Imprint_2009-06-12_v32_i04

Impr int The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper

Friday, June 12, 2009

Vol 32, No

imprint . uwaterloo . ca

4

Weekend Woes Students raise concerns over proposed Saturday midterms

reporter

A

s early as fall 2009, Waterloo students could be subjected to midterms scheduled on Saturdays.

In a motion set to be raised at the June 15 Senate meeting, the University of Waterloo Examination Regulations and Related Matters procedure would be amended to allow for the possibility of Saturday midterms. The current regulations do not forbid Saturday midterms, but do require that alternative Monday to Friday arrangements be provided if requested by a student.

Scheduling issues for large classes, frequently for first year courses, are becoming more common with the growing student population, prompting the proposed change as a solution. Numerous Ontario universities already have this practice, including Guelph, Ottawa, Windsor, and York. There is also an increasing need to accommodate student spacing for academic integrity purposes.

“We cannot simply accommodate all of the midterms that have to be accommodated,” said Ken Lavigne, UW’s registrar. He cited the school of accounting and finance, the department of chemistry, the department of economics, and the faculty of engineering as major proponents of the change. “It is not unusual to have engineering midterms on Saturdays now,” he said.

Lavigne ensured that accommodations for conflicts due to religious practices will be provided under existing policies and that the UW will provide Saturday services for persons with disabilities. “We do not anticipate significant additional cost,” answered Lavigne on the question of additional personnel.

Students may take exception to the possible encroachment on their personal time.

AHS Senator Dave Smith feels the change is the wrong approach to the issue and believes “the weekend is an important opportunity for students to study, go home, and also for professors and TAs to take a well deserved

In this issue...

break from the work week.” Numerous students work on weekends to finance their education.

Smith believes “the best solution would be to build a new dedicated facility that could house other services but with space to accommodate exams.” McMaster and Carleton have built such centres, but neither outlaw Saturday midterms. Science Senator Sam Andrey believes a more pragmatic solution would be “including classrooms capable of acting as smaller test centres in our new capital projects.”

Federation of Students President Allan Babor has raised the concern that this move may lead to Saturday classes. On the topic, Lavigne replied, “Saturday classes will not appear simply because we hold midterms on that day. At present there is no need to hold classes on Saturday except for some labs in the faculty of science.”

Andrey, adamantly opposed to the change, said, “The ‘slippery slope’ of allowing midterms to go through could inevitably lead to an extension of the entire teaching week.”

Referencing Saturday labs, Andrey continued, “The reaction I heard from students [to the labs] was overwhelmingly negative. It would be a shame to replicate this reaction across the campus on a permanent basis.”

Significant changes in exam scheduling practices are not expected to affect normal Monday to Friday midterms, and the continuation and autonomy of individual department practices. According to Lavigne, the changes will be “evaluated on an ongoing basis with improvements made or problems addressed as they occur,” with all parties, including the Registrar’s Office, faculty, and students to be included.

The results of an informal web survey on the Federation of Students’s fedsPULSE website displays generally negative visitor opinion, with 75 per cent voting outright, at time of publication, that they would not be okay with the change.

opinion

on the Pakistani misconception, pg. 6

Features

on KW community endeavours, pg. 13

arts

on the Spotlight Festival, pg. 14

graphics by paul collier photo by Mohammad Jangda

Defining Canada’s Digital Future... without its presence Sukhpreet Sangha staff reporter

T

he Canada 3.0 Forum held in Stratford on June 8 and 9 was considered by many of its organizers to be a resounding success, but UW students present did not always agree with this sentiment.

UW Dean of Arts Ken Coates acted as host for the conference. Both he and President David Johnston referred to it as a “celebration” of UW’s Stratford Institute, a school which will focus on producing digital media entrepreneurs educated in business, creative enterprise, and computer science.

As well as being a celebration, the stated purpose of the conference was to “develop a national digital media action plan to ensure Canada can not only compete, but also lead the world in the new digital economy.” This vision was to be realized through the participation of conference attendees in breakout sessions, divided into four streams: “Digital Shovels ­­ — Building Infrastructure,” “Mobility & Media,” “Digital Media Research & Commercialization,” and “Talent Attraction & Retention.” All participants attended the same plenary, splitting off into sessions for the stream they had chosen. As Canada 3.0 was housed at the Stratford Rotary Complex, plenary sessions took place in a hockey arena, giving rise to many attempts at hockey humour.

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Each break-out session had its own co-chairs and speeches from figures in fields related to the stream’s focus. Question and answer periods followed the speeches. The afternoon of the second day was more participatory, with attendees taking part in roundtable discussions revolving around how Canada should tackle the challenges associated with becoming a pioneer in digital media, and building on ideas heard throughout the conference.

While there were female co-chairs in each of the four stream sessions, there were no female keynotes or plenary speakers. Arguably, the most prominent female voice at Canada 3.0 was that of the robotically-filtered announcer occasionally attempting to supplant Coates’ role as host.

Open Text, Canada’s largest independent software company, was the title sponsor of the event. Open Text’s presence was heavily felt throughout the conference, with its employees making up a high percentage of day one’s volunteers and attendees. Its Chief Strategy Officer, Tom Jenkins, had a favourite description of digital media: that it is “TV for the internet.” Similarly, the Stratford Institute was occasionally touted as “film school for the internet.” Jenkins deemed the former phrase a useful way to explain the concept of digital media to everyday people who may otherwise have trouble understanding it.

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News

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009 news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

An investment in Waterloo’s future Governments bankroll more building space for faculties of engineering, environment, and math Mark Zammit staff reporter

Michael L. Davenport editor - in - chief

T

he federal and provincial governments announced on Friday, May 29 that the University of Waterloo would be the recipient of $50 million for two major expansion projects; one to enhance the faculties of math and engineering, and the other to enhance the faculty of the environment.

VP Admin and Finance Dennis Huber said that, to qualify for the funding, “we submitted the UW master plan, and then we put out a couple of floor plans out there, but those are very preliminary.”

The federal and provincial governments have both promised $25 million in stimulus money, not only to aid in academic expansion, but as a method to create additional jobs in these tough economic times. Kitchener-Waterloo Member of Parliament Peter Braid and Kitchener-Conestoga Member of Provincial Parliament Leanna Pendergast revealed that this stimulus is designed not only to benefit in the short term, but to strengthen the academic foundation of the province and country. The money being pumped into these expansions

falls under a federal initiative called the Knowledge Infrastr ucture Program. According to Braid’s website, this program is a “twoyear, $2 billion plan to repair and expand research and educational facilities at colleges and universities across Canada.” Essentially, the governments want to assist in the creation of brighter academics to help Canada and Ontario grow in an “intelligent and sustainable fashion.”

So what exactly does this mean for UW? In the midst of current expansions, the institution is being granted the means and motivation for even more growth and change.

The nature of the funding puts the construction of these new facilities on an “accelerated schedule.” The new buildings are to be completed

by March of 2011, and shovelling for the project has to begin before October 31 of this year to qualify to actually receive the funding.

The faculties of math and engineering have plans for a combined 180,000 additional square footage, and the faculty of the environment requires both renovation, and an additional 40,000 square feet of usable space. mzammit@imprint.uwaterloo.ca editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Expansions in detail Environment expansion

The faculty of environment expansion is only in its preliminary stages, but more offices, computer labs, student study space, seminar rooms, and a greenhouse are among the ambitions for the new space.

The Campus Master Plan specifies that expansions are to take place on the North, South, and East portions of campus, where there is more room. This poses a problem for faculty of environment expansion (which some call “EV3.”) With very little ground level real-estate available, initial designs are calling for an elevated solution.

(Think Toronto School of Art.) This would preserve landscaping and the gardens surrounding EV2 while still allowing for larger facilities. The design was one of many points which was discussed at-length at a town hall session held on June 8.

Steve Young, an environment faculty member who sits on the working committee for the ES3 expansion, cautioned that the plans are still very, very preliminary.

Young also said that the idea of building up was “structurally challenging.” He continued, “There are a limited number of engineering design [companies] to whom the university would be willing to tender this out.”

A goal has been set to obtain LEED silver certification for this building. Young said, “There’s a number of green aspects relevant to our teaching, relevant to our research, relevant to what we do in this faculty, that we would like to see reflected in this building.” The dean of the faculty of environment, Deep Saini later added, “We’re the faculty of environment. We need to walk the walk.” Dean Saini contends that, with proper planning, LEED silver won’t add significantly to building cost or construction time. Both Saini and Young pointed out

that a green building on campus could also serve as a recruitment tool.

Saini later told Imprint, “We will ensure that the new building blends in nicely with our existing buildings and their surroundings, and do so in an architecturally creative way to achieve results that are esthetically pleasing. This would entail some exterior and perhaps interior modifications to EV2. It is important that UW design its future buildings with these considerations in mind.”

Engineering expansion

While Engineering 5 is already being constructed, this space is intended only to replace outdated departmental facilities and student design spaces. The new engineering component can be provided-for in a zone outlined in the Campus Master Plan, to the North-East of E5 construction site. Susan Gooding, who works in the dean of engineering’s office, told Imprint the new building will be used primarily for research.

“Regardless of the funding, this is something we’ve been working on as a part of our Vision 2010 plan. So we were working on this when all of a sudden this funding opportunity came up.” While LEED certification isn’t a goal for the new engineering building, Gooding said, “I think we seriously factor in where we can meet sustainability.”

Math expansion

The mathematics component has space alotted immediately east of the General Services Complex, potentially allowing easy connection to the Mathematics and Computer Science building. No further details were available at press time.

Future: students underrepresented at conference Continued from cover

He explained that the internet is moving towards what he called “Web 3.0,” where sophisticated users are moving past keyboard entry into video. The problem is that video requires much more bandwidth than both text and sound, leading to an unsustainable growth in output on the internet. The nation which comes up with technology that solves this problem will become the leader in digital media, a spot which Jenkins covets for Canada.

A common theme arising in discussion was the “importance of collaboration across different disciplines,” as President Johnston articulated in his welcoming remarks. To be successful, digital media requires the collaboration of people trained in the arts, business, and technology. Therefore, university faculties’ typical division into silos must cease, so students can collaborate and launch the entrepreneurial ventures necessary for Canada to lead the way in the digital media future.

The Stratford Institute aims to be one such interdisciplinary institute, and Velocity already is. The UW “dormcubator,” which took over the former Minota Hagey Residence, is already producing entrepreneurial students engaging in cross-disciplinary ventures. During the talent session, three such students briefly spoke of their experiences at Velocity and the products they created there, in one of the rare instances of undergraduate involvement at Canada 3.0.

While fifty undergrad UW students volunteered at the conference,

they largely stood on the sidelines and held doors. Initially, students could not register for the conference and once they could, its high cost (approximately $550, with one Velocity student saying he received a student rate of $350) remained largely prohibitive.

Austin Hill, a successful Canadian entrepreneur, also spoke at the talent session. After admitting that he had not been present for the whole conference, he commented on the lack of student presence at the conference that “traditionally, students’ voices in these matters need to be heard.”

Hill added, “students’ voices are too often discounted” and that instead of having the traditional perspective of ‘what have you done,’ adults should ask what students haven’t done to possess fresh ideas which merit hearing.

Jenkins asserted that “the power of the pen resides with the students” at Canada 3.0, since they were writing about the conference on Twitter. According to the cocoordinator of student volunteers, Andrew O’Neill, five of the fifty were dedicated to tweeting. O’Neill also commented that “students should have been more of a target audience [for the conference]... since we’re talking about the future of digital media and students are that future.”

When asked about the student presence at Canada 3.0, Coates said that “some agendas didn’t concern students” and the conversation would have changed if they were there. He also noted that the “Stratford institute will have many conferences... some will be all students.” Coates was “just blown

mohammad jangda

The goal of the conference was to come away with recommendations on how to move Canada forward in the field of digital media. away by who came,” mentioning the presence of figures like Mike Lazaridis and Dalton McGuinty, and the fact that registration nearly doubled in the week leading up to the conference.

In his introductory remarks, Jenkins quoted Walter Gretzky’s famous comment that his son was a great hockey player due to his ability to play where the puck is going to be, rather than where it is. The

students at Canada 3.0 were in the penalty box before they even got out on the ice. ssangha@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

News

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

York student found dead Mohammed Shouman reporter

Tejas Koshy staff reporter

York University student’s body found in Lake Ontario

The body of a York University student was pulled from Lake Ontario last Saturday.

Shane Fair’s body was just metres away from Ontario Place’s Atlantis Pavilions, where he was last seen on May 16. He had attended an end-of-year school formal dance and dinner at the waterfront parkland.

The first-year student’s friends initially believed he tried walking to his mother’s home in the Beaches area of Toronto after missing the bus back to campus. However, he never made it home and he was not seen at the York campus. There is speculation that he may have been mugged.

Investigators have not yet determined how the 19-year-old ended up in the lake, or what the exact cause of his death is. The area where he was found was approximately 4.5 metres deep.

Police had previously searched the waterfront, deploying an underwater robot to probe the bottom of the lake.

Relatives and friends had organized massive downtown searches for Fair, and set up a series of Facebook groups dedicated to finding him. To increase the chances of finding relevant information,

Taliban, North Korea create conflict Tejas Koshy

his family also offered a $5,000 reward, later doubled to $10,000 with matching funds from Fair’s mother’s employer.

Fair was a Canadian Armed Forces reservist. Preparing for a career in the military, he was to begin a training course this month.

University of Ottawa introduces a “Snitch-Line”

Recently the University of Ottawa introduced what some professors have called a “snitch line”, or as the university describes it as an “honesty, integrity and transparency” hotline.

