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Our guide to the summer’s best fests.

Arts & Music P. 11, 15

Former Stingers win top prize in women’s hockey P. 19

Commentary P. 20 Tuesday, April 5, 2011

life Recent grads struggling to find a place in the workforce P. 7

arts Photographer shows 2009 Iranian elections from his point of view P. 12

opinions North Africa’s revolution defies the continent’s political and cultural history P. 21 Volume 28 Issue 27

Record voter turnout at CSU elections despite roadblocks

Your Concordia wins by 336 votes Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor

While some concerns about violations during this year’s Concordia Student Union elections have yet to be resolved, last week’s voter turnout suggests that the intense faceoffs between the two slates may not have been entirely negative.

With a total of 5,910 ballots cast, turnout nearly doubled compared to last year, when about 3,200 students voted. Winning slate Your Concordia pulled through with a 336-vote margin of victory over its opponent Action, a difference of a little under six percent. The difference represents a big turnaround from last year, when Fusion steamrollered opposing slate Community with 73 per cent of the votes.

Your Concordia also beat Action in most CSU council races, including a clean sweep of the arts and science seats, two of the three engineering seats and all three fine arts seats. Both their board candidates AJ West and Laura Beach were elected, as were senators Andy Filipowich, Tina Salameh and Bilal Hamideh.

Action won all six JMSB council seats as well as the JMSB senate seat.

President-elect Lex Gill attributed their win to being able to aggressively reach out to students. “Our campaign got a lot of people out to vote who wouldn’t normally vote,” Gill said. “Progressive students at Concordia haven’t had a really good reason to vote in years [and] Loyola often gets kind of neglected in this whole process. I think we did our best to reach out to

them and that mattered.”

While she had felt throughout campaigning that Your Concordia had strong support with arts and science and fine arts students, Gill was surprised to see how the tables turned in their favour as the counters began to open boxes and tally votes. “It was clear that for every 50 votes we got, [Action was] getting between 25 and 30,” she said. “It was overwhelmingly in our favour.”

During Thursday night’s ballot counting, Gill asked chief electoral officer Oliver Cohen to count the ballots from the MB building separately because of misgivings she had about Action candidates’ behaviour there. However, she said the ballots ended up being mixed in with the others because of time constraints.

Action’s presidential candidate Khalil Haddad, who described the loss as “unfortunate,” also had concerns about procedures at the polling stations.

“One thing that was of great concern and very worrying was the fact that polling clerks had mistakenly given multiple ballots to students throughout the polling period,” he said. “We found about five ballots that had almost identical markings and were stuck together.” He added that the multiple ballots were voided when noticed.

As such, Haddad thinks there is room for improvement in the elections process, and recommended looking into online voting after having assessed “the potential security risk.”

Haddad added that although Action filed several contestations throughout the election, the CEO did not act on any of them. He pointed out his concern about post-campaigning within Your Concordia as well.

“Your Concordia clearly violated rules by flyering the Loyola library and bombarding the bathroom stalls

See “Your Concordia...” on p. 3

Gill planning major policy changes Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor

After an election fraught with allegations of campaign violations flying left and right, presidentelect Lex Gill plans on instituting major reforms to clean up the process. “By the June council meeting, we’d like to have a series of reforms presented,” she said. “We want to do this while it’s still fresh in everyone’s minds that this election was a really difficult process. There were a lot of problems with it and we want to move forward and change these [regulations].”

Since Action candidates were seen roaming around polling stations and allegations surfaced that they were telling students to vote for them, Gill said that they were looking at making the standing regulations “way tighter and way more explicit about what can and can’t be done during the polling period, [and] what can and can’t be done during the campaign period.”

Gill said the new executive also wants to look at “empowering electoral officers and deputy electoral officers to enforce sanctions that have meaning.” She asserted that because electoral officers want to remain unbiased, they sometimes hesitate to dole out sanctions.

She also singled out the slate system as in need of reform. “The relationship between the executive and council slates [...] might be problematic and it might be something that we want to separate just for broader principles of democracy at the union,” she said.

See “First up on the ne..” on p.5

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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Got a news tip? news@theconcordian.com POLITICS

City in brief Jacques Gallant

President search committee to be created

Concordia’s Board of Governors has approved the formation of an advisory search committee that will begin to look for a new permanent president. The nomination process to sit on the committee normally takes about two months. The 14person committee will include the board chair and members representing: the community-at-large (2); full-time faculty (5); part-time faculty (1); senior administration (1); students (2); and administrative and support staff (2). The Board’s goal is to have a new president and vicechancellor by the time president Fred Lowy’s term ends on Aug. 1, 2012.

GSA elections to begin tomorrow

The Graduate Students Association will be holding its elections between tomorrow and Thursday. In addition to filling the positions of president, VP internal and VP external, the GSA is looking for five directors from each faculty as well as a specialized program or interdisciplinary. Student Robert Sonin is running unopposed for the presidency. During the elections, Le Frigo Vert will be looking to renew its GSA fee levy, changing the current fee structure from $4,00 a year to $1,50 a semester. CUTV is also looking to have a one dollar a semester fee levy approved.

New exchange program between JMSB and UdeM

The John Molson School of Business and Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Law have launched a new program to provide graduate business education to law students, and graduate law courses to business students. The partnership will be integrated into JMSB’s graduate diploma/certificate in business administration (GDBA), which aims to offer students the basics in marketing, finance, accounting, human resources management and business law.

Trudeau and porn

Papineau Liberal candidate Justin Trudeau was shocked when he woke up last Friday morning to read a blog post stating that his campaign staffers were “scrambling” to deal with a QR barcode on his campaign posters that linked to a porn website. The blog in question was that of Steve Faguy, copy editor at the Gazette. According to the post, the scanned barcode did not send voters to Liberal.ca, but rather to Luberal. ca, a site that “encourages the liberal use of lube” in sexual encounters. It turned out to be an April Fools’ joke and Trudeau took it in stride. He even posted the fake QR problem on his Twitter feed, prompting Le Devoir to report it as fact.

Harper comes to the island to lend support to local Tories

Prime minister throws himself behind Larry Smith in longtime Liberal stronghold Adrian Saldanha Contributor Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a Dollard-des-Ormeaux high school his second campaign stop in Quebec Wednesday night in an attempt to garner support for Conservative candidates in the province. The 750 to 1,000 supporters in attendance thundered, “Harper! Harper!” as he took to the stage. “Wow, this is a great crowd,” he said. “It is a great message to Mr. Ignatieff that Quebec federalists don’t want to be in bed with the Bloc after all.”

Harper took the opportunity to introduce his Montreal team of Conservative candidates to those in attendance.

Chief among them was Larry Smith, a rising political star in the Conservative party, who Harper credited with keeping “white-collar criminals” like Earl Jones behind bars. Smith stepped down from his Senate seat in March to run in the federal elections, less than four months after being appointed to the seat by the Harper government.

Harper addressed his supporters with the hope of helping Smith win the Lac-St-Louis riding, which has consistently voted Liberal for the last 20 years. “Why are we in an election?

Our last budget was an excellent budget.” said Harper. “Mr. Ignatieff doesn’t think he needs to win an

PROTEST Carpenters, steelworkers, and other tradesmen who are responsible for the upkeep of the buildings on Concordia’s two campuses rallied at Loyola and SGW during their lunch hour from Tuesday to Friday last week. The workers, who are members of the Métallos union local 9538, were angry about a contract proposal from ConU that offered little raise in salary. They are seen here voting on their strike mandate Friday on the downtown campus. Despite being in the same union, the two campuses have different contracts.

Photo by Tiffany Blaise

Attendance at the West Island event was estimated at between 750 and 1,000 Conservative supporters. election. Just hold us to a minority, and they will move with lightning speed to impose their reckless coalition on Canadians.”

“What exactly is the economic plan of this coalition? They didn’t have on the first time they tried it, and they don’t have one now - they’ll spend more, and they’ll raise your taxes.”

To Harper, the divide between

his party and the opposition is clear: The Tories are the party of ideas, while the others are parties of “no” their only solution is more taxes for Canadians. “They want to put a tax on iPods,” he claimed.

He then touched on other issues -- from Montreal’s aerospace industry to immigration and the Conservatives’ record on promoting multiculturalism.

“Never forget our record – the first black MPs were Conservatives,” he said, a sentiment which resonated well with the multi-ethnic base that came to hear the Prime Minister speak.

Harper finished the speech by reminding his supporters what he believes is the only outcome for the upcoming elections: “A strong, stable, Conservative majority.”

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theconcordian Continued from cover ...

Your Concordia all but sweeps council with campaign materials with their stickers and pamphlets,” he said. The slate is currently considering whether or not to file any additional contestations before the Monday deadline.

Gill said that if Your Concordia was to submit another complaint, they would “contest some of the tactics used at the MB.” However, as she pointed out, since the ballots from that building were not counted separately, there would be “no real incentive” for them to do so.

While her misgivings about the ballots from that building remain, she said, “We don’t want to push to contest it because the fact is those ballots aren’t segregated so there’s no really no way to rule anything out, and because it wasn’t specifically the business councillors who were behaving that way, we wouldn’t want to embark on a process to disqualify them.”

Haddad pointed to the slight margin of victory as evidence that Action candidates should continue to participate in Concordia’s political culture. “This is an indication that students would like to see Action take an active role next year with the goal of creating a positive and inclusive atmosphere around campus. I have been passionately involved from day one at Concordia and intend to continue that way until graduation,” he said.

A total of 10 member associations of the Arts and Science Federation of Associations have come out of the election period without a full executive, with two of them not having an executive at all.

Of the 27 MAs, eight did not find enough candidates to fill all of their executive positions, while the Journalism Students Association and the Concordia Physics Students Association are set to fold for now, according to ASFA VP internal Nicole Devlin.

“There’s a requirement to have at

Conservative staffer rails against Harper media policy... on Facebook

Your Concordia reached out to students who wouldn’t normally have voted to secure their win. Photo by Navneet Pall

least two signing officers to form an executive, but both MAs can always hold a by-election to find more candidates in the fall,” said Devlin.

Losing their member associations means journalism and physics students will no longer have access to ASFA’s MA or special projects funding, but rather the student-at-large fund, which is significantly lower.

“The people on the MA are people that are just generally interested in being a voice for the students and bringing them together,” said Devlin. “They fight for student space, and they hold events to have people mingle outside of class.”

The VP internal said she encouraged MAs to speak to more classrooms and to add first-year representatives to their constitutions in order to gain more executive candidates. She also noted a trend with regards to positions being

filled, pointing out that many MA VP finance positions had been left vacant.

Emily White, outgoing JSA president and life editor at the Concordian, felt that journalism students will be losing a key voice in departmental affairs when the JSA disappears.

“It’s a pretty big shame. Aside from social events, students also miss having that voice present at faculty meetings,” she said. “The faculty really value our opinion.”

She also found it “unfortunate” that outgoing JSA VP communications Aalia Adam had told the Link in a recent article that she was interested in holding a by-election in the fall, when she was well aware of this year’s nomination deadline.

“It’s good news to me that she has that motivation, but it’s also a shame because she had the knowl-

edge of all the dates this year,” said White. “We wouldn’t have had to fold, and lose our start-up budget, and I could have had time to train someone.”

Although CPSA only managed to find one candidate before the nomination deadline, president Glory Sikka is optimistic that more students will present themselves in the fall.

“We are a small department trying to rebuild itself so a student association is imperative at this stage,” she said. “Our focus this year was to try and close the gap between the students and faculty, by getting both parties involved in the activities.”

Although the future remains uncertain for the JSA and CPSA, ASFA is set to welcome one new MA next year, from the early childhood and elementary education program.

BOARd Of gOvERnORS

Grades at the top of students’ list of concerns reported to ombuds office Ombudsperson outlines findings in first-ever presentation to Board of Governors

Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor Grades are the most common concern faced by students who come to the ombuds office, according to a presentation made by Concordia’s ombudsperson to the Board of Governors.

At last Thursday’s board meeting,

Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo

International students studying in Ontario are being taken advantage of by the provincial government, a new report suggests. The report was compiled by the Ontario Undergraduate Students’ Alliance after the government announced their goal of increasing the number of international students in the province by 50 per cent, the Cord reported. The result is OUSA’s Going Global campaign, which advocates for better career opportunities in Canada for those students in order to compensate for the drawbacks of being international, like high tuition and little financial aid. OUSA president Meaghan Coker said international students bring in $5,000 more in revenue than domestic students, which adds up to a contribution of $2 million a year to the Ontario economy.

Ten ASFA associations without a full exec

Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor

The world in brief

International students Ontario’s education cash cow

CAMPUS

Journalism and physics set to disappear for now

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Kristen Robillard outlined the salient findings of a report which broke down and analyzed the cases received in 2009-2010.

“Most of the people who came to us for consultation were students, by virtue of the number of students on campus,” Robillard said. “For undergraduates the most important [concern] or the concern that came up the most often in terms of academic matters was grades and re-evaluation of their work.”

Four-hundred and sixteen of the 531 cases brought to her office in 2009-10 were by students. However, while the ombuds saw more undergraduates, proportionally she was visited by more graduate students - 27.4 per cent of those students were graduates, whereas they make up 16.2 per cent of the student body.

At the undergraduate level, since many of the complaints related to unclear grading schemes and course outlines, the ombudsperson suggested that all professors implement the common course outline, as recommended by the office of the Provost. She also recommended that the academic re-evaluation procedures be reviewed.

The procedures were last updated in 2001.

In addition to concerns about grades, graduate students are also facing recurring problems with their thesis supervisors, according to the report. A fifth of graduate cases dealt with supervisors; issues included delays in receiving the supervisor’s feedback and the supervisor requiring more work be submitted before approving the thesis submission.

Robillard’s report recommended

that supervisors and graduate students develop a “detailed plan of action” before beginning their work together.

According to the report, the development of an academic and research plan is already in the works within the graduate studies department.

Some recommendations made by the ombudsperson have already been implemented, like providing a final notice to students about upcoming financial deadlines, and looking at financially assisting international students who are facing an unannounced tuition fee increase.

The presentation marked the first time an ombudsperson reported to the Board of Governors. As of June 2010, the ombudsperson is now entirely independent of the university administration and reports only to the board.

An assistant to a Conservative MP used Facebook to disagree with Stephen Harper’s media strategy, according to the Toronto Star. Tony Phillips, a communication and legislative assistant to British Columbian MP Dona Cadman, called the Prime Minister`s policy of only answering five media questions a day “stupid.” Phillips declined to elaborate on his comments to the Canadian Press, noting that it was a personal Facebook page and that speaking about them in the media would probably not be good for his career. It remains to be seen whether Phillips will be disciplined for his comments.

Text tougher to understand on smartphones

Reading comprehension on a smartphone is half as good as on a desktop monitor, according to a new study. The study, conducted by University of Alberta professor James Miller, focused on comprehension of privacy policies such as Facebook’s, and found it was particularly difficult to comprehend – not in the least because it is written at a grade 13 reading level. Miller said the results indicate the need to create versions of text specifically for use on mobile phones. He noted that as of yet, few online outlets have converted to a different style of writing for online content, a change he said could be useful. He hopes to conduct further research to outline a specific online writing style.

Link discovered between unemployment and longer lifespan

Being unemployed may just be your ticket to a longer lifespan, according a study by two Wilfrid Laurier professors. The Cord reported that economics professors Hideki Ariizumi and Tammy Schirle examined 30 years’ worth of data to discover that mortality rates for middle-aged Canadians drop during recessions. The authors listed a number of changes in behaviour that could explain the drop. They said the unemployed drive less, party less, drink less and eat less fast food. Unemployment also means exercising more and sleeping more, two additional factors in reducing mortality. Ariizumi and Schirle also discovered that while mortality rates in Canada do not drop for seniors in times of recession, in the United States they do. However, Ariizumi cautioned not to take the study as a sign that unemployment is better for your health. So don’t quit your day job in a bid to better your health.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

World in brief Evan LePage

ELECTIOnS

Action takes all six JMSB council seats

JMSB council France sends troops to seats a rare the Ivory Coast After being the first nation to begin victory for Action an air campaign in Libya, France has amid the sea of now sent troops to the Ivory Coast to help the UN deal with the internal Your Concordia strife that has claimed at least several hundred lives in the past few weeks. wins French military troops were sent to an airport in the African nation’s main city, Abidjan, according to the BBC. The military force, which totals about 1,400, backed up UN troops who had secured the airport last Friday, and it will reportedly now be able to open for flights and perhaps the evacuation of foreign nationals. The fighting is the result of conflict between supporters and troops of incumbent Ivorian Laurent Gbagbo and those of his rival, the UN-recognised President, Alassane Ouattara. Tens of thousands of citizens have fled the area amid the fighting, and many refugees have sought the protection of UN peacekeepers and French troops.

Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor Having won all six JMSB council seats and the JMSB senate seat, Action had the business students’ vote firmly in their grasp, though these elected representatives will now have to navigate their way through a council mostly populated by Your Concordia candidates.

Stephanie Laurin is one of the

six Action candidates elected to council on behalf of the business undergraduates. She attributed Action’s popularity with business students to their efforts to reach them.

“To be honest, I think the main reason was that Action had a really strong presence within the MB building,” she said. “I think they focused a lot of their efforts here which made [for] great exposure for their six JMSB councillors.”

President-elect Lex Gill said because of Action’s strong presence in the MB and alleged violations, Your Concordia is unsure of the levels of support they have among the business students. “Because of those tactics, we’re not totally sure how much support we legitimately did have in the JMSB,” she said.

As a result, Gill said they are looking to strengthen their ties with the JMSB portion of their

constituency. “We want to do a lot of outreach to business students to make sure we’re on the same page no matter what,” she said. “They’re students and we have to represent them and we have to make sure that we’re reflecting their values too.”

Moreover, Gill feels it is important that the JMSB councillors don’t feel isolated.“It’s really important that those business students who are elected do feel part of council, that they feel part of the group and they receive the same training and attention as everyone else,” she said. Gill is also planning on meeting with CASA-JMSB executives.

As for Laurin, her goal is to give JMSB as much exposure and awareness as she can. However, she’s also looking forward to meeting with Your Concordia and taking a look at their goals and vision. Regardless

of which slate councillors ran on, Laurin said, they’re ultimately there “to do good for the students.”

Laurin had been previously involved with the undergraduate competition program, with CASA subsidiaries as well as with the CASA-JMSB electoral process in the capacity of chief returning officer. “I think it helps that I have put myself out there on a pretty big level in terms of my name and my involvement, not to mention whenever we have a competition win that I’ve been part of, my face and name have been in the lobby,” she laughed.

She also said, “I feel like this year is going to be a great year to get JMSB more exposure and more involved under the Concordia umbrella.”

