Issue 21, Vol 143, The Brunswickan

looking forward//to the music group’s show feb.27 >> pG. 10 Volume 143 • Issue 21 • Febuary 24, 2010

thebruns.ca

brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.

UNB strike averted

GHOST TOWN ALT-COUNTRY AT ITS BEST

Sarah Ratchford Editor in Chief University of New Brunswick students have avoided the strike bullet — for the time being, at least.

UNB’s full-time faculty have been without a contract since June 2009. Talks broke down between the faculty and administration earlier this month, despite the efforts of a conciliation officer — but a conciliation board has now been formed to settle the contract dispute.

On Thursday, Feb. 18, Post-Secondary Education Minister Donald Arseneault announced the board’s formation. The two parties, who have agreed to a media blackout over the discussions, announced through a joint press release that the board will help settle the “remaining bargaining differences between the parties.”

Conciliation boards are not a common route to solve such disputes in New Brunswick, but remain an option for the post-secondary education minister as part of the province’s Industrial Relations Act. Robert MacKinnon and Anthony Secco, UNB’s Saint John and Fredericton campus vice-presidents, wrote in a Feb. 8 press release that they hoped the minister would choose this route if negotiations remained unfruitful.

It’s believed that the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers (AUNBT) is looking to remove a twoyear wage freeze from a proposed fouryear contract, the Daily Gleaner reported this month.

Jon O’Kane, president of the UNB Student Union, says the media blackout is for the better. The student union is not choosing a side, he says, as it does not want to “mess with deliberations.”

“We don’t want to use students as emotional pawns.”

He says if the student union gets involved and becomes vocal on behalf of one side or the other, it could frustrate deliberations and force decisions that may not be for students’ better interests.

O’Kane describes the appointment of the conciliation board as “an extra step in

SEE STRIKE PAGE 3

Ben Ross (left) and Scott Mallory of the Belle Comedians put their best faces forward at Foodclothingsheltermusic’s benefit for Haiti at the Cellar.

They teamed up with The Elephant and the Hungry Hearts to put the show on. Check out a photo essay on page 11. Christian Hapgood / The Brunswickan

Proposed science fees unethical: O’Kane Hilary Paige Smith News Reporter The University of New Brunswick recently unveiled plans for a hike in ancillary fees for students in the science faculty.

The dean of the science faculty, David Magee, announced to the science councillors for the Student Union and members of the science-based clubs and societies that an increase in lab and math fees for first and second year math courses has been proposed for the 2010-2011 budget year.

The fees include a $35 sum per lab and a $25 fee to first and second year math students. The latter fee will also impact engineering students required to take math, on top of their $1,000 faculty fees. The fees will total $260 for first year science students taking the course load recommended by the university and about $100 per year after that, according to Magee.

Ashley Wile, one of two science councillors for the UNB Student Union, tabled

Thurs Feb 25 $1.25 Draft FROM 10-12 $1.50 Mixed Drinks 9-11

a motion at an emergency council session last Thursday to oppose the proposed fees. Council passed the motion and now stands opposed to increases in ancillary fees.

Wile said she had a bad feeling going into the meeting with the dean, but understands that the faculty has already made many cuts to their budget.

“At the faculty level, they don’t have enough money, they don’t have any other options. It’s still a legal move, I guess. But at the university and the governmental level, we need more money,” she said in an interview on Monday.

Jon O’Kane, president of the Student Union, called the increase unfair and unethical.

“We’re seeing an opening in what may be some very frightening logic that the university is using of addressing some needs for increase or a need for increased revenue by sticking it on the backs of students during a tuition freeze,” he said.

Wile also agreed that it is unfair to expect students to pay increased ancillary fees during a tuition freeze.

“There’s no point in a tuition freeze if every other fee can increase,” she said.

This year’s tuition freeze was implemented by the New Brunswick government with provincial funds covering the equivalent of a five per cent tuition increase. UNB is also looking at cutting the overall budget by $2.5 million for the coming year.

O’Kane is at least pleased that the faculty of science was transparent in their proposed fees and gave students ample time to digest the information. He used the $50 health fee that was imposed for the 2009-2010 year and announced after the spring semester’s close in May as an example.

“We found out about the faculty of science’s proposals because they are open enough to share them with students and that we very much appreciate and respect.

What other faculties may have in mind, we don’t know and this is why we’re taking a very active stance right away on this one to communicate that this isn’t acceptable, this shouldn’t happen and it’s unethical,” O’Kane said.

The dean of science said the decision to increase fees for students in his faculty was not an easy one.

“We are clearly aware that the implementation of this fee will result in an increase to the financial burden that students currently incur, and this is something we struggled with for some time before making our decision,” Magee said.

The dean said the faculty hopes decrease some of their other fees to compensate for the increase with possibilities such as converting from textbooks to e-books.

Just two weeks ago, council passed a motion to lobby for ancillary fees to fall under the control of the Student Union, instead of the administration. This practice is common at Ontario universities.

Ladies Night Specials in Efffect No Cover For The ladies Before 11

2 • Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143

AIDS AWARENESS GOES AGAINST THE GRAIN

brunswickannews

Meet and greet met with poor turnout Hilary Paige Smith News Reporter

It can be hard to visualize just how big a number really is.With HIV statistics, trying to picture 65,000 people, the number of people with HIV in Canada, can be a tough challenge. To help, AIDS Moncton and AIDS New Brunswick partnered with Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) to put on a display with almost a million grains of rice. With each grain of rice representing one person, 65,000 people become a lot easier to visualize next to a single grain of rice that represents you.

The display consisted of around thirty piles of rice representing statistics ranging from the number of deaths from H1N1 in Canada in the last year, to the number of people who attended the Rolling Stones Concert in Moncton, to the number of AIDS related deaths in the last year. At the end of the table, there was a interactive display with more grains of rice, giving people a chance to give feed back on the display. Sandy Chase/ The Brunswickan

Despite the doughnuts, the Student Union’s election meet and greet had a dismal turnout.

Stationed in the Student Union Building cafeteria, the majority of candidates were present to introduce themselves to passing students and answer any questions related to their campaigns and platforms.

Few students seemed to be stopping by the event. Stephanie Lord, current vice president student services for the SU and candidate for president and valedictorian, noted that there were few people in the cafeteria, and that some people could be in class or away for the weekend and that Friday afternoons are usually quiet on campus.

“I don’t think anyone is here intentionally,” Lord said, referring to the small groups of students in the room. “It was very poorly publicized. The date was just chosen at the beginning of the week and it’s Friday so even the normal traffic of the atrium cafeteria we have throughout the week just isn’t here.”

In previous years, election campaigning has centred around a public presidential debate. This year’s election focused on the meet and greet to incorporate all of the positions up for grabs.

Lord said she was disappointed with

the turnout.

“Every year it kind of revolves around the presidential debate which didn’t happen here. This is the alternative…It’s really disappointing. We really like students to know the issues and know what they want and be able to talk to people instead of harassing them when they’re studying,” she said.

Jordan Thompson, currently the business representative on council and the only candidate for the position of vice president finance, also felt the turn out at the event was disappointing.

“I guess just by advertising yourself more, putting up more posters and talking to people in classes and using other social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube,” he said of what candidates can to do compensate for the lack of potential voters at the meet and greet.

Lord also suggested that candidates make themselves more visible to voters, add more people to their Facebook groups and have more handouts and posters so that students are familiar with their campaign.

Thompson also mentioned reasons such as poor publicity and the event falling on a Friday as reasons for a small turnout at the meet and greet.

“I know, as a business student, we don’t have classes on Fridays, so there wouldn’t be many business students there. Also, a lot of classes are at this time,” he said.

The Bruns will not be publishing over March Break.

Our staff needs to smoke many cigars and drink copious amounts of beer.

Don’t cry; next issue hits the stands March 10.

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brunswickannews

Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143 • 3

Stalled for parking solutions

AUNBT and UNB forced to conciliation board FROM STRIKE PAGE 1 the process to seriously try negotiations in a more focused manner.”

The board consists of one member appointed by each side, and these two members collaborate on appointing a third.

“This is a fixed negotiation period before any labour disputes,” O’Kane explains. He says that given the lengthy strike at neighbouring St. Thomas University in 2008, it made sense to use one to avoid a similar fate.

St. Thomas faculty underwent a month-strike in January 2008 that had students in a panic over graduating and finding jobs.

O’Kane says he hopes this “forced negotiation period” helps to avoid a strike,

especially given that the process lasts for about a month, which would bring students almost to exam time.

As AUNBT and UNB continue with negotiations, the last agreement, which was in effect from July 1, 2005 until June 30, 2009, will remain honoured.

