Impr int The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper
Friday, February 1, 2008
imprint . uwaterloo . ca
vol 30, no 25
Understanding student governance Part 2 of 5: Representation through history
pages 13 to 15
And they’re off...
Your new VP Education?
photos by Michael L. Davenport
Your new VP Internal?
The beginning of the 2008 Feds election campaign was marked with a well-attended media forum in the Great Hall on Wednesday, January 31. Above candidates for VP education (Fatima Ahmed, Andres Fuentes) and VP internal (Andrew Falcao, Steven Hayle) responded to media and floor questions after student council candidates for the St. Jerome’s, science, and math faculties, as well as Yes and No committees for the WUSC and CKMS referenda, faced similar intense scrutiny. Maggie Clark editor-in-chief
W
ith two acclamations of the Feds executive and a slow start to campus poster campaigns for the remaining positions, students could be forgiven for not knowing student elections were on the horizon — that is, at least until Wednesday, January 30, when the annual media forum took hold in the SLC. Gathering together prominent student media (www.atuw.ca, Iron Warrior, and Imprint), the three-hour midday forum marked the first real event where students could observe and respond to their candidates in action, as well as hear from Yes or No committees on the matter of upcoming referenda. The format of the event, which placed student council positions before referenda discussions, and referenda before Feds executive candidates, also allowed for questions from the floor. As with most facets of this particular election year, participation from the student audience was slowly realized at first, but nonetheless improved throughout the course of the forum.
then fielded two media questions pursuant to his platform, which stated that Neal’s association with Team Yellow takes away from the “uniqueness” of St. Jerome’s, while Kundra feels he has a better grasp of that spirit of diversity. The complexity of “ticket” associations would arise again later in the forum, when Andrew Falcao and Steven Hayle fielded tough media questions with regard to their candidacy for the position of VP internal (VPN). It is common practice for Feds exec and student council candidates to align themselves with a “team,” which is usually associated with a particular colour (in this case, yellow), though those team associations are in no way officially recognized by Feds policy (and thus have no institutional advantage over non-aligned student candidates). This year, had Justin Williams not been acclaimed, he would have been actively running alongside Hayle and Andres Fuentes, candidates for VPN and VP education respectively. Instead, he is continuing to support these candidates as president-elect, and under both roles (intended running-mate and president-elect) challenged Falcao during open question period over a
Yet even with these omissions, which will hopefully be rectified in upcoming debates or public addresses, the media forum proved quite lively. Three of five science faculty candidates attended their panel, and with four seats open Sam Andrey, Rosalyn Chiu, and Yuwei Liang carved out distinct experience sets and intended focuses for the positions. And after Sumaiya Tasneem, the only math faculty candidate in attendance (no regrets were noted for any of the others) ceded the candidates’ panel to the WUSC referendum “Yes” committee, the media panel took on the role of the non-existent “No” committee. The WUSC referendum asks if students support “the implementation of a refundable fee ... at a cost of $1 to be paid by every student each and every term” that will support a program bringing select refugees to UW to receive an undergraduate education. This referendum was originally turned down by Feds exec, on account of implementation concerns, but within four days a petition requiring 2,500 student signatures received well over 3,000, and as such will be voted on during the February 12 to 14 election period.
history of hostility with senior staff therein, as reasons for this stance. Nonetheless, the question of content arose frequently throughout the discussion, with members of the media and general student body asking about the relevance of a campus radio station in a more technological cultural landscape. Sherr and Krysak responded by pointing to the online availability of CKMS content, highlighting educational opportunities through programming at CKMS, the accessibility of recording studios to all undergraduate students, and the diversity of student content. Many of their comments also dealt with questions of sustainability; while Aho stated that there was “no guarantee” CKMS would cease to exist if this fee were removed, Sherr said that “CKMS can’t run [from] day to day with such a huge loss in revenue.” But perhaps most striking was Aho’s remark in the final minutes, when each committee was permitted to ask the other side one question. Sherr asked if students would really be benefitting from the loss of the fee, as opposed to simply getting their refund from the organization, and Aho responded
“This political process has only brought good to the campus and community at large.” — Jeffrey Aho, Engineering student council member Starting the forum off were the two candidates, Sebastien Kundra and Christopher Neal, running for St. Jerome’s’ one seat on students’ council. Inasmuch as the whole forum could not always boast a full complement of candidates or committees, the St. Jerome’s 50 per cent attendance rate proved par for the course. Yet despite complications like job obligations or mid-terms, some candidates not in attendance sent along formal statements in their stead. Neal, on co-op this semester, had his regrets and statement read aloud by Kevin Royal, who served as speaker for the event. In this statement Neal highlighted past achievements as a past St. Jerome’s council member, including his participation in a fight to keep St. Jerome’s on the council. As the lone candidate in attendance, Kundra
Facebook comment in which Falcao spoke of a student-perceived “aura of social elitism” surrounding the offices of the Feds exec. Missing from these debates (an omission this media source takes responsibility for, having had the ability to request otherwise) were Williams and Del Pereira, acclaimed VP of administration and finance, themselves. As Williams has, as of press time, yet to issue his own platform for Feds governance, students would have been well-served to hear for the first time from their president-elect in a more formal, direct capacity. An address from, and discussion with, Pereira might likewise have given students an opportunity to learn how the past VPAF intended to build upon or improve his work from the 2007-2008 Feds exec business year.
The forum grew most heated, however, when the CKMS referendum committees — “No” headed by Ira Sherr (full disclosure: Imprint columnist) and Steve Krysak, and “Yes” by engineering student council member Jeffrey Aho — took the stage. At stake is the $5.50 refundable student fee paid by every undergraduate student toward CKMS-Radio Waterloo, UW’s campus radio station. To support the continuation of this fee, students must vote “No” in the upcoming referendum. In advocating for the removal of the student fee, Aho stressed that his issues with CKMS were “issues of governance and accountability and transparency, not content,” and cited Ontario Corporations Act infringements, “disruptions” in CKMS board meetings, and a
by defending the place of referenda in general: “This political process has only brought good to the campus and community at large.” Aho then referenced the increased prominence of CKMS volunteers on campus following the referendum, as well as the new awareness this issue has brought to the organization as a whole. “Regardless of what way the vote goes,” said Aho, “this process has only benefitted students.” Time alone will tell if the media forum as a whole has provided that same service; and if students this year will become more engaged, however late that engagement might be, in the ongoing process of student governance. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
News
news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
New Feds store open for business
colour
Mackenzie Keast
Vice-president of administration and finance, Del Pereira, gives a speech at the ribbon cutting of the new Federation Xpress variety store in the SLC. Travis Myers news editor
T
he Student Life Centre was bustling with activity on the morning of Monday, January 28, as the new Federation Xpress store across from Tim Hortons was finally unveiled. Despite detractors and rumours in the time between the closing of Aussie’s and the opening of the new store, when the garage-style door went up there were very few people in attendance seemed unhappy. VP administration and finance, Del Pereira, gave a speech met with applause before partaking in a ribbon-cutting and, more importantly for waiting students, a cake-cutting. The whole Feds exec was in attendance to mark what the corporation hopes will prove to be a successful business venture. In the midst of Federation Xpress’s development, the Federation of Students has also been renovating their own office entrance, which is situated right alongside the convenience store construction. According to Pereira, the reasoning behind the renovation of the entrance was to give the Feds offices a more professional look, which would better suit what Feds view as the professional attitude of the corporation. Phil Mowatt, a supervisor at the new store, commented on Tuesday about how the grand opening eventu-
ally played out: “It went really well, you know. There were some problems on the first day, but it’s actually been very good since.” Instead of elaborating on those problems, Mowatt focused on the positives of the new store. “You should see the tubs [of ice cream] over there, those things were full on Monday!” Mowatt went on to explain that he predicted big things for the store on Friday nights, anticipating that the late night hours of the new store would be especially busy in terms of customer traffic. The Federation Xpress also opens to a different sort of work environment. In the past businesses leasing out space in the SLC have maintained “non-compete” clauses, meaning that stores within the center could not sell the same things. Yet Stephen Cook of procurement services explained how circumstances have changed: “We have made an effort over the last few years to remove non-compete clauses from each of our tenants leases in the SLC.” He went on to explain that the new policy of stores sharing the space is to “collaborate rather than compete.” Ann Simpson, manager of the SLC and Turnkey Desk and part of the SLC Management Board responded to questions about the non-competitive nature of the relationship between the information desk and the corner store. “Over a year ago, in anticipation of this move, we significantly reduced the food and confectionary items that we had been
selling at the desk,” she defends the decision, continuing “the decision to reduce our product line was not only based on the move to the new Fed Xpress.” She explained that the Turnkey was beginning to seem like a variety store instead of an information desk, and the availability of snack food so close eliminated the student demand for Turnkey to sell so much snack foods. But the Turnkey Desk continues to sell some foods. “In order to serve the students, we have maintained those food/sundry items that students are looking for during the times when other areas are closed,” said Simpson. This leaves simple solutions such as Ramen noodles available for hungry night-owls on campus. Although the arrival of the new store marks some change to the spatial landscape of the SLC, the store also arises in a changed policy landscape. Specifically, cigarettes, which are presently kept out of sight though a listing of all brands appears on a Federation Xpress blackboard, will be phased out in accordance to UW policy by April. Despite his disagreement with this UW decision on the basis of maximizing student choice, Pereira is confident Federation Xpress will be able to accomodate the cravings of most students. tmyers@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Students gather for opening
Michael L. Davenport
Students huddled in the west entrance to the Student Life Centre, waiting to see the inside of the new Federation Xpress store.
4
News
Jennifer Henderson reporter
Kenya violence reminiscent of Rwanda Fearing the worst, actions of rival tribal gangs have sparked unrest since the controversial presidential election in Kenya on December 27. With the horrific deaths of more than 900, what started as political violence is developing into a brutal ethnic conflict. After opposition legislator Mugabe Were was gunned down on January 29, as he drove to his house in suburban Nairobi, further outbreaks of violence in Kenya have erupted. As mobs torch houses in Nairobi and military helicopters fire on a mob of rioters in the western town of Naivasha, opposition leader Raila Odinga warns that Kenya is drifting into anarchy.
Snowed in China Snow has been falling in eastern, central and southern China for more than two weeks resulting in the worst snowstorms in five decades. Since the appearance of the storm on January 10, 77.8 million people have been affected and the storm has caused about 22.1 billion yuan ($3.07 billion) in direct economic losses, the Ministry of Civil Affairs stated. Millions are stranded as Chinese airports, highways, and railways have been shut down. Food and coal supplies are being exhausted as farmland and houses are being destroyed. Freezing temperatures, ice and snowy blizzards are expected in China until February 6.
Bush’s bluff United States President George Bush and associate aides have been accused of making 935 false statements leading up to the war in Iraq. According to a recently published study, Bush and seven top officials
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
made hundreds of false statements about the security risks posed by Iraq following 9/11.Topping the list Bush made 232 false statements about Iraq and Saddam Hussein’s possessing weapons of mass destruction and 28 false statements about Iraq’s links to al-Qaeda.White House spokesperson Scott Stanzel’s response took immediate focus off of the U.S., saying that there was a broad coalition of nations that took part and the invasion was based on intelligence from multiple countries.
South Africa mourns after murder rampage Andre Nel 18, has a few more days of freedom after his case was postponed until February 12. Riot police were called January 24 to intervene at a Johannesburg courthouse while an unsettled crowd tried to push their way in. Angry protesters hassled police as accused murderer Andre Nel made a brief appearance. Nel, the son of a Caucasian farmer is accused of driving into a South African settlement and gunning down 10 black South Africans.The attack happened January 17 in Johannesburg and has stirred up a great deal of racial tension among residents.
Heads-up: destination earth Keep your eyes on the skies in the next couple months. Government officials have announced a U.S spy satellite has lost power and is on its way to Earth. That’s not all, the satellite is said to possibly contain hazardous materials. No more information can be divulged at the present time as to the satellite’s destination or contents. This information has been deemed classified. This out of control piece of U.S. property is predicted to hit Earth in either February or March.
Family day or family flop
of the newly implemented Family Day set in place by the Ontario Liberals. The mid-winter break set for February 18 was a promise made by Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario Liberal party before they were re-elected in last fall’s election. Now that it is in play employers are threatened, saying that they feel it will negatively impact business. Some employers have opted to compensate their employees in an alternate way, which to say the least, is better than not at all.
Learn more about these world stories online: Kenya
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story. php?storyid=18518855 http://nytimes.com/2008/01/30/world/ africa/30kenya.html
China
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/29/content_7515359.htm http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/ srticle/2008/200801/20080129/article_ 347132.htm
USA
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/23/bush.iraq/ http://alternet.org/waroniraq/74715
South Africa
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/01/24/southafrica.violence.ap/
Alice (Experiments) in Wonderland Friday — Sunday 8:00 pm @ Theatre of the Arts
http:blog.wired.com/defense/2008/01/ spy-satellite-w.html http://www.reuters.com.com/article/domesticnews/idUSN2628127620080128
Family Day
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/01/25/family-day.shtml http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080125.wfamday/ BNstory/
A recent survey shows that Ontario employers are not big fans
February 7 — 9
Thursday and Saturday 8:00 pm @Humanities Theatre
“Global Warming: Kiss Your FASS Goodbye” FASS Takes on Global Warming in a comedic, musical way. Tickets $7 Thursday, $9 Friday (two shows) and Saturday from Humanities box office. Contact Created in partnership with Brad- 519-888-4908 for more informaley University in Illinois and the tion. University of Waterloo in Canada, and thanks to broadband computers and 2-D sets, this digital-age February 11 – 16 recreation of Alice In Wonderland Monday – Saturday uses technology to offer a new “Class Enrolment Appointments” twist on Alice’s surreal journey. Class enrolment appointments Tickets $12 General, $10 Stu- for spring term undergradudents, $5 Children. ate courses take place February http://web.mac.com/leah_hig- 11-16; open enrolment begins ginbotham/iWeb/Site/Welcome. February 19. html Lewis Carroll’s ageless fantasia receives an electronic overhaul in which virtual characters interact with live ones, leaping on and off screen, and from one venue to anotherwith lightning speed.
February 15
February 1
Friday 7:30 pm @ Grebel Chapel The Nature and Task of Christian Theology Join James Reimer for a lecture on the nature and task of Christian theology in the 21st century. Admission is free.
February 7 – 9, 14 – 16
Satellite
DR. DOUG JONES
January 25 — Feb. 3
Thursday – Saturday 7:00 pm @Studio 180, Hagey Hall
‘Differ/End: The Caledonia Project’ Researched and relived by UW drama department students, come check out the production of “Differ/End”. Tickets $12 (students $10) at Humanities box office.
DR. TIM SELLNER
Loving to Learn Day “An opportunity for everyone and anyone to share their reflections about their love of learning.” More information online at http:// www.cte.uwaterloo.ca/events_registration/L2L.html
February 18 - 22
Reading Week A week off of classes to “read.” Or, more likely, have fun.
February 23 Saturday @ Ayr Curling Club 37th Annual Hagey Funspiel An event for current faculty, staff, friends and retirees to get together and curl. Lunch and dinner provided. Register online at http://www. procurement.uwaterloo.ca/pdfs/ hagey2.pdf
DR. SUZANNE CZIRAKI
Complete Dental Care Call for your free invisalign® consultation the invisible way to straighten your teeth.
