Issue 25, Vol 142, The Brunswickan

Volume 142 · Issue 25 • March 25, 2009

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brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.

Students big winners in provincial budget

SEE STUDENTS PAGE 7

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

NBSA President Duncan Gallant is among those pleased with the student-focused efforts of last Tuesday’s provincial budget announcement.

Josh O’Kane The Brunswickan

Duncan Gallant is a happy man.

Gallant is President of the New Brunswick Students’ Alliance (NBSA), and three of the group’s major points of advocacy have been met in the new provincial budget announced last Tuesday.

Several changes were made in regards to postsecondary education policy in the new budget. The biggest one of these in terms of dollar amount is a loan debt cap. Government student loans will no longer be able to reach an amount greater than $26,000 for a finished four-year bachelor’s degree.

If a student owes more than this, up to 100 per cent of the excess will be simply forgiven by the province in order to bring the debt back down to the $26,000 mark – provided the degree is completed in a timely manner.

UNBSU VP External Jon O’Kane says, “This acts, essentially, as a $6,500 [per year] student loan debt cap comparable to the $6,000 program the UNBSU fought for.”

Finance Minister Victor Boudreau stated in the provincial budget speech that this will bring the province’s average debt down from the skyhigh $34,000 – the highest average student debt in the country – to a more average level of about $24,000.

SEE PUBLIC PAGE 7

The Brunswickan

While last Tuesday’s provincial budget announcement served up good news for student lobby groups, it didn’t bode well for civil servants and their families.

The 2009-10 budget proposes significant cuts to services, and with it, 700 civil service jobs. Three hundred of these will be from public employees nearing retirement. The rest, however, will be laid off.

Those public employees left after the cut will be subject to a two-year wage freeze. Any students hoping to find a job in the public service might want to look outside of New Brunswick; despite the provincial government’s attempt to retain students in New Brunswick by doubling its tuition tax rebate to $20,000, there won’t be any public service jobs waiting for graduates this year. A hiring freeze has been put into place in the provincial civil service.

Tom Mann, Executive Director of the New Brunswick Union of Public and Private Employees, calls the budget “false hope for the everyday New Brunswicker.”

He represents close to 8,200 union workers in the province.

Four hundred New Brunswickers will go home

Sarah Ratchford

Also providing a relief from debt will be the implementation of loan payments based on income.

If, after 15 years, a university graduate has conscientiously attempted to pay back his or her loans and not been able to pay them off completely, the loan will be forgiven.

These are two major points previously pushed for by the NBSA. Another wish was granted to the organization as well: the scrapping of the $2,000 provincial grant given to first-year students. While this grant has been of benefit to first-year students, they are more apt to drop out of university than upper-year students, and they, having not yet had the chance to rack up high levels of debt, are not as likely to be high-needs students.

This is a major point of importance with the NBSA – helping those in the highest need, not necessarily just low-income students.

“These are the most comprehensive and progressive financial aid changes to be made in New Brunswick,” says Gallant.

Also implemented is the investment of $3 million in funding put in place to improve access to PSE for underrepresented students – another action advocated by the NBSA. A tuition freeze has been put into place once more for the 2009-10 academic year for New Brunswick’s four universities. Additionally, the former $10,000 tuition tax

Tom Mann, Executive Director of the New Brunswick Union of Public and Private Employee, says there’s no hope in the 2009-10 provincial budget for everyday New Brunswickers.

with no job “and no hope” this year, says Mann.

On top of that, approximately 40,000 civil servants and their families will have “no hope of keeping up with the economy.”

While the job and wage cuts are accompanied by some tax cuts for New Brunswick residents, Mann says they’re in the wrong direction.

“The method by which they’ve chosen to reduce taxes is not progressive – the wealthy get a bigger tax cut than those less wealthy.”

New Brunswick residents deserved much more than just a “hopeful” budget, Mann continues.

“I think they deserved to be told by the government through this budget how their sacrifices would actually contribute to the solution.

That is missing in the budget.”

Service cuts may be part of the solution, says Mann, but the cut in civil service jobs provides a “double negative” to the province. Cutting 700 jobs from the service is the equivalent of closing two small mills, he explains, and the 400 of them who will be laid off will be unable to afford spending money in their communities to help re-stimulate the economy.

The cuts are ill-timed, he says, but what’s even worse is that the door is open for further cuts ­– which very well could happen, as Boudreau’s budget report predicts a deficit each year until at least 201213, when it is predicted to be $273 million.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Burdening budget could be false hope for NB residents

brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.

Volume 142 · Issue 25 • March 25, 2009

thebruns.ca

brunswickannews

2 • Mar. 25 ,2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

Getting to know UNB’s next President The Brunswickan speaks one-on-one with Eddy Campbell about his future as UNB’s next president Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan

Submitted

Dr. Eddy Campbell, current acting president of MUN, is readying to replace John McLaughlin as UNB’s eighteenth President and Vice-Chancellor.

Only one step remains in the finalization of Dr. Eddy Campbell’s appointment as UNB’s 18th President and Vice-Chancellor.

The long search for the next President of UNB began in June of 2008 and spanned across the country.

A Joint Nominating Committee was formed and underwent a lengthy search process, beginning with a list of roughly 50 candidates. The committee, along with the Board of Governors and UNB Senates, formally endorsed Campbell on Mar. 11.

The only step remaining between Campbell and the Office of President is the approval of the LieutenantGovernor in Council.

Campbell has been the acting President of the Memorial University of Newfoundland for the past year.

He was appointed as their Vice President Academic in 2004, with 21 years of teaching and administrative experience prior to this at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON. Campbell’s academic background includes mathematics, engineering and natural science. He holds two

mathematics degrees from Memorial University and completed a PhD at the University of Toronto. He also completed a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council post-doctoral fellowship at Western University.

Some of Campbell’s other achievements include being elected as President of the Canadian Mathematical Society and his appointment to the Executive Committee of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada.

“We’re most of the way down the road to reaching an agreement with the University [of New Brunswick].

We’re excited. It’s becoming real and I’m very glad of that. It’s a great university with a stellar reputation across the country and I’m looking forward to coming in to make a difference,” says Campbell on his excitement about the recent progress in the presidential search.

Campbell visited both UNB campuses in mid-February. He met with students, faculty, administration and other community members.

He says that some interesting topics were raised at that time, providing him with insight about the dominant problems at both campuses.

In Saint John, Campbell says that community members were playing close attention to the dual campus relations report. In Fredericton, he says a lot of concerns were raised about funding for the university and the significance of resources available on campus.

He derived from his visit that most students are really concerned with the cost of an education. He calls this a “public policy problem and an issue for all students,” saying that students, no matter their distance from campus,

shouldn’t have to meet difficulty while pursuing post-secondary education.

He brought up a statistic about the plight of rural students, saying that it’s been proven that students are less likely to attend post-secondary if they live outside of a 100 km radius from an institution.

“What we want to accomplish as a society is to have equal access for everyone and offer students choices.

Whether university is the place for you, or college is the place for you.

You don’t want these factors to impact it the way they seem to,” Campbell says.

He also addresses the recent unveiling of the provincial budget and its impact on New Brunswick students, notably the plan to freeze tuition rates at universities. He says that tuition freezes impact all students, with or without financial need, while noting that it’s best to target higher needs groups to make for a more diverse student body.

Campbell says that one of the things he hopes to accomplish at UNB is to engage in a planning exercise that includes the entire community to develop a common understanding of where the university should go.

“Universities are only as good as the people that go to them,” says the potential President.

On a personal level, Campbell says that he has some “mixed emotions” about leaving St. John’s, NL. He has four children, three boys and a girl. His sons will remain in Newfoundland, while his daughter will accompany him to New Brunswick.

“We’ve always found Atlantic Canada to be beautiful, New Brunswick in particular – and we’re excited for this to be a part of our next big adventure.”

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brunswickannews

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142• 3

UNB students go green; win competition Sarah Ratchford The Brunswickan

UNB has just grown a little greener: four women from the university have won the TD Bank Go Green Challenge.

One hundred thousand dollars worth of awards are given out each year, and the competition is put on

by TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (FEF).

UNB students Jane Simmons, Rachel Savidge, Kerri Krawec and Jennifer Hayward have put together a plan called “Research and Partnership Opportunities in University Land Development”, which earned the group $25,000.

The plan, which pertains to sustainable development of UNB’s woodlot, suggested that the university use some of its own expertise, both from faculty and students, to develop the area in an environmentally friendly fashion.

“Development appears shortsighted and the social and environmental implications of present and future development are of concern,” the group’s abstract states.

“Historically, the UNB Woodlot has been used for research, teaching and recreation purposes by the University of New Brunswick and members of the Fredericton community. This report proposes changes in how the woodlot is developed in the future that integrate multiple elements of environmentally based community design by incorporating faculty and students in the development process.”

The plan involves a number of ideas that would make development of the woodlot easier on the environment.

Dr. Kerry MacQuarrie guided the four eco-conscious students throughout the development of their proposal.

Hayward explains the idea of permeable pavement for use in the woodlot development, which would aid in the management of storm water.

“Permeable pavement is not used in New Brunswick,” she says. “But if UNB used it for research, it might inspire the province.”

She says the group also suggested water detention ponds to channel runoff, as well as the implementation of green roofs, which would be grassed over in order to absorb storm water.

“We each had an awesome idea, and they all came together,” Hayward says.

The deadline for the competition was Monday, Jan. 16, and the students found out about their victory last week. Criteria included originality, a two-or-more-member team, and pertinence to urban sustainability.

Submissions from 182 teams were received. These students hailed from no less than 52 schools across Canada.

“We need a UNB-centered committee to advise development,” says Simmons. “We just feel that voices weren’t heard.”

Savidge says that development standards need to be higher, and views the placement of Costco as problematic.

Krawec agrees: “Perhaps an alternate spot could be found,” she says.

Hayward points out that UNB has committed to donating 50 per cent of the woodlot space to conservation, with the other 50 per cent going to development. Costco, however, wants to build on an area that was supposed to have been protected, she says.

“Going back on their word to conserve already is a bad sign,” Hayward says.

In terms of sustainability, Savidge says, “We just didn’t think they’d taken things far enough. That’s why

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Four UNB students have won $25, 000 through the TD Bank Go Green Challenge. They designed a plan for sustainable development of the woodlot. From left to right are the winners: Jennifer Hayward, Kerri Krawec, Jane Simmons, and Rachel Savidge. we made this proposal.”

The team is working on converting their 20-page essay into a presentation.

They will deliver their ideas in this format at an environmental conference hosted by UNB this coming weekend,

600 students sign woodlot petition Cameron Mitchell The Brunswickan

Last Friday, a group of UNB students submitted a petition with over 600 student signatures to University President John McLaughlin. In the petition, students voiced their dissatisfaction with decisions pertaining to the development of the UNB Woodlot.

The petition put forth a desire for the university to include students, faculty, and the Fredericton community in the search for an innovative design solution that will enhance development of the forested wetland.

Development of the Woodlot has recently come under scrutiny because of the proposed Costco development on the property. UNB had previously promised that developments on the Woodlot would stay clear of the surrounding wetlands areas by a distance of at least 80 metres.

However, the boundary of Costco’s section of land falls within 30 metres of a wetland in three separate areas.

The petition was put together by a small group of UNB students. It quickly gained support and eventually ballooned with hundreds of student signatures. Kerri Krawec is a fourth year political science major and the spokesperson for the group that started the petition. She is also part of a four-member group from UNB to

win the TD Bank “Go Green” challenge this month for a sustainable woodlot development plan.

“We have never been against development, in the sense that there is a deionization that the university is in need of revenue,” said Krawec after the presentation on Friday. “But there is certainly a concern over how that development will take place, and it is very reasonable to suggest that environmentally sustainable development is possible, especially with all the expertise in house.”

The group questioned the university’s failure to use its own faculty and students to improve the decision-making as it pertains to development of the Woodlot.

The group says UNB is filled with bright minds and many helpful programs that teach about environmental stability.

“There are a number of students here that actually have classes that are involved with different accepts of environmental sustainability, and to be able to use the experience that they are getting and put it into practice would be phenomenal,” said Krawec.

The group handed the petition to President McLaughlin at 11:15 on Friday morning. They were welcomed by the President and invited to talk to him behind closed doors about the Woodlot. When they emerged a short time later, they seemed encouraged by his initial response. “(Dr. McLaughlin) has pledged to includestudentsinmeaningfulconsultation by setting up a structure, while he is still in

his position as president, that will start to include students, faculty, and community in the way that development will proceed,” said Krawec. “So we thank him for that.”