Bronx Cobra escapes, joins Twitter, returns

An Egyptian cobra made international headlines last week when it escaped from its cage at The Bronx Zoo in New York. Then, it quickly made headlines again after someone created a Twitter account called @Bronxzoocobra, quickly gaining over 200,000 followers with tweets like “On top of the Empire State Building! All the people look like little mice down there. Delicious little mice.” Shortly thereafter, the snake found itself in headlines once again, after it was found in a dark corner of the reptile section of the zoo, the same building it had reportedly escaped from. And now that the little snake has gained fame, the zoo asked the public to give her a name, taking suggestions on its website until yesterday and putting the top five to an online vote.

Student dies in Bangladeshi protest of women’s rights

After the Bangladeshi government announced plans to increase the rights of women in employment, inheritance and education, a group of hardline Islamists hit the streets in a protest that ultimately left one demonstrator dead, the Associate Press reported. As police moved in, reportedly to prevent the demonstrators from marching, some began throwing rocks at police who fired guns and tear gas in return.

Twenty-five people were injured and 19-year-old Ahmed Husein, a student of an Islamic school, was shot and killed. The police have since denied responsibility for the death, saying protesters were also armed. The protesters were pushing for the government to trash a new policy that would see every child inherit the same amount from their parents, in contrast to Muslim family law which states women can only claim a quarter of what men get. A strong majority of the 150 million residents of Bangladesh are Muslim.

Yale opens Singapore wing

For its first campus outside of Connecticut, Yale University has chosen the South-East Asian nation of Singapore.

The Ivy League school struck a deal with the National University of Singapore to create a college, Yale-NUS, to be opened in 2013, the Canadian Press reported. Students will go through two years of general education combining Western and Asian perspectives before they move onto a major. The first class will comprise only 150 students, but will expand in the future.

Ariel Dabora, Gregory Synanidis, Maxime Morin and Stephanie Laurin are four of the six Action candidates who won their bid for JMSB council seats.

CAMPUS

Student union in review In a year filled with controversy and criticism, CSU pres still proud of accomplishments Evan LePage Staff writer It has been a tumultuous year for the Concordia Student Union.

The CSU found itself in the spotlight on a weekly basis this year, but frequently for all the wrong reasons.

Executive resignations, accusations of mismanagement and criticisms about a lack of action on student interests plagued the CSU this year and meetings became battlegrounds for a very polarized group of councillors.

But president Heather Lucas isn’t apologizing; rather, the head of the union maintains that this year has been a successful one, one that saw more accomplishments than failures.

“Given the special circumstances that this year has brought, [...] whether it was resignations at the university level, or at our level in the CSU, I think we’ve done an amazing job,” Lucas said. “I’m incredibly proud of this executive. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished this year given the bumps in the road.”

Of the eight campaign promises that Lucas’ Fusion slate was elected on in the spring of 2010, she and her remaining executive feel as though six were fulfilled, at least to the

extent that was possible.

The promise to offer free coffee and snacks during exams and the monthly town hall meetings were completed in full, though the latter was characterized by poor student attendance and marketing.

While the CFS has still refused to recognize CSU referendum results in which students voted to leave the organization, the executive maintains that they’ve done everything in their power to keep their pledge of leaving the CFS. This year the CSU began taking legal action in order to leave the organization. Vice-president external and projects Adrien Severyns said they did not want to resort to this recourse, but that the CFS left them no choice.

“This is quite an unfortunate turn of events but this is something that we were led to do and we think it will turn out well,” he said.

Other promises that the executive feel they have fulfilled include the expansion of the Loyola luncheon as well as a bottled water free campus.

While water bottles can still be found at Concordia, during last week’s elections a majority of students voted to ban bottled water on campus, something Lucas said is indicative of the success of the CSU and other student groups like TAPthirst in educating students and getting the word out this year.

“Hopefully with the PepsiCo contract we can get bottled water out of vending machines,” Lucas said, noting that she will be presenting the referendum results to the Board of Governors at the next meeting

this month. “It’s a step forward and it’s definitely a tangible change that hopefully we’ll get to see before our mandate is officially up.”

A final promise the CSU executive feels they upheld is that of fighting tuition increases. “The CSU did fight it,” Severyns said of tuition increases. “We’ve highly contributed, and we’ve built closer and closer relationships with student organizations across Quebec.”

The Quebec government announced their proposed tuition increases last month despite multiple vocal student protests in the last few months. Ultimately, while Severyns said positive steps had been taken to mobilize students, he said that this fight is an ongoing one that will have to be taken up by the next executive.

While many students on campus might debate the successes of those campaign promises, two failed promises that the CSU will not even debate are those of the greening of Mackay and the student centre.

The student centre campaign was a glaring failure for the CSU this year, bringing them heavy criticism and accusations of ignoring students’ interests. Despite the loftiness of this promise, Severyns maintains that the CSU really felt they could have brought the centre to fruition this year.

“What we expected from [the student centre was] to bring a home to the student body,” he said. “This is something that this executive actually believed in, and we still do believe in this sort of vision.”

While this process appeared rushed, Severyns justified it, saying

that, “The issue of student space is something that is reoccurring and is not getting any better. And next year will not be any better. So unless you address this issue with quick and pragmatic means, just like providing a student centre in the shortest amount of time, that is something that we believed in and that is something that we strived to achieve.”

While this year’s CSU was facing with a difficult climate within the university, president-elect Lex Gill said that some of the goals set by the Fusion slate were unrealistic from the beginning, the greening of Mackay in particular. This is why she said her newly-elected Your Concordia team took a different approach.

“We made realistic promises that we believe we can keep. They’re difficult things to do but they’re not big legacy projects,” Gill said. “We tried to make promises that would have long term benefits for students but aren’t glamorous.”

On the student centre for example, she said that Your Concordia is confident they will able to renegotiate the highly criticized student centre contract, but that they wouldn’t promise to bring students their centre next year. Instead, they will be dealing with issues of student space step by step, in the short run with measures like cleaning up CSU storage space to potentially use as club offices.

As for continuing the tuition fight, Gill said that this issue will remain at the forefront of her plans.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theconcordian

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Continued from cover ...

First up on the new executive’s plate: electoral reforms Despite having won two thirds of the council seats in last week’s elections, Gill doesn’t foresee councillors hiding behind the party line. “We worked really hard to

choose councillors who wouldn’t let us get away with much, as part of that process of shifting over to a council that’s more autonomous and independent of the executive,”

she said.“There is an organizational culture that needs to be shifted too so that people get used to the idea that if the executive and council are working together, that’s not neces-

sarily a sign of unanimity, [...] but [rather] that things are functioning.”

Finally, Gill wants to put power back into the hands of the commit-

tees. She said that for this year’s executive, committees were seen as the places “where ideas go to die,” when they should really be the union’s working groups.

CAMPUS

No new money for CJLO or Void Students choose to only approve Queer Concordia fee levy Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor Both CJLO radio and the Void magazine failed in their attempts to gain new funding from students during last week’s CSU elections, as voters chose not to approve the station’s fee levy increase, nor the creation of a fee levy for the bilingual literary magazine.

According to official results issued by the CSU’s chief electoral officer, CJLO garnered 2,554 votes in favour of increasing its fee levy from $0.25 a credit to $0.34 a credit, compared to 3,330 votes against.

“We’re really disappointed of course, however this is what the majority of voters chose and we respect that choice,” said CJLO’s station manager Katie Seline. “We’re honestly really surprised. We ran a really strong and active campaign.

We spoke to over 2,500 students and almost never had a negative reaction.”

Seline indicated that the station will have to reassess its priorities and the projects that it wanted to start, including the expansion of its signal across Montreal. She also pointed out that while taxes and electrical costs continue to go up, CJLO’s funding has stayed the same for the past seven years. The loss at the polls means CJLO will have to increase its fundraising efforts as well as rely more on paid advertising. “[This] hurts student groups who

PROTEST In a two-sided affair, SyrianCanadians showed both support for and opposition to Bashar al-Assad, the ruler of Syria. The two parties rallied on the corner of de Maisonneuve and Guy, the heart of the Concordia ghetto. The pro-regime supporters gathered in front of the Tim Hortons, while the anti-government protesters gathered across the street in front of the Java U. Al-Assad’s supporters were far greater in number and consequently much louder.

The anti-government protesters stood there for nearly three hours in silence, symbolizing what they feel is an oppressive regime.

Wednesday’s Montreal protest echoes a wave of demonstrations in Syria calling for Al-Assad to step down. The same day, AlAssad dismissed his cabinet in an attempt to appease the protesters.

The Syrian leader had previously promised to relinquish his position. Al-Assad assumed the presidency in 2000, before which his father Hafez enjoyed a 29-year reign over the Middle Eastern country. Photo by Navneet Pall

currently get their advertising for free.

We’ll have to limit those spots in favour of paid ads which we wanted to avoid,” said Seline. “We’ll also keep looking into grants and employment funding. The majority of our executive such as our campus outreach coordinator, volunteer coordinator and promo director are working upwards of 20 to 25 hours a week at no pay.”

Seline said she would not change a thing about the intensive campaign run by her staff over the past two weeks, although she does feel that the electoral system is flawed.

“It’s incredibly difficult to be seen amongst a sea of slate posters and given a much smaller campaign budget,” she said.

She indicated CJLO is exploring the option of putting the fee levy increase back on the ballot next semester.

For the Void magazine, the failure to create a two cents a credit fee levy means that one of its major initiatives - paying its contributors - will have to be put on hold. “[This] makes us sad because people deserve something for the amount of time that it takes to produce their writing and art,” said the Void’s new editor-in-chief Michael Chaulk. “We also won’t be able to get off newsprint, and our page counts and the amount of colour within the issues will depend entirely on how much money we can receive the way we have always received it in the past, through grants and donations.”

Chaulk said that it was hard to take the results easily because they only lost by about 150 votes. The final tally was 2,887 votes in favour, and 3,032 votes against. Chaulk echoed Seline’s view that maybe not all students were aware of the fee levy groups and were not interested in getting informed before voting. But

despite not getting the extra money, the Void is optimistic for the future.

“We received a lot of support from a lot of people and we’re grateful for that,” said Chaulk. “We definitely increased our presence in the school, which will help us in many ways. For one, the amount and quality of submissions that came in for the issue we’re putting together right now was staggering.”

The Void is also hoping to put the fee levy back on the ballot sometime soon.

As for Queer Concordia, the lone fee levy victor, it hopes to begin planning for the future as soon as possible. A mere 58 votes sealed the collective’s fate - 2,953 students voted in favour of the two cents per credit fee levy, versus 2,895 votes against.

“We will be having a meeting this

Thursday to begin planning our AGM and moving toward becoming a notfor-profit organization,” said collective member Joey Donnelly. “We’re looking forward to making our space more accessible, developing the safersex program and hiring a part-time coordinator to do more outreach.

Since Friday, Queer Concordia is facing a whole new reality.”

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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

PROTEST

Police break up anti-tuition protest in Montreal 2,000 students protest tuition increases, five arrested

Jacob Serebrin CUP Quebec bureau chief (CUP) — Five people were arrested after riot police shut down an anti-tuition protest in Montreal on Thursday.

One was person was injured after protesters entered an office building downtown, but police said the woman was not a protester.

The protest remained peaceful for over three hours, as around 2,000 demonstrators snaked their way through downtown Montreal.

Protesters were upset with tuition increases proposed in Quebec’s provincial budget earlier this month. Protesters were also calling for free university education in Quebec.

Throughout the march there was heavy police presence, with officers on horseback and a provincial police helicopter overhead.

Clashes with police began around 4 p.m. As the majority of protesters were gathered outside premier Jean Charest’s Montreal office, a small group of protesters entered the nearby offices of the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities. The group, which represents administrators at all universities in the province, has come out in favour of the increase.

According to police, a woman who works in the building housing the CREPUQ offices suffered a fractured arm during a confrontation with protesters.

Police also scuffled with protesters in front of the building, with officers using pepper spray.

The main body of demonstrators soon moved in front of the office building.

Around 4:20 p.m., police ordered demonstrators to clear the street and move west. When a large number of protesters didn’t move, riot police charged the crowd. Police fired several stun grenades above the protesters. Police split the crowd into several smaller groups within a matter of minutes. At several points, large crowds of onlookers gathered as riot police followed small groups of protesters on busy downtown streets. Riot police began leaving the area before 5 p.m.

Police spokesperson Annie Lemieux said those arrested will face

Around 2,000 demonstrators showed up to the ASSÉ-organized protest to show their displeasure with the Quebec tuition increases announced earlier this month. charges including assaulting a police officer and mischief. She said several vehicles, including two police cars, were damaged during the protest.

The protest was organized by the Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante, a large Quebec student lobby group. The protest coincided with a one-day student strike, also organized by ASSÉ, at several Frenchlanguage universities and CEPGEPs across the province. The strike was endorsed by 21 student associations, which represent a total of over 50,000 students.

On March 17, Quebec’s finance minister Raymond Bachand announced that university tuition fees would rise by $1,625 over the next five years, beginning in 2012. Quebec currently has the lowest tuition fees in the country.

“Already, too many students drop out for financial reasons. What the government is proposing will aggravate this situation,” ASSÉ spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said in French. “This is unacceptable and we will fight for everyone to have access to education.”

Photos by Almudena Romero

CAMPUS

Possible number of AIESEC applicants rises after networking event Campaign sends Canadian interns to a variety of different countries Cynthia Dupuis Contributor About 60 people attended AIESEC Concordia’s recruiting event last Thursday, considerably increasing the number of possible applicants for their Experience campaign.

Launched in January 2011, the campaign is a temporary partnership between AIESEC Canada, Brazil, China, India, Turkey and Ukraine to reserve specific internships for Canadians.

“This session I know that we have two [students going on internships in India and Turkey this summer], but there are still some that are applying and they still have to go through a review board,” said Isabelle Hum, the Experience Campaign’s organizing committee president.

In comparison, AIESEC Concordia sent 10 people on internships abroad last year, which according to

Hum is within their average.

This type of promotional event seems to be working for AIESEC Concordia. By the end of the evening, more than 40 signatures and email addresses were collected for the organization’s next information session.

“The reason why Brazil, India and China were chosen is because they have so many internships available. They are popular countries where a lot of students tend to do their internships,” Hum said.

“For Ukraine and Turkey, it is a bit harder to get an internship there without a certain degree of schooling and experience. The Experi-

ence campaign gives students the opportunity to experience these two countries without necessarily having to need a high level of schooling or experience.”

That is why they want to promote the campaign and increase the number of applicants. “The best places to find internships are South America, Africa and Asia, but people tend to be more focused on Europe because there are so many different countries over there. It’s almost everybody’s dream,” she explained.

In addition to the students they send abroad, AIESEC Concordia members also welcome interns in

Montreal every year. “We were able to recruit three to four Montreal companies willing to hire an intern from abroad. The total number of interns going abroad plus interns from abroad coming here is seven to eight,” added Erica Mazerolle, member of the AIESEC Concordia’s communications team.

It is the review board, a panel of top AIESEC judges, that decides who goes on an internship. While the number of applicants can vary, these judges look for flexible applicants who share the organization’s values.

The deadline to apply for the Experience internships is April 30.

life

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

7

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com career

Graduates entitled to be entitled How the Y generation is adapting to today’s workforce Emily White Life editor A few weeks after being hired as a supervisor at a summer camp, Daniel Blumer received an envelope in the mail. Inside was the camp’s monthly newsletter, which featured his headshot and a caption that read, “Daniel Blumer what a hottie. Sexy face, sexy body.

What’s our hobby? Obsessing over you!” Half a decade later, the shriveled beige printout still remains tacked to the family fridge, a testament to his popularity and good looks.

The 24-year-old recalls a time when he did not feel so popular. After graduating from the John Molson School of Business in December 2009, he began his job hunt. Equipped with optimism and a bachelor’s degree in commerce, Blumer looked for a job in marketing, but quickly learned that opportunities were limited in his specialty. Having majored in management, Blumer, then 22, decided to expand his search and include other businessorientated professions. But he drew the line at business, never willing to search outside the field he studied.

Blumer admits that his expectation to easily find a job in his field may come off as a sense of entitlement, but says that is only because of how he and his generation were brought up. “If we have put in the hours, have good grades, and graduate university, we have every right to have a sense of entitlement. We did what we were told would lead to success.”

According to Statistics Canada, 6.7 million Canadians were born between 1980 and 1995, a group known as Generation Y or Echo Boomers. As the children of Baby Boomers, the Gen-Yers have developed a reputation in the workforce for having a sense of privilege that affects their ability to adapt. However, as Blumer expressed, his generation has a right to feel entitled because they did what they were told was necessary to secure a job in their field. While Blumer relied on his marks, other recent graduates are of the opinion that a degree must be accompanied by internships, work experience and references. In their experience, it was having these credentials that helped them get hired.

Trying to get that first job is only one of the struggles recent graduates will experience as they enter the workforce. A difference in work ethic between generations, a more rigid schedule and a realization that the company, not you, comes first, are just a few of the things Gen-Yers will have to get used to. There seems to be a divide of opinion over who should be adapting. Several sources argue that it is the responsibility of the company to adjust to the young worker, while others, even some recent graduates, feel it is the worker who must make the adjustment. Despite this difference in opinion, the majority agrees that, once given the chance, recent graduates can become very valuable to employers, offering fresh perspectives and a good understanding of the instantaneous nature of today’s society.

It is hard to prove yourself when no one gives you the opportunity -- a lesson Blumer learned in the weeks following his university graduation. Despite strong marks, a diploma and the pride of being the vice president of marketing for POWER-it OFF, a school project about electricity conservation at university featured on CTV, Blumer could not find a job. The recreational hockey goalie was not used to being rejected. Rather, he was used to being the one who rejected the advances of others. He felt demoralized.

Annalise Iten sympathizes with recent graduates like Blumer who expect that obtaining a job will be easy. Sitting within the yel-

Photo by Navneet Pall low walls of her office at Youth Employment thing for an employer or potential employer to Services Montreal, the employment counsellor do is to set unrealistic job expectations. and director of YES Montreal’s job search pro“We spend a lot of time making sure that gram says that it is typical for recent graduates our people are telling students on campus as to be unaware that their excellent grades and much as they can about what to expect — the breadth of knowledge do not automatically good and the bad,” says Christensen. “We translate into a job. This struggle to secure don’t want people coming and working for employment does not seem to prevent the us thinking that everything is great at Deloitte Gen-Yers from entering the workforce with and everything is perfect — it is far from. high expectations and a There are things that sense of entitlement. we work on and things But Iten, who prefers that we strive and try to not to over-generalize, correct every year.” This, does say that “young I think our generation says Christensen, has people” have different prevented Deloitte from expects to start off expectations than the dealing with some of older generations when where it took previous the characteristics often it comes to their jobs. associated with Generagenerations years to tion Y, and has left the They expect to have a good work-life balance, company with young build. flexible hours, autonomy, employees who are willlittle supervision from ing to work and put the Katie Pidgeon, concordia graduate their bosses and to work effort in. on special projects.