340 Hagey Boulevard, Suite 207 R+T Park - University of Waterloo info@techtowndentistry.com www.techtowndentistry.com
A C C E P T I N G N E W PAT I E N T S
Your world needs your smile. •
STUDENTS WELCOME
CALL 519.746.7333
News
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
5
UW staffers vote on unionization Marco Baldasaro assistant news editor
U
niversity of Waterloo staff members went to the polls last week in a vote to determine whether they would join the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation union. The vote, which was for University Staff Group Grades 1 to 8, housekeepers, and janitorial staff only, took place in the Physical Activities Complex small gym and drew 1054 staff members. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, or OSSTF, represents primarily teachers in public schools, claiming a membership of 60,000. Still, upwards of 1,400 or 2.3 per cent of their total membership belongs to the university community with members from the universities of Brock, Ottawa and Algoma. Due to such a small representation from the university sector, concern was raised by some against joining the union in fear that OSSTF’s expertise and experience is outside the university sector. Concern towards unionization was also voiced by David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo. In a letter sent by campus mail to all university support staff, Johnson stated, “[M]y clear preference is for the University of Waterloo staff group to remain union free. I believe the strength and success of the University of Waterloo is based on the partnerships we have built with our staff and faculty.” Worried that less time would be spent on staff issues, a possible byproduct of unionization and a move towards bi-annual or tri-annual negotiations, Johnston continued: “Less time may be spent on staff issues and most problems are relegated to these infrequent contract renewals… in my opinion that is simply not the way that the
University of Waterloo should treat its most valuable resource, the people of UW.” Similar apprehension was voiced by Catharine Scott, associate provost of human resources and Student Services. In a memorandum sent to university staff members in USG Grades 1 to 8, Scott reminded UW staff that “unions like any other business seek to increase their revenues. They do so by adding new members and collecting union dues. UW represents a significant increase to their revenues with a 1.3 per cent levy from each staff member. With a three year contract, the teachers’ federation stands to gain about two million by automatic deduction from your pay cheques.” According to OSSTF, only 40 per cent of the revenue collected by union fees would be returned to the University of Waterloo bargaining unit. The remaining 60 per cent will be absorbed by the union’s provincial body. UW Human Resources urged voters to turn out and cast their vote due to the potential implications of the result. The decision will be based on a simple majority of those who voted. This means, should only 50 people turn out, only 26 votes would be required to make a decision either way. With a turnout of over 1000, it’s safe to say that the USG took the vote seriously. Perhaps the most direct impact a vote in favour of unionization would have would be the option of an organized strike. As Scott observed, “Although the OSSTF web site says that it settles most of their contracts without strike, it is interesting to note that two of their union locals in Ottawa have recently taken a strike vote.” Ballots are still being counted and consequently, results of the vote have not yet been released. No doubt, many are anxiously awaiting the decision. mbaldasaro@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Joanne Sevilla
Graduating? Presentations (SLC MPR/2134 10:00 – 4:30)
Monday February 4 th 10:00am – 7:00pm
¥ 7 Habits of Healthy Graduates (SLC 2134 11:30am and 1:30pm) ¥ OSAP and Financial Aid After Graduation (SLC MPR 11:30am and 1:30pm) ¥ Career Services and You (SLC MPR 10:30am and 2:30pm) ¥ Job Fair – one important strategy to find your next job (SLC MPR 12:30pm and 3:30pm) ¥ You're Graduating.... so now what? Your first steps as a UW alumnus (SLC 2134 12:30pm and 3:30pm) Information Expo (SLC 10:00 4:00) ¥ Alumni Affairs ¥ Career Services ¥ Financial Aid Office ¥ Athletics ¥ Library ¥ Registrar's Office ¥ And more!
Win an iPod Touch
Graduating Students’ Reception (4:30pm – 7pm) Bomber Come out to the Bomber for free food, guest speakers, the Class of 2008 Cake and your chance to win an iPod Touch.
Free Food & Great Prize s
Opinion
opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
The public trust Friday, February 1, 2008 Vol. 30, No. 25 Student Life Centre, Room 1116 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 P: 519.888.4048 F: 519.884.7800 http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editor-in-chief, Maggie Clark editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Advertising & Production Manager, Laurie Tigert-Dumas ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca General Manager, Catherine Bolger cbolger@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Ad Assistant, vacant Sales Assisstant, Jason Kenney Volunteer Coordinator, Angela Gaetano Systems Admin. Dan Agar Distribution, Peter Blackman, Rob Blom Board of Directors board@imprint.uwaterloo.ca President, Adam Gardiner president@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Vice-president, Jacqueline McKoy vp@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Treasurer, Lu Jiang treasurer@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Secretary, Alaa Yassin secretary@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Staff liaison, Rob Blom liaison@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editorial Staff Assistant Editor, Michael L. Davenport Lead Proofreader, Eric Gassner Cover Editor, Mark Kimmich News Editor, Travis Myers News Assistant, Marco Baldasaro Opinion Editor, Christine Ogley Opinion Assistant, Monica Harvey Features Editor, Dinh Nguyen Features Assistant, Cait Davidson Arts Editor, Andrew Abela Arts Assistant, Duncan Ramsay Science Editor, Adrienne Raw Science Assistant, Sherif Soliman Sports Editor, Yang Liu Sports Assistant, Olinda Pais Photo Editor, Jenn Serec Photo Assistant, Jamie Damaskinos Graphics Editor, Joyce Hsu Graphics Assistant, Yosef Yip Web Editor, Hoon Choi Web Assistant, vacant Systems Administrator, vacant Sys. Admin. Assistant, Peter Sutherland Production Staff Tejas Koshy, Sheffield Mok, Rob Blom, Paul Collier, Sonia Lee, Eunice Bae, Jacqueline McKoy, Matthew Wiebe, Chantelle McGee, Emma Tarswell, Tim Lawless, Ashley Fournier, Tim Foster, William Chau, Sarah Mark Imprint is the official student newspaper of the University of Waterloo. It is an editorially independent newspaper published by Imprint Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. Imprint is a member of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA). Editorial submissions may be considered for publication in any edition of Imprint. Imprint may also reproduce the material commercially in any format or medium as part of the newspaper database, Web site or any other product derived from the newspaper. Those submitting editorial content, including articles, letters, photos and graphics, will grant Imprint first publication rights of their submitted material, and as such, agree not to submit the same work to any other publication or group until such time as the material has been distributed in an issue of Imprint, or Imprint declares their intent not to publish the material. The full text of this agreement is available upon request. Imprint does not guarantee to publish articles, photographs, letters or advertising. Material may not be published, at the discretion of Imprint, if that material is deemed to be libelous or in contravention with Imprint’s policies with reference to our code of ethics and journalistic standards. Imprint is published every Friday during fall and winter terms, and every second Friday during the spring term. Imprint reserves the right to screen, edit and refuse advertising. One copy per customer. Imprint ISSN 0706-7380. Imprint CDN Pub Mail Product Sales Agreement no. 40065122. Next board meeting: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 4:30 p.m. Next staff meeting: Monday, February 4, 2008 12:30 p.m.
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ontrary to popular belief, you don’t always get to choose your classes. Some of the most important lessons you’ll receive in your university career can’t be acquired through Quest — and for better or for worse, their cost can’t always be measured in currency. Such was the case this week, when four different spheres of university life highlighted the intricacies of criticism — both giving it and receiving it. The parallels didn’t even occur to me, really, until a web comment in response to Duncan Ramsay’s theatre review, “Down the hole,” asked the following questions: “Do we humilate Engineering students when their projects fail at their early stages and broadcast it to the campus? Do we publish stories when Math students can’t get certain problems to work? Do we tell architecture kids their designs suck and ask how they could possibly design something so ugly even though they have so many professionals around them?” The answer was simple: No, of course not. The reasoning, however, led me to regard the whole university environment in a new light. Yes, there’s the financial aspect: what the public pays for necessarily falls under public scrutiny. But some aspects of student life are also, necessarily, more prominent than others: for some activities, being in the public spotlight (and thus, open to critique) is requisite. Specifically, if you’re involved in student governance, athletics, theatre, or journalism, you’re in for a pretty heavy ride during your time at UW. Yet on the other hand, as the viewing audience we are also all involved in the criticism process
— specifically, we rarely hesitate to dish it out. This creates a complicated divide: certain spheres, like Imprint and Feds, are actively involved in both the giving and receiving of criticism, while athletics and drama exist in a difficult middle ground — receiving so little externally-generated attention from the student body, period, that any public criticism is quickly amplified. Meanwhile, outside these arenas most students can expect to deliver critiques with little expectation of receiving them in turn — and therein lies the problem. On the Imprint website, for instance, students have gotten quite comfortable with the use of anonymity, a cover of darkness I intend to remove permanently as of this issue’s release. When I first experimented with this restriction, commenting ceased entirely on the website — though at the same time, the number of letters to the editor markedly increased. Sadly, when I switched the option back on, the usual spate of personal attacks again started flying. The personal attacks on Justin Williams’ appearance on last week’s cover were especially baffling. Can we truly not find more productive criticisms for our new Feds president-elect? Yet even as I write this I know some students believe I purposely published that photo of Justin Williams with intent to insult — a tremendous presumption of malice (stemming, I suppose, from the assumption of unchecked power) that brings me back to the necessary double-standard of student life: If you’re Feds exec or Imprint staff, it’s not you; it’s your position. So prepare to be hated. Not that this hatred is a bad thing. While I’ll admit that it’s sometimes exhausting to field letter
after letter from people decrying everything from Imprint’s very existence to my personal worth as an editor, looking back I still find it invigorating. At the very least, all these accusations keep me on my toes, and so long as these scathing critiques never devolve into snide words about my hat (woe betide the individual who takes issue with my hat!), I will always welcome whatever the student body has to say. Similarly, I’m sure Kevin Royal doesn’t lose sleep at night over the crass comments students are likely making about him every day — or writing about him on Imprint online. It’s just part and parcel of serving the public trust — Feds (hopefully) by furthering direct democracy for students, and Imprint (just as hopefully) by providing the tools and information students need to enhance that democracy. Of course, not everyone feels the same way about criticism, but those who do seem to manifest their views in incredibly positive ways. We are Warriors., for instance, cited past Imprint critiques of the campus rec and athletics programs as part of their impetus for change, and in the past few weeks they have been doing some fantastic work to improve their visibility and impact across campus. Similarly, the initial flood of angry students writing in response to Ramsay’s review was soon followed by a more measured (though no less firm) wave of students appealing for a more balanced discourse — a natural order I hope to see restored in all walks, however prominent or invisible, of UW student life. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
The Afghanistan question
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oll numbers are notoriously finicky. Public support for controversial topics like military engagements often has a fluid quality, affected by the tone of the most recent news. I was reminded of this when looking at two recent surveys about Canadian support for our involvement in Afghanistan, one conducted in the dying days of 2007 and the other conducted from January 22 to January 25. In the December 2007 poll, 53 per cent of respondents said they wanted Canadian soldiers to withdraw before February 2009, the date that our current engagement ends. Further, 61 per cent of respondents “rejected any suggestions of extending the mission beyond the deadline,” according to the Toronto Star. The timing of the second poll was set to coincide with the release of a report by a nonpartisan panel led by former Liberal cabinet minister John Manley. The report, released on January 22 makes a strong case for continuing our involvement in Afghanistan, albeit with some important changes. The report explicitly links improving governance, development and security as interdependent goals, contending it would be a mistake to focus on one at the expense of the other two. The second poll, taken after the release of Manley’s report, found the number of people supporting the withdrawal of our soldiers from Afghanistan had dropped fairly substantially, to just 37 per cent of respondents. While that’s still over a third of respondents, the drop says something about the strength of the arguments presented by the panel. The NDP and the Bloc Quebecois want immediate withdrawal of Canadian forces. However, as the Manley report points out, if we withdraw from a combat role in Afghanistan, we’ll be leaving other countries
scrambling to cover security in the volatile province of Kandahar, exposing reconstruction efforts to attack and reducing our credibility internationally. Jack Layton in particular has made frequent allusions to Canada being involved in “Bush’s war.” He’s also suggested that being in Afghanistan is somehow illegal under international law. Neither of these statements are true; Canada is in Afghanistan not as a member of some US-led “coalition of the willing” but as part of a UN mandated mission, led by NATO. Canada is one of over 50 countries that signed the “Afghan Compact,” an agreement between the United Nations and the Afghani government that affirms the international communities commitment to development in the country. As for the suggestion that Canada shift from a “peace-enforcement” role to a peacekeeping role, it’s a non-sequitor. We cannot be peacekeepers when, as the Manley report points out, “there is not yet a peace to keep, no truce to supervise or green line to watch.” However, it’s important to not lose sight of the paramount purpose of combat operations in Afghanistan: to provide an environment in which development and governance can be improved in a lasting way. The report convincingly argues in favour of resisting specific withdrawal dates, pushing hard for more involvement from other NATO countries, specifying better criteria for what constitutes success and creating a more cohesive, inclusive command structure. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the organization nominally in charge of aid and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, also comes in for some sharp criticisms. The report maintains that a topheavy bureaucracy, lack of contact between CIDA workers and the Afghanis they are supposed to help, and a lack of transparency
in the organization itself hamper Canadian development work. While it’s likely that Harper expected the Manley report to recommend staying in Afghanistan, the criticisms of our aid work may come as a (welcome) surprise. CIDA is a frequent target of complaints from all ends of the political spectrum, often related to its lack of transparency, but having specific recommendations for reform from such a public and authoritative source will hopefully prompt change. There is no conventional “war” to be won in Afghanistan. The primary reasons for us being there should be to help the Afghani people establish equitable, transparent governance and improve their quality of life in measurable terms — such as education levels and economic progress. It’s disingenuous of Layton and others to suggest that if Canadian forces are withdrawn from combat then the mandate can shift to one of reconstruction and reconciliation. In order for that stability to take root after Canadian forces withdraw, the Manley report, the Senlis Council (an international thinktank with a focus on Afghani issues) and the Canadian government all agree that training a competent and professional Afghani army has to be given even greater priority, with more combined Canadian-Afghani operations. Canada has a lot to improve on in terms of the way it operates in Afghanistan; as it stands, there’s a gross imbalance between military and aid spending. From 2000 to 2007, the Manley report calculates that we spent $ 6.1 billion on military operations. In contrast, between 2001 to 2007, only $ 741 million was spent on financial aid. Clearly there needs to be a shift in our Afghanistan policy, but the last thing we should be doing is withdrawing our soldiers prematurely. ghalpern@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Opinion
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Letters Had a reaction to one of our articles, editorials or columns? Write a letter to the editor at letters@imprint.uwaterloo. ca
I
f you have only turned on our university radio station, CKMS 100.3 FM once and did not like what you heard, turn it on again. This is the beauty of college radio: in that the programs are eclectic, showcasing music that you normally wouldn’t hear on main stream stations. It is not top 40 hits; repeated over and over again, it is a combination of many different types of music and spoken word content including cultural shows, appropriate I think, for our multicultural student body. I am an alumnus of UW and began my radio show Non-Toxic Airwaves as a course component for my environmental journalism class. As a student I did not go to any sporting events, use the pool, skating rink or a lot of the many activities and clubs that the university has to offer. However, I did not mind paying for these services in my tuition knowing that other people were benefiting from them. I know what it is like to be on a budget like many students I was working at least one job during my university career. But to save $5.50, the price of a pint of beer and deny an enriching opportunity seems ludicrous to me, especially since CKMS has been willing to refund the money to inquiring students. I kept up my radio show after I finished my environmental journalism class because it was an extra curricular that the university offered that I was into. Not only was it an artistic stress relief for me, it assisted me with my public speaking skills which ultimately helped my grades
I was disappointed by the graphic chosen (an outline of Israel with a question mark inside) to accompany the news piece about the Palestinian students protesting UW’s exchange program with Haifa University. It added nothing to the story and had little to do with its content. What is more, its implication that the existence of Israel is in question flies in the face of the policies of Canada and every other Western country in the world. Instead, it falls in line with the views of terrorist organizations like Hamas and terrorist-sponsoring states like Iran. The editor would have been better served to include a more appropriate graphic that actually complements the story’s content, such as a map of Israel showing Haifa. The decision to use the image in question exemplifies poor judgment, especially because it insinuates that the newspaper is adding a backhanded editorial comment to a news story.
From my perspective, CKMS provides an eclectic diversity of programming that should satisfy the tastes/needs of a wide range of the campus community and the community beyond the campus. In the course of my relationship with the station, I have been very impressed with the support and professionalism of the staff. This is a well-run organization that does wonders with limited budgetary resources. The complexities of managing 18 hours of programming each day and maintaining a full house of programmers all within the regulatory structure of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission cannot be underestimated. Once lost, this would not be easily replicated. In my view, the major importance of the station lies in the experiential and educational opportunities it has provided and continues to provide the students of UW. Opportunities to volunteer as DJs and otherwise participate in a fully functioning station with most of the features of such a media outlet. While I am not a student volunteer, I believe I have had similar experiences to those of other volunteers. This includes program preparation, effective communication, technical operation, use of resources, and show/station promotion. The past six months has been an enjoyable, fascinating, and rigorous learning experience.
—Bahman Hadji
—Jack Williams
as I was confident when I had to give class presentations in front of 50 people I didn’t know. Let’s try to use our energy to start another opportunity for students rather than destroying an established and rewarding program. —Crystal Bradford
Re: Palestinian students protest UW-Haifa exchange (Imprint, Jan. 25)
I have just learned of the decision to have a referendum on whether or not to terminate the refundable undergraduate fee for the CKMS FM, the University of Waterloo’s campus and community radio station. I am a retired UW employee and adjunct faculty member who for the past half year has been a community volunteer as a weekly DJ for Do You Like Jazz in the Thursday 10:12 a.m. to noon time slot at the station.
