women’s Basketball team, ranked third in the OUA East, started their playoff run against the fifth-ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
The Gees came out firing on all cylinders on both ends of the court. They jumped out to a 20-6 lead after the first quarter, that was capped off by a three-point play by Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu who was fouled on her way to the net. Jennifer Crowe, Angel Ribarich, and Amélie Hachey all scored four points in the first 10 minutes of play to generate a balanced attack. The Garnet and Grey were aggressive on the defensive side of the ball
as they forced six turnovers. The Varsity Blues caught fire with two three-pointers, but the Gees generated three buckets of their own to equal the score early on in the second quarter, including a breakaway layup by Maia Timmons as their defence was caught napping. Hachey hit a three-pointer to give the Gees a 35-15 lead with 6:10 left in the half. Two free-throws from Lefebvre-Okankwu with 3:24 left in the half gave the Gees a 39-20 lead after two free-throws. At the end of the half, the Gees had an outstanding 45-22 lead. Lefebvre-Okankwu had 11 points and eight rebounds to lead to Gees in points and rebounds, and Crowe chipped in with eight points and four rebounds. The Garnet and Grey forced the Varsity Blues to 20 per cent shooting from the field and from behind the arc. The Gees went right to Ribarich in their first possession
as she got good post position and finished in close. Right after, the Garnet and Grey went to Lefebvre-Okankwu after a great pass by Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus, while the Gees kept using their height to their advantage. Crowe hit a three-pointer with 3:30 left after the Gees had a rare dry spell for points. The quarter finished with the Gees leading 59-35, Toronto’s play improved, but the Gees didn’t give up an inch, taking the quarter 14-13. Timmons got the Gees started with a shot from deep just over a minute and a half into the final quarter. McAlear-Fanus drove right past her defender with seven minutes left to notch her seventh point of the game to go along with nine rebounds. With the Gees holding an outstanding lead, their bench had a role to play down the stretch. The team would ultimately play well, and the Gees took the game
The Gee-Gees defeated the Varsity Blues in playoff action.
73-50. The Gee-Gees dominated in basically every facet of the game, from shooting percent-
age to rebounding where the Gees led 53-41 and scored 14 second chance points. Lefebvre-Okankwu led the Gees
Photo: Parker Townes.
from start to finish with a 17 points to go along with 11 rebounds for a big double-double for the Garnet and Grey.
Women’s hockey lose first playoff game in 5-0 rout
Concordia Stingers took the lead 11 seconds in, didn’t look back Daniel Birru Sports Editor
The Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Concordia Stingers Women’s Hockey teams squared off in the first game of their first round series on Feb. 21 at the Ed Meagher Arena in Montreal. Being the higher seed, the secondplace Stingers earned the right to the home-ice advantage in the series, and they indeed proved to be the better team, giving no chance at all to the Gee-Gees in a 5-0 rout. Concordia attacked early, took the lead quickly, and hung on until the last second for the 1-0 series lead. They were in control of all aspects of the game, including a commanding 40-14 advantage in the shots on goal
category. Fans who were late to the game didn’t even have time to see the home team’s opening goal, as they broke the ice 11 seconds in on a penalty shot, scored by forward Sophie Gagnon. Her shot beat Gee-Gees’ goaltender Maude Lévesque-Ryan topshelf blocker side to get the game–and the home crowd– going. This happened moments after she was tripped on a breakaway by Ottawa’s Christine Deaudelin. That 11 seconds was in fact the only time Concordia did not lead the game, as they never looked back from then on, scoring the next four goals unanswered. Forward Vicky Gélinas then made no mistake in adding to her team’s total, scoring six minutes later to
double up the home team’s lead. It would later be Audrey Belzile’s turn to put her name on the scoring sheet, adding a third one with 33 seconds left in the first on a breakaway. Belzile did not stop there. The Stingers got their first chance on the power play two minutes into the first, and it became a two-player advantage for them in a matter of only eight seconds later. Standing to the right side of the net, Belzile accepted a pass from her teammate Claudia Dubois and hammered it past Lévesque-Ryan to put the team up by four before the period was four minutes old. From then on the visiting Gee-Gees just wanted to get out of this nightmare of a game and get ready as
The Gee-Gees lost their first playoff game.
soon as possible for their game two clash. While the rest of the second remained pretty even, Concordia’s Audrey Belzile completed her hat-
Photo: Parker Townes.
trick in the third, on a shot from the high slot that beat Lévesque-Ryan on the left side less than seven minutes in the third, also on the power-play. Lévesque-Ry-
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an’s night was over, as Ottawa’s coach Yanick Evola rested her for the rest of the game and sent Sarah-Maude Labrecque into action for the rest of the third.
