Issue 24, Vol 143, The Brunswickan

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

thebruns.ca

brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.

NEW BRUNSWICKERS PROTEST NB POWER DEAL AT THE LEGISLATURE

NBCC structure rises quickly Hilary Paige Smith News Reporter

Brunswick retain control of transmission and distribution.

Graham said once the contract with Quebec is finalized, it will be available to the public for further comment.

“We want to release the information once the contract is finalized. We want to engage the public to look at it. It’s going to be posted online. There’s going to be an opportunity, as well, for questions to be asked, and a legislative committee to ask those questions to the experts who put the deal together, and we want to provide as much information as we can,” he said.

He criticized the Opposition Progressive Conservatives — who have framed the NB Power sale as an election issue — for failing to propose, in his eyes, a viable alternative.

“There’s scrutiny right now on our plans . . . but the same amount of scrutiny isn’t put on the opposition parties, because they have yet to present any of their plans on how to deal with these challenges.”

Opposition leader David Alward chal-

Members of the UNB community might be taking notice of the changing skyline of the upper portion of campus.

The New Brunswick Community College campus building is rapidly being constructed behind Marshall D’Avray Hall and the Wu Conference Centre.

Construction of the $15 million facility began at the end of January and the facility is already beginning to take shape.

Post-secondary education, training and labour minister Donald Arseneault spoke to the Brunswickan this week about the progress made at the site within the last several months.

“Progress is actually going very well with the infrastructure that’s going up.

There is a lot of construction because of the nice weather we’ve had over the winter. We’ve been able to do a lot,” he said. Arseneault said building appears to be on schedule.

“We’re quite confident that the dates we’ve put forward [for completion] will definitely be respected. We’re quite happy with that.”

UNB Saint John is also incorporating an NBCC structure on their campus.

The $25 million facility will be home to a number of new engineering technology programs for college level students, including: industrial control technology, power engineering technology, mechanical engineering technology and civil engineering technology, among others.

Both projects are expected to be completed in spring 2011, and to be ready for operation in September of that year.

The two expansion projects fall under the provincial government’s Action Plan to Transform Post-Secondary Education in New Brunswick. Through this action plan, the province plans to make community college systems more accessible, modern and autonomous.

The Fredericton structure will cover 4,840 square metres on campus and planned programs include health, business administration, information technology, engineering technology and social services.

The minister said a finalized list of

SEE DECISIONS PAGE 4

SEE NBCC PAGE 3

Over 1,000 New Brunswickers descended on the lawn of the legislature building in downtown Fredericton to protest the sale of some of NB Power’s assets. Duff Conacher, democracy watch coordinator, gave a speech that roused protesters. Andrew Meade/ The Brunswickan

N.B. premier says citizens unfit to make long-term decisions Sarah Ratchford Editor in Chief The government simply knows better when it comes to deciding matters of power — or at least the electrical kind, said New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham.

Debate has raged for months in New Brunswick over the sale of assets of the Crown utility NB Power to HydroQuébec, currently valued at $3.2 billion.

While there’s been much public outcry over the sale, the governing Liberals have barely budged in their stance.

Final details are set to be announced at the end of March as the government prepares to vote on the sale in the provincial legislature.

At the same time, Graham is traveling to each university in the province and revisiting the party’s progress with postsecondary education policy.

He doesn’t have much new to say about it, though, and is largely regurgitating previously announced news.

Graham sat down with the Brunswickan on March 18, just after speaking at St. Thomas University, and gave an upto-date version of his thoughts on the deal.

Graham was evasive when answering questions about the NB Power deal.

The premier claimed that the people of New Brunswick will eventually see the benefits of the deal, and that it is for the better that the decision is not left up to a referendum.

He said the reason why the party refuses to leave the decision to the people is “really quite simple” — the utility has disposed of assets before. He cited generating stations in Saint John and Millbank as examples.

“At that time . . . it did not go before a referendum or a general election. Our government is elected to make these decisions over a four-year period [and to decide] what’s in the best interest of New Brunswickers for the long term.”

He said referendums often fail to take into account long-term ramifications, and that the province’s citizens aren’t in a position right now to decide what’s best.

As an example, he claimed, “If there had been a referendum 30 years ago on the topic of capital punishment in the province of New Brunswick, it would never have been abolished.”

He said he feels elected governments

are in better positions to make difficult decisions, “because they have access to more information [and] they have a better ability to assess what the long term benefits are versus what the immediate benefits are.

“And what I’m looking out for is future generations of New Brunswickers who aren’t able to make that decision today.”

He reiterated that NB Power will remain a Crown corporation owned by the people of New Brunswick, and said that a lot of misinformation has been circulating.

“Many people think that we’re selling off NB Power. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Graham admitted, however, that the misinformation is largely the fault of his own party.

“We could have done a much better job in the informing process. I’m the first to admit that. The process could have been better, and that’s why today, some of the misinformation exists,” the premier said.

The first deal proposed in October, though, would have seen the majority of NB Power’s assets sold for $4.8 billion, roughly the equivalent of the utility’s debt. In January, this was scaled back to a $3.2-billion deal that would see New

brunswickannews

2 • Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143

Transitioning and communications top issues for SU Lee Larrett News Editor Council is beginning to wind down for the year as can be seen in executive reports to council that talk of transitioning.

Stephanie Lord, vice president student services, recounted to council the prom dress sale. Although in its first year, it met with positive feedback from girls that attended, one traveling quite a distance to make sure she could participate.

Lisa Solte, vice president finance, updated council on the tax clinic running Wednesday, March 24 and ending Saturday. Open budget meetings were held last week and no one attended, “so I guess everyone’s happy with it,” Solte said.

Shannon Carmont-McKinley, current vice president academic and president-elect, told council of the time she spent at an NBSA meeting as a silent observer, preparing for next year.

Ryan Brideau, vice president external, discussed some of his ongoing projects. He is working with the city

on Move Out Madness, which coordinates yard sales for furniture from student homes that would otherwise end up in the dump.

Brideau said that he unfortunately couldn’t attend the official hearing for Acadian Lines which he had spent weeks working toward because of a rescheduled midterm. He was disappointed and submitted a formal letter to ensure his voice would still be heard.

The carpooling initiative contract has been approved and should be ready to begin in the next academic year.

Brideau also gave some details on what was discussed at the NBSA meeting.

Jon O’Kane, president of the SU, submitted an electronic report that garnered questions from councillors. Ash Furrow, computer science representative, asked O’Kane if the government’s reported rate of having addressed 75 per cent of their PSE action plan was an accurate view.

O’Kane responded that while he thinks their number is accurate, there are still a lot of conversations that still need to happen, and the remaining 25 per cent that has not been addressed includes major issues.

Julia Coleman, engineering representative and vice president studentservices-elect, inquired about Fridays at Four. O’Kane responded that the biweekly Fridays at Four hosted by the administration for this week will be aimed at allowing the faculty to be introduced to the incoming executive and councillors, but the executive that have built a relationship with the administration over the year.

Furrow asked if the SU has a formal stance on the college-university partnerships that the PSE action plan is creating. O’Kane’s response was that no formal position exists, but it might be a good idea to articulate one early next academic year.

Jordan Thompson, business representative, asked for an overview of the strategic planning process and how it might continue over the summer.

O’Kane explained the process and said that nine white papers detailing what was learned on each of the nine break out topics are being drafted and after more feedback and the deadline for presentation to the board of governors in November.

Solte presented the preliminary budget, which was first presented last

week and was voted on at this week’s meeting. Ashley Wile, questioned two items, the first of which being the $4,300 for council honorariums, asking if they were for all SU employees such as the CRO. Wile also asked for an explanation of the $2,180 for contraceptive awareness. Solte said that the honorariums that total $4,300 are for council members, councillors, senators and liaisons only. The contraceptive awareness budget is left over from when the nursing faculty would buy condoms, but they now have a contract with Trojan to have condoms donated.

Steele asked Solte about the $2,500 budgeted for an election, and how that number would compare to a full paper ballot election. Wile commented that she didn’t think that was a fair question for Lisa, that unofficially she would like to look into that comparison, but she doesn’t think that now is the right time.

Brideau tabled a motion entitled Indie Pop Working Group. Providing background information, Brideau said that he felt the student paper has a role to play in covering SU elections, and in his opinion shares the blame for low

voter turnout in the last election. In the wake of the election the motion will create a working group to get a list of SU constituents from UNB and send out emails to inform students of what the SU is doing. Furrow amended the motion to include that the emails include cafe reviews and photo essays, effectively functioning as an SU alternative to the Brunswickan with its own equivalent of an arts section. O’Kane was in favour of this motion and said other modes of communication should be undertaken by the SU to tell their constituents what they need to know. The amendment and motion passed.

Editor’s note: Whereas the SU constructed this motion pertaining to the Brunswickan, and whereas all Brunswickan writers are employees or staff members of the Brunswickan, it would be virtually impossible to report on the motion in depth without being biased.

Therefore, we have opted to remain professional and only mention it as much as necessary to achieve full coverage of this week’s meeting. If anyone would like to know more about the motion, they should feel free to check out the SU’s website.

brunswickannews

Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143 • 3

Graham revisits PSE action plan

PSE Minister Donald Arseneault and Premir Shawn Graham were at STU on the morning of March 18 to share the progress that has been made on the action plan for PSE. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Lee Larrett News Editor Shawn Graham, New Brunswick’s premier, and Donald Arseneault, New Brunswick’s minister of post-secondary education, recently gave an update on the government’s action plan for PSE entitled, “Be inspired, Be ready, Be better.”

The two visited St. Thomas and spoke at Norrie McCain Hall Thursday, March 18 about the deal, with was launched a year and a half ago.