“If he is able to follow through on the promises that he has made, as far as at least setting up a structure for including students, then I will be happy with that as a start,” said Krawec.

Krawec also assured students that the Woodlot issue will not be ignored once President McLaughlin leaves at the end of the academic year.

“Dr. [Eddy] Campbell will also be sent a PDF file of the petition as an indication that students are concerned and that this isn’t an issue that is just going to go away with a change in the administration,” she said.

Krawec also elaborated on how President McLaughlin said he intends to get students more involved in the Woodlot discussion.

“President McLaughlin has indicated that there is an informal committee that is looking at a way for a structure to be set up that will incorporate students, faculty, and the community. He has invited one member of our group to be involved in that as a way to give more information about how we can see students actually participate in this,” continued Krawec. “If that is able to go ahead, then we are thrilled because so far the student representation on this issue has not been satisfactory.”

McLaughlin did not speak to press following the meeting on Friday.

Mar. 27-28.

Their lecture will be delivered to a number of students from across the Maritimes.

Also in the works for the four students is a possible presentation

to the president of UNB and the university’s board of governors.

Hayward, Simmons, Savidge, and Krawec are looking at donating a portion of their winnings to conservational funding.

news@thebruns.ca

brunswickannews

4 • Mar. 25 ,2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

Ceiling collapses on UNB student Sarah Ratchford The Brunswickan

Submitted

Pictured above is the six-by-five foot hole in the ceiling of Angela Aydon’s former rented home. The ceiling collapsed on her while she was sleeping.

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On the evening of Feb. 24, 2009, fourthyear UNB student Angela Aydon woke up to an unpleasant surprise: a six-byfive foot chunk of the roof fell in on top of her and all of her things.

“It was disgusting. There was moldy insulation all over everything,” she says.

This happened at Aydon’s former place of residence, 720 Albert St. The house is no longer fit to be lived in. After the collapse, Aydon says, she and her roommates were notified that the house needed “extensive renovations,” and nobody could continue to live there.

“We tried the superintendant, but he’s been so unhelpful and rude toward us,” she says.

Aydon and her five roommates waited to speak to media in order to give the owner of the house a chance to rectify the situation. They have waited almost

a month, however, and Aydon says that nothing has been done as of yet.

Property superintendant Ryan Ward refused comment, stating, “I don’t deal with specifics on that property.”

Aydon says that both the owner and superintendant neglected to answer her calls for a time. The owner of the property did come to speak with Aydon, but she says that this was after three weeks had passed since the incident.

Prior to the roof caving in, other problems plagued the residents of 720 Albert as well. Aydon says that there were numerous leaks throughout the house, as well as a five-day stint without power.

This occurred over the winter break when Aydon, who is from Vancouver, was at home by herself. The oil ran out, she says, and she was stuck in the house in 1°C weather.

“I could see my breath,” she says.

“This went on for six days.”

This happened at other times as well, she says, including a seven-day stretch in October.

“Three of those were without water,” says Aydon.

Following the roof fiasco, Aydon sustained injuries to her wrist, hindering her performance on UNB’s women’s basketball team.

She also developed a rash on her arm and an eye infection.

“I just want what was ruined,” she says. “I’m not looking for any extra damages. I think I’m being extremely reasonable.”

Aydon has made steps toward seeking legal action. She visited the UNB law center, through which she said that Saint John-based legal firm Cox & Palmer reviewed her case. However, they were unable to represent her as they also represent her landlord.

On a positive note, Aydon says that she is currently trying to formulate an agreement with the owner of the property, who she says only recently became aware of the issues, having not been notified of previous damages by the superintendant.

“He’d never met us, and didn’t know there were problems. We met today [Friday, Mar. 20], so it’s progress.”

Aydon declined to give the name of property owner.

Plane crashes outside of Fredericton Cameron Mitchell The Brunswickan

Two weekends ago, a twin-engine Piper aircraft from the Moncton Flight College crashed 40 kilometres outside of Fredericton. This was the third crash in as many years for the aviation school.

“It all started around 1:30 in the afternoon on last Saturday,” explained RCMP Media Correspondent Sgt. Claude Tremblay. “The tower in the Fredericton Airport lost sight of the plane that was flying at 2,200 feet. Shortly thereafter the Halifax search and Rescue picked up the beacon for a crashed airplane and they sent a C-130 military plane to fly over with a beacon watch. What they discovered was that there was actually a plane in the woods.”

There were three people found in the plane: two students and an instructor. The student pilot was on his first multi-engine training flight, and was training to be a commercial pilot. All three escaped with only minor injuries.

“One had a bump to the head, and there is no indication of anything serious other than a blue spot on the forehead,” explained the CEO and Principal of the Moncton Flight College Mike Doiron.

“Another individual had a hairline fracture

of the ankle, and the other individual pulled a couple of muscles in his lower back.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSC) did not show up at the crash site because the aircraft was a training airplane. Furthermore, the NTSC is not required to do investigations on training airplanes, and according to Sgt. Tremblay “it is left up to the school to do their own investigation.”

So far, the school’s internal investigation has been bumpy, but they are fighting through to find out what went wrong.

“We are currently conducting an investigation and are reviewing all of the data that we’ve been able to collect,” said Doiron. “The only problem is that in a general aviation aircraft (the type used for training), we don’t have the infamous black boxes. All we really have to go by is witness statements.”

Black boxes are common in commercial and military aircrafts, but they are not required in general aviation aircrafts. The boxes records things such as flight speed and distance at the time of an accident.

This accident is the third crash in as many years involving the Moncton Flight College.

Sgt. Tremblay explained, “They had one just last year on their tarmac, where the guy missed the runway and he almost died. And there was one in Moncton the year before.”

Training international pilots has been common practice for the Moncton flight school, and as Doiron explains, their involvement in the international community dates back to the 1960s.

“The flight college has been operating since 1929 and since the 1960s we’ve been heavily involved in international training,” said Doiron. “We’ve trained students from well over 60 countries over the years.”

Sgt. Tremblay assured New Brunswick residents that three accidents in three years is not a cause for concern. He said that the only reason these crashes have garnered so much attention is because they involved planes.

“It’s not any worse than any car accident ... but there is a little bit more curiosity because it is a plane,” he said.

With an 8,000 pilot quota to meet over a 10 year period, Sgt. Tremblay predicted that there will be more accidents, but that is something that they’re prepared to deal with when it happens.

“There will be more accidents. I’m sure there will be because there are new pilots that are training, but that’s the way it goes.

But they are well trained and there is a system in place for (accidents) and we’ll deal with them as they come,” he concluded.

The names of the injured students and pilot will not be released until the families of the two students, who are from China, are released.

House Don moves out amidst allegations Josh O’Kane The Brunswickan The Don of Joy Kidd House has moved out of the residence after allegations of verbal harassment from members of the house.

Carl Burgess has been Don of the house since last fall.

“Carl moved out late last week and is co-operatively separating himself from a group of students in Joy Kidd who have alleged verbal harassment,” says James Brown, Executive Director of Residence Life, Campus and Conference Services.

Brown is handling the investigation of the complaint, and will move forward once he receives Burgess’ written response to the allegations. UNB Human Rights Officer Mark Walma is assisting Brown in the process.

Handling a complaint with a House Don is a grey area, says Brown, as a Don is somewhere in between a student and university employee, though his or her only compensation is an apartment and a Sodexo meal plan. While Burgess has, at least tentatively, moved out of Kidd, his meal plan is still retained at the moment.

Brown currently holds the keys to the Kidd Don apartment.

Burgess says he’s currently drafting his response. Once he received word of the complaint, he says he immediately volunteered to leave the house.

His concern at the moment is for the students in Kidd that he’s left behind.

“I’m close to many of them,” he says. “A lot of students are upset.”

While the house is left without a Don until after the investigation, Brown says that the house is being taken care of. Tibbits Hall Don Marie Paul is looking after the proctor team, and will have an office set up

in Kidd during evenings to be a resource for the house. Beth Seamans, Don of Lady Dunn Hall, will look after the Tibbits team in the meantime. Karina Wong Chong, Residential Life Coordinator, will handle any programming issues in the house.

Brown praises the Kidd proctor team’s ability to reach out to the house once Burgess moved out.

“The proctor team’s been greatest.

They’ve immediately stepped up. They formed hall meetings on the night Carl moved out to give answers to students.”

Burgess says he’s greatly enjoyed living in Kidd, and last month accepted a contract to extend his donship of Kidd for an additional year; however, he will not return if the investigation finds the allegations are true.

“I love Joy Kidd,” says Burgess. “It’s been one of the best experiences of my life.

I love it there.

“Only time will tell what happens.”

brunswickannews

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142• 5

Future lawyers step into the boxing ring to knock out landmines

the brunswickan. anyone can write or shoot for the bruns, and we still need volunteers this time of year. drop us a line at 447.3388, editor@thebruns.ca or come to our weekly story and photo meetings in SUB room 35, wednesdays at 12:30.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Avril Diamond serves a blow to Nancy Savoie, foreground, at last Saturday’s Knocking out Landmines event. The evening brought in $4200, most of which will go to the Canadian Landmine Association.

Zaheer Abbas The Brunswickan Students in the Faculty of Law were ecstatic this past weekend as they hosted their annual Knocking out Landmines event. The event was held in the Bicentennial Ballroom of the Fredericton Inn this past Saturday.

This event, which is in its second year, aims to raise awareness about the global landmine crisis.

According to event co-chair Chris Samuel, “This is really a great cause; landmines are devastating to the population, especially to children in developing countries that are affected by landmines.

“It was an event that was started last year by a third year Law student Gavin Cosgrove. I fought in it last year and I wanted to make sure that the spirit of the event continued this year.”

The event pitted students of law against each other in three-round boxing matches, which were sanctioned by the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association.

Twelve students competed against each other in six boxing matches. The

law students staged compellingly real fights; every fight had fellow students and supporters roaring. The Bicentennial Ballroom emulated an atmosphere nothing short of a professional boxing match held at some grand stadium.

Under the women’s category, one match that stood out was between Amy Gibson and Kathy Moulton. Both Gibson and Moulton had the crowd roaring from the first round. Both fought tenaciously, but rounds two and three had Moulton dominating the ring.

When asked how it felt to win, Moulton said “It feels really good, especially since I didn’t really think I was going to. I’ve been working really hard on this; it’s different, as I have never really been very strong physically – strong mentally, but not physically. It feels really good to succeed when you work so hard.”

The final fight that gripped the crowd was fought between Justin DeMerchant and Brandon Brewer. In the opening round, both men competed fiercely and showed the crowd some skilled jabs and uppercuts. Brewer defeated DeMerchant by continually dominating the ring with his well-timed shots.

DeMerchant, who was defending his winning title and who is also the

event co-chair, said “Brandon is a great competitor. This was his first fight and he really used his skills. He is really fast and really strong, and he used that to his advantage.

“We are both left-handers, which is an unusual match up. Usually for a left-handed fighter a right-hander has an advantage because they are not used to fighting a left-hander. So Brandon, being left-handed, threw a wrench into my game plan.”

The event also had a huge faculty presence. When asked what he thought about the event, Dean Philip Bryden said, “I think it’s great. Obviously you see a lot of students here, and it’s a great event for school spirit. I think it’s a great cause that they are trying to support. ” Of the motivation behind this event, Bryden said, “I think they wanted to do something good, and also do something a little bit different. I am not sure why boxing as opposed to something else, but it seems to have gotten the crowd out.”

According to the event organizers, Knocking out Landmines 2009 was an astounding success. After expenses, a total of $4,200 was raised, with 25 per cent going to the Fredericton Boxing Club and 75 per cent going to the Canadian Landmine Association.

brunswickannews

6 • Mar. 25 ,2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

Fredericton rallies together for women of Afghanistan Jessi MacEachern Submitted to the Bruns This past Saturday, people of the Fredericton community gathered together for a cause that hits hard locally, but is in fact dedicated to communities nearly 10,000 kilometres away.

The Fredericton Peace Coalition, the UNB/STU University Women’s Centre, NB

RebELLEs-Fredericton, and CUSO-VSO joined together to host Fredericton’s third Annual Benefit for the Revolutionary Association of Women in Afghanistan (RAWA).

RAWA began in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1977 under the leadership of Meena, an activist who was eventually assassinated for her advocacy against Afghanistan’s fundamentalist forces.

Today, RAWA continues to thrive as a political and social organization of Afghan women

struggling for peace, freedom, democracy, and women’s rights. Knowing freedom and democracy can never be donated, what is needed from members of a community like Fredericton is solidarity and support.