Re: cover photo of Justin Williams I’m astonished as to what the point of publishing that photo of president-elect Williams was. Was that really the best of the lot, did the other ones have him eating kittens and clubbing baby seals? What sort of journalistic integrity does it show to publicly embarrass a member of the university commu-
nity like this? While I fully admit we all have bad hair days, and sometimes do not photograph well, I would expect a little higher standard from our newspaper. Perhaps if the quality of the photo related in someway to the article I would understand, but the point was to introduce the acclaimed president, and discuss democracy at work (or lack thereof). From my point of view all this looks like is a blatant attempt to undermine the position of president, and
7
the Federation of Students. Why don’t you publish an editorial, you know, use those nice words your degree has taught you about, instead of resorting to cheap tabloid tactics. I hope you can at least explain yourself in this week’s edition, as to why you chose to publish such a terrible photo. —Nick Lawler
More letters on page 10
100-200 word shorts
Quiet!
W
ith the recent influx of students at the University of Waterloo, campus hotspots are becoming crowded. Study areas are now occupied to what seems like full capacity. Libraries have always been quiet places for silent thought and contemplation with the exception of DC. Do people really have to socialize at the library? Do restaurants, clubs, bars, lounges, parties, hallways, foyers, and cafeterias not exist? Those are places for socializing. I know that DC cannot be changed, as it has become a place to meet and chat up with friends. However, there is still hope for DP. Therefore, I only have one request; please keep DP quiet like it should be. Learn how to whisper or better yet, learn how to stop talking. People study at libraries. Don’t ruin it for the rest of us. Thank you for your consideration. —Mang Pui Lau
Higher ed
U
niversity? What do you think the real university is? The real university has no specific location. It owns no property, pays neither salaries to teachers nor takes fees from its students. The real university is a state of mind which either an individual posses or which
slowly develops over time. It is nothing more than state of mind that you accept or nourish as a student. It is a heritage that is brought down to us from one generation to next, by people who carry the honourable title of professor, but still the real university means more. In addition to the state of mind, there is the second part that strongly interferes with our learning; this phenomenon is know as grades. Grades actually prevent students from learning, for instance, a student will memorize as much as they can before the exam to achieve the highest mark, but on completion of the exam, that information is lost for ever. This method of learning for many other students is seen as a punishment. This is not only discouraging, but it fails to improve our grades. One cannot withhold grades, and sit there without a goal. Thus, we should truly look into ourselves, to set a goal and pursue it, if one does that, nothing can hold them back; not only will you learn how to study effectively, but also you will be filled with knowledge to last you a lifetime. So if you feel what I feel, if you seek what I seek, than we should accomplish our goals that we have set in the past and the goals we will set in the future; and prove to ourselves that we can become whatever we want, as along as we have a goal. —Scott Siyavoosh Chonghar
Waterloo
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Opinion
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Our president? Innocuous as February 5 may seem, this year it holds great power. “Super Tuesday,” as it is known down south, will all but decide the next two choices for U.S. president. While not our leader, the president’s decisions have an uncanny ability to alter our lives. This year our daylight savings time schedule has changed. George Bush thought that changing the dates would save electricity, and he moved time. Considering the confusion for the countless daily border crossers, having to change your watch at the
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border and track two sets of DST dates, our country quickly followed suit in the name of unity. As the field narrows each day, we can try to look into our future under a new US President. A quick look at Mitt Romney, one of three leading Republicans, and his policies will reveal that his economic platform has a section devoted to implementing national tort reform, aiming to “End the frivolous lawsuits and excessive non-economic damages that burden American companies with excessive tort costs.” That would likely end lawsuits over missing “Caution: contents hot” warnings on cups. If Canada didn’t follow suit, such lawsuits could be launched only from Canada, further clogging our courts. Following this potential change could help unclog our courts, freeing judges and lawyers for more important legal matters. Mike Huckabee, still alive thanks to grassroots footwork and sound Republican moral fibre, could bring about a direction frightening to our economy. “The first thing I will do as President is send Congress my comprehensive plan for energy independence. We will achieve energy independence by the end of my second term.” Most often directed at “unstable” sources of oil, Huckabee’s plan for complete energy independence could be devastating to Canada’s prairie and Atlantic oil reserves. With our majority exporter gone, and costs to ship oil across oceans and continents high, their profitability would sink. After being beat by Bush in 2000, John McCain’s comeback has surprised many. Being a military man, his comprehensive national security policy surprised none. His desire to modernize the American military would be adored by our nearby and trusted companies, eager to fill any orders. Canada’s bane could be his call for effective national and theatre based missile defence. This could lead to calls for Canada to host some missile defence, much as we host and extend NORAD to the North Pole. Heaven help us too, should he decide that the militarization of space is the answer. Only Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are left competing for the Democratic nomination. Regardless of the victor, their platforms are similar enough that a Democrat President would finally start reducing global warming. As Canadian Environment Minister John Baird said at the climate change conference in Bali, moving forward without the support of major emitters such as China, India and the US would be like “unilateral disarmament. Some might call it noble, but it’s not very smart.” Both Democratic plans call for forming cap and trade systems to control carbon emissions. With the Americans on board, nothing would be left to stop progress. While no clear winner exists yet, and there’s no guarantee that these policies will make it through, it is clear that changes in the U.S. have a hard time being held back by our border. The best we can do is to continue dialogue with the U.S. government and presidential candidates, and to stay informed about the issues, so that we can best prepare for and collaborate on decisions that will ultimately affect us all. adodds@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Opinion
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
9
A gay man’s best friend
S
o, you want to be a fag hag. Well honey, you’ve got a long road ahead of you. Since the dawn of gay, the most beautiful, talented, funny and stylish women have clamored to be on the arm of a homo. These socalled “hags� are often incorrectly assumed to seek the company of the queer because they are damaged goods that can’t cut it in the hetero scene. In reality these women are a favourite of gay men for their intense emotionality, their penchant for getting up to no good, and their understanding of gay lifestyle. A hag is in fact a rose that goes by many names. You might come across these non-sexual life partners of gay men under the idioms of “fruit flies,� “flame dames,� and “fairy au pairs.� Some experienced hags even refer to themselves as gay men trapped in women’s bodies. Before you can assume your title as the female queen of the scene though, there are a few things you’ve gotta know. First thing’s first: familiarize yourself with the women who you
will be constantly compared to. The greatest fag hags of all time inhabit your gay man’s iPod, his DVD collection and his extensive collection of Ladies Home Journal. The man you plan to hag understands why Tina had to leave Ike; he knows how hard it was for Tammy Faye to pick up the pieces; and he appreciates
their strength, courage, and ability to overcome and persevere. You’ll need to have a working knowledge of the other women in your gay man’s life. Madonna is working on a new album and you’d better damn well know the rumours in and out if you want to have anything to talk about for
the next six months. Britney had another mental breakdown? Best set your homepage to TMZ. Of course, you’ll need to know about more than pop culture if you want to make it as a hag. Your gay man likes to believe that he is the intellectual superior to all, so try to wrap your head around some overly
pretentious movies and books while you’re boning up. One of the qualities most sought after in a good hag is a vicious sense of humour. If you can’t laugh at things like Workplace Safety Insurance Board commercials, Terri Schavio, or Kim Jong, you’re out of luck. Your fag’s life has been rough, and he learned a long time ago to take it all lightly — he will no doubt be looking for the same in his hag. The final skill you will need is the “3 Ds.� You’ll need to outdrink, out-drug and out-dance every other straight woman, gay man and drag queen at the club to earn the respect of the gay community and cement your place in the hag hall of fame. Remember now, these are grown men, and we both know how your 100lb body takes more than a couple drinks. Sugar, you’re on your way now, and you’re doin’ pretty good too. You might just be the best thing to walk down the yellow brick road since Dorothy herself. tmyers@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
JEN STANFEL
Feds gender fender bender community editorial
A
s a recent graduate and a recovering student government representative, I use the internet to keep up on the happenings of the Federation of Students (Feds). Thus it was that, before the holidays, I found myself staring at a poster encouraging students to run for office in the upcoming Feds elections. All four of the current executives were smiling and pointing at the camera, suggesting that the viewer should run. But were they, really? Were they telling every viewer to consider running? All of the faces smiling out at me were male. As the Federation of Students possibly prepares for its second allmale executive in a row, I think it is finally time for me to reflect on the gendered nature of Feds politics. Gender provides a mostly silent yet remarkably consistent imbalance within leadership positions in the Federation of Students. I always felt that women were the exception during my time with the Feds, but the numbers appear to bear out my suspicions. In my four years as an undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo, I voted in four Federation of Students elections. While women comprise about 45 per cent of the student body at last count, only 32 per cent of the executive candidates for whom I had the opportunity to vote were female, and only 19 per cent of the successful were women. This is consistent with a 2004 study of universities in the American Midwest, which determined that, while female students were generally well represented in student government, they were under-represented in executive positions. The percentage of women in executive positions had no correlation with the percentage of women in the student body. While the Feds executive numbers match this study, Feds fairs worse than the Midwestern universities in its other elected positions. In my last year with the Feds, I was one of two
women on a nine member board of directors, and one of five women on a 25-member council. This means that women comprised about 20 per cent of the governing bodies of the Feds, which is remarkably consistent
Gender provides a mostly silent yet remarkably consistent imbalance within leadership positions in the Federation of Students. with the percentage of women in Canada’s federal Parliament. Women, in Parliament and in the FEDS, are indeed still the exception. Why, then, are women less likely to be political representatives than their male counterparts? There are many theories. Women are less likely to run for office than are men. They may be less likely than men to believe that they are qualified for and capable of political office. They may be socialized to place priority on other forms of political expression and community contribution. Federal politics is perhaps seen as a masculinized and inhospitable atmosphere in which many women do not want to be. The riding associations that select federal candidates may be less likely to select women. Finally, women are more likely to have family responsibilities that limit the commitment they can make to political office. The last two of these possibilities should be much less likely culprits for under-representation of women in Feds. We must seriously ask ourselves, then, why women are substantially less likely to run for office in the Feds, and less likely to be elected?
The Federation has certainly had its blunders on gender issues over the last few years, as can be plainly seen with its embarrassing mishandling of the Service Review and its insensitively presented conclusions, as well as in the quickly and appropriately corrected censorship of the Vagina Monologues that led to the resignation of the Vice president internal in 2007. Do these incidents reinforce an unconscious suspicion that the Feds isn’t really “for women?� Is there a quiet cultural assumption that leaders who are women are unusual, and that male leadership is the norm? Is the Feds not appealing to and serving all of its students well regardless of their gender or sex? Why aren’t women throwing their hats in the ring? Are women less likely to run because they do not see their experiences reflected in their current Feds leadership? Are students (of both sexes) less likely to vote for female candidates than for male ones? What
can and should the Feds do to provide an appropriate and fair space for women as candidates and as elected representatives? And, perhaps most crucially, can women be properly and democratically represented by an organization in which they are startlingly under-represented? None of these questions are easy to ask, and no obvious answers present themselves. But the questions must be
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asked. In a student body that prides itself on equality and inclusiveness, the relative absence of women should be seen as a serious threat to the Federation’s aspiration to quality student representation. I heard almost no debate on this issue in my three years with the Feds. It is time for the debate to begin.
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10
Opinion
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Guest comic
Letters, continued Re: CKMS Referendum
I
travis myers
USE YOUR WATCARD at 160 University Ave., W., (at Phillip St.)WATERLOO 519-886-6490 www.bignight.ca
could write a book about CKMS. But time is of the essence, and I think it can be best summed up like this: I have spent most of my adult life involved in one way or another with campus and community radio. It’s where I learned about freedom of expression, it’s where I met and joined my first band and it’s where I honed my chops as a writer and broadcaster. It’s where I learned the basics of audio recording and editing. and where I made some of the most impactful friendships and relationships of my life. It’s how I met and talked to some of my musical, literary and political heroes (Noam Chomsky, Timothy Findley, Pere Ubu, The Rheostatics, Beastie Boys, etc. etc.). It gave me every single building block and connection I needed for a rewarding career (I work for the provincial Ministry of Culture as a research consultant — I
have the privilege of working with the film, publishing, video game and music industries). It enriched my knowledge and appreciation immeasurably for
[Students] should think pretty hard about whether this resource is worth the price of a Starbucks latte once a term. every musical genre from punk to country to hip hop and everything in-between. It gave me an opportunity to interact with many different community groups doing amazing activist work. It helped me to face my shyness. It was the setting for some of the best
parties I’ve ever attended. It was a place where I met more than a few intelligent and attractive men who were as passionate about music as I am (the value of this should not be underestimated). It’s the most fun I’ve ever had, and it’s where I grew up. Before any UW student votes “yes” or “no” to the referendum question that has the power to effectively shut down the station, they should think pretty hard about whether this resource is worth the price of a Starbucks latte once a term. This rambling describes my community radio experience, but the important thing is that the place exists for students and the community to use. Just imagine the possibilities, and don’t take the question lightly. — Jen Brown
Do you have an Opinion?
I guarantee that your friends are tired of hearing it; start writing it down for Imprint instead and your friends might come back. Do people walk too slow? Is income tax the biggest scam ever? We need 100-200 words on whatever you care about. Send it to opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca. Because everyone should hear what you have to say.
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Features
features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Questioning intolerance UW student steps up to defend religion Community editoral
I
’m going to be bold and state that all people in this world have a religion. Whether your religion is defined as Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc;. or whether it’s defined as a personal set of rules for your life, the fact remains we all are religious people. In our liberalist society, we have a rule of engagement, which is summarized, “Believe whatever you want, as long as you don’t force it on others.” I find this statement to be quite contradictory. I do not disagree with the statement; no one should ever force their beliefs onto someone, I am just noting that whoever thought of that idea is, in fact, forcing their belief. I also find it important to note that simply by stating a belief, you are gaining a share of another person’s mind. I say this because I want you to know that everything around you is forcing an opinion. Being a person, I find many unwanted influences in my life. I note that these influences have greatly affected my thought processes. I think differently than a person 100 years ago would have thought, and I have different concerns than they did. How I relate to the world around me is very different from how people 100 years ago would relate to the world around them. So, I often find myself at odds with these influences. In the Bible it says that I should not look at others (spouse excepted) with lust in my heart, or even think about others in a lustful way. Being a guy on a university campus does not help this situation at all, especially when there are many wonderful ladies around. This is just one of many examples of covert pressures in my life. I don’t blame the ladies who dress less than modestly, I’m just noting that there are many people who unknowningly have an influence on me. I’m sure people of other faiths, beliefs, and religions would agree with me when I say that there are many factors that are not conducive to your faith; they exist all around you. What is the predominant form of pressure? I believe it is your colleagues. Your friends, chances are, have come to accept your beliefs, but someone who doesn’t know you makes a judgement. I feel very prejudged as a result of my encounters on this campus. I’ve got the feeling that most people think that, to quote Bill Maher, “Religion is stupid.” My question to Maher and anyone else who thinks this way is, “why?” From my definition, that means all people are stupid, (or believe in stupid things) because we all believe in some things that are intangible, or have in faith many things (like you believe that the chair you are sitting on will hold you up. Have you tested it recently? No, you just
Misconceptions about Atheism dispelled Taylor Helferty reporter
sat on it without even thinking whether it would carry your weight.) I don’t think we realize what our opinions do; they exclude other opinions. For example, I believe that the Bible is the only inspired word of God, therefore, no other book, in my opinion, is God’s word. If I believe that all truth is relative, then nothing is certain and I may always be wrong. I believe in absolute Truth, that some things are certain, while others are not. I think it’s this attitude that, I’m assuming, many of you have a problem with. I think people have a problem with unwavering beliefs that haven’t been tested. Let me assure you that I have honestly examined other faiths, beliefs and religions, assuming that what I believed was outright wrong. From Agnosticism to Zoroastrianism, I’ve spent much time debating over which one, or ones, are true. I’ve come to my decision. I still search through my faith and see whether it’s true. From my experiences on this campus, I doubt even a few have done this, to even a small degree. So I ask the people who criticize me because of my faith — the people who consider my opinion less because of my faith, the people who tell me not to force my beliefs while they state theirs continuously, the friends I had who now hate me because I became a man of faith — “How are you so smart? How did you find ‘Truth,’ as you call it, while I am unable to?” I ask you to only look at the influences that have shaped your life up to now, and, at the very least, be mindful of them. — Mathew Wiebe
“W
hen I give food to the poor they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor have no food they call me a communist,” said UW chair of philosophy, Dr. Tim Kenyon, quoting the archbishop Hélder Cãmara, in regards to a common misconception that atheists are communists. On January 28 2008 Kenyon pointed out the many misconceptions of atheism in his lecture Held by the Atheists, Agnostics and Freethinkers of Waterloo, called “Atheism: Hit and Myth.” The lecture was aimed at disproving the misconceptions and myths about atheism that many people hold. During his lecture, Kenyon categorized 10 myths about atheism: Atheism is anger towards a god or gods, atheists are faking, atheists are immoral, atheism is Darwinism, atheists think they know everything, atheists believe life has no meaning, atheism is communism or fascism, atheism is based on faith, atheism is a religion, and finally atheism dominates the media. If you believe any of the above ten myths, you should’ve attended the lecture. Kenyon was able to provide strong examples and evidence to disprove each of these myths. He did so without attacking religions or showing any bias, which often, can be difficult to do. One thing Kenyon spoke about in his lecture was the myth that atheism is immoral — which is a common misconception since most religions state that not believing in whichever god is a sin. However, according to Kenyon there are many studies showing that atheists are, in fact, not bad people. Two that were mentioned in the
lecture were higher adultery rates in religious states and a study that atheist physicians were providing more care for the underserved than theist physicians. This isn’t to say atheists are better than theists, but rather atheists generally are not completely immoral, just like theists generally are not completely moral. Another large misconception Kenyon discussed is the belief that atheism is Darwinism. Yes, since atheists do not believe in a god, they may be more inclined to believe in evolution, but so do many theists. As Kenyon stated in his lecture: “In general, atheists tend to accept evolutionary explanations of biological phenomena, like speciation . . . I think that’s generally true, but it is at most only very slightly less accurate to say that theists accept evolutionary explanations of biological phenomena, like speciation.” After the lecture there was a question and answer discussion; although due to the group’s size and lack of diversity of beliefs, there wasn’t a large debate. Kenyon continued with his ability to not hold bias and keep his own opinions “at arms length,” as he described it — ready to admit if he was wrong should good evidence go against him — and was open to any criticism. In a discussion about beliefs that couldn’t necessarily be proven by fact, ground was hard to gain, but Kenyon’s arguments defending atheism from stereotype remained strong. Many of the questions regarded definitions; for example, definitions of god. His argument was to leave it up to an individual to define god, but he said: “All the definitions of god that I have seen have turned out to be either incoherent or insufficiently evidenced.” This is an obvious statement, since something as complex and omnipresent as the idea of god can’t be easily defined. Although he still would not say that the individual is wrong, and this — I believe — was his strength: he was simply arguing that atheism was not immoral, not Darwinism, not taking over the media, and so on. He was not arguing that atheism was better than theism. Kenyon’s presentation was unbiased and strong in its evidence that atheism was not the big evil monster some people believe it is. For those of you who missed the lecture and still believe the myth that atheism is controlling the media, take a look at the CNN panel discussion about atheism video availiable on YouTube, that didn’t include a single atheist speaker.