The latest joint release claims that both sides “continue to share the goal of supporting the communities around us and of making UNB a better place to study and work.”

At St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., students breathed a sigh of relief on Feb. 16 as they found out that their faculty and administration had reached a tentative contract agreement just days before the faculty union was in a legal position to strike. The union must now ratify the agreement with a membership vote. Details of the StFX negotiations were also subject to a media blackout.

Rotary Club Of Fredericton Memorial Scholarship A one thousand ($1000.00) scholarship is available for the 2009/2010 academic year. To be considered applicants must have successfully completed at least one year of university undergraduate study and be presently enrolled at university. Only disabled applicants and applicants who plan to work with the disabled and are pursuing that objective through an appropriate course of study will be considered. Preference will be given to residents of the Fredericton area. Further details and application forms may be obtained from www.frederictonrotary.ca.

Applications must be received by the Scholarship Committee Security and Traffic doesn’t have solutions for many students’ concerns over parking, but watch out for tickets. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Lee Larrett News Editor Bruce Rogerson is the new director of Security and Traffic at UNB, and he knows that parking is a hot button issue for students and faculty alike.

Rogerson felt that Security and Traffic bears the brunt of frustration over the condition and availability of parking.

Ticketing, as unpopular as it is for those who find tickets on their vehicle’s windshield, is Security and Traffic’s strategy to deal with parking on campus.

“The goal behind enforcement is to change the driving habits, not revenue generation,” Rogerson said.

Tickets are intended to be a deterrent for bad behaviour such as parking without a permit or in the wrong zones.

Towing is another enforcement tool.

Security and Traffic no longer has their own license plate owner information system, and so for vehicles that are not registered (permit or pass holders) Security and Traffic doesn’t know to whom they are issuing a ticket. When there is a license that has a number of outstanding traffic tickets, the vehicle will be towed, forcing the owner to come forward to claim the vehicle. At this point the owner would be forced to pay their outstanding fines, the cost of towing, and the cost of a parking permit.

“Security and Traffic is aggressively enforcing the parking regulations regardless of whether [the offender] is a student or faculty member,” Rogerson says. He adds that they have towed over 30 vehicles since he began in January.

Rogerson said that there is a real problem with people parking without passes, and that the majority of tickets written are

for vehicles without passes.

Students have been expressing their frustration to each other, to Security and Traffic, and recently on a Facebook page that Rogerson has been following.

Although many students on the Facebook page are upset at being ticketed or towed for parking illegally, there are also complaints from pass holders. Students have voiced concern over there not being enough spaces, as well as the fact that many spots are in an inconvenient location such as the Aitken lot.

There are also complaints over the condition of the lots. The paved lots are full of potholes and the unpaved lots turn into treacherous mudpits. Unpaved lots present further problems according to the students, who complain of cars parked three deep or in haphazard ways. Poor parking extends to the SUB lot where many cars are far out of spaces or parked in the wrong directions, taking up multiple spaces and making driving through the lot dangerous. Students expressed worry over hit and runs in the SUB lot when tight parking spaces lead to collisions.

Some students also resent the prime location for faculty spaces compared to student spaces.

Security and Traffic has no strategy to deal with these concerns. In response to people parking outside of lines Rogerson said people can hardly be blamed.

“This is Canada. When it snows we can’t see lines, people make up their own spaces and we’re not going to ticket them.”

In response to concerns over collisions he encouraged students to report hit and runs to Security and Traffic, and said they can hope for the culprit to turn themselves in or for a police investigation to be successful. He said that the university could pave

the spaces but the cost would come out of students’ pockets. He said that increased policing of the lots would also drive up the cost of parking.

Rogerson addressed concerns over faculty getting priority spaces by saying faculty and staff have to fight for spaces as well. He also pointed out that the faculty pass is $200 for 12 months, whereas the student pass is $79 for eight months. The monthly rate is then $16.67 for faculty and $9.88 for students.

But Rogerson said that revenue from permits goes to the overall university budget. When asked about improvements to parking lots, Rogerson said that the money for those projects, and the approval, must come from the university. He said that when given the choice between more technology, improved classrooms or improvements to parking, the university will not choose parking as parking doesn’t benefit everyone on campus.

Overall Rogerson said that the parking on campus is not decent, but that it’s affordable. The spaces may not be in good condition, or in a good location but there are enough spaces when the Aitken lot is included.

For the future Rogerson hopes to work with the Student Union and a student engagement committee to find solutions.

For now, Rogerson feels the solution is for students to work within themselves to create a culture where parking violations are not acceptable.

Rogerson was careful to note that Security and Traffic employees do more than enforce parking rules.

“They only enforce parking [regulations] from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. They do much more,” he said.

Fredericton Rotary Club, PO Box 301, Fredericton, NB E3B 4Y9 by March 31, 2010.

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brunswickannews

4 • Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143

“Got land? Thank an Indian”

The Muskrat Singers were on hand to be part of the first event during Native Awareness Days. Speakers will visit the STU campus to speak on native issues for the event. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Alex Kress News Writer This week is an exciting one for the Native Student Council (NSC) at St. Thomas University.

The NSC will be hosting events for Native Awareness Days at STU, including speeches from respected First Nations leaders, question and answer periods and potluck dinners.

Frank Jr. Molley, president of the NSC, spoke to the Brunswickan about what events to expect during Native Awareness Days, and also wanted to clear up what he feels is a common misconception about the native students’ lounge in James Dunn Hall.

“The misconception about the native student lounge is that it’s an exclusive student lounge and I’d like to dissolve that misconception by asking students to consider that the lounge and the NSC is open to all students from both campuses.

Anybody can join the council and take part in meetings. I think over the years people have assumed that it’s only for native students and that’s not what I believe,” Molley says.

The native student population at St. Thomas is approximately 100 students, but the NSC is open to native students at UNB (approximately 220), as well as non-native students.

Molley says Native Awareness Days will focus on a wide variety of issues and feature fun events.

“There are a lot of themes that we wanted to present,” says Molley. “It just so happens with the NB Power sale to Hyrdo-Quebéc, we’re trying to create

educational awareness. Another thing we want to achieve is awareness that the NSC does exist at STU.” “One of the things we wanted to concretely get by is there is a place for First Nations students to come no matter what their background is. They can be part of a First Nations community and get involved with activities on campus. There is a community and support for the academic aspect of it. For far too long students have not been too outgoing, and I wanted to change this as their president.”

Ultimately, the NSC wants to raise awareness that there is a native presence on campus. Molley says although it is a minimal presence, awareness needs to be improved to enhance the experience of the students, particularly because they are a minority group coming from various backgrounds.

“It’s culture shock when [native students] come from small communities; they’re isolated and there can be language barriers or academic barriers. They don’t know where to turn to so I think we’re trying to raise that out there. We’re trying to keep students afloat because dropout rates are pretty high,” Molley says.

Native Awareness Days aim to make First Nations voices heard in the community. Molley says there are a number of issues to be discussed, including land issues, treaty education, language and violence against First Nations women. He briefly commented on the loss of Hilary Bonnell and said her death raised a lot of issues for many First Nations women and that many misconceptions were born out of the unfortunate event. He welcomes members of the non-native community

to participate in discussing these issues.

“From a leadership point of view I don’t think it’s a matter of presenting an argument to students, because I don’t want to give them an argument of our issues or problems, mostly I want to improve our lack of awareness. I mean the immediate things, like how we can keep students in school, how we can make them feel a part of the school, how we can make them feel like they want to stay in school and do well.

We want to help them achieve and to keep them here.”

Molley says the elephant in the room is awareness and that the community needs to be a more cohesive unit when it comes to tackling these issues.

“We need to work together to understand each other, whether we’re First Nation, Métis, Acadian, French or English, because we all have language issues we all have education issues. We’ve got to start working together.”

Molley looks forward to hearing Candice S. Metallic, a lawyer with Maurice Law who specializes in First Nations issues, speak on Thursday Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. in the Holy Cross conference room. He is also excited for a speech earlier that evening

by Roland Chrisjohn, the director of the native studies program at STU. Molley says Chrisjohn is a “phenomenal scholar and believes he and the native studies department are doing a wonderful job in guiding their students in their academic disciplines.”

Check out www.stu.ca for a full schedule of events open to the public for the rest of the week, and come out for some First Nations cuisine at the potluck on Thursday night at 5 p.m.

brunswickannews What’s up with the election Student Union Candidates Italicized are candidates who entered the race during the nomination extension.