Saturday’s lineup brought local talent to the auditorium stage of the Charlotte Street Arts Centre. The evening started off with a reception of free beverages and finger foods, accompanied by the soothing musical notes of Mark Curry, Tom Whidden, Brian Calder, and Matt Leger.

As these first musicians played, guests were encouraged to bid on the silent auction items displayed along one side of the room—a collection of art supplies, reading materials, tea sets, jewelry, kids’ items, gift certificates and more, entirely donated by the greater Fredericton community.

Following the reception, the show officially began with a welcome from Michelle LeBlanc, representing NB RebELLEs and the Fredericton Peace Coalition, who spoke briefly on RAWA’s history and the importance of

the support being shown.

Claire Porter and Liv Fogel were the first act – two young women armed with a mandolin, guitar, and smiles. The emotional fervour in their voices gave way to Dana Ghanem, a nine-yearold Palestinian student, reading a poem for her native country.

The child’s voice articulated, in a disarmingly sweet tone, frightening concepts of the country’s staggering violence.

TJ Lightfoot next spoke of the similarity in the oppression of Afghan women and the

oppression of Canada’s indigenous populations.

Questioning the hurtful persistence of ongoing stereotypes and indignities, she echoed RAWA’s own call for solidarity and support.

Local Talent, a band often spotted in Taymouth, graced the staged with performers Jim Emberger, Gordon Dougherty, and Genevieve MacRae. It was their Fredericton debut, during which they played four folk rock songs united by the universal theme of going home to carry the audience into intermission.

With a startling stomping of rubber boots, the NBRebELLEs reignited the evening with a gumbooting routine.

Using excerpts of the manifesto created in the 2008 Toujours Rebelles/Waves of Resistance young feminist conference, the seven women (Heather Elliot, Michelle LeBlanc, Jessi MacEachern, Keri Ryan, Liv Fogel, Peggy Cooke, and Katie Young) presented a performance of heavy steps, slaps, and call outs to be rid of colonization, patriarchy, and the oppression of all peoples.

Rosella Melanson, with the Status of Women in New Brunswick, followed with particularly topical words on the ongoing inequality here in New Brunswick. Tracy Glynn, not overcome by efforts in organizing the night, next graced the stage with a few final words on RAWA’s actions.

She left Velta Douglas to a monologue, reminding the audience of how dire change continues to be needed, not only in remote corners of the world.

Recognizable from the recent V-Day performances of The Vagina Monologues, “Baptized” touched on sexual violence in the Congo and the oppressive forces inherent in everything we may “touch and do, or do not do.”

Finally, having graced the benefit with his presence for the last three years, Saa Andrew greeted the end of the night with his lively reggae tunes. As silent auction items found their new homes and the success of the night began to dawn on the participants and organizers, an intergenerational dance party struck the auditorium floor.

One of the performers, Claire Porter, shared her view of RAWA’s organization, saying “It’s about time the Afghan government listens to their pleas. They are representative of grassroots organizations everywhere.”

Tracy Glynn, when asked what she would most like to impress on anyone curious about the evening’s event, replied: “It is really important for Fredericton to support the connection we have with Afghanistan. If you cannot support [RAWA] financially, it’s important to find out about them. Become knowledgeable.”

The night saw over one hundred people come out to raise a grand total of $1,900. The goal being to raise $2,000 by midApril, there is an ongoing plea for donations of any kind. If you are able to or interested in helping support RAWA, please contact info@frederictonpeace.org. More about RAWA can be found online at http://www.rawa.org.

brunswickanarts

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142 • 7

The good and the bad behind the budget PSE and the provincial budget • A tuition freeze is set once again for 2009-10.

• The $2,000 grant allocated to full-time, first-year students will be removed and redirected for funding elsewhere.

• Implementation of the Debt Reduction for Timely Completion Benefit: If loans amount to more than $26,000 for an undergraduate degree finished in the allocated timeline, up to 100 per cent of the excess will be forgiven.

• Repayment Assistance Plan: Provides income-based repayment options and forgiveness of loans that are not paid after 15 years of trying to do so.

• $3 million is dedicated to “improving access and increasing participation in post-secondary education.”

• $3 million will go towards further implementing the Action Plan, including international student recruitment, credit transferability, increased research and graduate studies, and collaboration between universities, communities and community colleges.

• Enhancement of New Brunswick Tuition Rebate: The maximum lifetime rebate has doubled to $20,000, and annual rebate to $4,000.

FROM STUDENTS PAGE 1 rebate offered by the province has been doubled to $20,000.

Donald Arsenault, Minister of PostSecondary Education, Training and Labour, says that the province has come a long way in terms of student financial aid.

“I think it’s clear how important post-secondary education is for our government. We want to be studentfocused. We’re living by our word,” he continues.

“I’m the youngest minister there; I’m 34 years of age. I understand what they’re going through and I hear their voice,” he says in reference to students.

Gallant says members of the NBSA met with Arsenault on the morning of Tuesday, Mar. 17, the day the budget was announced. This meeting took place so that the NBSA could make recommendations and ask questions.

“The government came very close to meeting the budget recommendations,” he says. “We’re pleased with the result.”

O’Kane is also happy with the results of the budget. O’Kane formerly held the position of VP External of the NBSA, but stepped down in early February.

Although O’Kane is no longer on the NBSA executive, he continues to support many of its goals such as those recently met by the budget.

“What we’re seeing is a dramatic change in philosophy form blanket financial assistance to targeted aid to those who need it the most,” he says.

“The government adopted three massive new programs that reflect the three major priorities that were passed at our council table.”

Gallant says that the best part of these budget changes is that “there’s something for everyone.”

The government, Arsenault says, “had an idea where students were coming from.”

“At the end of the day, we believe in post-secondary education as an important investment for the future,” says the minister.

He continues to say that making these changes proved difficult given current financial circumstances.

“When you’re in a $740 million defi-

cit and cutting 700 jobs, that’s a tough one,” says Arsenault.

Despite all of the obvious benefits these changes will create for students, Gallant says, “By no means is it perfect.”

This is in reference to the fact that in order to be eligible for forgiveness of debt, graduates must complete their degree in a timely fashion. That is to say, no victory laps are allowed around the track. If a degree is set out to be a fouryear degree, such as a Bachelor of Arts, one must take no longer than those four years to obtain the degree.

“We want to get people out there finishing in a timely fashion,” says Arsenault. “We want to reward those people and get them out into the workforce as quickly as possible.”

There is, however, some flexibility to this. For example, Arsenault explains that if a student decides to switch programs, their initial years do not count towards the degree they eventually graduate with. If a student, for example, takes two years of business, decides that he or she does not like it, and switches to engineering, which is completed in the allotted time, he or she is still considered to have graduated in a timely fashion.

Gallant says that there is also an appeals process for those who do not graduate on time. If a student has been ill or has a dependent, he says, they are likely to be given extra time.

The appeals process has been left open, with “no rigid criteria,” says Gallant. He sees the system as being left as open as possible.

“Youcan’tgothroughchemo[therapy] and finish your degree in time,” he says.

“We’re against timely completion, essentially,” says Gallant. The next step, he says, is to “open it up” to more discussion.

Arsenault plans to further discussions as well.

“We are now dealing with a grant variance from our budget planning estimates of more than $4 million.”

Arsenault says, “We said in the action plan that we would address student debt. The budget has a student focus, so to me it fits right in.”

“This follows the same action taken in 2008-09, and it has already been factored into UNB’s budget plans.”

Arsenault calls the revamped financial aid program one of the best he’s ever seen from the provincial government.

Members of the NBSA had signs made in protest for last Tuesday’s announcement, just in case students were found left out in the cold with the budget. They didn’t need to bring the signs out.

“We were prepared to have a hard stance if they let students down,” says Gallant. “We were prepared to fight this to the end. These are the policies that will help students.

“We’re extremely pleased,” he continues. “We thought we were going to get less in the budget. The government has finally listened to the concerns of students.”

O’Kane, President-elect of next year’s SU, says, “The future is bright for New Brunswick PSE, and the government is responding to student needs and policies to address those most in need.”

While students won better financial aid with the budget, universities found themselves hard-pressed – base operating grant funding has been frozen for New Brunswick Universities.

“The freezing of the base grants represents a significant departure from the direction outlined in last summer’s Action Plan to Transform Post-Secondary Education in New Brunswick, drafted in a much different economic climate, and it has greatly impacted our planning and budgeting,” said UNB President John McLaughlin in a press release Monday.

FROM PUBLIC PAGE 1 The $7.8 billion 2009-10 budget includes a deficit of $741 million despite tax and service cuts.

“The Premier totes himself as the true leader for the province and is out there trying to attract people to stay or to come back to New Brunswick, trying to get skilled workers and professionals to stay in or return to New Brunswick,” says Mann.

But, he continues, “imagine what they’ve just created. ‘Come to New Brunswick. We’ve just reduced our services, frozen our wages and laid off 400 people.’ I don’t know how you’re able to turn that into a message that says ‘You’ve got to be here.’”

He insists that the Graham government is “sending the wrong message” to graduating students or students who wish to come to New Brunswick.

Mann says the province should look at other revenue streams, such as reinstating a toll along the TransCanada Highway between Fredericton and Moncton.

Danny Legere is President of the New Brunswick Chapter of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The largest public sector union in New Brunswick, CUPE represents 24,000 individuals.

He describes other provinces as “shovel ready” – that is, immediately ready to create jobs right away to bolster communities and stimulate the economy.

New Brunswick, he says, didn’t look in the same direction, cutting jobs instead.

“We’re very concerned that this isn’t going to stimulate the economy when other provincial jurisdictions are moving quickly,” says Legere.

Like Mann, he says job and wage cuts will only hurt local communities by taking out an important revenue base.

“These jobs have the spinoff effect into also helping small local businesses like pizza places and video stores,” says Legere.

While cuts in public service have

occurred in the past, they’ve never been to such a large extent, he says, and at least when they occurred under the McKenna and Lord governments, worker’s adjustment programs were offered.

Legere insists that CUPE will fight against wage freezes.

“The big concern for us, besides the 700 lost positions, is the fundamental right for unions to enter into free collective bargaining and to negotiate their conditions at the bargaining table.

“We want our collective agreements reached at the bargaining table, through the collective bargaining process – not by policy, and certainly not by legislation,” he says.

He also says that service cuts, layoffs and wage freezes are the wrong direction for the Graham government to take when trying to promote New Brunswick as a great place to live.

“I don’t know if that’s the type of climate you want to create to keep people in New Brunswick, or to bring people back. We think it’ll have the opposite effect,” says Legere.

“What we have here is even further cuts in services, and a whole new layer of user fees on all kinds of services.

The incentive for graduating students to stay in province or to come back – the direction of the budget may not achieve that.”

Some services have been completely cut, including church parking lot plowing and ferries at Belleisle, Hampstead and Gagetown. Ambulance fees will also be reinstated on July 1 at the cost of $130 per ride, mirroring Nova Scotia’s rate.

That won’t be the only hindrance to those people riding the ambulance, however.

“I was speaking to a paramedic who rides an ambulance,” says Mann, “and asked, ‘what would the impact be on citizens of Gagetown with the ferry cut out?’

“He said it’ll be between life and death for people there.”

The full text of Boudreau’s budget speech is available at http://www. gnb.ca/0160/budget/buddoc2009/ Speech_2009-2010-e.pdf.

brunswickannews

8 • Mar. 25 ,2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

Israeli representative angers audience Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan

Conflict erupted at the lecture of a controversial guest at St. Thomas University last week.

Dr. Yossi Olmert is the brother of Israel’s outgoing Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and has held numerous upper-level positions in the Israeli government including director of communications for the Prime Minister and policy advisor to the defence minister. He is considered an expert on modern Middle East issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and terrorism.

Olmert’s controversial appearance was hosted by the STU Political Science Society, a student group. This lecture comes just months following Israel’s attacks on the Gaza strip, resulting in the loss of more than a thousand Palestinian lives, the majority of them civilians.

The topics of Olmert’s lecture included the recent election in Israel and what the implications might be for Israeli foreign policy.

The lecture attracted numerous protestors, with representation from the Fredericton Peace Coalition, the Fredericton Palestine Solidarity, and Strax, a student-based social issues advocacy group, according to attendee Shaun Narine. Narine is the chair of St. Thomas’ Political Science department.

Olmert’s presentation was scheduled between 4 to 6 p.m., with a lengthy period included for question and answer. His lecture was interrupted on several occasions by disgruntled audience members, but was otherwise unhindered.

Hostile banter dominated the question and answer period, according to Narine.