SPORTS | 13
THE BOXSCORE: THE PLAYOFFS BEGIN BASKETBALL(W) BASKETBALL(M) HOCKEY(M)
HOCKEY(W)
saturday, FEB. 17, 2018
friday, FEB. 16, 2018
wednes., FEB. 21, 2018
Thursday, feb. 22, 2018
Gee-Gees
Gee-Gees
Gee-Gees
Gee-Gees
vs
york
65 55
vs
queens
89 86
3
AT
2
Mcgill
wednes., FEB. 21, 2018
saturday, FEB. 17, 2018
FRIDAY, FEB. 23, 2018
Gee-Gees
Gee-Gees
Gee-Gees
vs
U OF T
73 50
AT
York
82
TBD
at
Mcgill
1 4
at
CONCORDIA
0 5
THURSDAY, FEB. 8, 2018
Gee-Gees at
CARLETON
TBD TBD
For detailed game coverage check out the Fulcrum’s website at www.thefulcrum.ca.
Gee-Gees split first two playoff games against top-ranked McGill
The Gees will look to come up big in final playoff game on Sunday eric davidson editor-in-chief
The Gees won a hometown rivalry to beat Carleton in the first round of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs, but the second round offers a whole new challenge. The Gee-Gees are in with a chance for a huge upset, as they could take out the number one team in their division, the McGill Redmen, in their best of three series in the second round of the playoffs. The Garnet and Grey came out strong in the first game of the series against the Redmen on Feb. 21. An early tip-in by Gee-Gee Jacob Hanlon put the University of Ottawa ahead in the first period. It was a nice birthday present for Hanlon, and a good start for the team. The Gees kept up the pressure.
It looked like the Gees had taken a 2-0 lead 40 seconds into the second period, but the goal was called off. A few minutes later, McGill would score, tying the game up at one apiece. The Redmen continued to apply pressure in the second, getting some good chances before burying the puck once again to take a 2-1 lead in the closing minutes of the second. But the Gee-Gees came up clutch in the final frame. The Garnet and Grey got a power play halfway through the period and made no mistakes, as Marco Azzani deflected the puck into the net to knot the game at two. McGill would repeat its mistake, giving the U of O another man advantage with just four minutes remaining, and the Gees would capitalize yet again. This time it was Médric
Mercier who scored, potting the game winner. The Gee-Gees would hold on to win game one in dramatic fashion. In game two, set in Ottawa on Feb. 23, McGill came out even stronger, knowing that if they lost, they would be eliminated. The Gee-Gees got off to a great start once again, seizing an early 1-0 lead as Michael Poirer scored on the team’s first shot of the game. But this time, it was the Redmen’s turn to flip the script. McGill’s Keanu Yamamoto scored twice, the first goal coming early in the second, the second early in the third, to shift the momentum and give the Redmen a 2-1 lead. With time winding down in the third, the Gees hoped to come up clutch yet again. After both goalies put on very strong performances, the
The Gee-Gees are looking to upset top-ranked McGill
U of O decided to pull their netminder. Despite the best offensive efforts on the part of the Garnet and
Grey, they couldn’t convert, and McGill scored a pair of empty net goals to close out the match 4-1.
12 | SPORTS
Photo: Parker Townes.
With the series tied up, the Gee-Gees will look to win the series in the final game on Feb. 25.