Joanna Sevilla
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Features
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Spicing up your fantasy phyllo
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hyllo pastry is not only glamorous on a plate but also quite approachable for anyone willing to work with it. The only thing to keep in mind is to have some patience and remember to handle it with care. Phyllo, taken from the Greeks, translates to “leaf ” which is an appropriate way of describing this delicate pastry. Phyllo is traditionally made of all-purpose flour, water, vegetable oil and a small amount of salt. However, its complex nature lies within the process of turning the dough into a wafer thin sheet. While it is not impossible for the home baker to make, the skill level is quite advanced, so not many choose to tread on this fragile ground. In addition, phyllo pays no mind to the clock. Fortunately for the time constrained individual, the store-bought variety is an adequate stand-in. While phyllo resembles tissue paper, by layering the sheets with melted butter and stacking sweet or savoury items in-between, you transform its flat appearance, taking it to an elevated dimension and bringing your senses along for the adventure. If it is not the smell that gathers your attention, it will be the picturesque vision on
your plate. Your ears will sing to the fireside crackle the phyllo makes as your fork pierces the exterior. Taste buds will delight in the crisp nature that eventually melts like a large snowflake on the tongue. My own sensory experiences of phyllo lie within the bakery walls of my former apprenticeship. Although it was pitch black outside, the shop inside was lit up with the aroma of chopped apples, raisins, cinnamon, sugar and toasted walnuts. I was learning to make apple strudel and quickly realized that simplicity wins out to any overly extravagant dessert. The filling would be rolled up, portioned and brushed with sweet melted butter. Once baked, the strudels would be dusted with confectioners’ sugar. This humble baked good would sell out within an hour of the shop opening. Phyllo is beloved internationally, if not universally. It is a blank canvas that can provide a home for any filling your imagination conjures up. Take for instance the Greek spanakopita: creamy spinach and tangy feta cheese sandwiched with crisp phyllo, or the Turkish baklava: sweet-simple syrup or honey mixed with pistachios or
walnuts with countless layers of phyllo snuggled in between. Both dishes begin with phyllo but end as two different works of art. To work with phyllo, when you open the box and unravel the roll, you will be faced with a large rectangle. Take only what you need and place unused portions in plastic wrap and store back in the fridge (use remaining phyllo within two to three days). Take the sheets you are working with and place a damp kitchen cloth over it so that it won’t dry out. Unopened packages of phyllo will last in the fridge for a month. Phyllo placed in the freezer will last for a year. To use frozen phyllo, place the package in the fridge to defrost overnight. Do not refreeze phyllo, as it will become brittle and impossible to salvage. Another helpful hint to mention is to ensure your filling is not excessively moist. Too much liquid will cause the pastry to be damp. Always layer the sheets with melted butter. It imparts flavour to the sheets that no oil or margarine product could deliver. Try to use a pastry brush with soft bristles to prevent the phyllo from cracking as you brush
it. Inexpensive brushes can be found at any local grocery store. When you brush the pastry, start with the edges first (because they tend to dry out first), and then move towards the centre. Finally, have everything “mise-en-place” the French term meaning have ingredients and tools ready before you start.
If you have time, to make an extra crisp flaky phyllo use (French) clarified butter, which is melted butter with the milk solids removed. You could always make your own, or use ghee, Indian clarified butter. Using ghee will impart a buttery and mildly nutty taste. This is because ghee is made by allowing the butter to brown slightly.
Sausage and feta purses
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1/4 cup olive oil 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 1 pound small head fennel, trimmed, cored, thinly sliced 1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes Salt and pepper 6 plum tomatoes, quartered, seeded, diced ½ inch thick 8 oz crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped or 2 tbsp and 2 tsp dried parsley - see note Four 16- x 12-inch sheets of phyllo, stacked between 2 sheets of wax paper and covered with a dampened kitchen towel 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted Pastry brush
Note: If you are using recently purchased dried herbs, use about 2 tbsp but use the full amount if they are older. Dried herbs lose their potency as they age. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble sausage into pan; cook, stirring occasionally until browned, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon and transfer sausage to paper towel to blot excess oil; set aside. Add remaining 2 tbsp oil to skillet, toss in onions and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add fennel and pepper flakes, season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until their juices are released, about 3-4 minutes. Return the sausage to the skillet and stir to combine. Remove skillet from heat, cool completely. Stir in feta cheese and parsley; set filling aside. Preheat oven to 375°F Lay 1 sheet of the phyllo with the long side facing you on a work surface and brush it lightly with butter. Lay another sheet and brush it lightly with some more butter. Use a sharp knife to make thirds lengthwise and cut each crosswise into fifths, making 15 sections, each approximately 4 x 3 1/2 inches. Put 1 heaping tsp of the filling in the center of each phyllo section. Take one piece at a time and gather the corners of the phyllo, making it into a little bundle and twist gently to seal. Brush with a little more melted butter Transfer the pastries to a lightly greased baking sheet and make pastries with the remaining phyllo, butter, and filling in the same manner. Bake the pastries in the lower third of the oven for 25 minutes, or until they are golden. Any leftovers can be reheated for 10 minutes in a 375°F oven
Understanding student governance A five-part Imprint special report
Part 1: Structures of Power January 25, 2008 Part 2: Representation through History February 1, 2008 Part 3: The Electoral Process in Action February 8, 2008 Part 4: A Working Dynamic February 15, 2008 Part 5: Obstacles and Optimism February 22, 2008
joanna sevilla
Understanding student governance The birth of student governance at UW
staff reporter
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n the 1960s there was a change in the students at universities across Canadian campuses — particularly Waterloo. From the engineering students that were completely focused on grades and beer drinking, a small engineering university looking to make its mark became the “red university” where arts and engineering students alike attended rallies that fought the establishment. The Radical Student Movement (RSM) affected every part of the student body. In 1966 Waterloo students elected their first activist president. Waterloo became a different place than the traditional older universities where sons followed in their fathers’ tradition. Peter Warrian, one of the leaders for the RSM when interviewed in 2001 by Crystal Luxmore said, “I was the first person in my family ever to go to university — that was quite a typical story at Waterloo.” The co-op program, and the activist student body attracted students who weren’t from the families that traditionally would have attended university. Warrian went on to speculate that at schools like U of T, that it was quite a different story. The majority would have been from old university families. Greater numbers of students going to university as a result of the activism that created more social mobility saw that more faculties were needed at the University of Waterloo. In 1961, there were just over a thousand students, by 1970 there were almost twelve thousand students. The Arts Faculty was established in 1960 in order to broaden the universities horizons. Activists in the arts faculty started getting involved in the Coryphaeus. Mike Sheppard was the first candidate in the Student Council (later Feds) elections to be concerned with enabling students to make decisions. Students were said to have chosen Waterloo because they felt it had high ideals, and could effect change. The student paper, which later became the Chevron, was a platform for activists to spread their ideology throughout the campus. Using these resources, students began to see change, particularly in the example of Sheppard, who provided students with more power and created larger forums of discussion throughout campus for issues that were important to
The short, sweet history of student services and clubs Chris Miller reporter
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aterloo’s clubs and services have always been an important adjunct of student governance, providing an outlet for the needs and interests of students. Steadily growing over the years to meet an expanding student population, clubs and services have, particularly since the early 1990s, become a more prominent feature of university life. The change can be seen in the way clubs and services are now administrated. Originally fulfilled by unpaid student positions, the directors of clubs and services evolved into stipend positions and then full-time positions. The two directors were recently merged into a single position, currently occupied by Dave McDougall, Clubs and Services Director. McDougall oversees new clubs (typically 12 per term) and purges inactive ones (typically 10 per term). Under his watch he has seen the number of clubs continue to grow, but in a trend that is slowly levelling off.
Services have also expanded since the founding of Waterloo’s first campus service — Gays and Lesbians of Waterloo (GLOW) — on March 8, 1971. GLOW was not only a first for Waterloo, but also a first for Canada, currently serving as the longest running queer campus organization in the country. The “herstory” of the Women’s Centre stretches back nearly 27 years, making it the second oldest service, having taken up issues of unfair or discriminatory treatment of women since 1981. Since then, more services have popped up to address a wide range of newer student concerns involving community poverty, environmental sustainability and co-op employment. While some issues have moved to the forefront and become bona fide services, others have fallen by the wayside. Two years ago, under the administration of then-VP Internal Lawrence Lam, UW’s Legal Resource Centre was dissolved, says McDougall, because the city became more adept at licensing, shrinking the role of the centre and making it unnecessary. The remaining respon-
sibilities were taken up by the Ombudsperson. The Wellness Centre was likewise absorbed into Health Services. Relationships between clubs and Feds have generally been cordial, said McDougall. Typically, the biggest problem clubs pose is slipping off the radar, usually either because the reason for initiation is no longer relevant (the Buffy Watchers club, for instance) or because the rapid cycling of students due to the university’s co-op program leaves clubs without leaders. Tensions have flared in the past, however, mostly notably during the standoff between Feds and the Embassy Students Association in 2004. The Embassy, having violated several club obligations, such as processing funds through Feds and failing to make a distinction between their group and its broader national organization, had its status revoked. You can add the next page in the history (and herstory?) of clubs by submitting a club package to the director by the fourth week of each new term.
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students. The student activists weren’t necessarily the largest group on campus, but they did hold a great deal of power. They found their way into student council because the rest of the student body was apathetic and indifferent toward their university. When students began to see change made, some recruited and became activists themselves. For the majority of students, the greatest controversies were the pranks pulled by engineering students in the surrounding community. This enraged activists and through articles published in the Coryphaeus activists begged students to shake off their apathy. In 1965, students were shaken from their apathy when the not-for-profit bookstore brought in a revenue of $65,000. Negotiations failed and students planned a sit-in to bring down the prices of books. This was the first major on campus and successfully reduced prices of the books for students. While it was not the beginnings of activism that would change the world, this showed that the students of Waterloo would act when the situations affected them. As it is today, Waterloo students continued to grow and change, being the first university to propose a motion to support draft dodgers. Later sexism and racism became larger issues to the students at Waterloo, although the group known as RSM did not head the issue. Other groups sprouted up around campus, and women were generally accepted into positions and treated respectfully by their male peers. RSM the group itself eventually faded out of existence in the mid-70s and disappeared — but had left a legacy behind. Students ability to vote and change things on campus, as well as forums for discussion for change were opened through the work of the RSM. An anti-imperialist alliance, a feminist movement as well as a Marxist group at Renison formed in the 70s. Waterloo was also the home of the first LGTBQ group in Canada: GLOW. Activism that had defined Waterloo as a “red university” continued to grow and spread so that now through a variety of clubs and groups every person on campus, no matter was race, religion or creed has a place on the UW campus. cdavidson@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Voting in history Michael L. Davenport assistant editor-in-chief
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he history of student governance and current day Feds at Waterloo can be traced all the way back to 1948, when the Student Legislative Executive was created at Waterloo College, the common ancestor of modern day Laurier and Waterloo. The University of Waterloo itself was formed in 1957, Gerald Hagey (who gave Hagey Hall its name) established the engineering program as the “Associated Faculties of Waterloo College” In 1958, the Engineering Society was born. By 1959, the “Associated Faculties” became the University of Waterloo. Waterloo College became Waterloo Lutheran University, and St Jerome’s College joined the fray. That year, a University of Waterloo Student Council met, with representatives from engineering, arts, science, and St Jerome’s. At the time attempts were made to federate the three schools, and the Student Council was renamed “Union Students Council”. However attempts at federation failed, and the three schools went their separate ways. On October 12, 1960, representatives from each of the student societies on campus (such as the Engineering Society) met to appoint officers, forming a temporary Students’ Council. A few days later Brendan O’Connor became the editor of the school newspaper. Volume 1, Number 1 of the paper was printed without a nameplate. O’Connor, in his editorial suggested “Coryphaeus” — Greek for “leader” and “Nuntiat” — Latin for “It announces.” On a more topical 1960s side note he also announced a committee had been formed to tackle the sartorial problem of “outlaw jackets” on campus, noting that “Rules for jackets with their accompanying insignia will be reviewed shortly.” Other students were formed a committee tasked with writing the constitution of the Students’ Council. Paul Dirksen was made acting chairman. A few months later, March 1961, the first Students’ Council elections are held, but events that would cause the transition from Students’ Council to present-day Feds were soon to come. For many years prior, the Engineering Society, and later the other student societies, had been collecting a fee from students, putting it away towards a fund for a student building. That fund amounted to more than $29,000 in May 1962, and the student societies decided to hand the money over to the university administration as their contribution for a student building on campus. However, this building, the Campus Centre (which forms part of the present day SLC) would still be many years coming. On a separate track, the 1964 Council elections resulted in acclamations to all positions – meaning that only one person ran for each position, and won by default. The editors of the Coryphaeus tell this seemingly apathetic student body to “Go to hell.” The acclaimed president, Richard Van Veldhuisen, perhaps in response to the apathy, changes the name of the Council to the Federation of Students, as it is known today. The Student Council itself, with its representatives from each faculty continues to exist with the Federation of Students. As a federation, the organization has every undergraduate student as a member of the federation, meaning that with enough support,
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staff reporter
students can overthrow Council decisions. General meetings were proposed with a 10 per cent quorum – that is, 10 per cent of all students on campus had to show up for decisions made at the meeting to be binding. At the time, the school was some 3000 people, meaning that some general meetings were large enough to have outside or in gyms. 3 months after the acclamations, the Federation of Students constitution was ratified with 93.5 per cent of students voting in favour of it, at a 31 per cent turnout. In December 1966, the idea of incorporating the Federation of Students was proposed for two main reasons. The first was the ongoing fight with the university over the $29,000 handed over for the still non-existent student building. The university had not made moves towards such a building, and there was talk of getting the money back from the university, with plus interest charges. But with no legal standing, the students did not have any real footing from which to confront the university. The second reason was liability. Unincorporated, members of Feds and especially its leadership would have been held personally liable in any legal action. Incorporation of Feds would transfer this liability to the corporation itself. On April 27 1967, Feds was incorporated as a separate entity. Interestingly other university student councils of the time would face much greater opposition from their respective universities when trying to incorporate. For example, the University of Guelph’s student council collapsed under pressure from the Guelph administration while trying to achieve incorporation in 1969. From those beginnings, Feds would grow along with the university over the next four decades. The electoral process and the structure of the executive would see repeated revision. Feds services and businesses would spring up and be nixed out depending on the spirit of the time. Graduate students, who were once Feds members, now have their own student association. But while Feds has evolved since its inception, some things have remained constant. Every full-time undergrad student is still a member, and with enough support, can overturn Council decisions, among other things. While the population of the student body makes action impractical in general meetings, every once in a while there are referenda on the issue. For example, the fight to sway students over the CKMS Radio Waterloo referendum has just begun. General meetings are still held, and two are required every year, though their focus has shifted from topical issues to more constitutional ones such as bylaw amendments. As for the Campus Centre / SLC, we got one eventually. Students had originally planned to take their $29,000 (plus interest) back from the university and to the local community and solicit donations from businesses. The university, close to its tenth anniversary, realized local businesses would be less likely to contribute to Waterloo’s tenth anniversary campaign if money had already been doled out to students for a Campus Centre and in 1968, the Campus Centre opened. It wouldn’t be long before the Globe and Mail would call it a “heroin junkie haven,” but that’s another story.