He also says that statements were more often made than questions by protestors, resulting in hostility from Olmert to the more vocal audience members.

Narine says that Olmert raised

many provocative points throughout his speech, inciting protestors to hostility.

“It was no effort on his part to be balanced or to indicate that he had any awareness or sensitivity to the intricacies or complexities of the issues or that he, as a representative of the Israeli government, was speaking in his private capacity,” says Narine.

Certain rules were put into place for protestors, says St. Thomas’s VP Academic, Patrick Malcolmson, to ensure the security of both the presenter and attendees. Banners and posters were not allowed in the auditorium and literature was not to be distributed within the venue.

Malcolmson says that he was heckled by protestors prior to Olmert’s speech while introducing the speaker and outlining the rules of the presentation to the crowd.

“There were a number of times that people got up and unfurled banners.

They were asked to leave and were escorted from the premises,” says the VP Academic. “At times people heckled, shouted out things. It was a

rowdy meeting, I would say, but that’s about as far as it went.”

Three protestors were escorted out together for unfurling a banner, according to Reg Jerrett, Director of Security and Traffic for UNB. Two protestors left of their own accord during unrelated incidents.

One city police officer was summoned by campus security midway through the lecture to control two of the initial protestors who were escorted from the premises. The issue had resolved itself by the time of the officer’s arrival, says Jerrett.

The officer remained throughout the lecture, but did not have to further engage with protestors.

The Fredericton Palestine Solidarity group has released a statement entitled “An Open Letter Condemning the Lecture by Yossi Olmert at St. Thomas University,” addressed to STU’s President and Vice-Chancellor Michael Higgins, Malcolmson, Narine and Sabrina Sotiriu, President of the Political Science Society.

“We are deeply disturbed that a representative of a State that is

documented to have committed war crimes against the Palestinian people by reputable groups like the United Nations and Amnesty International was invited to speak by a university department and student group,” reads the letter.

It also includes the group’s dismay as they saw Olmert to be defending genocide, unwilling to listen to criticism and unable to provide references for his outrageous claims.

Despite the disruptions throughout Olmert’s appearance, Narine feels that university campuses remain the ideal place for controversial lectures because of the educational opportunity they provide.

“Freedom of speech and academic freedom really only matter when we extend these things to the difficult opinions and difficult ideas. Freedom of speech means nothing if the only speech we ever engage in is stuff that we all think is fine,” says Narine.

Malcolmson says that despite disruptions, the discussion still enlightened attendees on issues of Middle Eastern politics.

this week in brunswickannews Third annual Boost Your Eco festival this weekend Students for Sustainability (SFS) are putting on their third annual environmental festival this weekend, Mar. 27-28.

This year, the festival falls on the week following World Water Day, so organizers have opted to maximize the theme of water issues. At the same time, the festival will keep in mid other ongoing issues such as climate change.

In a recent press release, SFS organizer Ashley Bernas calls the festival “a great time for people to come together and learn about current environmental issues.”

The festival will include a talk from Brian O’Neill, world water issues expert, on the evening of Friday, Mar. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Brian Mulroney Hall on the STU campus. There will also be a documentary shown from the National Film Board: Dead in the Water. Closer to Home will be a short film regarding Moncton’s water supply, to be shown Saturday night.

A “Maritime Hangover” breakfast will also be held on the morning of Saturday, Mar. 28 from 10-11:30 a.m. The breakfast will demonstrate the merits of buying and eating locally.

The festival is open to students of both STU and UNB as well as the general community of Fredericton.

“We’re looking to have this year’s Boost Your Eco transcend the ‘divide’ between the two campuses and also into the larger Fredericton community. Like it or not, these issues affect everyone,” says UNBSU eco-commissioner and SFS member Jens Ourom.

Attendance to all events is free, and will take place on the STU campus at Brian Mulroney Hall and Margaret Norrie McCain Hall. For more information and a schedule of events, contact jens.ourom@unb.ca.

UNB Law student passes away It is with deep regret that the Brunswickan reports on the loss of first-year law student Kevin Gervais.

Gervais, originally from Winnipeg, Man., passed away last week. Students can seek counselling services in the Alumni Memorial Building, and faculty and staff through the UNB Employee and Family Assistance Program.

The Faculty of Law is planning a memorial service for Gervais this Friday, Mar. 27.

brunswickanopinion THE BUS PASS POSSIBILITY

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142 • 9

editor@thebruns.ca

A one way ticket to community FOR THE PASS Nick Howard In case you haven’t heard, the UNBSU has negotiated a $100 dollar 12 month bus pass for all UNB students. A referendum is currently being held to determine student opinion on the bus pass.

First, I want to address the ever important issue of money. Yes, a bus pass means $100 more per year in tuition fees. That $100 does not necessarily equal one hundred dollars. Thanks to the deductibility of public transportation for students on tax forms, some of that cash will make it back to you at a later date. In reality, you are making a down payment for year around use of the Fredericton Transit system.

Fredericton is a very cold place in winter.

I know because I don’t have a car and the current bus system is relatively useless for student lifestyles. Walking may be good exercise, but frozen lungs and a frostbitten face certainly aren’t anyone’s idea of a good time.

Buses are warm and at least in Fredericton, surprisingly clean. If more student-friendly routes are added, as proposed by Fredericton Transit, then February becomes that much less bleak and depressing for students unable or unwilling to buy a car.

While on the topic of extended routes, I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage Fredericton Transit to bring back the night bus, should this referendum pass. Imagine riding home in drunken comfort, rather than a rough stumble up the hill at -30°C. We promise we’ll behave.

There are many more benefits to a bus pass which I will mention only briefly since the SU has aptly, if not with entirely correct grammar, covered most of them. Environmental benefit is at the top of the list, which ties nicely in with economic savings from taxi usage. As much as I love George’s and their pink coupons which I lose as soon as my butt lifts off the taxi seat, buses are cheaper and more environmentally friendly. The number of cars parked on campus is unbelievable; the obligatory 10 feet of snow in a Fredericton winter makes this not only astounding, but dangerous. Since when is parking allowed in the middle of the quad?

Finally, though I may not be here during the summer months, I like to think of myself as community-minded. There are students here in summer, and I know they will be grateful to the rest of us for the discounted opportunity to make their way quickly and efficiently around this hilly and spread-out town. Which brings me to my real and final point.

My long winded rant last week about community building was not just hot air. I really

Universal pass not universally wanted

believe that community is more important than TV. Having lived in Austria for a year and having become intimate with the country’s bogglingly efficient transit system I can now come to a few conclusions.

1. There is no better way to get to know a country than to take the train everywhere.

2. There is no better way to get to know a city than to take trams/subways/buses everywhere.

3. You can hear some really great conversations on public transit, or even have some of your own. (I can already picture the new Bruns column “Overheard on the night bus”.)

4. Public transit creates a sense of belonging and community among its clients.

I began to recognize people after only a few rides on the trams and buses. More than anything else I am convinced that public transit made me

Although it seems like the SU general election was only a few days ago, it’s voting time once again. This time, however, instead of choosing who represents students, it’s time to decide how those students make it to campus.

Yes, that right folks, you can now vote in your e-Services on whether or not UNB should adopt a mandatory $100 fee for a yearly bus pass for all

feel at home in a foreign country. Countries and cities are more than geography, they are vibrant communities. Public transit is forced communal time. Even if no word is passed between two people, recognition is enough to develop a connection. Connections like this are important in the age of individualism and any method of creating such connections is beneficial.

One hundred dollars for community? Sign me up!

Nick Howard can be reached at nphoward@live. com.

students.

Of course just as with any service fee increase there are supporters on either side of the issue, so Nick Howard will be arguing for the implementation of the bus pass while I’ll be arguing against its adoption.

While it seems like a universal bus pass for all UNB students seems like a great idea, it’s not as great as it seems to be considering the quality of the public transportation system in the city. Although I don’t take the bus, as I live outside the city and drive to campus, the one thing I constantly hear is that service is substandard, and that buses arrive either early or late

AGAINST THE PASS Tony von Richter

with no indication from day to day which it is going to be.

If the referendum is passed, it’s a mandatory $100 fee to each student, but for those of us that live outside the city or have vehicles of our own, it’s $100 for a service that we’ll never use on top of the $80 that we already pay for a parking pass.

That’s an awful lot of money to pay for a service that seems to be fairly unreliable.

Now some would argue that there are many services that not all students use, and they can’t opt out of paying fees for those services, so how is this any different? It’s different because there aren’t many fees that are $100 and only benefit the person using the service. Things like campus media and facilities improvements benefit all students, whether they realize it or not, while a bus pass would only help those students using the bus service.

To combat that problem, why not make the fee $100 and have students be able to claim either a bus or parking pass? Just as we have to opt out of the health and dental plan, make it so that you have to claim your parking pass before the same date in September – otherwise you can pick up your bus pass at any time. Of course this wouldn’t satisfy all students, as there would be some that wouldn’t care to pay $100 for either pass as they’d never use them – but, and I could quite easily be wrong, I’m assuming that those students are a very small minority.

VP External Jon O’Kane wrote in the Brunswickan’s Student Beat column last week that there seemed to be support at Fredericton City Council for some type of opt-out system for a student bus pass but not enough to get it passed for this year. That makes sense to me. I’m sure it’s not easy to change the minds of the councillors that an opt-out clause wouldn’t make the bus pass economically unfeasible. However, if we’re that close to getting support for an opt-out clause why don’t we wait until we can get the city’s support before moving forward with a referendum?

I haven’t run the numbers and maybe this has already been discussed, but what about the university or the SU, or a combination of the two, subsidizing the people that opt out of the pass to take a parking pass, by paying the amount to Fredericton Transit? Obviously this could be quite costly for UNB or the SU, and is nowhere near an ideal solution, but if Fredericton Transit is standing firm on the issue and we can’t get the support of Council to try and change the stance of the transit system, this could be another option.

Since there does appear to be a fair amount of support on City Council to include an opt-out clause in the plan, I’d recommend pursuing that route for as long as it takes until we’re entirely sure that Fredericton Transit will not support it, no matter the will of Council.

I agree that, in theory, the idea of a universal bus pass for UNB students is a great one. But with the current problems with the transit system, as well as the extra cost to students not needing or able to use a bus pass, this proposal could use another year of planning and discussion before being brought to a vote.

Unfortunately, it’s a great idea that could take another three years to be able to vote on again.

Tony von Richter is the Managing Editor of the Brunswickan. Feel free to contact him at managing@ thebruns.ca.

letters to the editor are due by friday at 5 p.m. maximum 400 words, please. send them electronically to editor@thebruns.ca.

brunswickanopinion

10 • Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

A closer look at Israeli ‘apartheid’ Sam Submitted

Perlmutter to the

Brunswickan

March 1-8 was supposed to be a week of rest and relaxation for most of us. In over 40 cities around the world, including Fredericton and seven others in Canada, the start of March marked the beginning of the fifth ‘Israeli Apartheid Week’.

Apparently there are not currently enough violent and hateful protests condemning Israel in the world, and an entire week needed to be devoted to protests about “Apartheid.”

Put very simply, Israeli Apartheid Week is ridiculous. This week of protest is unnecessary, and does not serve to help the Palestinian cause. First, and most importantly, what is happening in Israel is not apartheid. Merriam-Webster defines apartheid as “racial segregation, specifically: a former policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa”. While I do not support all of the policies of the Israeli government, they do not come close to constituting

apartheid.

In South Africa, the policies that segregated the population were based on the belief that those of European descent were racially superior to Africans. The justification and premise for apartheid was based on racial and ethnic grounds. In Israel, the offending policies are not based on ethnicity as much as location and security.

There are large populations of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish citizens in Jerusalem that all enjoy different rights other citizens in the West Bank or Gaza strip. This is not because the government of Israel believes that Jews are superior to others, but because of a long history of violence and land disputes has necessitated certain security precautions. This is not because of race or ethnicity, but the land they live on, and what has happened there.

Further to that, it is important to look at the history behind many of the controversial policies. In South Africa, apartheid very much stemmed from colonization. The colonial powers wanted to continue to rule over their African subjects.

When apartheid began, the only threat to the Dutch government in power was that of the equality amongst all citizens. The existence of the state of South Africa was by no means threatened, and the main opposition to the government was

the African National Congress, led by Nelson Mandela. Mandela wanted to eliminate policies that were racially discriminatory, and work towards the reconciliation of all South Africans. Contrast that to the situation in Israel.

