Issue 15, Vol 141, The Brunswickan

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pinions what to watch pg.07

ports unb’s revenge on les aigles bleu pg.16

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rts garrett mason set to rock fredericton pg.11

The Brunswickan

Volume 141 Issue 15 • Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication • UNB Fredericton’s Student Paper • Jan. 16, 2008

UNB SU hoping for overpass

Pepsi contract nearing an end Fredericton honours hockey pioneer

The second in a continuing series of articles examining the possibility of an overpass on the highway behind the Aitken Centre

by Hunter Gavin

by Naomi Osborne

After the tragic death of a UNB student last year and several other incidents involving highway crossing, the UNB Student Union is looking to take action.

“This is important because of the causalities that have happened in the past.

If it’s happened once it could be a fluke, but if it’s happened twice then it could happen again,” said Jordan Graham, Student Union VP External.

The UNB Student Union is lobbying for a safe crossing over the highway, which would connect the Forest Hills neighborhood to campus to provide a way for students to get to campus safely and quickly.

Graham met with the provincial government and the Department of Transportation on the matter and they have shown some interest in the project.

The only problem is that for a project like this to be accomplished, there must be support from the provincial, federal, and municipal governments.

“All projects are split three ways, so we will have to get all the governments to agree,” said Graham.

As of right now, the City is reluctant to support the project because they are skeptic as to whether or not the overpass will be frequently used, and if they were to put one up, they may as well set up three in different locations.

Graham feels that of the three overpasses that could be put in place, he is advocating for one that would be most important for providing a safe crossing for university students.

Though some would still try to cross the highway to save time, “it’s not about making sure people don’t cross the highway, it’s about providing a safe alternative,” said Graham.

see Overpass page 2

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Pepsi is nearing the end of its ten-year exclusivity contract at UNB, which does not allow Coke products to be sold on campus. The tides could change in August when a new contract could be signed.

by Josh O’Kane

On September 1, 1998, Pepsi Cola entered a ten-year exclusive contract allowing the soft drink company to be the exclusive soft drink provider for the UNB Fredericton and STU campuses.

As this ten-year deal draws to a close, the floor is opening again for rivals Pepsi and Coke to bid for another contract of exclusivity.

“The contract extends until July 31, 2008,” say Dr. James Brown, Executive Director of Residential Life, Campus, and Conference Services.

Under the umbrella of the new Campus Services portion of his position,

Brown manages various contracts the university holds with external organizations. The existing Pepsi contract is one of these.

“It’s a competitive bidding situation between Pepsi and Coke,” explains Brown. “We’ll do a general request for proposal or RFP. We’re just talking about the nature of that RFP now.”

“Pepsi and Coke will bid against one another, and it’s generally pretty straightforward. The RFP asks for a return to the university. The returns in the past have been along the lines of a fee for exclusivity, a marketing support fee, which basically is free product to a variety of events, and scholarships. Those are the main forms in which money gets returned to the university.”

The exclusivity fee amounted to a quarter million dollars each year, with an additional signing bonus. While Brown was not aware of the value of the

initial bonus at the time of interview, a story published in The Brunswickan the week of September 6, 1998, valued this bonus at $1M. Including this bonus, the value of the entire contract amounted in $6M to be spent by Pepsi.

The price of exclusivity, says Brown, has gone down since the existing contract was first signed. Exclusive soft drink deals with university campuses have a short history in Canada, with UBC being the first to pen one about 15 years ago. Brown was involved with the second Canadian exclusive soft drink contract during his time at York University.

“In the first round of them,” says Brown, “the universities did well, because Pepsi and Coke were keen to outbid one another and they didn’t have any particular experience about the value of it. Now, Pepsi and Coke are both

telling us that they’ve overbid all those deals, that we shouldn’t be expecting the same kind of return for the future, and that they will correct their mistakes.”

However, he explains “we’ll get something for the exclusivity, for sure. What it will be, they won’t tell us right now.”

Brown says the final value of the new contract will come down to how much each company values locking the other off-campus.

“They’re telling us that it will be a lower amount than they’ve provided in the past, but they’re really just making predictions as to what they think the other side would do.”

The current Pepsi contract also contains a rider which states that if UNB did not sell a certain volume of product during the ten years, that it would be

see Pepsi page 2

Getting dirty isn’t just for honeymooners anymore

by Ashley Bursey

It’s a phenomenon sweeping the world of photography – and newlyweds.

Trashing your $500 wedding gown isn’t just for brides anymore.

Trashthedress.com is just one of the websites out there that encourages formally-attired females to take their evening gown (wedding gown, prom dress, or what have you), zip it up again after the big day, and take it on an adventure.

It’s not really a complicated idea.

Why sport the dress just once and then shove it away, shrink-wrapped forever in a coat of plastic, in the back of your closet? Instead of wasting the dress, many photographers are encouraging their brides to pull it out, put it on, and do the dirty: go play in the mud, jump in a river, swing on a swingset, or go for a run with the dog through a grassy, muddy knoll.

So what’s the attraction?

It’s all about reliving that special moment – and wearing that hyperexpensive dress – in a fun, carefree moment, and then capturing it on camera.

But there are a few naysayers, and they’ve got good points. “Why can’t the dresses be saved and donated to

worthy causes? There are thousands of women who would kill for a wedding dress,” says one visitor on www. trashthedress.com’s forum.

Or, there are great programs locally and nationally, such as The Glass Slipper Project, which provide dresses to graduating girls who can’t afford expensive dresses for their proms.

But no one said you had to ruin the dress completely. Perhaps an alternative could be a quick run in the stream, a bunch of great shots, and a dry-cleaning bill – those folks can work magic. Then, the dress (if you’re lucky) might be ready to pass on to your daughter, niece, or a complete stranger as part of one of these ‘dress rehabilitation’ programs.

The idea of getting a second change

with a dress that, face it, you’re likely not going to wear again, is a lot of fun.

Many wedding photographers will work this into their overall fee, but if you’re really anxious to take the grad dress for another romp, check into the local photography scene.

Most folks will be willing to front you TFP, or ‘Time for Prints’. Usually, they’ll send you along a CD of digital prints (edited or unedited, depending on the agreement), of which you are given limited use, including in your portfolio or perhaps on your wall or wedding album. In exchange, they’ll get to use the photos in their own portfolios.

This writer can’t wait to try it – with a $500 prom dress just sitting, gathering dust in her closet, why not?

Internet

This former bride is cashing in on the fashion phenomenon that is trashyourdress.com

Willie O’Ree is one of Fredericton’s most renowned native sons, and on Wednesday night, the city will honour the hockey pioneer in a most fitting way: the Northside Sports and Leisure Complex will officially be renamed Willie O’Ree Place.

"Never let it be said that Fredericton does not honour its heroes," said Mayor Woodside. "I encourage the citizens of the greater Fredericton community to join us as we pay a fitting tribute to a man who exemplifies teamwork, perseverance, and dedication, and made our city proud."

The agenda for Wednesday's gala ceremony at the Northside Sports and Leisure Complex, 605 Cliffe Street, will feature tributes to O'Ree from the Boston Bruins, the NHL, and Hockey Canada, as well as Lt.-Gov. Herménégilde Chiasson, Federal Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson, Premier Shawn Graham, Mayor Woodside, and youths from the Fredericton area.

Representatives from the Boston Bruins, including former player Bob Sweeney and Director of Marketing Dave Turk; Director of the National Hockey League’s Community and Diversity Program Ken Martin, Jr.; and Scott Smith, the Chief Operating Officer of Hockey Canada will be in attendance.

The program will also feature video clips from hockey celebrities and other well-wishers, including Wayne Gretzky and Coaches Corner duo Ron MacLean and Don Cherry.

The timing of the naming ceremony falls almost 50 years to the day since Willie O'Ree was called up from the minors to join the Boston Bruins for a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

"What makes the game special, whether you are a hockey fan or not, is the fact that it was the first time a black man played a game in the National Hockey League," said Woodside. "He is the Jackie Robinson of the hockey world and he continues, to this day, promoting the sport to minorities and underprivileged children across North America."

While his NHL career was brief, O'Ree continued to play professional hockey for two decades in the minors despite the fact he was blinded in one eye by a puck in his youth. He currently serves as the NHL's Director of Youth Development and Ambassador for Diversity.

The public is invited to attend the naming ceremony. There is no admission fee but donations of non-perishable food items will be collected at the door for donation to the Fredericton Food Bank.

The New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame also honored O'Ree this week.

O'Ree, who has been an Honoured Member of the Hall since 1984, was the guest of honor at dinner Tuesday, January 15 at the Fredericton Inn. There will also be an invitation-only reception at Old Government House on Wednesday afternoon.

News

2 • January 16, 2008 • Issue 15

An overpass may save lives: The Student Union’s view Coke from Overpass page 1 Many students who live in the Forest Hill neighborhood are STU residents of Chatham and Rigby Halls.

However, the issue for St. Thomas students may not be as concerning.

STU students are given bus passes to use throughout the year, so students who live in the Forrest Hills area simply use their bus passes to get to campus.

Jennifer Wilcox is a second year STU student who lives in Chatham Hall and is the Vice President Internal for the house. She feels the money that would be put toward a project like this could be spent otherwise, in a way that could be more beneficial to students.

“If there was an overpass over the highway I would use it. It would save a few minutes of walking time which would be great in nasty weather; however I don’t think it’s worth the expenditure.” said Wilcox. “I think the money would be better spent on lighting the pathway.”

She believes that many students may choose to cross the highway for their own reasons, and in doing so, they should know the risks and live with the consequences.

“It’s their own stupidity if they

choose to cross the highway; there is a sidewalk. What are a few minutes of walking to the rest of your life?” said Wilcox.

The situation is different for UNB students. For them it is much harder to get quick transportation to campus in bad weather. Since students are not provided with bus passes, it makes for frequent and thus expensive bus rides.

“It is getting to be more popular to live in that area. The price of living is low and the quality is high,” said Graham. “But there is no quick and safe way to get to school for these students.”

Graham said the SU feels that providing an overpass for those students who do not have any other means of transportation will give them a much safer way of getting to campus. The SU is also looking into the bus pass situation and is working to come up with a system that is fair to all students.

The main issue that is holding back the progress of the project is that there may simply be no money available for the cost of the project.

“The bottom line is that there’s no funding, and the reason can be drawn from a political lack of desire,” said

versus Pepsi from Pepsi page 1

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

UNB Student Leslie Bruce was killed in 2006 crossing the highway behind the Aitken Centre. The UNB Student Union wants a safe way for students to cross the highway.

Graham.

The SU has been working on getting this project up and running since September. If they are ever going to see progress on the project, Graham

said they will need full support of all governments.

The SU, the provincial government, and the Department of Transportation are currently working to provide a

cost-benefit analysis for the project.

“It all depends on how strongwilled the parties are, and of the political will the people have who want to see it happen,” said Graham.

given a free extension of exclusivity until that volume was sold. This was a worry for some time, says Brown, but it has since been overcome.

“There was some concern that the volumes weren’t going to be high enough and that we were going to have to extend the exclusivity without getting anything back,” he says.

Pepsi would have continued to have exclusive rights for enough additional months it would take to meet the minimum volume.

“That concern has now passed, it is now clear that they are going to meet their volumes and that we’ll be free to contract with either Pepsi or Coke as of August 1 on a new deal.”

Talks at this point are entirely preliminary, as the contract’s end is still seven and a half months away.

“We’ve had inquiries from both Coke and Pepsi over what schedule we’ll get the RFP out. That’s really the extent of the talks.”

Acadia University’s president resigns nearly a year ahead of schedule Northern NB community grief stricken

by Angela Wilson, CUP Atlantic Bureau Chief with files from Lucas Timmons

WOLFVILLE (CUP) -- Acadia University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Gail Dinter-Gottlieb, is stepping down nearly a year earlier than expected.

Gottlieb will resign her post effective February 29.

Students returning to campus after the holidays received an e-mail from the Acadia Board of Governors informing them that Gottlieb would not be completing her term as President.

Gottlieb first arrived at Acadia in 2003 for what was supposed to be a sixyear term, ending in June 2009.

In August 2007, following her midterm performance review, Gottlieb announced that she would not be seeking a second term for personal and family

Internet

Acadia University pictured here, is now on the search for a new President reasons.

Gottlieb told the university Senate that the reason for her departure was that she and her husband had been in a long distance relationship for a number of years.

In a press release, Ron Smith, Chairperson of the Acadia Board of Governors, noted that the Board had been working on a transition plan ever since

Gottlieb announced that she would not be seeking a second term. Her resignation now allows the Board more flexibility in that process.

The search committee, for instance, may find a candidate who is available to start immediately without having to ask the current president to step down early.

Scott Roberts, Acadia Director of

Communications, indicated that while Gottlieb and the Board had negotiated an agreement before the public announcement, the drive to leave early came primarily from Gottlieb for personal reasons.

“Many of the projects and programs that she began are completed or drawing to a close,” he said. “Dr. Gottlieb thought that it would be best to step aside now, and end with a clean slate.”

Students, meanwhile, are seizing the opportunity to take a voice in selecting their next president.

“This is a very critical time for Acadia University. With Dr. Gottlieb stepping down, we must ensure that the next president is an individual that is familiar with Acadia, embraces student opinion, and involves students at all levels of the university decision-making process,” said Kyle Steele, President of the Acadia Students’ Union.

The Presidential Search Committee, established by the Board of Governors, will now decide whether or not to appoint an acting president before a permanent replacement is found.

In the press release, Smith said that Gottlieb has “a great deal to be proud of,” in her time at Acadia. He cited the university’s most ambitious and suc-

cessful capital campaign in its 170-year history, the completion of a new Life and Sciences Building and Learning Commons as well as the implementation of a new strategic plan.

Gottlieb’s time at Acadia has also been controversial at times. At the end of 2007, she was in China on a recruiting mission as faculty at her university began strike action. She was also president during the only other faculty strike in the university’s history in 2004.

During her presidency, Acadia also experienced a significant and steady decline in student enrollment in the face of intense competition for students across the Atlantic provinces.

“It has been a genuine privilege to lead Acadia University through a time of tremendous change in the post-secondary education sector,” said Gottlieb in a press release. “I believe Acadia’s reputation is well-deserved and I have enjoyed working with our wonderful students and alumni, our faculty and staff, and our network of supporters.

The successes we’ve realized during the past four years position Acadia to meet the rising expectations of future students and preserve Acadia’s standing as an innovative, high-quality undergraduate university.”

by Lauren Kennedy

A small New Brunswick community is still in disbelief after a tragic accident killed eight of their own. Seven Bathurst high school students and a teacher were killed when their van collided with a semi truck on Highway 8, close to the Bathurst exit.

The accident happened around midnight on Saturday January 12. The van was transporting members of the Bathurst High boys’ basketball team, the Phantoms, who were coming back from a game in Moncton.

12 people were in the van and of them, four survived including the team’s coach and his daughter. The coach’s wife, who was a teacher at another school, was of the ones who died along with boys that ranged from 15-18 years old.