Cait Davidson
Part 2 of 5: Representation through history
1961
David Yip
Student activism at UW
he graph to the left is the voter turnout for the last 47 years. The x axis indicates the year the election was held (e.g. the election held in “2000” is for the 2000-2001 Feds exec.) Numbers from 1983 onward (with the exception of years 2001-2004) represent the average turnout for an election as a percentage of the total eligible voters. Years 2001-2004 and prior to 1979 are numbers for exclusively for presidential races — prior to 1980 only the president was elected and the council was chosen in a separate, subsequent election. Vice-presidents were chosen by council. For years 2001-2004, voting for presidential races is comparable to voting for all four exec positions averaged. Presidential data was used for consistency, and should be comparable to the actual voter turnout. Breaks in the line are caused by years where
there was no election due to acclamation (1961, 1964, 1967, 1997) or where data is missing (1981). By-elections are also omitted. Note while voting turnout percentage did reach an apogee in 1963 (55.8 per cent) the number of students on campus was low — that figure represents 870 out of a potential 1560 ballots cast. For comparison, President Kevin Royal garnered 1,706 votes in the 2007 election. When looking at the trendline, one must also remember that the Federation of Students wasn’t always the large organization it is today, and being a member of the executive wasn’t always considered a full-time employment. Only in the summer of 1966 did the president get paid for the first time, a “$75 a week salary … designed to make up for money lost while he could have been holding a summer job.” Sources: Imprint, Chevron, Coryphaeus archives.
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Distractions
Crossword Tim Foster
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I saw you today in English. You had a heated conversation with the prof, and I can imagine how heated it could be between us. I’d really like to get to know you more, your eyes would inspire a Shakespearian tragedy, and your lips, a Spartan war. You were wearing a purple sweater like me. -Lost in Translation Craig, I see you in the Magellan Lab, and you’re so hot.We’re partners in a project, but maybe more? -Rob
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Tim Foster
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9 1 8 6 2 5 1 6 7 5 2 1 8 5 4 3 3 7 1 You’re always studying on the 10th floor of DP with your pink Nalgene bottle. I thought it must be a sign when you showed up to my fitness class last Thursday.You had some pretty awesome moves ‘on the ball’.Wanna come over and practice? - J.R.
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Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
It’s been a month since I tried ignoring you. I can’t believe you ended up being in one of my classes. I didn’t know how to react to your comment on the first day, so I didn’t. I don’t know why. It was silly and truly unplanned. After the build-up from last term, I expected something to start happening... was I really wrong all along? I can’t take the silence anymore, and either way, I just want to know your thoughts on the situation. Nothing serious. By the way, the mini-hawk is smokin’ hot.. you know, for a lush. I saw you coming out of the PAC last week, I followed you as I went back to REV. We went through the V1 caf. You didn’t get a tuna sandwich that day. I wanted to follow you into the south 8 building, but you turned around and we made eye contact and I lost all courage. Hopefully you remember me. I like your new haircut ;) ACM.
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“Turn down the global thermostat.” Ashley Jones
4B environment and business
“Fewer bonfires!”
Rouby Ghata & Abdul Aboud 1B math and business and 1B biomedical science
Jan. 25 solutions
tfoster@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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“I’d put my pants back on.” Amy Hopper
4B social development studies/turnkey
“I’d stop being so ridiculously good-looking.” Jonathan Matthews 4A arts and business
“I’d stop lighting my farts on fire.” Jeff Frymer
“Vote for Team Yellow!” Rommel Acob & Yuwie Liung Master’s accounting and 1B biotech
3B arts and business
I might sit in the front row, but I spend every ME202 lecture trying to get a glimpse of you in the back row. When you come to the front to make a class announcement, I look at you intently, hoping that you will one day meet my gaze. If your desires match mine, give me the signal, and we can go back to Mother Russia and let the babies make us. Somehow, you’re my friend on facebook, but we’ve never met. I think that I saw you at the CIF gym once during the summer, but was too shy to say anything. I creeped your page, and you have awesome taste in music, and so I wanted to ask you to grab — who knows — maybe a... coffee... or somethin’? Missed a connection? Wanna break the ice? Email mkimmich@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
“We need to stop having such hot and heavy sex.” David Banyasz & Becky Pasternak
3B env. and business and 4B english
“I wouldn’t do anything!” Mahir Basheer 4B economics
Features
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
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Saving a bulk of cash
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n open mind and a little experimentation can do wonders for eating on a budget. Cheap and ubiquitous food staples can be made surprisingly pleasant and enjoyable just by adding a few ingredients that you may not consider essential. Which brings me to the most effective strategy for economically friendly and delicious home cooking: stocking up your pantry. The pantry? WTF? Yes, that word is probably alienating to most of us, which is fair. As students, we often don’t have the privilege of having a proper pantry — instead, our “pantry” is probably any sort of shelving or storage space where we’ve shoved all our edible possessions in an attempt to colonize a space of our own within a shared kitchen. It’s hardly the organized catalogue of cooking essentials and epicurean delights that home-cooking magazines will have you believe. However, while we may not have the means to stock our spaces with fine cooking oils or expensive, exotic dry ingredients (how I would kill to have some Israeli couscous), when it comes to stocking up, every little bit counts. This is probably the area where most students will fail to take action when trying to save money. Just because you’re a member of the subordinate, minimum-wage-earning, overworked-and-underpaid, hopelessly academic class, doesn’t mean that you can’t have ingredients that would make Martha Stewart and her minion of clones jealous. Well, except for that part where she makes her own vanilla extract — I’m not gonna lie to you, that’s one hella expensive- hobby. tynd_B.Ed. 10.3125x7.5_STAR 1/25/08
Admittedly, buying pantry supplies may require an initial investment that may seem unnecessary (you can’t really eat jerk spice or balsamic vinegar as a meal), but as with any good investment, it will pay off in the long run. The following is a fast-and-furious rundown on the two of my favourite places to buy dry goods in this town. Your pantry will thank you. How many times can I say that word in this column?
Ayres Nut and Baking Supply 354 King St. N Waterloo (behind McDonalds, facing Regina St.)
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Truthfully, words can’t express how much I love Ayres; there’s a reason I’ve lived at the King and University locale for the past three years, and this store had a lot to do with it. Here, you’ll find everything you need for your pantry, all in one place: baking supplies (including gluten-free flour and carob powder), pastas, dried fruits and legumes, grains and cereals, a huge assortment of bulk honeys and spreads, chocolate, teas, cleaning supplies, and a great selection of essential canned vegetables, sauces and condiments. Ayres does things a little differently than a bulk food store. Instead of letting customers dole out their own goods by scooping, they provide pre-packaged bulk quantities of all of their dry foods. This standardizes costs and weights, and keeps prices amazingly low and consistent. Only have a few dollars on you? Don’t you 1can choose between the 3:05 worry, PM Page
It seems like students everywhere are programmed and conditioned to buy into the stereotype of Kraft Dinner and ramen-noodle-eating fiends, complete with all the wonders that come with high stress and malnutrition. $1.07 package of pasta, or the $1.11 package. I’m not kidding. Ayres also has an absolutely fantastic selection of spices. A neurotic’s dream, the wall is organized alphabetically, with most packages (50g) selling for $1.50 or less. Not only will you save a ton of money, but your self-esteem will improve considerably! You may be poor, but who would have thought you could afford to buy jerk spice, caraway seeds, cumin, curry powder, garam masala, celeriac, paprika or anything else your dishes require or your heart desires?
Bulk Barn c c c c
Sunrise Shopping Centre 1400 Ottawa Street S. 1400 Weber Street E 66 Bridgeport Road East
As much as I’m not a fan of large, franchised corporations taking over our cultural landscape, I honestly can’t find fault with these guys. The Bulk Barn is Canada’s largest bulk food retailer, and has been doling out dry goods — without the excessive packaging — for 25 years. You can find almost anything here: baking ingredi-
ents, candy, spices, dried foods, and even pet food. Buying in bulk is quite logical: why pay for packaging? Why buy more than you need? With bulk food, you get exactly what you need, without unnecessary markups. Be sure to check them out every Wednesday, when students get 10 per cent off all purchases! It’s easy to let our low/non-existent incomes control our self-esteem and buying habits, especially when it comes to food. It seems like students everywhere are programmed and conditioned to buy into the stereotype of Kraft Dinner and ramen-noodle-eating fiends, complete with all the wonders that come with high stress and malnutrition. Just remember that this doesn’t have to be the case, if you are prepared to initially spend a little bit of money on things you wouldn’t usually buy when grocery shopping. Have an open mind — you may find that cooking at home can be a really enjoyable way to keep spending down. On that note, if you or someone you love has some fantastic food hacks or places to buy ingredients on the cheap, don’t hesitate to send them my way. isherr@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Bachelor of Education Program
“Our focus is to fully equip teacher
candidates to become faithful educators who can professionally engage the diversity
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of learners in today’s classrooms.
—Dr. Carla Nelson, Director of the Bachelor of Education Program
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A 12-month program that prepares teachers for Ontario College of Teachers certification in the Primary/Junior and Junior/Intermediate divisions. French-as-a-Second-Language courses available. Final application deadline: April 25, 2008.
Apply by Feb. 29/08, *
get $1,000 Bursary
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For more information and to apply:
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Toronto’s Christian University
Arts
arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Folk whispers, wit and warmth A night of acoustic music for the release of the first 2008 issue of Alternatives Journal
Paul Parkman reporter
L
ast Thursday, January 24, Rose Cousins made a stop in Waterloo during her current Ontario tour for a show at The Princess Café, providing an intimate and quiet affair tied in with Alternatives Journal’s first issue launch of 2008. For those who are not familiar with the Alternatives publication, they moved from Trent University to the University of Waterloo in 1984, and in 1995 “became the official journal of the Environtmental Studies Association of Canada.” They are located in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo. Rose Cousin’s show at The Princess Café celebrated the launch of the first issue of Alternatives 34th volume. Regarding her affiliation with Alternatives and how she came across the publication earlier this year, Cousins commented: “I met Marcia Ruby in Ottawa at the Ottawa Folk Festival this past summer, who works with Alternatives, and she just kind of shared her work with me and what she was doing. She’s also just a huge lover of music, and she saw me play at Ottawa, and we kind of kept in touch since August. When I told her I was coming back through [Waterloo] in January, we both looked at it as an opportunity for me to be able to play in Waterloo, and for her to also put together an event with Alternatives.” Cousins is currently midway through her tour across Ontario, and when asked if a new album was in the works she noted, “I’m currently in the writing stage for a new record, hoping to finish the rest of the writing in March.” As for when we could expect a new release, Cousins mentioned that
sometime in the fall of 2008 could be a possibility, but it all depends on how the writing goes. There is a plan for new record sometime soon as a follow up her last effort, If You Were For Me which was released in 2006 on Cousins’ own Old Farm Pony Records, a label that she hopes to expand sometime in the future for other artists and releases. On Thursday Cousins was supported by fellow East-Coaster Don Brownrigg, who is originally from Newfoundland, but met Rose in Halifax at an open-mic night she was hosting in 2004. Since then, Rose commented that Brownrigg has grown tremendously and at the release of his first record, Wander Songs, she saw an opportunity to take Brownrigg under her wing and on the road for her current Ontario tour. Cousins has also worked with Waterloo alumni Craig Cardiff, having appeared on his last two releases Goodnight, Go Home (2007) and Auberge Blacksheep (2006) as well as releasing a split live album together in 2003, Gingers on Barrinton St. Cousins also commented that Craig Cardiff helped her out on the road by taking her on tour with him and introducing her to a little bit more of Ontario. Brownrigg opened the night with a few quiet folk-whispers rooted in family and traditional folk, before being accompanied by Cousins in a lovely duet to cap off his set. After a short break, Cousins came on and filled the room with her unique and equally beautiful voice and heartfelt songs, taking the time to introduce each one’s meaning and origins (for which it seemed every song had a different geographical starting point). Displaying her crafty songwrit-
Paul Parkman
Rose Cousins performing an acoustic folk set at an intimate show at the Princess Cafe. ing and quick wit coupled with her warm sense of humor, Cousins won over a packed Princess Café with her touching songs of heartbreak and sorrow. Not to make the night a downer in any sense, Cousins called on the crowd more than once to participate in sing-a-longs, the first
for her own reworking of Mr. Mister’s 1985 hit “Broken Wings,” and again for a traditional folk song which kept increasing in speed to the point where everyone in attendance may have felt a bit exerted. Rose Cousins proved to be a perfect fit for the mellow and intimate
setting of the Princess Café (for which Cousins was the café’s first music performance ever), and hopefully she will be back soon with a new batch of songs and old favourites. For more information of Rose Cousins, including song clips, visit www.rosecousins.com.
Community Editorial: A vulgar, callous disregard of UW drama achievements
F
irst, I want to thank all of those who have shown their support for the UW Drama department , now, and in the past. There have been times when getting the proper recognition has been an uphill battle, and once again we have a challenge in our path. After all of the responses, we have received regarding this show, and more particular the responses to the review written by Mr. Ramsay (Imprint, Jan. 25/08), I feel it is my duty, as a UW Drama student and PR Executive of the Theatre Student’s Union, to shed some light on the topic. It is very common for reviews to be written based on dress rehearsals, both here at UW and in the professional theatre world. The issue here is that the director and myself requested that a feature be written about the show, the historical leaps it is making world wide, and to get the word out to UW students, staff and others who read Imprint. When Mr. Ramsay attended the dress as an invited guest, both the director and myself, explained to him again that we did not want this particular performance to be reviewed. Mr. Ramsay replied to me, “We don’t normally do features.” This was a surprise to me, as I am very fond of reading the features section in Imprint weekly. However, if Mr. Ramsay or Imprint did not feel comfortable writing
a requested feature, then I would have preferred no coverage at all. When I initially contacted Imprint I made it explicitly clear that we wanted a feature. I was told someone would be sent to cover the event — I foolishly assumed that everything was in order. To make this perfectly clear, the department is not responding to a negative review, it is responding to the complete disregard of the achievements that were made and inappropriate nature of the article.
watching someone “savage a kitten,” is completely juvenile, scornful and condescending. Stating that the play is a “lifeless flaccid thing,” is both redundant and poorly worded. This play is an experiment in expanding liveness, trying to create a complete show that transcends the restrictions of distance. The manner in which the article was written completely negates the purpose of the experiment we are trying to achieve. There is nothing to be learned from these comments.