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Gee-Gees swimmers compete in U-Sports Championship
Team led by strong performances from Vanda and Casarin daniel birru sports editor
It was in a great atmosphere and high intensity that the 2018 U-Sports National Swimming Championship took place, at the University of Toronto pool. The Gee-Gees entered the competition after posting strong results in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) finals, led by strong performances by Delphine Vandal, David Casarin, and Montana Champagne, though a large number of Gees performed well. Vandal, Casarin, and Champagne would continue to prove their abilities with impressive performances at the national level. The National Swimming Championship featured the nation’s best swimmers from coast to coast, including some of the University of Ottawa, reunited in its biggest city to compete for
The Gee-Gees are competing in Toronto for the National Swimming Championship.
medals in events, such as backstroke, butterfly, freestyle, and breaststroke, over last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The first race on Thursday evening started strong for the University of Cal-
gary, as Danica Ludlow took 1:55 to complete the women’s 200 metre freestyle, scoring 32 points. The best Gee-Gee in the race, Shelburne, Vermont’s Delphine Vandal, had a 17th place finish, ending with a
Photo: Parker Townes.
score of nine and a time of 2:02. The men’s equivalent event was won by Markus Thormeyer of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, in a time of 1:43 and a score of 32. The best Gee-Gee here
was Davide Casarin, who swam that distance in 1:45 and scored 27 points, good for a third place finish. Ottawa’s only first place finish came by the local Montana Champagne in the 200 metre butterfly, in
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a time of 1:56. Meanwhile, Casarin, an Italian native who has won gold medals in past events, settled for silver in the 400 metere freestyle with a time of 3:46, a race that was won by the U of Calgary’s Peter Brothers, who took two seconds less to finish the race. The team was able to collect a total of 124 points in the women’s event, for the 13th place amongst other universities, while the men, who finished 11th, were able to collect 186 points. This is still far behind the Thunderbirds who won both the men’s and women’s events, with 749.5 and 974.5 points, respectively. Moreover, a new Canadian U Sports record was set, when the U of T’s Kylie Masse of took 26.15 seconds to complete the 50 metre backstroke. For updates on the rest of the events, please visit the Fulcrum’s website.
SPORTS | 13
OPINIONS
OPINIONS EDITOR David Campion-Smith
opinions@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062 @davidcs96
How venues should handle bands with sexual assault allegations Venues should offer refunds, but cancelling performances too extreme david campion-smith opinions editor
A
Hedley show last week at TD Place has opened a debate about how venues should handle performances of groups after sexual assault allegations have been made. In light of the allegations, some fans demanded a refund, and others are saying that venues should cancel performances of such bands and artists altogether.
This is an admittedly tricky issue, but the best
thing that entertainment venues can do is to provide refunds to fans who ask for one. Until those allegations turn into charges, it’s better for venues to give fans the right to choose their response, and decide whether or not they want to see a band that has had sexual assault allegations made against them. Furthermore, there needs to be some sort of policy in place throughout the entertainment industry. Large scale venues and entertainment chains should create corporate policies about how to handle these types of situations. Venues can do a lot through these policies to change a music industry culture that is frequently predatory.
Once charges are filed and arrests or criminal proceedings take place, it’s time for venues to take a different policy, and not give those groups a platform. While giving a platform to groups that have these accusations and this reputation is irresponsible on the part of venues, there should be a tiered system of response, because cancelling a performance without legal proceedings is a measure that’s too extreme. Choice is the important factor in this, and it’s necessary to create a climate where fans can choose how they want to respond to allegations of sexual assault involving their favourite bands. Cancelling a performance removes
A Hedley concert at TD place started this conversation.
the choice from fans, in an instance when it would be far more powerful for fans to make their opin-
ions on sexual assault known. Through this the mood and support of fans can be made clear, and
Photo: CC, Pjposullivan.
send a much more powerful message than cancelling a performance too soon in the game.