Police say weather was a factor as road conditions were very icy and slippery at the time.

Not only has the community been supporting the friends and families affected through the tough time, both Prime Minister Stephan Harper and Premier Shawn Graham expressed their condolences to the families and community.

Harper expressed in a letter he wrote to the high school principal that he sympathized with the parents of the boys who died, as he is a father himself.

“I just want to extend sympathies to the affected families. This is a tragic situation for the community of Bathurst and our province,” said Graham, speaking from Ottawa.

Bruns News Team Assemble!

Meetings 11:30 am Friday

bruns.news@gmail.com

News

Issue 15 • January 16, 2008 • 3

No Resolution

Parents key in developing reading skills

by Margaret Sheridan, Interrobang (Fanshawe College)

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

As St. Thomas University faculty continue to walk the picket line across from James Dunn Hall students eagerly await a return to classes. Friday, last week, in a message to students, posted on the STU website, Dr. Michael Higgins, the University President, announced that classes would be postponed indefinitely and students would be given three days notice before school would resume.

Negotiations stalled last week, but have resumed and are ongoing. Member’s of STU’s Student Union are monitoring the situation and continually updating students on the progress. A demonstration last Friday showed students desire to return to class. Hundred of students walked the perimeter of STU’s campus, in the freezing rain, cheering with hand painted signs declaring ‘I am not a bargaining tool’ and ‘I came here for an education’.

Faculty of Education student Ben McNamara, is discouraged: “It has come to the point where students are extremely frustrated with the current labour negotiations. All we really want is to be able to get back to classes and get on with our lives.”

LONDON (CUP) -- According to a recent study, Canadians leading the way in reading comprehension and they have their parents to thank for it.

The Boston College Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), released in December, found that students in Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia and British Columbia were among the best readers of students in the 40 countries studied.

“Canadian students as a whole fared quite well,” said Pierre Foy, the Director of sampling and data analysis at Boston College and one of the researchers.

“Amongst the five participating provinces, four of them were near the top and [only] Quebec was lacking behind.”

Teachers, school directors and parents were also questioned about what goes on at home, how reading is taught in schools and how educational resources are allocated.

“The most striking result is how influential what goes on in the home is, especially before children enter school,”

said Foy. “For example, parent’s who say that they’ve shown the alphabet, numbers, read to them, done bed time stories, all before going to school- their children seem to do far better than when that doesn’t happen.”

The study looked at fourth grade students from a variety of backgrounds, including private, public and religiousor language-based schools. Boston College then gathered a collection of experts from around the world to help evaluate the students, deciding only then that fourth graders were the ideal subjects.

“Education relies heavily on children being able to read to then move on to learn all the other subjects,” Foy explained. “At this point, children have learned the basic skills for reading and are ready to move on to use the reading skills in learning other subjects.

“As we like to say, they’re transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn.”

Foy now hopes that governments, the public as well as other researchers will notice their work.

“We generally produce relatively straight forward statistics that hint at the kind of relationships between background information and achievement,” Foy said. “And it’s our hope that people then use the database to expand in that secondary analysis.”

CHSR station manager pursues other interests, says goodbye Tristis Ward leaves the station after 17 years of service

by Mitchell Bernard

After 17 years at CHSR, Station Manager Tristis Ward is calling it Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan quits and beginning a new chapter Tristis Ward became station manager of CHSR in 1999. in her life.

Ward describes her departure in one word. the lounge, which is down the hall, station alive, to helping people get “Serendipitous. It’s the right time. and argue with each other and have their messages across the waves durThe right projects have come along debates and have these really intense ing protests, Ward has enjoyed many for me. CHSR needed to change its conversations.” moments over the past 17 years. station managers. My job at CHSR Ward became the station manager She notes that there were many was not about running the station at CHSR in 1999. She brought her great shows in the past and present at long term; it was about getting unique taste to CHSR and has CHSR which she has really enjoyed. the station through whatever wars stood up for what she believed was “There was a great funk show a there were. And now, right. Enduring long, long, time ago, and the guy had it’s over. People came “You can make many battles to to leave. He was a really good funk along at the right times keep the station aficionado, but he liked the records a difference alive, she said a little too much [leading to theft]. that are able to bring that change.” on your own that it has been And you can’t do that, you’re not What started as a a smooth ride allowed. I was so mad, so I said ‘I’m radio and volunteer opportunity since 2000. Ward mad at you for stealing, but what in 1991 became an people don’t leaves knowing I’m really mad for is that I have to obsession for the selfthere is a bright kick you out and I loved your show even know proclaimed activist. future for the ra- so much.’ And it was painful to lose that.”

As a student new to dio station. him,” laughs Ward. the city and wanting “I think what After many years working in radio - Tristis ward to make new friends, I brought to the broadcast, Ward has strong feelings CHSR was a great opstation was sur- towards it. She will continue to be portunity for Ward. vival. What I brought to the station a supporter of public access radio in “The more things change, the was this stand-up-and-fight kind of the future. more things stay the same,” says thing. Now they need somebody who “People don’t see community Ward. “When I came here the place will take the next step forward.” radio/community access radio [for] was full of volunteers and vibrancy There were too many great mo- what it is. You, as a citizen, have a and arguments, and political discus- ments for Ward to single out just right to go on the air. You have a right sions. People use to hang around one. From fighting to keep the radio to express yourself over the public

airwaves. That property belongs to you as a citizen.”

As for the future of public access radio, Ward makes her dreams quite clear.

“My dream for radio in Canada is that every community will have this access point somewhere. In Fredericton, CHSR, CJPN, CKTP. Some other commercial stations do allow volunteers to go on. These radio stations need to exist in every city. And they need to be well supported.”

Ward is now seeking to spend more time working on another part of her life. An avid writer, Ward hopes in

the future to publish some of her works.

Ward’s successor is the current Volunteer Coordinator, Mary Anne Harrison. Harrison, who began at CHSR in September of 2007, admits she has mixed feelings about taking over the new position.

“I’m excited and I’m nervous. I’m glad she [Tristis] is just a phone call away.”

Harrison believes she has big shoes to fill. Noting that Ward knew so much, she hopes to continue her legacy and keep CHSR running fluently.

“I would like for CHSR to keep growing, just the way it is. It’s so much easier for someone to actually come on the air and talk about issues that bother them rather than sit on your sofa and say, “I wish this would happen.” You can make a difference on your own radio and people don’t even know that.”

CHSR held a leaving party for Ward last Friday. It was officially her last day of work, though members of the radio station said that she would always be around, even if she is not on staff.

News

4 • January 16, 2008 • Issue 15

The Tobique connection: a story of renewal Students want gay

by Melanie Bell

It was the fall of 2006.

We were two students from the Renaissance College classes who were slumped over in our bus seats, and some of us were snoring as our vehicle drove on through the early morning air. We were on our way to visit the Tobique First Nation community, and our attitude was a mixture of anticipation and exhaustion.

At the Tobique Community Centre, we were greeted by the community elder Imelda Perley in full regalia. We gathered in a circle and were invited to have coffee, serving our elders first.

That tradition, such a contrast to the youth-oriented culture that prevails in our society, marked our visit from the beginning. I had a sense of being drawn into something unfamiliar and sacred.

Diamond, another elder, addressed us on the evolution of the Maliseet people’s history. He spoke of a long period of independence, followed by an age of destruction brought by the Europeans. Few things belong to the Maliseet today, not even their name – “Maliseet” is the Mi’kmaq word for “slow speakers.” The Maliseet’s original name, Welustuq, means “people of the river.” The river is their source of life; although it is now polluted, they continue to offer it thanks and prayer.

According to Diamond, the European settlers saw First Nations people as having no religion, no educational system, and no value – therefore they imposed their own. In spite of all that has been taken from the Maliseet, Diamond is optimistic.

He believes his people are entering an age of renewal. This statement finds support in people such as Imelda, a passionate woman taking many steps to preserve her culture. During our meal of traditional corn soup, moose chili, and fry bread, again serving the elders first, I listened as she described her educational initiatives. The former Maliseet language teacher has designed

educational programs based on stories told by the elders. They are currently being taught in the local school, and Imelda hopes for them to become provincial. She is also spearheading a program to teach parents how to raise children in the traditional way.

The community itself is incongruent with its culture’s traditional values. The houses, granted by the government, are virtually identical. They are not made of wood, as the community members wanted. Aside from the colourful handmade election signs, Tobique resembled a typical low-income suburb. Imelda, however, proudly pointed out how

They cleanse themselves every morning with a sweat lodge ceremony, providing the only water they are allowed to have. Wild animals and wilder weather visit, but they do no harm. Imelda told of one fasting woman who was approached by a snake. She asked it to leave and, astonishingly to me, it did. The lack of fear, the oneness, the empathy that Imelda mentioned as results of the fasting are beyond my comprehension.

Gathered in a circle around the mound as the elders chanted to the beat of drum and rattle, we were asked to close our eyes and think of our

Internet

A writer experiences the life of the Maliseet culture first hand as she travels to the Tobique First Nation community. much the community has grown.

Our bus ride continued through forests and steep hills. Thanks to our stalwart driver, with the occasional evacuation that allowed him to wind the bus through the narrow trail, we arrived at a burial mound in the forest.

A pile of stones, each a gift placed there by a community member, marked the site where many Maliseet were buried together. This is where yearly fasting takes place. After prayers and thanks, the fasting community members each stand at a spot to which they are drawn.

ancestors. The gentle music and the inward focus of my energy dissolved the remains of my exhaustion. At first, I was puzzled. What did I know about my ancestors? So, I began to think of my mother. My thoughts flowed back to my aunts, grandparents, and the stories I have heard of generations past. I remembered instances of courage, selflessness, resourcefulness, drive, intelligence, and a strong vein of creativity. I wondered about the many strengths they held that I have never known. As I prayed to take these traits into myself and be strengthened by them, I felt as if my body was flooded with light. When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t stop smiling.

As a group, we gathered branches and built a new sweat lodge with our own hands. The rickety frame of branches was transformed into a shelter, a miniature haven. When it was finished, I followed some friends inside.

Embraced in silence, closeness and warmth, we made a pact to return.

Our journey ended at the Perleys’ house. In our final circle, we shared what we had gained from our visit.

For the first time, one resident spoke to us in tears. His nephew had just disappeared, leaving a suicide note behind; he was not sure if the boy was alive or dead.

Some of my classmates were struck deeply by this. Remembering the poverty and despair, they left Tobique in sadness. I have visited another First Nations community, attended school with several Mi’kmaq students, and am familiar with the despair. What I was most struck by was the hope. Imelda told us that many young people in the community, after a generation or so of distance, are returning to tradition, taking part in the community’s daily and weekly ceremonies. These ceremonies are important, Imelda stressed, so those who practice them can remember who they are.

My visit to Tobique led me to realize the lack of such ceremonies in my own life. I know little about my own ancestors; I only see my extended family once or twice a year. In my youthful search for an identity, I have neglected one important element: The foundation of family heritage, the generations that progressed and merged to give me life. I am coming to realize the need for a sense of group identity that is lacking, for me and many others, in everyday life.

Our bus ride home was punctuated with discussions, sing-alongs and the sharing of food. That one day had helped in drawing us together. It made me wonder if my trip to Tobique would be a new tradition within my faculty?

I hoped so.

In retrospect, the visit was only one patch in the quilt of tradition. Renaissance College classes have been visiting First Nations communities since the faculty’s inception in 2000; this fall, we ventured to the Passamaquoddy Nation in Maine. Yet this kind of tradition has lent richness to the faculty, much as Harrison House’s annual Great Pumpkin Sacrifice and Neville/ Jones Bed Push draw their respective houses together – and much like the ceremonies practiced at Tobique unify the culture.

The ancient Babylonians, and later the Romans, made New Year’s resolutions. The ancient Greeks initiated the idea of a New Year baby by using infants to symbolize the rebirth of their god Dionysus. A respect for cycles is inherent in the very idea of honouring a new year. Rituals have changed, but we still celebrate.

Perhaps a sense of group identity isn’t as absent as I had first imagined.

Perhaps, like the ceremonies whose renewal Imelda takes pride in, it simply needs to be practiced every day.

blood ban lifted

by Katie Hyslop The Muse (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

ST. JOHN’S (CUP) -- The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) has spoken out against Canadian Blood Services’ (CBS) Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) policy, which bans men who have engaged in sexual intercourse with other men since 1977 from donating blood.

“This is a very discriminatory policy, and we are obviously not in favor of it,” said Stella Magalios, Director of Campaigns for Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Students’ Union, a CFS member union.

“The fact is it’s unfair to discriminate based on someone’s personal life choice when it doesn’t necessarily indicate whether they have AIDS or not,” she said, noting that while homosexuality is not a choice, the act of having sex is.

CBS, however, maintains that their MSM policy is not meant to be discriminatory, but is an extra precaution to ensure clean blood.

“The basic premise for the deferral criteria that [CBS] has for men who have had sex with other men is that the prevalence and the incidence of HIV is much higher in males who have had sex with other males than in individuals who are having exclusively heterosexual sex,” said Paul McGrath, the Newfoundland and Labrador media representative for CBS. McGrath references a study released by the Public Health Agency in December 2006 that found 39.6% of positive HIV tests fall under the MSM category, the highest percentage of any group, with intravenous drug users following at 19.3% of HIV infections.

Even though all donated blood is tested for HIV/AIDS, McGrath said that it is dangerous to rely on those tests alone.

“The existing test that we have for HIV, while it is world class… No test can be 100% guaranteed,” he said.

But according to Michelle Boutcher, Executive Director of the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador, while anal sex is considered a high-risk activity, men who have anal sex with men are not at a higher risk of contracting HIV from anal sex than women who have anal sex with men.

“Straight couples still engage in anal sex, still engage in oral sex, still use sex toys, and infections can be transmitted any of those ways because that would be what they consider high-risk behaviour,” said Bethany Barrett, Director

of Internal Issues for Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgendered Students at the university.

“And unfortunately that behaviour is typically associated with gay men and lesbian women.”

Canada is not the only country with a lifetime ban MSM policy: The US, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and Hong Kong also have a lifetime ban.

Some countries, however, like Hungary, New Zealand, and Argentina have shortened their ban lengths to five or 10 years.

Italy is the only known country whose MSM policy is based on the riskier behaviour, such as promiscuity and unprotected sex. It is this kind of policy that St. John’s Pride Committee Chair Mark Hanlon would like implemented in Canada.

“Not every gay man who’s had sex with a man or every man who’s had sex with a man is necessarily at high risk for obtaining HIV or AIDS,” he said, adding that HIV infection rates are also higher than average in Aboriginals and heterosexual women.

“I think [a policy] that’s actually more universal ... would ask any individual what is their sexual behaviour. Whether they’ve had unprotected sexual intercourse with anybody, whether it’s a man or a woman, then that individual should be flagged as a high-risk individual,” said Hanlon.

Blood drives have been banned from the student centre at McGill University and Barrett hasn’t ruled out such an action from LBGT-MUN. “As of this point I don’t know if we have any plans to protest it, and I’m not sure if we will because I have to talk to my volunteers first and just see what they feel about the subject,” she said.