performing in one play — not three as Ramsay had falsely written. The three white “sheets” Ramsay referred to, are actually screens, which were specially sized, cut and shaped to fit each theatre. The impression given here is that we are projecting onto bed sheets — this is a false representation. Also Ramsay claims that this play is “out of touch with today’s children.” Considering, the lack of research he did on the rest of the piece, I highly doubt he actually asked a child what
The manner in which the article was written completely negates the purpose of the experiment we are trying to achieve. There is nothing to be learned from these comments. They are sensational without offering any constructive or critical feedback. The UW Drama department, and all shows and films for that matter, always hope for a positive review. To presume they will always be positive is both foolish and unrealistic. No productions are without complications or problems. We recognize this, and understand that a critic is permitted to his or her own opinion, in a respectful manner. What we have taken offence to, is the vulgar and callous remarks Mr. Ramsay published. The article was rude, belittling and his comparison of a rap song to
They are sensational without offering any constructive or critical feedback. To say that a play is lifeless, would imply that there is no conscious, and it is unresponsive. I can tell you this: there is no theatre that is lacking life. In fact you would be hard pressed to find a theatre that is devoid of vibrant energy — the “buzz” of the theatre. Beyond this, there are false assumptions made in the article, I will point out only some of these now. While the cast is divided over three cities, it is one integrated cast,
they thought of the show, and since he is no longer a child himself, I do not feel that he is qualified to speak on behalf of “today’s children.” So far the feedback we have received from children who have seen the show has been and I quote “It was awesome. It was the awesome of awesomes.” Furthermore the comparison of the acting to “Boffo the Clown” is inaccurate. Boffo never spoke with “overloud, rounded-vowels,” in fact Boffo the Clown was the exact opposite — a cynical character who hated children,
and rarely raised his voice from the sound of a disgruntled mumble. It would be advised that Mr. Ramsay also research his comparisons, before sending them to print. By all means I encourage people to see Alice [Experiments] in Wonderland and devise their own opinions, but I cannot logically see how a poorly written review can be justified as a means to encourage more people to see the show. What remains perhaps the most degrading comment written, was the “embarrassment” he believed it was. I am appalled that anyone would classify an experiment, in any capacity, as an embarrassment or shameful. Without the courage to test new theories, and experiment with new ideas, we would be devoid of many things. I am proud to be part of a department that encourages taking risks as artists and innovators. I see the development of this as neither shameful nor embarrassing. It is true that this production may not be perfect — but Alice [Experiments] in Wonderland had made way for others to follow, and improve upon the technology. We have opened a door to new possibilities of theatre, and that is nothing to scoff at. Julie Kern 4B Drama PR Executive, TSU
Arts
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Hippity hopping
“C
hemical Calisthenics” from the 2002 Blackalicious Album Blazing Arrow: It’s a chemistry lesson and a tune that MC Gift of Gab would probably attach to his resume if he were to apply for a job as an auctioneer. Listen and appreciate. “Chemical Calisthenics” can actually be seen as a continuation of the song “Alphabet Aerobics” from the 2000 EP entitled A2G. Both songs feature the Cut Chemist from Jurassic 5. Lyrically “Chemical Calisthenics” lists numerous elements and gives examples of where they may be found. However, the song isn’t really an educational piece as much as it is a means for flexing the rap muscle of both Blackalicious and the Cut Chemist. The song is approximately 500 words in length, without a chorus, which is a decent number of words given that the duration of the song is about 200 seconds. However, the real excellence is the song’s lack of repetition. Where hip-hop artist 50 Cent has lines in one of his newest songs “Straight to The Bank”, that read “Now work it out now, work it out/ work it out, now work it out now, work it out, work it out,” very
little repetition occurs in the hip-hoppery that is “Chemical Calisthenics.” This is a sign of true creativity. However, this song is not ideal for all occasions. This is not a hip-hop song you will hear in the club and it’s not a song that will physically pump you up. If Rocky Balboa were jogging to this song he might punch himself in the head out of frustration due to the song’s uncommon varying beats. In turn, it’s not a song to compliment your sub-par dance skills or daily workout as much as it is a means for entertainment — one which requires most of your attention. It offers a step outside of the repetitive mainstream hip-hop beats and delivers a more adventurous sound that one may find with groups such as Jurassic 5 and A Tribe Called Quest. Blackalicious is similar to these groups in that they have been around quite some time and transcended two decades of hip-hop, with Blackalicious’ formation dating back to 1992. Originating from Davis California, the two-man band consists of MC Gift of Gab (Timothy Parker) and DJ Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley). After
approximately 16 years in the business the two have released EPs titled Melodica in 1995 and A2G in 1999, followed by full-length albums, Nia in 2000, Blazing Arrow in 2002 and The Craft in 2005. On their most recent release, The Craft, DJ Chief Xcel weaves live instruments into beats to create a sound comprised of jazz, funk and early rock. Xcel, who also doubles as the group’s producer, was able to attract artists such as bassist Teak Underdue from Dead Prez and percussionist Alfredo Ortiz of The Beastie Boys to complement songs appearing on the CD. However, even with these guest additions, MC Gift of Gab’s inventive lyrics and speedy delivery are still likely to be the group’s attraction. Much praise continues to go out to the realistic and, at times, philosophical lyrics of Gab, who offers insight into more than just the stereotypical hip-hop “gangster” life. “Chemical Calisthenics” is certainly an example of this “hip-hop without gangster” theme. While it is not an example of the MC Gift of Gab’s philosophical lyrics, rapping about chemistry shows that this duo is a different kind of hip-hop group. That fact alone should intrigue you to check out some other Blackalicious offerings. If you call yourself a true hip-hop fan, you should take a listen. As for “Chemical Calisthenics”, at the least, this unique song will introduce you to an excellent hip-hop sound that is worth making room for in your music library. For a Blackalicious tune with more of a message, look up “Blackalicious Deception” on YouTube. For something light-hearted and relaxing be sure to check out the 2002 release, “Make You Feel That Way.” ktremblay@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Sugar and Sprites will be returning next week.
Joyce Hsu
GOLDEN GLOBE WINNER: Best Director, Best Foreign Film
OSCAR NOMINEE: Best Director, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay Best Cinematography,
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY NOW PLAYING RATED PG 6 Princess St. W., Waterloo 885-2950 www.princesscinemas.com
FEBRUARY 4, 2008
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Arts
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Strumming the air waves Maggie Clark editor-in-chief
courtesy viewimages
Leon Theremin performing on9/27/06 the theremin, the Page early1electronic instrument he ABSTRACT_Vynil_imprint.qxd 6:16 PM invented in 1919.
Where a concert takes place dictates a great deal about its tone and tempo — in short, its “character.” This was especially true in the Princess Twin on Sunday, January 27, when Dorit Chrysler demonstrated the range and potential of the theremin (pronounced “thehr-a-min”) to a relaxed, orderly throng of Waterloo community members. Some of my acquaintances at the event, who had already seen Chrysler perform in Germany, felt she muted her voice on this occasion to match the acoustics of the small movie theatre, and that the power of her performance suffered for its loss. But considering the other unusual dynamics of the evening, I’m more inclined to believe that Chrysler-the-performance-artist was simply not intended as the main focus. Instead, the NUMUS society’s presentation of “Good Vibrations: Dorit Chrysler Solo Theremin” was ultimately about the instrument itself: its off-kilter history and sound. The structure of the evening’s events certainly support this perspective: as a precursor to Chrysler’s performance, NUMUS presented a well-intentioned but roughly executed documentary about the history of the theremin, its creator Leon Theremin, and some of its more prominent players. Chrysler then later broke off her own performance to allow some more intrepid audience members a chance to try out the theremin themselves. Invented in 1919 in Russia, then patented in 1928 in the U.S., the theremin is the first instrument in history designed to be played without being touched. Instead, the theremin emits an audible electromagnetic wave with sound patterns that vary in relation to the musician’s proximity.
Traditionally the theremin uses two metal antennae to manipulate this range of sounds, with the musician controlling pitch with one hand, and volume with the other. The result is a lulling hum that can be used for a wide stylistic range, producing everything from eerie movie sound effects to light, poppy syncopations, to classical music akin to that played on a violin. And if Chrysler’s performance impressed anything upon me, it was that playing the theremin is a strikingly personal venture. Of the four dabblers who gave the theremin a shot that night, no two engaged the instrument with quite the same musical “personality” — and not one of them came close to mirroring Chrysler’s own pop-experimental style. Chrysler herself mentioned that to place two or more theremin players in the same room leads more often than not to catastrophe: the electronic sounds, haunting enough on their own, merge into a cacophony of noise under even the most skilled of unified hands. These realizations made it easier, in hindsight, to accept the open-ended nature of the preceding documentary, “Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey.” Though the film’s narratives were erratically conjoined, with no real cohesion between details of Theremin’s time in America, his forced return to Stalinistic Russia, and the resulting, almost accidental history of contemporary theremin music, what emerged was a story ultimately as unpredictable as the kinds of music the instrument can itself produce. Even now I don’t feel entirely satisfied calling my experience with the music “complete,” but for more such alternative treats I know I have only to peruse the rest of NUMUS’s new music season, available online at www.numus.on.ca. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Arts 21 In your face drawing
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
CD Reviews
A look at 3D cel-shaded animation
D
Benajmin Keith If a Moment Could Speak
Scarlet Sins Scarlet Sins
CD Baby
Scarlet Sins
enjamin Keith’s debut album If a Moment Could Speak is nothing new but has something more than the other artists he has been compared to such as Rob Thomas, Jason Mraz, and Matthew Good. He has the catchy hooks of Rob Thomas without being too common, occasional upbeat tempos like Jason Mraz without being annoying and soul- touching lyrics of Matthew Good without having to go to the hospital. As an artist, there is often pressure to have a unique sound, but If a Moment Could Speak reminds us that good music doesn’t have to be something different. “Happy Song” is the best track on the album, opening with a simple guitar riff and gradually building with layers of soothing vocals, percussion and more guitars. The imagery of the lyrics is what makes this song so stunning with lines like “Now I’ve found my peace in the silence of dawn” and “I’m waking and shaking and cold like the dead.” The rest of the album is a mix of faster, more light-hearted tracks and some other soft ballads. “Growing Pains” is a track that has a sad tone at first but breaks into a lighter chorus which works with the more energetic mood of the song. Another song that stands out is “Loser” which has a more laid back feel to it. While a moment can’t speak, I can say that you should get this album.
carlet Sins is one of those albums which one cannot judge from the first hearing. On first impression, you might think you see how they have borrowed the best from other bands: the repercussive guitars of Slipknot, the throaty vocals of Three Days Grace and the lyrical impressions of Linkin Park. As the tracks progress, however, the unique Toronto-based Scarlet Sins is what you will end up with. Sylvya Nuvynska brings you sincere unwavering vocals that one rarely finds in emerging bands, and with only one guitarist, Cristina Bishop, and one bassist, Tanya Nicklaus, the scope of noise they produce is staggering. A common fear about debut albums is that the tracks will sound exactly the same — a fault Scarlet Sins has successfully avoided. The album seems to have a central theme that only you, the listener, can define. You can feel the sense of anticipation brewing with “Let Go” and “Own Truth.” The story doesn’t miss a beat as it progresses to “Strangelove,” and the exceptionally strong “Backstabber.” Most phenomenally of all, however, is how “No Arguments,” constitutes the perfect closing act of the brilliant play of melodic metal. This album is an epic performance of the heavy metal. If you like your metal, this album is for you.
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1/21/08
3:10 PM— Sherif Page Solomon 1
uring the turn of 3D cartoons, I was at a bit of a crossroads as to where I stood with it. I mean, I was a big fan of Reboot and Beast Wars, but I always thought the quality of the visuals to be a bit on the “blah” side. A year or so later, I realized how much good can come from CGI with the release of Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story, which blew my eight-year-old mind out of the water. It had everything I could appreciate from a Disney movie: smooth animation, memorable characters, and high-quality design and effects. Fast forward to the year 2000, where I fall upon a little video game for the Sega Dreamcast, while websurfing, called Jet Grind Radio. Already, the idea made me confused. “Why does a 3D-animated game look like a 2D-animated game?!” It’s a bizarre form of animation for sure, and based on the article on Wikipedia, JGR was the first to do it. To those who don’t recognize the style of 3D cel-shaded animation, it’s where the animators use a form of shader effects (called “toon shaders”) on the designs to make them look more hand-drawn yet very dynamic in shape. It gives the 3D animation a more illustrative-looking effect, like it came straight out of a comic book or a classic cartoon. Oddly enough, the effects of cel-shaded animation hit me the same way as basic 3D animation; I felt underwhelmed by it. It was cool at first, but I started to lose interest in it. Unfortunately, people labelled it as a fad and as months went on that became the general consensus for the style. Fortunately, Nintendo did one of their arguably biggest gambles and released information on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the Gamecube
not so long after. I’ll admit, at first I was really skeptical on the design choice by Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the series, but I did see some promise in it. It was cool to see a slightly different direction in toon shading, ignoring the thick “ink lines” that were in previous styles so it seemed that much more brilliant in colour. As it stands, Wind Waker is one of my favourite Gamecube games to date. As I’ve mentioned, cel-shaded animation has been known to be used for more than just video games. A lot of cartoons today use it from time to time for those big multi-angled scenes, like Matt Groening’s Futurama and The Simpsons, as well as other recently popular animations like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Atomic Betty and Fairly OddParents. A great Japanese animation that fully uses 3D toon-shading is Appleseed, a movie based off of a comic by Masamune Shirow, the creator of
Ghost in the Shell. The lighting and outline effects on the figures and objects add so much of an atmosphere to the movie, full of futuristic landscapes and stylistic fight scenes. It’s still somewhat of a gimmick, cel-shading, but a lot of animators have done well to make it less of such and more of a neat touch. Some video games that I’d recommend checking out that use toon shaders effectively and in different forms are Team Fortress 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3), Okami (PS2, Wii) and Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (PS2). As for cartoons, Futurama stands on the top of my list, as well as the Star Wars: Clone Wars mini-series directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls. On one hand, this style seems very retro while at the same time it’s oh so modern. ptrinh@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Campus Bulletin ANNOUNCEMENTS “Morning Drive Radio Show” – 6:30 to 9 a.m., www.ckmsfm.ca. Click on webcast, for the latest news, traffic, school closures, interviews and a great mix of music! To get your important events on the air, e-mail morningdrivel@yahoo.ca. If you have an interesting person that CKMS should interview call 519-884-2567 between 6:30 to 9 a.m to qualify for a prize! Win $1000, $500 or $200 award. UW, UWO, WLU, or U of G students. Submit transcript, cover letter, and two technical communication samples. Deadline February 29, 2008. Go to http://www.stc-soc.org/awards/ thiessenaward.php. Doon Heritage Crossroads – February is workshop month – needlework, candlewick embroidery and genealogy. Call 519-748-1914 for info. Exchanges for undergraduates and graduates – 2008/09 academic years: Ontario/Rhone-Alpes, France, Ontario/Baden-Wurtemberg, Germany and Ontario/Maharastra-Goa, India. Scholarships available, for applications/deadlines please contact Maria Lango, ext 33999. MICEFA, Paris, France and the Chinese University of Hong Kong – internal deadline: March 17, 2008. For information and application forms contact Maria Lango, International Programs, Waterloo International, Needles Hall 1101, room 1113, ext 33999 or by e-mail mlango@uwaterloo.ca.
CHURCH SERVICE
St. Bede’s chapel at Renison College offers worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. or take a break midweek with a brief silence followed by Celtic noon prayers on Wednesdays. Come and walk the labyrinth the second Thursday of each month, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more info contact Megan at 519-884-4404, ext 28604 or www.renison.uwaterloo.ca/ministry-centre.
VOLUNTEER
Volunteer with a child at their school and help improve their self-esteem and confidence. One to three hours
465 PHILLIP STREET LOCATION ONLY LIMITED TIME OFFER
a week commitment. Call Canadian Mental Health 519-744-7645, ext 229. City of Waterloo, 519-888-6488 or volunteer@city.waterloo.on.ca has the following volunteer opportunities: “Ice Dogs Festival” ; “Buskers Carnival Board” ; “P.D. Day” ; “Aquatics Volunteering” ; “Bertie’s Place” ... more info regarding these events at Volunteer Marketplace Night on February 6, RIM Park, room 203 from 7 to 8 p.m. Volunteer Action Centre, 519-7428610 or www.volunteerkw.ca, has many opportunities available – visit the website or call today! The Kitchener Youth Action Council is currently seeking volunteers aged 14-24 who are concerned about issues facing youth and young adults across Kitchener. For more info e-mail youth@kitchener.ca. Distress Line Volenteers Wanted - Canadian Mental Health Association is seeking caring volunteers to provide supportive listening and crisis deescalation to callers living in Waterloo Region. Please call 519744-7645, ext 300. The tri-Pride Community Association is looking for people to get involved with various projects leading up to Pride Week 2008 which will take place during the month of June. For more info e-mail info@triPride.ca or www.tri-Pride.ca.