Graham reiterated the details of the action plan, and the announcement focused largely on the progress the plan has made since it launched.

The plan, which includes items related to inclusiveness, the high rate of student debt, and merging together the benefits of community colleges and universities, among other items, outlines 33 priority action initiatives meant to give students a high quality academic experience in the province.

The action plan was put together as a result of the government’s recognition that a strong PSE system will aid New Brunswick in achieving “selfsufficiency.”

Graham explained that the program was about making “substantial changes to improve the system,” and is a transformational plan the government devised to create the best opportunities to learn. Behind the plan, he says, is the desire to help New Brunswickers acquire the skills and training to be successful.

“We’re seeing differences in lives of students and the delivery of education,” Graham said.

“Almost 75 per cent of the 33 priority action items have been or are being addressed, and more than $275 million has been committed for capital improvements and post-secondary initiatives,” according to a press release distributed at the announcement.

One of the initiatives is to make postsecondary education more affordable by addressing student financing. Since the action plan was released, the government has instituted a three year fully funded tuition freeze at public universities at a cost of $6 million per year, according to Graham.

Community college tuition has been frozen for the fifth straight year.

A timely completion benefit was established this year, allowing qualifying students who complete their degree within the established timeline of their program to have 100 per cent of the provincial portion of student loans in excess of $26,000 forgiven. This program helps mediate the average New Brunswick’s student debt to be closer to the national average of $24,000 upon graduation.

The Repayment Assistance Program (RAP) was implemented, which lets students repay their student loan with monthly payments that are based on their earnings.

The government doubled the tuition maximum lifetime rebate to $20,000. It also eliminated the assessment of parental or spousal income from eligibility calculations for New Brunswick student loans.

Accessibility was also defined as a key issue facing post-secondary education institutions in New Brunswick. Programs include investing $7 million over two years to help universities and colleges develop projects to improve access for underrepresented groups and students with special needs, including First Nations students, first-generation Canadians, and low-income earners. One million dollars of that amount went directly to increasing accessibility for low-income earners, and another $1 million was dedicated to recruiting First Nations living in the province and providing services to ensure their success.

Modernizing the campuses and PSE infrastructure was identified as another key initiative in the plan. The government has helped create an autonomous network of language specific boards to run community colleges in the province. The government identifies three key advantages to making the colleges autonomous: improved chances of forming partnerships with corporate entities, allowing colleges to work more closely with industry to better prepare students; having a more community oriented governing body with more accountability; and the ability to respond faster to the labour market.

Another goal in modernizing PSE is a $121.7 million goal to improve or replace

community college infrastructure. As part of this goal the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design (NBCCD) has been enhanced and re-branded thanks to a government investment of over $1.3 million.

Eleven million dollars of provincial money, and $4 million of federal funding has gone towards the New Brunswick Community College campus being built on the UNB Fredericton campus as another aspect of this goal.

The government is investing in modernizing university infrastructure with an $80 million infrastructure renewal and facility upgrade three-year program.

Changes to the apprenticeship program are another tenet of the PSE plan, including covering training costs, shortening the length of time required to complete training and commissioning an independent report to examine the apprenticeship governance model and consulting with stakeholders.

“Collaboration is being fostered,” Graham said of the final aspect of the plan, to create more collaboration, and promote efficiency within the PSE system. A government investment of almost $3 million has allowed for a number of actions to address this aspect of the plan. The government has established a PSE president’s council, partnerships that will support collaboration between institutions, business and industry, and communities.

They have increased the number of international students through the creation of a working group to support shortterm international education projects, and have worked to make credit transfers between PSE institutions simpler. Lastly, they have worked to increase the number of graduate students in the province by establishing a Graduate Studies and Research Council and investing in the creation of two virtual graduate schools.

“This is a historical period of transformation,” Arseneault said of what has been accomplished so far in the action plan.

Graham visited all campuses in the province and spoke with reporters from each campus paper. He took the opportunity to revisit progress made in the area of PSE a week prior to when the scheduled vote on the NB Power deal will take place in the legislature.

Kim Norris wraps up 34 years at UNB Hilary Paige Smith News Reporter At 54 years old, Kim Norris still feels like he is the youngest person in a room.

Norris, the director of the Student Union Building, has been working with a staff of primarily 19 to 22 year olds since he began his job 25 years ago. Norris is retiring from his position in January, 2011, but will be away from the job beginning in August.

He is also the director of the Aitken Centre.

A native of the Eastern Townships in Quebec, Norris has been an active member of the UNB community since 1976 when he was a student. He pursued a degree in education at UNB and was eventually offered a position teaching a three credit course.

He came into his current position when the president at the time was searching for a director to fill the new position at the SUB. “Since 1976 I’ve been working for the university and I just looked at my files last Friday and I saw one pay scale for $3.50 an hour. I almost fell off my desk, and I thought ‘$3.50 an hour?’ But gas back then was only three cents a gallon, so everything is relative,” he said.

He said the main thing that has kept him at UNB for all these years is the team of staff he works with. Norris is responsible for hiring anywhere between 30 and 40 staff members a year and said there is always a group who eventually become supervisors.

“You spend so many hours with these people that you become close friends and they’re excellent workers.

They’re self-starters. They’re A+ for personalities. They are just driving and they get you going,” he said fondly.

The SUB director added that one of the saddest parts of his job each year is seeing staff members graduate and having to say good bye.

“You make these really close friendships. That’s the high point. The low point is saying good bye,” he said.

Norris said though balancing both positions on campus was challenging

at times, he never had a particularly awful experience.

“In the back of your mind you know things can go wrong and you always hope for the best, but plan for the worst. If you have a couple thousand people in the SUB and 3,000 in the rink, there is a lot going on,” he said.

Norris said one of his funniest and most memorable moments of supervising the SUB was when he was not even at the building. He was in British Columbia and the employee left in charge called him panicking, claiming the building was on fire. He later found out that a planned barbecue had been moved closer to the front doors due to poor weather and smoke blew into building and through the fans, filling the cafeteria with smoke.

“When I got back, I explained to them, ‘We just don’t barbecue in the front of the lobby.’ It’s funny…I thought ‘Oh my God. The buildings on fire and I’m in Vancouver,’” he said, laughing at the memory.

“And now when I hear of smoke in the building, I think ‘Not again’ and check for a barbecue.”

The busiest days for Norris and his team are Thursday through Saturday, when swarms of students are coming in and out of the building for drinks, concerts or cultural events.

Norris said he was torn about retiring from his position and will miss the connections he’s made with people on campus. He said the job has kept him young.

“If you work on campus you’re working with people ages 19 to 22.

You can’t help but stay young. I still sit in meetings to this day and think ‘I’m too young to be in this room,’ even though I’m the oldest guy by far,” he said, breaking out into laughter.

“You just don’t age when you work around young people, and I’ve been lucky over the years to work with a really good staff.”

Norris was ambiguous about what his future holds next year when his days at UNB come to an end, but said he will be looking to working in other areas he’s trained and studied for.

NBCC, going up FROM NBCC PAGE 1 programs will be released within the next several months.

Arseneault also said the department is working to develop synergies between the college and university campuses.

“One of the things I talked a lot about [at a recent press conference] was the work that the university president and college principals were working on

with credit transfers, and that is going to be really important,” he said. He listed programs such as business, nursing and engineering as programs that are being looked at for credit transfers between the university and community college.

“I guess my point is that this college will have some of those programs, where, once [students are] finished their college training, they could potentially, if they wish, continue pursuing their education at the University of New Brunswick,” Arseneault said.

Law students land a punch against landmines Sandy Chase News Reporters In a square ring at the Fredericton Inn, law students dressed in red and blue came together in a clash to fight against landmines.

Now in its third year, Knocking out Landmines is an annual fundraiser put on by law students with help from the Fredericton Boxing Club. The event puts students into the ring to try out a new sport while raising money for the Canadian Landmine Foundation. According to the Canadian Landmine Foundation website, there are still between 45 and 50 million landmines in the ground in at least 70 countries. These hidden weapons, the site says kill or injure over 10,000 civilians every year, and can remain

undetected for years after being planted.

The site also says landmines also cost as little as three dollars to produce, but clearing a single mine can cost anywhere from $300-$1000. Vasu Sivapalan, a second year student, was the only female law student to participate in the event, fighting in an exhibition match at the start of the evening.

Sivapalan decided to get involved back in October when one of the organizers, Chris Samuel, called a meeting. “It was for charity, so if anyone says charity I’m up for it,” said Sivapalan, adding that she, along with a couple of friends who went and watched the event last year, decided to try it out. “I’ve always wanted to get into boxing, but it was also a group thing because I knew they needed people to do it and there were no

girls who wanted to sign up, so I thought it would be good to sign up.” Sivapalan, who had never boxed before, took lessons offered by the Fredericton Boxing Club with the other law students to prepare for the event.

Samuel, who has participated in all three years of the event and helped organize the past two, was also new to boxing when he first participated. “All the other law students are in the same boat,” Samuel said. “It’s exhausting, it’s tiring, and you need to be prepared for it.”

“The [Fredericton Boxing] Club runs classes Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday and we tried to get out there as often as we can,” Samuel added. At the end of the event, just over $2,000 was raised to help knock out landmines around the world.

Vasu Sivapalan (left) takes a hit from Liza Papazian (right) as part of the law students’ Knocking Out Landmines event to raise money for the Canadian Landmine Foundation. Sandy Chase/ The Brunswickan

brunswickannews

4 • Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143

Got opinions?

Tell us. editor@thebruns.ca

Engaging the disengaged

Students gathered at the Wu Conference centre on Saturday March 20 as part of Take the Reins! youth civic engagement symposium. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Colin McPhail Sports Editor It’s no secret that the youth of the country may not be the most engaged demographic when it comes to voting.