HECKLE: We shouldn’t have assignments over reading week David Campion-Smith Opinions Editor
Reading week is not just a time for relaxing, we should all know that (hopefully) by this point. It’s a time that many students use to get caught up on school work, and buy themselves some time later in the semester by starting assignments that are due after the break. Or at least it’s supposed to be used that way. It can also be used to relax, see your family and friends, or just generally accomplish things in your personal life that you might have put off due to school (like seeing Black Panther). For these reasons, professors shouldn’t have assignments due over reading week, because this takes away a student’s choice in prioritizing how they want to spend their break. Having assignments due over reading week doesn’t re-
14 | OPINIONS
ward you down the road, because you’re just treading water in the moment. Further, while we all know that reading week is supposed to be spent doing work, it’s also an excellent opportunity to catch up on sleep, Netflix, and gain some semblance of control over your life. Even if students don’t use the time off to do work, they are still making the choice to prioritize other aspects of their life, as well as take a mental break from the stress of school and classes. Having to work on an assignment due specifically over reading week removes that choice, as you have to spend that much needed time off trying to meet a deadline. These assignments force you to do school work without saving you any time in the future. Assignments over reading week are pointless be-
cause students are already studying over the break. Having a due date during our week off forces students to prioritize a single class and a single project over all the other work, both academic and personal, that they may have hoping to finish during that time. This may sound like childish complaining, since I would have spent the time working on assignments anyway, so why should it matter that I spent it working on an assignment? But it’s the lack of choice that matters. I had to spend a significant amount of time during my week working on a single assignment; I couldn’t choose to work on other ones instead. When for so much of the year we have to be places and things to do, those moments of choice should be held closely. This isn’t a complaint about assignments in general, or even due dates that
Who would want to spend their reading week doing assignments?
are around reading week. Students know that assignments are important, and that there usually isn’t a lot
of room for debate around deadlines. But while assignments are important, it doesn’t mean that the
Illustration: Brennan Bova
well-being of students can’t be taken into consideration when creating assignment deadlines.
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My neighbours stole my new coat So that’s how my life’s going Anchal Sharma News Editor
In the last week of October 2017, I purchased a salt and pepper peacoat from Topshop at the Rideau Centre. I wish that that were the end of the story, but if you’ve been following along with this column and the series of unfortunate events that is my life, of course, it isn’t. Our story begins when I went into the store to purchase the coat, was told they didn’t have my size in stock, but could order it for me online instead and have it shipped to my house within 10 days free of charge. Pretty unexceptional so far. I gave Dana*, the store manager, all of my information, paid for the coat, collected my receipt and went home. About 15 business days later, I had gotten no email confirmation from either Canada Post, or Topshop, and I had no coat. I went back to the store where
Ruby*, a salesperson, informed me based on my receipt, and the Canada Post office downstairs, that my coat was sent to the wrong house, and that my neighbours had signed for it. This was all very weird and Ruby was super helpful and commiserating. He told me that the store would give me a refund, but that it had to go through the Hudson’s Bay Company because it was purchased online. He also said that I could repurchase the coat, which was now back in stock, in store once the refund went through, which would be in three to five business days. As a sidenote, I went to my neighbours’ house to see if they still had the package but despite the lights being on, no one answered the door, because everyone is the worst. A week went by, and I had seen no sign of a refund, so I went back to the store, where
they told me it should be coming, and that because it was now Cyber Monday (yes friends, a month had passed), I could purchase the coat in store for half off the original price. Since I am incredibly impatient and impulsive, I decided this was a good deal and seeing as I had no reason to doubt I would get refunded for the first one, I bought the coat. It’s marvelous.
Anyway, long story short, it’s now February, two seasons have passed, I became an aunt again, started and stopped seeing someone, got a new glasses prescription and two new frames, cut off all my hair, turned 20, celebrated a new year, and began a new job, but I still haven’t gotten my refund. I also know three Topshop employees by name, which is more than I can say for some of the people I actually work with. Honestly, it’s not even about the money. Okay, it’s a little bit about the money (I’m a student journal-
ist, I basically make negative dollars), but mostly it’s the principle of the matter. For maybe the first time ever, something stupid that happened to me isn’t the consequence of one of my actions. I’m not sure why I never received any of the confirmation emails the employees at Topshop said I should be getting, I don’t know why Canada Post thought it was cool when someone who wasn’t me signed for a package in my name, and I don’t know why my neighbours stole my coat and never opened the door for me. What I do know is that there has to be a better way to deal with this. And I mean, I get it. it’s not their fault my neighbours stole my coat, or that Canada Post has a terrible delivery system, but dang flabbit, they promised me a refund and I will not rest until I see it. Or a store credit, I could live with that. *Employee names have been changed.