Katie Pidgeon, who She also mentions that graduated in communithis generation’s work cations from Concordia ethic “is to have fun, and that is very, very in 2008, is one Gen-Yer whose career track important.” shows that some recent graduates are willing This sense of entitlement has been atto put the effort in. On the night before leavtributed to many things, including enrolment ing on vacation to Cuba, the producer recalls of children in after-school programming, the how she used to spend her free time during immediacy provided by the Internet and just a university doing internships and making lack of knowledge of the workforce. contacts in her field. Pidgeon worked hard to One way to ensure that recent graduates stay in touch with these contacts by sending do not enter the job market with this kind of them emails, visiting their offices and taking attitude is to be honest with the students durthem out for coffee. This allowed her to begin ing the recruitment process, says Will Chrisworking nearly immediately after graduation tensen, 35, a senior manager with accounting as a production co-ordinator on two television and consulting firm Deloitte. The Australia na- series. Once they wrapped for the season, a tive now lives in Calgary, where he manages recommendation from a co-worker helped her the company’s campus recruiting team, which get a job working at Northern Lights Direct, a visits universities across the country, includcommercial production house where she was ing Concordia and McGill University, trying to soon promoted to assistant producer. recruit students. In his experience, the worst Despite her own success, she is quick

“

to admit that she has in fact grown up in a generation that expects everything quickly. “I think our generation expects to start off where it took our previous generations years to build,” she says. “My parents tell me that all the time, ‘You just want to be and have what it took us 20 years to work for.’”

The need for immediate results is something Iten has seen a lot of while working with clients at YES Montreal. She attributes it to the way things like jobs and lifestyles are marketed to the younger generations, where they are pitched in such a way that everyone believes they will experience success without having to try.

This does not mean we won’t work for it, says 25-year-old Pidgeon. “Because we are used to things being instantaneous and everything is just right at our fingertips, we are less likely to wait for the things that we want.”

In no way, though, does she think this has affected her ability to adapt to the workforce.

She says if anything, it has enabled her to excel in an industry like communications, where things are constantly changing. Growing up with the Internet and social media has made her generation better equipped to handle changes than those who have been working in the industry for 30 years and “now have to figure out how to work in an industry that’s changing from what they know.”

The ability to adapt to the workforce is not only the responsibility of young employees.

According to Christensen, the ethos at Deloitte is that it is the responsibility of the company to adapt its style and approach to the new generation, simply because the demographics of the workforce are shifting. “You can’t continue to manage and operate a business the same way you did 50 or 60 years ago.”

Lori Krebs, manager of public relations at Beyond the Rack, a private online shopping club based in Montreal, is used to working among young employees, as the majority of the company, including herself, is under 35 years of age. The office has what she describes as a fast-paced environment, which attracts a lot of recent graduates. They tend to be lively, energetic, motivated and eager to learn, qualities the company sees as a positive addition. But with the benefits of a young staff come downfalls, like a high turnover rate and immaturity. This is understandable, says Krebs, 28, as many are unfamiliar with what it is like to work for a large company. In her experience, most eventually come to understand that unlike in school, they are no longer working for themselves, but are working for the greater good of the company. “They have to realize that everything is interrelated. Their job impacts every other department.”

This is what Iten describes as the young graduate’s learning curve. “They are no longer in school, they are hitting the workforce, they are earning a paycheck and now they’ve really got to be stepping up. It is a real learning curve and that is why it is difficult - because they are no longer functioning in the same capacity anymore.”

Disloyalty is another negative quality attributed to Gen-Y workers. They may not deserve this reputation, though, since many recent graduates are only offered contract jobs, which are of a limited duration. This makes it unavoidable for them to move around. It also seems that the recession has altered the way employees view their career path, human resources consulting firm Towers Watson reported. “In contrast to earlier studies, the 2010 results indicate that Canadians have moved away from the employment notion of being a ‘free agent’ to becoming the ‘marrying kind’ -- seeking lifetime careers with just one or two employers,” reads the firm’s 2010 Global Workforce Study.

This feeling of attachment is one is familiar to Michael Shatsky, who, after graduating from Concordia with an MBA last year, began

Continued on next page

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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

...continued from previous page working for GlaxoSmithKline. While you are more likely to catch Shatsky in a pinstriped suit than a wetsuit, the certified scuba diving instructor is very happy working for GSK. Though he only sees himself keeping his current position as general territory representative for the respiratory and urology division another year, he does not hesitate to say that he sees himself at GSK for the long term.

As he entered the workforce, the former environmental sciences student was motivated to rise above the reputation his generation has for being unable to adapt and for having a sense of entitlement, a reputation he feels is deserved. Part of this comes from the assumption that having pursued higher education,

graduates have the answers to all of a company’s problems, and that these answers come from textbooks. When entering the workforce with such presumptions, individuals can become alienated from their peers. This is why Shatsky says it is important to come not only with textbook knowledge but also with humility and a willingness to learn. “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel — and nor are we expected to. We just need to bring a fresh and open mind to existing problems and see how we can work in synergy with the established team to achieve common goals.”

Working in teams, especially those where there are large age gaps between co-workers, can be a struggle for students fresh out of school. Although in Shatsky’s personal experience, he was treated well by his co-workers, he says, respect is never just given. The individual joining the team must earn it.

While respect is important, according to Iten, a willingness to adapt must be present in both the Gen-Yers and the co-workers. This can be difficult, she says, because “the older generations” tend to not always understand the struggles experienced by recent graduates, like the pressure put on them to find a job related to their field of study.

Blumer understands this pressure all too well. Even when he was unable to find a job, he refused to settle. “I never said to myself ‘I am willing to work anywhere as long as I’m employed.’ To have that mentality, after three years of university, seemed kind of pointless.”

He says settling would be insinuating that his degree and past education were completely useless and unnecessary. To older people, this attitude might be read as the younger generations complaining and having overly high expectations, but Iten says these labels are un-

fair because the working world has completely changed for today’s youth. There are “way more options, far more precarious, so much more uncertainty,” factors made worse by the pressure put on graduates to find a jobs in their field. When there are no jobs, says Iten, it is a hard realization for graduates.

Eventually, Blumer was able to trade in his polo shirts and khakis for suits and ties when he was hired at Tempbridge Commercial Mortgages Inc., a private commercial mortgage lender. Looking back on his job hunt, he explains that while he never expected people to just give him a job, he did expect there to be more jobs available. He had told himself that getting the university degree was “the hard part” and that finding a job would be the part that just came naturally.

“In reality, the pursuit of a profession can be more stressful and time consuming than anything that university can throw at you.”

Jobs

Getting hired after semester’s end

Tips for landing the summer job best suited for you

to approach people, hard working, responsible and reliable,” said Romero. She also added that being able to work in a team is a bonus.

If you are not into working with fashion and accessories, there are other retail opportunities that do not involve clothes.

Natacha Medeiros Staff writer

Restaurants Although the hours are long and you’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off, nothing beats working in a restaurant.

Jonathan De Sua, a former Concordia student, has been working at the same restaurant for several years. “Tips are really the reason why I stay in this business. It is really good, especially on weekends and even more so in the summertime,” he said. “It is the perfect summer job because you are always on the move so the hours go by pretty fast and you make a nice paycheck at the end of it all.”

If sit down restaurants are not really your thing, you can always try a fast food joint.

Many Tim Hortons are open 24 hours a day and are constantly looking for new people and night staff. Overnight shifts are the hardest gaps to fill, so if you are a night owl, this may be the perfect position for you.

With summer just around the corner you are probably thinking of taking it nice and easy, relaxing by the pool, basking in the sun and just wasting the days away in a wonderful, lazy bliss. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? But who is going to pay for the gas you use up while cruising with your windows down? Or those summer nights out? And someone has to pay for that new short-short and bikini filled wardrobe.

Leanne Ashworth, the coordinator at Concordia’s Off Campus Housing and Job Bank, recommends a strong C.V. and cover letter when applying for jobs.

“Career placement also offers free help when making resumés, so students can always use them as a resource,” said Ashworth.

If you are searching for your first job, Ashworth suggests putting any volunteer experience on your resumé, and most importantly, don’t give up your job search after one try.

Here are some hints on how to land the perfect summer job, so you can spend a little and enjoy a lot, this summer.

Retail Working in retail makes for a great summer job. You are likely to get a good discount, ranging from 10 to 75 per cent on the items in the store, so be sure to pick a boutique you love. Hours are usually flexible, so you will not need to work everyday in order to make some good money. The only down side is that you will probably start at minimum wage.

Andrea Romero, a marketing student at John Molson School of Business, was part of the management team at Miss Sixty. “What we would look for when hiring is basically someone who is most importantly social, not afraid

Internships Internships are often unpaid, but they can offer you amazing knowledge in the field you are pursing. They are a great way to get hands on experience and they look incredible on your C.V. If you are going into your second year of studies, an internship this summer can make you the perfect candidate when you graduate.

Summer camp If you are hands on, try a summer camp.

JMSB student Theresa Lucia says its one of the best jobs you could ever have. “You’re always playing games and sports, and getting to go on field trips, allowing you to relive your childhood. The kids look to you as a role model, which gives you a strong sense of responsibility and bond with the kids,” she said. Theresa adds that they look mainly for dynamic and creative candidates, since you need to constantly be on your toes when

working with children. Patience, structure, maturity and organization are all vital as well.

Plus there is a lot of variety in summer camps, so pick one that is related to something you enjoy, such as soccer or art.

Other Office jobs like secretarial work and bankrelated jobs are other options for summer employment. If you are not interested in sitting behind a desk, grocery stores, pharmacies and video stores attract young employees and can be another viable option.

As with any job, show interest and be persistent. If they don’t call you, you call them.

Start browsing right away and apply to any place that interests you. And if all else fails, you can always resort to lying by the pool with a drink in hand, that doesn’t sound too shabby either.

Resources

Photo by Tiffany Blaise

- Kijiji and Craigslist both have part time and student job posting sections which are great year round. The postings span through a variety of job options, so selection should not be a problem.

- Concordia’s website offers jobs on campus, simply type the term “student jobs” in the search box.

- YES Montreal is a non-profit organization that delivers an English language job search and related services.

- Concordia’s Off Campus Housing and Job Bank (www.hojo.csu.qc.ca) is another great resource, located in the Hall building at H-260. They have an online job bank for students at www.classifieds.csu.qc.ca.

- www.emploietudiant.qc.ca is a Quebec based website for employers looking for student workers.

- Go to the student section of www. jobs-emplois.gc.ca to learn about the Federal Student Work Experience Program for government related job opportunities.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/concordianlife

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

9

travel

Planning your summer getaway When to leave, where to stay and how to save for your Eurotrip Savannah Sher Assistant life editor

My three week long whirlwind trip through Europe with my high school graduating class was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. I have always had a bit of wanderlust and wanted to go back, but something was always holding me back from travelling, whether it was a job, an apartment or money issues. This year I decided to just go for it. However, once I made the decision to travel, I was quickly overwhelmed by all of the decisions and preparations I had to make. I only started seriously planning a few weeks ago but I already learned a lot from friends and professionals about how to do Europe for as little money as possible. So if you are considering planning a similar trip this spring or summer, it is not too late to start.

How do I decide where to go?

Europe is a big place. Clara Soares, manager of both the Concordia and McGill branches of Travel Cuts: Canada’s Student Travel Experts, recommends using travel books to start researching where you want to go. Many guidebooks have sample routes and itineraries for first-time visitors and according to Soares it is also really helpful to look at the itineraries of European tours, like the ones offered by Contiki, for good ideas about what routes you could take.

You should also think about what type of trip you want to have. Do you want to spend your days on the beach or spend it going to museums? Do you want to stay in big cities or in smaller towns to get the local experience? Once you have an idea of where in Europe you would like to go, you are ready to book your flight.

How should I get there?

Keep in mind that the earlier in the spring you travel, the cheaper flights will be. If you are flying in May or June, you should be able to get a round-trip flight for under $800. In July and August everyone is taking their vacations, so flights, among many other things, cost much more. Toni Mete, a travel agent with Sears Travel, says that the cheapest places to fly into from

Montreal are the cities that are the furthest west in Europe: Paris and London. Look on sites like Expedia and at individual airlines to find the dates and prices that work best for you. Air Transat’s website has a feature where you can put in the approximate dates you want to fly and they show you all the cheapest fares on or around the dates you requested, so you can pick the least expensive flight.

One thing I didn’t consider until doing some research is that it can often make sense to fly in and out of different airports.

I planned to fly into Paris but did not want to make my way all the way back at the end of my trip. So instead, I booked a flight into Paris and another that flew out of Barcelona.

It was only marginally more expensive and saved me a whole day of train travel. Once you have your flight booked, you can start deciding how to fill your time.

How much is this going to cost?

The cost of your trip can vary greatly depending on the kind of trip you are planning.

Will you be eating at restaurants every meal?

Will you be staying in hostels or hotels? How long do you want to travel for? It’s pretty easy to estimate a budget once you answer these questions and do a bit of research. You can estimate that you will need about $100 a day for accommodation, food, attractions and other miscellaneous costs. This is not an exact formula and there will always be unforeseen costs, so it is a good idea to add on a couple of hundred dollars to your budget.

How do I prepare?

There are a few essential things you need when travelling abroad. The first, is an up-to-date passport and the next is travel insurance. You want to make sure that if you get sick or have an accident while you are away that you are covered. You can get travel insurance online or with the help of a travel agent. If you are travelling for about a month, you should not have to pay more than $100. Soares, who works directly with students at Travel Cuts, also suggests getting the international student identification card. The card, which is recognized worldwide, gets you discounts on everything from flights to museums. Keep in mind that your Concordia ID might not be accepted everywhere as proof that you are a student. You can pick up the ISIC card for free at the Travel Cuts office.

Whereshould I stay?

If you want to spend as little as possible and meet a lot of people along the way, the best place to stay is in youth hostels. When I first started planning my trip, I had no idea how hostels worked, having never stayed in one before. I was not sure if you had to book them in advance or if you just show up and hope they have a bed for you. I did not know if you have to sleep in a room with 20 other people. To help answer my questions, one of my friends recommended www.hostelbookers.com, was user reviews of thousands of hostels worldwide. Though it is an option to show up in a city and find a hostel with no planning, I preferred the idea of doing some research beforehand to find the best deals on hostels that were clean and in the ideal locations.

Hostelbookers and other hostel review sites ask you to enter the city and date you are travelling and then they show you all the available hostels sorted by rating, price or location. Each hostel has a rating breakdown with factors like cleanliness, fun, atmosphere and safety. In terms of pricing, you can pay as little as $15 or as much as $80 a night per person depending on what kind of room you want. Most hostels have both dorm rooms and private rooms. Dorm rooms, which hold as many as 30 guests, are generally cheaper than private rooms, which can sleep one to six people. Some hostels have rooms with their own bathroom while in others you will have to share with your entire floor.

If you are looking to party, there is usually one hostel in every major city that is known for being the most fun place in town.

To find them, check out www.famoushostels. com. These places are usually big and often have bars or clubs in the building. Familyrun hostels are another alternative that appeal to those who want to feel at home and you end up becoming friendly with the owners. Based on my research, $40 per night limit for accommodations seems to be plenty for a clean, well-located hostel.

How to get around?

Depending on where you travel within Europe, you can drive, fly or take trains between cities. I was told early on in my planning that taking the train was the best way to see the European countryside and that it was an experience on its own. Not to mention, buying a rail pass is one of the most economical options if you will be travelling in different countries. The Eurail Pass is valid in 22

European countries and offers unlimited train travel for 15 days to two months. You can get a global pass, which lets you go wherever you want, or a select pass if you’re only going to 3-5 countries.

However, according to Mete, sometimes you do find cheap airfare online for intercity flights within Europe. So, if you want to jump from one city to another further one, flying is sometimes a better option. If you are willing to fly early in the morning or later in the evening you can find inter-European flights for as little as $50.

Once you get all this organizing out of the way, you get to focus on the fun stuff, which is what you should do once you get there. I currently have a teetering stack of travel books on my bedside table about every city and country I’m visiting. The beauty of organizing your own trip is that you can plan as little or as much as possible in advance.

But be sure to leave a free day in every city you visit to see things that the locals or other travellers recommend.

Travel Cuts is located inside the Hall building. There you can get an international student identification card, get travel insurance, books flights or find answers to any general travel inquiries you have.

Checklist Step 1- Head to the library to pick up some travel books so you can decide where to visit.

Step 2- Try to be flexible with your travel dates to find the cheapest flight possible.

Step 3- Make a budget using the $100 a day formula Step 4- Make sure your passport is up to date and pick up an international student identification card Step 5- Take time to read hostel reviews before booking at www.hostelbookers. com Step 6- Research your rail pass options at www.eurail.com

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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

health

Navigating health information online Knowing what questions to ask when searching for medical answers on the Internet Roya Manuel-Nekouei Contributor

Sore throat? Headache? Swollen glands? The discovery of whatever is making you feel sick is only a click away on the Internet. With the web being well up-to-date with all sorts of medical information, it is easy for people to try and diagnose themselves. The real question: is it safe?

Concordia student Mia Di Carlo was under a lot of stress and experiencing heart palpitations when she turned to the Internet to find some answers.

“On some websites it said that it’s normal when you’re anxious. Then another website was saying that [palpitations] are deadly and need to be checked out by a doctor. So I was definitely uncertain and it was not reassuring,” says Di Carlo.

Rather than finding answers and relief, she found herself becoming even more stressed than before. Her heart palpitations got worse.

Using the Internet to determine what is making you feel ill is only natural when so much information is at our fingertips. There are all sorts of web pages that not only help diagnose your symptoms, but can also help advise you on how to treat them.

online

It is important to find the answers to some of these questions in order to make sure that you are receiving proper information and also to make sure that the site does not have a slant.

Some pharmaceutical companies that put up health websites only give their own products as means of treatment. They can omit better methods or products that can help, which can also be dangerous. Before ever settling for what you read on a website, it is always best for you to consult a doctor, no matter how small your concern may be.

I GOT MY MONEY’S WORTH

Health related websites In their October 2010 newsletter, Health Services listed a number of reliable websites. Here are three recommended sites from their list: 1. MedicineNet, www.medicinenet.com is an American site offering information on diseases and conditions, symptoms and medications and a medical term dictionary.