This new tool allows whistleblowers to provide information anonymously online or to a live operator on a hotline, which will be operated by a separate company; ClearView. Reports are then forwarded to the Acting Vice-President of Governance, Nathalue Des Rosiers.

Des Rosiers was quoted in an interview stating that the university will be paying about $13,000 a year for the service. Des Rosiers also pointed out that McMaster has a similar policy, as does the University of Lethbridge and Athabasca University.

This move was not prompted by any allegation of wrongdoing and the policy was approved last year according to the Ottawa Citizen. “It’s a policy that’s just good governance, like many corporations,” said Des Rosiers.

Many academics have voiced negative opinions about the new system.

“A snitch line — that’s really what this is — creates an atmosphere of mistrust and secrecy,” said James Turk, executive director of the Association of University Teachers. “It will open the door to malicious allegations because it promises anonymity.” Turk noted that there are existing avenues in universities to raise issues and make complaints.

ClearView Strategic Partners Inc. is a Canadian company focused on compliance, corporate governance and employee engagement solutions for organizations, according to the company’s website.

ClearView is the major player in privacy software in Canada.

This system is compliant with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

Phil Enright, executive vicepresident of sales was quoted by the Ottawa Citizen, that ClearView stores all data in Canada on Canadian servers. This is considered an advantage to Canadian client — the servers of ClearView’s U.S. competitors may be accessed under the U.S. Patriot Act, but in Canada that’s protected information.

—With files from ctvtoronto. ca, Canwest News Service, CP24, the Toronto Star, and the Ottawa Citizen

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The militia attacked five villages in the Dhok Darra area that are thought to be militant strongholds, district official Atifur-Rehman said. As of Saturday the militia occupies three villages.

Since Sunday they have launched an offensive at the remaining two villages.

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— With files from CNN, BBC, and CBC

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North Korean state media has reported that two journalists have been sentenced to 12 years hard labor, for the “grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing”.

The two journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, were working for California-based broadcaster Current TV. They were working a story about trafficking of female sex workers, according to the CBC. The women were arrested at the China-North Korea border, on March 17. The exact circumstances have been shrouded in mystery, as its unclear whether or not the reporters were arrested on the Chinese or North Korean side of the border.

The women were tried by the Central Court of North Korea, and therefore cannot appeal their sentence, since it’s the highest court of law in the country.

The sentencing has drawn condemnation from the White House and the U.S. State Department. The Swedish ambassador, the only point of contact between North Korea and the U.S. was allowed to see the reporters three times, according to CNN. White House spokesman Bill Burton said President Barack Obama is “deeply concerned” about the conviction of the reporters. Burton said U.S. officials “were engaged through all possible channels” to secure their release.

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News

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

Banning the bottle UW lags in initatives to reduce water bottle usage Julia Hawthornthwaite staff reporter

C

anadian bottled water companies beware.

We can start calling 2009 year of the bottled water ban, and it is apparent that bottled water companies like Nestle Waters Canada are starting to notice.

This past week the Dawson Creek British Columbia city council received a letter from a spokeswoman of Nestle, Gail Cosman, expressing her concern with the city’s proposed program of reducing bottled water use within the corporation, and the effect it could have on Nestle’s employees, customers, and partners.

Of course, when the city council made the choice to create “bottled water-free zones”, they were not thinking about the agenda of the bottled water companies. On their minds were the issues of reducing waste and promoting a switch to local water — water which is safe, clean, and free.

In March of this year, the University of Winnipeg, Manitoba became the first university in Canada to impose a ban of bottled water on their campus. The decision came after a vote from the student body, where 74.8 per cent said they would support the elimination of plastic water bottles.

The ban is set to be phased out over the next couple of months, and in the meantime, encouragement for students to bring reusable bottles will begin.

The City of Kitchener announced on April 22 that it too has decided to ditch the bottle, and have only tap water present in city owned buildings.

Ian Cutajar

This evidently came as a result of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities encouragement in March to Canadian cities and towns to phase out the sale and purchase of bottled water on municipal property.

Kitchener joins Waterloo, London, Guelph, Toronto, and Ottawa as the Ontario cities to make the move to support cityowned water.

Also in the mix with the University of Winnipeg are 21 Canadian universities and colleges.

But the University of Waterloo, even with its renowned faculty of environment, is not part of the 21. To date, no discussions surrounding such a ban have taken place on our campus.

Yet, the office of Deep Saini, Dean of the faculty of environment, “has been quite active in eliminating bottled water at [their] meetings and events.” “But in regards to the university as a whole, I assume that this idea would be viewed quite positively,” said Saini.

Raising the profile of this issue on campus will be necessary if a change is to be expected concerning the University’s sale of bottled water products.

While it may be viewed positively in some circles, the student body and especially the Federation of Students would have to act soon if the University of Waterloo has any desire to join the list of schools and municipalities making a strong statement this year: Bottled Water — Not for Sale.

Optometry extension open

A QUEST

For success

Jacqueline McKoy reporter

I

f you haven’t been checking your UW email, you might not know that a newer, more user-friendly version of Quest will be released to the public on June 15.

The first major Quest update in seven years, this refreshed version of PeopleSoft’s student information software will feature a “Student Centre” front page with simplified navigation and a sidebar with links to relevant UW websites.

Perhaps the most important change in Quest for students will be changes to the information displayed on unofficial transcripts. Unofficial transcripts will now clearly show all major, minor, specialization, and option information. Also, major averages will be displayed on unofficial transcripts along with cumulative and term averages, allowing students to more easily track their achievement.

As well, Quest will now offer a slightly more streamlined workflow for enrolling in and dropping courses, with a tabbed navigation system.

It is currently unknown if the new version of Quest will offer better functionality on mobile devices or in screen readers. Both the Associate Registrar of Student Records Joanne Voisin and IST’s Director of Information Systems and Student Records Mark Warner were unavailable for further comments on implementation details of the new Quest by press time.

Students who need to use Quest this weekend should know that no updates to information in the system have been made since Wednesday, June 3. Updates to transcripts and other information will be available on Monday, June 15 at 12:00 a.m.

— with files from Quest and UW Daily Bulletin

Michael L. Davenport

Following closely on the opening of UW’s new pharmacy building in April, the extension to Optometry was formally opened on Friday, June 5. The new facility boasts a library, increased study and lounge space, and a lecture hall.

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009 opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Cultural priorities

Student Life Centre, Room 1116 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 P: 519.888.4048 F: 519.884.7800 http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca

D

ifferent cultures have different ingrained values. Not everyone has the same priorities you do.

Once that is understood, many other things about the world make sense.

For instance, whenever a story is posted on Slashdot about censorship or “the great firewall of China”, there’s an outcry from the Western commenters about the freedoms of the people being trampled. From a Chinese former coworker who suggested that Canadian elections were a waste of time and money, to my reading of several news stories, everything I’ve encountered suggests that their particular culture values not freedom, but harmony. The lack of protest over Tiananmen can also be understood in a similar context.

I remember when the Muslim Student Association came to the Imprint office in April 2005. Their complaint was about something we had printed in Misprint.

That was the year Misprint lambasted professor Elmasry for several things he said over the course of the year. The MSA didn’t contend it was illegal to publish our satire, but that it was disrespectful.

In other words, their contention was that while we had the freedom to print whatever we want, it was less important than respect.

I’m well read but not well traveled.

There are people who have studied these sorts of international cultural differences as their major, but I was not one of them. So I know a little, but I will not be so arrogant to presume I’m among the most qualified people to speak on the subject of international culture. However, I have been on this campus for nearly seven years now,

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and, having spent significant time here, I can tell you there are similar cultural differences between the faculties on our campus. Like different national cultures, different faculties on our campus have different priority scales that, once understood, help explain the behavior of the people within.

All it takes is a visit to the different society-run coffee and doughnut shops to see that different faculties have their own unique cultures. For instance, the Environment Students Society C&D doesn’t have any disposable cups, but if you leave them your WatCard they’ll

“

keep finding evidence of cultural divides on our campus.

If I were to describe the Faculty of Environment culture in one word, that word would be (I mean this in the kindest way) hippie. This value isn’t only reflected in the green-ness (literal and metaphorical) of the ESS lounge, but their political involvement. How many recent Feds presidents have been from ENV? Historically, they’ve voted in record numbers.

They care so much about engagement and dialogue that there’s a forum set up to discuss their new building expansion. (http://ev3.uwaterloo.ca/forum/)

Like different national cultures, different faculties on our campus have different priority scales that, once understood, help explain the behavior of the people within.

happily lend you a mug. Meanwhile, the Engineering C&D so prizes efficiency that they don’t handle pennies.

A few steps away from their coffee and doughnut shops, both faculties have their lounges. ESS has a clean, bright space, a large lounge with cushy couches, plenty of natural light, and greenery outside the window. Engineering has POETS, a dark room with blacked out windows where they serve beer.

Those might seem like superficial differences. And though those differences speak to different priorities, how a society chooses to run its coffee shop isn’t that important. But if you keep looking, you’ll

I have trouble distilling Engineering down to one word, but there’s definitely a different culture there. Where ESS feels open and laid back, Engineering is insular and methodical. They have their own talent show. They have their own newspaper. Perhaps their insularity comes from a phrase which is oft repeated in the faculty: “Engineers Rule The World”.

Engineers value designs, and systems, and other engineers.

I find it fascinating that disparate groups of interconnected people, whether across the globe or just across Ring Road, will form their own unique value systems.

Community Editorial A plea for change Sadaf Balouch waterloo alumni

“S

o Sadaf, tell us about your country of origin,” asked the interviewer.

“Well, I was born and raised in Pakistan,” I said.

The person looked straight in my eyes without expression, took a while then said, “Oh, Pakistan,” with a dull smile that made me wonder about the non-discriminatory employee policy of the company he was representing.

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your Pakistani nationality they give you a dull expressionless smile, and if they happen to be in a group, they tend to exchange some sort of eye messages to each other. I would like to tell all those people that our country may not be one of the developed ones and most of our people are not educated, but we are not brainless and we do understand the “secret language” or “gestures” and the hidden meanings behind them.

Getting stereotypical negative impressions by fellow Canadians amazes me and makes me wonder that, just as I am a Paki-

I would like to tell all those people that our country may not be one of the developed ones and most of our people are not educated, but we are not brainless and we do understand the “secret language” or “gestures” and the hidden meanings behind them.

Coming from a Pakistani background, I have always felt that there is something strange about how people perceive Pakistanis, especially in the West. Upon inquiry, if you tell the questioner about

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Graphics Team Sonia Lee, Tifa Han, Ian Cutajar, Armel Chesnais

editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

stani Canadian, aren’t the majority of other Canadians originally from other countries?

So aren’t we all standing on the same page and are “equal”? Being victimized because of your country of origin hurts really badly,

especially now as Pakistan, my homeland and my country of birth, is going through an extremely difficult time.

If you listen to the news these days, you will realize the seriousness of the situation in Pakistan. While known to the world as the nation of the extremist, Pakistan has always tried to be much more neutral. The judgmental world has always used stereotypes against Pakistan and Pakistanis. In the ‘70s we were called the “Pakies,” now we are called the “Taliban” or the “extremists.” However, throughout history, the Pakistani nation has always tried to present itself with much more moderate ideas and thoughts; whether it is voting for a woman to be the prime minister for the second time or allowing the U.S. to explore its mountains in search of Bin Laden. Pakistan always tries to give people a sense of understanding and freedom. It is not the Western world that the extremists or the terrorists are after, it is us — the Pakistanis versus “them” — the radical mullahs, now.

From their previous reputation, it can be concluded that the Taliban have the tendency to spread like rabbits to pollute the minds of simple civilians — people who are so emotional as to do almost anything for the sake of their religion.

See DISCRIMINATION, page 7

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Friday, June 12, 2009 Vol. 32, No. 4

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

DISCRIMINATION: the pakistani misconception But it is also a reality that the Talibans are not the favourites of the majority of Pakistanis. I understand that we were the ones who actually supported the Taliban like many other countries when they were fighting against the Soviets in Afghanistan.

But this does not make it legitimate to have us fight against the Taliban all alone, now that they are trying to destroy our country’s infrastructure by changing our laws and challenging our ways of living.

Those of you who call Talibinization in Pakistan to be the net effect of simple “karma,” I urge you to flip through the pages of history. The Taliban were the “heroes” — the “mujahidins” or the “soldiers of God” in the early ‘90s. The entire world, especially the U.S. and Afghanistan also supported them with troops and weapons. If everyone was involved in feeding them and giving them the power, then why should only Pakistan face the brutal consequences of their growth?

Why is it that the majority of us Pakistanis get associated with them? Even when we are fighting against them, it is only us who get called upon as “Taliban.” The Afghans, the Arabs, or the Americans are not being called as such, even though they were also the core supporters of them back then.

The West has caught a wrong image of Pakistan just because we still have a few radical mullahs infecting our nation. It is the Pakistanis who are the victims now, as Talibinizaton — just like AIDS — is now trying to kill us by attacking our immune system — our Pakistan-Army.

While we in Canada proudly send our wishes to the soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, there are others who are probably more in need of our support. The Pakistan army is not fighting against one specific group — it is fighting against injustice, it is fighting to protect the rights of women and children, and most importantly it is fighting to save the true image of Islam — the religion of the mainstream Pakistanis and world’s second biggest religion. It is not a fight against a recognizable enemy. The “Taliban-look” is not much different from the “normal” Pakistani look. They eat the same food we do, dress up in the same way, and speak the same language. People who are familiar with war history and those who watch historical war-related movies know that it is an extremely difficult task to fight against those who cannot be easily

spotted. Taliban members may disguise themselves as some sort of foreign agency members, they may act as if they are loyal Pakistanis, and they may hide behind a veil like a Swati woman to get through.