Illustration: Alina Wang.
Federal government may owe BC Indigenous band $150 million
Cases like Williams Lake should be more common, hold government responsible Connor Chase
staff contributor There has arguably been a positive trend in the Canadian legal system in recent decades. It’s no secret that the government’s history of association with First Nations peoples has been one of exploitation, assimilation, and neglect. And, until recently, the federal government has been content with keeping this history out of the headlines. Unlike the federal government, however, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has been specifying the government’s relationship to Indigenous peoples in a more positive manner. In the past decades, landmark court cases such as R. v. Van Der Peet, which requires courts to fully recognize the pre-existing traditions of Indigenous groups, and Haida Nation v. British Columbia, which laid out the government’s duty
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to consult with groups, have laid a legal framework to more strongly respect the culture and practices of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. This trend has most recently seen the addition of a new SCC case which has once again sided with a local indigenous group. The case focused on the legality of the displacement and neglect of British Columbia’s Williams Lake Indian Band by the BC government. The dispute, which primarily focused on land and reparations, has yielded several important conclusions for land claim cases moving forward. The SCC found that the colony of British Columbia failed its obligation to preserve the Williams Lake lands from settlement and that this failure was the responsibility of the federal government. The federal government is now obligated to pay up to $150 million in reparations. What does this mean
moving forward? For starters, the federal government will be held accountable for past treaty violations. This calls for celebration, but not unbridled enthusiasm. As with most SCC cases, the details matter in setting the precedent, and in this case, the key is that the corresponding government at the time, the government of BC, failed to follow obligations which were very clear in the treaty it signed with the band of Lake Williams, and that the government of today can be held accountable for this. This case is specifically about settlers colonizing an area which they weren’t supposed to, so it’s not entirely clear how applicable this precedent will be to land claim cases in general. But this decision does coincide with significant developments in the western provinces. With much talk of pipelines, a band which a week ago might not have
Williams Lake case is one of several historic cases.
had much bargaining power now potentially has the threat of a $150 million dollar reparation if its history is similar enough to that of the Lake Williams band. And the story of settlers setting up shop on treaty established areas is one that’s not uncommon.
The Williams Lake Indian Band case is an example of courts leading the way in the path towards reconciliation, but there is still much work to do. The federal government’s attempts at reconciliation have largely been feeble. But the SCC has been more successful in making
Photo: CC, Chris Potter.
sure that Indigenous groups are listened to and respected by all branches of government. Genuine reconciliation will require effort from all aspects of society, including a sustained commitment by the government and all people becoming more educated on these issues.
OPINIONS | 15
Coffee, socks, and chargers meeting other Olympian requests
Air Canada, Starbucks team up to help Canadian athletes Nadia Helal tomato contributor
The 2018 Olympic Winter games in South Korea are proving to be another spectacular year for Canadian athletes. Consequently, several companies have been seeing this international success as an opportunity to promote their services. Air Canada, Starbucks, and Apple are just a few that have demonstrated their generosity in various ways. By now it is well known that at the request of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Air Canada has agreed to fly the band the Arkells to Pyeongchang. What is less known, however, is Air Canada’s long history in providing assistance to Olympians. Since the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Air Canada has delivered hundreds of requests to Canadian medal
holders. The 2010 Games saw Olympian Patrick Chan’s longing for poutine unmet; the Ottawa native wasn’t used to the Canadian food out West. “There are only so many Nanaimo bars an athlete can enjoy while training,” moaned the figure skater. Air Canada promptly decided to send a fresh batch of fries, cheese curds, and gravy to the Olympic village in Vancouver. Chan and his teammates enjoyed the hearty, unwholesome dish the night before the closing ceremonies. In the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, Bronze medalist Jan Hudec requested a pair of thick socks. “Compression socks in Russia are too itchy,” the skier announced on Twitter. As a result, Air Canada representatives flew a Costco-sized batch for the entire skiing team. “There were so many pairs, we were signing and giving them away to fans,
and burning them for warmth” said one anonymous skier. During the games in Sochi, Alexandre Bilodeau had a craving for some classic Starbucks one cool winter day. As there are only a handful of locations in Russia, Air Canada had to team up with the coffee chain to make Bilodeau’s dream come true. “I’ll never forget that moment I took a sip of my Starbucks salted caramel brulee Frappuccino in front of the entire American team,” the decorated skier mused. “They were more envious of that coffee than they are of our health care system.” The women’s curling team also found itself in a pickle when the entire group realized they had forgotten their phone chargers. Air Canada responded again by teaming up with Apple and delivering enough chargers for every Canadian athlete. “I am so grateful to Air Canada for
Some emergency deliveries from Air Canada.