When Israel unilaterally withdrew all of it settlements from Gaza leaving the land to the Gazans, Hamas, widely considered a terrorist organization, won parliamentary elections. After the elections, they expelled the personnel of the Palestinian Authority and the military wing of Hamas gained control of the Gaza strip. The current leader of Hamas refuses to renounce violence or accept Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign state.

Some of the policies that lead to the apartheid claim, such as blockading Gaza’s borders, are a response to the actions of Palestinian groups seeking not equality, but the destruction of Israel. Israel’s very existence is threatened by groups such as Hamas and Syrian-based Hezbollah. While it would be nice if Israel had the luxury of being able to base its decisions on ethnic and racial grounds, it first has to focus on its safety and survival. If Israel’s policies really were based on a belief of racial superiority, I would be interested to know what prompted them to allow Gazans to govern themselves, and live independently from Israel.

The reality is that Israel withdrew from Gaza and allowed Palestinians to elect their own government.

Then a terrorist organization took control of the territory by force and rockets started landing in Israel daily.

The threat of violence hangs over Israel every day, and the policies their government has pursued are frequently a response to this. There is no racial segregation evident in blockading borders to prevent the acquisition of weapons that will ultimately be used on your own citizens, or establishing checkpoints along routes used in the past to smuggle weapons.

While these are limited examples, and there are many more laws in place that are considered to be continuing “apartheid,” the circumstances and intent behind the policies in Israel are extremely different from those in South Africa.

Comparing the two situations shows that what is happening in Israel is by no means apartheid. The policies may discriminate based on territory or geography, but they are not based on the racist grounds as the ones in South Africa were.

Ultimately, Israeli Apartheid Week can be judged based on how well it works to actually help the situation in Israel. On this count Apartheid Week also fails monumentally.

When protesting against oppression or injustice, it is important that the protest depicts reality. If a protest is not based on the facts of the

situation, action taken in support of it is not really working to deal with the root-causes of the problems.

The problems in Israel are caused by a lot more than a campaign of “racial segregation” by the Israeli government.

Accusing Israel of Apartheid ignores the role that Fatah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) have played in contributing to the problems that exist. The apartheid campaign distracts from the real issues that exist in the region. Refusing to identify the true root-causes of the inequalities that exist does nothing to help solve them.

I do not support all of the laws in Israel, but the way to change them is not by demonizing the perpetrator through constant hateful and vitriolic propaganda, emphasized by a week devoted to protesting against something that is not happening.

By accusing Israel of apartheid, protesters are only distracting the rest of the world from the actual problems in an attempt to sway popular opinion. Israeli Apartheid Week will not serve to fix the inequalities that exist between Israelis and Palestinians, and only serves to distract from the true nature of the complex issues that plague the region.

Sam Perlmutter is the 2009-10 SU Renaissance College representative councillor-elect. He can be reached at sam.perlmutter@gmail.com.

brunswickanopinion the brunswickan Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief • Josh O’Kane Managing • Tony von Richter News • Sarah Ratchford Arts • Doug Estey Sports • Mitchell Bernard Photo • Andrew Meade Copy • Dan Hagerman Production • Christian Hapgood Online • Dave Evans

The old man rant a satire from Dave Evans

Staff Advertising Sales Rep • Bill Traer Delivery • Dan Gallagher Contributors Zaheer Abbas, Stephanie Allen, Ashley Bursey, Chris Cameron, Kathryn Chase, Sandy Chase, Alison Clack, Maggie DeWolfe, Sarah Farquhar, Josh Fleck, Kennie Gathuru, Nick Howard, Simon Leslie, Jessi MacEachern, Brandon MacNeil, Colin McPhail, Cameron Mitchell, Angus Morrison, Nick Ouellette, Sam Perlmutter, Brian Savoie, Hilary Paige Smith, Ysabelle Vautour & Alex Wickwire.

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

About Us The Brunswickan, in its 142nd year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication.

We are an autonomous student newspaper owned and operated

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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G

enerally, the only time I pick up a newspaper is to read, well, news. I like reading about things that are relevant to what is going on in my life or things that will directly impact me in some shape or form. For this reason, I don’t read any newspaper in New Brunswick (with the exception of this fine publication).

Like I said, I want to hear about relevant issues; I do NOT want to spend a buck twenty-five or more to read about how Mrs. MacCreedy’s cat is doing after it fell of her roof downtown on the front page of the Daily Gleaner. I mean, seriously. Hey, it’s great that someone has a nice looking flower garden – but let’s write about that instead of how the world’s financial crisis is threatening to rip apart global economies. Let’s write about how the city is going to install a new sidewalk on Main Street instead of giving informed opinions on how new federal legislation is going to directly affect the citizens of our municipality or province.

Maybe I’m being too harsh; in fact, I am going to admit that I, Dave Evans, defender of the truth, am a hypocrite. Yes, I occasionally purchase the Daily Gleaner. However, I don’t purchase it to read about cats and uninformed opinions.

No, in fact I purchase it for two things; Dear Abby and the crossword puzzle. I enjoy reading about how screwed up people are – that they have to write a columnist for the same answer they could get from some guy walking down the street. Also, the crossword is intellectually stimulating.

Mind you, I can’t ever seem to find it anymore, they seem to move it around from page to page. Good job guys, you’re only pissing me off more.

Oh, and as for pissing me off, I’m sending you an ultimatum. Stop using my ideas or else write an editorial about how awesome I am. I opened up the Daily Gleaner the other day, and what do I find with its own little spot near the end of the opinions section (where this column is found every week in the Brunswickan)?

“The Rant Line.”

I mean, I understand that yes, I am in fact awesome incarnate. Point is, it seems mighty coincidental that “The Rant Line” appears exactly where my column does in a different paper. The Old Man Rant is an awesome column (the only way it could be more awesome is if I start getting hate mail; seriously, I don’t know what it takes to piss you people off). Point is, don’t steal my ideas. Lord knows you take enough from the Associated Press; at least you give them credit. All I want is my time to shine – and to piss you off.

Dave Evans is the Online Editor of the Brunswickan. Tell him what you hate at online@thebruns.ca.

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142 • 11

Look out for the special spoof edition of the Brunswickan, Wednesday April 8.

brunswickanopinion

12 • Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

SU ad

brunswickanopinion

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142 • 13

The shifting paradigm of news consumption Bring it on home Josh O’Kane

Last week saw the Seattle PostIntelligencer go online-only, just three weeks after Denver, Colorado’s Rocky Mountain News folded.

It’s a tough time to be a print journalist if you want a steady job. Newspapers are being presented with a two-fold attack: the world is moving in an environmentally-sustainable direction, making paper a bad medium of choice; on top of that, the internet can provide news for free, and it’s economically unfeasible to pay for otherwise-free news.

Physical newspapers cost money to purchase and paper to print, yet often produce the same news available freely on the internet. How soon will print collapse? One columnist on TechNewsWorld.com has described the end of the newspaper as akin to the end of the horse and buggy in light of the invention of the automobile: it’s well on its way.

That metaphor made everything click for me.

Until wired and wireless technology cametoprevalenceinthecommunications world, a physical medium was necessary to convey the news. Paper prevailed as the most common medium to do so, until the advent of radio, television, and eventually the internet. The internet can provide instant, to-the-minute written, audible or visual accounts of the news – not only rendering it more effective and efficient than television, but also negating the need to have a paper copy available.

In 10 years’ time, I’m going to guess the Brunswickan will cease being a weekly newspaper, at least online – because peoples’ thirst for news will require daily event coverage and thus tothe-minute updated news coverage. A weekly paper edition might be produced for a few news-savvy students who want the novelty of an actual “paper,” but its contents would simply be a summary of the week’s events, already reported daily online. While this model would be a strain on student reporters who would otherwise have a week to report the news, it’s all part of the paradigmatic shift we are currently experiencing.

Are we really experiencing a paradigmatic shift? All signs point to yes. Communication networks continue to grow and waiting for information is becoming an unnecessary hindrance.

Last Tuesday, I added @cbcnb to my Twitter feed, and got by-the-minute updates from Finance Minister Victor Boudreau’s budget announcement. As I worked on a stats assignment, I watched details of the budget unfold almost instantaneously.

In the Facebook generation of instant information consumption, it’s that kind of news reporting that will likely prevail.

It’s only hit home in New Brunswick recently, but it’s making waves. For instance, our Managing Editor Tony von Richter, in his capacity as Sports Bureau Chief for the Canadian University Press, will be live-tweeting hockey games from the CIS men’s nationals in Thunder Bay this weekend. Ash Furrow, UNBSU Computer Science Representative-elect, has already set up a Twitter account to live-tweet SU council meetings next year.

Live news on the internet is becoming easier and easier to provide – and

receive.

In the market of instant gratification, however, one must be careful not to compromise. As the market demand continues to shift, thorough coverage could be compromised by the demand for instant news. As all forums head online, news sources will race to be the first to post a story, but how much will this compromise coverage? Will instant coverage trump thorough coverage?

Bolstering this problem is the fact that advertisements online sell for significantly cheaper than print advertisements. Revenue streams will suffer as “print” media becomes onlineonly “text”media. However, one of the greatest costs to print media are printing and distribution – which will likely be cut as the medium shifts off of paper and onto the internet.

How will advertising become sustainable, then? Will smaller news companies like Brunswick News, which owns all New Brunswick dailies and most weeklies, be able to handle onlineonly advertising revenues? This online shift could lead, then, to even greater media convergence as smaller papers may find online advertising too minimal of a revenue stream to exist autonomously.

Soon, something much larger than Brunswick News could be running many of our text-news websites.

A return to the model of paidsubscription news sites could also occur, though. While it’s nonsensical to pay for a subscription to a paper copy of something that’s available for free online, going online-exclusive will likely lead to the necessity of internet subscriptions to text-news websites, if online advertising revenues continue to be lackluster.

The lifetime of text-only news will also likely be over, too. As media websites like CBC.ca and CNN.com already allow streaming of their video and audio content online, text-only news sources will become a thing of the past. Journalists will need to do more than just write – they’ll need to be able to construct a story through video and audio as well.

How will student newspapers like the Bruns adapt? Who knows – maybe what I’ve predicted will come true – and we’ll say goodbye to the print edition – and maybe it won’t. People are certainly moving online, though: thebruns.ca had 8,947 hits in February, and has had 6,392 so far in March.

Screenshot

CBC New Brunswick live-blogged last week’s budget announcement via Twitter.com. This is just one example of news media adjusting to the model of instantaneous news consumption.

We’ve begun adding exclusive online content, including video footage.

We’re getting ready to start our online advertising system. And you’re already paying a subscription with your student media fee ­– so whatever does happen,

we’re already adapting to it. I hope.

Josh O’Kane is Editor-in-Chief of the Brunswickan. He can be reached at editor@thebruns.ca. Follow @joshokane on Twitter to watch him live-tweet how mundane laying out a paper is at 4 a.m.

iewpoint V

brunswickanopinion

14 • Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

the brunswickan.

Question: What do you think about the SU’s proposed year-long bus pass?

“It’s not a bad thing.”

Adam Brewer

“I like it.”

Adam Creaghan

“I think its a great idea, but there should be an opt-out.”

Breanne Tozer

“It should be optional.”

Janelle Cantafio

“I go to STU I have a bus pass.”

Joseph ‘le petit JD’ Doran

“I think it’s a good idea but there should be an opt-out.”

Zachary Harris

“I agree with Zach.”

Maura Carter

“People with vehicles don’t need a bus pass’.”

Peter Kelly

“It’s great for students who use the bus, but not for students out of town.”

Tim Degaust

“I am for it.”

Nathan Yates

brunswickanarts arts@thebruns.ca

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142 •15

Embracing Fredericton’s rich cultural backbone

Sandy Chase / The Brunswickan

The Multicultural Association of Fredericton held a multicultural fair at the Boyce Farmers’ Market last week, with a wide variety of events, activities and treats.

Alison Clack The Brunswickan

The Boyce Farmers’ Market opened its doors a little early last week.

The market opened on a weekday for the Multicultural Association of Fredericton’s multicultural fair.

The event, which was sponsored by the N.B. Population Growth Secretariat & Citizenship and Immigration Canada, was presented by MCAF as a celebration of the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The fair did a wonderful job of bringing together various cultural organiza-

tions from around Fredericton and New Brunswick.

Upon arrival to the Market, one was pleasantly overwhelmed with the smells of food and spices from all over the world.

Amidst the various stalls were food stands. Food from across the world was featured from Japanese noodle dishes to Sudanese samosas, German cookies and Colombian empanadas.

In addition to food some stall featured jewelery and art from around the world. While some of the stalls, like the New Brunswick African Association, had cultural work on display for people to view, other stalls, like the one for the Philippines, featured work to sell.