On the other hand, the Pakistani Army is easily recognizable, with officers and soldiers wearing a uniform being an easy target for the unmerciful enemy.

A professor in my developmental psychology class once said that human ears have the tendency to prefer some sounds over the other. For instance, the crying sound of a baby gets our attention in a fraction of a second as compared to the voice of, say, an adult. This is also referred to be one of the evolutionary benefits humans posses as the “baby-sound” sensitivity was one of the major reasons we all survived in the dark jungles. But, it seems now that the sound of millions of crying Pakistani babies is not attention-getting enough to break though the plugged ears of people.

Or is it because we have blocked our ears intentionally by wrapping our pity in the cover of criticism? Comments made by local and some foreign political parties do the latter very neatly. Blaming Pakistan by calling the war against Taliban a “wrong decision” is not doing any good. It would have been better if these people had made their voices heard at the time when Pakistan was under an enormous pressure to do something against the extremists.

Everyone seems so insensitive to such a big problem and I am thoughtless and unable to give this insensitivity a reason.

If we don’t see something, we think that everyone everywhere is just fine. Here, I urge you all to read your newspapers and watch the news on TV. The most sensitive of you may want to close your eyes and block your ears, as news concerning the Swat Valley victims may contain extremely disturbing scenes. You may see and hear crying babies, infants whose mothers cannot feed them because of maternal malnutrition, or children who are getting sick and dying due to common and easily treatable diseases like diarrhea. And finally, women and young girls who are getting raped just because they have lost the men in their families during the fight and thus are easily spotted and targeted by sex predators. We should all be blamed if something terrible happens to these victims, because as humans we are obligated to play our parts in ensuring the safety and solidarity of our other fellow humans.

Complaining about a mild sunburn or

dull hair color, I never thought life could be so painful for people in Pakistan. Sleeping in a cozy bed now gives me nightmares about people who had to leave their homes — and for some, their family members — because of this war against Taliban terrorism. When my sister goes for a regular gynecologist check-up, I think about the 70,000 women who are pregnant but are in the refugee camps where “care” is not cared about. When I see my 24-year-old brother, young and bright, getting ready for school, I remember Captain Waqas Zameer, a 24-year-old Pakistani soldier who died in the battle while protecting his wounded soldiers. Pointing my index finger during prayer to be the witness of unity of God and the prophet-hood of Mohammad (p.b.u.h), I think about Waqas Zameer’s index finger, pointed up while embracing martyrdom. His brother,

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source of hope and security, and turned my bad day to a good one. But now, when I see children playing catch with their parents, or young girls strongly holding their daddy’s hands, some tears roll down my cheeks. I imagine the emptiness of major Major Abid’s two young kids, whose father bravely lost his life to save the children of Pakistan. The brave story of Bilal Zafar — another young yet brave Captain in Pakistan Army, makes me suffocate. I feel a growing pressure on my heart as I try to control my tears giving me a lump in my throat. I wonder how he felt when he got a rocket launcher in his chest. He must have had thoughts about his family and his loved ones, but people around him say all he could think those days was how to win the fight to make Pakistan “Taliban-free.”

Sharing the story of the brave soldiers

If we cannot do much physically for them, we can wish them the best of luck, we can hope for peaceful afterlives for those who have lost their lives for us, and we can pray for those who are in the battlefield right now fighting for us.

a good friend of mine, says that he was a really good brother, a proud son to his mother, and a great army officer who happened to be famous for his fine sense of humour and gentle temper. His young soul and brave heart preferred a dusty grave over his mother’s cuddling arms and he willingly sacrificed his life for the love of his country. Seeing my mother kiss my brother good-bye for a trip to Toronto makes me wonder about Waqas’s mother.

Her lips would have shivered from the cold touch she felt while kissing her dead son for the last time. She and millions of other Pakistani mothers are patient about losing their sons in the battle, just because they know that there will be billions of women, women like you and me, women like your sisters and wives, whose children will get born and raised safely because of the sacrifices made by their sons.

Taking long walks at Victoria Park and enjoying the family oriented atmosphere there has always been a summer habit for me. I like the “family zone” in the park, where children play in water and mud with their parents. The view always gave me a

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Continued from page 6

and the other war victims, I am requesting that you all change your opinions about Pakistan and Pakistanis. I gave only a few examples, but history will bring much more pages filled with the names of martyrdoms of this war. These are people who are human like us; they are also someone’s children or parents or loved ones, but they are leaving them for the sake of our safety.

They all have made the decision to give their lives so that you and I and other potential victims of terrorism may live happily ever after. If we cannot do much physically for them, we can wish them the best of luck, we can hope for peaceful afterlives for those who have lost their lives for us, and we can pray for those who are in the battlefield right now fighting for us. Their sacrifices are more than enough to sweep away the negative stereotypes many posses about Pakistanis. As a fellow Waterloo student, I urge you to change your mind structure today, and block the association that makes you categorize Pakistanis and Taliban together.

Community Editorial Response to “On UW leadership and the price of tea in China” Sam Andrey, Nick Soave, and Justin Williams respondents

L

et us first start with the admission that we understand how students not actively involved with the Federation of Students or University governance could feel that they receive little benefit from their student representatives. Indeed, we would argue that the worst thing that the Federation of Students and our student representatives do is effectively communicate the work that we do to the student body. As this is the obvious responsibility of both student representatives and the campus media, we look forward to new initiatives to provide better communication around campus issues and the role that our student representatives play in decision making. As the exam accommodations affair last fall demonstrated, we are clearly more effective when proper communication is present. While we are excited to work on developing this communication initiative, the following piece is meant to dispel some of the misrepresentations put forward in the article “On UW Leadership and the Price of Tea in China.” While this community editorial was written by the three of us, it

came from discussions with other student representatives on the UW campus and out of respect for the time and work of many of our colleagues.

A quick look back at just the past month reveals that Feds and student representatives are consistently and successfully advocating for you and working on your behalf. Your student Senators have been actively working against the proposal to allow for Saturday tutorials and midterms, while student representatives have successfully pushed the university to undertake a review of PD courses and make sure regulations regarding academic integrity are fair and appropriate. Also, Feds and student representatives across the campus are working to re-negotiate agreements that provide affordable health and dental insurance and a universal bus pass to our students; reallocating and renovating space within the SLC to improve its functionality for the entire student body and our campus’ clubs, services and societies; planning with the university for a new building to house student services; and working to ensure that all new buildings contain adequate student social and study space.

See CLARIFICATION, page 8

55 465 PHILLIP STREET LOCATION ONLY

746-6893 LIMITED TIME OFFER

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

Part 1: Don’t let the economic recession cause your great depression rthangarajah@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Maintain a FICO credit score of at least 720.

armel chesnais

For all of you who are reading this and asking yourself, “What the heck is a FICO credit score?” allow me to explain. The FICO score is the most widely used credit scoring system in the world. Your FICO credit score is a number usually ranging between 300 and 900, which is based on a series of calculations that measure your credit worthiness. Accounting for about 30 per cent of your score is how much debt you have — that is, how much money you owe on your credit card(s). The primary

way your score is determined is through the debt-to-available-credit ratio. Basically, the higher your score, the better off your chances of acquiring additional credit. So, whether you’re looking to get a loan to pay off your tuition or a credit line to finance any post-graduate ventures you may be considering, it’s best to know your score, and know that it’s at least at a desirable 720.

In general, any score above 720 means that you’re in a good financial position where lenders will be most likely to approve your credit requests.

But this score isn’t only useful to creditors, it’s also becoming of great importance to potential employers. In fact, having a strong FICO score could be the determining factor in securing a post-graduate job over that degree you spent years pursuing.

Nowadays, many companies are pulling up applicants’ credit reports — because they have the legal authority to do so — and checking up on their FICO scores before extending a job offer. And their reasoning is justifiable: if you can’t be trusted with your own money, then why should they trust you with theirs?

Hence, if you want to keep your FICO

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month (8.4 per cent), looks like it’s more likely to occur than not. The grim reality is that there’s no such thing as “job security” anymore. So, it’s best to prepare in advance so that you have some means to cope with while you actively seek employment.

“I fully expect that many of you may not be able to flip the switch and magically have a bank account that is stuffed with enough money to cover eight months of living expenses. But you must start moving toward that goal,” suggests Orman.

Even if you’re saving and you never get to the eight month benchmark, that’s okay.

“The point is that you are moving in the right direction. Every month you will have more security, not less,” says Orman.

For working students, one of the best ways to develop a consistent savings plan is to set up an automated deposit from your chequing account into your savings account.

That way, you won’t be tempted to spend that extra cash or worse — forget to save it! Studies have shown that once people automate, they tend to stick with it. Or as Orman reminds us, “As the saying goes, set it and forget it.”

If you’re wondering how much to

Before this economic recession leads to a “Great Personal Depression” for some of us, America’s most sought-after personal finance expert, Suze Orman, has a 2009 Action Plan to help us make the most of our resourceful minds, and our money.

score in good financial health, then Orman offers some sound advice: “The only way to keep your FICO score unaffected by a credit limit reduction is to get out of credit card debt and pay off your bills in full each month.”

But before you do that, call up your bank and find out what your FICO score is (if you don’t know it already). Being a student is no excuse for a low FICO score in the short-run, but not knowing your FICO score could be even more costly in the long-run.

Build up your savings to cover eight months of living expenses...

Because that’s how long it’s going to take you (on average) to find employment if you ever find yourself laid-off. Which, with Statistics Canada announcing Canada’s unemployment rate at an 11-year high this

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W

hoever wrote the lyrics to the all time classic hit, What the World Needs Now is Love, forgot to take into account the imminent economic recession of 2008. Because what the world needs right now is money. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of… not just for some, but for everyone. And it seems that everyone is hungry for an extra buck, as they put their guard up, trying to protect their piece of the financial pie.

But, before this economic recession leads to a “Great Personal Depression” for some of us, America’s most sought-after personal finance expert, Suze Orman, has a 2009 Action Plan to help us make the most of our resourceful minds, and our money.

According to Orman, “a wild, drunken party of dishonesty and greed on a national scale,” was the cause of our financial troubles today. “Too many people were more interested in making a quick buck than making sound financial decisions.”

And it’s sound financial decisions that she encourages us all to make in her call to action plan, stressing 2009 as the year where we can’t afford to make any mistakes with our money.

Take it from Orman, a former waitress who was swindled out of her own $50,000 Merrill Lynch loan investment by her stockbroker before working her way up to becoming the internationally acclaimed “one-woman financial powerhouse” that she is today. She has practiced what she preaches, and certainly knows a thing or two about triumphing in tough economic times.

So, what sound advice does this financial guru have to save the world and in the process, save students, the new graduates, who will be joining the evading financial crisis?

Well, here are just four of the highlighted strategies she suggests in her book, Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe & Sound, to help us better understand our place in this financial mess of a new reality we must undeniably cope with.

deposit each month to savings, then she suggests first deciding how much you can afford to deposit. Once you have, add 20 per cent to that amount and you’ll have your deposit amount. It’s very important not to cheat as with any serious commitment you make. If you are going to set aside $100 per month, then commit to $120 (that’s $100 plus the added 20 per cent).

“You must push yourself as hard as possible to build your security as quickly as possible,” urges Orman. And you’ll be thankful you did if you ever find yourself unemployed and unwilling to mess up that great FICO score you worked so hard to earn.

In next issue’s column, I’ll build on these two strategies and discuss the last two (but not final) of Suze Orman’s tactics. In the meantime, here’s to getting your way onto finding financial freedom and securing an affordable future!

CLARIFICATION: dispelling misrepresentations Continued from page 7

Furthermore, the topic of tuition, which the author seems to take issue with the most, appears to be the topic that he understands the least. The accusation that your student representatives have been absent or complacent on the issue, both internally and externally, could not be further from the truth. For instance, when tuition increases were on the agenda at the Board of Governors, it was your student Governors that argued that the university was decreasing resources for undergraduates while increasing their financial burden, which launched a lengthy discussion at the meeting in which university officials conceded this to be true. However, it must be recognized that the university still

struggles to cover operational costs at the current tuition level despite the fact that enrolment continues to grow and is above target every year.

Additionally, to advocate for lower tuition locally, without that decrease being backed up by increased provincial funding, is to advocate for less resources for a quality undergraduate education at this university. This is why we spend the majority of our effort, and most of our VP Education’s time, with external lobby organizations, including the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, which works with provincial politicians and officials on fair tuition, adequate financial aid, increased access for underrepresented groups, and improved quality across the province. It is through this avenue that Waterloo’s student representa-

tives are highly regarded as having a thorough understanding and educated solutions for the future of higher education in Ontario, and where the most progress has been made for students, including the tuition freeze of 2004 to 2006.

In response to the author’s assumption that all of our student representatives are only in their positions to pad their resumes or practice for higher office, it would be impossible to argue that this is not true for certain representatives. But it would be equally absurd to argue that this is true for the majority of us, particularly for those that are busy at work advocating for students on a regular basis.

The committee-filling meeting that the author attended and described as overly bureaucratic and a mimicry of

the Canadian Parliament was the one meeting of the year that our student representatives hate the most; however, it is the necessary evil of selecting the students to work on the committees that play a crucial role in the work of the Federation of Students.