She also added that she doesn’t donate blood herself, partly for medical reasons and partly out of protest.

But Magalios doesn’t think that’s the best course of action for students to follow.

“Obviously donating blood is a very good thing to do, and in fact, the largest group of people that are donating right now are students,” she said.

CBS’s policies are controlled by Health Canada, who also recently announced the banning of organ donation from men who have had sex with men in the past five years.

McGrath says that though Health Canada is in talks with both the CFS and Egale Canada, an activist group for lesbians, gays, and transgendered Canadians, to review the policy, change will not be swift.

“This is something that is not going away today, it’s not going away tomorrow, it’s something that’s going to be on our radar screen for quite a long time,” he said.

Feature

$

D

Issue 15 • January 16, 2008 • 5

ealing with debt

by Melanie Bell

the circumstances of debt It’s that time of year again. With Christmas gifts bought and given, it is time to make payments for a second semester – and in many students’ cases, plunge deeper into debt.

While it is common for students to incur debt from credit cards and sometimes car loans, the vast majority of student debt in Canada comes, unsurprisingly, from student loans.

According to the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation, approximately one third of university students take out government loans every year.

Most students are able to meet their monthly payments on loans from the government and other entities. Statistically speaking, the average level of student debt has stabilized since 2000. After doubling in the 1990s, it has increased by only 3% in the following six years.

While this is good news, it has

credit card debt

While credit card debt is unsecured and therefore does not entail all the potential consequences of student loan default, its own effects are equally miserable. A negative credit rating impacts employment and housing prospects, as well as increasing the prices of further loans and credit. People with negative credit ratings may be required to pay more for insurance, or may be refused renewal. Many credit card companies raise defaulters’ interest by 25-30%. Defaulters’ accounts may be turned over to authorities, charged excess fees, and their wages may be garnished.

One of the best ways to overcome debt is to find employment. A survey by the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation showed that on average, employed students earn no more than $5,151 per school year, a figure which includes their summer wages. While this figure is not nearly enough to cover the $17,000 required for attending UNB, it is nonetheless significant.

Many students find jobs in retail outfits and fast food restaurants.

UNB’s Work-Study program is an on-campus alternative to these jobs. A result of collaboration between the Financial Aid Office and Student Employment Services, the program provides part-time, oncampus employment to students in fields related to their course of study. Candidates’ financial need is assessed by the Financial Aid office and serves as the basis for eligibil-

been offset by other obstacles. At 50% in 2006, the proportion of students who graduate in debt is on the rise. In the 2007-08 school year, government loans will be available to more students from middle-income families, and borrowers with greater financial need will be eligible for more loan money.

Both measures will help individual students but add to the frequency of debt. Atlantic Canada’s debt is the highest of all regions in the country, at an average of $29,747 per student. What’s more, students are finding that government loans are not enough to fund their education. 39% of funds that students borrowed in 2006 came from nongovernmental sources such as banks and family members. Not only are students seeking more sources to fund their studies, they are also reporting difficulty paying off their loans in increasing numbers.

The more debt a student has, the more likely they are to drop out of school and the less likely they are to pursue post-graduate studies. Debt can affect a student’s entire future.

“

Atlantic Canada’s debt is the highest of all regions in the country, at an average of $29,747 per student

keeping tabs Recent changes in loan legislation have made it easier for students to keep track of their payments.

In 2005, the New Brunswick and Canadian governments signed an agreement integrating their student loan programs. However, students who took out loans prior to this year, as well as those who hold bank loans, may owe money to more than one lender. It is important for these students to keep track of payments for all of these loans and keep administrators up-to-date on their student status.

crunch time In the six months following completion of studies, students are required to contact the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) to make arrangements for repayment. They are not required to repay anything until the end of these six months, but interest will accumulate on unpaid loans during that time period.

Students can either pay this interest or add it to the amount borrowed. They are required to begin payment on the first day of the seventh month following the end of studies. This is known as the consolidation date. At this time, the amount of interest accrued within the six months can either be paid off or added to the principal (capitalized).

If nothing is repaid at this date, the loan enters default status. The default is reported to credit bureaus, leaving a negative credit rating, and the borrower cannot acquire additional financial assistance (from the government) until the default is cleared. During default, borrowers’ wages can be garnished. Their income tax and GST refunds can be withheld and used to pay off a portion of their debt. They may face collection agencies and even lawsuits. Students who have defaulted are not eligible for further student loans until three years after their final discharge.

A student who declares bankruptcy will still be required to make payments on government loans, which are not included in the calculation of estate. According to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, bankruptcy cannot be discharged for ten years following the end of studies. With the addition of the three years required after the loan’s discharge, students who declare bankruptcy will not be eligible for further financial assistance for a minimum of the next 13 years.

Given the circumstances of bankruptcy, it is unlikely that repayment will occur within such a short time frame.

on debt

A commonly cited standard for loan repayment states that graduates’ monthly payments should not exceed 8% of their pre-tax earnings.

However, this benchmark dates back to mortgage underwriting standards. Consequently, it works to the lender’s advantage and not necessarily the student’s. In their paper on debt management, Saul Schwartz and Sandy Baum suggest alternative guidelines for managing debt. The more a graduate earns, they argue, the higher the percentage of their income they should devote to repayment. Lower-income graduates should devote 5-10% of their discretionary income to repayment, while those in the highest income brackets should devote 18-20%.

living on a student budget

Luckily, there are programs available to help students manage their debt in extreme circumstances.

Interest relief allows graduates to defer payments during times of underemployment. Applicants must have entered into an agreement to consolidate their loans and have paid all outstanding interest. They can qualify for six-month periods without payment requirements or accumulation interest for up to 54 months. If borrowers cannot repay their loans following this period, they can apply for debt reduction programs. Together, these programs could prevent the majority of defaults. However, most graduates are unaware of their existence, so many who qualify do not take advantage of them. Out of a recent sample of Ontario graduates from the 2001-02 year, 47% would have qualified for interest relief at one point, but only a third of that number applied.

If working can’t pay off all your debt, what can you do? You can manage debt by working actively towards minimizing it. This can be achieved by being conscious of personal spending and planning to live economically.

It is said that if you live like a professional during your student days, you will end up living like a student as a professional. Keep in mind that you will have a higher income later, and the less debt you have to pay off, the more you can enjoy it.

Housing: Live with one or more roommates and split expenses.

Transportation: Carpool or split cabs.

Food: Look for no-name brands in grocery stores.

Buy in bulk. Share meals with friends. Prepare large dishes where you can freeze much of what is made and eat it later.

Energy: Use less heat in winter and wear warm clothes.

If possible, enroll in a work study program or look for part-time employment.

Shop low-budget and secondhand. Look into opportunities such as the Sunday flea market in the Fredericton High School cafeteria and the radio price club discounts. Look for yard sales. Check out clothing swaps around campus, or initiate your own.

Pay your credit card bills on time.

Ask about student prices at restaurants and stores.

If you choose to travel, stay in hostels.

Rent movies rather than watching them in a theatre.

Develop a realistic budget for the school year and follow it. Resist the urge to splurge on significant items that are not on your budget. Don’t use student loan money for anything that you haven’t set it aside for.

Prioritize needs over wants.

workin’ for a living

ity. Students must be enrolled in a full-time course of study with a GPA of 2.0 or above. They are allowed to apply for a maximum of eight potential positions.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to get employment on campus and more flexibility with their schedules,” says Anne Soucy, Manager of Student Employment Services. “It gives them an opportunity to get career-related experience and see the university from the inside, to really see what’s going on, and to build some ties with the university.”

During the fall semester, the Work-Study program employed 64 students at a wage of $9 per hour,

benefits included, for a 20-week period. Some of these students will resume their jobs after the Christmas holidays, while several new positions are also open for the second semester. Job opportunities are divided by year of study. There are positions for students in years one to four, and additional availabilities for graduate students. “We’ve been very pleased with the amount of positions,” Soucy says. Since last year, participants have the option of working over March break.

Soucy acknowledges that the program is competitive. “There are always way more people who apply for the jobs than there are jobs.

We’re hoping to raise the number of

positions next year.” She encourages interested students to apply early.

70 new eight-week positions are available for the winter semester.

Students can bring their cover letters and résumés for the program to the Student Employment office in Neville Homestead between now and January 18. Following interviews, chosen students will begin work on February 4.

Student Employment Services also coordinate two government job programs, SEED and Canada Summer Jobs. Applications are currently available for SEED, which provides opportunities for summer employment with New Brunswick’s provincial government.

resources for here and now UNB has a number of resources in place to assist students in financing their education. The Financial Aid Office provides a central location for them all. Students can make appointments or attend workshops on a number of financial topics including budgeting, financial planning, financial aid options, and debt management itself. Some of its workshops focus on how to repay student loans.

The university offers a number of financial resources to students as well. Students in financial need can apply to win used computers from the Student Union and Integrated Technology Services during the Great Computer Giveaway. The UNB Special Bursary provides awards worth up to $1,000 in value. Bursaries are also available for international students and for studies abroad. UNB’s small loan program offers loans of up to $800.

The Student Employment Services, located in the Neville Homestead, assists students in securing employment. 42% of students at UNBF currently benefit from the university’s employment services in some way.

The Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation was founded in 2000 by the Canadian government with the goal of improving access to post-secondary education in the country. All students who qualify for financial aid within their home province or territory can apply for a bursary. These grants begin at $500 and average around $3,000. The bursary program offers an average of $335M in financial assistance every year. This program is scheduled to end following the 2008-09 school year.

Students can visit www.grantsreloaded.ca to petition the federal government to renew this program.

6 • The Brunswickan

January 16 •2008

Comments & Letters Visit Big Ben and get credit for it: What’s better than that?

Dear Editor These winter days are delightful (perhaps), but when they end I will be taking a second group of students to London for the work study program, and that is something to look forward to. I would like to tell them a little about the experience, and to give them the web address of the program: http://www.cel.unb. ca/travelstudy/london/courses.php May is a lovely time in the capital city of what was once the British Empire, and the source of so much Canadian history and culture. I lived many years in London, and visit at least once a year for research purposes, and for fun. Last year was the launch of the UNB travel-study program, and I, with Sandra Bell in the English Department at UNBSJ, were joined in London by eight students.

Two courses were offered - on Royal Navy material history, and on English theatre. Classes consisted almost entirely of visits to historic warship, dockyards, museums, stately homes, and theatrical performances.

We mostly traveled on the top deck of London buses, so that everyone could become familiar with the city. From the small club we were living in, bus route 4 passes St. Paul’s Cathedral, on its way to Waterloo railway station, from which we took the train to Portsmouth to see Admiral Nelson’s flagship at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805, HMS Victory, and the first armoured and steel built battleship in the world, HMS Warrior; or to go the other way to Chatham Historic Dockyard were we saw, amongst other things, the last remaining 18th century working rope walk in the world. Bus route 19 passed near the British Museum, the Shaftesbury Avenue theater district, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park Corner, the world famous Harrods departmental store, and the Victoria and Albert museum. To get to the historic

BURNABY (CUP) -- A couple of weekends ago I entered a competition at Mount Seymour, B.C. called Premature Jibulation, a seasonopening rail jam put on by Rome Snowboards. It attracted some 70 competitors from Whistler, Kelowna, Vernon and even some students from Simon Fraser University.

It was the perfect day: old friends, a barbecue, cute boys, but more importantly, good old-fashioned jibbin’ (hitting rails). To top it off, I placed first in the women’s division and won a snowboard bag and a DVD. The prizing didn't bother me until I saw what the men raked in.

First-place received a brand new

Heroes in the Canadian political scene Rousing the Rabbles by Nick Ouellette

Submitted

Dr. Tracy tells of the travel-study program to London, England for intersession this year. It is a first come first serve opportunity.

Globe theater, built like a 16th century original, we got off at St. Pauls, and crossed the Thames on a foot bridge, from which we could see HMS Belfast, the last big-gun cruiser in the Royal Navy.

The only written assignment in my course was that students had to keep a journal of the trip, and it was very pleasing to read at the end of one of them the following: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the United Kingdom, more than words could describe. I have toured legendary ships, stood in the footsteps of national heroes, and held a personal book of a king, all within three weeks.

I've learned a great deal, and experienced a great deal more than I had hoped. Its been an amazing ride and I am sorry to see it end."

In the course of the next month students will have an opportunity to book to take part in the next trip to London.

But only 14 can come. The tour is de-

liberately kept small, because London is a crowded city and a very large one.

The cost of $3,600 per student includes accommodation, most meals, transportation on the field trips, and tuition in two courses. This will be my course on Royal Navy history, with Miriam Jones of UNBSJ teaching an early-modern English literature course. Each student will be accommodated in a private bedroom in the club, with a full breakfast and dinner. Students will receive travel cards, which also let them travel free on the busses should they wish to explore on their own time.

But there is not much time left for booking, because the accommodation can only be held for another month.

So I hope that anyone thinking about coming will go to the web page as soon as possible, and make a booking. The first 14 will be the lucky ones.

Nicholas Tracy

Snowboarding doesn’t need a double standard

by Chelsea Armstrong, The Peak (Simon Fraser University)

eic@unb.ca • January 16, 2008

Rome snowboard, second took home bindings and third-place was presented with some dope gloves and a park pack.

Another disconcerting fact: none of the ladies received a second or a third standing. This has been a familiar setting in women’s snowboarding since alpine-racing was considered technical and cool.

There were twice as many blokes competing than there were girlies.

Obviously the boys’ prizes should be far superior, right? Wrong. Female snowboarders suffer the same sensory trauma and abysmal lifestyle boys do. We even pay the same money for season passes.

I remember dropping out of high school in grade 11, moving to Banff and living in a two-bedroom apartment with seven other people, making $6 an hour raking jumps in a park all day. I lived in conditions many would deem third-world. Nevertheless, I rode eight hours a day, two days a week to get as many runs in on my limited time off.

Now I'm a full-time student at Simon Fraser still trying to pursue "the dream": owning your own house in

Whistler, a sled and pickup truck.

Having an endless list of sponsors and 100,000 Air Miles from all the trips to Chile and New Zealand.

When I impale my shins trying to 5-0, break my thumb trying to front blunt and taco while back lipping it's hard to understand why the guy dropping in beside me won a snowboard or a giant cheque and I went home with a board bag and a men’s XL t-shirt.

It might be harder for men to win because there’s so many of them but women have their own setbacks.

Girls have a rough time hitting 60-ft. booters (I’ve only ever seen three of us mamas hit the Seymour step-up).

If it weren’t for Marie France Roy, Erin Comstock, or Ms. Dakides I would still be nose-pressing the flat box. Read up on what they went through to be where they are.

It is time for the industry to stop treating us like second-class citizens.

We deserve to win that snowboard, and don’t get me wrong, boys do to.

This is not a cry for war or condolences — perhaps just recognition of the equal effort and blood we put in to this amazing sport.

I follow politics, both locally, provincially, and nationally. I have been for as long as I can remember, and I can now identify who my heroes are in Canada’s political scene: Rex Murphy and Rick Mercer.

