The McGill Tribune Vol. 16 Issue 17

T * H

E

P u b lis h e d b y t h e S t u d e n t s ' S o c ie t y o f M c G i l l U n iv e r s it y

T R I B U N E

February 4th, 1997

http://ssmu.mcgill.ca/trib

Volume 16 Issue 17

University groups issue financial aid proposal B y J a so n Y o u n g

In a ground-breaking and his­ toric partnership, members of the post-secondary education communi­ ty proposed a new comprehensive package of student aid measures to the federal government.

Seven groups representing uni­ versities, community colleges, stu­ dents, professors, and student aid adm inistrators, worked over the summer to put together the proposal in an effort to provide affordable futures for students. The proposal was released earlier this month.

C ’est l ’h iv e r! M ontrealers fig h t the elem ents after w e e k s o f sn o w fa ll w ithout w e e k e n d sn o w rem o va l The rapidly rising student debt load is one o f the m ain factors behind the joint proposal, which notes that Canadian students’ debts at the undergraduate level have now risen to levels comparable to those duction and d istrib u tio n o f our Committee, and in taking steps to B y L u c y Lo w e s among undergraduates at many pri­ products are ceased by May 31, condemn companies that operate vate A m erican in stitutions. The 1997.”

Pepsi recently announced that w ithin Burma, including Pepsi. package is designed to alleviate the * it will completely sever its econom­ Last April,, Pepsi decided to F E R C ’s m andate is to take an financial burden facing both stu­ ic ties with Burma, where the gov­ sell its 40 per cent stake in its o b jectiv e look at com panies to dents and their parents. erning m ilitary regim e has been B urm ese b o ttler, Pepsi C ola make sure that they do not have a Measures include grants target­ P roducts M yanm ar, but it still corrupt or unethical background, w idely condem ned for hum an ed toward high-need individuals, rights violations. maintained its franchise agreement. and to act as an advisory body to debt repayment assistance for for­ P epciC o In c .’s a ctio n s in Many human rights activists felt SSMU. mer students, a work-study program Burma have particular interest for that this was not enough, and con­ This year, discussion focused to provide opportunities for students McGill students. In 1995, SSMU tinued putting pressure on Pepsi to on how to condemn Pepsi, seeing to earn money while they learn, and signed a five-year contract with complete its withdrawal. Finally, on as it is involved in a contract with tax m easures to help Canadians Pepsi which was worth $1.6 mil­ January 24, Pepsi announced that it SSMU. Council voted in November save for their children’s education. lion. The contract aroused contro­ will sever all economic ties. to put stickers next to all Pepsi “The situation is critical, in For some who are campaign­ ad v ertisem en ts in the W illiam versy from the beginning. Signed terms of access to post-secondary during the summer, some student ing for democracy in Burma, a boy­ Shatner University Centre stating education,” stated Brad Lavigne, the gro u p s claim ed th at they were cott is still encouraged until it can that SSMU “publicly, officially, chairperson o f the C anadian excluded from negotiations, and be seen for certain whether Pepsi repeatedly condemns Pepsi for its Federation of Students, in a press actions in Burma.” that th e ir com p lain ts about the lives up to its word. release. “More and more students “It seems official that they do com pany’s connection to Burma Alex Mrkich, who is chair of. have debt loads of nearly $20,000 want out but Pepsi has made claims FERC, explained th at P e p si’s were not considered. after four years of university and a Pepsi’s recent move represents to pull out before and not got actions show that popular boycotts growing num ber c a n ’t afford to a victory for human rights activists around to it.” said John Sallenave and public condemnation can work. consider starting school at that around the world who have been o f PROBE, which is a business “The withdrawal of Pepsi is a supporting a Pepsi boycott since ethics research project within the victory for pro-democracy at com­ C ontinued on Page 2 Quebec Public Interest Research munity and campus groups around 1990.

“Based on our assessment of Group at McGill. the world, and the validation of the At McGill, debate over Pepsi’s methods of boycotts and peaceful the spirit of current U.S. govern­ M cGILL ment foreign policy, we are com­ links with Burma, and over the cir­ p ro tests to achieve p o litical NIGH TLINE pleting our total disengagem ent cumstances surrounding the negoti­ reform.” Mrkich said. “Now once 598-6246 from the Burmese market,” Pepsi ation of the contract, continued in they’re out, I see no problem with stated in a letter to the Tribune. SSMU council throughout the last SSMU doing business with Pepsi.”