Student Union Executives President Stephanie Lord Shannon Carmont-McKinley VP Internal Cassie MacKinlay Ashley Wile VP External Brad McKinney VP Student Services Julia Coleman VP Finance Jordan Thompson Councillors Arts (4 seats) Derek Ness Nathan Alexander Ashton Tina Theriault Tabatha Armstrong Jennifer Jenkins Cody Jack Dylan Lenton Samantha Molen Jaden Fitzherbert Business (3 seats) Lauren Vail – changed nomination from VP Student Services Brian Jan Lewis Education (1 seat) Hardy Cameron Computer Science (1 seat) Ash Furrow Nursing (2 seats) Elizabeth Stirling Sarah Monteith Renaissance (1 seat) Kevin Beets Matthew Webb Residence Liason (1 seat) Krista Donovan Science (2 seats) Thomas Fraser Allen Dave R. Pitts Jocelyn Fotso Soh Hansika Gunaratne Crystal Lumsden Jassy Meng Ashley Dipasquale Laura Michaud Davor Lukanovic Engineering (3 seats) Melissa Rousselle Aaron Farkas Chris Pelkey William Andrew Ouellette Forestry (1 seat) Rachel McKinley International Student Representative (1 seat) Jacqui-Jo Stephens Josias Gado Kinesiology (1 seat) Elizabeth Hallett

Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143 • 5

The CRO dishes on election updates

Hilary Paige Smith News Reporter Three of the ballots for executive positions in the upcoming Student Union elections will be marked only by a yes or no vote.

The positions of vice president external, vice president finance and vice president student services are each being pursued by only one candidate. Despite the extension of nominations for various council positions, nominations were not extended for these positions. A Student Union bylaw states that nominations cannot be extended for positions which at least one candidate is running for.

Catrin Berghoff, chief returning officer for the Student Union, is responsible for extending nominations for the election, but not for positions that fall under the bylaw.

“I think that we got a lot of nominations during our extended nominations period when I hired two staff members to do on the ground talking to people and trying to get them interested and that was really successful, but we couldn’t unfortunately get more people for those positions because of the way the bylaw is written right now,” she said.

As the chief returning officer, Berghoff said she is not able to share her political opinion on the bylaw, but said it presented an obstacle in getting more students

Law (1 seat) Jay Williamson Julian Williams Non-Student Union Board of Governors (acclaimed) Stephanie Lord Shannon Carmont-McKinley One Year Senate Seat (4 seats) John Boldon Lauren Vail Kevin Beets Derek AJ Ness Ashley Wile Two Year Senate Seat (1 seat) Cassie MacKinlay – changed nomination from One Year Senate Seat Valedictorian A Bethany Vail Kailynn Anthony Valedictorian B Stephanie Lord Oliver Gorman-Asal Valedictorian C John O’Neill Chris Samuel Jon O’Kane

Voting Info Voting is open from Feb. 21 until Friday, Feb. 26 at 11:59 p.m.

Voting can be accessed through eservices at https://eservices.unb. ca/eservices/student/voting/index. html Remember to vote yes or no for uncontested candidates as 3 VP positions are uncontested.

The nomination extension produced 30 fresh faces for the election and now only one seat on council will be empty.

involved in the election.

“Two of the [VP positions] were contested at the nominations deadline, but then two candidates withdrew their nominations making them uncontested,” she said.

“I can only speculate, but maybe if those nominations had remained open then somebody else might have had the chance to run against these people.”

She said that some voters may be confused by the yes or no voting option for uncontested positions and be unaware they can vote no.

“If [voters] feel that a candidate does not represent them or is not going to do something they want to do, then that is a valid, democratic choice to vote no to a candidate. It’s not something that voters should shy away from if they feel that they don’t want that person in the office,” she said.

According to election policy, if a candidate running unopposed for an executive position is voted unsuitable by the student body, an appointment is made by a two thirds vote from ordinary members of council.

One inconsistency that Berghoff said she noticed in the by laws is that there isn’t a “no” option for positions contested for by more than one candidate.

“If there is one candidate you can say ‘that candidate is not who I want,’ but if there is two it’s assumed that one of them will be acceptable. Whether that makes sense, it’s council’s choice, it’s just something that I’ve noticed that could be considered inconsistent,” she said.

Berghoff is also planning surveys for this year’s candidates to figure out how they chose to get involved in the elections.

This information will be passed on to next year’s CRO and council for reference on policy and by law issues.

Voting for the 2010 General Election opened on Feb. 21 and closes on Feb. 26 at 11:59 p.m.

Emergency council meeting called Lee Larrett News Editor After last week’s regular Monday meeting of council was cancelled, an emergency meeting was called for later in the week.

On Thursday Feb. 18, council met to deal with pressing issues, including a potential science fee increase and an editorial error in elections bylaws passed following governance review.

Jon O’Kane, president of the Student Union, chaired the meeting in place of Chris Samuel, who could not attend.

The first issue council dealt with was rectifying the editorial error in election bylaws, which had inadvertently resulted in a campaign freeze during the voting period.

The next motion was from Dave Steele, law representative, who suggested the SU be a neutral party in the ongoing contract negotiations between AUNBT and the UNB administration, but stand up for student interests including the continued quality of education and timeliness of resolution. The motion passed unanimously.

Following that, Ashley Wile, science representative, introduced a motion to oppose the implementation of ancillary fees such as the science fee. Wile has spoken with the dean of science earlier that day, who had warned that the university was considering implementing a lab and math fee for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Wile felt fast action was needed by council to address this issue, which translates to a $260 increase in the cost of education for a first year science student. Julia Coleman, engineering representative, brought up the $1,000 per year engineering fee that in part goes to improving labs and technology.

Coleman said that she felt fees that directly improve the quality of labs and education are valuable because they ensure UNB students will graduate with

an up-to-date knowledge of technology in their fields.

Coleman did express concern that only $60 of the thousand is governed by students, and she suggested that student input in the spending of the remainder is often overlooked or students are bullied into agreeing with the faculty.

Ryan Brideau, vice president external, pointed out that this is the equivalent of a tuition increase for students, and that this strategy by the university to increase revenue is employed whenever there is a tuition freeze.

The motion passed unanimously to conclude Thursday’s meeting.

On the following Monday, Feb. 22, council met at its regular time. With very little to discuss on the agenda, the focus of the meeting was on executive reports to council. O’Kane and Brideau had participated in a meeting with NBSA the day before and brought the results they were allowed to discuss to council.

The NBSA fees were set to increase, and rather than lose the valuable lobbying opportunities afforded to NBSA members, alternative fee structures were discussed.

Following this O’Kane announced that the SUB Board, which governs the policy surrounding the operation of the SUB, was looking for six student volunteers to sit on the board.

O’Kane said that he appreciates the board’s interest in student input and wants to fill the positions. There was much interest from council, with eight councilors interested in sitting on the board.

Lastly, Sam Perlmutter, Renaissance College representative, acting as a member of the Clubs and Societies Committee, introduced the UNB/STU Fencing Club for ratification. The club provides the opportunity for fencers interested in competitive or recreational play of all levels of experience. The club was ratified.

we’re hiring for 2010-2011 for the following editorial board positions:

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Arts Editor Sports Editor Production Editor Photo Editor Copy Editor Online Editor send your cover letter, resumé and sample pieces deadline: (3-5 written pieces, 5-10 Friday Feb. 26 photos, or 2-3 design examples) by email to: editor@thebruns.ca

brunswickanopinion

Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143 • 6

editor@thebruns.ca

SU elections: a snore, or a little bit more?

The Looking Glass Sarah Ratchford

Did you know Student Union elections started on Friday?

I did, but probably only because it’s my job to know that. Many students on campus seem to be unaware of the fact, and this year, it’s not all their fault.

The voting period “kicked off” on Sunday, Feb. 21, and it ends this Friday, Feb. 26 at 11:59 p.m.

Frankly, the elections haven’t been very exciting this year. Candidates themselves don’t even seem excited. The mind-numbing cloud of apathy that seems to affect the average student has spread even to those who are involved.

Last year, there was an intense presidential debate between the two candidates, Jon O’Kane and Matt Abbott. Both had great things to say, believed in their arguments, and got students thoroughly engaged.

This year, there was a lame meet and greet to which no one showed up because it was so poorly advertised. Stephanie Lord, one of the two presidential candidates, admitted this herself.

The average student actually knew what the candidates’ platforms were last year, because the candidates got excited and in students’ faces about it.

I even went to a few different parties where that was the hot topic, and the people at those parties were not student journalists or student politicians. They were just regular students, and they were engaged.

Last year’s general election saw a slate, running under the name United for Change, pitted against a number of individuals, many of whom had past experience on council. United for Change ran their slate on “Five Points of Unity,” and focused mainly on freezing tuition and the eventual end of tuition, and what they deemed discriminatory double tuition practices for international students.

The group got people talking. People seemed to either love them or hate them, but the point was that people were finally engaged.