Approximately 40 per cent of eligible voters younger than 25 years of age participated in recent federal elections. Only 32 per cent of 18 to 34-year olds knew the name of the Liberal leader just prior to the 2008 federal election. Five Renaissance College students have something to say about these stats. Take the Reins! youth civic engagement symposium (YCES) brought together some of the community’s brightest minds to tackle the issue of youth disengagement from the democratic process.

“Typically young Canadians don’t turn out to elections in very high numbers,” explained Take the Reins! team member Miles Clayden.

“We found that it was a problem and something we’d like to address. We’re trying to get more people involved and some dialogue generated about how we can, as young people who have demonstrated some sort of engagement in civics, share that with the rest of our demographic to improve voting in general.”

Take the Reins! coordinators Alec Manley, Meghan McGrattan, Ben Salmon, and Sam Perlmutter, along with Clayden, began this project in the fall of 2009 as a part of their community problem solving course at Renaissance College.

The symposium, which occurred on Saturday, March 20, played out as an open forum for discussion amongst the students and a high profile panel, which offered various solutions to the issue.

Paul Howe, a UNB political science professor and panel participant, believes that the youth should become engaged

in civics well before they reach 18 years of age.

“I think it would be a good idea to have something along the lines of a mandatory civics class, but it’s also important to integrate it throughout the curriculum at younger ages with that kind of material [pertaining to] your society,” said Howe.

“It is there in social studies, it is there in history, but we need to really make sure it’s well addressed throughout the curriculum at different ages. I do think having a dedicated civics course is a good idea, especially at the upper levels.”

Howe also discussed his idea of letting 16-year olds be able to register to vote, even though they wouldn’t be eligible until they’re 18-years old.

“It could actually be a part of the civics class to make sure everybody becomes a registered voter. You would learn how to do that and you would talk about the election process itself, as well as broader things around the parties and how government works.”

Michael Quinn, chief electoral officer of Elections New Brunswick, was also a panellist.

He stressed the need for more partnerships with youth organizations or movements such as the YCES during his presentation. He spoke of the new reforms to New Brunswick’s electoral process that will make it easier for students to vote. This project will be spearheaded by Meghan McGrattan, the newly appointed Elections New Brunswick youth coordinator and Take The Reins! team member. Quinn noted that Elections New Brunswick will adopt new technologies and construct satellite returning offices on the university campuses in Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John, and on the NBCC campus in Edmunston.

Derek Ness, a second-year bachelor of arts student, was pleased to see the issue

being addressed and recognized the need for functions such as Take the Reins!

“I feel [the YCES] is of great importance to have the opportunity to become engaged, to share your experiences or your thoughts on these types of things,” commented Ness.

“To become involved so that you can see change in the future because, as young Canadians, we are the voice of tomorrow and we are the ones that can have a big influence on the future.”

Tim Coates, executive director of 21inc, touched on a number of possible solutions as well. His primary focus was around the need for a “person to person bond” to achieve change and the idea that the candidate is of extreme importance when attracting young voters. He used US President Barrack Obama as an example of how rallying the youth can be effective.

Coates also noted the growing trend of social media playing an important role.

“Social media is not the end, but a tool for accomplishing what we need to do.”

Yet, his main point that resounded through the ears of the audience was a simple comment on the responsibility of young voters.

“When you only have half the population voting, how much right does the person in power have to be in office?”

Clayden views this as just a small step in engaging the youth, but hopes that it could branch off into something bigger and inspire others in the process.

“It’s a solutions based symposium and what we’re looking for is the panellists to come with ideas around not just what the problem is, but how to change it. And we’ll synthesize those and we’ll hand them off to anyone who wants them. If some movement comes up out of this as an offshoot of people getting together and getting excited about this, then that’s a victory as well.”

NB not fit to make powerful decisions FROM NB POWER PAGE 1 lenged his remarks.

“The premier should be less concerned about what the Opposition is saying and more concerned about what New Bruns-

wickers are saying.

“The fact that the premier tries to push forward ignoring the people of New Brunswick is unacceptable.”

He said his stance is that the debtridden NB Power is not actually in a crisis, and alluded that renewable energy must

be a part of the province’s future.

The next provincial election is slated for Sept. 27, 2010, and despite the controversy surrounding the sale of NB Power, Graham is confident that his party could win.

“I never underestimate my political opponents, but I think it’s important to note that while the Tories are criticizing every aspect of the deal, they’ve yet to present an alternative,” he said.

“An election is always a great equalizer,” Graham said. “In an election campaign, I feel that we’ll have an advantage where we’ll be able to show the benefits of our deal, versus the other parties not even taking a position or putting forward a plan.

“I’m running in this to win in the next election,” he said. “I’m very competitive.”

brunswickanopinion

Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143 • 5

editor@thebruns.ca

the brunswickan

Student health: don’t get involved

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief • Sarah Ratchford Managing • Alex Duncan News • Lee Larrett 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.

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.

Although the student health centre, above, has undergone extensive renovations this year, its practices haven’t. Many students have taken notice, and they’re getting vocal about their displeasure through the Facebook group “Student Health Must Change” which was recently started up

by Michelle Alexiu. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Michelle Alexiu The Brunswickan Just in case you didn’t read the article on the front page of the Brunswickan two weeks ago, there’s a new Facebook group in town. “Student Health Must Change” has been created to incorporate student feedback with the hope that the Student Health Centre can better serve students’ needs. At the time of publication, the group already has over 700 members. You may ask, ‘Why bother joining or writing on the group wall? Those people have probably already said everything anyway. ’ However, when has trusting other people to know what you want ever worked out? Remember when the ‘informal poll’ resulted in the lamest highschool prom theme ever? Clearly,

the popular girl thought polling her airheaded friends was a great way to represent the entire school. Even people with the best intentions can screw up. Like in middle school, when Great-Aunt Mavis mistook your Christmas request for a ‘Gap hoodie’ as lovingly hand-knit sweater with lots of holes in it? With the cutest little reindeer on the front! Awwww.

And lets not even get into the realm of politics.

There are two scenarios that could play our here, depending on the action taken by students. Scenario Number One: You have great intentions, but because of the paper due next week, March Madness and your wanting to get to the next Farmville level, you completely forget to join the group. You remember about it three days

before exams start, but figure that if the group already has 700 members, then 5 per cent of the keenest students are already on the ball.

Fast forward to next year: the changes suck. You bitch about it to your friends and they agree. The administration gets wind of this discontent and doesn’t understand how incorporating student feedback fails to create improvements.

They conclude that students really don’t know what they want. School spirit goes through the roof.

However, there is another option.

Scenario Number Two: Do that ‘get involved’ thing. This time, you understand that a student-lead initiative actually requires student opinions if it is going to represent the student body. You join the group, read everything and contribute your opinions. Those without Facebook

can email at <studenthealthmustchange@ gmail.com> to receive all the information on the group’s page and then contribute their opinions to that same email. Heck, even those without any experience with the student health center can grace the group with your superior logic and reasoning skills. Fast forward again.

You are happy with the changes because they work for you, the administration is happy and we all hold hands and do a merry little dance under rainbows and sunshine. Yay! Clearly the above scenarios represent two opposite ends of a spectrum to make a point. And that first gloomy scenario isn’t likely to happen because everybody else is going to going to leap out of their seats to join the group as soon as they stop reading th article. So get involved, and don’t let other people speak for you.

Sodexo: providing lessons in hypocrisy Take My Word For It Sam Perlmutter

Sodexo really hit the spot for me this past weekend.

On Saturday, March 20, as a member of the Take the Reins! team, I helped host the Youth Civic Engagement Symposium at the Wu Centre. As part of the symposium, we ordered lunch from Sodexho catering for all of our participants.

The lunch package we ordered was priced per person -- for each person we expected to attend, a certain amount of food was purchased and made.

When lunch ended, with the combination of fewer attendees than expected and small appetites, there were plentiful amounts of leftover sandwiches and cheesecake. Being prepared for this outcome, the Take the Reins! team brought some reusable containers to ensure that any leftovers would not go to waste.

As the staff at the Wu Centre began clearing lunch, we asked them to leave out the remainder of the food. The leftover sandwiches, of which there were at least a full

tray, were returned to the kitchen (en route to the dumpster). When we attempted to take sandwiches and cheesecake, we were told that the food we had ordered from Sodexho could not leave the building.

Both the sandwiches and cheesecake were perishable food items, and food safety regulations dictated that we could not take them with us. Instead they would simply be thrown in the garbage. This was explained to us as a liability issue. We offered to sign a waiver exempting Sodexo of any liabilities.

The staff at the Wu Centre explained that they were simply following their policy, and if I had further questions I could take it up with a manager. The staff were kind enough to attempt to call a manager, who informed me that no, I could not take the food with me; no, I could not sign a waiver exempting Sodexo for liability; and no, we would not be reimbursed for the food that we had paid for but was taken away.

So I pocketed some tea bags and coffee cream and left.

When I contacted Sodexo general manager at UNB, Martin Bayliss, he confirmed that the staff at the Wu Centre were simply following Sodexo’s policy.

“The policy is y’know, you can’t take leftover food out,” Bayliss said.

He also confirmed the only other mammals who may have gotten to enjoy our leftover sandwiches were raccoons.

“We certainly don’t recirculate the food.

It does end up nine times out of ten in the

garbage if there is anything left,” Bayliss said.

A former Sodexo employee also confirmed that it is normal practice for Sodexho catering to throw out any leftover food after an event.

Sodexo’s thoughtless policies are particularly irksome for a couple of reasons.

First, purely from a business perspective.

We ordered a certain amount of food per person, and paid Sodexo to prepare and provide that food (presumably so we could eat it). Usually when you order food from a restaurant or caterers, there are not conditions upon when or where you must finish it.