Read them. Watch them. Religiously.

Never miss a week. Nothing speaks to the wit and refined humour of the Canadian way like a good Mercer Report or a stinging column by Rex in The Globe and Mail or on the CBC’s The National. It’s almost always the perfect way to put a week’s worth of events in real perspective.

At the very least, it serves as a check on whether you have missed an important news story. If you aren’t understanding Rex’s logic, as tightly wound as it might be in his excellent command of the English language, and if you aren’t getting Mercer’s jokes, chances are you aren’t aware of what they’re talking about.

That’s your cue to go back through the week’s news archives so that you can truly appreciate what they are offering you, because really, if you don’t do that, you’re missing out.

In the best-case scenario, you know and appreciate exactly what they are talking about and have a chance to laugh and think critically about the absurdities that arise in government and public life.

Information and humour—you can’t ask for more.

What really amazes me is how well almost everybody can relate to both Rex and Mercer. Sometimes Rex’s rants on The National can be difficult to dissect and fully understand—what amounts to a virtue as a challenge but what could

Internet

One of Canada’s political heavyweights, Rex Murphy is someone you don’t want to miss be a vice for some. Earlier this month, in defending the rights of magazines to start debate and express opinions, Rex had this to say about an accusation that Maclean’s magazine was “flagrantly homophobic”: “Maclean’s magazine?

Well, we all know what a hotbed of radical bigotry and vile prejudice Maclean’s magazine has been. Go away… for what seems like a century Maclean’s was no more ‘offensive’ (that is the ‘can’t’ term of choice these days) than a down comforter on a cold day and if Mark Steyn's article [about Islam] offended them: so what? Not every article in every magazine or newspaper is meant to be a Valentine card addressed to every reader's self-esteem.”

Meanwhile, it might be easy to miss a lot of the subtle humour in Mercer’s rants, but in the end he almost always brings it back to something simple yet meaningful that highlights the plot lines of the story government. Recently, in writing about the Mulroney-Schreiber affair, he had this to offer: “Brian Mulroney has always been one of the most polarizing characters in Canadian history. That's his shtick. You mention his name anywhere in Canada, half the room wants to snap. And now, like some sort of dormant gastrointestinal virus, he's back demanding and getting a full judicial inquiry into his dealings with Karl Heinz Schreiber. And you can't

blame the man really – last time they looked into this he walked away with over two million dollars.”

The point is this: you can almost always pick up on what Rex and Mercer are conveying with little to no effort.

It’s not contrived. Its not skewed or unbiased. You can rely on each of them to give it to you straight. You can also count on them not holding back what they really think about a situation.

They are to Canadian television what Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are to its American counterpart. Sure, sometimes things can get a little off colour; not everybody will go skinnydipping with Bob Rae, and sometimes Rex’s opinions can be expressed quite harshly. But, as two popular figures in the Canadian reporting scene, they are doing what so many of their colleagues fail to do in a media culture that often disregards the wellbeing of the system for the sake of sales. For an injection of real world logic and viewpoints, turn to Rex Murphy and Rick Mercer: keeping their readers and viewers informed, interested, and in touch with the world around them.

Nick Ouellette, a UNB law student, has served on the UNB Student Union Council and the UNB Board of Governors, and now serves on the UNB Fredericton Senate and as an Assistant Don in UNB’s Residence Community.

Just how private are your UNB eServices?

Bethany’s Briefing by Bethany Vail VP Academic

Everywhere you turn in today’s world you hear about privacy concerns. It’s a concern that has been magnified over the past few years when companies started transferring paper files to computers. Here at UNB, we did the same thing, moving student files from paper to the digital world.

Suddenly there were intranets with access to essentially anything you wanted to know; for better or for worse.

With all the internet and web interface security we have nowadays, we as students of UNB have a level of trust for how the university handles our information, as we rightly should. You may be shocked however to learn how much of your personal information is actually on display.

Student files used to be kept in locked file cabinets. If a professor needed access to information they had to justify themselves to the person manning the reception desk before viewing the file.

Now with student files being digital, a professor or instructor may leisurely log onto their e-services account where they can view personal information about any student in their classes. No one is asked permission and this can even be done at any computer with internet access.

In order to view a student’s information, the student needs to be currently registered in the course of that instructor. This information can only be viewed during the course and for a short time before and a short time after.

Student id photos are on file. Before you even enter the classroom, your professor may already know what you look like. Most professors find this useful so they can learn names quickly and interact with students in the classroom; however this makes some students feel uneasy, especially when a printed copy of faces is passed around the classroom as attendance. Once photos are printed off, the university has little control over where they go or what happens if they are lost or stolen.

A student may choose to suppress their photo, but the default setting is that a student must opt-out of having their photo displayed, rather than opting-in. Currently, any student who wishes to suppress their photo may do so by logging into their e-services and selecting the “personal” tab. Click on the privacy link under that tab to remove your photo from being seen by professors and instructors for your current courses.

High school marks and transcripts are available for viewing also. While this is very useful to academic advisors, one questions its usefulness to professors and instructors. A professor is free to haphazardly scan your marks before marking your term paper, or at any other time they wish. This may cause a bias towards or against a student which comprises academic integrity.

Your address and phone number is also listed for a professor to view.

Teaching Assistants have been granted access to all of this information as well, some of whom are upper year undergraduate students. Clearly, they should not have access to their peers’ personal information.

There is current debate whether

UNB’s actions toward privacy comply with provincial legislation. Even if it does, one questions if morally UNB should let students’ personal information be on display, especially without their knowledge or consent. Although students agree to UNB’s policies and regulations when they sign up to attend our university, there are likely few students, if any, who are aware of the level of access to their private information.

Currently, I, your Student Union Vice President Academic, along with Vice-President Academic Jane Fritz, ITS, and other groups on campus are part of a “task force” created to look into this matter.

The group was created based on the premise that there may be too much information on display and that student’s privacy may be comprised. This task force has been working on proposed changes to what information is accessible on each individual student and to whom it will be accessible to.

The idea of changing what personal information is available to who was brought forward at the last Senate meetings in November. Surprisingly, some professors spoke out against the changes. It seems that there is a mindset at UNB that students cannot be taught without their photo and home phone number readily accessible. I do not agree. The only access that should be granted is access actually necessary to properly instruct a course. Anything else should be hidden from individuals who have no real reason for seeing information that is very sensitive and personal.

Students shouldn’t expect anything less from their university.

The matter has not yet been resolved, and will come forward to both the Fredericton and Saint John Senates again.

Hopefully these changes pass, because this will certainly be a very positive step toward protecting the privacy of students here at UNB.

Comments & Letters

8 • January 16, 2008 • Issue 15

The Brunswickan Editorial Board

Editor-In-Chief • Jennifer McKenzie Managing Editor • Tony von Richter Co-News Editor • Josh O’Kane Co-News Editor • Lauren Kennedy Arts Editor • Ashley Bursey Photo Editor • Andrew Meade Sports Editor • Brian Munn Copy Editor • Alicia Del Frate Production Editor • Ed Cullinan Staff Advertising Sales Rep • Bill Traer Delivery • Mike Lee Contributors Christian Hapgood, Brad Conley, Alison Clack, Jordan Gill, Doug Estey, Dan Hagerman, Sean Horsley, Dave Briggs, Melanie Bell, Naomi Osborne, Mitchell Bernard, Ed Bowes, Jason Henry, Nick Ouellette About Us The Brunswickan, in its 141st year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication.

We are an autonomous student newspaper owned and operated by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a nonprofit, independant 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 10,000.

Letters Must be submitted by e-mail including your name, letters with pseudonymns will not be printed. Letters must be 200 words maximum. Deadline for letters is Friday at noon.

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 Editor-in-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 • bruns.editor@gmail.com

No matter the outcome, STU dispute should have been avoided Mugwump by Tony von Richter

It seems like the academic world has been filled with nothing but turmoil this year with the faculty strike at Acadia delaying classes for a few weeks, the Post-Secondary Report throwing everyone into a panic about the future of the province's universities, and now the current labour situation at St. Thomas delaying the start of classes and threatening whether or not the term will even begin at all.

Now this column isn't about which side is right, or even about the issues that are at the heart of the problem at STU. No, this is about the simple fact that this whole work stoppage has been completely unnecessary and both sides, the administration and the faculty, are to blame.

Obviously a new labour agreement is a complex document that would take a fair amount of time to work out, but it's not like the two sides are developing a plan for world peace so there's really no reason for this situation to still be ongoing.

Also, since the two sides have been locked in this situation for nearly a year why did they both decide that they couldn't work under the old agreement any longer? Why couldn't this work stoppage have waited until the summer when less students would have been affected?

If both sides had postponed this work stoppage until the end of the winter term it not only would have given the sides more time to work out a deal and hopefully avoid any interruption in

classes, but it still would have allowed for a firm deadline to be set (like the beginning of the Fall term) to provide both sides with a sense of urgency to get a deal done.

Of course, were this a normal bargaining situation it would be ridiculous to suggest that the two sides wait and utilize their big guns of a strike or lockout when they would be less effective than if they were used now, but this isn't a normal situation.

No, this isn't a normal situation, as although a normal labour dispute would affect the people directly involved and the economy at large, few disputes would result in more than 2,000 people not affiliated with either party having to put their lives on hold because of the dispute.

Unfortunately that's what is happening to the more than 2,000 students currently enrolled at STU as they are caught in the crossfire of a battle that should have never affected them.

That's what is so ridiculous about this work stoppage in that because the two sides waited until recently to participate in a series of frequent meaningful talks, something that shouldn't have had anything to do with students ends up making them the group most affected by the situation.

Hopefully, this whole thing is resolved as soon as possible, and as of press time the latest word is that the faculty has asked for a recess to hold a meeting of its members, after which negotiations will resume.

Still, even if this situation is resolved by the time the paper hits the streets on Wednesday morning the whole thing could have been avoided, or the impact at least minimized, if either side had acted in the best interests of their students.

But that didn't happen, and somehow in a fight between the administration and its faculty, it's somehow the students who come out on the losing end of it, no matter which side claims victory.

CHS-who? A letter.

Dear Editor, Every student at UNB pays $7.50 a year for the upkeep of CHSR, the student radio station available at 97.9 FM. I know this sounds like it’s going to turn into a scathing article about why that’s a waste, but that’s actually not where I was going. What I was thinking is maybe there is some stuff we can do to make sure this money is a better investment.

The problem is that there is a vicious cycle in play. CHSR doesn’t have enough contributors to fill up all its slots. This means, one, it has to repeat content to fill a day and, two, pretty much anyone can get a show if they want one. So why don’t more people want shows? Cause nobody’s listening. Why is no one listening? Cause just anyone can

get a show and even those shows have to be repeated. Now how do we end this cycle? Here are some ideas: Place some speakers in some of the public lobbies around campus and get them to play CHSR. SUB stairwells, residence lobbies, and Head Hall lobby would all work nicely. This way, people will be exposed to the content without having to be convinced to actively tune in. It increases your listener base automatically, which in turn will increase the number/quality of people how want shows.

Another suggestion would be to make it more useful. Though some existing shows might deal with campus news, it’s not like you can tune into to CHSR and expect a news update.

Maybe you should be able to. Pull a

CBC and stick quick campus news updates on ever hour between shows.

That way it will be useful to tune in for the news and you may even stay for the show that follows.

CHSR is a great and wonderful thing in theory and in potential. It might even be a wonderful thing in practice, but no one would know because no one is listening. Let’s fix that and see if we can create electromagnetic waves of glory.

Sincerely, CM. Campbell

Comments & Letters

Issue 15 •January 16, 2008• 9

IClicker misses the mark

by Jeremy Tremblay, The Cord Weekly (Wilfrid Laurier University)

WATERLOO (CUP) -- Today’s university classrooms simultaneously resemble and are completely different than those of the past. A glance at 1E1, Laurier’s dated yet somewhat famous lecture hall, suggests not much has changed over the past few decades.

That would be a fair statement if we overlooked the impact of technology.

The students of yesteryear were without computer workstations, WebCT, online slides and countless other technologies that are part of their learning experience.

As helpful as many of these technologies are, sometimes instructors are too quick to jump onto the technology bandwagon. The IClicker is a fine example.

The system uses radio frequency transmitters and a base for students to chose from five options labeled A to E. Some instructors see this as the solution to making large classes interactive.

But I didn’t come to university to push buttons.No matter how much effort is placed into writing meaningful questions, they’re still multiple-choice.

They may provoke thought, but the question on its own would have the same effect. Pressing a button had

nothing to do with the value of the question.

Often, marks are assigned to questions. Maybe it’s just me that missed the point, but where is the value in assigning marks to students’ understanding before they’ve been given a chance to ask questions and compare readings to lecture notes?

In a 2006 interview with the CBC, University of Calgary chemistry instructor, Ashley Causton said “I know I wouldn’t do too well with that system, because I have to go away, read the material on my own, think about it myself, then understand it myself.”

The academic values of the IClicker system aren’t even highlighted by the product’s website. It goes through a number of points explaining that the system is easy to use for administrators, students and instructors alike. It also says the IClicker is the most flexible reliable classroom response system available and that it is "the only solution created for educators, by educators.”

It’s time for the IClickers be scaled back. Its best use is making sure students understand material being covered in a lecture so that instructors know when to slow down.

It can also save time by being used as an attendance-taking tool, though whether or not attendance should be used for marks is another argument.

Despite the many advantages of technology, we all need to remember that it isn’t always for the better. For its few advantages, the IClicker holds its share of downfalls.

What would you do if you had a blue foam ball?

We would double cheek it Aime Faloon and Katie Oulton

Throw it at someone’s head Justin Chan

What wouldn’t I do Andrew Clarke

Bark like a seal Graham Loungborough

Throw it Eric “HiC” Dunning

Make friends with it Jeff Shaw

I’d hide it Krista Carney

be a pal. come meet us.

Tell my mom I’m pregnant Laura Legere

wednesday 12:30 sub rm. 35

I’d throw it at my picketing profs Mark Brown

I’d make it disappear Kris Gohn

Play dodgeball with it Mark Fraser

10 • The Brunswickan

January 16 •2008

Classifieds

Classifieds are a FREE service for members of the university community. Please try to limit submissions to 35 words or less. Your name, student number, and phone number are required at submission, but will not be published. We can accept them at Room 35, SUB, 453-5073 (Fax), or e-mail: bruns-ad@unb.ca. Please do not submit by phone. We reserve the right to edit or refuse publication. All classifieds are subject to available space. For display advertising contact Bill at 447-3388. Classified deadline is Monday at noon.

WANTED

Looking for part-time caretaker for 1 year-old Thursdays and Fridays. References requested. 474-0421.

FOR SALE Boys Columbia one piece snowsuit for sale, size 7/8, is navy in color with red/ green on the shoulders. Paid $130 and asking $50. Worn only once, excellent condition. Moffatt Platinum washer and dryer for sale. Approx 12 years old

and is in good working condition. $75 each. Call 454-4411.