Sam Perlmutter A loud “crack” was heard around the country Sunday night, as a number of Canadian hockey fans broke their ankles jumping off the Olympic bandwagon. But really, Sunday night’s 5-3 defeat at the hands of the U.S. team shouldn’t come as that big of a surprise (I personally predicted a 4-2 loss).

For some reason Canadians still think that hockey is “our” sport, and that anything less than gold would be a disappointment.

While the medal for men’s Olympic hockey is worth no more than any other medal, it seems to be the most important among Canadian Olympic fans. This is unfortunate, as Canada is close to a “lock” for a number of other medals (men’s and women’s curling, women’s hockey, women’s long track speed skating), but will be hard pressed to take gold in men’s hockey. The writing was on the wall going into the Olympics, but nobody seems to have paid attention until the poor performance against the Swiss and the loss to the United States. At publication time, Canada was battling the Germans for an opportunity to face the dynamic Russians in the quarterfinals.

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief • Sarah Ratchford Managing • Alex Duncan News • Lee Larrett International • Danielle Bodie Arts • Alison Clack Sports • Colin McPhail Photo • Andrew Meade Copy •Sam Perlmutter Production • Christian Hapgood Online • Doug Estey Staff Advertising Sales Rep • Bill Traer Delivery • Dan Gallagher Contributors Zaheer Abbas, Stephanie Allen, Danielle Bodie, Chris Cameron, Kathryn Chase, Sandy Chase, Alison Clack, Maggie DeWolfe, Dave Evans, Sarah Farquhar, Josh Fleck, Kennie Gathuru, Dan Hagerman, Ayat Abed Isiad, Cody Jack, Jacques Landry, Brandon MacNeil, Cameron Mitchell, Matthew Murray, Sam Perlmutter, Jon Salmon, Brian Savoie, Hilary Paige Smith, Ysabelle Vautour, Alex Wickwire & Valerie Woodman.

Student Union elections are in what should be called “full swing,” but in reality they have been uncharacteristically boring. Candidates could be doing a far better job campaigning and engaging students.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan This year, that is not the case. Nobody is talking about the election, and my question is ‘Why?’ Because the election is boring. The presidential candidates are both involved with the SU already—Shannon CarmontMcKinley as vice president academic and Stephanie Lord as vice president student services—and they’re both being extremely complacent about running.

As I said, it’s my job to know about this election, and I have no idea what sorts of things either of the candidates are pushing for. I don’t know what they want to do with the presidential position, because they haven’t been out there making their goals known. If they aren’t being vocal, how can they expect students to care?

If they aren’t letting us know what their goals are now, can it be likely that they even have any? Who knows? They certainly aren’t going to any lengths to prove otherwise.

It’s not only the presidential candidates who are remaining mum. Unless you

already follow student politics and regularly visit the SU website, follow the SU on Twitter or Facebook, or read UNB eNews, you probably have no idea what is going on. They’re preaching to the converted here, folks.

There are minimal posters about, and other adversiting is minimal as well.

I hear a lot of people trying to bash the Student Union. They say the union doesn’t do anything, that it’s useless. They pose the question ‘What has the student union done for me?’ Although I’m pointing out that this election is boring, you should still vote.

You, as a student, should help make the SU worth something.

The people who complain should ask what they’re doing for themselves. If you don’t like something, get the balls (or ovaries or what have you) to go out there and change it. The people sitting around the council table are representatives. It is their job to represent their constituents, so hold them to that.

Walk up to a candidate and ask what their plans are. Don’t just hand them the job on a platter if they don’t give you a reason to do so.

Last year, we ran an editorial in the Bruns—Vol. 142, Issue 22—about UfC, essentially saying that they were fighting for good things, but going about it the wrong way.

But you know what? They broke the status quo. They gave the people who already held positions a run for their money.

They shook things up, and they made people think about who was going to represent them.

I’m not suggesting that I want a radical slate to run the SU, but how about a show of your ideas, candidates? The status quo is currently in place in the most sluggish of manners, and this election has bored even my newsroom to tears.

Candidates: step it up. Students: make them. Usually people in leadership positions have something to say. Just sayin’.

Why Canada won’t win Gold in Olympic men’s hockey Take My Word For It

the brunswickan

I will assume that Canada was able to defeat the Germans and are poised for a matchup with Russia. Canada-Russia promises to be an exciting game, but even if they beat the Russians a gold medal will not be in the cards.

Here are the four biggest reasons why: Poor Player Choices Simply put, Steve Yzerman and his management team picked the wrong players.

Canada is not putting forward the most skilled and talented team possible. Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos, the sixth and seventh leading scorers in the NHL respectively, were both left off the team.

Mike Green, the NHL’s highest scoring defenseman, was also left off the team.

Instead Yzerman elected to go with such stalwarts as Patrice Bergeron (37 points), Mike Richards (46 points) and Brendan Morrow (33 points).

The Canadian powerplay, which has struggled thus far, would likely be a lot better with Stamkos, who leads the league in powerplay goals, and Green, who leads the league in powerplay assists.

Instead, the team has been filled out with “role players” (bringing back memories of Canadian Olympic great Kirk Maltby).

“Role players” is another way of saying “players who aren’t really that good,” but are selected because they bring intangible qualities like “grit.”

We have an over the hill Chris Pronger,

an overrated Shea Weber, greybeard Scott Niedermayer, and have left some of our most talented and skilled players on the sidelines watching. In a tournament pitting countries’ most skilled players against each other, Canadian management dropped the ball by leaving better players off the team.

No Leafs This one is pretty self-explanatory. The Canadian team is lacking any current or former Toronto Maple Leafs (clearly a key ingredient for victory). Phil Kessel (a.k.a Kessely Snipes) has helped the Americans become the top seeded team heading into the quarter finals. Ian White makes the save on the third American goal ten times out of ten. The undefeated Swedes have Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson, and the fourth place Finns have Niklas Hagman.

The Talent Gap has Closed In the past, Canada has had without a doubt the most skilled players in the world.

Most of the top players in the league were Canadian, and Canada had far and away more depth and talent on their roster than any other team. This is no longer the case.

Canada could easily field two competitive Olympic teams, but no longer are most of the best hockey players in the world Canadian. Only one of the top four scorers in the league is Canadian (one Russian, two Swedes). We cannot expect to coast to victory on account of having better players than the other teams.

Goaltending The goaltender, along with quarterback, is probably the single most important individual player in all of sports. As Ryan Miller demonstrated, good goalies can almost singlehandedly win (or if your name is Brodeur, lose) games for their team. And Canada has arguably the worst goalies of the serious contenders.

While Martin Brodeur may be the best goalie of all-time, he is 37 and his best days are likely behind him. The advantage Canada has enjoyed in net for so many years has evaporated, and the position has turned into our weakest.

An American leads the league in wins.

The top two goalies in goals against average are Finnish. Numbers three and six are American. Five and eight are Russian.

The top ranked Canadian is ninth. The league leader in save percentage is Tomas Vokoun, the Czech team’s starting goalie.

Ryan Miller, the American goalie, is second.

Evgeni Nabokov and Miikka Kiprusoff, the Russian and Finnish keepers, are third and sixth respectively.

Other teams’ goalies are outperforming their Canadian competition in the NHL, and in the Olympics as well. When the best and most skilled hockey players in the world face off, the team with the better goaltending will win more often than not.

And that does not bode well for Canada in these Olympics.

The Brunswickan relies primarily on a volunteer base to produce its issues every week. Volunteers can drop by room 35 of the SUB at any time to find out how they can get involved.

About Us The Brunswickan, in its 143rd year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication.

We are an autonomous student newspaper owned and operated

by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a non-profit, independent body.

We are a founding member of the Canadian University Press, and love it so. We are also members of U-Wire, a media exchange of university media throughout North America.

We publish weekly during the academic year with a circulation of 6,000.

Letters Must be submitted by e-mail including your name, letters with pseudonymns will not be printed.

Letters must be 400 words at maximum. Deadline for letters is Friday at 5 p.m. before each issue.

Editorial Policy While we endeavour to provide an open forum for a variety of viewpoints and ideas, we may refuse any submission considered by the editorial board to be racist, sexist, libellous, or in any way discriminatory.

The opinions and views expressed in this newspaper are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Brunswickan, its Editorial Board, or its Board of Directors.

All editorial content appearing in The Brunswickan is the property of Brunswickan Publishing Inc. Stories, photographs, and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the express, written permission of the Editorin-Chief.