Additionally, the accusation that student representatives put their relationship with university administration ahead of advocacy for students, is a misrepresentation of what is a conscious effort on the part of students to develop a collegial relationship with key officials, to allow for access to and progress with the key individuals capable of facilitating the type of change that the author seeks. This collegiality is never put before the need to fight for students, but always fitting into the roles of oppressor and rebel is not always the

most effective route. For example, the progress made through the initiation of a review of PD courses and the development of a plan for a new student services building to accommodate demand for increased study and social space was not accomplished because your student representatives kicked and screamed about the issues — but because we were able to sit down and work with the administration through to a solution.

Finally, we’d like to reinforce that your student representatives, whether they be at your faculty society, the University Senate, or the Federation of Students, are always looking for feedback, student concerns, or involvement from the people they are working to represent, and so you should always feel free to contact us

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

Letters Re: Trudeau’s motion To the editor, It seems all we hear about are lost tapes, binders, gold baskets, and now possibly gold from the Mint itself, which cannot make any Canadian proud of their political representatives these days. One starts to wonder if the political crisis in Ottawa has prevented issues of substance from being seriously considered, much less solved, in the best interest of the nation and the Canadian people. Whatever happened to fighting the recession, or fighting cancer, or fighting global-warming, or maybe fighting American protectionism? Amongst this partisan warfare, another important issue to Canadians and to the future of Canada falls by the wayside. Justin Trudeau’s motion (Private Members’ Business M299), asks for the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, to study and consider a national voluntary service policy for young people. This is a process that would engage young people in the political process in order to develop a policy that considers issues that they care about. A study that could discover ways for youth to develop civic pride in their country and communities, empowering them through volunteer programs, such as political activities, which would bring fresh views and spirit to our now embarrassing political class.

The youth are not seriously considered a worthy political constituency during or after campaigns; this is commonly explained away by the age category’s poor voter turnout, which then leads to the justification that apathy at the polls gets you apathy on your issues. However, politicians and political parties actively pursue specific segments of the population, under the cause for making the political system more open and sympathetic to their issues, which is all in the spirit of fairness and equal opportunity. Yet somehow the youth segment of the population appear not worthy of such noble pursuits. This seems to be the current thinking of the Conservative government, who voted Trudeau’s motion down; this seems to be the view of our MP (insert your local Conservative MP here) Gary Schellenberger who voted Trudeau’s motion down. However, I cannot believe that Mr. Schellenberger actually believes that the youth of our country and his riding are not a valuable segment of his constituency to be fairly represented in Ottawa with his vote. The vote against the youth and Mr. Trudeau must have been a vote to “stick-it” to the opposition. The motion was just part of the collateral damage caused by this recent round of partisan brinkmanship. This is an issue that Schellenberger and his party calculate will not get a lot of press and will be missed by their

greater constituency, along with the tapes, binders and gold. I guess the Conservatives and Mr. Schellenberger have somehow justified voting for a record deficit, which will have to be paid for by the Canadian youth, but refuse to vote to include the youth in the process. It is voting for record spending — and what will no doubt be future record taxation — without proper representation.

Brendan Knight Geography, fourth year Re: Dubai satellite campus? Good luck with that!

To the editor, After hearing about the recent decision by the UW Administration to start up a satellite campus in Dubai, I absolutely refused to comment on any of it up until now. I strongly feel that the UW community in Canada should be aware of the situation in Dubai. Having lived previously in U.A.E. for more than 10 years and currently a third year undergraduate engineering student, I would like to share a few of my thoughts and opinions about this entire “satellite” venture.

Firstly, let me bring light to the political situation of this country. The University of Waterloo originates from a country that is completely against discrimination based on religion, caste, creed, nationality etc. Now, UW plans to move to a country that is based purely on Muslim/ Arabic law. Personally, I have nothing against any religion or race but I cannot accept the fact that one religion or race supercedes all others. For example, kissing and public displays of affection are unacceptable here because of the culture difference — which is understandable, but there is a whole lot more to this. Ask anybody who has lived in Dubai for long enough, especially expatriates of South Asian origin. They fear local citizens and local law because they believe that the entire system is biased — and it is. For example, in the court of U.A.E. law, a local’s testimony is valued much more than a “foreigner” irrespective of the evidence involved.

Even though I have a valid Canadian license along with a valid international permit to drive in the U.A.E., my father has second thoughts when letting me drive because he feels that the police there wouldn’t completely accept it just because I am Christian. Believe me when I say that I have met many locals who are extremely outgoing and go out of their way to help you, however there are quite a few who just totally ruin that entire experience.

That being said, the U.A.E. is a wonderful country that has a lot potential and many talented rulers. In fact, I look up to many of

them. Think about it, they have managed to convert a desert to one of the most important cities in the world! Most of the locals, especially the younger generation are very well educated and talented. However, there is a darker side to this country as well. Try and Google/YouTube “human rights U.A.E.” and you will find many unbelievable human rights violations — some that would make your guts churn. The U.A.E. bans all “inappropriate” website content — I accept blocking porn websites, but random sites like Skype and Orkut (a social website similar to Facebook) — what the hell! Just a few days back, there was a video of a criminal being tortured on YouTube by a local (check it out for yourself) and it was blocked the very next day! (The government denied the allegations of course). Could you even remotely imagine having an organization similar to GLOW (Gays and Lesbians of Waterloo) in this country? Ha, now that would be the day! I do agree that the law has made living in this country safe and secure for everyone but hey, there is a limit to everything!

I encourage you to look up the qualification criteria for citizenship in the UAE — it’s next to impossible to get one! Hence 80 per cent of the U.A.E. population consists of “outsiders”, many of whom have lived here and contributed to the economy for more than 25 years! I wonder how many would agree that this system is flawed and biased?

Do you think the U.A.E. is politically stable enough to host University of Waterloo?

Moving on, let’s consider some other universities that have opened satellite campuses in the U.A.E. To name a few: Middlesex from UK, New York University and BITS from India. BITS is considered to be one of the most reputed universities in India for engineering — which only accepted students from the top of the class.

Over here on the other hand, students whose parents have deep pockets are accepted with below average grades with parents, and are taught by underqualified staff in underequipped labs. The end result? Their degrees lost the value to such an extent that the parent university — BITS Pilani, withdrew the accreditation status of the Dubai Campus. Apart from this university, the other universities are facing similar difficulties. I wonder why the University of Waterloo is trying

to dig its own grave.

Imagine that Waterloo opens up around 150 seats for engineering students in Dubai.

Firstly, let me guarantee that the screening process would in no way be as hard as that of the original Waterloo simply because there will not be that many applicants! It is my assumption that — to make the venture financially viable — sub-par students would be accepted into the university. Would this be really fair on all future applicants? Now, after having completed three and a half years in ECE, I find it very hard to imagine that the examinations I have written would be as hard as what they would write. Would it be fair that the Dubai campus students gain a rather easier passage into third year? Alright, now that they pass the first two years in Dubai, do you personally think that these students would be able to cope with our (Waterloo campus’) level of competition? (FYI ­— third year is considered as the hardest year in the engineering curriculum) Now, after having spent a load of daddy’s or mommy’s money for the first two years of their degree, would this be fair on them? What about if they graduate?

Would these students be as good as the rest of us? What about co-op? Many of my friends are doing internships positions in Dubai, and they never did anything “technical”. All of us — engineers and non-engineers — know or have heard about the infamously famous PDEng. Let’s face it, many of the students applying might have studied in schools with English as their second language. Would they survive this torture? Would this all be really fair on any of us (past/current and future students included).

Would the degrees that we earned so hard to get be worth it after this stunt?

I really doubt that Waterloo has given a deeper thought about this entire “satellite campus” venture. Yes, Dubai is “where it’s at” for now, where paupers can become millionaires overnight, but I seriously doubt that Waterloo coming here was the most brilliant idea. That being said, now that Waterloo has taken the initiative to set up camp in Dubai, should very seriously find a solution to these issues.

Tarun Ninan Engineering, third year

E is for Error will return in the June 26 issue of Imprint. If you have any comments regarding E Aboyeji’s column, contact him through his email, or send a message to opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca. eaboyeji@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Community Editorial Illuminating the role of the VPED Justin Williams feds vp education

O

riginally, I was planning on writing an article focusing on specific policy issues that are going to be developed and lobbied on over the next year (tuition, the Reaching Higher 2 plan, and the changing nature of post-secondary education). However, over the last month in my new role as your Vice-President Education (VPEd) it has become evident that the most important thing that I could do is explore the role of the VPEd and provide avenues for students to become more involved in shaping the job the advocacy and services provided by this portfolio. So, through this article I will illuminate the role that the VPEd plays at the University of Waterloo.

Generally speaking, the work of the VPEd can be broken into two major sections: internal work and external work. Internal to the University, it is the job of the VP Education to provide a voice for students regarding issues of co-operative education, undergraduate studies, and academic success.

The major service provided within the education

portfolio has consistently been Co-op Student Service, which consists of the WatPubs program and some materials outlining students rights in the co-op program. However, it is important to understand that the Federation of Students has flirted with other programs such as offering peer academic support and centralizing exam banks for all students. The idea of expanding the services that are offered in this portfolio are of great interest to many within the organization, and I would welcome any suggestions for growth.

Beyond academic services, internally the VPEd is primarily responsible for representing students on internal academic issues. In practice I see this task being completed in two ways. First, student representatives on the faculty and the university level should view the VPEd as an advocacy resource on academic issues: setting up meetings, providing research, and being a sounding board for ideas. Second, the VPEd is an advocate for student opinions on a number of University committees: Co-op Education Council, Senate Undergraduate Council.

While the internal portion of the VPEd’s job is crucial, in recent years a large portion of the

VPEd’s time has been consumed by the very important task of representing students externally. This aspect of the VPEd’s job has been advanced to ensure that university education is accessible and affordable for students while still maintaining a high level of quality. The external work of the VPEd can be further broken down in two different ways.

First, the work of the VPEd is divided between three levels of government. Close to home, the VPEd is a support to the president on municipal issues that relate to student success. This includes working on housing issues for students and advocating for appropriate use of bylaws.

More traditionally the VPEd’s attention has been focused specifically on the federal and provincial governments and the role that they play in postsecondary education. While constitutionally the provincial government has primary control over education, all levels of government play crucial roles in post-secondary education.

Federally, for instance, we are actively working on copyright law to ensure that students can properly access academic materials without unreasonably high

fees. Additionally, we lobby the Federal government on issues such as research funding, student assistance funding, and the development of a Pan-Canada Accord on post-secondary education.

Provincially, we are entering into an incredibly important year for students. While we have had very successful lobby years recently, this year is going to be the one that shapes the five year path for postsecondary education in Ontario. This year, we will be working with provincial partners to shape the provincial governments Reaching Higher 2 (which is set to expire), renegotiating the tuition framework (which sets the level of tuition increases that universities can charge), and setting the long range plan for OUSA, our provincial lobby organization of which we are an influential member.

The most important aspect of all of this information is that you, as an undergraduate student, can impact and steer the work of the VPEd. As we move forward, it is the direction of undergraduates students that should drive the position of the VPEd. As always, my door is open and I truly value input from students. I look forward to working with you all.

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009 arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Spotlight

Shining light on UW’s artistic community Robyn Goodfellow reporter

T

ethan oblak

his past weekend offered the commencement of 2009’s Spotlight Festival, a three day celebration of demonstrations and activities offered by the Waterloo Region’s artistic community. Residents of the cities of Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Stratford, and Guelph had the opportunity to experience both visual and performance art in local parks, galleries, and streets during the second annual festival. UW’s own Artery Gallery, located on King Street in Kitchener, participated with the inclusion of their Signs and City Spaces exhibition.

Signs and City Spaces showcased a unique range of paintings, models, and innovative pieces that offered various interpretations of the characteristics and roles of both urban landscapes and the signs related to them. The Artery Gallery welcomed a number of street patrons and friends of artists over the weekend, drawing attention with bright advertising and creative participatory activities. The combination of artistic displays by both University of Waterloo students and English professor Marcel O’Gorman was designed to

prompt questions and curiosity from the gallery’s patrons and to challenge them to observe the city atmosphere in new and different ways.

In addition to a number of beautiful abstract paintings and intriguing city dioramas designed to challenge society’s movement from physical creation to the digital age of technology, Marcel O’Gorman’s casket exhibit excited many gallery patrons. The piece featured an open casket that could be entered by observers; inside a television played footage of a man on a treadmill, critically lecturing about the time society wastes in front of the television. The piece followed the exhibition’s theme of society’s relationship with the city and urban aspects of life, and was described as “a reminder of death for the digital age.” Recent UW graduate Matt Schust emphasized the public’s love of technological pieces like the casket and their adoration of exhibits that they can personally interact with.

Schust showed several abstract paintings at the event — all pieces that he completed during his university career. He and curator Tarin Hughes elaborated that the reward for student participation in UW’s Artery Gallery is the opportunity to show your art

and meet people from the artistic community. It can be difficult for recent graduates to gain information on who to talk to, when important events are, and when deadlines pass in the art community; the Artery Gallery can provide many of these crucial connections.

The Artery Gallery offers a very accessible opportunity for UW students to showcase their creative talent. The process of securing the gallery’s use for an exhibit is relaxed and informal, and easy for any student to take advantage of. The Artery was given to the University of Waterloo’s students by the city of Kitchener and, as curator Tarin Hughes stresses, can be used to display poetry, performances, and even concerts.