Not to mention when I pay for something I like to try to make sure I get full value from it and ensure none of it goes to waste.

If we were to order more food than we could eat at a restaurant, we could take it to go. When my family has its Passover Seder catered, the leftovers are not taken away immediately upon finishing the meal.

Besides being upset by seeing the money spent on the food go to waste, there are other, more important concerns.

On Sodexo’s website, the corporation mentions that they are “proud to be leading the charge towards change in areas including sustainability, wellness, and fighting hunger.”

Additionally, the website mentions that “The Sodexo Foundation, an independent charitable organization, sponsors and supports hunger-related initiatives, targeting the root causes of hunger in Canada.”

In the SUB Atrium today I picked up

a pamphlet titled “Sodexo Stop Hunger Initiative.” Considering how much food I saw go to waste from just one catered event -- over a full tray of sandwiches and an entire cheesecake -- I found this egregiously ironic.

It would be one thing to simply throw out the food. Getting over the fact that we paid for a particular amount of food, if Sodexo had a policy, based on food safety concerns, that dictated they threw out boatloads of food, fair enough.

But to claim that Sodexo is fighting hunger around the world and state that “Sodexo develops and practices comprehensive sustainability because it’s the right thing to do,” and then proceed to make it a policy to waste copious amounts of food is simply too much for me.

Last time I checked, not wasting food was a great way to practice sustainability and target hunger around the world. If it was really such a priority, you’d think Sodexo catering would have some sort of policy whereby leftover food could regularly be sent to homeless shelters. Or they could design a waiver absolving them of liability for leftover food taken away by the people who organized the event. If you want to waste food as a catering agency that’s fine, but if you do, don’t talk about your company’s great “corporate citizenship.”

But alas, Sodexo will fill the garbages with leftovers while children and mothers around the world, not to mention right here in Fredericton, struggle to fill their stomachs.

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

6 • Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143

The night of the long robes Don. J. Anarchist Staff Writer And so they come before us with promises of peace and understanding. Yet the promises come attached with hidden stipulations. Every door littered with bustling soldiers, anxiously shifting from foot to foot with their gloved hands resting peacefully on their triggers, awaiting the expected onslaught.

And we are herded out like mindless cattle only to leap from the frying pan into the flames where they wait for a misstep, something that will justify their presence.

For the question isn’t whether something will happen, but when.

And up at the head of the door, someone is shouting in what sounds like a foreign language, although perhaps it is the roar of the chilly breeze that muffles the sound, rendering it indiscernible. The jab of their fingers indicate that we are once again destined to be separated and tagged, allowing them to keep tabs on us. The division being established as quickly as possible, and accordingly, I think, contrary to popular belief, the sparks of tyrannical rule have not all been stamped out in western society.

“The beasts are being allowed to roam the premises free of charge, to go about their own dirty business, no doubt plotting their overthrow. And someone is supplying liquor to these filthy swine! Were it up to them, the end of the night would produce a blazing structure fire, the flames of which would lap at the heels of decent, hardworking individuals such us.”

The dialogue of the enemy is littered with lies and misgivings, and furthermore, they

brunswickanopinion

Being yellow in a white, white world Rachel Phan The Sputnik

Anarchy is not dead, and it will never be dead. Anarchy! Flickr CC

own many spies, ones of which judge by association rather than occasion. They come with accusations of us attempting to expand our minds through alternative research.

However, when history is attempted to be explored, they become bitter and resentful.

“Adolph Hitler is still alive…I slept with her last night” -Jim Morrison Indeed injustice was not eradicated when that Great Evil was stomped off of the world and into eternal immortality within the pages of yesteryears. For corruption will for-

ever run rampant through this world. That is a debate that will never see another end.

And so the house was engulfed with the red flames of passion, giving hope to every man, woman or child who seeks examples of authoritarian rejection for their own inspiration. Upon this single night, we were able to begin a revolution where all forms of power are discredited; allowing anarchism and chaos their long awaited stay in the sun.

But then again, maybe they overreacted and we are only a handful of university students.

BR ANTFORD, Ont. – The other day, a man in an oversized camouflage jacket walked past me. He was pushing a baby in a stroller and puffing on a cigarette before he looked me square in the eyes and said, “Fucking Chinese.”

Any other day, I probably would have cried, or at the very least shot him the finger, but that day I had no energy. So, I just kept walking.

When I was a little kid, I never noticed that I was different. I had gone to the same public school since I was four years old and all my friends and classmates were white. Since they had grown up with me, they were used to my different eyes, my coarse hair and the fact that I ate canton chow mein for lunch while they ate their Lunchables.

For the most part, I was just like them.

It wasn’t until high school that I fully realized how much of a minority I was. My high school was tiny, with only about 500 students, and for the better half of my high school years, I was the only Asian student. I started going to parties and meeting people from other schools, but these people hadn’t grown up with me. To them, I wasn’t just Rachel — I became Asian Rachel.

Luckily, it didn’t bother me too much. I’ve always been a proud person and my race is just another thing I can embrace about myself. I love being Chinese. I love my culture, my quirky family, our food. I love that I can get drunk after one shot, and that I’ve never had to shave in my life. There’s nothing about my ethnicity that I would change, and if in another life I got the opportunity to pick my race, I would always choose to be Chinese.

Unfortunately, this overpowering sense of pride also leads to a fierce sensitivity regarding my race. You can tease me about anything: my slightly large feet, my love affair with writing

essays, my little Buddha belly, but you cannot say anything about my ethnicity. I just can’t take these jokes. And what surprised me most about coming to university is that some people love telling them.

There was a guy on my residence floor who used to joke that, unless you were white, you weren’t a “real person.” There’s another who loves saying my name in a “Chinese” accent.

I pretend to laugh, but I’m holding back tears and the urge to punch them all in the throats.

This conflict of emotions — being both proud and sensitive — has caused me to be hyper-vigilant. I’m always cautious when people are around me, and I am almost always aware that they could say something racist. For instance, if a stranger is walking by, I’ll typically put my head down so they won’t see me. Or, if I have sunglasses in my purse, I’ll put them on so I won’t get heckled for my “slanty eyes.”

It’s not an ideal way to live, but I deal with it because I am too in love with being Chinese to hear someone make a mockery of it.

Now, I’ll admit that I’ve gotten way more love in my lifetime than I’ve gotten hateful remarks, but even that can be a little odd. Some people — mostly men — love Asians way too much.

“Hey Rachel! I have yellow fever.

Wanna give me my yellow belt?”

No, I don’t.

I am both Rachel Phan and Poon May May. I am the product of two proud Chinese people who accept the fact that my mangled Chinese has turned into a hybrid of Chinese and English (“Chinglish”). I may not be good at math, but I’m still a damn good student. I eat tongue and duck hearts, but not cats and dogs. I was born in Canada in a predominantly white town and I feel just as Canadian as I do Chinese.

And yes, I get giddy whenever I see another Asian on campus.

I’m different and I know that, but it’s part of who I am. And I like me.

do you have opinions? write us a letter to the editor. editor@thebruns.ca

brunswickanopinion

Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143 • 7

letters to the editor.

Whats all the zzzzzz about?

Hey Editor, I saw the outcry about the coverage of the UNB Student Union Elections. I thought the original article with all the “ZZzzzzZZZzzzZZZs” was hilarious, mainly because I don’t care about the election. Most likely, I would not have read an article about the UNB Student Election anyway.

Instead I got a good laugh from the article. That laugh was worth my media fee, so at least one person found some humour in it.

Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Colin Filliter

Talk gets it wrong, seems farcical Dear Editor, Last Thursday evening in McLaggan Auditorium some 150-200 people gathered to see a talk given by Dr. Emil Silvestru, a speaker brought here by the campus branch of the Navigators and an outfit called Creation Ministries International. The talk was entitled “Waters of Contention: The Flood and Noah’s Ark.” I will admit to having an interest in the inundation history of the Black Sea, and how this 5000 to 7000 year old

event may have influenced oral histories and mythologies in the area. I was to be seriously disappointed if I expected anything in Dr. Silvestru’s presentation to be even remotely scientific. Apparently any grasp of the scientific method and the logical inference of facts from evidence left this man when he left the practise of geology for the practise of proselytizing for a fundamentalist propaganda outfit.

The presentation, a highly professional and polished affair, began with the usual vague references to “epistemology,” and the “quote mining” beloved of such proselytizers. The quotes themselves are, of course, genuine, but they are ripped out of context in such as fashion as to constitute deliberate misrepresentation.

Dr. Silvestru then proceeded to give an account of the “catastrophist vs. uniformitarian” debate in geology during the early nineteenth century which bore little relation to the actual events, but leaned heavily on quotes form an essay by the late Stephen Jay Gould, again presented in such a way as to constitute misrepresentation.

The result was a travesty, but built the shaky foundation for what was to follow. By the time Dr. Silvestru started to expound on catastrophic plate tectonics I thought someone had spiked the KoolAid, and then realized I had not touched the stuff.

During the question and answer session, when challenged on any point of fact, all Dr. Silvestru could do was make unsupported statements, engage in changing the subject or misdirection (a technique familiar to any half-decent

stage magician).

For me the first highlight of this farce was seeing the way a particular piece of “creation-friendly” research was presented – over-emphasis of the brilliance of the researchers, their use of “Cray” supercomputers (this would have been impressive around 1983, in 2010 your PS3 has more processing power), and how this model of mantle convection could only be carried out in 2D because no computer yet built could handle 3D. Having shown the simulation from 2D, Dr. Silvestru then went on to present the next slide, which actually showed a ten year old 3D model of mantle convection!.