21 Pacey Drive, SUB Suite 35 Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3 main office • (506) 447-3388 advertising • (506) 452-6099 fax • (506) 453-5073 email • editor@thebruns.ca www.thebruns.ca

brunswickanopinion

Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143 • 7

Gender torture through film

The Notebook. What a classic romantic film. But, ladies, that does not mean that is it well-loved by men and women alike. Keep this in mind before you “Notebook” your man. Flickr CC Alex Wickwire The Brunswickan Romance movies, chick flicks, tear-jerkers.

There are a ton of slang terms for films about love designed to make people cry, but only one has a verb named after it. I’m talking of course about The Notebook. If you have no idea what I mean, urbandictionary.com spells it out perfectly.

Notebooked - Term used to describe a girl who makes a boy sad and emotional from watching the film The Notebook.

I’m talking about “getting notebooked.” The act of notebooking occurs when a female sits down a male friend and forces him to watch the entire 2004 movie, and he isn’t allowed to say a word, fall asleep or use any kind of gadget like a cell phone or mp3 player. This situation can come from the boy losing a bet, getting enticed by cupcakes, or just looking for something different to do on a weekday evening.

Once a guy has been notebooked it’s

his own choice whether to tell or not, and no boy forgets his first time. Ask a boy who has seen it and there’s a good chance he can remember everything about the lead up and the actual event.

The fairer sex has been notebooking boys for the past five years. It leaves one to wonder: is there any way dudes can retaliate?

What’s the boy equivalent? What do guys use to get the opposite result from their female acquaintances? It would be easy to say any of the Rocky movies, or the original Rambo. The problem with those is the fact that their titles don’t have much of a ring to them. Imagine overhearing a conversation between two women where one was explaining how “Tom Rambo’d me last night,” or “I’m off to Joe’s place to get Rocky’d.”

Aside from the titles, Sylvester Stallone flicks are too old. Let’s leave them for our friends who’s heads are stuck in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Something more up to date could be a recent, half-assed action flick about a video

game featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Doom. It’s a testosterone driven dude movie that delivers tons of pointless action. The only problem is that it straight up SUCKS. Girls, you won’t be getting Doom’d anytime soon.

My personal film nomination for the male gender is the 2007 box-officebomb-but-popular-DVD-rental Shoot Em’ Up. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, it’s literally an 86 minute gunfight that just lets the viewer turn their brain off and watch Clive Owen spray bullets into hundreds of faceless henchmen. It’s a likable parody of action movies that features Paul Giamatti as the main villain and has a crude romance story that’s the exact opposite of what goes down in The Notebook.

Yes, I’ve seen both, I’ve been notebooked.

Watch out female friends, I just may trick you into sitting through an hour and 25 minutes of a 6’3” British guy mowing down extras while he chases after the dude from Sideways.

Got a better idea? alex.wickwire@ thebruns.ca

Any students out there with opinions?

Tell us.

the brunswickan presents

acolouringcontestWINNER! Pictured to the left are some lovely magnetic fields submitted in a colouring contest the Bruns published recently.

The parallel beams poison the eye of Spock and manipulate his mind.

editor@thebruns.ca

brunswickanopinion

8 • Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143

Student

Viewpoint.

Where is your favorite place to eat in Fredericton?

Let everyone know whats on your mind.

“Dolans.”

Amanda Bakken

Amanda MacMullin

“Pizza Twice.”

Bret MacKenzie

Brian von Richter

“Jack’s.”

“Montana’s.”

Shi Yin Liu

Brian Gilliland

“Mexi’s.”

Jeneique Gomes

“Whos Paying?”

“Relish.”

“Snooty Fox.”

Joanna Wilkin

“Garrison Ale House.”

Josee Michaud

brunswickaninternational

A look at ethnic enclaves Speak Out

International students reflect on Olympics Danielle Bodie The Brunswickan

Ayat Abed Isaid

Early last year in April, I drove through the quiet streets of Toronto’s Chinatown early in the morning.

I parked carefully between several cars and walked into Toronto’s wellknown Chinatown district. I then walked to a Chinese restaurant, where a few of the food options were too bizarre to capture my attention. Then I walked through Chinatown and noticed signs with Chinese characters.

My day was interesting because it exposed me to a world that I had never seen before. However, while my visit to an ethnic enclave expanded my view of the world, people who live in Chinatown limit their own world by surrounding themselves with the people whom they spend most of their lives with, and living within boundaries that they create.

As an immigrant, an enclave is much closer to my previous life that I have left behind. Its members always follow the same traditions, values and cultures.

Ethnic enclaves are developed because of group desirability. When immigrants settle in a new country, they tend to stay close to their compatriots in order to ease the adjustment process.

While this is understandable, I think that immigrants should seek

Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143 • 9

Immigrants to Canada often opt to stay within their comfort zones, knitting themselves into an ethnic enclave. But is this the best idea?

Christian Hapgood / The Brunswickan separation from these enclaves and engage in Canadian life.

They do not have to ignore their own values, morals, traditions and culture. But they should try to live in mainstream society. One of the biggest difficulties a newcomer in Canada faces is the struggle to join a new community.

Language affects social life, employment opportunities, education and even simple tasks in life like grocery shopping. This language barrier is what makes many immigrants who come to Canada seek an ethnic enclave. This, in my point of view, will make it hard for them to adjust to Canadian life and will block them from the rest of the world. So, from my own experience, enclaves tend to make it hard to learn a new language.

When my family came to Canada

they chose to live around Arabs because they were more comfortable talking to them. My mother loved watching TV, but because she couldn’t speak English or even understand it, she turned to ethnic enclaves and large metropoles that serve multiple cultures, where media is available in languages other than English. So, my family had no need to turn to Canadian media because entertainment was available on a much more comfortable and familiar level. However, being exposed to media in English can greatly improve someone’s English.

If immigrants can risk leaving their own enclaves and try to become part of Canadian society, they will benefit not only from learning a new culture and a new language, but also being part of a rich Canadian heritage that will become part of their own lives.

The 2010 Vancouver winter Olympics brought together countries from all over the world to compete. This year, countries were represented from some of the warmest parts of the world.

Ethiopia, India and Jamaica are all competing in the Olympics even though they don’t have traditional winter weather in their countries.

Students from these countries are shocked and excited to see citizens from their home country compete.

Dagmawi Yitbarek, a student from Ethiopia, was surprised when he saw his country being represented.

“In Ethiopia we don’t even have snow, so to see someone from my country compete in a winter sport is interesting and kinda unbelievable.

We don’t even have a word for snow in my country’s language,” he says.

Another participating country with warm weather year-round is Jamaica. Jamaican athletes have been competing in the Winter Olympics for several years. The Jamaican four-man bobsled team debuted at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.

Currently, the country participates in other winter sports and continues to shock the world with its competitiveness. Steven Lecky, a former student

from Jamaica, was excited to see his country compete.

“I’m very proud of my country.

When you hear a Jamaican doing well in a winter sport it always amazes me.

To be from a country where it never snows and compete abroad in a winter sport is awesome.”

India, a country that has temperate weather but still does not experience large amounts of snow in most places, also has athletes competing in the Winter Olympics. Devika Dadhe, a student from India, is also proud of the athletes that are competing from her country because they must train abroad in order to participate.

“It is very cool that we have athletes competing in the winter Olympics because our weather is usually about 20 C, therefore for athletes to go abroad and train for these sports shows their dedication to doing well. And for that I am proud,” she says.

Other countries like China are accustomed to competing in the Winter Olympics and are enjoying a strong showing. Yi Nuo Tao from China expected nothing less from her country’s athletes.

“I think that because China was the host of the Summer Olympics in 2008 we pay more attention and try our best to excel more in these type of events and I am very excited to see them compete,” says Tao.

thebruns.ca

brunswickanarts arts@thebruns.ca

Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143 • 10

Forward Music Group reunites at the Capital

The Forward Music Group showcase on Saturday features some of the label’s most well known bands: the Slate Pacific, Share, and Sleepless Nights. In addition to the Fredericton record label the night’s show will be sponsered by local brewery, Picaroons. Submitted Alison Clack Arts Editor The Slate Pacific is a band that likes adventure.

The Fredericton band is busy promoting themselves and their Forward Music Group counterparts around the Maritimes; however, drummer Zach Atkinson took a break—sort of-- in his full schedule to speak with the Brunswickan.

The percussionist for the Slate Pacific and Share took a moment while driving through Nova Scotia to take a call – risking steep fines from the neighbouring province where cell phones are not permitted on the road – from the Brunswickan and give an update on the band and their up coming show at the Capital.

Atkinson is a busy man, working both as a booking agent at the Capital and for Forward Music Group, as well as playing in a number of bands. And

he’s not the only member of Slate Pacific with a full schedule.

Not only have a number of the members played in other bands, but the bassist for the band, Heather Ogilvie, also owns reNeu Boutique, a vintage and consignment shop downtown in the Tannery.