CO-OP/CAREER SERVICES
“Career Exploration and Decision Making” – Thursday, February 14 at 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1112. “Career Interest Assessment” – Tuesday, February 12 at 2:30 to 4 p.m., TC 1112 or Thursday, February 28 at 3 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1112. “Exploring Your Personality” – Part I: Monday, February 4 at 2:30 to 4 p.m., TC 1112 or Wednesday, February 27 at 10 to 11:30 a.m., TC 1112. Part II: Monday, February 11 at 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1112 or Wednesday, March 5 at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., TC1112. “Work Search Strategies” – note: before
attending, complete a module online – cdm.uwaterloo.ca – Thursday, February 7 at 3:30 to 5 p.m., TC 1208. “Special Session for International Students” – Monday, February 4 at 4:30 to 6 p.m., TC 1208 or Wednesday, February 27 at 4:30 to 6 p.m., TC 1208. “Business Etiquette and Professionalism” – Thursday, February 14 at 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., TC 1208. “Interview Skills: Preparing for Questions” – Friday, February 1 at 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., TC 2218 or Tuesday, February 5 at 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 2218. “Interview Skills: Selling Your Skills” – Wednesday, February 6 at 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 2218. “Success on the Job” – Tuesday, February 26 at 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208. “Successfully Negotiating Job Offers” – Monday, February 4 at 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208 or Wednesday, February 27 at 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., TC 1208. “Getting a US Work Permit” – Thursday, February 28 at 4:30 to 6 p.m., TC 1208. “Writing CVs and Cover Letters” – Monday, February 25 at 12 to 1:30 p.m., TC 2218.
COUNSELLING SERVICES
English Language Proficiency Program (ELPP) – all workshops are scduled bertween 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.. Monday, February 4 or Tuesday, February 5 – “Critique Writing.” Monday, February 11 or Tuesday, February 12 – “Punctuation.” Monday, February 25 or Tuesday, February 26 – “Articles/Prepositions/Pronouns.” For more info/registration call 519-888-4567, ext 32655 or kmaclean@uwaterloo.ca or ext 33245.
UPCOMING
Saturday, February 2, 2008 Free Mock LSAT Day – write a free Mock LSAT, brought to you by The Princeton Review. Register by calling 1-800-2review or visit www.princetonreview.com. Room to be announced. Tuesday, February 5, 2008 Rotunda Gallery presents “Mapping of
746-6893
a Quest - Soheila Esfahani.” Opening reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Gallery, 200 King Street, W., Kitchener City Hall, Kitchener. Wednesday, February 6, 2008 City of Waterloo presents: “Volunteer Marketplace” at RIM Park, room 203 from 7 to 8 p.m. For more info call 519888-6488 or volunteer@city.waterloo. on.ca. Saturday, February 16, 2008 Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Re-
gion is proud to present “Hockey Night in Waterloo Region with NHL hockey legend Darryl Sittler,” at St. George Banquet Hall, 665 King Street N, Waterloo. Call 519-653-8966, ext 239 or shelly.friesen@ wcswr.org for more info. Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Spend a semester or a year in Germany while earning UW credits. Exchange info session at 3 to 4 p.m. in ML 245. For more info scwood@uwaterloo.ca.
Classifieds HELP WANTED
HOUSING
Weekend counsellors and relief staff to work in homes for individuals with developmental challenges. Minimum eight-month commitment. Paid positions. Send resume to Don Mader, K-W Habilitation Services, 108 Sydney Street, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V2. We’ve got what you’re looking for – let’s make 2008 your best summer yet – Camp Wayne, northeast Pennsylvania, USA. Counselor-specialists for all Land and Water Sports Inc. Tennis, golf, basketball, baseball, football, martial arts, soccer, outdoor adventure, camping, mountain biking, climbing/ropes, roller hockey, archery, rocketry, water-ski, wakeboard, sailing, canoe/kayaking, fine arts-theatre, ceramics, woodworking, drawing, painting, CDL drivers. RN’s for our Health Centre. Let’s get the ball rolling now! Online application www.campwayne. com ; info@campwayne.com ; 1888-549-2963.. Have the summer of your life at a prestigious co-ed sleepaway camp in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, two and a half hours from NY City. We’re seeking counselors who can teach any team and individual sports; tennis, gymnastics, horseback riding, mountain biking, theatre, tech theatre, circus, magic, arts and crafts, pioneering, climbing tower, water sports, music, dance or science. Great salaries and perks. Plenty of free time. Internships available for many majors. Interviews on February 6. Apply online at www.islandlake.com. Call 1-800869-6083 between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays for more information. info@islandlake.com. Angies Kitchen, Waterloo, needs part-time line cooks and waitstaff. Flexable hours. Bring resume to 45 Erb Street, Waterloo, attention: Teresa. 519-886-2540. Assistant/secretary for musical composer – applicant must be dependable, punctual, creative and passionate about music. Part-time. Apply by mailing HAND WRITTEN reply to: Assistant, Box 43041, Kitchener, ON, N2H 3K0. Excellent student work opportunity! The Survey Research Centre (SRC) here at UW is currently seeking part-time telephone interviewers. The SRC is an on-campus research centre that offers a variety of survey services. Telephone interviewers are responsible for conducting qualityoriented interviews and performing other administrative tasks. Must be fluent in English and have a clear, stong speaking voice and excellent communication skills. Experience in telephone work, data entry, or customer service is helpful but not required. Ability to speak French fluently is an asset. 12-15 hours per week required, mainly evenings and weekends. Starting wage is $11.50 an hour. Please send resume to Lindsey Skromeda, lmskrome@ artsmail.uwaterloo.ca. For more information e-mail or phone 519-8884567, ext 36689.
Attention Cambridge School of Architecture students! Live conveniently and comfortably right across the street from school in this beautifully renovated apartment. 4, 8 and 12-month leases available with excellent signing bonuses and rental incentives! Call Darlene or Joanne at 519-746-1411 for more details. Apartment for sale – condo apartment, two bedrooms, indoor parking. Harvard Place, Waterloo. $145,000. Call Richard at 519-579-2920. Two to seven bedroom houses available for May or September. Over 300 options! Houses or apartments, large rooms, back yards, free laundry and parking, bright and many newly renovated. Showings starting now so don’t delay! www.domushousing.com or call 519-572-0278. Spacious, well maintined house available to rent at 11 McDougall Road. Only five minute walk to UW campus. Utilities and internet included in rent of $425/month. Contact 519-893-2000 or rooms4students@gmail.com. Four/five bedroom house for rent. Close to UW. Call 1-905-509-3284 or e-mail gord010@sympatico.ca.
SERVICES Med school interview? Practice makes perfect. Half-day seminars by former chair of admissions at a Canadian medical school. Improve skills/confidence. E-mail: cmsac@rogers.com.
COURSE INFO SP-100 Forest Firefighting course to be held in London, Ontario March 1216, 2008 and Waterloo, Ontario March 19-23, 2008. Course will be held during evening hours during the week. To register, please call Wildfire Specialists Inc., 2233 Radar Road, Suite 5, Hanmer, Ontario, P3P 1R2, toll free 1-877381-5849. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources accredited. No guarantee of employment.
DEADLINE IS MONDAY AT 5 P.M. FOR CLASSIFIEDS AND CAMPUS BULLETIN, SLC, room 1116 or ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Science
science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Talking green at bomber night Green Bomber Night, organized by UWSP, brings together interested students to discuss environmental issues on campus
rocky choi
Students at the Green Bomber Night discussed pressing issues concerning the environment. Tuesday night’s discussion focused on a sustainability office on UW’s campus and alternative sustainability initiatives in reaction to the proposed office’s rejection. Veronica Zaretski reporter
Green Bomber Night, an event set up by the University of Waterloo Sustainability Project (UWSP) in order to advocate and bring awareness to environmental issues on campus, took place this Tuesday, January 29. The event was a cross-clubs initiative between UWSP and the Debating Society. One pressing issue discussed that night was the possibility of a sustainability office on campus. A proposal for a sustainability office on campus had already been presented to a board of university administrators and senior management executives on December 12, 2007, but was rejected. UWSP co-ordinator Rob Blom and UWSP events co-ordinator Emma Bocking expressed the importance of such events, which bring green minds together to showcase UWSP and nurture a culture of environmentalism on campus. The social event began with some mingling in a low-key setting decorated by informative posters. Musicians set up in one corner, playing classic tunes while food and refreshments were offered on a table. Soon, the event turned more serious as a debate presented by the Debating Society ensued, bringing to light many pros and cons of
having a sustainability office at the University of Waterloo. An office of sustainability at UW would, according to UWSP co-ordinators, “create an institutionally-supported office of a university that works towards achieving sustainability in a campus community.” The focus and priorities would involve building relationships and rapport between students and staff liaisons, establishing baseline data, promoting sustainability issues, showcasing student and environmental potential, and implementing research. Other universities, such as the University of Guelph, Ryerson University and University of Toronto, have already carried out similar sustainability projects. University of Guelph, for example, has implemented a “green fee” of $10 for the next 12 years, paid by under-
graduate full-time students each semester. The university then matches the fees raised, with funds going to sustainability and energy conservation projects on campus. This project will be monitored by the university’s Senate Committee for University Planning, which will be composed of administrators, faculty and students. Darcy Higgins, Feds VP Internal, and one of the initial creators of Clearing a Path (one of UWSPs nine working groups) attended the event and explained that UWs proposal for a sustainability office was originally rejected because, “[UW] administration felt that it wouldn’t integrate well into the current system.” When asked about possible solutions to creating an office and further sustainability initiatives on campus, Higgins replied, “Implementing a student fee of about $6 per term.”
An office of sustainability at UW would, according to UWSP co-ordinators, “create an institutionallysupported office of a university that works towards achieving sustainability in a campus community.”
Higgins also explained that there is a recent push to set up a committee to raise funds for environmental initiatives. UWSP currently has nine working groups with different approaches to environmental issues. They all share an office on the third floor of the SLC, room 3102. The current location is not in a prominent location, which defeats the organization’s purpose: reaching the campus and spreading awareness of current environmental issues. Blom came up with a proposal to maximize efficiency by moving the UWSP office to the second floor of the SLC, to make it more accessible to students and faculty. A larger office space would, according to the proposal, promote productivity, visibility and promotion of sustainable practices (such as having solar panels or naturally lit rooms), while clearing up a space on the third floor for a quiet study area. When asked what other recent initiatives UWSP has undertaken, Blom said, “We have currently implemented a residence reduction challenge that aims to reduce the ecological footprint and promote sustainable living in the college residences.” Green Bomber Night is one of many events presented by UWSP. Members of UWSP are looking forward to creating awareness through future events, such as Earth Week in March. Anybody can join UWSP, or one of its nine working groups.
24
Science
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Thong threat is threefold Let’s face it: a butt is not a bosom, and therefore does not need the same support. As a result, thongs are a very popular undergarment; they cover just enough while saving the fashion-conscious population from revealing panty lines.
However, the persistence of thongs in the fashion world is surprising as the potential dangers of wearing them are frequently discussed in the media, from the Guardian to the Sun and everywhere in-between.
sonia lee
Firstly and most obviously, thongs can contribute to genital inflammation due to friction. Because thongs are designed to fit tightly around the body, friction is caused during movement, especially walking. Dr. Kellie Flood-Shaffer, obstetrician, gynecologist and assistant professor at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Centre, advises against wearing thongs daily, as the irritation of the thong fabric can “rub skin raw.” Secondly, the thong fabric can stay moist and breed bacteria. This is problematic, since the female body continuously produces naturally occurring vaginal secretions which contribute to the breeding of bacteria. These secretions are unavoidable. They are the body’s way of cleansing the vagina, providing lubrication and maintaining normal acidity levels. The moisture caused by the secretions creates a warm and bacteria-friendly environment, which can contribute to increased risks of vaginal and urinary tract infections and other bacterial imbalances. This leads me to the next, and biggest, inadequacy of thongs. Now I would like to focus
on a particular component of the thong, the little string starting at the middle of the crotch and leading up the back of the bum. Metaphorically speaking, the convenience of this rope (from the bacteria’s point of view) is equal to an escalator; it is a fool proof way for bacteria from the anus, vaginal and urinary tract openings to travel and commerce. If this is not convincing enough, consider the following statistic: 93 per cent of urinary tract infections (UTIs) are caused by the E.Coli bacteria, which is a bowel bacteria native to the digestive tract. In this way, the design of the thong is conducive to the spread of E. Coli, fitting snugly where least desired. Unfortunately, very few studies have been done to directly associate female gynecological problems with thongs. Thankfully, the health hazards of thongs are gaining momentum.
Even Dr. Liza Masteron, a Los Angeles gynecologist and frequent guest of the Dr. Phil show, agrees that thongs have potential health dangers. She suggests women should not work out while wearing thongs as vigorous movement can increase the transfer of bacteria facilitated by the structure of the thong. Problematically, the health issues associated with thongs are often discussed too vaguely to make any palpable impact on the reader. Perhaps this is to save the readers from the queasy details of the subject; my theory is, if you’re doing this to your body, you may as well know what it’s doing to you. My hope for this article is that its message will contribute to the stone age of thongs, leaving these undergarments behind for the pages of history to carry. alomako@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Thong Facts • The thong, in the form of the loincloth, was likely the first undergarment worn by human beings. • The first thongs were worn by men. • Early thongs were made of leather. Fabric was introduced much later. • Modern thongs were introduced in 1974 by fashion designer Rudi Geinrich. • The thong first gained popularity in Brazil as a style worn by exotic dancers. • The thong gained wide acceptance in the U.S. in the ‘90s when exotic lingerie came into the mainstream. • 19 per cent of women and 4 per cent of men prefer thongs.
What are YOU doing this SUMMER? The City of Waterloo has great job opportunities! Check our website for more details. 2008 Application Deadlines • Summer Camps - Monday, February 4, 2008 • Seasonal Labourers - Friday, February 15, 2008 • Instructor/Lifeguards - Friday, February 15, 2008 for Spring and/or Fall aquatic sessions • Student Outdoor Maintenance - Thursday, February 28, 2008 The City of Waterloo also has current part-time opportunities. For more information and to apply online, please visit www.waterloo.ca We are an equal opportunity employer.
W W W. WAT E R L O O. C A
Science
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Adrienne Raw science editor
Genome map takes step forward
Research teams in the U.K., the U.S. and China are gearing up for a project, called the 1,000 Genomes Project, that will map the genomes of 1,000 people. The 30 to 50 million dollar project is part of a major effort to fill in the gaps in our knowledge about how genetic variation relates to disease. Since 99 per cent of genetic material is identical between individuals, scientists hope identifying variations between people will explain why some get certain diseases and others don’t. To date, only a handful of people have had their genomes mapped. Once the currently-planned mapping is complete, scientists will have the
most useful catalogue ever of genetic variation. The DNA sequencing will be carried out by the Sanger Institute in Cambridge, Beijing Genomics Institute in Shenzhen and the National Human Genome Research Institute. Volunteer donors from Africa, Asia, America and Europe have given informed consent for their DNA to be analysed and placed in public databases that will be freely available to the scientific community. Lab creates artificial genome
Venter Institute announced that his laboratory has successfully completed construction of the world’s first entirely synthetic genome. Venter used laboratory chemicals to recreate the genetic material found inside a tiny bacterium called Mycoplasma genitalium, chosen because it has a relatively tiny genome. The completed synthetic genome contains 583,000 base pairs, much less complex than the human genome, but much larger that the previous largest synthesized DNA chain, which contained on 32,000 base pairs. The next step in Venter’s research is to fit the synthetic genome into an empty cell with the goal of creating a new life form. Researchers caution that much more work still needs to be done, but the synthetic genome is still a landmark step on the road
Recent weeks have proved an exhilarating time for the field of genetics. On the heels of recent announcements concerning the 1,000 Genomes Project, Craig Venter, a pioneer in the field of synthetic biology and head of the J. Craig
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to synthetic organisms that might someday have applications from clean fuels to better medicines. Rare Egyptian tomb unsealed
A Czech archaeologist team recently unsealed the intact burial chamber of an ancient Egyptian fifth dynasty priest and politician named Neferinpu. Discovered in 2006, the tomb is located near modern-day Cairo at Abusir, the ancient necropolis of the 5th and 26th dynasties. The burial chamber, a two by four metre room about 10 metres below ground, was crammed with personal effect and offerings that had remained undisturbed for nearly 4,500 years. Items found in the tomb included 10 sealed beer jars, over 80 miniature limestone vessels, a small perfume jug and plates
and cups used as symbolic offerings of food and drink. The mummy, entombed long before preservation methods were perfected, was badly decomposed but was inlaid with hundreds of beads and had a walking stick decorated with gold tips that marked Neferinpu’s seniority. The excavation will provide researchers with a rare glimpse into the burial customs of the Old Kingdom’s middle class. Intact burials such as Neferinpu’s are a rare find for modern archaeologists; many ancient tombs discovered have already been robbed sometime in antiquity. — with files from BBC News, Times Online, Wired and National Geographic araw@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Sports
sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
we are warriors Michael L. Davenport assistant editor-in-chief
Those who attended the men’s hockey game versus Lakehead Saturday night may have noticed something peculiar. Contrary to the stereotypical scene at Waterloo sporting events, the stands at the CIF arena were full. While some of the spectators were present because of an alumni fundraiser, the attendance is due in part to the We Are Warriors. (period included) initiative led by Brandon Mulholland. Young, energetic students wearing bandanas and bearing bangsticks filled at least two sets of CIF bleachers. Mulholland’s aim is to “give to all of the students at UW one chance to experience a varsity athletic event at the school and be a Warrior.” The end goal, said Mulholland, is to attract all kinds of students (even those here for academics only) and get them to attend at least one varsity athletic event. “Even if it’s just a glitch in your university career, at least [when] looking back on your university career you can remember, ‘Oh yeah, I did go to that one Warriors event, that was cool.’” Much was done to promote last Saturday’s game: flyers, a barbecue and shootout in the arts quad, a poster campaign, and free coffee and hot dogs. Mulholland emphasized the importance of word of mouth and of getting the athletes themselves to interact with the students.