Some of these stalls for the various multicultural groups around New Brunswick simply gave information about their country and culture.

Other stalls gave information on social justice groups. There were stalls

for Oxfam, the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, and UNB’s SHOUT chapter among others.

The point of these stalls was to give out information about discrimination and for some to try and bring some attention to their groups.

Katie Randall, a UNB student who was helping coordinate the SHOUT booth, explains that they were “promoting SHOUT outside of campus.”

The market was an excellent place for promotion this past Thursday at the fair.

Hundreds of people of all ages attended the event.

“There were tonnes of people there all day. Students from all over the place came; students from Keswick came and tons of different school groups. People were coming out on their lunch hours from work,” said Randall.

The crowd at the event was incredibly diverse. School children, university students, working adults and retirees all

took the time out of their days to attend the event.

“I liked seeing all of the different people. It’s nice to see people from all walks of life come out and enjoying the fair,” said the SHOUT representative.

Students were a big part of the fair.

Anti-racism artwork done by middle school students was featured on the walls of the market. School groups were constantly in and out of the market, wandering around the stalls and watching the cultural performances.

The performances were one of the biggest draws of the festival and showcased the diversity of the Fredericton’s population.

“Throughout the day there were performances of things like Irish dance, African music, and Asian sword fighting,” explained Randall.

Other performances included the MCAF Youth band playing, dancers from the YMCA, and some In-

dian youth performing Indian cultural dances.

One feature of the event was a fashion show of traditional cultural dress from around the world. The colours and patterns of clothing from around the world were featured including clothing from Afghanistan, Scotland, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and China among others.

While the fair was heavier on multiculturalism than promoting awareness of racial discrimination, Randall doesn’t think it missed its point.

“The multiculturalism was displayed really well, and I guess racism is tied up in that,” said Randall.

Either way, the event was an excellent way for the people of Fredericton to come together and celebrate their town’s diversity.

SHOUT UNB is a social justice group that hopes to educate UNB students about the holocaust, modern genocide, and other social justice issues.

this week in brunswickanarts The Harlem Globetrotters are coming to UNB Everyone has tried to spin a basketball on the tip of their finger, but no one does it like the original Harlem Globetrotters.You can catch them at UNB’s Aitken Centre on Apr. 2 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $27 and are on sale now. Call -506-453-5054 or go online at www.aitkencentre.unb.ca.

Art by Art Education students Come on out to the opening of the first public opening of the Marshall d’Avray Art Education Exhibition. Art demonstrations will take place across the d’Avray Cafe on the first floor starting at 12:30 p.m., with the opening running from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Room 308.

Flickr Creative Commons

The Harlem Globetrotters are bringing their world-renowned performance to the Aitken Centre on Apr. 2.

Grab a goblet at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre Wine lovers, lend us your lips: The New Brunswick Crafts Council is presenting their 3rd Annual Goblet Grab this Friday, Mar. 27 from 5-7 p.m. at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre. Tickets are $50 each, and attendees will receive a hand-made goblet filled with wine. A silent art auction will also take place. For more information, visit www. nbcraftscouncil.ca.

brunswickanarts

16 • Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

THE WEAKERTHANS HIT THE SUB

Hagerman’s game-y horoscopes Aries

Taurus

(March 21st - April 19th)

(April 20th - May 20th)

Playing The Sims on your significant other’s computer will have unfortunate consequences this week, dear Aries. Your significant other will have made a version of you in the game that actually has more of a personality than you do. You can make yourself feel better by speaking entirely in Simlish to your significant other in real life, and also turning yourself into a witch or vampire.

Your lucky game that can be played on a chessboard is Checkers.

Sandy Chase / The Brunswickan

John K Samson of the Weakerthans plays to a crowd of several hundred people on Monday night in the SUB ballroom.

Also on the evening’s bill was Guelph, ON’s Constantines.

Dear Taurus, you’ve just lost The Game. Your lucky card game is Strip-”Go Fish”, a.k.a. “Go Strip.”

Gemini

Cancer

(May 21st - June 21st)

(June 22nd- July 22nd) A Dungeons and Dragons game will cause you to go insane this week, dear Cancer. This is somewhat odd because you don’t even play Dungeons and Dragons. However, the constant dice rolling of the players will cause an earthquake that will tear down most of your neighbourhood. Nerds truly can take over the world! Your lucky online RPG activity is “Cybering in Yahoo Pool.”

Rolling up the rim on a Tim Hortons cup will cause you great jubilation this week, dear Gemini.

Instead of taking hours prying away at the cup, losing several friends and layers of skin in the process, you will finally see that you’ve won! Your prize will be a chance to play again!

You’re so lucky! Your lucky drinking game is the Milk Challenge.

Leo (July 23rd - August 22nd)

Playing the German board game Carcassonne will result in horror this week, dear Libra. Placing one of your “meeples” onto a field will result in an argument with the other players. You can easily resolve this conflict by punching your opponents repeatedly. The others can’t win if they’re not conscious, right? Your lucky slow-paced party game is Cranium Turbo.

Virgo (August 23rd - September 22nd)

Your skill at playing pool will come in handy yet again this week, dear Virgo. A pirate ship will pull up and dock, offloading scores of poolhungry pirates. When they step up to Dooly’s to challenge your skills, you will simply beat them over the head with your pool cue until they go away. Epic win! Your lucky pencil and paper RPG is Hangman.

Libra

Scorpio

(September 23rd - October 23rd)

(October 24th - November 22nd)

Your skill at playing pool will come in handy yet again this week, dear Virgo. A pirate ship will pull up and dock, offloading scores of pool-hungry pirates. When they step up to Dooly’s to challenge your skills, you will simply beat them over the head with your pool cue until they go away. Epic win! Your lucky pencil and paper RPG is Hangman.

A game of bowling will go extremely well for the other team this week, dear Scorpio. You will launch the ball into the air, where it will do seven loops and knock down all of the pins in your opponents’ lane. In a stroke of villainy, they will add the points to their score. Your lucky Wii game is Pong Toss, an alcohol-free Beer Pong game.

Sagittarius

Capricorn

(November 23rd - December 21st)

(December 22nd - January 20th)

Aquarius

Pisces

(January 21st - February 18th)

(February 19th - March 20th)

You will discover a treasure trove’s worth of old Atari 2600 games this week, dear Sagittarius.

Unfortunately, all of the games will be of poor quality, including Donkey Kong, E.T. and Custer’s Revenge.

Thankfully, you will be a very poor judge of good games and will have a merry old time playing them. Your lucky X-Treme sport is X-Foliating.

A game of Knuckles will contain surprisingly little pain this week, dear Aquarius. The fact that you are a robot playing against a robot may have something to do with that. No matter who wins or who loses, you can program yourself to be happy. Your lucky cellular automation is Conway’s Game of Life.

You will have a rousing game of chess this week, dear Capricorn.

You will bring your opponent to an tense stalemate, but will ultimately win the match because of your classic manoeuvre of distracting the other player and moving the pieces around. Whoever said cheaters never win was either lying or a loser. Your lucky rapper is The Game.

You will be humiliated in a game this week, dear Pisces. A 6-year-old child will come up to you, grab you, and demand loudly that you stop hitting yourself while forcing you to punch yourself. Luckily, 6-year-olds are tiny, so you will pick the child up and use it like a hat. Your lucky game played by e-mail is “Annoying Your Friends with Chain Letters.”

arts@thebruns.ca

brunswickanarts

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142 • 17

Mother and son coffee table Drummer on the Hill book explores life’s mysteries Isaac Louie The Peak

all year long?”

Kyra guides readers back to themselves as if down a hall, with each question opening a new door.

Following the dialogue is a brief section of encouragement that segues into a caption and picture on the adjacent page.

Here, Kyra ties together the topic, offering her own confidence to get the reader started. Leading by example, Kyra concedes: “As others cheer for us, we learn to encourage ourselves.”

It is this sharing that supports the book’s messages of healthy self-love and self-actualization.

However, Welcome Home to Yourself may not be for everybody; self-discovery requires patience and desire. The questions Kyra poses depend on the reader’s honesty to provide value. Unlike a televised talk show where viewers are passively involved, Welcome Home to Yourself actively engages its readers to participate, inviting them to live life in a greater depth.

Welcome Home to Yourself is about connection. All too often in this world we are asked to compartmentalize our lives into business, love, or play.

Instead of dividing into categories, Kyra encourages readers to experience life as a whole through the practice of mindfulness, to understand that the different aspects that create us are distinct threads that weave together.

Instead of choosing the mind over the body, Kyra emphasizes the connection that harmonizes the two.

Submitted

The drums, marimba and African kalimba are just a small fraction of Greg Harrison’s arsenal.

Doug Estey

The Brunswickan

Those familiar with the Music on the Hill series here at UNB would most likely associate it with the magnificent, classical atmosphere it’s come to be known for. The series highlights some of the raw musical talent in the region while making it accessible to students on campus.

Greg Harrison, who has a Bachelor of Music from Acadia University and is a musician-in-residence at UNB this year, is looking to change that up a bit this Wednesday.

“This Music on the Hill event’s going to be a little bit different,” says Harrison.

“It’s a simultaneous concert and a workshop where there will be an

opportunity for the audience to ask questions.”

The musician’s background lies primarily in percussion, but he isn’t to be pigeonholed as just a drummer.

“I’m going to be playing a lot of different percussion instruments that a lot of people haven’t seen before, so it’ll be a great opportunity for people to check those out.”

Harrison will be seen playing the marimba (reminiscent of a xylophone), a modernized version of an ancient African instrument called the kalimba, as well as conventional drums, tambourines, vibraphone and glockenspiel. Yes, a glockenspiel.

The noon hour concert will be held at Memorial Hall on Wednesday, March 25. Admission is free. For more information on the Music on the Hill series, visit www.musichill. unb.ca.

check out thebruns.ca for exclusive online content.

BURNABY (CUP) – In Welcome Home to Yourself, author Suzanne Kyra and photographer Nathan Derksen, mother and son, invite readers to explore the mystery and the magic of what it means to discover and actualize one’s self.

The first of a planned trilogy, Welcome Home to Yourself is a coffee table photo journal that discusses topics such as the senses and life stages, as well as abstract concepts like wonder and being.

Though many concepts in life tend to be shrouded with ambiguity, Kyra takes the reader by the heart and hand to unravel each topic one by one, with care and focus.

Kyra captions: “Beauty makes its presence known when we experience the message from inside ourselves, ‘Stop. That’s it. It’s perfect.’ ” Coupled with the ineffable beauty of Derksen’s photo of a Belcarra, B.C. sunset (also featured as the cover photo), she continues: “There is no excess and no deficiency in beauty.”

By showing readers their world, Kyra and Derksen welcome them into exploring their own.

It does not take a trained eye to appreciate Derksen’s photography in the book. Most of the pictures are nature

shots spanning three-quarters of the page.

Many are distinct, like the white Australian crescent moon against a clear, black night, while others are luscious and sensual, like the close-up shot of dew forming on the thistles of an evergreen in Lynn Canyon.

Printed with high quality ink and photo paper, the pictures blend well with the text to enhance or model the subject matter, setting the atmosphere for repose and contemplation.

Welcome Home to Yourself is divided into six chapters. In each, Kyra discusses topics in an easy-to-follow format. First, she defines the topic of reflection using simple and exact language to let her images and insights blossom.

For instance, on cycles she says: “We need to remind ourselves to appreciate and fully live in this moment, for the next moment will surely be different, even when we cannot perceive the difference.”

Where words can often form fortresses and towers, Kyra builds bridges.

Next, she opens up a dialogue with the reader. Kyra initiates the dialogue with a sharing of her own experience, extending her thoughts as an open hand; she speaks behind no walls and meets the reader with authenticity, clarity, and positive regard.

To continue the dialogue, she posits questions that invite the reader into introspection and reflection.

On summer, she asks: “Can you feel your body relax? What makes summer most enjoyable for you? How can you create more ease of living in your life

brunswickanarts

18 • Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

Celebrating the status of women in Canada s

SARAH FARQUHAR PHOTOS

This series of photographs were taken at the Canadian Voice of Women art exhibit last Friday night to promote peace and activism overseas.There were a variety of paintings and a peace/piece (as in, piece of fabric) quilt on display.

There was also a poetry reading and South African slave dance demonstration.

The Canadian Voice of Women will have various events happening throughout the week, including a Songs For Peace concert on Mar. 25.

catch these photos and more on thebruns.ca arts gallery.