The store is a useful spot to the bands. Atkinson explains that it has become a handy place to host intimate shows and record.

“At least half of the last Olympic Symphonium record was done there, some of the Slate Pacific record was, [as well as] Share, everyone uses that store,” says Atkinson.

While the store may be a brief resting place for Forward Music Group’s bands as they pass through town, it seems like it’s not that often that all of the bands get to be in one place at once.

This will change this Saturday, Feb. 27, when Picaroons and Forward

Music Group will host a showcase of three of Forward’s artists: the Slate Pacific, Share and Sleepless Nights.

The night will be a reunion of sorts as the bands have been spread out around Eastern Canada for the past few weeks.

Sleepless Nights are based out of Halifax, and while the majority of Share and the Slate Pacific have been in Fredericton the past few weeks, Share frontman Andrew Sisk has been in Montreal recording.

The singer is mysterious about exactly what he’s recording has promised something good for Share fans in the future.

“I would like to tell you but it is top secret,” jokes Sisk. “I can tell you that Share will be releasing a free digital EP on March 9. It will be three new songs of simple home recordings featuring a new female vocalist to the group.”

Sisk also mentions that the compilation, which will be available for down-

load on Forward’s website, will feature something a little different for Share.

“It is a bilingual release because we like to change things up,” explains Sisk.

Between touring Canada and the United States and releasing a new fulllength album, the band has worked hard this past year. Sisk explains that this free EP is a bit of a customer appreciation for the fans that have supported them so well over the past year.

“We feel really grateful to have the support we have. That is one of the reasons we are putting out this free digital EP.” Despite some distance and busy schedules separating band members at times, hard work, loyalty and effort keeps them going.

“It is like any long distance relationship I suppose. If the love and commitment are there than you make it work.

Planning ahead solves most problems and technology makes collaborating

a whole new thing. If the Internet didn’t exist, than this would not be possible,” says Sisk.

The showcase on Saturday is bound to feature a fair bit of new material from the various bands. While Share is releasing their free EP in March, Sleepless Nights have been working on a trilogy of EPs they’ve been releasing over the past several months.

“Each one has a different feel to it,” explains Sleepless Nights frontman Aaron Wallace on why the band chose to release three EPs. “They’re not that different, but there are just certain songs that made more sense together.”

The final EP of the trilogy is expected to be released this coming April.

You can catch the Picaroons and Forward Music Group showcase at the Capital Saturday, Feb. 27. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

Doors open at 10 p.m., show starts at 11 p.m.

Tips for the budding sommelier: pairing wines with student meals Brett Blair Nexus VICTORIA (CUP) – A subscription to Wine Spectator, Food and Wine or Decanter isn’t necessary to figure out what wines a person may find appealing. And finding the appropriate nectar to pair with simpler foods, or less-pricey student fare, can be just as easy if some basic guidelines are followed.

Of course, it never hurts to experiment by going to a wine store, looking around, and grabbing a bottle with a particularly eye-catching label.

“It’s really not that uncommon for the novice wine drinker to do that,”

says Ken Stockley, assistant manager at the Everything Wine store in Victoria.

Stockley, a wine aficionado, has been in the wine business for over 15 years.

He worked at the Okanagan’s Mission Hill Winery, and did a five-year stint for Mark Anthony Brands, one of the province’s leading wine distributors, prior to his arrival at B.C.’s largest wine store.

Stockley says that pairing wine for under $12 a bottle is easily attainable and that most people, avid wine drinkers or not, are looking for recommendations around that price.

“Red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat is still the golden rule when pairing wine with food,”

says Stockley, but he also suggests “drinking what you prefer, no matter what you are eating.”

Foods where either a white or a red is a possibility in pairing are a great starting point for the amateur wine drinker. Pasta with tomato sauce is a dish that works well with either.

“Some will tell you that tomato sauce is very acidic, which can demand a white wine, which tends to be more on the acidic side,” says Stockley.

“Others feel that it’s a red sauce, and it’s with pasta, which has some big flavours, so needs a big, more fullbodied red.”

Pinot Grigio, a lighter, more acidic, and un-oaked white could easily work

with pasta and tomato sauce, as would a full-bodied Sicilian Nero d’Avola or Argentine Malbec.

Pizza may also be paired with either red or white. If it’s cheese-based, a lighter acidic white such as a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc or an Italian Pinot Grigio would be ideal, with the higher acidity complementing the richness of the cheese. A meat-based pizza would pair very well with an inexpensive Italian Chianti or Spanish Tempranillo.

Asian foods such as stir-fries or sushi also both lend themselves to experimentation where wine pairing is concerned.

“For this style of food, it’s all about German Rieslings and Gewürztrami-

ners,” says Stockley.

These oilier, textured white wines help balance spice, while their sweet fruit and aromatic qualities compliment fatty fish such as tuna and salmon. If red is your preference, a lighter red such as a Spanish Grenache or French Beaujolais would be most appropriate. Stockley recommends chilling it down to soften it.

“Regionally, wine from Chile, Argentina, the region of Toro in Spain and many Italian varietals offer some of the best values,” says Stockley.

However, he says, “The best thing you can do is to not be intimidated when looking to try something a bit different.”

brunswickanarts the brunswickan presents

a photo essay.

By Christian Hapgood

Foodclothingsheltermusic hosted a Haiti relief show at The Cellar this past Friday.The show featured friends of the music co-op, the Elephant, as well as two of the co-op’s own bands, the Hungry Hearts and the Belle Comedians.The event was incredibly succesful with the Cellar reaching capacity early in the night. Over the night approximately $800 was raised which will be donated to Haiti through Oxfam.

WEAK SIZE FISH JAM OUT AT THE CAPITAL

The boys of Weak Size Fish played to a packed and sweaty crowd at the Capital Complex this past Thursday. Their set, which followed Ottawa jam band Tympanic, featured some of the band’s old favourites and included a number of their newest songs. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143 • 11

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brunswickanarts

12 • Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143

Should’ve had a cup of tea

cd reviews by andrew olsvik.

Pavement – Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement [Out on March 9, 2010; Matador] Few bands encapsulate the words indie rock as much as Pavement. Often considered the fathers of the genre, their sunny California scrap-pop melodies and dedication to independent labels throughout their career have had a large impact.

From Modest Mouse to the Shins, they have directly influenced countless bands responsible for the revival and popularization of indie subculture post2000. To the shock and excitement of thousands, it was announced late last year that Pavement would be reuniting for a world tour; Matador will be reissuing the band’s catalogue on affordable vinyl; and this, a 23 track compilation of Pavement’s greatest hits, would be released. While only “Cut Your Hair” could technically be considered a hit, every song compiled from “Gold Soundz” to “Shady Lane” to “Summer Babe” is hit worthy and a snapshot of music history.

Andrew Meade and Mike Erb The Brunswickan Sloan – B-Sides Win [Released February 12, 2010; Murder Records] In 2005, Nova Scotian power pop maestros Sloan released A-Sides Win, a singles collection compiling the band’s singles from 1992 to 2005. More recently the band stretched further into their past and dug up a multitude of b-sides, compilation contributions and other rare tracks for the B-Sides Win release, now available from Sloan’s brand new online store. At the online store you can listen to the compilation in its entirety or buy it as highquality DRM-free digital files for only ten bucks, along with Sloan’s entire catalogue. B-Sides Win kicks off appropriately with an airy, acoustic version of their career catalyst “Underwhelmed” and continues through 25 more album-worthy tracks that showcase the varied talents and song writing abilities of all four band members.

Trinitea’s Cup is located at 87 Regent St. and specializes in a wide range of tea and a hot dog menu in which they are presented as “Dawgs.”

How wild is that? No one got any “dawgs,” but Andrew and Mike did get coffee. Unfortunately, they should have ordered tea.

Although Trinitea’s has been established downtown for a few years, neither Mike nor Andrew had dined there previously. After noticing a sign in the window a couple of weeks prior advertising coffee at Trinitea’s, Mike suggested Trinitea’s as the location for the next caffeinated date.

The café is quaint and charming with a rustic interior, and some aspects make you feel like you are at your grandmother’s house, which is always welcoming. Comfortable seats and friendly service make for an inviting atmosphere.

we’re hiring for 2010-2011 for the following editorial board positions:

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Arts Editor Sports Editor deadline: Production Editor Friday Feb. 26 Photo Editor Copy Editor Online Editor send your cover letter, resumé and sample pieces (3-5 written pieces, 5-10 photos, or 2-3 design examples) by email to: editor@thebruns.ca

Mike and Andrew were greeted warmly and were given time to over look the menu until they both decided to order a brewed coffee.