2. Public Health Agency of Canada, www.phacaspc.gc.ca, provides information on a variety of subjects including infectious and chronic diseases as well as a travel health section.

3. Go Ask Alice, www.goaskalice.columbia.edu, administered by Columbia University’s Health Services, the site provides answers to hundreds of questions asked by college students on alcohol, drugs, fitness, nutrition, sexuality, emotional health and more.

Regardless of what you find online, if symptoms are serious or if they persist individuals should see a physician to make sure they get the proper treatment.

Visit www-health.concordia.ca to see clinic hours or to get more information

Nowruz: Iranian new year To find out how it is being celebrated in Canada visit www. theconcordian.com/ iranian-new-year

with

the tax experts

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And FREE SPC card* hrblock.ca | 800-HRBLOCK © 2011 H&R Block Canada, Inc. *$29.95 valid for regular student tax preparation only. Cash back service included. To qualify for student pricing, student must present either (i) a T2202a documenting 4 or more months of full-time attendance at a college or university during 2010 or (ii) a valid high school identification card. Expires December 31, 2011. Valid only at participating H&R Block locations in Canada. SPC Card offers valid from 08/01/10 to 07/31/11 at participating locations in Canada only. For Cardholder only. Offers may vary, restrictions may apply. Usage may be restricted when used in conjunction with any other offer or retailer loyalty card discounts. Cannot be used towards the purchase of gift cards or certificates.

NEWSPAPERS:

questions that you should ask yourself about the website you are using such as: - Who is responsible for this website?

- What is the purpose of the site?

- Where does the information come from?

- What is the quality of the information?

- Is the site up-to-date?

- Does the site respect your privacy?

JOB NAME: TS ‘11 YOUNG ADULT NEWSPAPER - FRENCH - REV

Questions to ask yourself According to an article written by Moran on the Concordia Health Services website, if students want to use online health resources, they need to be cautious and know what sort of website is reliable. The article provides some

Graphic by Phil Waheed

DOCKET/AD#: 11-HRB-025-BW-QC-GE-4

Going online for answers While there are very good and legitimate websites that are excellent resources, there are also some that are not as reliable. Many viruses have similar symptoms but very different treatments, making self-diagnosis a problem when it comes to more serious things. For example, the symptoms of mononucleosis and strep throat are pretty much the same. Even the way they are contracted is the same. The real difference is how they are treated, proving that it is very important to get a professional to examine you and look at your symptoms.

“The Internet is part of our life now.

However, diagnosing oneself is never a good idea,” says Donna Cooper, a nurse at Concordia Health Services.

Though the web can be an excellent resource, Cooper advises people who are concerned about their health to go and talk to a health professional.

“Often people will come up with a diagnosis that’s really not even close to what’s wrong with them,” she explains.

Owen Moran, a health promotion specialist at Concordia, says that it is inevitable that people will turn to technology when it comes to their health.

“I believe that many people like to know what is going on with their health and they like to be proactive at it, so they seek out the information they need to understand what is going on,” he says.

He believes that people use the Internet for self-diagnosis for several reasons. The first is that the Internet is familiar to them and, just like people use it for booking plane tickets and communicating, getting health information is just an extension of that. The Internet is also close, convenient and has a wide range of knowledge that is more than one physician might have.

arts

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

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Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com

festival

Summer festival brings the heat Catch some rays at this year’s slew of up-andcoming festivals - bigger, bolder and better than ever Sofia Gay Copy editor With the streets of Montreal calling, a multitude of artists will pirouette, cartwheel, or moonwalk (as may be the case) into town for the summer festivals. While we all know and love Just for Laughs and the Fringe Festival, here’s a look at some of the lesser-known but equally mindblowing offerings the warmer months ahead have to offer.

Elektra Festival Digital arts and strobe lights find themselves a wedding bed at the Elektra festival, a celebration of all that is flashy, artsy and has a damn good beat. Since its inception in 1999, Montrealers and visitors with a penchant for digital art have had the chance to experience the latest from the obscure yet all-too-alluring world of new technology as interpreted through visual arts, electronic music, digital animation, and even dance. Last year’s festival saw almost 9,000 heads bob to electronica while following the graphics flashing from video installations. After recently unveiling some of the artists who will be participating, this year’s edition promises to deliver a good dose of space-age-inspired arts. From a performance by 12 robots that will emulate The Tiller Girls (think can-can, but performed by artificial-intelligencefuelled robots that resemble clothing racks) courtesy of Louis-Philippe Demers, to Tasman Richardson’s visual arts presentation featuring fuzzy TV screens and mysterious beats, festivalgoers should prepare themselves to keep their jaws from dropping too often. This year, its 12th on the scene, Elektra will give even more people the chance to witness raw, avant-garde art forms by taking over the Darling Foundry and Eastern Bloc, in addition to its usual haunts of Usine C and Oboro.

Gardenia will feature a performance by aging drag queens. Photo by Luk Monsaert

Elektra runs from May 4 to 8. Pre-sale student passes are $30, available until April 15. Check out elektrafestival.ca for more.

Festival TransAmériques With a name change and a new slew of performances, Festival TransAmériques is out to prove that a little change is just the thing to keep one’s feet moving. Giving festival-goers a taste of modern dance and theatre, FTA seeks to expose the work of both aspiring and established writers, choreographers, dancers and directors. The artists slated to perform in the festival’s fifth edition come from everywhere around the world, from New Zealand to Brazil. This year’s festival will feature 31 performances and events over 17 days, an offering that FTA claims is its most ambitious to date. Aside from the usual showcase, the festival will present performances that cannot be classified under just one art form, such as Bodies in Urban Spaces, a free outdoor performance which will start off at the Planetarium and feature multicoloured bodies moving across the city in a tangled swarm. With many other free shows and performances, festival-goers are sure to get their groove on, dancing shoes optional.

Festival TransAmériques takes place from May 6 to June 11. For a full schedule and tickets, go to fta.qc.ca Infringement Festival If Fringe is the over-achieving, doted-upon daughter of festivals, Infringement is by default its feisty little sister. Launched in Montreal in 2004 by renowned theatre activist Donovan King, the festival is now held in five cities across Canada and the U.S., and just keeps on growing

The Elektra festival showcases electronica & digital art. Photo by Peter Dimakos every year. With its roots firmly set in activist art, Infringement seeks to subvert the tradition of festivals that lose creative freedom under the thumb of corporate pressure. Following its mandate to allow all artists to perform free of charge, the festival includes (but is certainly not limited to) a mix of theatre, visual arts, films, poetry and music by basically “anyone wishing to artistically infringe on the monoculture that creeps into every corner of our lives,” according to its website. Notable events from the past include a vernissage held in an alleyway, and a musical performance followed by a bring-your-own-instrument music party.

Preparations for this year’s installation of Infringement are underway and anyone who wants to contribute is welcome.

Infringement takes place from June 16 to 26.

To find out how you can get involved, visit infringementfestival.com/montreal International Festival of Circus Arts Those who feel a pang of nostalgia every time they see a careless, freckle-cheeked young thing in the playground hanging upside down from the monkey bars can get their acrobatics fix

at the International Festival of Circus Arts. Now in its second year, the festival is coming back for more with over 200 artists hailing from all over the world. This summer’s lineup includes Australia’s Tom-Tom Crew company, which will present its mix of acrobats, beatboxers and hip hop, as well as Victoria Chaplin (daughter of the famed Charlie) and Jean-Baptiste Thierrée’s Le Cirque Invisible. For those who love themselves a clown but not their price tag, the festival will offer free activities as well. The festival’s website says its goal is “to be an event that unifies and mobilizes people,” and there is reason to believe it is achieving just that. After all, there might be no better way to bond with a fellow festival-goer than by collectively gasping as the acrobats leap onto the tightrope.

The International Festival of Circus Arts takes place July 7 to 24. The full schedule will be up on April 18 at montrealcompletementcirque.ca Fantasia Everyone knows at least one person who celebrates major landmarks with a marathon of George A. Romero’s Dead film series and

who can also effortlessly quote lines from Repo Man on command. Montreal gets a glimpse into their world every summer with Fantasia, one of the biggest celebrations of genre films from all around the world. The festival aims to expose North Americans to films they would have otherwise never even heard of, and going into its 15th year, it just keeps growing. Each summer, cinema lovers are treated to hundreds of films in just three weeks, with last year’s count reaching 370 films. However, movie buffs are not just drawn in for the films themselves, but also for the guest appearances, which have famously included Malcolm McDowell (of A Clockwork Orange fame).

The festival holds true to its promise of offering variety by screening films in various venues, including Concordia since 2003, as well as having outdoor screenings. If getting lost in a round-theworld trip of cinema is your thing, this is a festival you won’t want to miss. Ask your movie-savvy friend to go. Chances are, they’ll already have their tickets.

Fantasia runs from July 14 to Aug. 7. For schedule and tickets, go to fantasiafestival.com

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theconcordian

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

PHOtOGRaPHY

Exiled from his own home Canadian-Iranian photographer presents the tumultuous Iranian elections at FOFA Joëlle Pouliot Contributor “Came like water, like wind I go” is a Sufi expression from Persian philosopher and poet Omar Khayyám. For Aydin Matlabi, an award-winning Canadian photographer of Iranian descent, it symbolizes the time he spent in Iran during the tumultuous 2009 presidential elections. What was initially supposed to be a photography trip for his master’s thesis at Concordia turned into violent protests, jail time and expulsion from Iran.

Matlabi recounted what he went through in his second home and how the pictures he took came to become the exhibit currently shown at Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts Gallery.

How did this photography project start?

Initially, I was going to Iran for my master’s thesis on promiscuity in the Islamic faith, during the summer of 2009. I went there thinking that because it was the elections, it would be calm and people would be more open-minded.

But that’s when it all built up. I was in the city of Mashhad in the northern part of Iran and I wanted to see the election movement, a week before elections. Right away I saw the crackdowns.

Bikers with batons beating whoever dared to wear green bracelets [representing the opposition party] or who dared defy Ahmadinejad . It was really brutal and I didn’t expect that. It had been so peaceful at first.

What was the atmosphere like in the streets?

There were millions of people in the streets, all together. For once, there was one voice in Iran.

Young people, elders, even mullahs were cheering! Then it turned into a violent conversation between those who disagreed over the elections.

But that’s freedom of speech in Iran: it’s brutal, but you get to speak. People didn’t care so much about the violence because they were going to vote, they were so excited.

What happened when the situation started to deteriorate?

The Basij, who are like the Islamic police, came at me with knives so I would stop; they didn’t want me to be there. The people in the demonstrations saw that and protected me. If it wasn’t for them, I would have been long gone.

Their bravery is something I never want to forget.

What made you stay there amongst the violence?

It was a romantic notion of being a hero. I truly believed that this was going to be a change, that there was no way the government would crack down harshly on its own people. But I was a fool. There’s a reason why it’s called a dictatorship.

I thought I could document a moment of history like the Berlin Wall. I genuinely believed that at the time. But peace fingers are just peace fingers, you can still get shot.

The only reason I survived was pure luck and because other people sacrificed themselves for me. I didn’t want to give up, until I was “politely” asked to leave by the government and didn’t really have a choice but to leave.

How exactly were you “politely” sent out of Iran?

The last day of the protests, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave a speech saying that anybody in the streets would be seen as a criminal. People didn’t think he would dare do anything. So the next day I got into a cab with two friends to join the demonstrations.

When we got there, every corner had hooded hoodlums waiting to attack us. The cab driver didn’t want to go further, he was really scared. So we opened the door, the guys came at us and we rushed into the crowd. Eventually they dragged us out and handcuffed us.

I was lucky. I had a photocopy of my Canadian passport in my pocket. They were worried about that, but I still went to prison.

What happened to you in prison?

They can physically destroy you and rip you apart emotionally. I spent two nights and three days there.

They put you in a situation where you get to see what they do to others. Then you expect it to happen to you. I was blindfolded, had no idea where I was. There were people laying on the middle of a table, and that’s where they… did stuff.

The second night, I just wanted them to get it over with. That’s the worst part, you just want to get it over with.

Then they came to get me, blindfolded me again and I thought: okay, this is it. But then they brought me somewhere else, dumped me in the middle of the road with my bag. They gave me a paper in Farsi that said I had 48 hours to get out of the country or I’d have to show up in court and be sentenced as a spy.

How did it feel to come home after that?

When I came back I was really depressed. I had no idea what was going on with my friends and colleagues in Iran.

I was being approached by magazines who wanted to publish my pictures, but I didn’t even care, I didn’t want to do that. Even World Press Photo approached me to participate in the competition. It frustrated me because I didn’t want my work to be photojournalistic.

I wanted my pictures to be a part of history, I didn’t want them to disappear. Now look, it’s been two years and these pictures are being shown again in art galleries.

How do you hope people will react when they see your photo exhibition?

If people could — even just for a second — have goose bumps from being there, that’d be it. I wanted to bring back a moment of history.

Right now what’s happening in the Middle

Aydin Matlabi wants his photography “to be a part of history.”

East is brutal. But I’m happy it’s happening because eventually it’s going to reach Iran too.

There’s a really sad saying that goes like this: a revolution is not a revolution if it fails. The Iranian revolution failed in 2009 but I’m not going to forget it, because it’s going to happen again.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Daniel Spinali Staff writer

I hate the fact that I have to say this: The Rocky Horror Picture Show no longer counts as a cult film. Once Glee had an episode dedicated to it, RHPS became as mainstream as it could get. With throngs of teenagers now going crazy for the Glee cast recording of the Time Warp, it is time to find the spiritual successor to the world-changing 1975 film. That film is Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Hedwig was born as a young boy named Hansel in East Berlin just after the construction of the Berlin Wall, and is now the singer

and frontwoman for rock band the Angry Inch. They are on tour following another artist, Tommy Gnosis, whom Hedwig rightfully claims has stolen all of her songs.

Hedwig’s songs are in fact the story of her life, from her early days as a boy in love with rock music to her botched gender reassignment surgery (which left her with a one inch mound of flesh where her penis was and vagina was supposed to be) and her quest to confront Gnosis.

Just like many films before it, includ-

I’m going to make sure no one forgets it.

Came Like Water, Like Wind I go runs at FOFA from April 4 to 29. The vernissage is April 6, from 5 to 8 p.m.

ing Rent and Mamma Mia!, Hedwig and the Angry Inch started off as a stage show in New York City. This allows the film to have a very live production-like feel to it at all times, especially as the character of Hedwig is played by the original cast member, John Cameron Mitchell. His movements are not what is usually seen in a movie. They are far more fluid and dance-like, which combined with the costumes creates a swirl of colours that just draws you further into the story.

The music really is something else. During the first run of the stage show, the songs were simply covers with new lyrics, but as time progressed, they were changed to original songs, written by Stephen Trask (who scored Dreamgirls) which remained for the film. The songs are mostly rock-based, but many have country, blues and folk influences.

To put it simply, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is awesome. The songs are everything one comes to expect from what can be referred to as a rock opera, the costumes are a wonder to look at and the acting in general could not be better.

Hedwig is a must see, for everyone (over the age of 13).

Directed by: John Cameron Mitchell, 2001 Starring: John Cameron Mitchell, Stephen Trask and Andrea Martin

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/concordianarts

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

13

mOvies

Summer movie preview What’s hot and what’s not in upcoming cinema Chris Hanna Opinions editor The end of our semester doesn’t exactly coincide with the beginning of summer, but it does mean we all have a lot of extra time to indulge in those guilty pleasures you probably snuck in during midterm studying time: movies.

Summer movies are generally associated with noise, explosions, popcorn, sequels and remakes, but if you look for them (and you don’t even have to look that hard), some quieter, local films are also being released that will be well worth the price of admission.

Montreal director Jacob Tierney’s first effort since last year’s The Trotsky will be released June 3. Good Neighbours stars Jay Baruchel (who is likely to play an awkward extension of himself, again), Scott Speedman, Emily Hampshire and Quebec film phenom Xavier Dolan. The movie is set in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce during the 1995 referendum on the separation of Quebec, but residents of an apartment complex also have to deal with a series of murders that coincidentally start occurring when Baruchel’s character moves into the neighbourhood.

Kevin Tierney, Jacob’s father, will make his directorial debut with French Immersion on July 1. The elder Tierney has been mainly producing films in Canada, including Bon Cop, Bad Cop, which he also wrote and won a Genie award for. His first effort as a director is about four anglo-Canadians and a New Yorker who take part in a two-week French immersion program in a northern Quebec town, where “only” 97 per cent of the population is “pure laine.” The remaining three per cent? Vampires (maybe... although in all seriousness, with no Twilight film coming out this summer, a vampire plot twist could make French Immersion the biggest hit of the season).

Starbuck starring Patrick Huard comes out on July 29. The movie is not about the coffee

chain, but rather about Huard’s character, an immature 42-year-old man who decides he wants to reinvent himself into the adult he should have been decades ago. Thing is, right when he wants to turn his life around, he finds out he is the biological father of 533 children.

Pour l’amour de Dieu will be released on May 11. Directed by Micheline Lanctôt, the story of the forbidden romantic relationship between Sister Cécile and Father Malachy in 1950’s Montreal is seen through the eyes of an 11-year-old female student, who also has a crush on Malachy.

But not all Quebec films look promising this summer. So You Think You Can Dance Canada season one winner Nico Archambault stars in what can only be described as Quebec’s version of the ghastly and nausea-inducing Step Up series. Sur le rythme comes out Aug. 12.

As for the Hollywood fare coming out this summer, director Roland Emmerich (2012, The Day After Tomorrow) once said “Nobody makes movies bad on purpose.” He should know; his movies are as disastrous as the events depicted in them.

This summer, Hollywood continues its assault on your senses with follow-ups to the Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers series.

On Stranger Tides and Dark of the Moon come out on May 20 and July 1, respectively. More sequels abound as this summer will also mark the end of the beloved Harry Potter franchise films. Part two of The Deathly Hallows comes out July 15. Zach Galifianakis and his wolf pack go to Thailand for The Hangover Part II for Stu’s (Ed Helms) wedding on May 26.

Last January’s Natalie Portman-Ashton Kutcher film No Strings Attached had such a resonating theme that a similar film is due. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis star in Friends with Benefits, out July 22, a movie about two friends who want all of the physical and none of the emotional attachment. Original.

One comedy worth checking out is likely to be May 13’s Bridesmaids, the Judd Apatow-produced Kristen Wiig vehicle. Women deserve a great comedy that respects them as moviegoers, and men deserve a movie that will not make them cringe when they’re going to be dragged to it.

Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake in Friends With Benefits.

The Hangover: Part II.

tHeatRe

Do you like cheese with your smoked meat?