A confidential information, “Accordingly, we have severed all school year. As a result, a SSMU The Free Burma campaign is listening and referral service. relationships with our former fran­ referendum was held in M arch still acting against the oppressive For students, by students. chise bottler, effective January 15, 1996 in which students voted over­ m ilitary governm ent which took Open 9pm-3am until Sept 30 1997. The bottler is taking appro­ whelmingly in favour of setting up power forcefully in 1988, and void­ priate steps to insure that all pro­ a F in an cial E th ics R esearch ed electio n resu lts w hen the 6pm-3am thereafter

Rachel Ong

Democracy gains as Pepsi goes flat in Burma

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N ational League for Democracy Party won an overwhelming victory in 1990. Pepsi’s pull out is a major morale booster for those fighting against the oppressive forces of the ruling military Junta, and for indi­ viduals world-wide taking a stance on the issue, including McGill stu­ dents.

“Together with student groups across N orth A m erica, hum an rights groups and the UN, we did force the issue. Getting politically active is not a waste of time,” said Sallenave. “The referendum was m eaningful. C hange can occur amongst many issues. [The referen­ dum] was not all just extra red tape or paper. McGill should be really happy of how [it] contributed to this issue.”

F e a t u r e d I n s id e More cooperation: M c G ill and C o n c o rd ia an n o u n ce plans to com bine resources.................Pg.2 Black History Month: Part one of a special month-long series....Pg.7 Natural solutions: Sick building syndrome..................................... Pg.9 Ninja tunes: D) Vadim dropkicks M o n tre a l............................................ P g ./4 Hockey: Redmen shut out top ranked U Q T R 2 -0 .............. Pg-17 What's On Listings........... Pg-19

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Page 2

News

February 4th, 1997

McGill and Concordia join forces B y M ic h e l l e L ee

Boards of governors executive com m ittees at both M cG ill and Concordia universities have been meeting over the past few months to explore ways in which the two institutions might join forces.

The p rim ary m o tiv a tio n behind the project is a response to recent fiscal pressures imposed by the Quebec government. However, the bilateral working group on col­ laboration between Concordia and M cG ill hopes th at by w orking toward a greater harmony between the two institutions, existing pro­ gram s and se rv ic e s w ill be enhanced.

S p e c ific a lly , M cG ill and Concordia are exploring four areas of cooperation: administrative sup­ port services, academic administra­

tion, libraries, and academic pro­ grams.

For academ ic program s, the o b jectiv e is to create an easier in ter-u n iv ersity transfer system th a t w ill re p lace the p re se n t method, which both students and administrators find cumbersome.

“We w ant the m ovem ent of students between the two institu­ tions to be very fluid with fewer b u re a u c ratic o b sta c le s,” stated C o n c o rd ia ’s R ecto r F red erick Lowy in a press release.

With respect to libraries, the two universities will move to cre­ ate a more integrated library sys­ tem p ro v id in g jo in t services to increase accessibility, improve ser­ v ice, and to e n su re the fu tu re development of the collections of both communities.

B ill C h an , M cG ill VP

Academic, remarked that current fiscal restraints prevent M cGill’s library from becoming a top notch in stitu tio n . A ccording to Chan, M cGill is allotted a $15 million budget for its libraries, while the o th e r th ree u n iv e rsitie s in Montreal, Concordia, Université de M ontréal and U n iv e rsité du Québec à M ontréal, are granted relatively similar budgets of $10 to $18 million. This is in direct con­ trast to first-rate American univer­ sities such as Harvard, which allo­ cates up to $60 m illio n o f its money towards library resources.

“Individually, none of the uni­ v ersities can com pete w ith the American universities,” said Chan.

“I f the fo u r u n iv e rsitie s in M ontreal w ere to com bine resources, the general collection would greatly improve.”

To: Members of the University Community The Statutory Committee to Review Principal Shapiro’s stewardship mid-way through his first term has held its first meeting. I am now writing to all members of the University community to invite comments on the incumbent which will help the Committee in the fulfillment of its mandate which is to recommend to the Board of Governors the renewal or non-renewal of Dr. Shapiro’s appointment for a second term.