Being the gentleman that he is, and owing Mike from previous excursions, Andrew took care of the bill. The two coffees came to just over $5, which makes Trinitea’s one of the more expensive of the pair’s coffee excursions thus far.

The two cups of coffee were mixed Mike’s with milk and sugar and Andrew’s black - at the counter and then served at our table by a friendly host. Upon the first few sips it tasted like a standard brew, but the taste went downhill quickly after that.

The coffee was kept in a pump thermos and must have been brewed earlier somewhere else in the café. Mike regrets to inform our treasured readers that his coffee was watery and not overly warm.

It was obvious the coffee had been in the thermos for some time and had lost its value as a legitimate cup of coffee.

Andrew shared a similar sentiment; from the first sip from his cup it was not hard to tell that the brew lacked the bold flavour his palate has become accustomed too. There was no mistaking the cup for coffee, but the level of quality that had been assumed in comparison to the excellent tea offerings was lacking.

The coffee was weak, and had a bitter, sour taste.

Mike and Andrew both give their coffee two out of five beans. The saving grace was the friendly service, cozy atmosphere and wide variety of teas offered. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said concerning the coffee.

Don’t take this the wrong way though, Trinitea’s is still highly recommended as a spot worth checking out; there are many other great offerings. Mike and Andrew can only assume if they had ordered tea their experience would have been much more satisfying, since Trinitea’s is a teashop and all.

brunswickansports

Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143 • 13

sports@thebruns.ca

DAL vs. UNB: consistency is key for Reds

Colin McPhail Sports Editor Twenty-three consecutive AUS Championships. That’s what the Varsity Reds men’s volleyball team is facing this weekend. The Reds will challenge the CIS’ second-ranked, the Dalhousie Tigers, for the AUS title in a best of three series starting Friday night in Halifax.

Head Coach Dan McMorran knows exactly what the Reds will be facing both physically and mentally.

“Most people think it’s a foregone conclusion that Dalhousie is going to win. I’m not standing here saying ‘Hey, the cards are stacked in our favour’ either. We’re going up against arguably one of the top teams in the country right now.”

The Tigers swept the season series 5-0 with the Reds winning only three sets. When asked where they need to improve, McMorran immediately knew the answer.

“We’re not going to change too much of our game against Dalhousie. The only thing we’re going to do is to try and make less unforced errors.”

UNB leads the league with 377 errors over the course of the season, lowering their hitting percentage to a .191. Dalhousie sits comfortably on top of that stat with a solid .301. McMorran recognizes the crippling effect unforced errors can have on a team.

“What we’re doing against that team is we’re giving up the two, three, four, five point runs against that squad. It’s not the fact that Dalhousie has earned those points, but we’ve given them some free points. Against a team like Dalhousie, you can’t do that.”

The Reds Coach also cites their consistency as a key area holding them back.

“That’s what’s been handcuffing us this year: the fact that we’re not as consistent. So, I guess we might change our game plan a little bit. Our game plan would be to take to the handcuffs off.”

However, tweaking their game will not be the only thing UNB has to worry about. Tigers’ middle blocker Max Burt and outside hitter Sander Retsap have been dominating their competitors all year long, and the Reds are no exception. The stats don’t lie. The pair is in

Julio Fernandez streches for the ball during Friday night’s loss to Dalhousie. Coach McMorran stresses that Fernandez is one of the key individuals that needs to bring his best game against the Tigers.The best of three series kicks off Friday night. Sandy Chase / The Brunswickan the top three of hitting percentage, kills, service aces, and points. Burt also leads the league in blocks, while Retsap is not far behind in eighth spot. McMorran knows all too well about the potential threat the duo poses, but he feels the Reds can contain them.

“Max Burt is arguably the best middle in the country right now and Sander Retsap is also in the top five left-side hitters in the country. Sander is going to get his swings; Sander is going to get

the brunswickan presents

the panel voice your opinion

his kills. What we need to make sure we do is to keep that pressure on those guys, and when we put pressure on both Max and Sander and we can keep that on, they get out of their comfort zone and start to do things they don’t normally do.”

The Reds need their top players to shine as well, including recent addition from Venezuela Julio Fernandez.

“Julio struggled in the last three weeks. He should be a player that we

start against Dalhousie, but I had to take him out. We need Julio to step up.”

McMorran will also look to his core players to lead the way.

“We need our big guys. Jacob Kilpatrick and Tyler Veenhuis need to have good performances here. We’ve been sharing time between two setters all season, but Stephane Fontaine, our rookie setter, ended up rising above right now and we need Stephane to have a big match against them too.”

What has been the biggest hit and miss of the Olympics Games so far?

Colin McPhail

Tony von Richter

Alex Wickwire

The biggest hit would have to be the new skeleton star and goldmedalist Jon Montgomery. From his incredible final run to sharing a pitcher of beer with a fan, this guy is aces in my book. The low would be COC’s Own the Podium program. Setting a goal that high with the chances of succeeding so low wasn’t smart. Greater expectations just makes the fall even harder.

The big hit so far would have to be Alexandre Bilodeau, not just for the gold medal but for the way that the entire country embraced him within seconds. It was nice to know that for one day nearly everyone was talking about the same thing. The low was the malfunctioning torch during the opening ceremonies.

The high would definitely be Shaun White NOT doggin’ it on his final run. That dude gets AIR. The low, on the other hand, would be Jeremy Wotherspoon choking like Peyton Manning.

Sports Editor

The Head Coach remains confident that the Tigers have yet to see the Reds at their best.

“I look at the matches we’ve played against Dalhousie. We have not played anywhere close to our best ball. When we play our best ball, we’ve won the set.

I said to our guys ‘We’re not going in there like it’s a great big Hoosiers story’.

If we win, I don’t think it’s a Cinderella story. I think we have the potential to beat Dalhousie, if we play our best ball.”

CUP Sports Bureau Chief

Sports Reporter

Christopher Cameron Sports Writer

Besides the temperatures being higher than average at the winter olympics, Alexandre Bilodeau’s gold medal performance in the Men’s Moguls for the first on home soil is the high. The low thus far would be the loss by the Canadian Men’s Hockey team against the USA. Brodeur=goalie, not forward or defenseman.

14 • Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143

brunswickansports Big win not enough to avoid playoff snub

Acadia forward Sondra Medley (left) fights off UNB forward Amanda Sharpe (right) during the Reds’ 9082 victory. However, the win wasn’t enough to land the Reds in the playoffs. Sandy Chase / The Brunswickan

Alex Wickwire Sports Reporter The Varsity Reds women’s basketball team will have to wait until next year for a shot at the postseason. Even though they were the only team this year to defeat the CBU Capers, posted a 6-3 home record and won more games than Acadia, the Axewomen will be going to the AUS playoffs while the Reds sit at home.

After a 90-82 victory over the visiting Axewomen on Saturday, head coach Jeff Speedy was visibly disappointed.

“We had more wins than that team we just beat, but they won more four pointers than us so they get to go to the playoffs and we don’t.”

The game opened with a tight first quarter. The teams traded baskets until the horn and entered the first break with the score 20-19 in favour of UNB.

“We attacked very, very well in transition,” explained Speedy.

The second quarter is when the game began to heat up. After falling into a seven point hole, questionable officiating prompted an over-thetop reaction from coach Speedy that earned him a technical foul. The outburst sparked the squad and they responded by taking the lead. The halftime score was 41-40 UNB. In the second half, Reds forward Jessica Steed led the way as the team put up 24 points. In 22 minutes Steed had 16 points on 6-14 shooting, and was perfect from the free-throw line.

Acadia hung tough with the Lady Reds and the crowd of 200 fans was the loudest it had been all season.

Tashina Van Vlack’s three-pointer in the final seconds sent the pit faithful into a frenzy that carried on until the end of the game.

The final quarter saw an excellent effort from UNB. Megan Corby and Jes-

sica Steed led the way with timely jump shots and steals to help the team put up 25 points in the final 15 minutes.

“That fourth quarter might have been the best quarter we played all year,” was the praise from the coach.

“Probably for the last month we’ve been playing better and better and better on the defensive end, and had we played with the intensity and the intelligence all season that we just did, we would have had a pretty phenomenal year.” The final score was indicative of the team’s effort.

“You should never lose if you score 90 points,” said Speedy after the game.

The coach was pleased with his team’s effort.

“We have a little thing about never losing on senior’s night in our own gym,” commented Speedy. He then added “everybody raised their level of play to make sure that our two graduating players finished strong and make their last game a memorable one.”

Women’s volleyball falls short in AUS Champs Colin McPhail Sports Editor It was another heartbreaking performance at the AUS Championships for the Varsity Reds women’s volleyball squad.

After falling to U de M in the final one year prior, the Reds’ hopes to reach the final again were denied by St. FX in the semi-final.