Showing off brains and bodies Madeline Coleman The Link

MONTREAL (CUP) – The lights are dimmed. The beers are in hand.

The ravenous crowd is hooting and hollering as the sweat-drenched figure onstage peels off yet another article of clothing, one less shield between their skin and the unwholesome eyes of

slavering masses.

A man leans close to the microphone and, with great levity, pronounces the word that will determine the figure’s future: “Glockenspiel.”

Welcome to the exhilarating world of the strip spelling bee.

Most bees provide the chance to show off your brains – and if you’re willing to do that, Sherwin Tjia, the Honeysuckle Strip Spelling Bee Night organizer – figures why not show off

some other things too?

“I’m a pretty good speller,” said Tjia, but “as good as you think you are, there’s always someone better.”

This won’t be Tjia’s first spelling extravaganza. He hosted one touted as a “hipster spelling bee” last year, but felt it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi.

That missing element was, as it usually is, nudity.

Upping the stakes even higher this time around is the $50 that will go to the winner – and every participant is guaranteed a free drink.

Tjia has a penchant for social events last suffered in middle school; he also co-organizes the bar’s popular Slowdance Nights.

The former Concordia student likes “to take old things and make them new.”

For him, this seemingly nostalgic brand of festivity is really all about exorcising old demons. “[High school] was when I lived my most trauma,” he admitted. “I didn’t know how to navigate that world so I just stayed out of it.”

Now that the hormonal nausea of adolescence is a thing of the past, former school dance wallflowers can join Tjia as he re-enacts “old traumas and [makes] them OK.” Middle school spelling bee enthusiasts were, to their peers, about as cool as kids who were excited about homework. Here we are at the other end of the tunnel, where exhibitionism and orthography meet in unholy union.

Has the great unwashed finally decided intelligence is sexy?

Tjia remains skeptical.

“I’m not sure how much better it is to be smart. I think it’s still better to be beautiful.”

Then again, what’s more beautiful than a well-spelled word?

brunswickanarts

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142 • 19

Feeding stomachs and souls with art Maggie Jean Chestnut played home last Friday to an art gala with combined pieces of artwork from a number of local galleries

Alison Clack The Brunswickan

Ghost costumes and fake blood were safely stored away for Maggie Jean Chestnut House’s newest house event last Friday.

The residence, which is famous for its freaky Halloween Haunted House charity event, decided to try something new on March 20.

Renaissance College’s walls were adorned with beautiful works of art from UNB students and youth around the community for the house’s first annual art gala. The event was hosted to support the Fredericton Food Bank, Maggie Jean’s house charity.

The gala featured a bit of every-

thing, including photographs, paint- Bank. ents, but it’s not about them. It’s ings, felt boots, sculptural pieces and “Every little bit counts. It doesn’t about the children they have that quilts. matter if it’s one box, two boxes, or need to eat,” pointed out Trapnell.

The wide range of art might have three boxes of Kraft Dinner, every litTrapnell also enlightened the gala’s been due to the many sources it came tle bit counts. You’d be surprised how crowd to the increasing number of from, said Victoria Clowater, Social much a little bit will feed a family,” university students using the Food Representative for Maggie Jean. said Trapnell.

Bank’s services. “[The art] came from a myriad of Trapnell also emphasized the inAwareness was a huge focus of the places. Some of it is from the New creasing importance of the Food night; awareness of the local artistic Brunswick College of Craft and De- Bank to the community in uncertain talent, awareness of issues of poverty, sign, some of it is from Maggie Jean economic times. as well as awareness of Maggie Jean students, and we also got a lot from “The average box of Kraft dinner? Chestnut and opening its doors to students affiliated with Art Zone We go through fifteen hundred of the UNB and Fredericton communup in Memorial Hall. A couple of these a month. When I first started ities. high school students from Frederic- at the Food Bank around the begin“This was about community. It ton High was about School also “Every little bit counts. it doesn’t o p e n i n g put in some Renaismatter if it’s one box, two boxes, or up stuff,” said sance ColClowater. lege and three boxes of kraft dinner.

T h e Maggie youth of You’d be surprised how much a little Jean and the artmaking it bit will feed a family. ” ists who ava i lable showed to people - Scott Trapnell their work up the hill made the and down gala all the more impressive. ning of February last year, they were the street. That business of risking Jennifer Pazienza, a former artist- averaging about 350 to 375 families and moving yourselves out through in-residence at the Beaverbrook Art per month. Well, we all know how your art is fabulous – those connecGallery and Renaissance College this economy is going; now we’re tions you make are fabulous,” said Integrator, was incredibly impressed averaging 625 to 650 families,” said Pazienza about the night’s efforts. with the event’s offerings.

Trapnell.

Pazienza stated that the night, as “I quite literally have goosebumps,” While the cynics of the world well as art in general, provided UNB said Pazienza. might believe the food is only go- students with a much-needed visual Art wasn’t the only focus of the ing to “drug addicts, alcoholics, and outlet. night, though. A representative from people on welfare,” Trapnell said he “I had a hunch some years ago,” the Fredericton Food Bank, Scott would rather people look beyond she said. “I kept bumping into stuTrapnell, spoke about how important their assumptions. dents from the Engineering faculty, help from the house was for the Food “Yes, we have those people as cli- the Business faculty, some from Biol-

ogy – they were from different areas on campus but all feeling the need to work visually because their programs were keeping them so focused on words and numbers.”

Pazienza said that students should be able to have an outlet to be creative and visual, to “work with their hands – other than with a mouse and a keyboard.”

Pazienza went on to say how the night and knowing UNB students had an outlet for creativity made her feel.

“I think why I have goosebumps and why my heart is singing at the moment is because while I had a clue that the opportunity to work visually would be a good thing for personal wellbeing, I also had a clue it would be good for social and cultural wellbeing,” said Pazienza.

Pazienza applauded the house’s efforts to merge arts and charity – despite potential condemnations of the house’s work.

“Some might say, well, how can you spend money on art when some people can’t eat? You just heard the numbers going up at the Food Bank – how do you reconcile that? It isn’t about spending money here and not there, it’s about doing both.

“You’ve shown that we can do both. We can think about our own personal needs – the need to create and to make – and at the same time doing that with the Food Bank in mind. Doing that is beautiful, it’s really wonderful,” said Pazienza.

brunswickansports

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142 • 20

sports@thebruns.ca

Reds to battle best in the country A brief history of UNB at the nationals: 1998 – (Gold) – UNB’s first national title came in the 1997-1998 season. The Varsity Reds won both round robin games before conquering division rivals Acadia in the championship match.

2000 – (Silver) – Two seasons after their first national title, UNB was back in the hunt for another. The Reds snuck past Western with a 3-2 overtime victory to open the tournament. The next game needed extra time as well, but they edged Saskatchewan 5-4.

The championship game held the same storyline, as the V-Reds and Alberta battled it out into double overtime. There would not be a second gold medal, however, as the Reds would have to settle for silver this year.

2003 – UNB and the city of Fredericton were awarded the CIS nationals for 2003 and 2004. The Varsity Reds proved they were the team to beat that season by tearing through the AUS playoffs.

The Atlantic Division championship was the only title they’d win in this year, however, as they went 1-1 in the round robin, before being defeated by Alberta in the bronze medal game.

Sandy Chase / The Brunswickan

UNB defenseman David Bowman keeps the opponents at bay while goaltender Travis Fullerton looks on during the third game of the AUS finals. Up next, the Reds will take on the top-seeded Alberta Golden Bears in the opening game of the tournament. The puck is set to drop tomorrow night at 8 p.m. (AST) in Thunder Bay, ON.

The playoffs are over and the bags are packed. Now, the nation’s top teams collide in Thunder Bay at the CIS men’s hockey championships

Colin McPhail The Brunswickan

This is beginning to seem like an annual event: The UNB men’s hockey team is preparing for their third consecutive trip to the CIS Championships. The Reds managed to make it to the final game on both previous occasions – winning one of them – and the Brunswickan was able to catch up with head coach Gardiner MacDougall to see how the Reds plan on reaching the finals once again.

Brunswickan: After the disappointing loss in the AUS final, how do you bounce back in order to be prepared for the CIS? MacDougall: It was one of those games where the group came out and tried too hard and had a bit of a falloff mentally. But we’ve got an excellent time element to prepare for the next stage. We’re fortunate because we’ve got a lot of leadership in the group. We have several players that it’s their third nationals, which is something you would rarely find on any CIS national team.

Our coaches and veteran players are

going to have to show the appropriate leadership for this time of season.

B: What do you say to the newcomers who haven’t felt the pressure of the national stage?

G: I think a lot of that has been said by our leaders in the room. We have a game plan and that won’t change a lot.

We know what works for our hockey club.

B: Will Travis Fullerton still be the number one goalie going into Thunder Bay? G: Travis has played outstanding for us. All along we’ve had two great goalies, but Travis got the opportunity and I thought he played outstanding. It’s a chance for him and Derek Yeomans to the game to the next level.

B: Will you be using last year’s bitter defeat in the CIS final as motivation?

G: We’ve got a lot of things to prove.

The players know the exhilaration of victory, but they also know the bitter feeling of when they had the ultimate defeat last year. It’s good opportunity for us.

B: All six participating teams could easily be considered to be in the top ten teams in the country. What will it take for UNB to come out on top?

G: The first game is very important.

We’ve had great practices and if we can play how we’re practicing then we have every opportunity to be successful.

MacDougall will have his hands full as this year Lakehead University will play host to the top teams in the country.

Here’s the tale of the tape: Alberta Golden Bears: What else is there to say? They’re the most illustrious team in CIS men’s hockey history. They have a record 13 national titles and 46 Canada West championships. They were ranked number one in the country for 13 out of the past 14 weeks. They are the defending champions and the

favourite entering the tournament.

Lakehead Thunderwolves: Do not underestimate this squad just because they are the hosts and receive a free spot.

Even though they had an early exit from the OUA playoffs, the Thunderwolves have been floating around in the CIS top ten rankings all year. Lakehead has one OUA Championship.

McGill Redmen: The Redmen snapped their Toronto Maple Leaflike streak last year winning their 13th OUA title and first since 1946. McGill put together an impressive playoff run that was ended in the OUA finals at the hands of Western, but don’t expect too much from this squad as they seem snake-bitten with having never won a CIS Title.

Saint Mary’s Huskies: This year’s AUS Champs will be heading to Thunder Bay pumped from their big defeat of UNB in the AUS finals. The Huskies will definitely be considered a sleeper team that could surprise a few people as they search for their first national title.

UNB Varsity Reds: The Reds will be walking into their third consecutive CIS Championship with two national titles, ten AUS Championships, and a bitter taste in their mouths from last year’s loss in the CIS final. That taste just got even worse as the Reds are fresh off a stunning defeat in the AUS finals in front the home crowd. Look for UNB to come out hungry for revenge. Remember, they were the team to dethrone Alberta from the number one spot in the CIS rankings.

Western Mustangs: The University of Western Ontario has always been known for their strong athletic program and their hockey is no exception. This year Western captured their third OUA Championship and is searching for the first national title. Consider them a definite threat.

2004 – (Silver) – After being ousted early in the AUS playoffs, UNB was not considered as dangerous as the previous year. The Reds came out strong in their first game, however, and defeated Ottawa 5-1. In the next match-up, UNB upset the number one seeded Alberta 6-5 in overtime, propelling them to a berth in the finals. Unfortunately, the Cinderella story came to an abrupt end.

After managing to hold off St. FX until double overtime in the final game, an X-Men forward sprung loose on a breakaway, and silenced the Aitken Centre crowd with this championship winner.

2007 – (Gold) – Although putting up a fantastic season in the AUS, the Varsity Reds still sat behind the number one seeded UdeM at seasons end. As expected, the two teams met in the AUS finals, where Moncton defeated UNB in overtime, once again. With the loss, the Reds were determined to reverse the fortune, as nationals took place in Moncton this year. UNB cruised to the finals, while Moncton had some struggles along the way. After winning the semifinal in overtime the night before, UdeM was expected to have all of the momentum for this match. The final game was an intense end-to-end battle. V-Red veteran John Scott Dickson tied the game midway through the third period, forcing overtime. After a botched play in the neutral zone, UNB forward Robert Pearce walked in over the blue line and fired the shot on net. The puck trickled past the Moncton netminder, handing UNB a national championship.