Though this year’s Spotlight Festival has come to a close, Artery Gallery offers ongoing opportunities for UW’s creative students to become involved in the artistic community.

Hughes encourages students to take advantage of all that Artery Gallery has to offer. The gallery is available to any student and should be treated as an open community space, designed to shed some extra light on UW’s brilliant artists.

julia hawthornthwaite

julia hawthornthwaite

Spotlight, a celebration of local artistic efforts, offered many creative exhibitions including Marcel O’Gorman’s casket exhibit (top left), abstract paintings (bottom left), and city dioramas (above).

What is creative?

I

have a small bit I wanted to talk about which has been picking at my mind for the past week. If any one of you guys would like to share your thoughts on the following topic, feel free to e-mail me! I’m definitely open for any discussion you may have.

I remember the character Harry Farber in M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water. In the movie, he’s a miserable film and literature critic living with a band of misfits in an apartment complex. To him, there’s

ptrinh@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

no originality in narrative anymore and that there are only a handful of original stories left in the world. I can’t remember if he actually said anything like that in the movie — it’s not a movie I choose to remember a lot — but it’s made me think about the originality of stories in a comic or animation. The most important question to ask about this is, “Does not having an original story make the story low-quality?” I think the answer to that is no and there’s good reason I think that.

It could just be that some critics confuse the term “original story” with “genre.” Of course, when you think about works from the alternative comics scene, it’s an industry saturated with slice-of-life and biography comics.

On a very basic perspective, all you see in comics is angst, superheroes, stereotypes or (God forbid) all of the above.

But it’s the approach that matters now, which is what critics look for in the “originality” in comics and animation. Comic #361 of

Gordon McAlpin’s Multiplex (www. multiplexcomic.com) touches on this idea. The character Jay states, “Clichés and stock characters often become those things because there’s an element of truth in them.” There can still be quality in these cookiecutter concepts if they can relate to the human condition.

Take a look at the simplicity of products such as works from the alternative-comics industry. There have been many stories on the experience of war, ranging from French Revolu-

tion novels to World War II films, but Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis — both in comic and in animated form — has a very easy form to it; black and white tones, simple shapes, and high contrast. And it would certainly grab the attention of a good number of those who glance at it.

From a very objective standpoint, I can see that there’s no such thing as an original story but it doesn’t matter.

There is no rule in the world that says that genuine emotion must come from originality alone.

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

11

Reviews Books

CD

The Tenth City The Land of Elyon, Book 3 Patrick Carman

The Promise Bif Naked Released May 5, 2009

Bif Naked’s new album is an incredible mix of all that makes Bif a queen of the Canadian music scene.

In the last few years she has overcome breast cancer and has been married; both of these have helped influence and shape her music in a new way.

There is an incredible mix of pop, rock, metal and techno. Few artists can pull off such a range let alone in a single album, but Bif manages it well.

From the first track “Crash and Burn,” we have the powerful refrain “If I am alive for the first time / I must have died inside so I could let go of things that weren’t mine / I’m crashing and burning / you’re crashing and burning / we’re crashing and burning.” The oddly addictive song “Honeybee” sounds like a classic ‘50s or ‘60s rock song with intensely modern lyrics, “There’s been a murder, in my kitchen / I hit him hard / I hit him fast / I watched him die, but for the life of me / I’m still missing an excuse, an explanation, a good reason why.” Odd lyrics considering her recent nuptials — yet maybe not odd but rather openly honest, as merging households can be difficult. The most popular track thus far is “F**k You 2,” in which the voice moans the loss of a lover to the opposite sex. The lyrics declare: “I’m I’m losing my world, Cause you’re leaving and I’m dying without you, So now I am nothing to you, So f**k you too.”

Scholastic

This album is light and energetic in its feel and music, yet deeply intense and pervasive in the powerful lyrics.

Overall an excellent album and a great addition to the Bif Naked Canon.

The only album I think is better as a whole is 2005’s Superbeautifulmonster.

The Promise has a depth and quality that will endear it to fans, old and new alike.

Track Listing 1) Crash And Burn - 3:33 2) Sick - 3:40 3) Bluejay - 3:54 4) F**K You 2 - 3:15 5) Honeybee - 2:53 6) You’ll Never Know - 2:53 7) My Innocence - 3:28 8) Red Flag - 3:26 9) Ciao, Bella - 4:05 10) King Of Karma - 3:14 11) Amazon Motel - 3:43 12) River Of Fire - 3:45 13) Welcome To The End - 3:57 14) Save Your Breath - 3:04 — Steven R. McEvoy

Movie

Up Pete Docter Disney/Pixar

I remember my initial reaction when Up was announced. Being excited for learning about a Pixar production that looks like a tip of the hat to Hayao Miyazaki. The concept of an old man finding adventure in a house of balloons is reminiscent of Howl’s Moving Castle. However, I started to wonder how this movie would fare in comparison to Andrew Stanton’s WallE, which since its release has become my favourite film of all-time.

My expectations were mixed the day I decided to see the film directed

by Pixar senior staff member Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc). Lo and behold, I was delighted to leave the theatre with one of Disney/Pixar’s most heartfelt and beautiful creations to date.

What the movie does well is storytelling. While it’s your typical story of love, loss, and recollection, the tale is told through endearing moments, loveable

characters, and a great use of humour.

Old man Carl, played by veteran actor Ed Asner, isn’t just a crazy old man; you learn that he has a reason for who he is and why people think he’s senile. Russell (Jordan Nagai), the kid stowaway and camp scout, holds an innocence that is as endearing as any other loveable kid.

Throw in Christopher Plummer as the villain, and you have a great adventure that compliments the story.

The film’s presentation in Disney Digital 3D was a nice touch. Although it didn’t seem very necessary, it added to the atmosphere that the film was trying to achieve. The film does well on its own, in my opinion, but 3D has been a fresh look in filmmaking and animating since the release of Henry Selick’s Coraline.

Part of me wants to keep Wall-E as my favourite film, but Up is indeed a worthy competitor. Pixar has proven once again that the oddest of couples can be the most entertaining.

— Peter N. Trinh

The Tenth City is the third book in The Land of Elyon trilogy, the tenth book by Patrick Carman that I have read, and the fifth set in Elyon.

Elyon is the ancient Semitic word for God or “Most High.” The Tenth City is a city shrouded in mist that none can reach, for it is the home of Elyon and his angels. The power of Carman’s creativity is exemplified by the fact that this is the middle book of the five set in this land. It is the last one I read and yet nothing was lost by reading it after the others. I am sure something would have been gained by reading them sequentially but they did not come into my hands in that order. Carman is a master storyteller and this book is an excellent example of that.

This book is the end of the original trilogy of Elyon by Carman. In it,

living “lexi”: a walk in the life of a dyslexic Shelly Trammell Book Surge

living “lexi”: a walk in the life of a dyslexic is the story of a family struggling and learning to overcome dyslexia. Written by Shelly Trammell and her daughter Isabella, it chronicles their journey to learn about the disorder and everything they can do to help overcome it. At just under 50 pages, it is an intense little book. It is also a great resource for other families struggling with the affliction.

It is published in a font that looks like a handwritten script. It also has a strange mix of formatting, often missing caps or punctuation, and certain words and phrases are bolded or emphasized in other ways.

The book was written to explain how some people with dyslexia experience the world. It does a great

“‘IRON’ MIKE TYSON LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE” - Jonathan Crocker

“Dismantles the clichés and myths” - Empire Magazine

“An emotionally devastating and nakedly honest confession about his life, times and crimes” - David Edwards

TYSON NOW PLAYING

6 Princess St. W., Waterloo 885-2950 www.princesscinemas.com

the Grindall still has Yipes captured and is demanding the return of the last of the magical jocasta stones from Alexa Daley. As usual, Alexa is travelling and battling the forces of darkness with a strange mix of companions; the Warlord, Odessa the wolf, Squire the hawk, Murphy the squirrel, and Armon the Giant are just a few of the characters that return in this adventure. The story focuses around a battle for the hearts and minds of the people: Elyon loves his creatures and wants the best for them, and Abaddon is a monster bent on destruction and fire, whose sole driving purpose is to destroy Elyon and his creatures.

The books draw heavily upon religious and Christian imagery, and the story is told in a masterful way.

It all comes down to Alexa. Can she once again save the day? You will have to read to the book to find out.

But there is a hint in that Carman went on to add two more books set in this world featuring Alexa,

job of capturing the frustration and difficulties of a person with a learning disability who, despite constantly being told they do not live up to their potential, struggles to do everything they can.

This mother and daughter team are open and vulnerable in a way that is both moving and encouraging. As someone who had their dyslexia diagnosed in the mid ‘70s I wish there had been more resources like this around. The whole last section of the book is comprised of four pages full of links to help you learn more about dyslexia and other conditions.

Chances are you know someone with a learning disability; in reality, many of the people you know might have disabilities that you do or do not know about. This book will give you a glimpse into their lives, their struggles, and hopes. It is written as a success story, but also emphasizes that everyone wants to succeed no matter what might be holding us

to some extent, as central to both.

The Tenth City is a great book in a good series, and will be fun light summer reading.

— Steven R. McEvoy

back. This book can provide some encouragement to keep pushing on and striving to achieve our goals and dreams. Well done Shelly and Isabella. As the old joke goes, dyslexics of the world “untie”!

— Steven R. McEvoy

It Will Go Easier On You If You Just Come To Our Store.

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

Author addiction or reading stalker?

I

often wonder about addictive personalities — in part because of my own.

They manifest themselves in many ways, shapes, and forms. I keep lists of each book I have read each year, favourite authors, and favourite books. These lists can be seen on my blog www.bookreviewsandmore.ca along with a nearly complete collection of my published and unpublished reviews. But when does a love of an author’s writing become an addiction, or a form of literary stalking? I think in the last number of years I have had a few book or author fetishes; in short periods of time I have read entire author canons or most of their works, or compulsively tracked down out-of-print and hard-tofind obscure books from various authors.

In this week’s column I will examine a few of these past obsessions. Maybe my reflections will provide a mirror to parts of your own life.

I did not start keeping track of the books I had read until the fall of 1995.

Since then I have read over 1300 books.

In the last 151 months I have actually read 1334 books — that is an average of almost nine books a month and 104 books a year. In that same time frame I have read the following sets: • Between 1995 and 1997, I read 31 books by Madelein L’Engle.

• Since 2006, I have read 18 books by Kathy Shaidle, 35 books by C.S. Lewis, and 37 by Jose Maria Escriva.

While I have read only six of his books, combined I have read Calvin

smcevoy@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Miller’s books 56 times, and although I have only read four of Noah benShea’s books, I’ve read them a total of 28 times.

I would definitely say that is fanatical if not obsessive behavior!

This is only part of the story. Chuck Palahniuk wrote the novel Fight Club, and after seeing the movie in the summer of 2004, I devoured all of his books — both fiction and non-fiction — except Fight Club. I read seven of his books — representing two collections of his works — in under a year, then finally read Fight Club. A while back a short story that I read, titled The Warm Sand, haunted me for decades.

After being reminded of it while browsing used book stores in Toronto I managed to track it down. (An article about the story and how I found it is posted at www. bookreviewsandmore.ca/2005/12/thatelusive-story.html) After finding the story again, I used interlibrary loan to get every edition of author J.F. Power’s books, read them and compared different editions of his short stories.

In my column two issues ago I talked about Canadian phenom Kathy Shaidle.

I first encountered her blog and tracked down her books in print. Then I spent the better part of a day tracking down a small independent publisher in Toronto that released early editions of her works of poetry and managed to get copies that were still in stock so that I could have all of her books.

I often get asked how I read so much, or why I sometimes reread books again and

again. The answer is simple; I read because I must. There is a small part of me that needs to read daily. It is central and core to my being. I read over 100 books a year, and in any given year 15-20 of those are rereads. I reread books first because they have had a lasting impact on me, and I need to reread it to experience that effect again. The list of these annual rereads change, as some become less important and some are added to the list. Some books I reread because I know I did not “get it all” the first time. An example of this is The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom. The first time I read

“

the web and, before the 90s, through snail mail. I also used to collect signed books, both those I had signed in-person and those I sometimes paid a stupid amount of money for. Recently on E-bay I saw a first edition Fight Club go for over $1500 USD. Before marriage and children I was never that bad, but I was overly zealous in my acquisitions.

I only have a few signed books — I sold some when I needed the money and some when I needed the space. But the question remains: do I stalk authors? I find I do. I tend to find an author I like and try to read everything they have published. I sometimes

I reread some books just because I love them and want to revisit the characters, the story, or the impact they had on my life.

it I loved it, but knew that about a third of the theory was over my head. In successive readings I glean more and more from the book. Some books I reread because new books have come out in a series, and I go back and reread the series chronologically and in the order they were published. Finally, I reread some books just because I love them and want to revisit the characters, the story, or the impact they had on my life.

I have only met a few of my favorite authors in real life: Madelein L’Engle, Chuck Palahniuk, and Michael W. Higgins, to name some. I have corresponded with others on

compare various editions of books such as Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, considered a classic in its day. After his death, the original book, almost three times the size, was released by his estate. It was even better than the version his publisher made him hack down and that had been a classic for ages. However, I have seldom gone out of my way to engage authors on the web or in real life. A few have contacted me because of my reviews — most thanked me, a few complained and one was outraged.

As always, you never know what you will find between the covers.

“

12

Features

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009 features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Community endeavours provide hope Erin Harrison Reporter

N

ot much good comes out of drunken vandalism, but if it wasn’t for two intoxicated teens and a resourceful parole officer back in the 1970s, victim–offender reconciliation programs all over the world may not exist.