UNB travelled to the host university, Saint Mary’s, to meet Cape Breton in the quarterfinal on Friday to open the playoffs. The match was a hard-fought, back and forth affair that saw each team exchange sets. The Reds took the opening set 25-22, only to be edged by CBU 25-23 in the second. The Reds regained their lead with a 25-19 win in the middle frame, but only to have the Capers equalize again with a 25-21 win pushing the match to a fifth and final set. The Reds were able to summon the energy and outlasted the Capers winning the set 15-7 and the match along with it.

UNB’s veterans came to play as Jill Blanchard, Barb Vriends and Tanya Paulin led the way with a combined 38 kills. However, the young guns were not to be outdone as Emma Hunt and Megan Dudeck combined to tally 32

digs. Head coach John Richard was quite pleased with his team’s performance in the quarterfinal.

“I thought against CBU our ‘battle’ level was real strong,” explained Richard. “They played the best we’ve seen them play this year, so we were fortunate we had some girls step up. We blocked well and I thought we had one of our best serve-receive matches of the year.”

Saturday’s semi-final against St. FX was a tough match to swallow as the Reds had several leads throughout the match but couldn’t capitalize. St. FX stole the first set with a come from behind 25-22 win and held off a UNB comeback in the second for the 25-23 win. UNB finally received some good fortune taking the third set 25-23, only to have St. FX finish them off in the fourth 25-18. The combined efforts of team leaders such as Blanchard and Vriends were not enough to overcome a powerful St. FX squad.

Coach Richard had nothing but praise for both teams.

“In the semi-final we competed well once again,” said Richard. “They are a consistent, steady, well coached team, so you can’t make many mistakes and the line was so thin, especially in those first

three sets. We had more kills, assists, blocks, and digs in the match than [St. FX] and our best players were our best players, so we couldn’t ask for much more. They were just a little better late in each of those first three sets and that was the difference. In the end, our team did exactly what I asked of them.

So, all we could do is be proud of our effort and congratulate St. FX on an exceptional game.”

St. FX went on to challenge Saint Mary’s for the AUS title, but the hometown Huskies were too strong and swept the match 3-0. The Huskies will travel to the University of Alberta for the CIS Championships beginning March 5.

Prior to the competition, the league awards were announced with five Reds taking home some hardware. Rebecca Glancy and Hunt were both named to the AUS All-Rookie Team. Blanchard and Paulin were named to the First All-Star Team, while Vriends made the Second All-Star Team. Finally, Blanchard also received the Therese Quigley Award, which is given to the player who best represents the balance between athletics, academics and community service.

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Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143 • 15

Behind the flash and flips of Capoeira

Capoeira is a great workout mixing martial arts with music that is steadily gaining popularity. Unbeknownst to many, Capoeira has been around for nearly 200 years. Flickr CC

Matteus Clement Nexus VICTORIA (CUP) — Nestled in the heart of downtown Victoria lies the Grupo Axé Capoeira Academy, the only one of its kind on Vancouver Island.

Capoeira is an incredibly unique acrobatic martial art played with music that was originated in Brazil by African slaves and dates back over 175 years.

In 1982, Mestre Barrão started Axé Capoeira, a branch of the original Capoeira. Barrão later moved to Vancouver

and started Canada’s first Axé Capoeira academy.

It was there that Kevin Brett, instructor of the Victoria academy, started his training and worked his way up the belts.

Victoria’s Axé Capoeira academy started in 2001, but didn’t find a home until Brett met Darcy Dommett and the two started what is now Studio 4 Athletics.

Axé means “positive life force” in Portuguese; Brett feels everything they do in and outside of the academy reflects that statement.

“In the roda” — the circle that the

Capoeira’s dancing occurs in — “you go back and forth with your partner and it’s a microcosm for life,” says Brett.

“Something gets thrown at you and you take just enough energy to avoid it.”

The metaphor is often lost on people who ask why the opponents never hit each other.

“You don’t do that in life,” says Brett.

“You take some conflict head-on, but for the most part you just let it go by you.”

Brett is aware that Axé Capoeira gets stereotyped as being more flash and flips than anything else, but that doesn’t bother him. He knows that there’s more

to the sport than that.

“If you want to learn to do flips, go be a gymnast,” says Brett. “If you want to learn to play music, go to the conservatory. If you want to fight people, go to a dojo. If you want to be a well-rounded individual, come here.”

Axé Capoeira requires students to play music for the roda, sing along in Portuguese, train with training pads, and hone aerobatic skills. Once students have these skills, they can pass them along to others.

“This is an academy where you come to learn to teach,” says Brett.

The popularity of Axé Capoeira is rising and people are taking notice. Marcus Aurelio, a Capoeirist from Vancouver, rose to YouTube fame overnight with a mixed martial arts (MMA) knockout using one of the most basic kicks in Capoeira.

Aurelio’s brother, Vinicius, caught the eye of Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, during the tryouts of The Ultimate Fighter, an MMA competition and reality show. White was baffled and amazed at Vinicius’ style, accepting him into the contest.

And while there’s potential that MMA fighters could start entering his academy, Brett says he would welcome them but he’s not optimistic that they would practice the art of Capoeira on a long-term basis.

“This is a place where you work on every part of yourself, just not fighting,” says Brett. “Being part of Axé Capoeira is a lifetime commitment.”

From the grill: NHL reform to Tiger on TV John Robb An Opiinion Chef extraordinaire, John Robb, speaks his mind.

Listen up, Gary Bettman!

Gary, you want to bring excitement back to hockey? The answer is simple: three points for a regulation win. No more boring third periods, no more parity in the standings. Plus, penalty shots and shootouts will actually begin to be exciting again, instead of a normal and boring occurrence.

CHL and Education I need to applaud the CHL, and the

WHL in particular, for their effort to continue player education. Research shows that the WHL, since 1993, has provided $11 million in scholarships to its athletes who wish to continue into post secondary education. This is in addition to helping them develop into the stars we love to cheer and jeer on Saturday night!

Trouble ahead for the NFL? So, did anyone know that next year will be an uncapped season in the NFL? What does that mean you ask? On the surface it sounds like salaries might go up, but if the wise men of ESPN are right it may mean that salaries will decrease on

free agents. If owners work together to keep prices down on high impact players, it might be a prelude to a lockout in 2011. So we might soon be asking “Where dey?” instead of “Who dat?”

Pete Rose and Mark McGwire Both have come clean. Both admit they were wrong. Who will get into the Hall of Fame first? Lets look at stats.

The switch-hitting Rose was dangerous from both sides of the plate. He also is the only player in league history to play 500 games at five different positions.

Big Mac is nineth in slugging percentage all-time, eighth in homeruns and a distant sixty-sixth in career RBIs. I don’t

think either will make the Hall soon. I do know that one does deserve it more, purely on the strength of his numbers.

Tiger should be next into Celebrity Rehab!

Obviously, he needs help with a serious sex addiction. Why else would he cheat on a Swedish swimsuit model?

Plus, it might help to understand what’s it like to be Tiger. No doubt the viewership of the show would skyrocket, which would have the downside of reviving the careers of some terrible actors. I for one want to see the Tiger break down moment on syndicated cable TV, in glorious HD.

sports briefs.

Losier makes a splash at Nationals Varsity Reds swimmer Danielle Losier broke the AUS and NB 50, 100 and 200 metre breakstroke records during the CIS Championships last weekend. Losier picked up an 8th, 11th and 13th place in the process. She helped the UNB 400 metre medley relay team notch an 8th as well. “She had a fantastic meet. Probably the best meet of her career so far,” commented head coach Dan Monid.

Men’s basketball back to old habits After ending their 10-game losing streak, the Reds fell back to their losing ways as they were downed by Acadia 92-80. The loss drops UNB to an AUS worst 2-16 record. The Reds travel to UPEI this weekend for a pair of must-win games if they want an outside shot of slipping into the final playoff spot.

X-men sweep Panthers to face Reds In men’s hockey quarterfinal action, St.FX took down UPEI in two straight matches. The X-men won the first game 3-2 and sealed the series with another 3-2 win, which took two overtime periods to decide. St.FX will now play UNB in the semi-finals. The Reds won the season series 3-1; with their only regular season loss coming at the hands of the X-men.

Danton leads Saint Mary’s over UdeM The 2008-09 AUS Champion Saint Mary’s Huskies swept Moncton over the weekend to move on and face Acadia in the semi-finals.

SMU grabbed the first game 2-1 in a double-overtime thriller and clinched the series 4-2 in game two.

Mike Danton led the way with a pair of goals and one assist in the series. Acadia took the season series over SMU 3-1.

16 • Feb. 24, 2010 • Issue 21 • Volume 143

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