giving me the chance to surf the web while waiting for my event to begin. The Wi-Fi in Russia isn’t great, so we had to rely on our data to surf,” revealed Ra-
Photo: CC, Pixabay, Chrom72,Open Clipart. Edits: Christine Wang.
chel Homan, a member of the Olympic curling team. It’s safe to say that Air Canada is going the extra mile in making Olympians’ dreams come true.
The 2022 Winter Games in Beijing promises to be another spectacular year for making Canadian athletes dreams come true, one petty request at a time.
Pence meets with other evil rulers following North Korean discussion Skeletor and Thanos in talks to work with American government
David Campion-Smith Tomato editor
As an investigation into the Trump presidency’s collusion with Russia continues, new reports have emerged about a cancelled meeting between VicePresident Mike Pence and representatives of the North Korean government. After these headlines emerged, the White House has since come clean that their goal is to meet with every evil regime they can find. When asked about plans for future meetings, Pence discussed Skeletor, and the fictional legion of Doom. “We’re very impressed with Skeletor’s commitment to evil,” said the vice-president. “I’ve only been committed since I took public office, and one day I hope I can match his lifelong dedica-
16 | THE TOMATO
tion to the dark forces.” Not all of these groups have been easy to locate, and after a substantial effort the Tomato was able to track down the leader of the Legion of Doom for an interview. “While we’re flattered that the American government wants to meet with us we do have our reputation to consider,” declared Lex Luthor, current leader of the Legion of Doom. Before further questions could be asked, our Tomato reporter was removed from the room by a mysterious force. An official statement released last week by the Legion of Doom shared that the organization is not willing to work with the Trump administration at this time in the interest of protecting their reputation, but would reconsider
if something could finally be worked out around gun registration, as they “don’t want to work with the real bad guys.” It appears that one villain has no problem working with the American government, as intergalactic villain Thanos will be joining the administration as Head of Evil, or HOE. When asked why he was accepting a role that had already been turned down by others, the Mad Titan responded, “As a purple-skinned man it’ll be nice to work for a group that already employs someone bright orange. Furthermore, I believe I can learn quite a bit about how to run a ridiculous empire before it comes crashing down around me, the true skill of any super villain.” However the Trump ad-
Mike Pence discussing strategy with Thanos. Photo:
ministration plans to meet its goal to work with as many evil regimes as pos-
sible, let’s just hope that they never get to Gotham City. Who knows how
the Joker would react to seeing another clown in charge.
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DISTRACTIONS
DEAR DI Horny Homework: Going for gold
Don’t just watch the Olympics this year, get inspired! See if you can find some figure-skating porn to warm yourselves up. Have your partner luge while you skeleton. Or stimulate your partner for the whole length of the speed-skating heats. In the spirit of winter, take some ice cubes and run them slowly over your partner’s body. Who says turning up the heat can’t involve a little chill?
Dishing with Di: TESSA AND SCOTT FOREVER Canadian figure skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have rocked the world at the 2018 Olympic Winter games in PyeongChang, South Korea. They ice-banged their way to our hearts in a gorgeous, sensual routine to songs from Moulin Rouge. I want to take the time to pay tribute to this insanely talented and charismatic duo for bringing home gold. In addition, I vote the Olympics should include more events that involve insanely intricate groping and thrusting. I mean why else do people watch wrestling?
FEATURES EDITOR Savannah Awde
features@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062 @s_awde7
Dear Di, Recently I’ve become really close with a colleague at work. However after mentioning her to my partner one too many times, she accused me of having an “emotional affair”. It feels silly to ruin a perfectly good friendship when nothing’s going on. What can I do that won’t make things super awkward at work?