The second highlight was how the argument for catastrophic plate tectonics contrasted with the utter dismissal of geomagnetic data and radiometric dates for the rocks of the ocean floor. Apparently Dr. Silvestru is unaware that magnetic anomalies and the dates from the ocean floor are two of the key pieces of evidence for plate tectonic theory.

Unfortunately, most of the audience seemed to lap up this presentation uncritically. The state of critical thinking abilities seems to have deteriorated to the point where this exercise in snake-oil selling seems to work. The greatest tragedy of all is that there are many around this campus who seem to think Christian faith stands or falls on the basis of this sort of intellectual fraud. All I can say is God help them.

Dr. Adrian F. Park Department of Geology, UNB

the brunswickan presents

a contest.

Win 1 of 2 pairs of tickets to see:

Submit a picture, photo, poem or (short) story that best describes a ‘wolf parade’ or their latest album ‘at mount zoomer’ to arts@ thebruns.ca by March 26 to be entered to win one of two pairs of tickets to see the band live in April.

Love the earth, celebrate Earth Hour

Earth Hour, an annual event, has become a huge component of the environmental movement against the increasing dangers of climate change.

It is up to us to take part in Earth Hour in order to have an impact on our planet’s most pressing issue. On Saturday, March 27 you are invited to join hundreds of millions of people around the world in celebrating Earth Hour 2010. All you have to do in order to be part of a global movement aimed at increasing our respect for our environment is turn off your lights for one hour. That’s it. From 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., light a candle, sit

in the dark, or go outside and spend an hour of your life without the lights on. The satellite images of Earth Hour 2009 are an incredible sight, as over 4,000 cities took part -- ten times the previous year’s participation. Over one billion people last year participated in this event, and by turning off your lights for one hour on Saturday night, we can work to reach everyone on the earth and move towards a sustainable future. Take action, UNB. Flick off.

Visit www.wwf.ca/earthhour for more statistics and information.

-The UNB Environmental Action Society

brunswickanopinion

8 • Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143

Student

Viewpoint.

What do you think about tanning?

Let everyone know whats on your mind.

“It’s a great source of vitamin D.”

Desmond Connolley

“You won’t catch me doing it.”

Dylan Gullison “It’s the leading cause of skin cancer.”

Luke Foster

Lauren McLaughlin

“It looks good, but it’s a waste of time.”

“It’s ok if it’s natural.”

Nick Rynax

Michel Samir “There are more productive things I could be doing.”

“It’s okay in moderation.”

Nicole Newman

“It’s a personal choice.”

Rory Reardon

“It’s unnessesarily dangerous.”

Tony Wopley

brunswickanarts

Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143 • 9

arts@thebruns.ca

‘The Beaux’ Stratagem’: a classic play with contemporary themes

Alex Kress Staff Writer Theatre UNB is about to unveil a show they’ve been working on since February, George Farquhar’s “The Beaux’ Stratagem.”

Although it was written and performed over 300 years ago, UNB Director of Drama Len Falkenstein says it is still very relevant today.

“It’s quite universal in the sense that it presents a pretty bleak picture of human behaviour,” he said.

“Everyone in the play is pretty much motivated by reasons that are often not that pure or good. Aspirations for money and status are very central to the play. There’s something about the materialism of the play that hasn’t really changed at all.”

Falkenstein says another reason the play is relatable is that it is difficult to know who the heroes are. The characters are ambiguous and don’t necessarily fall into simple categories that make them easy to understand.

“The Beaux’ Stratagem” is a restoration comedy (a play written and performed approximately between 1680 and 1710) written by Irish playwright George Farquhar in 1707.

It’s about a couple of young con men from London who travel from town to town in England charming rich young women into falling in love with them. Once they’ve been charmed, the con men take off with their money. Things get complicated for the con men when they both find themselves in a bit of unexpected trouble; one of them falls in love with a woman he planned to con, while the other gets tangled up in romantic intrigue. The play’s end is unconventional, Falkenstein says, with one happy marriage and one happy divorce.

“It’s quite remarkable for its time for taking on social issues like arranged marriages and how they were quite destructive. Along with this kind of mad-cap farcical comedy, it’s got this serious side too.”

This play is performed by the English 2170 class, which is officially a second year class but is also the introductory drama class. The cast is entirely first year acting students.

There are 15 students in the class and they are active participants. In addition to acting in the shows, they also do all the backstage work, build sets, find and create costumes, make props, and promote the shows. They learn the entire process that is necessary for putting on a play.

Falkenstein says this well-rounded education is what makes the drama program at UNB so unique. How-

Theatre UNB’s final production of the year is “The Beaux’ Stratagem.” The play is being produced, acted, and managed by students in the English 2170 intro to drama course with instructor Len Falkenstein directing. Submitted ever, he is continually surprised at the lack of interest in it.

“Partially, the fact that is it exists within the English department.

We’re taking steps to make it more visible by giving it a separate designation in the calendar. So we’ll have that in the calendar following the one that is coming up. It’s just a matter of getting the word out,” Falkenstein says.

“It is still a bit of a mystery to me why more people don’t know about it because we certainly do want to emphasize the shows. I think people maybe think it’s an extracurricular thing. Plays happen but people don’t realize they’re the product of courses and that you can actually do courses and get credits for doing theatre.”

The program is relatively small, with approximately 50 students per year from all years of study. Falkenstein has been with the drama department for 10 years and is looking forward to the addition of a new first year course, English 1173, which aims to raise awareness and numbers for the program.

It is a half-year class designed for experienced actors but it’s also a welcome place for beginners who have always wanted to experience theatre but have lacked the courage or commitment.

English 1173 will be a basic introduction to the fundamentals of acting and will include improvisation, theatre games and scene and monologue work. There will not be any big

productions in the course, making it especially appealing to people lacking extra-curricular time. And they’ll get credit for it.

“People in our program have more chances to be in shows than other programs in the region. We do more shows, we offer more chances for people to be involved in things and we’re active in the summer as well,” Falkenstein says.

“We’re tied into Bard in the Barracks, which is the Shakespeare production that happens in Fredericton in June, and also in the NotaBle Acts Theatre Festival which is a festival of plays that happens in July and August. We’re a small program but if you want to be on stage, you’ve got a place to go.”

Falkenstein wants to share his love of the theatre with all kinds of people, not only with naturally inclined actors. “[Theatre] is for everybody,” Falkenstein says. “Not just for people who want to act, for anyone who wants to gain more confidence and more presence in public for presentations. There are so many aspects of modern life in which you are on display and you have to perform, whether it’s a job interview or a presentation, theatre is really a valuable skill.”

Tickets for “The Beaux’ Stratagem” are $6 for students, $10 for all others at the door. The show is at Memorial Hall and runs for four nights, from March 30 to April 2.

Emergency preparedness comes to the Capital: TFAK Andrew Olsvik Arts Reporter If you’re not a fan of getting songs stuck in your head, I’d avoid the Capital when Halifax indie pop rockers The First Aid Kit invade with their relentlessly catchy tunes.

Combining classic rock/pop melodies with the sound of modern indie rock, The First Aid Kit are sure to infect your thoughts for days after listening. Originally from all over Canada, the members of The First Aid Kit now call Halifax home and will be heading out on the road this spring.

“Three of us, Matty [Davidson], Conor [Hancey] and I, went to summer camp together for a long time back in Ontario,” says guitarist Darryl Smith. “We hatched a plan there and decided to move out to

Halifax in the fall of 2007 with the intention of doing school and starting a band.

We recruited a drummer, Craig [Koziar], and a keyboard player, Amy [Bollivar]. We recorded our first EP [Rocket Summer] and put it out the summer of 2008.”

Since then the band has recorded a second EP titled Still Standing and have been consistently playing local shows as well as embarking on small tours in Ontario and around the east coast. A familiar story, and an experience shared by dozens of east coast bands trying to make a name for themselves.

“I can’t speak for everyone in the band, but for me, I want to be in a band because otherwise I would just be in my mid twenties and working at a job and getting by,” says Smith. “The band adds romance and

purpose to all of that, or maybe that’s why I keep playing in a band. I wanted to be in a band because every kid who grows up listening to music (and not really playing sports) wants to be in a band.”

The First Aid Kit’s eclectic sound is as diverse as their influences, ranging from the pop craftsmanship of the Beach Boys to the working class anthems of Bruce Springsteen and beyond.

“The Boss and Joe Strummer are two dudes who are really emotionally engaging and make you believe,” says Smith. “Yet they manage to avoid, for the most part, coming across as cheesy or too over the top -- provided we ignore Springsteen’s missteps at the Super Bowl last year.”

While the influence of Springsteen, The Clash and The Beach Boys is there

to be heard in the music, Smith says the band draws influence from other mediums as well.

“I’m a pretty big fan of Dave Eggers and feel that I’ve probably absorbed some of that ‘We’re living now, so do everything you can all the time’ stuff,” Smith says. “Matty once claimed that the song ‘Splitting Images’ that he wrote was influenced by this Polynesian Chant song called “Jesus You Hold My Hand” from The Thin Red Line, so who knows how that stuff works in.”

The First Aid Kit will be joined at the Capital by Toronto’s Wildlife and fellow Haligonians the Bad Arts.

“Wildlife is also a huge influence for me,” says Smith. “I was in that band for a while. Dean [Povinsky] and I actually

moved to Glasgow to try to make that band happen and he taught me a lot of stuff about how to sing and was there when I first started writing songs and was really encouraging.”

Smith says when he first met Povinsky, he couldn’t sing and “could barely play guitar.” Povinsky took him under his wing though. Soon the band was living in Glasgow and Smith was writing his own songs.

“We’ve played in Fredericton a few times now, and it’s probably one of our favourite places to play besides Halifax,” says Smith of the upcoming show at the Capital. “There’s always a sizeable crowd and everyone is into it and is dancing.”