In 1974, when a case involving two teens and a vandalism spree in Elmira crossed the desk of parole officer Mark Yanzi, it occurred to him to allow criminals to take full responsibility for their actions by meeting their victims face to face and making amends.

It was this original case that saw Yanzi accompany the teens as they apologized and paid for the damage they caused, and helped form the first victim-offender reconciliation program. It incorporated principles of restorative justice such as reconciliation, restoration, and rehabilitation. It was a ground-breaking way of dealing with the consequences of criminal acts, and due to its success, the restorative justice movement has since spread to more than 50 countries.

Back in Kitchener, Yanzi began what was to become Community Justice Initiatives of the Waterloo Region (CJI) which now oversees 17 programs including Resolve, a mediation and conflict resolution service for individuals, groups, and the justice system; and Revive, which aims to provide support for those who are either healing from sexual trauma, or, interestingly enough, those who have committed sex-related crimes. As a non-profit organization, CJI is known and recognized all over the world for having started the first restorative justice program which is, according to their website “a way of addressing conflict and crime that engages the person who caused the harm, people who were affected by the harm, and the community.”

(Source: Community Justice Initiatives.)

Like most non-profit organizations, CJI relies heavily on grants and donations from the community and government, as well as a group of extremely dedicated community volunteers in order to operate their programs.

CJI has a longstanding partnership with UW, and its programs have been the topic of studies and reports in departments like Peace and Conflict Studies, and Recreation and Leisure, and there are many students volunteering their time with CJI to improve the community around them. Volunteers, such as third year planning student Monica Dikkes who has only recently started working with CJI, is very enthusiastic about her role in improving her community.“I like the idea of being a catalyst for change... after all, like Ghandi said, ‘You must be the change you wish to see’.” The training is extensive, but for volunteers like Monica, the reward is in seeing her community develop into a more accepting and supportive place.

Are you driven to volunteer yet? Below is an outline of some of the recent programs you can get involved with.

The Stride Program — A Fresh Start Canadian female prisoners have lately been the topic of much academic study and analysis. In 1990, the Task Force on Federally Sentenced Women recommended that Correctional Services Canada develop a community reintegration strategy for women prisoners being released into the community. The report stated that women can often face more difficult challenges upon release than their male counterparts, especially if they are Aboriginal or of a visible minority: “Women parolees must cope with child care, find decent affordable housing that will accommodate their children, make a living, find appropriate health care and deal with their addictions.” (Source: Creating Choices: The Report of the Task Force for Federally Sentenced Women.) It also notes that female prisoners would benefit from pre-release planning which addresses the barriers they will likely face when re-entering the community. American research indicates that such pre-planning is an important factor in deciding whether or not an individual will re-offend.

Many women in Canada’s prisons grew up and lived with challenges many of us can’t fathom – abuse, addiction, extreme poverty and low levels of education. Many were the victims of deep-seated social issues, and lacked the support systems that others have in families or close friends. Upon release, they face difficulties in adjusting to life outside prison and for the most part, they face it alone – a scary endeavour.

With this in mind, CJI established the Stride program which assists federally sentenced women at the Grand Valley Institute for Women or GVI (located in Kitchener) in making the difficult transition from prison into the wider community.

By providing support through trained community volunteers, Stride aims to promote the successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated women through engaging the community

at large and working with women serving a federal sentence to facilitate their return to the community. It also aims to “empower them to improve their quality of life, resulting in healthier families, neighbourhoods, and communities,” and reduce the likelihood that they well re-offend. (Source: Community Justice Initiatives.)

The Stride program has four components: a weekly recreational evening at GVI (called Stride Night), reintegration counselling, a support program for women leaving the prison, and a community education program focused on the issues of women re-entering the community.

The women are then matched with the volunteers they have gotten to know through Stride Night, and the volunteers form a “circle of support” around them while they are still in prison so that when they leave GVI, their “Stride Circle” eases the transition by helping them find housing, employment, community groups and education. They also support the women emotionally in the face of many other challenges while becoming self-sufficient.

An integral part of the Stride program is the weekly recreational “Stride Night” in which volunteers work on establishing positive relationships with the incarcerated women through crafts, games, and other relationship-building activities. A recent partnership with RareFunk, a downtown Kitchener boutique, has really helped take the Stride program a step further.

Many of the crafts produced on Stride Night are now being sold at RareFunk under the label of Fresh Start Creations, and better yet, the Stride program participants decided that all proceeds from the sale of the crafts will be donated to support the area’s Child Witness Centre. The benefits of this partnership with RareFunk are numerous, in particular it helps the Stride participants build a better relationship with, and give back to, the community.

Support for Youth – A New Program Thanks to generous donations from the Waterloo Region Police Services and the Astley Family Foundation, CJI has recently started work on a new pilot “Support for Youth” project. This project is loosely modelled after the Stride Circles program in that it will use community volunteers to support and provide mentorship to youth that may not have another positive role model within reach. The Support for Youth will target “at-risk” youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who live in group homes and will match each youth with three young adult volunteers. Each group will participate in informal activities weekly or biweekly.

While undoubtedly the roles of social workers, probation workers, and group home staff are very important in addressing the needs of at-risk youth, CJI believes that the broader community should be involved in providing support as well.

The premise is that volunteers send a strong message to young people that they are there without the motive of a paycheque, that the volunteers truly care and want to help them.

How Can I Help?

• CJI is always looking for dedicated volunteers to help run programs like Stride and is currently looking for university-aged students to play a mentorship role in the new Support For Youth program.

• The Stride program is also looking for donations of art supplies in order to continue to run Fresh Start Creations. Currently the supplies are purchased out of the program budget which is already strained. If you have any spare supplies of any sort sitting around, the Stride program would appreciate any donation, especially for art supplies like corks, tape, cigar boxes, or old register tapes.

• The CJI flagship program, the Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program, has recently lost government funding, and is looking for any opportunity to raise money to maintain the program.

14

Features

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

The asian majors

A

visitor to UW campus would instantly notice a predominance of Asian students here, especially if they take a tour of a math, engineering, or accounting class. However, if they only peeked into one of the many of the liberal arts classes, they would walk away with a very different impression of the University’s ethnic diversity. Why do some majors become a major nesting ground for Asian students and others in contrast draw so few? What cultural or sociological reasons are at play for this disparity in the choice of majors?

To look into the factors behind this disparity, we have to look back to the old days when universities were dominated by the children of the wealthy elite. An education in both the liberal arts and natural sciences were considered the foundation of a university education back in the nineteenth century; universities were often considered idling grounds for the wealthy. However, as academic institutions evolved and became more accessible to those in the middle class during the twentieth century, university degrees increasingly became a requirement into many entry-level white collar jobs. With this came the specialization of many degrees into narrowly focused areas of expertise.

Large universities moved away from institutions of liberal arts and sciences and more into vocationallike training for various business-related jobs.

As many East Asian immigrants arrived in North America, they saw education as a way for their children to quickly climb the socio-economic ladder. Asian culture has long held education in high regard. For instance, in ancient Confucian China, meritocratic public exams open to all citizens were used to determine high ranking public officials. The pervasive belief that one can carry themselves far in life through education still remains strong in modern East Asia. Newly arrived Asian immigrants naturally passed this belief down to their kids and strongly encouraged them to seek post-secondary education. By the mid-1990’s, Asian enrollment in the University of California had surpassed that of Caucasians. By 2007, Asians made up nearly half the freshman class of Uof C schools. This despite the fact that Asians only made up 14 per cent of the graduating class of California high schools. A breakdown of faculties that California Asian freshman entered showed that nearly 80 per cent entered either engineering, math, or science, with fewer than

yliu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

15 per cent choosing to pursue an education in one of the liberal arts. In contrast, white students showed a much more even divide among all the faculties, with 35 per cent choosing to major in one of the liberal arts.

Other minority groups such as Southwest Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, etc.) similarly eschew the liberal arts in favor of more technical studies such as computer science or engineering. The causes of this are likely to be very similar to East Asians; a heavy emphasis on so called “pragmatic majors” will pay immediate financial dividends after graduation is placed on the student by the parents. As immigrants, Asians often face barriers in terms of language, culture, poverty, and discrimination, thus choosing majors that do not lead to professional careers. Being a doctor, engineer, accountant, or banker is often frowned upon back home and seen as a waste of time. For many international students, language is often perceived as a major barrier to entering the liberal arts. The maths and sciences require a less intensive mastery of the intricacies of English, than say political science or philosophy would require. Additionally, cultural barriers are also at play, as many liberal arts programs have a noticeable western-orientation, particularly when dealing with programs such as history, philosophy, or anthropology. This makes these programs less appealing to many Asian students as they subconsciously feel that these programs do not address their cultural heritage at all.

Most importantly, the stereotypes of “Asian majors” do get internalized by many young Asians living in North America. They may feel more comfortable entering math or engineering, which is seen as a domain of Asians, whereas majors such as political science or history are seen as “white” degree programs and thus internalized by many Asian students as being out of their scope. This however, does not mean that Asians are to be forever limited to predominating the sciences or math. Many young Asians that are integrated into North American culture are increasingly seeing the value of a liberal arts education. A newer generation may very well bypass their parents sense of “pragmatism” and choose the topics that interest them the most, rather than the ones with highest immediate financial incentives.

Only the strong survive!

Michael L. Davenport

Feds President Allan Babor (right) exerts his dominance over Matt Waller in inflatable gladiator jousting at Health and Wellness Day on Friday, May 29.

The event was hosted by GLOW, UW Athletics, Warrior Weekends and One Waterloo in association with Counselling Services, Health Services, Police Services and Waterloo Yoga Club. The day also featured yoga, karate, and water-filled-condom tossing.

Your Lack of Grammar ... Disturbs Me

I

feel a twinge every time I open the menu at a restaurant. The grammatical atrocities, even on something as simple as a listing of food, are frighteningly abundant.

Maybe I should stop eating Chinese.

But, seriously, I think I have a problem. I open a menu, I twinge.

I walk through the cafeteria, I freak out. I read mathNEWS. I go into spasms (Just kidding; I’ve never read mathNEWS).

I know what you’re thinking: “AHA! Comma splice! You should use a semicolon in the above sentences!”

Not so, Imprint reader. Comma splices, like other breaks from grammatical convention, can highlight two contrasting clauses (i.e. “I open a menu, I twinge”). I wouldn’t try it in a paper, though.

You might be a fan of Lynne Truss, the infamous author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Boldly as ever, she says: “Done knowingly by an established writer, the comma splice is effective, poetic, dashing. Done equally knowingly by people who are not

mpankhurst@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

published writers, it can look weak or presumptuous. Done ignorantly by ignorant people, it is awful.”

Lynne Truss thinks you need to be famous to dodge comma rules. I think she’s a dork.

Her wonderful book also contains this quotation: “People who put in all the commas betray themselves as moral weaklings with empty lives and out-of-date reference books.”

Make up your mind, dearie. (I think that as long as you — even if you’re not published! Bah. — can identify and justify a break in your grammarabiding, everything will be OK.) Speaking of errors and consistency, it seems like the only credible and consistent work of popular writing is on Wikipedia, because it gives people like us — people who are right — a chance to edit out all the people who are wrong.

Isn’t there something wrong with this picture, though? Am I at fault for getting riled up whenever I go out for dinner at any place other than Buckingham Palace? Look, I know there are a lot of things more important

mpankhurst@imprint.uwaterloo.ca than grammar. There’s cancer and poor people and low grades. There are a lot of things more fun, too, like enjoying the food, driving on a summer day and reading books. But when your inability to disregard the mistakes in the above three (including driving; check out those awful street signs!), and grammar gets in the way, there’s a problem. And I’m not sure whether to blame the writer or myself.

It’s funny that we often think of the internet as being the bane of all that is grammatical. (I won’t touch the topic of YouTube comments.)

The internet is usually a terrible place for grammar, but I don’t know if the blame is going to the right place. I find that playing video games is a good way to escape the world of bad grammar. After all, programmers know a lot about syntax, and syntax is a big part of grammar. It’s the same type of thinking, so grammarians, whenever you’re looking to find someone who shares your mindset, look no further than the MC.

Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009 science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

UW Competes in Green SUV Challenge be renewable.

Along with 14 American teams, the University of Waterloo, the Ontario Institute of Bogdan Petrescu Technology and the University of Victoria science & technology editor have signed up for EcoCAR: The NeXt Chalhe University of Waterloo Alterna- lenge. The program was established through tive Fuels Team (UWAFT) is one of a partnership between the U.S. Department three Canadian university teams that of Energy and General Motors (GM). In adentered an engineering design competition to dition, the Canadian government is a major create new technology for an environmentally sponsor of the program.

Spanning three years, the aim of the chalfriendly vehicle.

The vehicles allowed to enter range from lenge is for design teams to re-engineer a mild hydrogen fuelled, electric powered or use hybrid SUV into a vehicle entirely powered only biological fuels (things like ethanol or by electricity. In each year, there are three other types of green fuel). The only real different events occurring, in the fall, winter condition for entering the competition is that and summer. The summer event summarizes the energy source that powers the car must the year and with it also the points for each team, and which teams may continue on to the For more information on UWAFT’s involvement in the next round.

To mark the compleEcoCAR challenge, visit http://www.uwaft.com/. tion of the first year of the challenge, a weekYou can learn more about the EcoCAR challenge at long mini-competition http://www.ecocarchallenge.org/. is currently being held in Toronto. By now, par— With files from the National Post, Toronto Sun and the ticipants have developed designs for their cars that University of Waterloo Alternative Fuel Team’s website . are represented in models Mohammed Shouman reporter

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and computer simulations. The main point of the first year was to have the basic architectural design of the car.