Schwartz’s musical piles it in on with good humour and kitsch Sarah Deshaies Editor-in-chief While watching Schwartz’s the Musical at The Centaur theatre last Saturday, I was reminded of the dilemma faced by money-grabbing Hollywood producers: how do you, in cases like G.I. Joe and Clue, create a story based on a toy or board game?

This made-in-Montreal musical would seem to fall into that category. How do you make a stage musical based on a historical book about a restaurant? Well, it seems you need a typical underdog storyline, music numbers, an animated cast, a great deal of schmutz and you’re good to go.

It helps that it ain’t no regular restaurant on the marquee: Schwartz’s is an icon, the very stuff from which gastronomical legends are made. The Main St. deli, founded during the edges of the Great Depression, not only serves up a delectable array of smoked meat and other Jewish foods, but it is also a fixture for myriad locals and visitors of all stripes. As Bill Brownstein, Gazette columnist and writer of Schwartz’s Hebrew Delicatessen: The Story, notes, it’s the “beef that binds Montreal.”

In this musical, what ends up on the audience’s plate is an inside joke for the city, celebrating the restaurant’s history of independence and authenticity.

Amber (Stephanie Martin) is a whipsmart, ambitious Torontonian (with Montreal ties) who comes knocking at the deli’s door, looking to purchase the restaurant, find out what makes it so special and capitalize on it. Waiter Ben (Vito DeFilippo, whose wonderful oper-

atic voice outstrips his wooden acting chops) endeavours to knock some sense into her and keep from turning “kitchen into kitsch” (the bad kind of kitsch).

Along the way, talented performers sing, dance, play instruments and ham it up with a variety of Montreal caricatures with the dynamic, detailed backdrop of John C. Dinning’s deli stage. Famed Canadian comedy folk duo Bowser and Blue provide the music, which included numbers about the origins of smoked meat and a spirited opening gospel rendition praising the deli as the “promised land.”

Rising Montreal burlesque star Holly Gauthier-Frankel makes an appearance as her delicious alter-ego Miss Sugarpuss, but also shows she has the chops to play comical characters, like a hilariously nasal old Jewish woman. Chris Barillaro, the youngest cast and crew member, plays Al the Cutter, while also playing the keyboard hidden behind the deli counter. Between rehearsals on Sunday, he said that the neat part about the show is that the band is fully integrated into the cast - everyone is acting, singing and probably playing an instrument.

The story is rooted in Schwartz’s actual history, with a cliché romance plot underlying it with tons of puns on top. But it works.

The tickets aren’t cheap, and are over 80 per cent sold out at this point. But the buzz is so good that they’ll likely extend the show, and without a doubt, someone will restage this in the future. If you can scrub together the equivalent of about five meals at the restaurant itself, you can feast your eyes instead of your stomach.

This musical comes on the heels of Brownstein’s book, first published a few years ago, and Concordia journalism professor Barry Lazar’s recent documentary Chez Schwartz’s with director Garry Beitel.

With so many Montreal icons slowly disappearing, whether it’s the nearby Warshaw’s grocery or Ben’s Deli on de Maisonneuve

Blvd., we’re documenting the things that have made Montreal so famous and special. In that case, Schwartz’s the Musical is an over-thetop and cheesy, but entertaining testament to a restaurant that is hopefully not going anywhere any time soon.

Schwartz’s: The Musical runs at the Centaur Theatre until April 24. For more info, check out centaurtheatre.com

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theconcordian

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

sPOileR aleRt

So what’s the deal with porn?

Jessica Wei Staff writer Man. There’s something about the sex trade, isn’t there? Pornography is an international multibillion dollar industry that has been around for centuries, in the underbelly of society. Now, having never watched a full feature-length erotic film before, I was decently okay continuing a pornfree lifestyle. Honestly. I could take wild guesses at the works of thousands of silicon-based porn stars, and I was happy – ecstatic, even – to be unaware of the details.

But when Seinfeld A XXX Parody started showing at Cinema L’Amour, even my curiosity was piqued. I like the original show, so it only seems right to check out the smut it’s inspired, right? But, dear readers, curiosity is a fickle friend.

And once you’ve seen two hours of raunchy, sweaty bodies committing unspeakable acts, there’s no return from that. So for this last Spoiler Alert, I’m giving you something a little outside the box. You thought Lady Gaga was edgy? I watched the Seinfeld XXX Parody so you never have to – unless you’re hard up and have specific ’90s sitcom fetishes.

First off, it would be against my journalistic morals if I didn’t mention that I decided to download the film, saving myself from those unsa-

voury theatre seats of Cinema L’Amour. I stand by this decision. Porn is not a social enjoyment, and people who think it is are – honestly? – a little fucked up. Secondly – being fucked up is alright.

And few are more fucked up than the characters of Gerry, Elaina, Gorge, Crammer, and, oh yes, the Porn Nazi (no guesses as to his tagline).

Now. The story: Gerry and Elaina are really into this new adult DVD rental place. Elaina pisses off the owner, the Porn Nazi, by simply being annoying. Gerry and Elaina go back to the apartment and start watching porn, breaking the moans from the TV with painfully neurotic dialogue. Sex scene ensues for half an hour – no cuts, no edits, one shot (cinematically speaking).

Meanwhile, Crammer is unable to “jack off to porn anymore.” His idea is to make his own movie, renting a camera, porn stars, and a craft services table. Sure, he could probably cut down on production costs by walking into a bar and picking up a rando, but his way works too. Another half-hour sex scene with two girls on a picnic bench and a fully-clothed Crammer occasionally (and awkwardly) inserting his dong into various orifices.

Elaina goes back to the Porn Nazi to complain, but the Hot Female Asian Employee offers to give her the name of a secret distributor instead – “but you’ll have to do something for me,” which is, of course, code for inventory room girl-on-girl sex with magically appearing dildos.

The rest? “Noman” has trouble delivering Crammer’s completed film, Seinfeld’s new

Graphic by Katie Biroux

Jessica Wei vs Fuckfeld

girlfriend has orgasms while watching the news, Gorge is basically George but less annoying.

Throw in a few weak comedy routines (“What’s the deal with fake boobs?”) and awkwardly positioned laugh-tracks, and cap it off by Gerry gettin’ dirty with a massively-titted audience member on stage for, like, 20 minutes before credits roll.

But you don’t care about that. You just want to know what I think. Now here’s the thing – I had major expectations going in. I was a little nervous, had heard all these things, but I’d had a long and serious relationship with Seinfeld. And if it’s going to be your first time, it should be with something you love, right? Totally anti-climactic!

I could forgive the writing (no porn aficionado’s expecting classic Larry David-esque banter in

all 15 minutes of dialogue), but it was mostly the sex that disappointed. Come on, porn stars and director, this is your trade. This is how you bring home the cash and cocaine. You live, breathe, eat, and fuck sex. If I’m going to sit down and watch a feature film in which the main selling point is 90 minutes of naked moaning professionals who are paid to have sex on film, let’s dive into the deep here. We all know the regular moves. I expect semen-stained pages ripped out of the Kama Sutra on the linoleum; perfectly agile, flexible bodies with new and fresh ways of penetration.

Where’s the educational aspect of Seinfeld XXX? High production value isn’t going to cut it in porn anymore, Lee Roy Myers, director of this and many other sexy parodies. Time to get kinky.

visUal aRt

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Students welcome spring with HIVer Art exhibition seeks to hit! viewers with the cold, ! hard truth about HIV !

Kalina Laframboise !

Contributor The! best way to fight discrimination is with education, to replace confusion with understanding and! intolerance with love. The students behind the 17th annual HIV/AIDS awareness exhibition plan! to do this through an art exhibit cleverly named HIVer. It’s designed to inform Concordia students about the AIDS pandemic and highlight ! the struggles of those who live with HIV/AIDS experience. !The theme this year — winter, or hiver — was chosen by curator Emily Kirkman and her ! of interns. The name and the premise that team goes along with it were chosen to represent a time! of transition and the change from winter to spring as rebirth. Inspiring the chance to start new, the exhibition’s theme sheds light upon the ! lack of understanding and awareness surrounding the virus. !According to organizer and artist Bev Herscovitch, the show is meant to incite “a beautiful attack ! on the senses.” The communications student said that the show promotes a variety of perspectives on the subject of HIV/AIDS. Each artist ! brings something different and unique, touching upon varying issues concerning the virus. !There is a performance piece: a one-man show involving near nudity that promises to ! the boundary between public and private break life by showing vulnerable acts in public spaces. !The array of multimedia projects, which includes audio, projections, installations, paintings and! collages, were done mostly by Concordia students, with the exception of the contribution by Audio Smut Collective, the monthly radio show ! on sexuality that operates out of McGill University. Many of the participating artists are students "#$!%#&$!'()*'+!,#!-.*!/!#0!/1!2#&34+!5)66+67!+8).4!%#&$!'#854+,+! in fine arts, and students who took a yearlong course offered by the fine arts department about '#*,)',!.*0#$8),.#*!9*)8+7!5(#*+7!8).4.*:!)22$+66;!,#!

HIV/AIDS. Spectators cannot expect anything '#*,+6,<5$#8#)=+*&+>')>!?*,+$!@AB@ACDEFB!.*!,(+!6&3G+',!4.*+>! less than passionate works of arts, fueled by the H'$++*.*:!-.44!,)I+!54)'+!J&+62)%7!F5$.4!KL,(!),!MN1158!),!,(+!FO@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! knowledge and understanding that these artists J(+),$+>! have gained concerning the disease.

The projects depict the artists’ personal feelings surrounding the disease and the struggles D+)24.*+!,#!?*,+$N!"$.2)%7!F5$.4!P,(7!K1//! that people with HIV/AIDS face. Project director of HIV/AIDS Concordia Thomas Waugh said, --->,(+3)*:3)*:'4&3>'#8!

“Over the years, we’ve seen everything from EB!JQ?FJC?H!OFR!LJQ! prevention posters made out of condoms to ".48!*#,!%+,!$),+2! autobiographical videos.” For HIVer, Herscovitch

created “Direct Colour,” an informational colouring book that highlights the lack of accessibility to honest information about sex, specifically when it comes to HIV, for teenagers and young adults.

Herscovitch hopes that by engaging viewers and making them a part of the piece, it will broaden their understanding about HIV and reduce the stigma that surrounds the virus. Through a playful medium that addresses a serious topic, it will give spectators a chance to participate and have control over what they want to learn.

Other works address the discrimination and confusion surrounding those who live with HIV. As an act of resistance to the narrow-minded in our society, the artists give those living with the virus a chance to have their voices heard through depictions of their personal stories. Some artists aim to criticize the glamorization of the virus due to HIV advocacy, which has had the effect of portraying certain people as victims in need of help while others are disregarded and seen at fault.

Kirkman, who began working on the project last September, said that she is personally invested in the subject matter. “With this event, we are hoping to raise HIV/AIDS awareness in the community and get more people involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.” Free food and wine will be served at the vernissage, which is open to Concordia students as well as the general public. The event will open your eyes to beautiful art pieces, but will also help demystify the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. HIVer will run at VAV gallery, 1395 Rene Levesque W., from April 4 to 9. The vernissage will take place on April 7 at 7 p.m.

music

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

15

Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com

festival guide

Gearing up for festival season With the school year out of the way, it’s time to find that summer job, catch some rays, and with a little help from the Concordian, plan your summer festival itinerary

S

Fourtet (above) will be one of over 100 artists playing at MUTEK 2011. Photo courtesy of MUTEK

Concordian: How did you get involved with Suoni and what is your role in the festival?

Steve Guimond: Booking [for] Casa, Sala, and il Motore, [and for] Suoni per il Popolo [I’m the] artistic director. I was asked to join team Casa del Popolo, Sala Rosa and Suoni per il Popolo by the founders, Mauro Pezzente and Kiva Stimac, in 2005 after I got to know them through my job as music director at CKUT. We shared a mutual love of weird music and I had always admired what they were doing from afar.

What is its purpose or goal?

To present mind-blowing and innovative music from across all genres that is under-represented within mainstream circles.

How has Suoni Per il Popolo evolved over the past 11 years?

The festival as a whole has grown on a number of fronts - financially, administratively, artistically. What started out as a labour of love has blossomed into a viable and successful festival, and has opened up a lot of folks’ ears over the years to an incredible array of artists from here and around the world.

What will be some highlights of this year’s edition?

Highlights include Bill Orcutt (ex-Harry Pussy), Charles Gayle, Keiji Haino, Borbetomagus, Junior Boys, Pierced Arrows, Omar Souleyman, Satoko Fujii, The Thing with Joe McPhee, Atomic, Parlovr, David S. Ware, Volcano The Bear, [and] The Strange Boys.

Will all of the concerts be taking place indoors?

Yup. This year we are using Casa del Popolo, Sala Rossa and il Motore.

How many people do you expect to attend this year?

We roughly anticipate around 10,000 people will walk through our doors during the month

HeavyMTL: July 23 - 24, 2011. Dear Metalheads, this ought to be the greatest weekend of your lives. Although this year’s full lineup has not yet been announced, KISS, Mötorhead, Disturbed, Billy Talent and Godsmack are already confirmed. What could be better than spending your weekend headbanging to the point of getting heatstroke at a giant outdoor concert at Parc Jean-Drapeau? Tickets have already been on sale for a few weeks, but watch out: they’re a bit on the pricey side. To see prices and buy tickets, visit: heavymtl.com/en Osheaga: July 27 - 31, 2011. Everyone goes to Osheaga. And by everyone, I meant that 53,000 people did last year. So if you haven’t experienced it, you must. It’s a blast. The lineup should be announced soon, but it can already be guaranteed that it will be kickass. How do I know this? Last year saw the Arcade Fire, Snoop Dogg, Sonic Youth and Metric. ‘Nuff said. Stay tuned for updates and announcements about this year’s edition: osheaga.com/en/

Name: Steve Guimond Festival: Suoni Per il Popolo Founded: 2001 Takes place: June 5 - 25, 2011

More info: casadelpopolo.com/ contents/node/74

Montreal International Jazz Festival: June 25 - July 4, 2011. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will have heard about this festival.

Not into jazz? That’s okay — last year’s lineup included female hip-hop duo Random Recipe and folk singer Basia Bulat. Plus, a lot of the concerts are outdoors, and most of them are free. The 2011 lineup should be announced soon at: montrealjazzfest.com Les FrancoFolies de Montréal: June 10 - 18, 2011. As you could have probably guessed, Les FrancoFolies is a week-long festival celebrating only the finest music to emerge out of la belle province, with events contained within the Place des Arts area. Bonus: if you spend $22.50 on tickets, you’ll get a free ticket for the concert of your choice. Here’s the catch: this only applies to tickets purchased from the Metropolis box office. Read more here: francofolies.com

Katelyn Spidle Music editor chool’s out, and hopefully the sun will soon be, too. This is the time when we all disperse and live out our summer adventures, which for many people will consist of watching the clock tick at their boring summer office job or busting their ass at an internship.

But whether you’ll be kickin’ it in Montreal, heading back home to Ma and Pa’s or planning a road trip across the country, we at the Concordian hope that you’ll find the time to squeeze in a music festival or two. While most people associate the summer holidays with working like crazy in order to earn enough money to carry their broke asses into second semester, we associate the summer holidays with festival season. Here’s a guide to some summer music festivals that will be happening in Montreal and the country-atlarge.

Local festivals

National festivals Electronic duo MODE SELEKTOR are part of MUTEK’S 2011 lineup. Photo by Birgit Kaulfuss of June.

Name: Patti Schmidt Festival: MUTEK Founded: 2000 Takes place: June 1 - 5, 2011 More info: mutek.org/festivals/ montreal/2011

Concordian: What’s your role in the festival?

Patti Schmidt: For the past couple of editions I’ve been one of the programmer curators, along with Vincent Lemieux and Alain Mongeau who’s the creative director of the festival. We’re actually in a meeting right now, we’re pouring over our grid, trying to fill in a whole bunch of blanks in time for next week’s major announcement about the second wave of performers. Now that this is my second time through, the rhythm of panic is fun. And also, I edit the web magazine at mutek.org. [...] Then I’ll be producing panels and doing all kinds of other stuff when the festival starts rolling.

What is its purpose or goal?

To turn as many people on to electronic and digital contemporary creation as possible.

And that means anything from avant-garde and experimental works to immersive kinds of environments that are always changing as technology is changing, as well as exposing them to some of the more rarefied club experiences that can happen with various artists who really know how to work a big room. We really emphasize the live performance of it, so it’s not a DJ festival. From the very beginning, MUTEK has emphasized live performance with electronics and [...] visuals as well as audio.

How many musicians do you expect will be performing?

One hundred or more. That’s been the average number in the past few years. It’s a lot.

How many people normally attend?

Last year, [...] when you count up all of it, 70,000 entries is about what we’re at now. Which has come a long way from the first year when there was just under 2,000.

How has the festival evolved over the past 12 years?

We hope reputation, for being able to take a snapshot of what’s going on at a particular time, as well as to continue to pick things in advance of their connecting. To be a portal for discovery and to be understood and recognized for that - I think - has solidified over the years. One of the things that was a big surprise, and became evident in the first four or five years, was that now more than half of the festival’s audience comes from outside the city. Then there’s another percentage from that which comes from outside the [...] country. That’s been a big evolution, and that’s something that we think about too: programming as much for local audiences as foreign audience[s].

What will be some highlights of this year’s edition?

That’s too hard. Obviously the Nocturnes, the headliners for the evenings shows I hope will be highlights. For example, the Amon Tobin show that we’re bringing here is going to be his world premiere that’s going to start a new tour for his new album and there’s a gigantic set and video mapping and multi-person team from San Francisco who are coming to do this. It’s going to be huge.

Check out theconcordian.com/section/music to hear tracks by Pierced Arrows and Amon Tobin.

What: SappyFest Where: Sackville, N.B. When: July 29 - 31, 2011 Why you should go: Sackville seems to be one of those charming small towns to which Canadian indie musicians are inexplicably drawn (think Dawson, Yukon). The festival is a bit of a spin-off project that was created in 2006 by the founders of Sappy Records — Julie Doiron, Jon Claytor and Paul Henderson.