The First Aid Kit will be coming to the Capital this Friday, March 26.

brunswickanarts

10 • Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143

Fred Penner comes back Taylor Tiefenbach The Carillon R EGINA (CUP) — Fred Penner is many things. He’s a children’s entertainer, a Canadian icon, a CBC television star and a part-time bar act.

Wait, part-time bar act? Since when?

It started a couple years back when Penner played a show at Gert’s Bar, a student pub at McGill University in Montreal.

“I ended up going to Gert’s Lounge on a Friday afternoon at four and selling out this bar. I was there for about two to two-and-a-half (hours) just interacting with students and talking about the history of my career and Fred Penner’s Place and people that I’ve met along the way, and songs that they wanted to hear and songs that I wanted to share,” says Penner.

Since then, he has sprinkled in shows at university bars along with his children’s shows. Currently, he is in the midst of a West Coast tour and, after a quick regrouping in his hometown of Winnipeg, he’ll travel to the East Coast for a mix of public and university shows.

“It’s like I have this range of variables to play with now and try to put them all together on a tour. It’s interesting playing the different levels.”

The content of the university shows is largely dictated by the audience, he says. He’ll assuredly play The Cat Came Back and Sandwiches, his two biggest hits, and many other songs students remember from childhood.

The show isn’t just a children’s concert performed for young adults, though. Rather, this is the next evolution in Penner’s career, which has always been about creating a positive connection with the audience.

“It has never been just about getting up and singing a couple of songs and trying to be funny. It’s always been about trying to make a positive connection with the vulnerable spirit of the child. That may sound intense, but that’s the way it’s always been,” Penner says.

“The thing I really enjoy about doing the university [shows] is there’s such an interesting rush of coming to see this guy they grew up with, and it’s still a really cool thing to connect with me.”

With a 30-year history of making music and entertaining people, Penner is aware of the impact he has had on many people’s lives. At times, he still feels overwhelmed by the love and thanks people show him.

“It was always about doing this because it felt right, because I had something inside of me that I needed to express through music and story and whatever direction it would go,” he says. “I felt that inside me, but you never know if that’s going to be received or reciprocated by the audience.

“So, you start with the core of your talent, your ability. You do things to the best of your ability and see where it goes. Fortunately, it has been and continues to be a most incredible and powerfully positive journey for me.”

At this point, Penner is in a position where he can pick and choose projects.

He’s interested in getting back into television, possibly doing some film and of course is committed to live performing. Although he’s just a few years away from being able to accept Canada Pension Plan payments, Penner has no plans for retirement.

“All these aspects of my creativity and my life are essentially in place at this point. It’s the kind of thing that is going to continue to carry me until I drop.”

the brunswickan presents

a contest.

Win 1 of 2 pairs of tickets to see:

Submit a picture, photo, poem or (short) story that best describes a ‘wolf parade’ or their latest album ‘at mount zoomer’ to arts@ thebruns.ca by March 26 to be entered to win one of two pairs of tickets to see the band live in April.

this week in fredericton.

TNB presents “Skin Flick”

March 25 – 27, 8 p.m.; March 28, 2 p.m.

In this Zach and Miri Make a Porno-esque play, a middle aged couple down on their luck look into making a skin flick in order to make ends meet. Tickets are $10 for students at The Playhouse.

Heart Truth Fashion Gala March 27, 8 p.m.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation will be hosting a fashion gala at the Crowne Plaza Hotel featuring unique dresses design by NBCCD alumni, a silent auction and Royal Canadian Air Farce’s Jessica Holmes.

Stereo Airing CD Release March 27, 10 p.m.

Stereo Airing will be releasing their new CD at a show at the Capital Complex this Saturday. Friends Hungry Hearts and Pat LePoidevin will be opening the show for them.

April Fools Cover Show

April 1, 10 p.m.

Come out to the Capital Complex to see the likes of The B-52’s, Beastie Boys, Dinosaur Jr. and Neutral Milk Hotel covered by a number of local bands.

TANNING SPECIALS

3 LOCATIONS 530 Queen St. 458-9771 1221 Prospect St. 454-8267 154 Main St. 472-5048

TWO FREE TANS

20% OFF VERSA SPA SUNLESS MIST TAN 04/30/10

brunswickanarts

Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143 • 11

Adorning women like Earthly Goddesses: Gaia Hype Alison Clack Arts Editor Terri Dawn Smith is the kind of girl you develop a rapport with in an instant.

The 20 year old Perth Andover native’s upbeat and colourful attitude is reflected in her personal style --something that’s been shining through even more than usual with a collection of jewellery called Gaia Hype. This past semester the third year UNB student deferred some time in order to attend the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design to do the Foundations in Visual Arts program before, hopefully, being accepted into a Fashion Design or Jewellery/Metal Arts major.

This young woman with diverse passions has been designing jewellery for eclectic women for the past year, and the Brunswickan caught up with her recently to talk a little bit about the progression of her academic career, her style, and how she accidentally stumbled upon her hobby turned love and career.

The Brunswickan: What were you taking while at UNB? Terri Dawn Smith: International Development and Political Science.

B: What are you doing now?

TDS: Now I am a full time student at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. I decided to make the switch because what I was studying at UNB was not my true passion. I do not regret my two and a half years at UNB. The knowledge I gained there has altered my perspective on life, taught me the true meaning of value; to put it best, my time at UNB has changed me for the better.

However, I am a true believer in following one’s dreams, and mine have simply led me down a path that UNB could not set course to.

B: What do those two programs mean

to you, and do you think you’ll be able to connect them in some way in the future?

TDS: Absolutely. I will be able to touch base with those programs in the future. I would not have left UNB if I thought that wasn’t possible. Over time I realized that I couldn’t be the person who travels to impoverished countries and fights for human rights. The danger paired with the harsh reality of facing men, women and children who are starving, malnourished, who have nothing, is too overwhelming and heartbreaking. I decided that I want to help, but I also cannot help if I lose my life before the age of 30. I know that I can make a difference in following my true passion, which is fashion design, and contributing funds to certain aid groups.

B: How long have you been designing jewellery?

TDS: I started designing clothing before I entered into elementary school.

My nanny was a quilter, so she let me pick out the material, draw the pants, skirt, top et cetera that I wanted and she would make them for me. When I was old enough to use a sewing machine I started making my own clothing. Just recently I started making jewellery last year actually. I stumbled upon a jewel shop downtown and figured ‘It can’t be that hard to make earrings and necklaces.’ I purchased some wire, some beads and it all fell into place!

B: How did you get interested in it?

TDS: I always loved arts and crafts and I figured it was time for a new hobby. As I said, I just sort of stumbled upon the bead shop downtown and thought it was just the thing I was looking for. Something new and challenging. I didn’t have any expectations in the beginning, and had no idea the amount of time and money that I would invest into my new ‘hobby.’

B: What sort of inspiration do you use to make things?

TDS: I draw inspiration from the trends of the season, also the glamour of the ‘20s. I love making pieces that make women look extremely feminine and beautiful. Also, if I see a designer necklace that I love which costs $500, I enjoy the challenge of trying to make a similar piece that costs less.

B: What are the materials you usually use?

TDS: I love using topaz and jade. I use a lot of fresh water pearls and swarovski crystals. If I want a free feeling to the piece, I use feathers. I am slowly integrating coral into my collection. It is expensive, but it is beautiful and also one of this season’s colours. Oh, and sterling silver and 14 karat gold too.

B: Anything you haven’t tried working with yet that you would like to?

TDS: It’s not so much the material that I haven’t worked with but the method. I would love to be able to do stone setting, which is the process of melting the silver, copper, gold (whatever medium) around any type stone that you want, in any shape that you want.

B: How would you describe your jewellery to someone who hasn’t seen it?

TDS: It is hard, because some of my jewellery is very feminine and light: pearls and crystals, very classy and glamorous. However the bulk of it I would describe as youthful, adventurous, urban and maybe not for everyone. Feather headbands, bright red stones paired with vibrant turquoise. I feel my jewellery attracts quirky, fun loving, free spirited girls. Girls who love fashion.

B: Final thoughts?

TDS: Final thoughts? University is not the only path; it is a path among many. Do what you love.

You can check out Smith’s Gaia Hype jewellery (necklace pictured above) on her Facebook group. A website dedicated to her designs is currently under construction. Christian Hapgood / The Brunswickan

brunswickanarts

12 • Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143

Red n Black Revue a photo essay.

By Andrew Meade

brunswickanarts

Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143 • 13

This week’s forecast: Heavy Rain

Nicholas Fitzpatrick The Brunswickan Heavy Rain (PS3) It has been years since a new genre of video game has poked its head out of the inflated fat man that is the gaming industry and crawled its way onto the shelves of supreme sweetness.

Heavy Rain is just that, a genre breaking, mind blowing machine. Seriously, it wouldn’t surprise me if the makers of this game died of a brain hemorrhage because of the sheer excellence this game holds within its thin blue-ray disc.

Heavy Rain has a story that will make you believe you are a character within the game. The game takes place in the spring of 2011, and follows the story of the origami killer. The origami killer kidnaps children in public places and remains unnoticed. After three to four days of heavy rain police find the bodies of the children face up with origami in each of their right hands and an orchid on their chest.

You play as four different, distinct characters. One character, Scott Shelby, is a private detective hired by the families of the victims of the killer; Ethan Mars, a father whose child was taken by the origami killer, is another one. The characters you play as must find out who the killer is within four days or Shaun Mars will be added to the victim list.

Throughout the game the characters have to overcome many things to achieve their goal, and there is a chance that some of them may not make it. But don’t expect “game over” to show up if a character dies. If ia character dies the story will go on, but your ending will be different. If all your characters die then all you get is a tragic ending, but you decide if that happens or not.