At a news conference on June 12, the top three design winners will be announced. Each winner will be given a GM-donated 2009 Saturn Vue SUV to begin the physical stage of the competition. In addition, the best design winner will be awarded $7,000 in funding for the second contest round.

Waterloo’s EcoCAR design is a car that is a hybrid between hydrogen and electric power.

The idea is to have a part of the power be supplied by the hydrogen fuel cell and the other part be supplied by the electric traction systems.

The power is then stored in a Lithium-Ion Plug-In Battery. The simulations used for the architecture of the car are mainly made from Powertrain Simulation Analysis Toolkit (PSAT), created by Argonne National Laboratories.

This system allows for a lot of different types of simulations.

There have also been a number of companies which have donated hardware for this competition. dSPACE, Inc. and National Instruments have donated software which allows students to add hardware in the loop simultation (HIL) technology to all EcoCARs. The HIL method is a really effective way to

simulate different software systems in an effective and efficient matter. This also means that they will not be required to use powertrain components to test the technology.

The Toronto mini-competition was kicked off by dignitaries from Natural Resources Canada, the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, and the City of Toronto.

On Thursday, Toronto Mayor David Miller gave a presentation to Greater Toronto Area students about the city’s environmental commitment. This presentation was given at the Sheraton Centre.

There have also been previous EcoCAR like competitions sponsored by GM. The challenge previous to this one was called Challenge X. Unlike this challenge the University of Waterloo was the only Canadian university participating in the event and won fourth place in the competition. First place went to Mississipi State University followed

by University of Wisconsin and Ohio State University.

The next challenge is expected to be sometime in September. The winners of this challenge will be released in our next edition. m2shouma@uwaterloo.ca bpetrescu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

The human stain of environmentalism thelferty@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

“

alternatives — namely in regards to energy — I want to challenge the opinion that they need to follow the same developmental path we did. I think through our aid, they should become our role models.

Many developing nations are in a position where they have the chance to develop economically and socially while evolving in a more sustainable manner. We can help them do this.

There is a lot of aid given to developing nations. Take, for example, groups who go overseas to Africa and dig wells, build schools and homes. Instead of modelling these homes, schools, and systems after our own, why don’t we model them after what we want to achieve?

need for wells — something that hindered the village water supply even while they received torrents of rain annually.

Reynold’s quest to teach a developing and devastated town how to build sustainable homes that would sustain them better in future catastrophic events as well as everyday life using just the scraps around him shows how easy it truly is. It may not have given the villages absolute electricity and home theatre systems, but it gave them a better quality of life and got the ball rolling for improvements in the future.

After all, they are developing, so improving the villagers’ lives through teaching how to live sustainably can improve many health, hunger, and

We are developing nations’ role models Architect Michael Reynolds is a man with such frayed, long grey hair you would swear he was homeless; should you see him walking around downtown Toronto. Reynolds is the star of the documentary Garbage Warrior, which documents his fight with the government of New Mexico to allow him to build sustainable housing out of waste, such as out of old tires and plastic bottles. The homes look surprisingly beautiful and are off the grid in every way.

During this film, Reynolds and his team went to India after a tsunami had devastated a coastal village in New Mexico. The people there had nothing left to carry on their lives with. Reynolds proceeded to build, and teach the villagers how to build, new homes out of the scraps and waste around them. The houses weren’t as fancy as what we have here, but they were better than nothing.

The biggest feature was the waterfiltering roofs which eliminated the

“

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here are still many people who see a separation between environmentalism and humanitarianism. There are those on both sides that posses the fundamental belief that only one can exist at a time. Either nature is for humanity to reap, or humans should all just disappear so the world can get on without us.

Is it true that humanitarianism and environmentalism can’t have the same goals? After all, we are a species just like any other. We have just as much stake in this planet as anyother living thing. Plus, without humans, no one would be around to appreciate nature. Many actually conserve it so we can continue to enjoy it.

When you begin to think of the connections between environmentalism and humanitarianism, it’s not hard to see ways in which they are the same. Many environmental issues are also human. For example, you get into more complicated territories such as economics or how some environmental initiatives infringe on humanitarianism. This is especially true when dealing with rising populations, development, and third world countries who can’t afford expensive alternatives.

In all of these examples, we see the biggest challenges facing humanitarian movements: ending poverty, developing third world countries, and human rights in those countries.

Statistician Bjorn Lomborg mentioned in a paper how developing nations need to go through the same development process as us until they are rich enough to head down a more environmentally sensitive path. We are developing nations’ role models. While I agree that it is harder for a poorer nation to develop environmentally friendly

rights issues.

In order for humanitarianism and environmentalism to get along, does society need to be completely restructured? In some ways, probably.

Both consumerism and globalization are inevitable and beneficial, however they can be done more sustainably. However, going to the nations that are at a point where they would benefit most from sustainable practices — namely shelter, agriculture, and waste — and helping them develop into sustainable communities is where it can all start.

If we can bring a nation out of the third world in a manner in which they are at harmony with their surrounding environment, not only will it eliminate the degradation that would occur should they follow the path of more globalized countries, but it would allow them to serve as role models for the rest of the world.

Tifa Han

They don’t need big fancy solar cells, but they can greatly benefit from simple, environmentally friendly gestures and cheaper technologies that modernized countries dismiss as too little to suit their needs.

Instead of putting waste and

corporations in the hands of developing countries’ hands, let us instead give them our ideas and innovations. Environmentalism and humanitarianism have always been the same thing; they just developed at different times.

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Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

Fish can’t eat fish forever

O

ut of all the possible things that the Canadian government could be investing its money in during this economic crisis, it has chosen to invest in — wait for it — the fish. Indeed, fine-finned aquatic vertebrates are the hot topic of research in a new $8.8 million dollar five-year initiative announced last month by the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology) in Charlottetown PEI. But don’t start snickering yet:

achiang@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

while more funding is being removed from cancer research, an increase in funding for aquaculture research is not quite as nonsensical as it may sound.

At a time when most industries can barely keep themselves alive, let alone drive any kind of market, Canadian aquaculture and fisheries are actually serving as very positive contributors to the nation’s economy.

With the new funding in place, Minister Shea stated her belief that “these research projects will boost the global competitiveness, productivity,

and environmental performance of this important Canadian industry.

Research and development creates jobs, strengthens the economy, and improves the quality of life of Canadians.”

News like this is good for UW Biology professor Dr. Niels Bols and his lab crew. Members of the Bols lab use fish cell cultures to examine the role of nutrition, hormones, and proteins in tissue and organ growth, noting that “in the future these factors may be useful in enhancing the growth and health of fish.”

Sonia Lee

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Atsushi Kawano reScience Matters podcast blog: cently obtained his Mashttp://aletheia.podbean.com ter’s degree from UW’s Biolog y department under the supervision of Dr. Bols. A key part of Kawano’s markers [the intestinal cells can] work in the lab tried to address the produce or what [their] optimal big problem underlying the solution conditions for growth are.” Still, to the even bigger problem: fish eat he wasn’t satisfied merely to look at RTgutGC enzymatic expression or fish.

“While it may be economically optimal growth conditions.

“I wanted to look at how these beneficial to us that the aquaculture industry is exponentially increasing, intestinal cells could interact with at present, the production of fish other components, such as microbes,” in the farms are heavily dependent Kawano said.

A key component of the outer on a type of feed called ‘fishmeal’,” membranes of a certain class of Kawano said.

As the name suggests, fishmeal is bacteria, termed “Gram-negative” made of — you guessed it — fish! bacteria, is a large molecule known So, if fish are eating themselves and as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In the demand for fish is increasing animals, the presence of LPS can (keeping in mind that fish are a limited elicit strong immune responses. As resource), then the current situation an example, high concentrations of is a recipe for trouble: fish can’t eat LPS can sometimes lead to sepsis, a fish forever. But a potential solution, condition triggered when unregulated involving the use of plant-based feeds cytokines (signaling molecules used in as an alternative source for fishmeal, cell-to-cell communication) activate also poses its own problem: unpro- an unnecessary immune response cessed plant-based feeds contain throughout the entire body.

In order to mimick bacterial anti-nutritional factors — molecular compounds part of the plants’ natural interaction with the intestinal cells, host defense mechanism — which can Kawano exposed RTgutGC to LPS, and sure enough, his in vitro results lead to certain fish “gut problems.”

To illustrate, Kawano explained demonstrated similar findings seen that in Atlantic salmon for example, with in vivo studies: a decrease in cell the most heavily-farmed saltwater viability, as well as an up-regulation of fish in Canada, anti-nutritional factors pro-inflammatory cytokines.

“I conducted this experiment to from soybean meal can interact with the intestinal segment to induce distal show that the cell line I was working enteritis: an unwanted inflamma- with could be a representative model tory response occurring in the distal of the interactions taking place at the intestinal region. Well, obviously, whole-fish level,” he explained of the bloated enteritis-ridden fish cannot LPS experiment.

Eventually, Kawano hopes that the be consumed, so how can we address data he generated while characterizing the issue?

First of all, there are no quick solu- this rainbow trout intestinal cell line tions to the problem, and Kawano is will “be useful to future researchers the first to admit that. Still, he main- trying to optimize the growth and tained: “There is definite potential in health of fish.”

Led by the Natural Sciences and trying to understand the underlying cellular mechanisms associated with Engineering Council of Canada, fish intestinal dysfunction caused by the new five-year initiative to fund food components and microbes.” For research and development projects in his Master’s research project, Kawano the fisheries and aquaculture industry developed and characterized the in- is a component of Canada’s $5.1 biltestinal cell line termed “RTgutGC” lion dollar investment in Science and to study this kind of gut interaction Technology (S&T) research as part of in the most heavily-farmed freshwater its economic action plan. This new budget is a $3 billion dollar increase fish in Canada, rainbow trout.

By “characterizing a cell line”, from previous years and represents Kawano explained that “determining one of the biggest federal investments [things like] what kind of enzymatic in science and technology to date.

Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009 sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

badminton to the bone

Above: The badminton tournament on which took place on June 6.

Left: Jeffrey Teng, one of this term’s club directors, engages in competition.

Lisa Mu reporter

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trike, smash, spike, the shuttlecock is shot into the air, passes over the net, and the rally has begun. Grasping racquets in their hands, the dedicated players have welcomed back yet another fabulous term for the UW Badminton Club.

As a both competitive and recreational club, the UWBC is run by 30 executives and directors.

Club director and UW economics major Wilfred Shum outlined the club activities. “UWBC welcomes UW students of all levels from 1 – 4 (beginner, novice, intermediate, advanced).” Players are matched with an opponent of a similar competitive level and will play in a 15 minute rally before their next rotation.

An executive coordinator and a 4A electrical engineer Zayan Hafeez shared that “sessions are not mandatory. For a small membership fee of $20, players have the freedom to come and leave.” With 180 plus members on the team for spring 2009, the UWBC embrace a “friendly and open environment” as Hafeez claims.

“There are many benefits of being a member of the UW Badminton Club,” said Jeff Teng, a recent graduate of UW’s computer engineering program. Playing badminton whether for fun, as a hobby, or on a more competitive level will improve your overall health. The club provides 10 courts and ample equipment such as shuttlecocks, nets, and racquets.

Members also get 10 per cent off at Sweet Dreams Tea Shop, and free bubble tea at various member social events. Significant discount on UW hosted badminton tournaments is

another benefit of being a member. “$5 vs. $20 for a tournament is a good deal,” Shum said. In addition, weekly and tournament raffles with prizes such as iPods can be won by a lucky member of the UWBC. If you happen to be wearing running shoes and some sort of sports attire (no jeans allowed), simply walk into the CIF gym on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 10:30 p.m., Fridays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and on Saturday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for some badminton fun. Since the club operates on a drop in basis, you don’t need to be a member to show off your skills. Drop in fees are $4 for guests (non members) and will accumulate to count towards your club fee.

On the subject of tournaments, the UWBC is hosting three tournaments throughout this spring term.

The Pointfore Challenge was hosted last weekend on June 6 at the CIF. This unique UW wide competition had both members and non members of the club competing in teams of three. The competition featured 24 teams with 12 teams each for the upper and lower draw.

The second tournament will take place on July 11 and is members only.

The third tournament, also known as Survivor of the Fittest (SOTF), is the “Most famous badminton tournament at UW” Wilfred claimed, is scheduled for July 24 for anyone interested in some badminton fun.

Additional information about the UW Badminton Club can be found at badmintonclub.uwaterloo. ca. For you Facebookers out there, make sure to check out UWBC on Facebook.

photos by lisa mu

Campus Bulletin UPCOMING

VOLUNTEER

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Saturday, June 13, 2009 Moving Beyond Violence: Lessons from Gandhi: Keynote speaker Arun Gandi at Bingemans Ballroom starting at 5:30 p.m. Black tie optional. Tickets $150 each or table of eight for $1000.

1-800-625-7925 or visit www.rebuildanselma.com.

Sunday, June 14, 2009 The City of Kitchener’s Industrial Artifacts Project: Come celebrate the installation of a new acquisition form Canada Cordage. 2 pm on 1252 Doon Village Road at the DoonTwines Mill Complex.

Friday, June 26, 2009 Learn to swing dance! Beginner lesson at 8 p.m. Social dancing, games and performances at KW Naval Association, 315 Weber Street, N., Waterloo.

For admission/info www.waterlooswing. com.