Double bed, box spring and mattress, metal frame $99. Three seater sofa and chair, wooden frame $90. Computer chair, black with armrest, arms swivel, on casters $45. Wooden student desk, two drawers on either side $50. Four drawer metal filing cabinet $45. Black and brass coffee table with glass top $35.

Four ft toboggan $25. Childs wooded sleigh for hauling child $25. Please phone 455-6450.

FOR RENT Room for rent in private house, furnished, heat and lights included, internet, parking, TV, frig, apt size frig, microwave, toaster, privacy, telephone jack, two bathrooms, non smokers. Rent $350 monthly. International students welcome. Phone 455-6450.

Room to rent: Intersession and summer session – May to August – serious, mature students only— furnished bedroom, separate kitchen, bath, laundry and entrance. Utilities included. Cable and internet available. Five minute walk to UNB. Five rooms available on Kitchen St. $90 per week. Phone 455-1979 or 451-2979.

Spacious four bedroom apartment on Graham Avenue for rent. Three minutes to campus. Laundry, parking, air exchanger. Available May 1. One year lease. Please call 459-5465.

TANNING SPECIALS

3 LOCATIONS

2 FREE TANS

530 Queen St. 458-9771 1113 Regent St. 454-8267 154 Main St. 472-5048

20% OFF 02/15/08

Main Street Bowl-A-Drome 301 Main Street 472-2361

1 FREE GAME

• Shoe Rental Included • Birthday Parties a Speciality • Restaurant – Licensed Lounge • Air Conditioned • Student Rates

Student I.D. Required.

Valid Until April 15/2008

Limit 1 per person per day. During public bowling times.

Cannot be combined with other offers. Not valid with group booking. No cash value

Available immediately. Furnished room with heat, lights, laundry, parking and kitchen and bathroom privileges. On bus route. Centrally locates. Quiet home. No smoking. Call 454-4550.

Room for rent. Small bedroom. Shared kitchen, bath and laundry with two others. Completely furnished. Near universities. Mature student wanted. $275 per month. Call 459-0002.

A five bedroom house available for rent.

Close to campus. Laundry and parking available. One year lease starts from September 1. Please call 459-5465.

Rooms to rent: Now taking deposits for rooms for the college year 2008-2009 commencing Sept. 1/08 and ending April 30/09 – serious, mature male students only— furnished bedroom, separate kitchen, bath, laundry and entrance. Utilities included. Cable and internet available. Five minute walk to

UNB. Five rooms available on Kitchen St. Phone 455-1979 or 451-2979.

Three bedroom apartment on Albert street just minutes from UNB/STU. $1200 per month. Heat, lights, wireless internet, fridge, stove, washer and dryer included. Parking for one vehicle. Please call 470-5422.

Room for Rent: Graduating student leaving in December/07. Furnished room available January 1/08 in private supervised home on Kitchen St. All utilities included. Share bath and kitchen with one other student. Five minute walk to campus. Call 455-1979 or 451-2979.

PSAs Atlantic Sinfonia performs at Memorial Hall Atlantic Sinfonia will perform on January 16, 8:00 p.m., at Memorial Hall, UNB campus in Fredericton. This concert, with special guest pianist Julien Le Blanc, will feature the music of Chopin and Haydn. Advance tickets are on sale now at the Centre for Musical Arts, Memorial Hall, 458-7836, or sinfonia@ unb.ca or at the door the night of the performance. General admission: $20, Seniors $15 and Students $5.

The first Kin campus Club in the 87 year history of Kin Canada, Canada’s largest all-Canadian service organization, will be formed January 19 on the campus of University of New Brunswick. Kin Canada’s National President Leona Thorogood, along with Kin dignitaries from across Canada will witness the birth of the UNB Kin Crew. This historic event marks a dramatic addition to Kin Canada’a wealth of service and volunteers and provides a leadership and developmental opportunity for UNB and STU students. Nineteen charter members will be sworn in at UNB’s Student Union Building, followed by a reception hosted by their sponsor, the Fredericton Kinsmen Club.

Kick start the New Year with a wide variety of non-credit courses offered by UNB’s College of Extended Learning.

Starting in January, you can hone your writing and photography skills or learn a new language to use on your vacation. If you’re looking for something

shorter, consider our series of weekend workshops on card making, quilting and winter survival skills. For more information, call 452-6360 or visit our website at http://extend.unb.ca/pce.

Join local artists Jennifer Beckley and Karen LeBlanc on Friday, January 18th at 5:00 p.m. for the opening of their exhibits Frenchys Sutra and Weave 2 Weave. The exhibitions are part of the UNB Art Centre’s WERKSTATT series, an annual emerging artists showcase. Join the artists for an “Artist Talk” on Monday, January 21st at noon. Jennifer Beckley’s Frenchys Sutra features unique fabric compositions originating from various Maritime Frenchys stores. “Sutra” comes from ancient Sanskrit, meaning “stitching together with intention”. Weave 2 Weave is Ms. LeBlanc’s first solo exhibition highlighting Jacquard weaving technology. The exhibits run from January 18 to February 29th in Memorial Hall, UNB Art Centre, 9 Bailey Drive on the UNB Fredericton campus. The galleries are open Monday through Friday 9:00 – 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Business Basics is a free information session for anyone who has questions about how to start a business. The session is offered by Enterprise Fredericton. Business Basics will be on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 from 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. in the Petitcodiac Room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Downtown Fredericton.

For more information or to register please contact Enterprise Fredericton by calling 444-4686.

The Fredericton Arts Alliance will be hosting an Arts Evening at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday January 16th at Charlotte Street Arts Centre on 732 Charlotte Street. The presentation will be held in the multi-purpose room. Artists, arts organizations, and all those interested in the arts are welcome. Pauline Bourque, Executive Director of the New Brunswick Arts Board (ArtsNB), will provide a history of the organization, an update on the ArtsNB grants and will also discuss the changing profile of the Arts Board. For more information please contact the Arts Alliance at 443-9900 or frederictonartsalliance@yahoo.ca.

Arts & Entertainment Garrett Mason chats about sex, drugs, and – well – the blues

bruns.arts@gmail.com • January 16, 2008

Our own Corner Gas A new program in New Brunswick looks to fill the gaps in the local film industry

by Ashley Bursey

Submitted

Garrett Mason and the Vibrations will play at the James Joyce Pub in Fredericton on Jan 19

Not “just a man”, Garrett Mason is taking over the Maritimes with his own version of the blues

by Ashley Bursey

Garrett Mason, son of Nova Scotian and legendary blues artist Garrett Mason, dove into the world of music when he was four years old, picking up a one-string guitar and plucking a few tunes (including “Hit the Road, Jack”.)

Although he has only been playing live shows since 2000, he’s already taken home quite a few awards, including the Juno Award for Best Blues Album, the Maple Blues Award for New Artist of the Year, and the Canadian Independent Award for Favourite Blues Artist. He released his debut album, “I’m Just a Man,” in 2005, and is working on a second studio album to be released early this year. After countless shows, including a regular stint at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, he’s heading back to Fredericton on January 19 to play at the James Joyce Pub. B: So tell me about Harvest Jazz and Blues. You’ve played it quite a few times, right?

GM: Yeah, like the last five or six years. Really good people, and people I’ve grown up with and learned a lot from musically, and I get to play with them and see lots of bands.

B: So did you always like blues music?

GM: Actually, I kinda didn’t like it

for a period of my life. When I was younger, I hated it because my dad used to always crank it on the stereo full tilt and it bugged me because it was shoved in my face. When you’re a kid you don’t want to like what your parents like. I was heavy into punk and heavy metal and rap and stuff. But once I started listening to blues on my own time, I got a real appreciation for it.

B: Punk? Metal?

GM: Yeah, like Black Sabbath, I love BS, one of my favorite bands. I was really into Pantera, and a lot of heavy metal. Anthrax for some reason, I got right into them, I had all their albums, and I couldn’t even name you one of their tunes now. Totally erased from my mind. When Green Day came on the scene, I got really into them and I was involved in all that shit, like Weezer’s first album and Offpsring’s first album. I was really into that. But then all of those bands put out their second albums, and they all kinda sucked.

B: So what are you listening to now?

GM: Blues, and funk, and soul, and jazz, and occasionally a little hip hop, rap, and stuff. But I’d say blues, funk, and soul are the main things, and jazz, too. Lately I’ve been really into Sly and the Family Stone and Albert King, Eddie Floyd, Al Green big time, and always into Jimi Hendrix. I jut go through these little phases.

B: You played with B.B. King a while back, too. What was that like?

GM: Opening up for B.B. King was probably the biggest gig besides playing at my buddy’s funeral. It was one of the biggest gigs of my life. The place we played was so big and so nice, and so many people there, it was a weird kind of high-profile vibe. It was Montreal in Place des Arts. It’s amazing. It’s something else. It was funny. We - it’s

kinda embarrassing, we played the gig and we were loading out all of our gear after the show and all these people are waiting at the door to see B.B. and here we are coming through with our amps and stuff. The next night we played at a smoked-meat restaurant in Montreal.

B: What do you think of Montreal?

GM: I like Montreal quite a bit. I didn’t really like it the first time I was there because I had a bad experience.

They appreciate [the music] a lot, they pay attention to it more, they respect it more than, say somewhere like Toronto.

Alberta was really good for people liking blues and stuff. Montreal and Quebec really have an appreciation for the arts and music.

B: What about the Maritimes?

GM: Nova Scotia’s a good vibe because I find more people dance here and stuff, and that’s good. It’s weird.

It’s always up and down. We’ll play one place and people will love it and they’ll be clapping, and we’ll play another place and no one will even clap between songs because everyone is talking to each other… People come out sometimes because they know other people will be there. It’s a big socialization thing, they aren’t really focused on the music as much, and it’s because we’re from here and people are getting bored.

Maybe, you know. But when we go to another place, people have never seen us before and really want to listen to what we say.

And Fredericton’s always good.

Everytime we play at the Harvest, it’s great.

B: So you’re headed down a competition in Tennessee pretty soon. What’s that like?

GM: It’s the International Blues Challenge, in Memphis, and the Harvest Jazz is sponsoring us to go down there. They awarded it to us and said,

‘We’re gonna send you down there and pay for your flights and put you in this thing,’ and I think it’s gonna be great to see Memphis. It’s like a battle of the bands for blues bands all over the world.

It’s kind of cool. I’m not too into the whole music as a competition thing, I think that’s kind of stupid, but it’s a friendly competition to get noticed… and January too, good to get out of the cold weather.

B: So say you weren’t playing music.

What would you be doing?

GM: I would probably be a porn star or something. [Laughs.] No, I don’t know. I’d like to be but I don’t think I have the credentials. To be honest, I think I’d be in a lot of trouble, a bad guy, doing drugs and stuff. Music is the only thing that keeps me away from drugs and stuff.

I used to do all that stuff and noticed it was affecting my music and picked music to be my number one and left it all behind. When I first started smoking pot as a kid, all I could do was listen to music. I smoked pot all the time and played, actually, I only did it twice, and I thought I was doing good. And then I looked at all these older guys who need it to play and it becomes a hindrance.

And I was like, I don’t want to be like that.

B: So what’s next?

GM: I’ve got an album coming out in February, if all goes well. It’s been a long time in the making. I’ll be excited just to get it out and call it a package.

B: Is there anything you’d like to say to Fredericton?

GM: A wrestling speech or something, but I don’t know. Everybody come on out and have a good time.

Whatever I say, I’m sure it‘s going to be corny. I want everybody to put on their dancing shoes. [Laughs.] You don’t have to put that in there.

According to Tony Sekulich, Fredericton is poised to become the next big thing in the film industry.

Sekulich, the director of Curriculum Development for the New Brunswick Film Co-op, is also the head writer and producer of a new series of short films.

“Diplomatic Relations,” which will be co-produced with John Christenson, will feature four 20-minute films, all taking place over the span of an evening in a 24-hour restaurant.

The film gives a nod to Fredericton’s hyper-popular after-hours dinner place, The Diplomat, which also served as the initial in-point in brainstorming for plot ideas.

“It’s kind of funny,” says Sekulich. “I was talking to a friend of mine who’s actually involved with the project, a writer and filmmaker himself, and he would tell me these stories about his adventures out on the town. I noticed that all his stories ended up with, ‘…so we were really hammered and ended up back at the Dip.’ “It’s a 24-hour-restaurant that’s a magnet for the creatures of the night.

Anybody in the city knows [the restaurant in the film] is a wink to the Dip, even though the design and [everything else] aren’t going to be anything like the Diplomat.

“It’s just almost like the concept of this 24-hour restaurant that tends to be this magnet for the odd and the bizarre and the dramatic late, late, late at night.”

The film itself is a brainchild of Sekulich, but it ultimately serves a higher purpose. Along with a variety of workshops, including one last year with famed director of photography, George Hosek, it’s part of the inaugural Certificate Program in Film and Television, put

in from outside, so it’s not so cheap anymore. It’s hurting the industry. We need a full crew base here.”

It’s not because provincial filmmakers and crew aren’t talented; in fact, Sekulich, who won a Gemini award for his work on the CTV show “Robson Arms,” says it’s a lacking skill set – and that’s where the “classroom” part fits in.

“I know we have talent here. [Other writers across the country] aren’t smarter than we are. I’ve seen it. We have the talent here in the province to create from within and do something really, really cool.

“Whether it’s an inferiority complex or our concern of never having done it here before, there’s something here that’s holding us back. Why aren’t we creating our own “Corner Gas” or “Trailer Park Boys” or “Little Mosque [On the Prairie]?” All these great Canadian series created about a specific place in Canada…we really need to do that.”

Diplomatic Relations, which will feature local actors and was written here, in New Brunswick, will be a real lesson for filmmakers. Although the initial plot takes place in the restaurant, it will be a challenging shoot: there will be flashbacks throughout the entire film to set the scene for each story.

And the stories range from the funny - like a bachelorette party gone horribly wrong - to the dramatic, including a romantic unrequited love story and the tale of three brothers having a late-night bite after visiting their ill father in the hospital.

Sekulich, who had a hand in penning the scripts, says it was difficult to promote the idea that New Brunswick filmmakers, writers, and actors are on par with those in bigger cities like Vancouver, Toronto, or even L.A. “We sent these scripts out to directors and they would come in and pitch themselves to direct the pieces,” he says.

“A guy from Halifax who couldn’t come down did a phone interview. We e-mailed him the four scripts and called him up. He was like… ‘I was really surprised! They were really good. I have to ask you – how did you acquire these scripts?’ And I said, ‘We wrote them.’ He kept asking, ‘no, where did you get these from? Did you get these from LA?’ And

Internet

The new Certificate in Film and TV will get a headstart with a series of shorts, based in a late-night diner in New Brunswick together by the Film Co-op, NB Film, and the provincial government.

Sekulich says the impetus behind the idea of the program stemmed from a necessity within the province to fill gaps in film crew needs in New Brunswick.