Bitten offers a good taste of Canadian fiction Maggie DeWolfe Staff Writer

Ever sit in the theatre watching a great movie wishing that you could somehow control the fate of its characters? Heavy Rain is just that, an interactive movie.

The game play itself consists of many scenes, each with a different feel and obstacles to overcome. Every scene can end in a variety of ways, giving the game a great deal of replay value.

With a great story line and realistic graphics, Heavy Rain will leave you breathless, literally. The scenes are so involving sometimes you’ll feel like you’re the one who might die, it’s so stressful; however, that stress only adds to the excitement and fun the game offers.

But with new genres come new gameplay controls. There are many other types of controls that utilize the motion sensor in the PS3 controller and the rest of the buttons, at first these controls might seem annoying, but you get used to them with 10 to 15 minuets of game-play.

Through the game you will find that instead of Heavy Rain the game could be called Quick Time Events: The Movie, but as you’re playing the game it does not feel like a suicide worthy, quick time event extravaganza. In fact, the game gives you plenty of time to react, and if you find it too difficult, you can simply turn down the difficulty.

After spending hours with these characters you will truly care for them, and want nothing but success ßßfor them. In short, Heavy Rain is unlike anything I have ever experienced; I say experienced because that’s what it is, an experience, and you owe it to yourself to try this game.

With fantastic acting, graphics, story and music, Heavy Rain is a must own title for any PS3 owner. But the only way to be sure if you would like it is to experience it yourself. Go out and rent it. Do it. Now.

These days, finding a good fantasy novel that doesn’t involve sparkling vampires or sappy heroines is tough. Thankfully, Canadian writer Kelley Armstrong has provided just that.ß Armstrong, an Ontario-born writer, has received endless critical acclaim for her work. In her debut novel Bitten, Armstrong writes about Elena, a young woman with an awful disability: she is a werewolf. Not only that, but she is the only female werewolf in the world. Okay, I know that at this point visions of Taylor Lautner and his shirtless counterparts are blossoming in your mind. Forget them for now, because the werewolves in Bitten are taking ßover. The story revolves around Elena’s struggle to balance her werewolf self with her human self. However, she soon discovers that this may not be as easy as she hopes.

Bitten is a fast-paced novel full of action scenes and one of the most kickass female protagonists I’ve ever read. Elena is a no-nonsense woman, who is not only intelligent, but capable of looking after herself. She is the exact opposite of the helpless, simpering heroine we’ve come to expect in a fantasy novel. Elena revives the notion that yes, women can fight for themselves, and they most certainly can win.

The book also boasts some of the best love scenes I’ve read in a long time.

There’s just the right amount left to the imagination, but they’re sexy enough to leave the reader blushing. Armstrong shows her prowess as an author by making the plot lines dramatic without creating an eye-rolling soap opera. The graphic fight scenes also offer enough blood and guts to satisfy a gore-loving horror fan. Bitten’s combination of suspense, mystery, fighting, and sex makes for a seriously entertaining read.

There are, however, some areas where it’s clear that Bitten is Armstrong’s first novel. The werewolf characters all have complex relationships and pasts, but Armstrong barely touches on those, or often makes vague references to some characters’ past experiences in ways that can be confusing. She also exhibits a tendency to jump from scene to scene without any lead-ins, which causes her writing to seem slightly amateur.

However, do not let this deter you from reading the book; her next two novels show significant improvement, and are nearly impossible to put down.

In a genre that has taken a hard vampire-related hit in the past couple of years, Armstrong’s Bitten, which is the first book in her Otherworld series, provides a breath of fresh air. She brings the ugly and the violence back into the supernatural, and revives the fantasy/ horror genre. Armstrong shows the potential to be the Anne Rice of werewolf novels, and the fact that she’s Canadian makes it that much sweeter. Out of five possible stars, Bitten gets a four.

brunswickansports

Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143 • 14

sports@thebruns.ca

Red Blazers eye Challenge Cup title

Colin McPhail Sports Editor Heading into the final leg of the Maritime Challenge Cup, the UNB women’s hockey squad sits just three points behind top seed Acadia with their sights set on the championship.

The Red Blazers are red hot going into the final tournament after winning the last two.

Head coach Andrew Lavoie is extremely pleased with his team’s play and is confident about their chances.

“I’m very confident in the position that we’re at right now,” said Lavoie.

“We certainly are one of the better teams and I think the teams know that we’re on the top. We’ve won the last two tournaments and we’ve gained significant ground towards our goal, which is this banner.”

When comparing the top teams vying for the title, two major differences jump off the page. UNB’s dismal special teams play has them dead last in power play and penalty killing efficiency with a 6.45 and 69.70 per cent respectively. On the other hand, Acadia sits atop both categories with an excellent power play, clicking at almost 40 per cent, and solid penalty kill at 91.30 per cent. Acadia also leads the league in goals for with 63; 15 more than UNB. However, Lavoie believes that stronger defence, both on the penalty kill and at even strength, will shut Acadia down.

“I feel that we’re headed in the right direction and we’re going in with a defensive approached attitude and we’ve worked on a few things. Our penalty kill needed to improve and we’ve worked on this probably the last three or four weeks, and we’ve made some adjustments and a lot of improvement in our penalty killing.”

The Red Blazers will get a boost as their leading scorer, Katelyn Fitzherbert, returns after missing the last tournament due to an injury. Fitzherbert’s offensive ability is key for success, but Lavoie will be looking at others to carry the load on and off the ice as well.

“We’re expecting a very big weekend out of Katelyn Fitzherbert,” com-

Red Blazers captain Whitney Eastwood (above) will need to play a vital role defensively and in the dressing room if they wish to chase down Acadia in the Challenge Cup standings. UNB trails first place Acadia heading into the final tournament. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan mented Lavoie. “She missed the last tournament due to a knee injury and she’s actually in third place in the point standings.

“We’re also expecting a big tournament this weekend out of Kristen Doucet. She leads by example on and off the ice. We haven’t seen her yet put the points up on the board, but we’ve really been working with her and we’re very confident that she’s in a really good place to put some points up on the board.”

UNB has allowed the second least

the brunswickan presents

the panel voice your opinion

amount of goals this season, with Acadia allowing the least, and it’s in large part due to the solid play of UNB netminder Alysha Manderson, who will be seeing most of the action in the final weekend.

“Obviously, goaltending is key,” explained Lavoie. “As of right now, I’m pretty convinced that Manderson will be up to the task for the starting position.”

Lavoie is confident in his team’s physical readiness and plans to pull out all the stops in ensuring they’re

prepared mentally.

“We’re going to go to our dressing room and spend a couple of hours making it look like our home, making it look like the Aitken Centre.”

Lavoie says they’re going to prepare stalls for each team member. Each person is going to bring quotes about things that inspire them as individuals and as a team player.

“We’re looking at each individual to bring some of their leadership to the table.”

With a point system heavily based

What has been the biggest surprise in the NCAA tournament so far? Who wins it now?

Colin McPhail

Tony von Richter

Sam Pearlmutter

Fourty-eight matches with 15 upsets. Eight squads with a seed of five or higher in the sweet 16. One NCAA tournament with the top ranked team ousted already. This whole tournament has been a giant surprise. I pegged Kansas as the winner earlier, but now I’ll go with a strong looking Kentucky group.

P.S. I’m leading the Bruns pool.

The biggest surprise has been either Kansas being eliminated by Northern Iowa or Cornell advancing to the Sweet 16, the first time an Ivy League school has advanced that far in 30 years. In the Bruns pool I picked Syracuse to win it all and I stand by that, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Cornell finish their Cinderella story.

Biggest upset has to be Kansas losing to Northern Iowa (followed by Barack’s boys from ‘Nova losing to St. Mary’s). Syracuse will lose to Kentucky in the finals because of Andy Rautins.

Sports Editor

around individual periods, the head coach set a goal for his team when chasing down Acadia.

“Our goal is not to lose a period. We want to either tie every period or win the period,” explained Lavoie. “The last two tournaments we also focused on one goal and it’s been our success and this tournament we either tie the period or win the period and then we’ll let the chips fall as they may.”

The tournament begins Friday, March 26 and will play until Sunday’s final.

CUP Sports Bureau Chief

Copy Editor

Christopher Cameron Sports Writer

The biggest surprise isn’t hard to figure out. Kansas losing their second game to Northern Iowa was a jaw-dropper. The team that will find themselves in the Final Four and ultimately be crowned champion is the Ohio State Buckeyes. They’ve had some convincing wins so far and are picking up their play as they go forward.

brunswickansports

Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143 • 15

Formula One: The soap opera of sports Women’s basketball lands top prospect Alex Wickwire Sports Reporter

Formula One racing gets nowhere near the coverage Nascar receives in the North American media.Yet, those who do follow the sport are treated to some spectacular displays of man and machine. Flickr CC Leif Larsen The Manitoban WINNIPEG (CUP) — Every second Sunday morning between March and October, I get up at the crack of 5 a.m., turn on the coffee maker, and watch cars go around in a circle for 90 minutes while ingesting copious amounts of caffeine. While I suspect that you just made a face, I implore you to listen to what I have to say, and give Formula One (F1) the chance it deserves.

To be perfectly honest, if F1 was just the race on Sunday, I would be right there with you, scoffing at anyone who woke up that early to watch cars turn left. However, as with most things, F1 is much more complicated and interesting than it first appears.

If I had to put it into more relatable terms, I would describe F1 as more of a soap opera than a sporting event — with controversy, conflict, scandal and intrigue.

The race on Sunday represents just a tiny, and perhaps insignificant, slice of the action.