—An Affair to Forget Dear AF,
In a time when a lot of us spend most of our lives at work, it’s not surprising that you’ve gotten close to your colleague. You most likely have some similar interests, and aspirations, and can bond over dealing with Karen from accounting’s bullshit, and working late at the office. However, it’s important to keep things in perspective if you have a partner. An emotional affair is when you have a very close intimate relationship with someone other than your significant other. There is usually a sexual element involved, whether that’s flirting over your morning coffee, or naughty fantasies when you’re dozing off. However there’s a lot of wiggle room in what you and your partner feel is appropriate. A red flag is when you start to feel you can only talk to office bae, while becoming less close with your partner. If you can’t understand what your partner is feeling, ask yourself if would you be bothered if they had their own work crush. Would you be jealous if they consistently had lunch with them? Texted constantly after hours? Hung out outside of work? You get the picture. Look at things from their perspective and communicate honestly and constantly. Often times when a partner expresses jealousy or insecurity, brushing it off can make the issue snowball. Even if you know nothing is happening, make sure to take your partner’s concerns seriously. Oftentimes affairs (emotional or otherwise) are indicative of underlying problems in a relationship. Make sure to evaluate how you’re feeling with your partner and why exactly you’ve formed such a close relationship with someone else. Who knows, maybe it’s time for something different for you, or maybe you’re just excited by someone new after years in a monogamous relationship. There are ways of distancing yourself from your work boo without having your work environment suffer or make things too awkward. Make sure not to have too much alone time, whether that means eating your lunch with other friends or at your desk, and passing on happy hour every now and then. Social media can make it difficult to unplug from work and your co-workers in general. Avoid answering any work-related or other messages after hours. This can be great for your work-life balance, and also keep your work bae at bay.
Love, Di
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DISTRACTIONS | 17
FEB. 26-MARCH 4, 2018
THRYLLABUS
MUSIC EATS SPORTS & WELLNESS FUN THINKING ARTS
18 | DISTRACTIONS |
Monday Feb. 26 Muggy Mondays, free coffee for whoever brings a reusable mug, Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) building 2nd floor landing—8:30 a.m. Free yoga, 90 University residence, room 140—5:30 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 27 Black History Month Gala, a space for black people to celebrate each other, Tabaret Hall—6 p.m. Free self-defense training for LGBTQ+ youth aged 24 and younger, Spectrum Youth Group—6 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 28 Free home-cooked, healthy, and vegan meal, hosted by the People’s Republic
of Delicious, Deja Vu kitchen (between Thompson and Morisset)—9 a.m. Self-Care Wednesdays, Women’s Resource Centre—12:30 p.m.
The social policy cycle in Canada, Faculty of Social Science building, room 4006— 8:30 a.m. Pet therapy, 90 University residence, room 152—11 a.m.
Thursday March 1 Indigenous Speaker Series, shifting the colonial narrative and celebrating the reclamation of Indigenous knowledge and identity, Desmarais Building, Room 4104—10 a.m. Follow the Leader: Women in Management Network Accounting Series, connect with executivelevel accounting professional women—6 p.m.
Saturday March 3 Learn The Basics of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, free training at Montpetit Hall—9 a.m. The Sheepdogs with Sam Coffey & the Iron Lungs, Bronson Centre—8 p.m.
Friday March 2
Sunday March 4 Plant-based breakthrough book club, learn more about plant-based health and wellness, The Table vegetarian restaurant—10:30 a.m. Cheap Sundays at the 27 Club, the 27 Club—11 p.m.
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EDITORIAL Volume 78, Issue 20, feb. 26, 2018 Playing winter sports since 1942. Phone: (613) 695-0061 | Fax: (613) 695-9006 631 King Edward Ave. Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Recycle this paper or we’ll ban you from the Olympics.