“The hindrance of bringing people in is when people scout it, they say it’s beautiful and fantastic but there are gaps in the crew list. They have to bring people in from Halifax, Montreal, Toronto,” says Sekulich. “Because [New Brunswick] has such a great tax credit which makes it cheaper to shoot here, it gets offset by bringing so many people

I said, ‘No, no, we wrote them.’ He was so completely blown away, [but] it was like a backhanded compliment.”

He adds “Why does it have to come as such a surprise? To me, that, in a nutshell, is a microcosm of a bigger problem. I think it’s really important that we showcase what we can do because a lot of people aren’t expecting a lot. And there’s nothing that can kill you faster than lowered expectations.”

Shooting takes place in February and March. For more information, check out the New Brunswick Film Co-op at www.nbfilmcoop.com.

Arts & Entertainment

12 • January 16, 2008 • Issue 15

Not just Horsing around Aloha from Hawaii: it’s time to get lei’d with Elvis

by Ashley Bursey

If Jonah Hill from Superbad says they’re supergood, and Rolling Stone is calling them “stars-in-waiting”, and Exclaim magazine calls it “a masterpiece” – well, there must be something in the water for Rock Plaza Central, because it looks like they’re pretty much set to take over the world.

Oh, and what else? Lead singer and guitarist – oh, and novelist – Chris Eaton hails from Sackville, New Brunswick.

“I totally forgot you were calling,” he says when I ring his house in Toronto, where he moved to get his master’s in

us. And once I looked into it, they seem to cover a lot more up and coming stuff than I thought they did.”

He says he used to judge the mag by its high-profile cover bands.

“What, the novelist is judging a book by its cover?” I say. He laughs.

“Well, it was like, ‘Oh, that would be so cool if we were on the cover of Rolling Stone,’” he continues, “and it wasn’t too soon after where the guy from South by Southwest picked three bands and said we were one of the three to look out for… it was pretty neat.

“The whole thing is, we were making music because we were a bunch of friends having fun and going out to a local bar one night a week and playing music in front of people.”

He’s not kidding: that’s really how the group started. A seven-piece featuring mandolin, trumpet, accordion, banjo, and glockenspiel, among others, it was a mishmash of pulling different

time…we used to play regularly enough in really small bars that we could basically introduce new songs to each other onstage.”

But the latest album, “Are We Not Horses”, is anything but amateur. In fact, it’s crashing good fun. The tunes are haunting, yet something feels intrinsically right about the cacophony of melody and Eaton’s piercing voice.

And the lyrics reflect Eaton’s history of writing: he’s penned two novels, “The Grammar Architect” and “The Inactivist,” the latter of which has been required reading in two Canadian university courses, including one at McGill.

“I like doing the collaborative music stuff, but I often like having that full control of fiction,” Eaton says. “I probably am never more entertained than when I am sitting alone in a room writing stuff…I consider myself quite funny.”

Submitted

Rock Plaza Central play the Capital with Sleepless Nights on Jan 19.

English at York.

Despite the surprise, he’s down-toearth and, as he points out late in the conversation, very, very funny – especially when I ask him about Rolling Stone magazine.

“It was freaky,” he admits. “It was kinda funny, because when we went down to Austin, Texas, for ‘South by Southwest’ [a set of interactive film, music festivals and conferences in Texas] when someone had a Rolling Stone magazine. First I made a joke about people still reading Rolling Stone magazine.” He pauses. “I shouldn’t say things like this. They’ve been very nice to

musicians onstage during live shows that ultimately led to the formation of the current Rock Plaza Central.

In fact, “it’s how I’ve always done stuff with music. I really hate practicing, so it’s the way to do it,” he says; the band often tries out songs or outright makes them up, for the first time, onstage at shows.

“And it makes it so every show or every time we record something, it makes it a little different for us. When we went on tour in September we practiced a bit before that [just to initiate a new drummer]…. we don’t really do it very much. We practiced last week for the first

Fredericton should prepare to be entertained…or, maybe, something else.

“When I was at Mount Alison [University, I was in a band and] we played a couple of shows in Fredericton. And every time we came out afterwards, there was a fight. Do people still fight in Fredericton?” He laughs. “It was so weird to me. Three or four guys facing three of four other guys…so I guess I should say to Fredericton, that you should try to get along or we’re going to have a time out.”

Rock Plaza Central plays in Fredericton on Saturday, January 19 at The Capital with The Sleepless Nights.

by Ashley Bursey

Even over the phone, the southern twang is unmistakable.

“I learned very early on in life that without a song, the road would never end…without a song, a man ain’t got a friend,” he said – the immortal words of Elvis Presley, the telltale accent, the smooth charisma.

But it’s almost 40 years after Elvis won an award for one of the 10 most respected men in the United States.

No matter, says Thane Dunn. He’s an Elvis impersonator in New Brunswick, and 1972 – the quintessential era of the legendary king of rock ‘n’ roll – is still alive in his eyes.

“I loved Elvis as a kid, and I was in a lot of bands growing up, and the problem was, everyone seemed to think I sounded like Elvis and it was more of a curse back then,” Dunn says in his own voice, which, oddly enough, doesn’t really remind one of Elvis.

“When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade,” he adds. “Myself, I never cared at all for Elvis impersonators because I never felt they did him justice.

It was more of a joke or something.

What I’ve tried to do, I’ve studied hard, taken voice lessons, watched Elvis onstage….the nice thing about it is, the comments we get, people who’ve actually seen Elvis, say it was like seeing the real thing over again.”

Dunn, who says he works hard for his pre-chubby-Elvis body and killer white pantsuits, has done countless shows, meeting such (impersonator) legends as Tina Turner, the Blues Brothers, and Madonna.

But as for most impersonators, he says they treat the act as a joke, instead of paying tribute to the icon in an honourable way.

“Ten years ago, I was in Las Vegas and I saw a lot of Elvis shows when I

Internet

Thane Dunn will suit up and rock out as Elvis at the Playhouse on Jan 19. was there,” he says. “I wasn’t impressed because it didn’t remind me of what I saw when I was a kid. Either [the impersonator] could sing but didn’t look anything like him, or looked like him but couldn’t sing.”

So Dunn wants to take it a step further. After almost a decade of Elvis gigs, he has decided to recreate one of the most famous Elvis Presley concerts of all time: the first ever satellite telecast live from Hawaii.

And he’s legit: even the suit he’ll be wearing was made by the same tailor who fashioned the King’s own suits. It’s an exact replica, he says.

“The suit…I could just take it out, put it on onstage and not sing a note and people would get their money’s worth,” he laughs.

The show, which plays in Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John, and Newfoundland, will also serve a higher cause: donations will be accepted for the Canadian Cancer Foundation at each location, since, as Dunn says, “The sad thing about cancer is that everyone is touched by it.”

The Elvis show in Hawaii did much the same thing, raising over $75,000 for cancer support in 1972.

For most people, the association of Elvis is a little bit scandalicious: the young girls, panties flung on the stage, and the rumours surrounding his passing. And while Dunn agrees that was part of the King’s appeal, he thinks that times have

changed and the word “scandal” has taken on a whole new meaning.

“Elvis was a little bit scandalous,” he says. “I think today, to try to push records and stuff like that, it’s somebody’s manager saying you need to go to detox, or something like this.

“I think it’s a sad state of affairs to the way the world has gone. In the ’70s, we never had to lock the doors or the car doors. Life was simpler and a little bit safer back then. And today it’s like the world has changed so much. Money doesn’t buy happiness; look at Kurt Cobain, who had more money in the bank than most people can dream of, and he killed himself.

“As far as Britney Spears and things like that…I can imagine if I walked out of the door of my house and had people snapping pictures of me and following me to the grocery store…I guess it comes with the territory. Britney Spears is just a kid…you’re under the magnifying glass 24 hours a day.”

And speaking of kids: Dunn laughs when he says that a lot of the show-goers who applaud his tunes don’t really have gray hair.

“We have a lot of kids, teens…our show is basically oriented more towards the females. All ages, we have a lot of younger people who come to the show.

Graceland does a pretty good job of publicizing Elvis. He was the total package. You can’t say that a lot for the way the music industry is going today.”

Monday Night Movie Series Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains

Tilley Hall Room 102 Monday night at 8:00 p.m.

“Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains” won over international audiences this year when it screened as a Special Presentation at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. Acclaimed Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme (the amazingly versatile filmmaker behind “Silence of the Lambs,” “Manchurian Candidate,” and

“Neil Young: Heart of Gold.” gives us a unique fly-on-the-wall perspective as we observe Jimmy Carter in public and private. Never has such a candid portrait been filmed of a high-profile politician that gives the audience access to his thoughts in the moment.

In the film, Jimmy Carter openly discusses everything from his sixty-oneyear marriage to Rosalynn Carter to the emotional memories of his late mother, Lillian. When he jokes about being involuntarily retired when replaced as President of the United States in 1980,

it becomes quite clear, however, that Carter has done anything but stop working. From election monitoring with the Carter Center, to building homes with Habitat for Humanity, to winning the Nobel Peace Prize, to writing twenty-one books, Carter is the only president who has used the White House as a launch pad towards more industrious career endeavors. Man From Plains follows Carter on a vigorous tour as he confronts journalists, critics, and students while tensions rise and the book generates a storm of controversy.

Arts & Entertainment

Issue 15 •January 16, 2008• 13

CHSR Kernel of truth: the rise of open source Arts briefs Top 30 of 2007 For all you non-techno-geeks, a Bruns writer brings you the lowdown on open source technology

Compiled by former music director Andrew Robinson

by Doug Estey

Internet

The number one spot on CHSR’s top 30 of 2007 list goes to Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ Based on frequency of airplay *Denotes CanCon 1. Radiohead - In Rainbows - Independent/MapleMusic 2. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup - Ba Da Bing!

3. Blonde Redhead - 23 - 4AD 4. * Do Make Say Think - You, You’re A History In Rust - Constellation 5. * Holy Fuck - LP - Young Turks 6. * Feist - The Reminder - Arts & Crafts 7. Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity Kill Rock Stars 8. Electrelane - No Shouts, No Calls - Too Pure 9. * The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse - Jagjaguwar 10. Thes One - Lifestyle Management - Tres 11. Bat For Lashes - Fur And Gold - Echo 12. * Metric - Grow Up & Blow Away - Last Gang 13. Peter Bjorn & John - Writer’s Block - Almost Gold 14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Is Is EP - Interscope 15. The Go! Team - Proof Of Youth - Sub Pop

Whether you're aware of it or not, open source and open content are two initiatives that are changing the Internet – and, essentially, the world – at a rapid rate. Chances are, you've made frequent use of Wikipedia or LimeWire, both of which are based on the open source concept. But what exactly is "open source," and how can it be applied to our daily lives?

The actual phrase "open source" stems from a way to describe source code for software that is made freely available and distributable to the public. It’s a development concept that differs from the traditional standard of programming practice exercised by companies such as Microsoft, who follow a "closed source" model.

In simple terms, it means that Microsoft (and others like it) consider the source code of their software to be a trade secret; they don't want anyone else duplicating their work and making profit from it. This all seems to make sense, right?

It did make sense for quite a long time, but in the so-called Web 2.0 sense of community and collaboration (Facebook, YouTube, etc) software developers have started the realize the immense potential of making their code openly available to the public.

Open source software benefits from the knowledge of an unlimited number of programmers, geeks, and enthusiasts across the globe, where its counterpart is limited to the set number of software engineers on payroll. The difference?

Let's look again at something major, such as the operating system on your

computer.

Everyone and their dog has used, abused, hated, and loved the Windows operating system from Microsoft. There is no doubt that the software giant has done a lot of things for desktop computing; however, it has been plagued by controversy for years, including court battles about their alleged monopolization of the software industry and constant accusations of the functionality of their "hidden code."

In the end, 90% of computers are running on Microsoft, which is why it isn't uncommon to turn on a TV and see a news stor y on CBC about the latest computer vir us going around – they’re more prone to viruses than other systems.

Windows Vista is the latest release, and costs anywhere from $200 to $500 a copy.

Take it to the other end of the spectrum. In 1991, a student from the University of Heinski in Finland named Linus Torvalds wrote the very first Linux kernel; that is, the heart and soul of the operating system that would soon change the way many people thought about computing. Unlike Bill Gates, Torvalds kept the source to his kernel open and freely reproducible, enabling (eventually) hundreds of thousands of developers to lend a hand to the project. Today, over 200 popular flavours of Linux are in active development, some of which include over 100

Tim Burton’s new film is devilishly musical ‘Sweeney Todd’ is dark, gruesome – and wonderfully harmonious

by Sarah Skrydstrup Excalibur (York University) Internet

Helena Bonham-Carter and Johnny Depp star in ‘Sweeney Todd’

Internet

Holy Fuck’s LP, ‘Young Turks’, takes the fifth spot on CHSR’s top 30 list 16. Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position - Low Altitude 17. V/A - Dig Your Roots: Creative Jazz - Dig Your Roots 18. Arctic Monkeys - Favorite Worst Nightmare - Domino 19. M.I.A. - Kala - XL 20. Bad Religion - New maps Of Hell - Epitaph 21. Chromeo - Fancy Footwork - Last Gang 22. * The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour - Anti23. The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America - Vagrant 24. V/A - Si, Para Usted: The Funky Beats Of Revolutionary Cuba Vol. 1 - Waxing Deep 25. * The New Pornographers - Challengers - Last Gang 26. * Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall 1971 - Reprise 27. * Dog Day - Night Group - Black Mountain Music 28. * Julie Dorion - Woke Myself Up - Sappy 29. The White Stripes - Icky Thump - XXI 30. * Baby Eagle - No Blues - Outside

TORONTO (CUP) -- Moving a story from the pages of a book to the stage is one thing, but to make the transition from story to musical play to film is something entirely different. Tim Burton’s vision of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is definitely an original work, regardless of how many times this play has been remade.

The style and content of this film are clearly inspired by old horror films from the 1920s and 1930s, when the first film version of Sweeney Todd was released in 1936.

Just like the classics “Nosferatu” (1922) and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920), this version of Sweeney Todd was filmed on a soundstage upon which the world was created. Reminiscent of films from this era, Burton’s use of colour in this film is minimal. The occasional contrast between monochromatic darks and vibrant colours makes it the signature whimsical work of Burton.

The bright red-orange blood, for example, pops up against the pale Sweeney and the dark set pieces — similar to Ed Wood’s pink angora sweater in “Ed Wood” (1994).

For a movie that is about revenge, obsession and, of course, a murderous barber, there is quite a lot of black comedy, but it the piece is also characteristic of Burton’s films: tender at times, with that characteristic emotional component.

This is one of the benefits of moving a musical from the stage to screen.

The close-ups of actors Johnny Depp (Todd), Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs.

Lovett), and Alan Rickman (Judge Turpin) is highly effective, conveying a large amount of feeling through the facial expressions alone.

Their vocal performances are not to be ignored, either. By casting actors who have no professional singing background, this allows the characters to become more believable, rather than the slick and polished look of a professional singer. Moreover, non-professional singers give the performances a stark and gritty sound that matches the film’s grim subject matter.