Although camping out at the festival site is not an option, Sackville can offer some small town hospitality in the form of bed and breakfasts, hotels and campgrounds. Did I mention that there will also be a zine and crafts fair? For more information go to: sappyfest.com What: North By Northeast Where: Toronto, Ont. When: June 13 - 19, 2011 Why you should go: Missed out on SXSW? That’s okay - the northern equivalent will barge in on Toronto’s club district during the second week of June. Last year, over 625 local, national and international bands rocked 50 stages. Because of this festival, the population of Toronto will rise by over 280,000 in five days. Obviously, NXNE is a big deal. Whether you’re looking to discover some hidden gems, check out some rising talents or bow down to the big shots, this is your chance. Read about NXNE here: nxne.com/information What: Dawson City Music Festival Where: Dawson, Y.T. When: July 15 - 17, 2011 Why you should go: Yes, it’s way up north and yes, you probably wouldn’t think of planning a road trip to the Yukon. But really, you should. Dawson is not only surrounded by stunning scenery (for you nature-appreciating types), but its annual music festival promises, in its own words, “unparalleled intimacy, grassroots spirit, fabulous Klondike hospitality, and the best concerts North of 60!” Don’t believe me? See for yourself: dcmf.com

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Tuesday, April 5, 2011 profile

theconcordian

Black Feelings stoked on past, but unsure of future Andrew Guilbert Staff writer

Champagne primadonna

Former Oasis frontman and current Beady Eye member Liam Gallagher has slammed Jay-Z over his clothing line, Rocawear. “You’re going to be fucking arrested wearing his gear and you’re going to pull a really nice-looking bird wearing mine,” said Gallagher in an interview with spin.com. The frontman launched his own clothing line in 2009, Pretty Green, which Liam characterized as being “timeless, classic clobber” (which is U.K. slang for clothes, in case you were wondering). This is not the first time one of the infamously testy Gallagher brothers have lashed out at the Roc-A-Fella rapper; older brother Noel decried the Glastonbury festival’s decision of having the jigga man headline back in 2008, saying “I’m not having hip hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong.”

Speaking of Noel…

The other Gallagher brother made some news of his own after refusing a hotel room due to the looming image of a giant Russell Brand outside of his window. In an interview with The Sun, Brand, who is friends with the Oasis singer, said, “Noel’s in L.A. at the moment and outside his hotel window he said all he can see is a great big billboard for Arthur. He said they showed him the room and the bloke asked, ‘Is there anything you’d like to change, sir?’ He said, ‘Yeah. That fucking poster. I want another room,’ so they moved him.”

He don’t impress her much

An Ottawa doctor has been arrested after violating conditions that he stay at least 500 yards away from country singer Shania Twain. The arrest took place the night of the Juno Awards after an unidentified person had spotted him in the crowd at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. Dr. Giovanni Palumbo had previously had charges of criminally harassing the Canadian music star withdrawn after Twain did not show up for her day in court three weeks ago. Palumbo claimed he had hoped to broker a meeting with the singer through a reporter because he didn’t think she was even aware of the case, claiming it was her handlers that wanted to press charges. According to court documents, the doctor had sent her unsolicited love notes and flowers, and had shown up at the singer’s home in Switzerland several times in 2009.

Bluebeat bashed for billing for Beatles

A music website that had illegally sold music by the Beatles has been made to pay infringed record labels $1 million. Bluebeat.com claimed they were not breaking any copyright laws, as the US-based website’s owner was using a method he called “psycho-acoustic simulation” to distribute the tracks. This method was described by the presiding judge as an “obscure and undefined pseudo-scientific language that appears to be a long-winded way of describing sampling.”

It’s like the pot calling Rebecca Black

In an interview with Australia’s Daily Telegraph, pop singer Miley Cyrus slammed Internet celebrity Rebecca Black, whose overnight success came after the release of the critically reviled music video for her song “Friday.” Says Cyrus: “It should be harder to be an artist. You shouldn’t just be able to put a song on YouTube and go out on tour.” For those of you who are not in the know, Cyrus — the daughter of commercial country artist Billy Ray Cyrus — got her start at the age of 13 on her own Disney TV show, which was followed by a deal with Hollywood Records a year later.

Owain Lawson talks about his inspirations, the upcoming album and the band’s uncertain future Matthew Campbell Contributor

When a band is asked what genre of music it plays, many will respond with confidence — truly believing that the style of music they perform is the most entertaining. But when Owain Lawson, vocalist and drummer for Black Feelings, was asked what genre of music his band plays, he was unable to give a simple answer.

“I don’t know actually,” Lawson laughed.

“When people ask me what kind of band I’m in I almost always say punk rock because that’s the easiest thing you can possibly say.”

Although calling Black Feelings a punk band may be the easiest way for Lawson to describe their music, most would agree that the band’s sound isn’t quite that easy to pin down. While the vocals do strike an auditory resemblance to punk groups like the Sex Pistols, Lawson and his band mates — which include bass player Brian Mitchell and guitarist Kyle Fostner — create music that ventures into more ambient and experimental areas, setting it apart from most punk music.

The Montreal-based group was founded in 2007 and began with Lawson and Mitchell.

Though two-piece bands aren’t very common, Lawson didn’t think much of it at the time.

“We basically started the band on a spur of the moment type thing,” he said. “There was this band that was coming to town and we wanted to play with them, so [Mitchell] and I just jammed for six days straight and that was the band.”

In 2008, Black Feeling recruited Fostner to play guitar for an upcoming eastern United States tour. They later recorded an EP, Aum Shinrikyo,

Owain Lawson of Black Feelings during a 2010 performance. Photo by Shannon H. Myers which they named after the infamous Japanese religious group that carried out a fatal sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995.

“Haruki Murakami wrote a really good book [made up] of interviews with people who survived and [also with] the people behind it, called Underground [...] It really inspired me to write a song for the cassette,” Lawson explained. “I feel that it kind of suggests something really strange that structurally underlines the way people come together in the world.”

That same year, the group recorded its first self-titled LP with the help of engineer Mark Lawson, who recently won a Grammy award for the work he did on Arcade Fire’s album, The Suburbs.

“God bless him. Nobody in the world is more deserving of a Grammy than that guy,” Lawson assured. “Seeing Mark Lawson on stage at the Grammys is probably the highlight of 2011 for me.”

“At the time we were working with him on our record, he had already done a bunch of highprofile work,” said Lawson. “He’s our old friend and we had already done small projects with him

in the past. He’s just a really good bro.”

Black Feelings has been recording new tracks and plans to release a new cassette very soon.

“We should have it out within a month,” Lawson said. “It’s been in the works for a while now and [we] actually have some of the tracks as digital releases on our site.”

As for the future, not much is being planned for after the release of their album. “We might actually be looking at taking a break,” Lawson confessed. “We’ve been working on this thing for a while and have hit some major setbacks, [so] the future is a little uncertain.”

Lawson also revealed that he may be moving to England next year, in which case it would take some creative thinking to to be able to continue the music writing process.

“If that were to happen, we’d do something like that band The Postal Service and send stuff back and forth,” Lawson said. “Either way, we don’t have any immediate plans to tour in the future.”

Black Feelings will play at Club Lambi on April 9 with Obits.

review

From jiving jokester to Juno jubilations Shad talks Jesus, Junos and education on the eve of his North American tour Sarah McMahon-Sperber Contributor The first thing Shadrach Kabango did when he found out his album, TSOL, had won a Juno Award for Best Rap Album of 2011? He laughed.

Kabango, otherwise known as Shad, was born in Kenya to Rwandan genocide-survivor parents who later moved to London, Ont. to raise him. Since then, he has released three studio albums, collaborated with artists such as Justin Nozuka, Dallas Green and Maestro, and received props from Kanye West. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Wilfrid Laurier University and began working on a master’s degree in liberal arts.

His story could be diminished to a nice and fuzzy one about rising against the odds by channelling his feelings of pain and powerlessness through art. But a quick listen to tracks like “A Story No One Told” and “Keep Shining” quickly have you realizing that this smart linguist has much more to offer than a feel-good success story.

Last Friday, Shad performed in Montreal at l’Astral. Decked out in his token plaid shirt, with an impressive cross and an African continent pendants hanging around his neck, Shad hit the stage to be greeted by a well-prepped crowd.

Toronto’s own Keys N Krates kicked things

off, while DJ T-LO warmed up the audience with his clever twists and turns. Ian Koiter then dropped the bass and T-LO spun a familiar beat before Shad launched into a mind-blowing one hour set filled with jokes, jabs, spontaneous free-styles and perfect diction.

Speaking a few days before his Montreal show, Shad explained the challenge of headlining when asked whether he was anxious about kicking off the tour in hard-to-please Montreal.

“It’s a bit of a different game when you’re headlining the tour,” he said. “You’re not trying to win over the audience in the same way. […]

You always get a bit nervous but I think that’s just healthy; it means I respect my audience.”

Entrenched in Shad’s notions of respect and humility are his religious beliefs, which are subtlety woven into his lyrics.

“Faith often seems weird, or taboo,” he admitted, “But at the end of the day, I’m just trying to sort my own stuff out and find a way to better live my life. That’s what my tracks are

about.”

As Shad’s performance winded down and hands flew in the air to the beat of his touching ode to women, “Keep Shining,” the irony of a teenage-male dominated audience is striking.

He touched upon this while elaborating on his quiet criticism of our current academic structures.

“I think it’s especially hard for boys,” Shad explained. “Our society is ordered in this odd way that seems to have school and education mixed up. There have been questions about what it does to creativity, work ethic […] and to common sense. What I guess I’m trying to say is that, A: things have not always been this way. B: they’re not this way everywhere, and C: they’re not how they have to be.”

Is there then room for hip hop in our classrooms? “Absolutely, and I think it’s important to let kids know that what they’re listening to is smart,” said Shad. “It’s art, it’s real.”

Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

17

Mixtape

Twenty-seven issues and 26 weeks, and we’re at the end of another school year. I’d wax-poetic about the past year and all its up and downs, but mostly I just feel like tuning out from school with a pair of headphones around my skull. Here’s our eclectic list of top, time-themed songs, when it seems like all you need is a few more hours to finish that essay or project, or wrap up your studying.

(We’ve spared you all the cloying pop classics like “TiK ToK” and “Time Goes By So Slowly”). Peace out, ConU. Check out the mixtape at www.theconcordian.com/

Time is on our side Compiled by Sarah Deshaies Editor-in-chief

SIDE A: Winding Up

SIDE B: Winding Down

1. “This Time Tomorrow” – The Kinks – Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Pt. 1 - 1970 2. “Wasted Hours” – Arcade Fire – The Suburbs – 2010 3. “Une comptine d’un autre ete” - Yann Tiersen - Le Fabuleux destin d’Amelie Poulain - 2001 4. “The Minutes Seem Like Hours, The Hours Seem Like Days” – John Fahey – I Remember Blind Joe Death - 1987 5. “Clocks” - Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head - 2002 6. “Smokin’ Weed 4 Hours” - Dr. Dre Unreleased 7. “Time Warp” - The Rocky Horror Picture Show (soundtrack) - 1975 8. “Closing Time” - The Five One (Semisonic cover) - Single - 2011 9. “Time Is My Everything” - Ian Brown - Solarized - 1994 10. “Time To Get It Together (DJ Smash Extended Mix)” - Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear (Alternative Mixes) 2011

11. “Tomorrow” – Ladytron – Velocifero – 2008 12. “Clock” – Simian Mobile Disco – Attack Decay Sustain Release – 2007 13. “Twenty Four Hours” – Joy Division – Closer – 1980 14. “Seventeen Seconds” – The Cure Seventeen Seconds – 1980 15. “Even In The Night” – The Organ – Thieves EP – 2008 16. “Time to Pretend” – MGMT – Oracular Spectacular – 2007 17. “Beau temps, mauvais temps” – Tricot machine – Tricot machine – 2007 18. “In the Morning” – Junior Boys – So This Is Goodbye – 2006 19. “12:51” – The Strokes – Room on Fire - 2003 20. “5 More Minutes” – Intimate Strangers - Life Jacket - 2008

Quick Spins

Retro review

James Blake - James Blake (ATLAS / A&M; 2011)

Alcoholic Faith Mission - And The Running With Insanity EP (Paper Garden Records; 2011)

Jethro Tull - Aqualung (Chrysalis/Capitol; 1971)

Listeners beware: as the title suggests, Creep On Creepin’ On really does creep on creepin’ on from beginning to end. Taylor Kirk’s vocals on opening track “Bad Ritual” sound disturbingly similar to those of Hexxus from FernGully: The Last Rainforest, and in fact, they remain eerily hypnotic throughout the duration of the record. While earlier release Timber Timbre was described by Eye Weekly as being “the spookiest disc of the year,” Kirk has definitely succeeded in upping the spookiness factor with his latest project. There are obvious sound differences between this record and the last, mainly due to superior mastering techniques and the permanent addition of fellow multi-instrumentalists Mika Posen and Simon Trottier. The latter influence has resulted in an album that is much more instrumental. In “Woman,” Kirk’s haunting, distant vocals give way to unnerving intermissions filled with wailing violins and crashing organs, while “Obelisk” is a lyric-less nightmare filled with inescapable screeching electric guitars and oppressive violin.

To say that James Blake’s eponymous album is dubstep is to miss the point of this British musician’s first foray into non-EP terrain. In fact, Blake has already been hailed as a pioneer of the post-dubstep subgenre. This is something new, but not demanding of the listener. This is not a dubstep album so much as a minimalist experiment by someone who draws from that realm occasionally, owing more to trip-hop and blue-eyed soul than to the South East London electronic scene. As an album, this collection of 11 tracks is definitely hit-or-miss; songs like “The Wilhelm Scream” and the Feist cover “Limit To Your Love” are beautiful and aching, while songs like “Unluck” and “I Mind” tend to either get too caught up in experimentation or slouch along to the same line, making them trials to get through.

Overall, this is a respectable effort with beautiful, languished vocals mixing with sparse piano and electronically altered voices fading into ambient, pensive soundscapes. A decent album to turn up when you want to wind down.

Copenhagen’s prolific Alcoholic Faith Mission released its third and most renowned album, Let This Be the Last Night We Care, in 2010.

With the imminent release of And the Running With Insanity EP, AFM prove that they can keep fans interested with five upbeat and soothing tracks. The soft acoustic guitars and pleasant vocals make for an irresistible indiepop album. With clever songwriting and and happy melodies, some songs are reminiscent of Paul Simon and Tycoon. The first track, named for the album title, flaunts the band’s use of soft guitar riffs, which are heard throughout the duration of the album. “When They Bleed” has a down-tempo sound and melancholic vocals. The final song, “Dancing Fools,” is driven by classic piano and electric guitar riffs.

As a band, Jethro Tull has always been somewhat of an enigma for music critics. Are they blues?

Progressive? Rock? Folk? Though labeling them is somewhat difficult, their best work — at least in terms of commercial success — is indisputably their fourth release, Aqualung.

Songs like “Locomotive Breath,” “My God” and the title track were not only staples of the band’s live shows but are on regular rotation on every classic rock station that’s worth its salt. What makes this a stunning album, however, is not the hits — rather, it is the work as a whole. Songs like “Hymn 43” and “Wind Up” provide both a strong guitar riff and a tongue-in-cheek meditation on religious hypocrisy, a true novelty when the album came out. The shorter gems like “Slipstream” and “Cheap Day Return,” which are peppered between the longer tracks, provide not only pleasant segues, but a cohesion that many of today’s iTunes-friendly albums certainly lack.

In short, Aqualung is a well-rounded, well-conceived and well-played album, and it deserves the longevity it has enjoyed through the years.

Trial Track: “Bad Ritual”

Trial Track: “Limit To Your Love”

Trial Track: “Running with Insanity”

Trial Track: “Locomotive Breath”

Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin’ On (Arts & Crafts; 2011)

9.0/10

-Katelyn Spidle

6.5/10

-Andrew Guilbert

8.0/10

-Matthew Sousa

-Andrew Guilbert

sports

18

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com

retrospective

Sports: the year in review

With the Stingers done for the year, we look back at their triumphs and their shortcomings Kamila Hinkson Sports editor

I

t was a year of success, upset and vast improvement for Concordia, for the teams and for individual players alike. Here’s a look at how the Stingers fared in the 2010-2011 season.

Football Record: 4-5, eight points Playoffs: No Noteworthy player: After fifth-year quarterback Rob Mackay suffered a concussion in the season opener, Terrance Morsink was thrust into the starting position for the remainder of the year. Morsink led the conference in pass attempts with 302, but his undoing was the 18 interceptions he threw.

Baseball Record: 11-5, 22 points Playoffs: Yes — went to Nationals and lost in the semifinal Notes: The Stingers faced McGill in the Quebec final. They dropped the first game, but won the second. In the final game of the series, Concordia scored what proved to be the winning run in the second inning, and they advanced to the Nationals. The Brock Badgers spoiled the story when they beat the Stingers 3-0 in the semifinals.

Men’s soccer Record: 2-8-2, eight points Playoffs: No Noteworthy players: The team gelled in the latter part of the year, and captain David Cerasuolo was a key factor in their cohesion.

Forward Matthijs Eppinga, a Dutch exchange student, told the Concordian earlier this year that “the capabilities of this team didn’t completely come out.” He led the team offensively with six goals and an assist.

Women’s soccer Record: 2-9-3, nine points Playoffs: No Notes: The team only scored five goals all season, and forward Sarah Burge scored two of them. Goalkeeper Andrea Davidson was also regularly busy. She played in all 14 games — that’s 1,260 minutes — and her goals against average was 2.79.

Stingers guard Decee Krah averaged 16.1 points per game and topped all Stingers in three-point shooting. Photos from archives Men’s rugby Record: 5-1, 10 points Playoffs: Yes — lost to McGill in Quebec conference final Notes: The Redmen and Stingers split their two regular season matchups but Concordia won the game right before they met in the final. Halfway through the final game, Stingers centre Auguste Stoker was ejected from the game after receiving two yellow cards, and Concordia was forced to play the second half of the game one man short.

were ranked ninth in the CIS standings. It was their first top-10 appearance in over 10 years.

Notes: When it comes to the Stingers and Patriotes, the home team had the advantage — neither team ever won a game in the opposing team’s arena. This was also the final season in maroon and gold for captain Marc-André Element and defenceman Jesse Goodsell.

Women’s rugby Record: 6-0, 12 points Playoffs: Yes — brought home the silver medal after losing to St. FX in overtime in the National finals.

Notes: This was the first gold-medal game the women’s rugby team had ever played in. Coach Graeme McGravie and third-year player Jackie Tittley were named coach of the year and All-Canadian, respectively, at a gala banquet during Nationals weekend.

Women’s hockey Record: 8-9-3, 19 points Playoffs: Yes — fell to Montréal in the first round Noteworthy player: Goalie Audrey DoyonLessard shone regularly for the team, posting a .924 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average. She was voted Quebec MVP in a unanimous decision by the other four coaches in the division.

Notes: “We won a lot more games than we have in the last three years,” affirmed forward Keely Covo. Last year, the Stingers’ record was 1-16-3, and the year before, it was 3-13-2.