Eric “Hockey” Davidson Editor-in-Chief editor@thefulcrum.ca Jaclyn “Snowboarding” McRae-Sadik Production Manager production@thefulcrum.ca Graham “Curling” Robertson Managing Editor content@thefulcrum.ca Anchal “Luge” Sharma News Editor news@thefulcrum.ca Ryan “Skeleton” Pepper Arts and Culture Editor arts@thefulcrum.ca Savannah “Super G” Awde Features Editor features@thefulcrum.ca Daniel “Slalom” Birru Sports Editor sports@thefulcrum.ca David “Ice Dancing” Campion-Smith Opinions Editor opinions@thefulcrum.ca Christine “Alpine Skiing” Wang Visual Editor visual@thefulcrum.ca Ellie “Biathlon” Sabourin Associate News Editor associate.news@thefulcrum.ca
MANDATORY LEAVE IS NOT A SOLUTION TO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
This week, the Fulcrum reported on a Carleton University student who was forced to leave the university after the administration said it could no longer support her mental health issues. Last year, we reported on a policy proposed by the University of Toronto, which would allow the institution to place students on mandatory leave if they are a danger to themselves or others, or make the educational process more difficult for others, or are having difficulty with their own education, due to mental illness. This is a disturbing trend, and one Canadian postsecondary schools need to work to reverse. This is not to say that this is an easy situation to navigate. But first off, we need to look at what is lost when someone is unable to complete their degree. The research clearly shows that university graduates make higher salaries and have access to more jobs. A study by the Higher Edu-
cation Quality Council of Ontario found many other benefits of being a university graduate, such as rating physical and mental health higher than people with less education. You might argue that a student could later return to their education, but it’s undeniable that this would be harder. In the case of the Carleton student mentioned above, timing also created issues with OSAP assistance. On a more basic level, it’s a school making a choice about someone’s academic future without their input, even if they have a great academic record. Keeping all this mind, it’s clear that there’s a heavy cost associated with following through on policies that place students who are suffering from mental health issues on mandatory leave. Of course, if a temporary leave is necessary and agreed to by the student, it’s good that such measures are available. But making such a major decision without the
student is not acceptable. Instead of implementing such policies, universities should be looking at how their resources are allocated, and how they could be better distributed to help in dire situations. In the first example, Carleton did at first support the student, but later insisted on having her leave because they could not sustain the support. Finding ways to have such supports in place in a sustainable way should be a major goal for schools across the country. In addition to doing all they can in-house, universities should be open to finding groups they can partner with to make sure their support for people experiencing mental health issues is as effective as it can be. Earlier this year, we reported on accessibility issues at the University of Ottawa, and Canadian universities in general. It’s clear that universities need to keep reevaluating their priorities and
thinking about how they can offer quality education to everyone. Universities should be extending this mindset when making policies that affect people experiencing mental health issues. There are other changes universities can make that, while they may not be solutions in acute situations like those listed above, can improve the academic environment and make it harder to reach such extremes. For example, improving the efficiency of mental health services on campus and decreasing wait times is a solution that has been regularly discussed, but still has a ways to go. There are many ways of making an academic environment more forgiving, like instituting breaks such as the reading week we’re coming off of. Looking at the structure of courses and how the workloads are distributed are all ways of making an academic environment better.
Nadia “Ski Jumping” Drissi ElBouzaidi Associate Features Editor Zack “Nordic Combined” Goobie Associate Sports Editor associate.sports@thefulcrum.ca Parker “Speed Skating” Townes Staff Photographer photographer@thefulcrum.ca Videographer videographer@thefulcrum.ca Chafik “Bobsled” Kassis Head Web Architect webmaster@thefulcrum.ca Lucas “Short Track Speed Skating” Ghosn General Manager manager@thefulcrum.ca Kaylum “Cross-Country Skiing” Bobal Advertising Representative ads@thefulcrum.ca
Contributors
Connor “Skijoring” Chase Jean-Luc “Skibob” Duchamp Nadia “Snowkiting” Helal Zainab “Kite Skiing” Al-Mehdar
Board of Directors
Raghad “Acroski” Sheikh-Khalil Katelyn “Monoskiing” Murray Jonathan “Ski Archery” Rausseo Fadi “Skiboarding” Azzi Spencer “Speed Riding” Murdock Marguerite “Winter Pentathlon” Gollish Cover Credits: Parker Townes
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Photo: Parker Townes
EDITORIAL | 19