Stephen Sondheim, the composer and writer of the musical Sweeney Todd, which appeared on Broadway in 1979, also has a part in Burton’s film version. This could be misleading to loyal fans who may be expecting an exact replica of the musical version. As mentioned in an interview in New York Magazine, Burton decided to cut "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd", which is said to be the reason why Sondheim wrote the musical in the first place. A lot of Todd’s dialogue was cut as well. In the interview, Burton said “It works great onstage, but for a movie it seemed like we wanted to see the story and not be told what we’re seeing.”

Burton really understands the necessities of shooting a film, and that is a major part of what makes Sweeney Todd great. As with his earlier movies (Ed Wood [1994], Beetle Juice [1988], and Edward Scissorhands [1990]), Burton shows us his ability to be a true auteur.

And he’s one of the few good directors out there who can pull off making an R-rated musical.

times the amount of code found in a Windows operating system.

Because all of this code is open and accessible, security holes and vulnerabilities are addressed right away. In fact, the longest-running websites on the net are hosted by Linux-powered servers. You may not have heard of Linux, but its popularity is growing, and it’s becoming more and more accessible.

So how can you put open source to work for you? You don't need to be a computer programmer, hacker, or even a geek (not that there's anything w r o n g with any of those), and you most certainly don't have to do anything as extreme as abandon Wi n d o w s for something you've never used before. In case you're interested, though, I've compiled a list of some of my favourite open source projects and why they're so useful.

1. Linux (obviously). Fast, free, no spyware, no problems. It just works.

But be warned: it does require some learning and you could seriously mess up your computer if you aren't careful.

Not ready to get rid of Windows? Not a problem. Download or order a Linux DVD/CD and boot up your computer with it to test it out before installing.

You can even run Windows and Linux on the same computer. Check out www. ubuntu.com or www.sabayonlinux.org for more information on how to obtain

Linux. You can also check out www. distrowatch.com to find out the distribution of Linux that is right for you (I just suggested my favourite two.)

2. Mozilla Firefox (www.mozilla. com). The free, tab-based, pluggable, open source web browser from Mozilla is becoming increasing popular and is gaining support across the globe.

Support for themes and plug-ins (like true advertisement blocking) is freakin' awesome.

3. Pidgin (www.pidgin.im). Pidgin is an instant messaging client (like Windows Live Messenger or AOL Instant Messenger) that allows you to run multiple accounts all in one program.

It supports MSN, AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, ICQ, and more. This may sound familiar if you've ever used Trillian, which is a shareware client with similar features. The difference, though, is that Trillian is ad-supported and closed source. Pidgin has already surpassed it in on many fronts, and, as with many open source projects, it runs on any operating system.

4. The GIMP (www.gimp.org). The GNU Image Manipulation Program (or GIMP for short) is, essentially, an open source alternative to the famous Photoshop. For all you photographers, graphic artists, web developers, and anyone else who doesn't feel like spending $999 + tax to get started, GIMP is for you. Get the Windows version at www. gimp.org/windows.

5.OpenOffice.org (www.openoffice. org). OpenOffice.org is (you guessed it!) an open source office suite available for most operating systems. Word processing, spreadsheets, drawings, and presentations are all covered, and compatibility with Microsoft Office formats is, of course, a standard feature.

This is all just the tip of the iceberg.

Businesses and industries are all beginning to make use of the open source model. Companies like BMW are even taking customer suggestions and feedback into account with their new vehicle designs. The technology world is changing, and as with all change, those who embrace it will benefit the most.

For more information, check out www.opensource.org.

by Bruns Arts Department

AFRICA-- A new program launched by Tampax and Always, called “Protecting Futures,” aims to help school-age African women who drop out of school during their pubescent years. Girls living in sub-Saharan Africa can miss up to four days of school because they lack basic and necessary sanitary protection to help manage their periods, as well as clean and hygienic facilities within the schools. In conjunction with HERO, an awareness building and fundraising initiative of the United Nations, Always and Tampax have donated $1.4M to help these girls manage their periods and stay in school. “Protecting Futures is making a positive and direct impact in the lives of children living in HIV/ AIDS-affected communities in subSaharan Africa,” said Gabrielle Armand, Executive Director of Communications and Marketing for the United Nations Association of the USA. MICHIGAN--“Just because you happen to be a gay man doesn't mean that you don't have to learn how to become one,” the University of Michigan declares, announcing its inaugural ‘How To Be Gay: Male Homosexuality and Initiation” course. According to the university’s website, “This course will examine the general topic of the role that initiation plays in the formation of gay male identity. We will approach it from three angles: (1) as a sub-cultural practice, subtle, complex, and difficult to theorize, which a small but significant body of work in queer studies has begun to explore; (2) as a theme in gay male writing; and (3) as a class project, since the course itself will constitute an experiment in the very process of initiation that it hopes to understand.” But it offers a caution: students must already have completed a prerequisite course in lesbian/gay studies, since it will “approach gay identity from the perspective of social practices and cultural identifications rather than from the perspective of gay sexuality itself.”

Sports STU Athletics not affected by lockout brunswickansports@gmail.com • January 16, 2008

All Tommies games to be played as scheduled despite labour dispute

by Mitchell Bernard

Many people have been curious as to why the athletics program is still running at St. Thomas University, even when the school is locked-out. The lock-out at St. Thomas will most likely be the cause for cancellations of most activities at the university, but the school’s athletics department has already stepped forward to say their program will not be affected by the current state of the university.

“The long and short of it is that all of our regular scheduled games – home and away – will occur with no interruptions,” noted Jennifer Myers, the Director for Athletics at St. Thomas, in an interview via e-mail last Friday.

“St. Thomas University has committed to a pre-determined scheduled for all their athletic teams. Any disruption to that schedule would cause serious problems for all other institutions that participate in any of the sports. To that end, it is very important that St. Thomas honour its commitment to the schedule that was agreed upon almost a year ago.”

This means it will be the same as usual for athletics at St. Thomas, with or without a lock-out. But why is the program still a go-ahead?

If St. Thomas were to discontinue its athletics program for the remainder of the season, huge penalties may be inflicted by Atlantic University Sports, the regional governing body for university athletics. Teams must follow the guidelines or risk costs to the association, noted Myers.

“There are general guidelines within the AUS regarding the withdrawal of teams from a schedule, and that includes the offending school possibly having to pay any incurred costs to the association or other members that are inconvenienced.”

Myers was quick to note that although these penalties exist, STU Athletics have no intention to withdraw from the schedule, meaning these penalties are irrelevant.

“We have no plans to withdraw from Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

The Athletics Department in the JB O’Keefe Fitness Centre at STU is open for business, making it one of the few facilities open on campus.

any competitions, and have not discussed the possibility. We are confident that a resolution can be found to allow all students to return to classes.”

Coaching is important for each of the sports teams to compete at the university level. With the looming threat that coaches may walk off due to the strike, STU Athletics ensured that its coaching staff would remain during the lock-out.

“With regards to coaches – we have student athletes on campus who are committed to work hard everyday, even if there are no classes, and to compete for the university. Obviously we need coaches to succeed, and each of our coaches is committed to make that happen.”

Athletic facilities on the St. Thomas University campus will remain open for athletes to prepare for upcoming matches and competitions. As well, the J.B. O’Keefe Centre will remain open to the members of the public.

“The J.B. O'Keefe Centre will remain open to any St. Thomas students who are on campus, staff, and all public members including all UNB students.

The fitness centre is a very public facility, and we will remain open to service all of our members.”

This is great news for teams in a position to contend for championships.

With all players and coaches returning, and all the facilities to remain open, teams may continue their quest for a league championship.

St. Thomas University has a number

of teams who have an opportunity for a league championship. Their women’s volleyball team is currently undefeated and both its men’s and women’s hockey teams stand fourth in their respective league standings.

“We have a number of strong teams this semester who will contend for championship titles. Our men's hockey team continues to perform well and has posted several impressive performances.

Our women's hockey program will finish the season in the top 4 and will look to return to the AUS championship game.

“Both our men's and women's volleyball teams are strong, with several new additions to their rosters. They are poised to regain their championship titles this year. Our women's basketball squad has many several additions, and has surprised the top teams in the league. They should do very well, and are looking to return to the regional championships as well.”

The continuation of STU Athletics means the next installment of the men’s hockey “Battle of the Hill” is still on.

UNB Varsity Reds will meet STU at the Aitken Centre on January 23, which will be a critical game for both teams. With teams now on the home stretch of the schedule, both the Reds and Tommies will be looking to solidify their standing in the Atlantic conference with the playoffs looming just around the corner.

Fortunately, for STU athletes and Fredericton hockey fans, the game will go on – lock-out or not.

Male synchro swimmer Crisis in Leafs Nation faces constant adversity

by Kimberly Bruce The Martlet (University of Victoria)

Victoria (CUP) -- Bill May could have been an Olympian if he hadn’t been born a man.

The American synchronized swimming champion visited Victoria, BC last month to share his experience and coaching talent with the Victoria Pacific Sport Synchro Club at Commonwealth Pool.

But what May won’t share, and may never get to talk about, is the experience competing in the Olympics.

That’s because the sport he loves and in which he excels has been categorized as ‘women's only’, and will remain a women's sport in Beijing and for the foreseeable future.

Throughout his career, May was made the punch line of sportscasters' jokes. He was haunted by an episode of Saturday Night Live, where Martin Short made fun of the idea of a male synchronized swimmer. But May just focused on his sport, ignoring the opinions of others.

He became the first professional male synchronized swimmer to win a U.S. Championship in 1998, winning with a solo interpretation of Gene Kelly’s dance number from “Singing in the Rain.”

“There was more finesse in that routine for me than just going out and pounding the water," said May. "There were subtle nuances to [Kelly's] dancing that we tried to bring into the water."

The win thrust him into a controversy over how the young sport of synchronized swimming should develop. Some feared adding men would discredit a sport already sneered at by other swim competitors. Other competitors complained that men had an unfair advantage competing against women because they have more upper body strength, allowing them to do higher lifts and propel themselves further out of the water.

“It’s not politically correct to say that someone can’t do a sport because of their sex. That would be like taking

women out of basketball or baseball,” said May. For him it's a matter of the sport’s potential to grow and become more artistic with a mix of male and female competitors. May worked with duet partner Kristina Lum (whom he had hoped to go to the Olympics with) to explore the boundaries of the sport. In one piece, Lum was an angel and May was a demon.

“In duets and teams, I think it would look beautiful to have a man and a woman element of athleticism," he said.

"I think I bring an added sense of power to the sport, and when I’m swimming with my duet partner there’s sensuality to the sport that you can’t have between two women."

May continued to train, compete and win until he was barred from competing in the 2004 Olympics. But instead of giving up, he joined the U.S. team as a coach.

Since then, May has focused on passing on his knowledge and experience.

He has helped train up-and-coming male synchronized swimmers with the Santa Clara Aquamaids, the group where he started his own career.

In addition, May now performs with "O," a Cirque du Soleil water show in Las Vegas. He says he wears more makeup now than he ever did in competition.

“When I first learned how to do my makeup, it took me four hours and it wasn’t even good,” he said.

Despite the hurdles, May is still passionate about the sport he's excelled at since he was a 10-year-old practicing with his sister at the local pool. He maintains that he stayed in synchronized swimming because it was fun, not to become a pioneer. Still, May is proud to have helped break down barriers for other men who want to participate.

“I feel like I’ve done things that they can look forward to, so that they know there are competitions that they can go to, and someone is fighting for them and will stand behind them wherever they want to go," he said. "Hopefully they’ll continue to fight and more men will be inspired to join the sport."

In Victoria, May was happily surprised to find a 10-year-old boy registered in one of his workshops. “I think it’s great seeing young guys in the sport," he said.

"The more men who get into the sport will push to get doors opened up."

be a part of the team. sports meetings 12:30-1:00 mondays

BRUNS SPORTS

brunswickansports@gmail.com

View From the Sidelines by Tony von Richter

What would you do if you saw Rome burning all around you? You'd probably try anything and everything to put it out, try and prevent further damage being done.

That is, unless you were a member of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment management. Then you’d hide under a desk counting your money and hope that the fire would just sort of put itself out somehow.

Internet

With his team out of the playoffs for the third straight season, GM John Ferguson’s job is on thin ice.

Although it’s a bit of an extreme example, it’s unfortunately all too fitting of the current inaction of MLSE management and their total lack of an attempt to try and stop the team’s freefall which currently has the team second to last in the Eastern Conference.

Needing to make a “big splash” to spark the team, the Leafs have done nothing outside of claiming checkingline centre Dominic Moore off waivers from the Minnesota Wild. And it’s not like Dominic Moore is going to turn into the next Gretzky upon arrival at the Air Canada Centre, so that wasn't much of a move at all.

So when is the “appropriate” move going to be to try and stop the bleeding?

When the team is in last place, because the current placement of 27th in a 30-team league isn’t dire enough?

Sadly, the only time that the Leafs will make any kind of substantial changes is when the attendance and revenue figures start to go down, which won’t happen as long as they’re the only team in the

Toronto market.

Because unlike the days of Conn Smythe, the team is no longer owned by one man who wanted to win a Stanley Cup; it’s now owned by numerous corporations, namely the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, all of whom have to have some kind of say in the running of the team.

The worst part of all of this is that MLSE has proven to not be completely inept at running a sports franchise, as they’ve managed to turn the Raptors into a serious playoff contender. The difference between the Raptors and the Leafs is that the Raptors are lead by one person, Bryan Colangelo, who has final say over everything other than the team’s budget.

Contrast that to the Maple Leafs, where John Ferguson Jr. (whose hiring MLSE has referred to it as “a mistake”) always has MLSE President Richard Peddie looking over his shoulder, when he has no proven qualifications or expertise to do so.

That’s why Saturday’s revelation on Hockey Night in Canada that the legendary Scotty Bowman was about to accept the job of Maple Leafs President, with complete control over the entire operation similar to what Colangelo has with the Raptors, before being refused

by Peddie at the last minute is so hard to take.

I don’t think that Scotty Bowman is the right person to be running the Maple Leafs, but he’d certainly be an improvement over Peddie and Ferguson. Although to be fair, just about anyone with common sense would be an upgrade over the current management structure.

With any luck, MLSE Chairman Larry Tanenbaum will manage to get rid of both Peddie and Ferguson sooner rather than later, and then bring in someone with a Colangelo-like vision to turn the franchise around. If the team could find someone to hold the GM job for a year, and then make a serious run at Brian Burke when his contract expires in Anaheim, then the Leafs could begin to make some real changes and regain the legitimacy the organization has rarely enjoyed since the early-to-mid 1990s.

Realistically, even if a talented individual like Burke were to come to Toronto, his abilities will mean nothing if MLSE management is unable to convince their owners that even though they will make money off of the Leafs no matter the caliber of team that they put on the ice, they would probably make more money with a winning team.

If the shareholders were to get on board with such a realization, the Maple Leafs could go back to being the dominating team they once were.

It’s certainly sad that for a storied franchise like the Maple Leafs, winning has now become an infrequent byproduct of making money.