Men’s hockey Record: 12-14-2, 26 points Playoffs: Yes — lost to UQTR in the first round Highlight: At the end of October, the Stingers

Men’s basketball Record: 12-4, 24 points Playoffs: Yes — went all the way to nationals, lost both games

Notes: This team did a total 180 after finishing last season with a 4-12 record. Head coach John Dore told CUP at Nationals that this was “a team that people picked to finish fourth in our conference. Nobody thought we’d get out of our conference — not only did we get out, we got better and better as the year went on.”

Women’s basketball Record: 9-7, 18 points Playoffs: Yes — lost in the first round to UQAM Highlight: Won Nike Tournament at home over the Christmas holidays Noteworthy players: Kendra Carrie and Yasmin Jean-Philippe are in their final year of eligibility. The two players had the second and third highest point totals on the team this year, 175 and 155, respectively. Rookie Kaylah Barrett had the highest point total (184). She was named to the CIS all-rookie team, and will definitely be counted on to put up points next year.

With files from Christopher Palma and Stefano Mocella

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/concordiansport

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

19

feature

The hits that go unnoticed Head injuries not exclusive to professional sports Richard Obrand Contributor It’s unfortunate that in a year that featured some of the most intriguing sports stories to ever surface, the topic of brain injuries remains the most prolific among them.

By now you have seen, heard and – if you’re one of the unlucky ones – felt the impact that concussions have had on the professional sports spectrum. The massive amount of attention from media pundits across the sports community is indeed warranted, for they are the voice of a burgeoning community that has long awaited recognition. Victims and their families, the doctors that treat them and fans that want nothing more than to see athletes back on a playing field that isn’t being filled with dirty play and disrespect.

Measures have indeed been taken to ensure player safety at the professional ranks. In sports where speed and contact are the main attractions, rules have been created in order to enhance the safety of vulnerable players. The NFL, a league that saw its concussion rate rise 21 per cent from its previous season, implemented a rule midway through the 2010-11 season that made all hits to the head illegal.

On the ice, the NHL brass has been rigorously maligned for their lack of production in enhancing protection for their players. Though they seem to be lagging in their progress, one has to believe that there will be changes.

But, what about the students?

The athletes that don’t get nearly the amount of recognition they deserve are also in the midst of a concussion scandal.

“Our medical team has conducted evaluations on 20 athletes for suspected head injuries during the 2010-11 season,” said Sean Christensen, head athletic therapist for the Stingers.

Among them was Rob Mackay. The fifthyear quarterback suffered a concussion in the season opener after taking a hard hit to the head last season and missed some action due to lingering effects.

Among those effects are headaches, nausea and dizziness and sometimes even memory loss.

Bryan Chiu, a future Canadian Football hall-of-famer who played 13 seasons with the Montreal Alouettes is the current Stingers’ as-

Rob Mackay was one of the 20 student athletes to suffer concussions this past season. Archives sistant offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. He believes that the growing problem is certainly one that can be fixed.

“I think it’s a matter of players not being taught how to properly hit,” said Chiu. “These days, players are a lot bigger and faster and they run around the field looking for the big hit, but don’t realize that guys can get hurt.”

There are those who believe that players, especially those who have been playing the sport all their lives, know how to engage in contact and that they simply lack the respect that sports purists believe was once an integral facet of athletics.

Chiu, however, disagrees and sees this as an opportunity to stop the growing concussion problem.

“It’s not so much a lack of respect as much as it is a lack of emphasis on safety,” said Chiu.

“It’s a game that features a lot of speed and guys have to know when to ease up.”

Christensen agrees.

“Education! From the medical community, i.e. what are the signs and symptoms of a concussion and understanding the importance of recognizing and evaluating these signs and

symptoms. This applies to both the athlete and the coaching staff,” said Christensen in an interview done over email.

In light of recent events in the professional sporting community, concussions have been the predominant topic as of late, and with good reason.

“I think it’s such a hot issue because it’s happening more often,” said Chiu. “Key guys who play key positions are going down with head injuries and fans are realizing it,” he added.

For Christensen, the concussion discussion has been a reoccurring topic for years.

“Within the medical community it’s been a hot issue for years. Over the last 10 years there have been three international conferences on concussions (Vienna 2001, Prague 2004, Zurich 2008). The increased media attention is likely due to the increase in high profile athletes suffering head injuries,” he said.

While educating players may in fact be the main theme among those who are closest to the athletes, one has to believe that a total mindset adaptation of the athletes themselves has to occur.

Those who suffer from concussions may not feel such strong effects until many years after the injury actually occurs. Recently, the world of sports was dealt two disheartening blows when former NHL player Bob Probert passed away due to evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain condition that is caused by multiple concussions, and former NFL player Dave Duerson, who committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest so that his brain could be donated to scientific research on the effects of concussions.

It was discovered that Duerson also suffered from CTE as well as depression.

These two athletes were once young, hopeful and ambitious men who, like most young athletes, chose to live “in the now” and worry about the future later.

Chiu believes that that is a major problem with professional and student athletes.

“As a player, you tend to be very shortminded – you would play now and worry later,” he said.

As former offensive lineman for more than a decade, Chiu has suffered his fair share of head injuries.

“It could affect me down the road, but I’m not too worried about it. There were times where I came back to the sidelines in a bit of a daze, but I never suffered anything major,” said Chiu.

Today’s athletes, especially young collegiate ones, have an advantage over their predecessors. Modern technology and heightened awareness of head injuries has provided our student athletes with the utmost care, and measures to protect them are being taken. “(Our athletes) complete a complex series of tests and a progressive return to play protocol. A SCAT form (Sport Concussion Assessment Tool) is completed in the pre-season, after a head injury and during the rehabilitation process,” said Christensen. “Our team doctors are also advised to help diagnose and manage head injuries. This tool helps us track their symptoms as well as their cognitive ability (orientation, memory and concentration) and physical evaluation.”

A revolution of sorts is happening, one that can forever change the way our students’ safety is being treated.

In order to avoid repeats tragic cases like Probert and Duerson, the sports community needs to acknowledge the safety risks and move forward with the medical advancements that are happening every day.

hockey

Former Stingers bring home the Clarkson Cup Trophy awarded to the top pro women’s hockey team in the country Kamila Hinkson Sports editor On their way home from the Clarkson Cup finals in Barrie, Ont., the Montreal Stars women’s hockey team made a stop at a McDonald’s.

When they got inside, there was a hockey game on TV. They quickly realized that they recognized the players on the screen — it was them, in the game they had played just hours earlier, when they beat Toronto 5-0 to win the Clarkson Cup. “Everyone was screaming in this McDonald’s, and the workers were like, ‘What is going on?’” explained rookie and last year’s Stingers captain Emilie Luck. “Then they realized what was going on and they came to get autographs.”

The cup is the top prize in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Its creation was announced in 2005 by then-governor general Adrienne Clarkson, but logistical and licensing issues prevented it from being awarded to a professional women’s team until 2009.

The Stars were the pro first team to be awarded the Cup. Current captain Lisa-Marie Breton, one of the Concordia women’s hockey team’s assistant coaches and the strength and conditioning coordinator for the varsity teams, also captained that team.

But as she mentions, the team that won the Cup last weekend is very different from the one that won two years ago.

For one, the team is stacked. Caroline Ouellette, Kim Saint-Pierre, Julie Chu and Sarah Vaillancourt are just four Olympians on the team.

Luck, Breton, Nathalie Déry, who is another Stingers’ assistant coach and Kelly Sudia are all former Stingers, and there are former Martlets and NCAA players on the team as well.

But the biggest difference was in the relationship between the players. “[In 2009], we were all good players, but not as many friends as we are [now]. This time, we partied in the room for like two hours with the Cup, because we don’t get to take it home after like the men [do with the Stanley Cup].”

For Luck, the Cup was the first major win she’s been a part of in awhile — in her five years as a Stinger, the team never made it past the first round of the playoffs.

“I felt like a pro,” she said. “There were cameras everywhere, kids who want your autograph - everyone was focused and into it.”

“It was magic,” Breton said. “I was crying and crying after the game because of how nice it was. It’s never been that special in my whole entire life.”

Though it’s a professional league, the players aren’t paid. Breton laughed and declared that she won’t retire until she’s paid at least one cent to play.

“It’s funny, but it’s not funny,” she explained.

Many players, like both Breton and Luck, have full-time jobs in addition to the practices and weekend games with the team.

“I just end up not having a day off,” Luck said. “It’s really tiring.”

The CWHL had the NHL study their league and implemented their recommendations, which have raised their league’s calibre. Reducing the number of Canadian teams from six to four meant there were more Olympians per team.

They also added a team in Boston.

Breton compared CWHL games to a Team Canada versus Team USA-type quality.

She hopes the changes they made will help bring in more sponsorship dollars this summer.

Luck figures that it will take at least five years before the players will get paid to play.

“It’s really getting a lot better, and it’s coming for sure, but it’s not there yet. That would be

crazy though,” she said with a laugh.

She singled out the need for more fans, more coverage and more exposure as keys to the league’s success.

Breton said the goal is to make the CWHL a viable option for women’s hockey players at all levels.

“The young girls who dream to play for Team Canada one day, we want them to dream to play in our league as well.”

Check out the team’s blog, www.montrealstars.ca, for updates on next season, including possible games at Ed Meagher Arena.

Kelly Sudia, Lisa-Marie Breton, Nathalie Déry and Caroline Ouellette. Photo courtesy Esther Bernard

opinions 20

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com editorial

When is a blue t-shirt no longer a campaign t-shirt?

Just let them campaign until it’s over and they’re blue in the face, not wearing blue shirts

Last election saw a huge blurring of the nocampaigning-during-polling-dates rule. From surfaces like t-shirts to blackboards, the slates got imaginative, to the point of potentially receiving a backlash from students.

You’re probably one of the people that was put off by the sight of Action candidates fielding students and bringing them to polling booths, all the while wearing their familiar blue t-shirts.

Naturally, campaigning is verboten during the polling periods for CSU elections and referendums. After two weeks of poster plastering, classroom visits and other bombardments, students get a pause to go back to quieter times and and make their voting decision without being assaulted every time they get to the elevators.

This year, both slates came clad in t-shirt uniforms. Fortunately for Action, in a sense, they chose the colour blue to identify themselves (and potentially separate themselves from their past purple-hued slates). Your Concordia went for a more colourful option, not sticking with one colour. Instead, they branded themselves with a strong font and a palette of Easter pastels.

But this rainbow option means that your candidates are less identifiable as a group, from a distance.

So, while both teams engaged in persuading voters to step up to vote (for whomever they want, we presume), directing them to polling booths and handing them copies of campus newspapers, Action stood out from day one with their electric blue accoutrements. They turned

their shirts inside out, so that their logos were only lightly visible backwards. Using the shirts as a running tally of voter apathy, they marked them with Sharpies each time someone refused to vote.

A creative ploy to demonstrate just how exhausted or how turned off Concordia students are, but still an intimidating act to pull in front of a student leisurely or hurriedly going to class.

This is one of the few grey areas that cropped up during the campaign this week - is taking your branded t-shirt and turning inside out a safe way to go about persuading voters to vote while subtly telegraphing your party allegiances?

Chief electoral officer Oliver Cohen decided that this constituted a violation, and midway through the polling dates, he issued a short new slew of directives to candidates through their presidential hopefuls. Included was the new rule banning the wearing of campaign shirts, inside out or

otherwise. The distance candidates were to keep from polling stations was 20 metres, up from a measly 10 metres. And, no saying or writing on blackboards anything but “go vote.”

Disappointingly, this did not stop Action from chucking their marked-up t-shirts and starting fresh. Instead, they picked up new, blank blue t-shirts and blue sweaters and headed back out to the polls the next day. You have to admire political candidates who profess to care so much about voter apathy that they’ll take time to push voters to the polls themselves. But in this case, Action candidates were motivated purely by selfinterest. Concordia students aren’t stupid; clearly, someone wearing a blue t-shirt is running for the blue team. Greeting students with blue t-shirts is campaigning; you’ve identified yourself, extended a hand and made a new contact.

Cohen should have emphasized that

Here’s why these elections have lost ALL legitimacy: Firstly, and most importantly, when I voted (March 30), after having signed in, I was given 10 ballots, more than required. I received double the number of ballots for Board of Governors candidates, CSU executive slates, the first set of referendum questions, and two (!!) for the second set of referendum questions. The act of handing out such a set of 10 is in violation of ss. 140-142 of the CSU Code of Standing Regulations (CSR), a violation BY ELECTORAL OFFICERS. Whereas this could be considered by some a tolerable error - we’re all human, even trained electoral officers - it is especially not excusable in light of the fact that (i) when I brought it to the attention of the electoral officers present at the H-1 voting booth, they dismissed my concerns. When I strongly insisted that they made a mistake, only then did they acknowledge it, setting the extra ballots aside. (ii) Several other CSU members have recounted to me that they were handed extra ballots in different, seemingly random configurations. Regardless of how the ballots are counted, there is no way for the electoral officers to be accurate about who voted what when there are multiple ballots filled - and I wager that there are quite a number of people who didn’t stop to ask about the extras. Thus, the count will be a sham, in no way representative of the one person one vote principle behind FAIR and ORDERLY elections. If you do not have issues with your final tally, I would be EXTREMELY SUSPICIOUS. Secondly, and most shamefully, your reticence to be available to fulfill the task for which the CSU membership pays you - that of chief electoral officer - has been made grossly evident by the fact that, despite your apparent

directive that campaign shirts cannot be worn by people directing voters to the polls (as it is in violation of the “no campaigning during polling” principle), Action candidates were still wearing blue shirts on March 31.

campaign colours were not to be worn - no t-shirts, no bandanas, no matching eye shadow.

Of course, with dozens of candidates over two slates, and one without a clear colour code, the challenge of enforcing this rule would be almost insurmountable. Nevermind the fact that Cohen’s polling employees were largely unawares of the new directives issued by the last day of polling.

Issuing new rules is one thing, assuring that they can be enforced competently is another, and this was not done effectively.

The other solution is to forgo the no-campaigning rule whatsoever. If policing people who are old enough to know better is too difficult, why don’t we just do it like they do in the big leagues, and allow campaigning. To be sure, candidates are exhausted by the time polling comes around, and some might have limited resources that keep them from continued campaigning.

But in order to keep things fair, you might as well open the flood gates, and allow campaigning up until the polls close for good.

While the voter turnout was impressive compared to previous years, we can’t be totally sure of what ultimately brought out students to the polls in stronger numbers this year. Did Action’s proactive blue measures hurt them in the end because students saw through their tactics? Or did Your Concordia just run a more responsive, intellectual campaign?

We’d like to think that it was students realizing that we’re in trouble, and we need strong leadership. Effectively, Concordia students are in a certain measure of crisis - our Board of Governors is laden with members who are passed their term, the student centre will be a building students dislike, tuition will rise, and so on. Dayto-day, you’d find little evidence that the union is under tremendous pressure, but you can be assured that how the student union handles itself in the next year will have long-term impacts on how students carry on their academic careers.

letters

Re: The Lynx There are so many legitimate and excellent reasons to criticise the Link and there are extremely intelligent ways to do so via satire and irony. However, The Lynx “Spoof” in the Concordian (March 29, 2011) was not only a pathetic attempt at satire and irony, but a sad and clear reflection of the creative abilities of the Concordian’s editorial staff.

While it may be unfair to compare the creative talent and teams of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to that of the Concordian, I do hope that the staff who put together The Lynx will be intelligent enough to not include this feature in their portfolios when applying for work at major newspapers or television programs.

Although, if the Concordian staff is so proud of its creation, I challenge the paper to submit The Lynx and back issues of the Link to the head writers of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report for review and judgment.

Irwin Rapoport Alumnus, History

Re: Election ballots Dear Oliver Cohen, I’m sorry to say this, but the manner in which this election is being marshaled smells of complete and utter failure.

On the basis of what I witnessed, the ONLY justifiable course of action will be to scrap the elections and start over, involving an additional waste of time and money - not to mention a defunct CSU in the interim.

Very disappointedly, Mihai Cristea

Re: Praise for the CEO There seems to be one thing that all those involved in this year’s CSU elections, including candidates and student press, can agree on: the chief electoral officer, Oliver Cohen, has not been doing a satisfactory job.

The reality is in fact the opposite. It is incredibly saddening that nobody is able to recognize his professionalism, diligence and dedication. Candidates on either side are outraged at Oliver’s lack of action in favour of their party, each alleging the other has broken electoral rules. However, none have been clearly substantiated to merit action by the CEO. Oliver’s main function is to oversee the smooth functioning of the election, not to be bogged down by shit-throwing and dirty political tactics that inevitably come with CSU elections, nor to deal with every petty and insignificant complaint raised by unreasonable student politicians.

The CSU judicial board will ultimately be consulted if any of the allegations are worthy of sanctions.

Oliver has also been targeted by the student media for not being accessible enough.

Considering that he was unfairly blasted in a Concordian editorial for being supposedly MIA after giving them an interview, Oliver is

totally justified in being wary of the media because of their constant predilection with sensationalizing the un-sensational.

Oliver is apolitical, fair, and completely independent. In short, he is everything that one would hope for in a CEO. His job is incredibly difficult. This year’s elections have been the most contentious and contested in recent memory. Inundated with countless contestations, often ones that are silly and useless, the CEO has to also deal with student media that is obsessed with lampooning him. Bashed from all sides, Oliver has done remarkably well in his capacities as CEO considering the circumstances.

It is sad that Oliver will be stepping down from his position as he is graduating this semester. Concordia will lose a CEO with integrity. I hope that the next CEO that is appointed can live up to the lofty precedent he has set.

Joel Suss

Re: Escalators Let’s face it, the escalator situation in the H-building is out of control. Seriously, why are we even paying the infrastructure cost if they’re not going to listen when we tell them that the escalators suck?!?

I knew someone who was at Concordia in 1981 (that’s 30 years ago) and the escalators were still not working... probably a good indication that some sort of change is needed.

Just saying.

Damiano Raveenthiran

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/concordianops

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

21

#elxn41

Canada’s first Twitter election is upon us Social media is being used extensively in leadup to May 2 vote Chris Hanna Opinions editor You might think Twitter is a waste of time, or simply another social media website for attention hogs to post their most inane thoughts, but it might just be turning into Canadian politicians’ newest campaigning tool.

With close to 120,000, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is ahead of the other party leaders with the most followers on Twitter.

Interestingly enough, before the campaign period started, Harper’s communications team (because you didn’t actually think Steve tweeted off his BlackBerry himself, did you?) would only use the account for the posting of official press releases. The @pmharper account is still used for that, but it is being used far more frequently and regularly. Before the election campaign, there would be one tweet every few days that would be Harper’s official statement on the situations in Egypt, Libya or Japan, for example, or a photo from an event or rally he attended.