Typically, an F1 weekend begins on Friday with two practice sessions, which serve two very different purposes. Before a team turns a wheel in anger at a track, thousands of computer simulations have been run to determine what the optimal setup for a car should be. These setups include things like the kind of wings placed on the front and back of the car, gear ratios for the transmission and suspension settings.

For example, if the track has many turns, and few long straights — like Malaysia — you want a setup that favours suspension compression, fast acceleration and lots of

down-force. If you are racing in Canada — a course with many straights and relatively few corners — a low down-force setup, favouring top speed is more appropriate.

The first purpose of the practice sessions is to ensure that the setup recommended by your simulations is on the money and to make changes where necessary, while the second is more insidious.

While all teams no doubt test their setups, some use practice as a way to wage a counter intelligence battle against rival teams. This can be done in one of two ways.

The first is commonly known as “sandbagging,” where a driver intentionally drives a car erratically or slowly, giving other teams the impression that the car is uncompetitive.

This serves to discredit a team’s ability in the eyes of the competition, and has the goal of preventing them from setting up their car to directly compete against yours.

For example, if your car is very good in the corners, you might sandbag, in the hope that your rivals will not focus on that part of their setup. This gives your car an advantage during qualification.

The second practice tactic involves setting up a car which is blisteringly quick in a short practice session, but unreliable for an entire qualifying session or race. By dominating the lap-times in practice, other teams might think you are faster than you really are, and choose to set their cars up for outright speed to remain competitive in qualifying. By doing this they sacrifice handling and reliability, while you quietly dial back your setup, to a slower, albeit more manageable, level.

Saturday has a practice session of its own.

However, the main attraction is qualifying, which is like a little race in and of itself. There are three sessions in which cars and drivers are sent out onto the track with the goal of setting the fastest lap time possible. After each session, the slowest cars are eliminated, with the third session being a no-holds barred, bare-knuckle round between the top 10 cars.

This determines the order in which the cars will start the race.

Adding to the complexity and importance of qualifying is a rule stating that the cars that make it into the third session are placed in “parc fermé.” This means that they are not allowed to be touched by mechanics before the race. These cars must race with the setup, and more importantly the tires — which wear out and lose grip as the race progresses — that they qualified with. Cars that are eliminated in the first two sessions can start the race with new tires and changed setups, giving them a distinct advantage.

Sunday is race day, where all the week’s efforts, posturing and strategizing culminate in an hour and a half of racing. While some might not see the appeal of watching cars go in a circle for an hour and a half, I would argue that those are the people who aren’t paying attention to the four-day circus that makes a modern F1 race.

The first race has gone by, but don’t despair if I have piqued your interest; the Australian Grand Prix starts on March 26, and promises to be an excellent race — well worth getting up at 5 a.m. on a Sunday.

After an up and down season in which they finished strong, but missed the playoffs, the women’s Varsity Reds basketball team is looking to make a serious leap forward in the AUS next season. One of the nation’s top high school prospects has committed to the fast moving train that is the lady Reds.

Virginia Peters, a 5’11” forward from Gloucester, Ontario will be suiting up for UNB next season. Bringing in another frontcourt player to help Amanda Sharpe under the basket is sure to improve the teams -3.1 rebounding margin from last season.

“We are very pleased that Virginia will be joining us in the fall,” commented head coach Jeff Speedy. “She is a great rebounder and a great defender … two areas we really need to improve.

I love her size and the passion she plays

with. She will fit in right away with our team.”

Peters, who leads her high school squad in scoring, has been described by her former coach as “a very quick, athletic player” who is “capable of playing right away in the CIS at any forward position.” That’s good news for a Reds team that runs a system that Jeff Speedy has described as “12 deep.”

Any AUS coach will tell you that depth is arguably the most important thing for success in Canadian university basketball.

Looking to improve on statistics like a 68.2 - 70.3 scoring differential and feeling optimistic about the future, UNB has nationals in its sights.

Peters will be working academically at a BA with a major in psychology.

With a returning nucleus of top notch starters, adding a ready-to-play rookie could definitely be the push this team needs to make it into the elite levels of their CIS division.

TOUR DE BLOC REGIONALS 2010 @ UNB

Check out video coverage of the Tour de Bloc on the tubes!

Ben Blakney (above) was of one the many participants in the Tour de Bloc Atlantic regional bouldering competition held in the LB Gym. Saturday’s men’s open saw Eric Sethna take first place with two UNB members, John Bowles and Matt Keays, placing second and third. UNB’s Holly Reid won the women’s open with Krissy Lunney in second and Shaunna Post coming in third. Christian Hapgood / The Brunswickan

thebruns.ca

16 • Mar. 24, 2010 • Issue 24 • Volume 143

The tanning battle Nancy Ward Staff Writer With the return of the sun and warm weather comes the argument over tanning.

Many rumours about the impact of both indoor and outdoor tanning have been thrown around, but what is the truth you ask? Most people have heard about the risks of tanning, but many choose to ignore those risks. The reason for this is, obviously, based on appearances. But appearances can be deceiving. Before you bronze your beach-bod, here’s a look at the pros and cons of tanning.

One of the benefits of tanning is that you receive lots of Vitamin D. The UV Rays used in a tanning booth can also force the body to create Vitamin D. It is sometimes suggested to go under medium-powered tanning lights to ensure Vitamin D production during the lowlight months.

Vitamin D gives people energy and puts them in a better mood. One in four North Americans are dealing with one form of depression, whether it is clinical or seasonal depression. Some doctors will recommend tanning to give you a boost and bring some people out of those winter blues. Also, tanning can be a beneficial treatment to acne, and other skin disorders like psoriasis. However, many simply tan as a source of relaxation.

Some negative aspects of tanning are that tanning can cause melanoma and other types of skin cancer. It also encourages premature aging of skin, which contradicts the main reason why people tan.

It would be a shame, and slightly ironic, to see someone so keen on looking their best end up resembling a large, wrinkled carrot. Being exposed to UV rays for too long can lead to sunburns that can be painful, resulting in blisters and peeling of your

Both indoor and outdoor tanning have their respective benefits and consequences. It simply comes down to personal choice, yet, the Brunswickan offers some friendly advice on the matter. Flickr CC skin. In some cases, too much exposure to UV rays can lead to negative effects on a person’s immune system. Obviously, the biggest con of tanning is skin cancer, so if you do choose to tan, make sure you are aware of the early signs of skin cancer.

There is the good and bad of tanning itself, but there’s another debate raging between the benefits and consequences of indoor and outdoor tanning. The air in tanning beds is filtered and does not have some of the negative effects you would receive from tanning outdoors.

If you are tanning outside, your body is at a greater risk of exposure to air pollution and other problems that come from the atmosphere. One large difference between indoor and outdoor tanning is that during indoor tanning your exposure time is monitored and tracked, but outside you could lay out for hours without realizing how much time you

have spent in the sun.

On the contrary, the good mood and relaxed feeling you receive after tanning outdoors is seldom reached in the fifteen minutes spent in a tanning bed. Also, studies have shown that the beds could be linked to corneal or retina damage; goggles or no goggles.

Either way you look at it, indoor and outdoor tanning can both produce health benefits. However, both methods have their inherent risks as well. Overall, tanning can be harmful through any means when not monitored because it changes the state of a person’s skin, and puts that person at a higher risk for complications such as cancer. It remains a personal choice surrounded by advantages and disadvantages, but the important thing is to stay cautious. Resembling a carrot could end up being the least of your problems.

brunswickansports

Behind the Red: Ben Law

Christopher Cameron Staff Writer A few months after the AUS men’s soccer season wrapped up, the Brunswickan was able to meet up with first year student and men’s soccer player Ben Law to chat about school, soccer and life.

The Reds fullback hails from Ottawa, Ontario and although he was in arts in his first year, he has transferred into kinesiology for next year.

UNB was a last minute choice for Law after returning from Holland where he played with SC Cambuur before arriving here. He discusses his first year in Fredericton as well as how he found himself coming to UNB. Brunswickan: First off, what brought you to UNB? Ben Law: I had a lot friends that went to the school here and I got back late from Europe last year, so I did not have time to register for any other schools. Miles really pushed me coming here, so I said I want to play soccer at a high level so I thought I’d see how it would work out at UNB. B: How do you feel after your first year here?

BL: First year went really well. In terms of soccer we were disappointed with our first round loss in the playoffs, but hopefully next year we’ll make a push for CIS. Aside from soccer I love Fredericton and feel it is a perfect

fit for me. The classes are all close together and it’s easy to get around. All the people here are great so I’d say this year couldn’t have been much better.

B: What got you started with soccer?

BL: My dad really pushed it in our family.

I have a brother that plays as well. We started when we were four or five in house league, something similar to Timbits soccer, and it just came from there.

B: Being such a skilled soccer player, were there other schools that were looking at you for their program?

BL: I thought about Carleton back home.

There were a few in the States as well, Buffalo and Syracuse. Last year I trained professionally in Europe with a club team, so all those options went out the door when I decided to go to Europe instead.

B: How did you get involved with the team in Europe and what did your time spent with them involve?

BL: I got scouted at a tournament in the U.S. called the Disney Showcase Tournament. One of these professional teams had a scout there and said to come down for a trial. I ended up staying the whole year. I was doing school and soccer during that year as well as teaching English too.

B: While playing over there did you see much playing time?

BL: Well because I hadn’t signed a contract I could not play in any league games.

We played all the exhibition games and all of the tournament games, so we got our fair share of time. The reason I didn’t sign the contract was partly because I was not a European citizen. I decided that it was better to come back to Canada and go to university rather than risk an injury.

B: Do you regret the decision to come back here and play university soccer?

BL: It’s a 50/50. I wish I was still there playing, but school is the most important thing to me so I think it’s more important for me to be here right now.