Older students on campus might be experiencing déjà vu, as on its surface We Are Warriors. seems like another group which once graced our campus: UW Superfans. The Superfans were a group of students who, similarly, focused on attending sporting events, although the motivation was somewhat different. Says Superfans co-founder Alyson Woloshyn, “To be honest — the Superfans were really a bunch of people who just liked making fools of ourselves at games — we always went to games and dressed up and then found out we could get money from the Feds if we were a real club — so we used the money to buy T-Shirts.” “For us, we were all, and still are, die hard warrior fans and we were tired of being out shone by Western or WLU so we just wanted to start a movement — Unfortunately our cheers were better organized than our ability to get people committed so it kinda fizzled once the ‘presidents’ all graduated.” Mulholland hopes his group will avoid the fate of the Superfans, and good organization will ensure it outlives his university career. “The goal of We Are Warriors. is to leave a footprint here at the university and to create a sound program that can operate over the course of years and can perpetuate at UW.” While the most recent We Are Warriors. campaign was arts-focused, Mulholland hopes to expand to other
michael L. Davenport
The We Are Warriors group leads the cheering in Saturday night’s hockey game at CIF arena. faculties in the future. He even hopes to put the athletes’ brute strength to work “slugging fridges” on move-in day as both a help to the Residence Orientation Committee and to promote the presence of the athletes on campus. Stressing the inclusivity of the program, Mulholland notes,
“it’s easier, obviously, to promote the basketballs, the footballs, the hockeys, the bigger sports, and that’s where we’re going to start. But in the future I envision us doing any event, especially when a group is doing well.” He cited the currently successful varsity volleyball teams as prime targets for
promotion. With any luck, Mulholland will see his vision realized — and not only will our athletes see a little more sweat-earned recognition but students will see a local live sporting event, even if but once. mdavenport@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
new football field Jen Stanfel
Warriors ditch University stadium for new field on UW north campus Yang Liu sports editor
Imprint sports gives you the lowdown on the crucial football terms in preparation for the Super Bowl. Line of Scrimmage
What it means: An imaginary line stretching the width of the field separating the two teams prior to the snap of the ball.
Blitz
What it means: A defensive strat-
egy in which a linebacker or defensive back abandons his regular responsibilities in order to put pressure on the quarterback. The goal is to tackle the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage or force him to rush the play. End Zone
What it means: A 10 yard section at the both ends of the playing field, a team reaching their opponents end zone scores six points.
Pigskin
Fumble
What it means: Another term for a football. Footballs however, are made of leather.
What it means: When an offensive players loses control of the football, before the play is whistled dead.
Interception (or pick off)
Illegal Procedure
What it means: A penalty that
What it means: An errant pass
Offside
Man to Man coverage
is incurred when an offensive player moves before the ball snaps
What it means: A penalty that
caught by a defensive player, giving his team possession of the ball.
is incurred whenever a defensive player has any part of his body beyond the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped
What it means: Pass defense in which each reciever is assigned only one defender.
Joanna Sevilla
Situated on Seagram Drive, University Stadium has been home to the Warrior football team for decades. But come this September, the Warriors will move from the Laurier owned stadium to their own field next to the CIF, facing Columbia Street. While planning for the new playing field is still in its infancy, when the field opens in the fall it will have an open-air setup similar to one done for UW rugby home games. There will be bleachers on one side of the field with a seating capacity of 1500, along with a scoreboard and press box. “We’re hoping to create a county fair atmosphere. A real throw-back to old stadiums,” said head coach Dennis McPhee “It’s time the team plays on our campus,” said athletics director Judy McCrae. “It means a lot to us to be on campus.” The un-named field is expected to be a boon to the football team despite the small seating capacity. While Laurier’s stadium could seat 6000 patrons, it was often disheartening for the football team to play there as the field bore the name of Laurier’s mascot. “It’s great to not be playing on Laurier’s turf, it’s definitely a step in the right direction [for the varsity football team]”, said Warrior defensive back T.J. Teammate and wide receiver Sean
Cowie concurs, “the field will give us our own identity.” The team also hopes the new field will create excitement among the student body and motivate more students to come out to the games. “It’ll give students a reason to come out and cheer on our football team. The place will belong entirely to UW, why should [students] have to go out of the way to cheer on our team,” said McPhee. Offensive linemen Kyle Faulkner is also cautiously optimistic, “we pretty excited, hopefully more students will be coming out to support us.” Before plans regarding the new field was announced, Waterloo was the only football team in the CIS that did not have their own field. Funds for the field will come from the existing athletics budget, and is expected to be compliant with CIS regulations. Judy McCrae stresses the field is considered only temporary, even though there is no timeline or definite plans to build a permanent stadium. Both McCrae and McPhee hoped that one day funding for a permanent stadium will materialize. “You always hope for better facilities and more funding, but there’s always bigger fish to fry on campus,” said McPhee. “Such as facilities for all students, not just for the football team.” yliu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Sports
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
27
Super Bowl Sunday North American tradition is more spectacle than sport.
I
t’s Super Bowl Sunday and a showdown is brewing between the upstart New York Giants and the unbeaten New England Patriots. Can Tom Brady lead the Patriots to a perfect 19-0 season and cement them into history as the greatest team ever, or will Eli Manning and the Giants make history of their own with an astonishing upset to deny the Patriots their spot in football immortality. Some 100 million viewers from around the globe are expected to tune in to the latest edition of the Superbowl and well, most of them probably could care less what the final score will be. To them, the Super Bowl is just a once-a-year show where you sit around, drink copious amounts of beer with your friends, and snack on delicious artery-clogging wings. From time to time you’ll look towards the tube and try to make some witty comment, and maybe if you’re lucky you’ll even catch a whiff of the all- fabled two-point safety. If you’re feeling adventurous you’ll venture out to a bar where all the other superbowl party goers are and watch the big game with a crowd of loud and tipsy “brahs.” You tell the guy in the Patriots jersey, that you’ve always been Tom Brady’s super number-one fan. Or you impart to the guy with the XXL-size Giants jacket that you knew all along that Eli
Manning would put it together. The superbowl party is where you can display your bandwagonning shamelessly for all to see. If the Patriots win, you can declare that you were rooting for them all along; if they lose you can slink back to the misery that is Buffalo Bills fandom. Even friends who don’t know a field goal from a first down can pretend for a night they care about
Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll even catch a whiff of the fabled two-point safety. football no doubt in large part because the bottles of beer will be flowing freely that night. Sometimes the half-time show and commercials greatly overshadow the actual game itself. Reminisce back to Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, when Janet Jackson’s three-second nipple slip became the shot heard round the world for soccer moms. How many people remember what actually happened in the game? Just an FYI, Tom Brady and Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in an exciting close game to win their second Super Bowl in three years. How about Super Bowl XXXV
when the Baltimore Raven’s dominant defence mothered the New York Giants 34-7 to win their first Super Bowl. Remember that? Probably not, huh. You may remember the gimmicky “eye vision” camera that CBS employed to simulate Matrix bullet-time effects in real time. More likely, you’ll remember that famous Coke commercial, where the Coke delivery guy offers his bottle of Coke to the Pepsi delivery guy and they end up grappling over that bottle. I suspect some of my female friends watch the Super Bowl for the witty commercials more than anything else. With all due apologies to Patriots and Giants fans, besides you guys, only degenerate gamblers have an emotional investment in the outcome of this Super Bowl. The rest of us will simply kick back, have a couple of drinks and hope something exciting happens that isn’t another “nipple-gate.”
live? o t lace p a or ng f i k o Lo
Look no further... Benefits from choosing WCRI: - Minutes walk from UW campus, - Lower than market fees, - On-site laundry and maintenance, - Regular organized social events, - And much more. Don’t miss out on a great housing experience. Apply now! Applications are accepted year-round. Seniority deadlines are always: - March 1st for Fall, - October 1st for Winter, and - February 1st for Spring.
WCRI: A whole new way to live together! Contact us today for more information or to arrange a tour. web: www.wcri.coop e-mail: info@wcri.coop phone: 519-884-3670 address: 268 Phillip Street, Waterloo
yliu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Sonia Lee
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Sports
Imprint, Friday, February 1, 2008
Warrior wrap-up Men’s Hockey OUA
Women’s Hockey OUA
Far East Division
GP 23 UQTR 23 McGill 24 Carleton 24 Ottawa Concordia 23
W L T OTL PTS 35 1 17 5 0 31 1 15 7 0 25 3 11 10 0 24 2 11 11 0 23 1 11 11 0
Far West Division Lakehead Western Laurier Waterloo Windsor
GP W L 23 19 3 24 16 4 24 15 7 24 15 9 24 5 18
T OTL PTS 0 1 39 0 4 36 0 2 32 0 0 30 0 1 11
Mid East Division Toronto Queen’s RMC Ryerson
GP 26 25 25 25
W 12 12 10 7
L 11 12 13 15
T OTL PTS 3 0 27 1 0 25 2 0 22 3 0 17
Mid West Division Brock York Guelph UOIT
GP 25 25 25 24
W L 15 7 13 9 10 12 4 17
T OTL PTS 3 0 33 3 0 29 3 0 23 3 0 11
Laurier Toronto Guelph Queen’s Windsor York Western Brock Waterloo UOIT
GP 23 23 23 24 25 23 24 24 23 24
W 20 17 16 10 11 9 8 6 7 1
T OTL PTS 1 0 41 0 1 35 0 1 33 6 0 26 1 1 24 3 1 22 4 0 20 6 0 18 3 0 17 2 6 2
L 2 5 6 8 12 10 12 12 13 19
Men’s Volleyball OUA McMaster Guelph Queen’s Western Waterloo Ryerson York Windsor Toronto Laurier RMC
GP 16 16 16 15 17 16 17 15 17 17 16
W 16 12 12 10 10 8 8 5 5 3 0
L 0 4 4 5 7 8 9 10 12 14 16
GF 48 43 38 37 38 32 32 24 17 17 3
GA 7 26 23 20 29 27 33 39 33 44 48
PTS 32 24 24 20 20 16 16 10 10 6 0
Game Recaps
Game Recaps
Men’s Hockey
Women’s Hockey
Friday, January 25 Lakehead 4 Waterloo 2
Saturday, January 26 Waterloo 1 Western 4
Saturday, January 26 Lakehead 3 Waterloo 2
Sunday, January 27 Waterloo 4 UOIT 1
Men’s Volleyball
Women’s Volleyball
Thursday, January 24 Waterloo defeats Laurier 3-0
Saturday, January 26 Ottawa defeats Waterloo 3-1
Men’s Basketball
Women’s Basketball
Men’s Basketball OUA
Women’s Basketball OUA
Women’s Volleyball OUA
East Division
East Division
East Division
Carleton Ottawa Toronto Queen’s Ryerson Laurentian York RMC
GP W 17 17 17 14 16 13 17 10 16 5 17 4 17 3 17 0
L 0 3 3 7 11 13 14 17
PF 1411 1308 1215 1244 1189 1181 1163 879
PA 1005 1101 1063 1138 1246 1329 1492 1541
PTS 34 28 26 20 10 8 6 0
York Toronto Laurentian Queen’s Carleton Ryerson Ottawa RMC
West Division
W 15 14 13 7 5 4 2 0
L 3 4 5 11 13 14 16 18
PF 1254 1335 1364 1149 992 1009 998 883
PA 1046 1091 1181 1128 1097 1254 1226 1519
PTS 30 28 26 14 10 8 4 0
Toronto Ottawa York Queen’s Ryerson Lakehead RMC
PA PTS GP W L PF Windsor 15 11 4 1231 1016 22 Brock 15 10 5 1231 1086 20 Guelph 15 9 6 1160 1129 18 Lakehead 15 8 7 1172 1108 16 15 7 8 1194 1201 14 Laurier McMaster 16 7 9 1111 1130 14 Western 15 6 9 1072 1062 12 Waterloo 16 4 12 1089 1203 8
GP W McMaster 17 16 Western 17 14 Brock 17 10 Windsor 17 10 Waterloo 17 9 Laurier 17 9 Lakehead 18 7 Guelph 18 6
L PF PA PTS 1 1253 864 32 3 1240 1123 28 7 1083 1066 20 7 1205 1061 20 8 1123 1089 18 8 1105 1062 18 11 1083 1195 14 12 1138 1212 12
Men’s Hockey CIF Arena
GP 17 15 15 15 16 15 17
W 15 12 9 5 5 4 0
L 2 3 6 10 11 11 17
GF 48 39 31 23 23 16 0
GA 11 14 25 34 36 35 51
PTS 30 24 18 10 10 8 0
GA 15 23 21 27 28 33 44
PTS 26 22 22 18 16 12 4
West Division
West Division McMaster Waterloo Western Laurier Brock Guelph Windsor
GP 16 15 16 15 15 14 15
W 13 11 11 9 8 6 2
L 3 4 5 7 7 10 14
GF 41 36 39 32 29 27 13
Women’s Basketball
Pac Main Gym Waterloo vs. McMaster 6:00 PM Wednesday, February 6
Waterloo vs. Western 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 1
Men’s Basketball
Pac Main Gym Waterloo vs. McMaster 8:00 PM Wednesday, February 6
Women’s Volleyball
Wednesday, January 23 Guelph 53 Waterloo 69
Wednesday, January 23 Guelph 73 Waterloo 70
GP 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18
Pac Main Gym
Saturday, January 26 Waterloo 57 McMaster 72
Saturday, January 26 Waterloo 59 McMaster 73
Waterloo vs. RMC, 6:00 PM Friday, February 1
Track and Field
Squash
McGill team challenge in Montreal
OUA crossover at Toronto Jan,26
Waterloo vs. Queen’s 4:00 PM Saturday, February 2
Jenna Bell - 3rd Women’s pentathlon
Toronto 5 Waterloo 1 Queen’s 4 Waterloo 2 McGill 5 Waterloo 1
Kate Bickle - 4th 300m dash 40:90
OUA qualifier #2 Men’s and Women’s team finish 5th
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07 THIS WEEK IN 08 ATHLETICS
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Presents
sfm km .
Men’s 4x400m relay - 5th 3:27:86
Nordic Skiing
sfm km .
Kirk Ewen - 4th 300m dash 36:20
University of Waterloo Campus
Pac Main Gym Waterloo vs. RMC, 8:00 PM Friday, February 1 Waterloo vs. Queen’s 6:00 PM Saturday, February 2
February 1
February 1 vs Western Mustangs
vs Western Mustangs 7:30 7:30 PM, PM, UW UW CIF CIF Arena Arena
vs vs RMC RMC Paladins Paladins [W] [W] 6:00 6:00 PM PM [M] [M] 8:00 8:00 PM PM PAC PAC Gym Gym
February 7
February 2
,s Golden vs Queen Queen’s Golden Gaels Gaels [W] [W] 4:00 4:00 PM PM [M] [M] 6:00 6:00 PM PM PAC PAC Gym Gym
vs vs WLU WLU Golden Golden Hawks Hawks 7:30 7:30 PM, PM, UW UW CIF CIF Arena Arena
WARRIOR
[M] HOCKEY
Men’s Volleyball
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WARRIOR VOLLEYBALL
VOLLEYBALL
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Athletes of the Week Eric Dingle - Squash Eric, a 4th year Engineering student from Calgary, Alberta won all three of his matches this past weekend at the Toronto Cross-over. He defeated his opponents against Queen's, McGill and Toronto. Included in his victories, Eric defeated Toronto's Eric Yik, a former NCAA champion. With the three wins, Eric was undefeated in all his matches this season.
IMPRINT | FEBR
Tosha Medeiros - Figure Skating
Tosha, a 3rd year Social Development student from Kitchener, Ontario, had a great showing this past weekend at the Western Invitational. In Intermediate Pairs, she an outstanding routine to place third in the event. Tosha also competed in the Sr. Silver Solo Dance, Dance Variation, and Synchronized Skating throughout the weekend to lead the Warriors to a 6th place overall finish.