2008 – (Silver) – With nationals taking place in Moncton for the second year in a row, UNB was determined to defend their gold medal. After putting together the greatest AUS season in history (26-1-1), including another AUS championship, the V-Reds were almost a shoo-in for another national title. The Reds had no problem in the two round robin games, defeating Brock 6-1 and Saskatchewan 4-0. After a Moncton loss, it was Alberta that was awarded the spot in the finals against UNB. Much like the previous year, the final game was end-to-end hockey, with plenty of scoring chances. The V-Reds tried everything they could to get the puck past Alberta’s goalie; however, he stood his ground the entire game.

In an upset that no one saw coming, UNB was forced to watch the Alberta Golden Bears celebrate the 2008 CIS title.

brunswickansports

21 • Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

Men’s basketball builds for the future Alex Wickwire The Brunswickan

It may not have been the biggest step, but the UNB Varsity Reds men’s basketball team is heading in a positive direction. On paper, it’s a far cry from a winning record, posting a 3-17 record against AUS opponents during the regular season. But sit down with Brent Baker, head coach of the Varsity Reds, and he’ll be the first to note that the building process is running as planned and that the past season was a small win in for the men’s basketball program.

When Baker initially entered the campus, he knew work needed to be done. First and foremost, he recognized that the men’s basketball program needed a new attitude.

“You’ve gotta be positive at first and sell a winning attitude,” said Baker.

“There’s no secret pill.”

It may have taken a few months to kick in, but that winning attitude began to translate into notches in the win column for the Reds. After a rough first half of the season where they dropped all matches to opponents during regular season play, UNB came back with a new attitude after the Christmas break, claiming three victories in the second half of the season.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

After going winless in the first half of the season, the UNB Varstiy Reds men’s basketball team claimed three victories in the second half. The Reds hope to continue to build on their second semester success into next season.

In terms of his ideal coaching style, this season, Baker attempted to lineup the Reds in the fashion that he feels most comfortable coaching.

“You need a real bulldog point guard, somebody tough. Your two guard has to be a real technician who can also be a scorer. The three is your

elastic man, a total athlete who can do it all. Your power forward, the four, is a jack of all trades, a grinder. At five you need an eraser, someone who can be that last line of defence. And they all need to be athletes.”

Baker formed his line-up to allow for his style of play, which he described as

an up-tempo, push-the-ball style. And it showed all season with the Reds fast break methods, putting a major emphasis on good ball movement.

In order to work the fast breaks, Baker put high emphasis on his teams conditioning. For this, Baker prefers the style of conditioning when athletes

push athletes, creating a friendly, yet competitive environment.

“Peer pressure drills with consequences are what I like to deal out, as well as a lot of running,” said Baker. And after all is said and done, Baker has been known to accept player challenges to games like horse or around the world, lightening up the mood and instilling a sense of enjoyment in the practices.

With one senior, one junior, and two sophomores returning to the line-up this past season, the Reds were heavily weighted in rookies with nine fresh faces taking to the court this past season. But Baker wanted to stray away from the “young team” stereotype, and encouraged the team to develop a strong personality and to mesh together to form a cohesive bond.

In terms of recognition, the new line-up boosted the attendance for Reds home games over the past season at the L.B. Gym. And as Baker notes, the atmosphere in the Pitt goes along in helping the team during the moments of the ball game.

“It’s a positive place,” said Baker.

“I like the Pitt. I think it’s one of the best shooting gyms in the country.”

All in all, there still remains great potential for the Reds in the upcoming season. The possibility exists for each member of the current line-up to return to the court next season, building on the teams’ small success this past season.

Next week, the Brunswickan will chat one-on-one with women’s basketball head coach Jeff Speedy to get his take on their past season.

Reds set for Cheer Expo sports@thebruns.ca Chris Cameron The Brunswickan

With the semester wrapping up, and with sport teams hanging their gear up, the UNB/STU Reds Cheerleading team is rounding the bend to the end of the 2008-09 season. The team consists of athletes from both UNB and STU as well as some community members. This year the group started out very strong with many members, but lost quite a few along the way. Currently, they are a co-ed team of 21.

The Reds competed multiple times this year, placing near the top at all competitions. The first competition was Champion Spirit Athletics All-Star Blowout in Saint John, placing first in their division while also receiving a spirit award. Next, they competed at the Battle at the Capital, also placing first in their division. Another two competitions, which were grouped together in one weekend, were at the Spring and East Coast Spirit Showdown where the team entered stunt group and partner stunt group, both placing first.

The final competition, Cheer Expo, is coming up this weekend at St. FX. St. FX had the top team last year and the Reds are hoping to come out on top in the final competition.

Along with the competitions, the Reds have become more involved with the cheering at UNB hockey games, as well as half-time shows at men’s and women’s basketball games.

Something new the team is doing this year is putting in individual stunt groups and partner stunt groups to compete by themselves in competitions. These stunt groups consist of a set of five people who

File

After a successful season, the UNB/STU Cheerleading team will cap off their season this weekend at the Cheer Expo at St. FX. put together a routine and compete against other stunt groups.

“It’s about variety, skills, and technique to see who will come out on top in this division,” said Brooke McGovern, team president. “But along with St. FX, DAL has also put in a few stunt groups, so we are going to have to try our best to make it out on top.”

The Reds set a number of goals entering the season, most of which have been attained, producing an overall successful season to date. “This year, the team goals were to have successful back tuck baskets, bow and arrows and double twist in technical terms and we have mastered a set of all of those,” said McGovern.

“We would also like to come home with the win from Cheer Expo as that

is where Maritime cheerleading really lets loose. For Reds, as much as we want to win it is not just about winning. It’s about going on the floor, giving it all you got, showing your best skills and feeling great leaving the floor. Knowing that no stunt fell, that everyone smiled and that we can still breathe afterwards is truly what makes us all come together as a team.”

The team also lost a member this year: Corey Richard, who passed away in January. McGovern said that this year has been dedicated to him, every step of the way.

“We miss his spirit, his smile and his love for the team. He would want us to place first because we didn’t last year when he was with us, and we are going to try our best for him.”

brunswickansports

22 • Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

Making smart choices in meal hall Natasha Hai & Megan Robertson

Submitted

to the

Brunswickan

Look back to when you first arrived at UNB, however many years ago that may be, and remember your first meal hall experience. As you walked down the stairs of McConnell Hall, somewhat anxious and not knowing what to expect, you hoped that there was at least one thing fit to eat that would satisfy your hunger on that day.

As you entered the dining area, you were suddenly relieved. The food choices seemed endless – french fries and burgers to your left, stir fry to your right. Without considering all the options, or the healthiest options, you chose the first thing you saw (most likely the burgers and fries), set it on your tray, and sat down to enjoy what you now considered a “home cooked meal.”

Sound familiar to anyone? You’re

away at university and your parents are no longer around to cook you balanced meals and look over your shoulder to make sure you eat your brussels sprouts.

Along with all of the new freedoms of university life, having the freedom to make your own food choices at meal hall may feel great, but could in fact be bad news for your body.

We know you’ve most likely all heard of the “freshman fifteen”. Although this weight gain could greatly be due to the increase in alcohol intake, the consumption of fat and carbohydraterich all-you-can-eat cafeteria food has a dramatic impact on the weight gain seen among university students around the globe. However, there are simple and easy changes you can make when dining on campus to better your overall health and make your food choices more nutritious, nourishing, and beneficial to both your mind and body.

By not only living and dining on campus throughout our academic careers at UNB, but by visiting and observing McConnell Hall’s various food choices this past winter, we have

become aware that there are, in fact, many healthier alternatives for students to choose from. Try to be aware of these healthy options and not let yourself become overwhelmed with the generous amount of food available to you at your fingertips.

Here are some helpful hints to consider when eating at McConnell Hall: choose whole grain products rather than refined or white, choose skim or low fat milk, try yogurt with fruit and granola instead of ice cream, take advantage of the salad and sandwich bar (for instance, make your own salad and add a chicken breast from the grill. Be creative!), eliminate all sweetened drinks, choose only real fruit juices, water, or milk and disregard fountain pop.

If you are craving a burger, that’s okay. Go without the fries and make your own salad at the salad bar, but take it easy on the dressing or choose vinaigrette. Choose the healthy cereals at breakfast. They will keep your brain sharper for morning classes (even though everyone loves Lucky Charms).

Look around before you make your

decision. Take your time and weigh out your options, reading the nutritional information as you go. If you’re really craving grease on a certain day (you’re hung over), you can still be smart about it. For instance, choose vegetable pizza rather than all meat.

These suggestions are only a few which you can take into consideration and use to make smarter and more nutritious choices when dining on campus. Also, Sodexo has recently begun putting nutritional information sheets in front of all their pre-made dinners, pizza, soups, etc., each stating the amount of fat, protein, carbohydrates, and other

ingredients present. So pay attention to these when making your decisions and remember, it’s okay to eat unhealthy once in a while (we, too, find it hard to walk past the vast array of delicious ice cream options), but keep everything in moderation.

Not only will eating a healthy and balanced diet keep your body healthy, but you will have much more energy throughout the day and be able to concentrate much easier on your studies (or your Facebook creeping).

So, the next time you walk down the stairs of McConnell Hall, remember: you are what you eat.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

It’s easy to put on the pounds when calorie-heavy meals are always at your disposal. However, a little thought can have a large impact when it comes to healthy dining.

brunswickansports

Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142 • 23

The greatest franchise in Canada View from the Sidelines Tony von Richter

The Red Sox and Yankees. Ali and Frazer. Celtics and Lakers.

Sports are built on rivalries. As great as the rivalries listed above are in Canada, there is one rivalry that lives above all others that has existed since 1917 and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

Of course I’m referring to the feud between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens.

If you’ve been reading this column for a while, it should be no secret that I’m a Leafs fan through and through.

Upon discovering this, Jamie Ross, Habs fan and Sports Editor of the Aquinian, came up with the idea to do a joint column where we’d argue why our preferred team was the better franchise.

For Jamie’s argument on behalf of the Canadiens, check out The Ross Report in next week’s Aquinian.

So just who is better? The Blue and White, or the Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge?

As much as I don’t want to admit it, on the ice it’s no contest. You can’t compare 13 Stanley Cups, and not even

Internet

The Leafs/Canadiens rivalry runs deeper than any other sports rivalry in Canada. Brunswickan Managing Editor Tony von Richter puts in his two biased cents on the issue. a finals appearance since 1967, to the Habs’ 24 championships and legions of Hall of Fame players. The Canadiens have produced more great teams than any other franchise in the history of professional sports in North America.

Doesn’t that settle the debate though?

If the Habs have historically iced better teams, doesn’t that mean that they’re the better franchise? Hells no. We’re debating who is the better franchise overall, not just who is historically better

on the ice.

Perhaps the strongest testament to the Leafs status as hockey’s greatest franchise is their stability. Since 1946, the team has sold out every game they’ve played at both Maple Leaf Gardens (MLG) and the Air Canada Centre (ACC), a record unmatched by any other team on the planet.

Whether the team is competing for championships, or living through the dark and depressing days of the Harold

Ballard era, MLG, and now the ACC, is always packed with the best fans on the planet, regardless of where the team sits in the standings. As faithful as the Habs fans are, they’re nowhere near as loyal as those inhabiting Leafs Nation.

This loyalty doesn’t just extend to the fans in the rink either, as the Leafs have a waiting list of roughly 2,500 names for season tickets, and even getting tickets to a single Leafs game is a difficult task.

Another thing that one needs to

consider is the impact that the Leafs have had on the Canadian sports landscape.

Owing in large part to their stability and financial success, the Leafs have grown from being a single NHL franchise to spawning the largest sports empire in the country. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) controls teams in the NHL, AHL, NBA, and MLS, and it’s all thanks to the success of the Leafs, who are consistently ranked as the NHL’s most valuable franchise by Forbes Magazine, being most recently valued at $448 million.

So a rich history, the most dedicated fans in the league, and an impact that reaches far beyond their sport? I think that’s a pretty easy answer as to who is the better franchise.

Of course, this is all a matter of opinion. I know that no matter the evidence presented to me that I’ll never believe that the Canadiens are a better franchise than the Leafs. My loyalties won’t let me, and I’m sure that’s the same on the other side of the equation.

Oh, and if we need more evidence to the Leafs’ superiority, our mascot could totally beat up your mascot. Carleton the Bear would kick Youppi’s ass from Bay Street all the way to St. Catherine’s Street, and I’m pretty sure everyone knows it. He’s a bear, and Youppi is a muppet. Bear kills muppet, and if you don’t believe me, then just ask Stephen Colbert.

Tony von Richter is a former Sports Editor of The Brunswickan and is the current Sports Bureau Chief of Canadian University Press. Feel free to contact him at managing@unb.ca.

24 • Mar. 25, 2009 • Issue 25 • Volume 142

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