Sports V-Reds Results Wednesday, January 9th Men’s Hockey U de M – 2 UNB – 6

Issue 15 • January 16, 2008 • 15

Construction begins CHL names top prospects roster on southside complex

Friday, January 11th Men’s Hockey UNB – 6 UPEI – 2

by Hunter Gavin

Saturday, January 12th Women’s Basketball UNB – 62 Acadia – 64

Men’s Basketball UNB – 69 Acadia – 102 Women’s Volleyball UNB – 3 Dalhousie – 1 Sunday, Junuary 13th Women’s Volleyball UNB – 2 U de M – 3 Women’s Hockey UNB – 3 U de M – 4 Women’s Basketball UNB – 70 Acadia – 52

Men’s Basketball UNB – 59 Acadia – 105

Upcominig V-Reds Events Friday, January 18th Men’s Hockey St. FX @ UNB 7:00pm @ AUC Women’s Volleyball U de M @ UNB 7:30pm @ LB Gym Men’s Volleyball Laval @ UNB Dalhousie Tournament Saturday, January 19th Women’s Hockey St. FX @ UNB 3:00pm @ AUC Women’s Basketball UNB @ SMU Men’s Basketball UNB @ SMU

After a year of stops and starts, the City of Fredericton has finally received the go-ahead to begin construction on the new Southside Sports and Leisure Complex.

The delays, caused mainly by the discovery of a large wetland on the property, have had a major impact on the project, pushing the opening of the facility by a year.

“We were going to have the facility ready for September of '09,” said Fredericton’s Director of Community Services Wayne Tallon. “[B]ut this whole process and the environmental issues have delayed that by a full year, so it will be September 2010.”

The green light given for works now is the first of two necessary permits, explained Tallon. It allows workers to clear the land on the site, grub the vegetation and to do some greening and in-filling.

This work will provide the opportunity for the completion of geotechnical and topographical analysis.

The city will then apply for a second “Wetland and Watercourse Alteration” permit that will allow for the commencement of construction on the complex.

Work on the site was delayed last year after a large wetland that had previously gone unnoticed was identified. The wetland area means the arena will need to be sited at the back of the property, closer to the Vanier Highway than was originally planned. However, there will be access to the property from the new Knowledge Park Drive, added Tallon.

“The driveways will have to cross the wetland, so we have to provide them with a design of the crossing to get to the building. That will be part of the second Wetland and Watercourse Alteration permit.”

Community Services Chair, Councillor Bruce Grandy, said the provincial Environment Department has given the “OK” for work to proceed on the condition that the City builds culverts or bridges to protect the wetlands.

A tale of two brothers

Men’s Volleyball Montreal @ UNB Dalhousie Tournament Men’s Hockey SMU @ UNB 7:00pm @ AUC Sunday, January 20th Men’s Volleyball McGill @ UNB Dalhousie Tournament Wrestling Guelph University Open Women’s Hockey Dalhousie @ UNB 1:00pm @ AUC

Athletes of the Week

Dustin Friesen Men’s Hockey

Melanie Doucette Women’s Volleyball

The city estimates the additional costs incurred by the discovery of the wetland will be about $150,000.

“It’s hard, because if we have to design one culvert or two culverts or crossings, you can imagine the costs will go up quite significantly,” said Grandy.

“You know, at first, we thought this was basically a $150,000 problem. But it could be a little more.”

The new complex, located near the intersection of Kimble Drive and Alison Boulevard, will carry the name of NHL veteran Danny Grant.

Grant played for all or part of 14 NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings, and Los Angeles Kings. In 1969, he won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie and at the height of his career scored 50 goals in the 1974-75 season for Detroit.

The Southside Sports and Leisure Complex is the second major sports facility planned by the City. The first, Willie O’Ree Place on the Northside, was opened in 2007 and officially named on January 16, 2008.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside announced the new Southside complex will have an Olympic-sized ice surface, in addition to a second NHL-sized ice surface.

“After carefully considering this issue and listening to the concerns of the sport groups who will use the new complex, we have decided the inclusion of an Olympic ice surface will best serve their needs,” said Mayor Woodside. “I would like to thank all those who came forward to express their views on this issue for their valuable input.”

The decision affirms the City’s original intent to include an Olympic-size ice surface in one of its two new sports and leisure complexes. Willie O’Ree Place has two NHL size ice surfaces.

Although Council had originally intended to include an Olympic ice surface, it decided in July 2006 to go with four NHL-size ice surfaces following lengthy research and consultation, which suggested the larger ice surface did not have enough support to warrant the extra cost.

The decision to include an Olympic size ice surface in the Southside complex came after ice sport user groups were invited to make a presentation to City Council for or against the larger ice surface.

The Fifty Mission Cap by Brian Munn

My girlfriend and I made a deal about a year and a half ago that I was “allowed” one sport per season. That is, I couldn’t follow hockey, football and basketball with the same fanaticism, because that meant 23 hours of my day would be spent watching TSN. The best part of the deal was the “unwritten” (because I made it up) clause that during playoffs, all other agreements would be void.

In the winter, I easily chose hockey as the sport under our agreement. In January, though, I get football. And after this weekend, I’m quite glad that I completely fabricated that extra rule.

The scripts could not have been better if the striking Writer’s Guild had prepared them. Former coach Mike Holmgren returned to Green Bay to take on Brett Favre and the Packers during their dream season. The Giants and Dallas found themselves in a battle of two unproven playoff quarterbacks.

The Colts took on San Diego, the only team to have a two-game winning streak against them. And New England hosted Jacksonville; and seriously, it’s the Patriots. They’re a story on their own.

One could argue that these were four of the best playoff games in this millennium. Records were set, hopes were dashed, and major motion picture awards were handed out.

Down 14-0 less than five minutes in, Brett Favre maneuvered the Packers offense through the snow like the Red

Army in Stalingrad, while Ryan Grant demolished the Packers playoff rushing records.

Tom Brady earned an Academy Award for his performance in “2nd-andnine”, a dramatic film about Ben Watson destroying the Jaguars defense. Also, he had a completion rating of 92.9, breaking the previous NFL record of 88.

Billy Volek made a cameo appearance for the Chargers, propelling an offense that was missing LaDanian Tomlinson and had an injured Antonio Gates, to a victory over the defending Super Bowl champs in Indianapolis.

And in Dallas, Tony Romo and Terrell Owens couldn’t help the Cowboys achieve the glory they haven’t enjoyed since the mid-90’s, as they were shut down on a last-minute rush to the end zone.

Yes, it was indeed a great weekend.

But nothing could have prepared us, and no one could have predicted such a twist in the Manning Family Super Bowl Challenge.

Long story short, Peyton lost and Eli won.

Peyton, the defending Super Bowl champion quarterback, Mr. All-American with his perfect short-cropped side part and fledgling acting career, was bested by renegade little brother Eli, he of the flowing locks and the early-season quarterback controversy.

It took several seasons for Peyton to establish himself as a playoff performer.

Indeed, he was the Alex Rodriguez of football, and the Patriots tended to be his Red Sox… or Angels… or Twins.

After beating Tom Brady on his way to a Super Bowl win against the Bears, it looked like Peyton had bested his demons.

This year, however, it’s the younger Manning’s turn. Eli is leading his Giants into Lambeau Field this weekend to take on the ageless Favre with a ticket to Arizona on the line.

In this battle of the brothers, at least for this year, Cooper Manning isn’t finishing last. Maybe next year Peyton.

Maybe next year.

by Bruns Sports Department

The Canadian Hockey League last week announced the roster of 40 players that will compete in the 2008 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta on January 22 and 23.

The roster includes four players from Team Canada’s entry at the 2008 World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic. Steven Stamkos from the Sarnia Sting, Zach Boychuk from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Drew Doughty from the Guelph Storm, and Luke Schenn of the Kelowna Rockets all helped Canada win the gold medal at the event.

The rosters also includes Kyle Beach of the Everett Silvertips, Mikhail Stefanovich of the Quebec Remparts, and Stamkos, who were named as the top prospects in their respective leagues in the preliminary rankings for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft that were released in November.

Defenseman Yann Sauve of the Saint John Sea Dogs will suit up for the game, the lone player from the three New Brunswick teams. Sudbury Wolves forward Jared Staal, the youngest brother of NHLer’s Eric, Mark, and Jordan Staal, will also play.

“We are very proud to announce the outstanding line-up of players that will compete in this year’s edition of the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game,” said CHL President David Branch. “This event has become one of the most anticipated on the hockey calendar every January and we are very thankful for our partnership with the National Hockey League and Home Hardware that help make this game possible. The Canadian Hockey League is very excited to be back in Edmonton with the return of the Oil Kings and we look forward to hosting this special event there.”

The 2008 Home Hardware CHL/ NHL Top Prospects Game is the annual

showcase of the top draft eligible players from the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and features the next wave of future NHL stars from across the Canadian Hockey League. The two-day event will feature the annual Top Prospects game, as well as a thrilling skills competition where players can show-off their individual abilities for fans and scouts alike.

The 30 NHL general managers as

2000, continues as the title partner of the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game this year.

“We are looking forward to the 2008 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects game being hosted in the City of Champions,” said Bruce Shuh, Director of Marketing for Home Hardware Stores Limited. “Our independent dealers support local hockey teams and events in more than 1,000 communities across Canada and as a National Dealer

Internet

Team Canada star Steven Stamkos of the Sarnia Sting, projected to be the top selection in the upcoming NHL Draft, will suit up for Team Red. well as the NHL’s Central Scouting department select the rosters.

“The Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is a major event where scouts can see all the premier draft-eligible players in Major Junior hockey compete head-to-head,” said NHL Central Scouting Director, E.J. McGuire. “This year (again) promises an opportunity for players to showcase their talent to all NHL scouts with the ultimate goal of making the jump into the NHL, as Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers did last year at the Top Prospects Game.”

Home Hardware, a title sponsor since

Network, we are proud to be involved with major sporting events such as the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. The game has a storied tradition of helping hundreds of young men achieve their goal of playing in the NHL and we are proud to be associated with such a positive experience.”

The long list of NHL stars that have participated in the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game for the “Bobby Orr/Don Cherry” trophy include Edmonton Oilers’ rookie Sam Gagner as well as Patrick Kane, Dion Phaneuf, Roberto Luongo, Joe Thornton, and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Sports

16 • January 16, 2008 • Issue 15

Varsity Reds beat their demons, finally down Aigles Bleu controlled the play in the second, firing 17 shots on Lachance. Ouzas faced 9 in the UNB goal.

The Varsity Reds kept their offense rolling in the third, making sure they did not have a late game collapse that would cost them another game against the Aigles Bleus. Lucas Madill stretched the UNB lead to 5-2 early in the third, going top-shelf on Lachance to finish off a nice two-on-one with Denny Johnston.

UNB wrapped up their scoring midway through the period, when Alex Aldred scored on the power play, notching his first goal of the season.

It was relatively smooth sailing from there for the Varsity Reds, who out-shot UdeM 35-28 in the winning effort in

UNB tightens hold on first in the nation, improve their record to 16-1-1

by Brian Munn

This has been nearly a dream season for the UNB Varsity Reds men’s hockey team. They have been ranked as the best team in the nation since the first week of the season and have managed, with grit and determination, to overcome all obstacles in their way – except for one.

That is, until this week.

The Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus have had the number of the VReds all year, handing the UNB squad their only two losses of the regular season: A 4-3 shootout loss in Moncton, and a 5-3 defeat at the Aitken Centre in late November.

But with retribution on their minds, UNB tightened their grip on the number one spot in the CIS with a hard-fought 6-2 win over Moncton last Wednesday.

UNB opened the scoring in front of a nearly full house, when John Scott Dickson stuffed home a rebound on a nearly-blown give-and-go play by Rob Hennigar and Hunter Tremblay. Just two minutes later, Moncton’s Remi Doucet scored a power play goal on a nifty backdoor play, burying the puck past a sprawling Mike Ouzas. The score was knotted at 1-1 after the first, while Moncton held a 13-12 edge in shots on goal.

The Varsity Reds came out flying in the second, as Lachlan MacIntosh kicked off the scoring for UNB by burying the puck past Moncton goaltender Kevin Lachance just 29 seconds into

front of 2,845 rowdy fans at the Aitken Centre.

UNB saw more action over the weekend when they visited the UPEI Panthers. The V-Reds ran their league record to 16-1-1, recording an easy 5-1 win over the Panthers in front of 948 fans in PEI. Rob Hennigar scored a shorthanded goal late in the first to open the scoring for UNB, with John Scott Dickson and Dustin Friesen picking up assists.

The V-Reds padded their lead quickly in the second, as Kyle Bailey scored just 24 seconds into the frame on assists from Friesen and Rob Pearce. Nathan O’Nabigon beat UPEI goalie Paul Drew just after the 12-minute mark of the period to extend the lead to 3-0.

John Scott Dickson scored five minutes into the third, giving UNB a 4-0 lead before the UPEI offense was able to solve Ouzas. Jeff McDermind spoiled the UNB keeper’s shutout bid halfway through the period, tallying UPEI’s lone goal of the night. Hunter Tremblay restored UNB’s four-goal lead on the power play just over a minute later, wrapping up the decisive win for the V-Reds.

UNB dominated the play all night, out-shooting the Panthers 33-21.

The Varsity Reds will be back in action at the Aitken Centre this weekend, taking on the St. FX X-Men on Friday, January 18, before squaring off against the St. Mary’s Huskies on Saturday, January 19.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

UNB goalie Mike Ouzas holds on to the puck as Moncton’s Pierre-Andre Bureau looks for a rebound. Ouzas recorded the win in both UNB games last week, making 26 saves against Moncton and 20 saves against UPEI. the period. The lead was short-lived however, as Moncton capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play when Pierre-André Bureau fired a puck from the slot that beat Ouzas and tied the score at 2-2.

Back at even-strength, UNB went back on the attack and regained the lead just over two minutes later as MacIntosh picked up his second goal of the game

after a great pass from Fredericton native Rob Pearce, who stripped the puck from the Moncton keeper while Lachance attempted to play the puck behind his own net.

John Scott Dickson added to the V-Reds lead late in the second when he banked a puck off the leg of Lachance from behind the goal line. UNB largely

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

These shirtless fans sat behind the Universite de Moncton bench during Wednesday night’s game at the Aitken Centre, heckling the Aigles Bleu players. They were vocal during the 6-2 win, UNB’s first over Moncton this season.

Axed

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

It was far from a solid home stand for the V-Reds men’s basketball team.

The team was roughed up by the Acadia Axemen, losing 102-69 on Saturday and 105-59 on Sunday. Colin Swift led the V-Reds in scoring on Saturday with 24 points, while Colton Wilson put up 14 points on Sunday.

UNB’s record now stands at 0-11, leaving them tied for last in the AUS.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

The Varsity Reds women’s team fared better in weekend action, going 1-1 against Acadia. UNB fell 64-62 on Saturday, with Leah Corby leading the way with 19 points. UNB rebounded with a decisive 70-52 victory on Sunday, improving their record on the season to 5-6, tying them for fourth in the AUS. Corby led the team in scoring again, recording 23 points in the win.