Saturday, June 27, 2009 2009 Non-Violence Festival: Victoria Park, Kitchener. Enjoy a day-long concert feat. local bands, entertainment & speakers. Learn about the cause and get involved. Noon to 9:00p.m.

Summer volunteer opportunities with Family and Children’s Services of the Waterloo Region. Summer reading club, bookbag club, and boys’ activity club volunteers needed. Contact 519576-1329, ext 3533 or Carey.Reist@ facswaterloo.org.

Shadow needed to be paired with international students. Show them around, help resolving culture shock and make their stay in Waterloo more enjoyable. Make friends and expand your knowledge. Please apply at www. iso.uwaterloo.ca.

City of Waterloo needs environmental field assistant: occasional spring and fall weekdays. For info call 519-8886478 or www.waterloo.ca/volunteer.

Volunteer Action Centre, 519-7428610 / volunteer@volunteerkw.ca, has the following positions posted – Christian Horizons is a rewarding ministry to share your time and talent with. www.christian-horizons.org.

Do you like driving? Are you an early riser? The Food Bank of Waterloo Region needs experienced truck drivers this summer to help with pickup of perishable food donations and immediately transport them to various food progrms in the community. For details call Rose at 519-743-5576, ext 226.

Grand River Hospital’s Freeport site is seeking volunteers for patient services, one-on-one visiting, hair salon and recreation programs and retail. For info call 519-749-4300, ext 7147.

The Arthritis Society is looking for volunteers to deliver a formatted presentation about arthritis to various groups and organizations. Training and support is provided. One presentation per month with a six-month commitment requested. Call Jennifer at 519-7432820, ext 104.

Are you a creative thinker and writer?

The Leadership Waterloo REgion Marketing Committee is seeking a Communications Specialist in assistance with the development of annual reports, inviations, recruitment ads, media release, etc. Call 519-742-7338 or alavender@leadershipwaterlooregion.org.

Crown Ward Status: attention students who are/were Crown Wards needed to work with large, Provincially funded transdiscliplinary team (including UW students) dedicated to helping current Crown Ward youth. Please contact Kelly Anthony at 519-888-4567, ext 32802. Paid position.

Excellent exchange opportunity for UW undergraduate students to participate in the Ontario/Jiangsu Student Exchange Program in China for the 2009-2010 academic years. The OJS Program provides scholarships to successful applicants. For additional information and application form/deadlines contact Andreea Ciucurita, Waterloo International, Needles Hall, 1101, room 1103, ext 35995 or by email: aciucurita@uwaterloo.ca.

Tune in to Sound 100.3 FM radio to hear DJ Cool with lots of music, entertainment, helpful info, weather and more. www.soundfm.ca >listen or www.ckmsfm.ca.

Heart and Stroke Row for Heart – learn to row this summer while you raise funds for life-saving heart disease and stroke research. The eight week program begins June 22 to August 15, with the end fun-filled “Row for Heart Regatta” at Laurel Creek. For times/ fee, etc call 519-571-9600 or cgies@ hsf.on.ca.

Alternatives Journal is looking for the following work study positions – publishing intern ; marketing and business and web design and management.

Email resume/cover letter to marcia@ alternativesjournal.ca.

UW RECREATION COMMITTEE

HOUSING

HELP WANTED

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 Joanne at 519-746-1411 for more details.

Room for rent for a quiet individual in a detached home near both universities. Parking and all amenities. Please call 519-725-5348.

Five bedroom house available September 1. Walking distance from both Universities. Recently renovated, hardwood floors, central air, two kitchens, living rooms and bathrooms. Backyard, laundry and parking included. Must see. Please call 519-575-1973.

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, KW Habilitation Services, 108 Sydney Street, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V2.

SERVICES Does your thesis or major paper need a fresh pair of eyes to catch English spelling and grammar errors? Thesis English editing, $50/hour. Five business day turnaround. Neal Moogk-Soulis, ncmoogks@uwaterloo.ca.

CONGRATS 2009 GRADUATES!

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L A S H

MONDAYS Gambling can ruin your life. Gamblers Anonymous, 7 p.m. at St Marks, 825 King Street, W, basement.

FRIDAYS Season of Argentine Tango lessons in Waterloo starts May 2009 at the Princess Twin, Waterloo at 7 p.m.

Beginners and advanced lessons with dancing from 9 to 11:30 p.m. (Tango, Swing, Salsa) Call 519-581-7836 or casadeltango@yahoo.ca.

June 2009 June 15, 2009: Recommended submission date for 2009/2010 OSAP Application for the fall term.

June 19, 2009: Deadline for OSAP Reviews (appeals) for spring term.

June 30, 2009: Last day to submit FullTime Bursary/Award Application for spring term.

For all in-person inquiries, your SIN card and government issued photo ID are required. Refer to our website: safa. uwaterloo.ca for full listing of scholarships and awards.

Sign up for these workshops at careerservices.uwaterloo.ca.

Career Exploration and Decision Making – July 9, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1112.

Career Interest Assessment – July 15, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., TC 1112.

NOTE: $10 materials charge payable at Career Services prior to the session.

Career Exploration Workshop - July 9, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. TC 1112.

Career Interest Assessment - July 15, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., TC 1112.

NOTE: $10 materials charge payable at Career Services prior to the session.

Exploring Your Personality - Part 2 June 18, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1112. Part 1 July 6, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., TC 1112.

Part 2 July 13, 2:30-4 p.m.,TC 1112.

NOTE: $10 materials charge payable at Career Services prior to the session.

Work Search Strategies - June 16, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., TC 1208. July 22, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., TC 1208.

NOTE: Prerequisite for this workshop.

Work Search within “Marketing Yourself.”

Interview Skills: Preparing for Questions: - June 25, 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., TC 1208. July 14, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., TC 1208. NOTE: There is a prerequisite for this workshop. Interview Skills within “Marketing Yourself.”

Interview Skills: Selling Your Skills: June 23 & July 15, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208. NOTE: There is a prerequisite for this workshop. Interview Skills within “Marketing Yourself.”

Successfully Negotiating Job Offers: June 17, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., TC 1208. July 21, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208. NOTE: Session geared towards graduating students.

Success on the Job: - June 24, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208. July 23, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Getting a U.S. Work Permit: - Learn more July 23, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., TC 1208.

Are You Thinking about Med School/ Perspectives of a Waterloo Grad: Learn more about the medical school application process in Ontario - July 11, 10 a.m. to 12, TC 2218.

Classified

www.imprint.uwaterloo.ca

ONGOING

STUDENT AWARDS FINANCIAL AID

CAREER SERVICES WORKSHOPS

Job Information Session for Graduating Students: - July 21, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., AL 116. July 23, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., AL 116.

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UW Recreation Committee events are open to all employees of the University of Waterloo. Register by emailing admmail.uwaterloo.ca.

Monday, June 15: 12 to 1 p.m., Home Health Care – Making the Right Choice, LIB 329.

UW Book Club meets June 17, Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell ; July 15, On Chesil Beach, by Ian McEwan ; August 19, Unfeeling, by Ian Holding. Cost is price of book if you wish to purchase it.

Dana Porter Library, room 407 at 12:05 p.m. Details www.uwrc.uwaterloo.ca.

Discount tickets are available for Centreville (Toronto) Island, Ontario Place, Ontario Science Centre, Royal Ontario Museum and Wings of Paradise. Email uwrc@uwaterloo.ca for a UW code for online ordering.

Are you interested in participating in a Weight Watchers At Work group? 20 people needed for group. Email Andrea at amcharet@artsservices.uwaterloo. ca.

Saturday, November 21: Robin Hood Pantomime at St. Jacob’s Country Playhouse at 2 p.m.

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009 ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Comics & Distractions

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

19

Crossword By Mohammad Jangda (mjangda@imprint.uwaterloo.ca) Across 1. Royal Norweigen 5. Philippino tree 10. To order 14. Gloomy 15. Mediterranean sailing ship 16. Part of the eye 17. Spanish explorer 18. Spider pastime 20. Replacements 22. Straight-laced bunch 23. House, to 17 across 24. Rock duo ___ Supply 25. What the optimist usually sees 28. Student pastime 33. Food listing 34. Space series, Star ____ 35. Thai river 36. On a hat 37. ___ de Janeiro 38. Sacred place 39. Pointy-eared creature 40. Harvey from Milk 41. Peruvian pyramid makers 42. Meal remnant 45. Rejected 47. Dolly 48. Olympic low score (two words) 49. Under the weather 52. Was older than 56. Queen of the needle 58. Came on horseback 59. Politican’s sidekick 60. Fluorescent red dye 61. Adjust sounds 62. Escaped 63. Where a bird sleeps 64. Bright celestial

1

2

solutionS: May 29, 2009

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R

2

I

3

G

A

O

N

E

C

U

L

M

E

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A

D

E

W

15 18 22

30

A

38

31

G

32

4 12

17

18

20

P

R

A

26

43

50

R

S

E

L

Y

L

Y

R

P

R

O

O

D

S

T

O

46

D

56

G

57

50

42

I

A

S

A

L

E

P

O

S

E

R

E

S

P

Y

61 66

69

62

R

63

T

L A

58

X

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N

E

D

E

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L

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43 47

28

E 59

51

O

52

P

C

48

R

O

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25

N

M

14

C

A

E

G

A

H

I

S

21

P

O

R

C

W

O

K

E

S

E

R

E

T

Y

R

O

36

40 45

49

A

P

U

S

O

S

E

O

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T

A

W

O

E

S

L

S

D

70

I

10

O

L

67

26

9

F

Y

64

R E

44

T

8

R

17

I

1B Systems Engineering

3B Math & Business

“Take off my clothes!”

“Bonfire!”

“Play soccer!”

Ahmed Makia

Krishna Mistry

Michael Moon

Alumnus Urban Planning

Alumnus

1B Systems Design Engineering

Jennifer TaborS

2B Environment & Business

Karina Graf Master’s English

“Chase the geese!”

“Run away to Europe!”

Sudoku

6

9 6 5 7 4 3 1

4

9

7 9

2

3 2 6

2

IMPRINT SAVES...

8

5 9 1

3 4

7

Stranger Danger: Dear flaccid Lab Coat: Fedoras and overcoats are usually We could go quantum, but what’s the a fashion no-no, but how could I turn point? You won’t let me penetrate your away with you throwing that fishnet classically forbidden barriers. tank top in the mix. Where in the world P.S. Newton was a dick. are you now?

Suck my molecules, Call me Carmen Allie “The Unstoppable” Einstein

Missed any connections lately? Send them (with extreme urgency) to distractions@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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55

29. Ages and ages 30. Hails from Muscat 31. G ram counterpart 32. Work the dough 34. CO2 producer 38. Inhabitant of ECH 40. Thinner than others 43. Filled to the brim 44. Potter’s mail carriers 45. Negative contraction 46. Last word in most movies 48. Tail end of emotional cleansing 49. American pilot employer 50. Billy from Doctor Horrible 51. Trudge through water 52. Mexican currency 53. Show off 54. The Incredibles’ costume designer 55. Highway menace 57. Kanga’s son

Player 3 (The YouTube star in “Big Girl”): I’ve seen your videos and would be delighted to meet you in the butterfly lounge. Let me know when and where?

From: E.G.

7

24

54

Uzair Dadbhoy

Mira Furgoch

1B Arts

58

64

N

E

53

63

O

A

52

62

O

O

51

61

D

C

Marnai Cimolai

48

60

20

32

46

59

E

B

41

45

57

A

31

41

Down 1. Chances of winning 2. Pirate goal 3. Psychic energy 4. Radium neighbour 5. Protective tax 6. Brit singer Lewis 7. Recedes 8. Pokemon nemesis 9. Pain reliever 10. Urban neighbour 11. Roman romantic 12. He thought, therefore he was 13. Blog post identifiers 19. Soft cow’s cheese 21. Mom’s sidekick 25. Rounded flower-cluster 26. Reagan’s Defense Secretary 27. Take a whiff of 28. Low-ranking man of the Book

35

30

38

44

56

P

What are your plans for when summer finally comes around?

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By Ethan Oblak & Tejas Koshy

29

40

49

12

35

47

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39

28

37

A

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27

42

11

24

39

6

10

22

36

N

34

9

19

34

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8

16

33

L

33

7

21

25

A

19

6

23

N

16

5 15

A

23 27

S

5

4

14

Dear ES guy: I always see you walking outside around ES1, sometimes sitting on the bench and smoking. I have noticed you looking at me a few times, and if we’re on the same page, I’m definitely interested too. Next time please say“hi” because I’m way too shy to say it first!

Timid Artsie girl 1

3

Y

53

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60

29

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54

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37

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55

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65 68 71

7 4 9 6 1 2 3 8 5

5 2 8 7 4 3 9 1 6

3 6 1 5 9 8 4 7 2

6 1 7 4 2 9 5 3 8

8 9 5 1 3 6 7 2 4

2 3 4 8 7 5 1 6 9

4 5 6 3 8 1 2 9 7

1 7 2 9 6 4 8 5 3

9 8 3 2 5 7 6 4 1

@ % # § £ ¶ ? & ©

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# ¶ ? £ @ & © § %

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% £ & © ¶ § # @ ?

...you from unforgiving boredom!

LET IMPRINT INTO YOUR HEART AND BEGIN LIFE ANEW!

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Comics & Distractions

Imprint, Friday, June 12, 2009

(postscript@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)

Peter n. trinh (impression@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)

GEOFFREY LEE & SONIA LEE (loosescrews@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)

RAJUL SALEH (differentperspective@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)