“Canadians have a clear choice between stable government and a reckless Coalition,” Harper tweeted on March 26. Since then, not a day has gone by without a tweet about a campaign promise or political rhetoric, including some back-and-forth replies between Harper and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff’s Twitter feed.

The @M_Ignatieff account has 81,000 followers, while the NDP leader’s @jacklayton, the Bloc’s @GillesDuceppe and the Green Party’s @ElizabethMay boast 71,000, 51,000 and 17,000 respectively.

Twitter is a way great for Canadians to keep track of all the party leaders’ promises and campaigns, but it is likely that they only follow candidates they already back or agree with, as evidenced by the large divide between each party leader’s number of followers.

Our last federal election occurred in 2008, weeks before the American election that made Barack Obama the President of the United States. Candidates in the election stateside were using social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube throughout their campaign, so the fact that Twitter is now becoming a legitimate and serious campaigning option in Canada is not surprising. Canadians have generally been slower to embrace new technological fads, even though we spend a lot of time online.

Of course politicians have always embraced technological advancements that make the broadcasting of their messages easier

Graphic by Sean Kershaw

and less mediated. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt both used radio (and were amazed by its potential) to connect with the people in the 1920s and 1930s. The first televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960 is also credited with revolutionizing politics.

In the same way that televisions were not in every household, not all Canadians have a Twitter account. It should be kept in mind that campaigning on Twitter must be done in conjunction with all other “traditional” means.

Of the 175 million people registered on Twitter (a far cry from the billion-and-up on

Facebook), around four million are Canadian.

Why don’t Canadian party leaders then have more followers than they currently do?

Although Twitter is coming into its own as a social media site, even timely messages from Harper, Iggy and co. are not likely to cure Canadian voter apathy.

The digitization of political campaigns is also showing itself on the Liberal MP candidates’ posters in the form of QR codes.

It’s a good effort on the Liberals’ part, but the signs are posted so high on the street that few people can reach them, and in all honesty, if your phone reads QR codes, then it has a web browser. You’re better off just going to the candidate’s web page by typing in the address

into your phone’s web application.

Regardless, Twitter is the newest communication tool and its potential is immense. But reading unmediated messages from politicians (essentially press releases) means they have not been picked at and verified by journalists, and it becomes the people’s responsibility to do research, stay informed and make sure their politicians’ tweets are factual.

For how students get their election info, see p. 23

world

Africa needs better leaders Continent’s potential stifled due to likes of Gadhafi Yves-Albert Mutuyimana Contributor “All my people with me, they love me, they will die to protect me, my people.”

Those were the words of Libyan’s president Moammar Gadhafi at the beginning of the country’s ongoing uprising. As the revolt continued to spread across the nation, his rhetoric quickly took a menacing tone, as he added that the rebels were traitors, and they were to be punished and dealt with without mercy. Unlike the successful revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia that started the movement in that part of the world, Libyans are likely to be engulfed in a very difficult war for some time to come.

All this could have been avoided had

Gadhafi simply stepped down. He has, after all, been in power for more that 40 years.

The same can be said of Ivory Coast’s current political turmoil. The sub-Saharan country is engaged in a bloody civil war prompted by two presidential candidates, who each claims to be the victor of 2010 elections. Despite the general assessment of the voters, and the international community who declared the opposition leader Alassane Ouattara as the clear winner, President Laurent Gbagbo, who ruled for a decade, refused to step down.

Unfortunately, those are just additional examples of the inadequacy of the African leadership, and it’s been happening for far too long. Since the wave of independence in the early 1950s to early 1990s, Africa has struggled to establish a steady and proficient political system. The continent inherited many of the problems from the colonial era, and the tremendous influence of the powerful outsiders has also prevented a significant political shift; nonetheless, it is time for Africans to form stronger and better constitutions that will ensure a better future.

This should start with the eradication of

longstanding regimes, as expressed by the modern revolts of the Middle East and Northern Africa. People are frustrated and miserable under those regimes. Libyan intervention was met with both skepticism and praise. The critics viewed it as another Western crusade for supremacy and control. Democratic powers have always promoted the concept of peace, and in the case of Africa, it has been a relatively complex journey for most states.

This leads to the belief that the implementation of a Western model of democracy may not be feasible due to historic differences, culture and general outlook on life. Not to mention the past liaison that left people more than cynical and wary of the West’s intentions towards Africa.

Honestly, people are more concerned about what is being done, than about who is doing it. Periodical elections are meaningless if the majority cannot access clean water, food or decent health care and schools for their children. Furthermore, a governing body should ensure the security and well-being of its citizens. On multiple occasions, Africans have experienced vast violations of basic

human rights and carnage, perpetrated by governments appointed to protect them. Most of the financial problems on the continent can be attributed to the terrible and inept governance. Lack of good leadership has restrained Africa from competing economically; furthermore, the continent is exploited because of disorganization and abundant corruption. The potential of intellectual minds is immensely stagnated since they lack genuine support and institutions to help them accomplish great things.

Nelson Mandela once said, “I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses.”

All those are reasons to demand better governance, and start to envision a better future for Africa. With vast natural resources, a lively and rich culture, and the immense potential of the African youth, the continent can do much better, but nothing will change under the current governing bodies.

theconcordian

Concordia’s weekly, independent student newspaper.

Tuesday, April 5 , 2011 Volume 28 Issue 27.

Sarah Deshaies Editor-in-chief editor@theconcordian.com Brennan Neill Managing editor managing@theconcordian.com Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo Interim news editor news@theconcordian.com Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor Emily White Life editor life@theconcordian.com Savannah Sher Assistant life editor Valerie Cardinal Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com Katelyn Spidle Music editor music@theconcordian.com Kamila Hinkson Sports editor sports@theconcordian.com Chris Hanna Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com Owen Nagels Assistant opinions editor Christopher Kahn Online editor online@theconcordian.com Tiffany Blaise Photo editor photo@theconcordian.com Katie Brioux Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com Trevor Smith Chief copy editor copy@theconcordian.com Morgan Lowrie Sofia Gay Copy editors Jill Fowler Production manager production@theconcordian. com Jennifer Barkun Francois Descoteaux Lindsay Sykes Production Assistants Board of Directors Tobi Elliott Ben Ngai directors@theconcordian.com Editorial 7141 Sherbrooke St. W. CC.431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 514.848.2424 x7458 (Newsroom) 514.848.2424 x7499 (Editors) 514.848.2424 x7404 (Production) Francesco Sacco Business Manager business@theconcordian.com Marshall Johnston Advertising advertising@theconcordian. com Business and Advertising: 1455 de Maisonneuve W. H.733-4 Montreal, QC H3G 1M8 514.848.2424 x7420 (Office) 514.848.7427 (Fax) STAFF WRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORS: Cynthia Dupuis, Adrian Saldanha, Natacha Medeiros, Roya Manuel-Nekolrei, Joëlle Pouliot, Kalina Laframboise, Jessica Wei, Daniel Spinali, Matthew Campbell, Sarah McMahonSperber, Andrew Guilbert, Matthew Sousa, Richard Obrand, Eva Kratochvil, Alex Woznica, Joseph Grihalva, YvesAlbert Mutuyimana, David Vilder, Nav Pall, Almudena Romero, Cindy Lopez, Nicole Fu, Derek Branscombe, Sean Kershaw, Arnaud Pages, Phil Waheed

theconcordian

journalism

The world still needs print journalism Our techno-crazed society makes it seem like words don’t matter anymore, but they do Joey Grihalva Contributor When I told my family and friends that I was enrolling in a journalism program, I was met with a few concerned looks. The common belief seems to be that the industry is crumbling. But that’s not exactly true. Yes, many newspapers have fallen by the wayside, but new markets continue to emerge and traditional outlets are in a process of reinvention. What better time to join an industry than during a period of transformation?

As journalism dives headfirst into the digital age, one of its fundamental media is unfortunately losing its appeal. No more than five years ago, every single student in Concordia’s graduate diploma program, an intensive one-year professional-training curriculum, signed up for the magazine writing elective course. This year, enrollment was so low the class was almost cut.

“I was shocked,” said Linda Kay, chair of the journalism department and a writing professor.

“It’s an important class because good writers are cherished at any medium.’’

Kay believes the decline in the number of students is a sign of the times. With the growth of the Internet, a premium has been placed on technical skills in the marketplace.

Jennifer Charlebois, a diploma student who was on the fence about the writing course, confirms Kay’s suspicions.

“I felt like you could be the best writer in the world, but if you didn’t know basic HTML, an employer would pass you over,” she said.

Professor Barry Lazar, who teaches the magazine writing course, believes words are not getting a fair shake in our techno-crazed environment.

“People think of the Internet in terms of images, but all those algorithms are looking for words,” he said.

Lazar and Kay are quick to point out the misconception that print is dying. In fact, magazine circulation for specialty publications is increasing and a study released last week by the Newspaper Audience Databank found readership for print versions of newspapers, including the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star, grew modestly in 2010.

Writing is the basis for all journalism. A well-structured story is essential for a web video, a radio report or a feature article.

But long-form written journalism, more than any other medium, brings the audience into a deeper level of engagement and understanding.

“I’ve missed many metro stops because I’ve been immersed in an article,” admitted Kay.

politics

As we drown in a sea of information we need more life preservers. Magazine articles and feature stories provide the necessary analysis and background to navigate the flood. Good writing keeps us afloat amid a soundbite culture. While the market demands that journalists be multi-talented, it does not mean that writing is any less important. Lazar feels that his course and others like it are an environment in which success does not depend on technical expertise.

“

People think of the Internet in terms of images, but all those algorithms are looking for words. professor Barry lazar

“Things grow in an oasis. It becomes a place of nourishment, a quality that comes from simply reading and writing,’’ he said.

“That is something any good journalist needs, whether they consider themselves a writer or not.”

A look into the future: Canadian politics, circa October 2011 What will our country’s political landscape be like in six months?

Alex Woznica Staff writer As this is our last issue of the semester, we will be unable to cover in print any of the events relating to the federal election that will occur after April 5. Therefore, this writer is going to bypass the elections entirely, and tell you what the Canadian political scene will look like six months after the elections, in October 2011.

Having won the May elections, a Conservative minority government will be leading the country, as was the case before Canadians spent millions of dollars on an election. The minority government, like the three minority governments that preceded it, will be extremely slow and ineffective at passing legislation, and will offer little in terms of new ideas or policies.

Fewer people will have turned out to the May elections than the 2008 elections. In Quebec, voter turnout will have been slightly higher, leading to significant gains for the Bloc Quebecois, resulting in the continuation of Gilles Duceppe’s leadership of that party.

The Liberal Party will have lost a number of key ridings, both to the Bloc Quebecois and, to a lesser extent, to the Conservative and New Democratic parties. The Liberals’ third electoral failure in a row will result in the removal of Michael Ignatieff as Liberal leader, joining the likes of Stéphane Dion and Paul Martin in the dustbin of Canadian electoral history.

The New Democrats will have lost a number of ridings in the election. In an effort to prevent a Conservative victory, many traditional NDP supporters will have voted for the Liberal party. Jack Layton will be allowed to remain that party’s leader, despite his failure in four consecutive elections to present the New Democrats as a potential party of government.

In terms of substantial changes in governance, there will be few. A federal budget

extremely similar to that which was recently proposed will have been passed by the new parliament, and the Canadian military will be that much closer to the purchase of its new F-35 jets. Although they will likely be just as opposed to both of these developments as before the May election, fearful of a new election, none of the opposition parties will do anything concrete to prevent either.

The new Conservative government, like the old one, will continue to involve itself in micro-scandals such as the one involving Bev Oda and the charity KAIROS, and the Canadian public will continue not caring. Although the gap between rich and poor will continue to widen, Canadians will be grateful to their new minority government for its popularly understood “good handle” on the economy and for its projection of steady leadership.

In general, aside from certain changes in personnel and in the specific allocation of parliamentary seats, the Canadian political scene in October 2011 will look much as it does today. This will likely lead many Canadians to doubt the value of having spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the May elections.

tuition

Student entitlement during protests

Why do students who want to gain sympathy of the people decide to protest during rush hour?

Alex Woznica Staff writer

The tuition protest was an exercise of student selfishness and entitlement.

This past Thursday, some of downtown Montreal’s busiest streets were clogged with students protesting against increases in their tuition.

Aside from being a total waste of time, as the budget mandating the increases has already been passed, the protest was an example of student selfishness and entitlement.

The protesters were essentially demanding that the rest of Quebec’s population, whose lives

are not heavily subsidized by the government, pay so that theirs can be.

People actually attempting to use the streets for their intended purpose, transportation, had to wait until the hoards of “fauxhemians” with their red flags and face-masks passed before they could go home and play with their kids.

There are many ways to attract sympathy, but yelling at people to give you more money, totally inconveniencing them and generally pissing them off, is probably not one of them.

23

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Etcetera Page The Concordian Staff 2010/2011

theconcordian

Q: How have you been getting your information on the upcoming federal election?

Ben Brasnett - first-year geography “I’m not obtaining information about the federal elections. I don’t really follow politics at all.”

Wendy Milligan - second-year international business “I’ve been getting information online and my friends have a student organization that talks about elections and I’ve been getting information from my other friends.”

David Roaldi - third-year school of community and public affairs and philosophy “I guess I’d have to say I get most of my information by watching television.”

Compiled by Eva Kratochvil

Photos by Brennan Neill

Graphic by Evan LePage

Photo by Navneet Pall

Aries - March 21 to April 20 If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again. Learn from your mistakes, grow as a person and come back stronger than ever and more experienced.

Taurus - April 21 to May 21 How can people talk about something they have no idea about? They’re just running their mouths. Pay them no attention and shrug off their insults.

Gemini - May 22 to June 21 School’s out very soon, and you have some choices to make. Think of what will benefit you the most in the long run, rather than what’s best for now.

Cancer - June 22 to July 23 If you got it, flaunt it! There is nothing shameful in boasting about your accomplishments, just make sure they are

damn good and worth bragging about.

Leo - July 24 to August 23 If you have to break someone’s heart, be gentle. Make it as painless as possible and try to be sweet. Just imagine you were on the receiving end.

Virgo - August 24 to September 23 This is such a special time in your life.

Take a breath and look back at all you have accomplished. It’s pretty impressive. Enjoy it.

Libra - September 24 to October 23 It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Take what you can and don’t let your struggles define you. You’ll be appreciated one day.

Scorpio - October 24 to November 23 Consider all your options before making an important decision. There is more

than one. Ask around, slow down and don’t rush into anything.

Sagittarius - November 24 to December 21 You take things and people for granted.

Appreciating them will help you grow as a person and will make your relationships stronger.

Capricorn - December 22 to January 20 Everything is relative. How well you are doing at work depends on how badly your co-workers are doing. You might be good, but you’re not the best. Yet. Aquarius - January 21 to February 19 Don’t miss out on your last chance to do something. You have been holding back for some time, but time is running out.

It’s crunch time.

Pisces - February 20 to March 20 Soon, you’ll learn to stop doing things for people who won’t reciprocate.

They’ll miss you, and want you back, and your good heart will unfortunately believe that they have changed.

You share a birthday with...

April 5: Colin Powell, Gregory Peck, Bette Davis April 6: Zach Braff, Paul Rudd, Butch Cassidy April 7: Billie Holiday, David Frost, Francis Ford Coppola April 8: Kofi Annan, Betty Ford, Mary Pickford April 9: Hugh Hefner, Kristen Stewart, Dennis Quaid April 10: Joseph Pulitzer, John Madden, Steven Seagal April 11: Joss Stone, Joel Grey, Oleg Cassini

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EVENTS AT A GLANCE HELP PROMOTE CONCORDIA EVENTS! ALL EVENT LISTINGS ARE ADVERTISED FOR FREE SEND YOUR IDEAS TO EVENTS@THECONCORDIAN.COM PLEASE LIST NAME OF EVENT, LOCATION, AND TIME LB atrium Hall lobby LB - J. W. McConnell

10h00 11h00 12h30

Centaur Theatre Off Interarts Rialto Theatre FOFA Gallery

ongoing until April 24 ongoing until April 9 20h00 ongoing until April 29 ongoing until April 16

H-110 MB-04.206 Casa Del Popolo La Sala Rossa FOFA Gallery York Corridor Amphitheatre EV-1.615

18h00 19h00 22h00 20h00 18h00 17h00

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GSA General Assembly Sebado + Mike Watt & The Missingmen HIVer Vue sur la relève presents Queen Ka: Ceci n'est pas un slam Menace Ruine + Ensorcelor Oral History and the Arts

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De Seve Cinema Casa Del Popolo La Sala Rossa Articule gallery Gymnase Gymnase

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Concordia Dragon Boat Team Recruitment (every Saturday until the end of April) 5524, St-Patrick street #150 Acid Mothers Temple + Shllpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers il Motore La Sala Rossa Queer Prom

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Wye Oak + Callers Vue sur la relève presents Klo Pelgag + Felicia + Thierry Bruyere + Heliotrope

Casa Del Popolo Le Divan Orange

22h00 20h00

MON 11

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Latin American Film Festival presents El Calambre REACTOR: Japan Disaster Relief Benefit

Cinéma du Parc La Sala Rossa

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WED 06

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THURS 07

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FRI 08

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SAT 09 SUN

+CONCORDIA +MUSIC +VERNISSAGE +PERFORMANCE +MUSIC +DISCUSSION

+SPORT +MUSIC

Concordia Golden Key Honour Society Blood Drive GSA elections, go out and vote!

Difficult Memories: Remembering the Holocaust in Lithuania Schwartz's: The Musical Vintage Pop Le POP Up Shop Vue Sur La Relève opening night gala [in-tur-pri-tey-shunz] Kent Monkman: My Treaty is with the Crown Waiting for Superman Federal Budget and possible upcoming election Makeout Videotape + Andy Boay + Pop Winds [iks] [in-tur-pri-tey-shunz] TimeTraveller

Ponytail Vue sur la relève presents Pourquoi pas moi Vue sur la relève presents Flavie

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20h30

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Jacques Gallant Editor-in-chief

Natacha Medeiros Life editor

Vacant Opinions editor

Vacant Graphics editor

Kamila Hinkson Managing editor

Sofia Gay Arts editor

Jamie Gewurz Online editor

Justine Israel Production manager

Katelyn Spidle Music editor

Navneet Pall Photo editor

Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor

Brennan Neill Emily White Cindy Lopez Ruben Bastien Vacant Board of directors

Richard Obrand Sports editor

Sarah Deshaies Copy editor

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