The composition of the review committee is as follows: Chair

Chancellor Gretta Chambers 5th Floor, James Administration Building 398-8913

Administrative Mr. Trevor Garland & Support Staff Information Systems Resources Representatives James Administration Building TREVOR@UMS 1.LAN.MCGILL.CA 398-5023

Mr. Richard W. Pound Board of Mr. John E. Cleghorn Governors Representatives c/o The University Secretariat 6th Floor, James Administration Building Professor Robert E. M acKenzie Senate Representatives Department of Biochemistry McIntyre Medical Sciences Building MACKENZIE@MEDCOR.MCGILL.CA 398-7270

Mr. Allan Youster c/o M.U.N.A.C.A. 505 Pine Avenue West 398-6565 Student Mr. Don McGowan Representatives V.P., University Affairs, SSMU University Centre UA@STUSOC.MCGlLL.CA 398-6797 Mr. Hugh Potter Dept, of Civil Engineering Macdonald Engineering Building HPOTTE@PO-BOX.MCGJLL.CA 398-4455, ext. 2409

Professor Michael Smith Department of Sociology Leacock Building SMITH@SOCIO.LAN.MCGILL.CA 398-6849 Secretary Professor Malcolm Baines MAUT Representatives Department of Microbiology & Immunology Lyman Duff Medical Services Building MGBAINES @MICROIMM.MCGILL.CA 398-4443 Professor Patrick Glenn Faculty of Law Chancellor Day Hall GLENN_P@FALAW.LAN.MCGILL.CA 398-6620

Comments may be forwarded to any member of the Committee, with a copy to me as Chair of the Committee, and should be received as soon as possible and no later than February 26, 1997.

Mr. Jam es Robb Alumni Mr. Ian M cLachlin Association Representatives c/o The University Secretariat 6th Floor, James Administration Building

Editorial Office:

M iss Margo Le Dain c/o The University Secretariat 6th Floor, James Administration Building MARGO@UMS 1 LAN.MCGILL.CA 398-3951

Yours f*ithfullw^~5

/ / Gretta Chambers ( / Chancellor

The McGill Tribune is published by the Students’ Society of McGill University William Shatner University Centre, Rm B01 A, 3480 rue McTavish Montréal, Québec, CANADA H3A 1X9

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Place submissions in the Tribune mail box, across from the SSMU front desk or FAX to 398-7490. Columns appear­ ing under ‘Editorial" heading are decided upon by the editorial board and written by a member of the editorial board.

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McGill students might be seeing more o f Concordia U nder cu rren t b u dget co n ­ strain ts, C arl K ouri, C oncordia Students’ Union VP external, feels th at there are few altern ativ es.

However, he urges the two univer­ sities to proceed with caution.

“As long as there exists an air of cooperation and a general guide­ line is laid out to ensure that both u n iv e rsitie s rem ain d istin c t, I b eliev e th is to be a p o sitiv e response to financial cutbacks,” he said. “However, it needs to be well thought out and students should be part of the process. I would hate to see the two universities diffused into a McCordia.”

While there is concern as to whether the two universities will succeed in maintaining their dis­ tinct academic initiatives, the two executive com m ittees have been very adam ant that their changes will not jeopardise the identity of the two institutions.

“The two universities regard themselves as having distinct mis­ sions in Quebec, nationally, and internationally, this is not going to ch an g e,” stated Kate W illiam s, director of M cG ill’s U niversity

File photo

Relations Office.

As a safeguard, it seems that both universities are advancing very cautiously to ensure that their separate identities are preserved.

“We agreed that we intend to proceed only on the understanding that future plans will be developed in consultation with those most immediately affected,” said McGill Principal Bernard Shapiro. “All decisions w ill be subject to the established approval processes in each institution.”

Chris Carter, SSMU president, concludes that while both universi­ ties are sensitive to m aintaining their different academic mandates, there is a strong potential that the universities will lose their distinc­ tiveness.

“N o n e th e le ss, we need to im plem ent radical steps to meet budget constraints, otherwise we w ill en co u n ter m uch g reater threats,” stated Carter.

According to Chan, both uni­ versities have endorsed the propos­ als, and students can expect some of these changes to be implement­ ed as early as next year.

Student aid....

C ontinued from Page 1 cost.”

As a result of the current situa­ tion, the proposal includes new Special Opportunity Grants for sin­ gle parents and first-year students with high needs. In addition, the measures are designed to assist stu­ dents prior to, during, and after their studies.

“Not all students need the same type of support,” said Robert Best, director of Government Relations and P ublic A ffairs for the A ssociation of U niversities and Colleges of Canada. “We wanted to make sure that students could have support at all times during their edu­ cation. We also wanted a package covering a range of measures to accommodate students in different situations.”

The seven groups involved recognised that the federal govern­ ment’s cuts to transfer payments for education pose a threat to student aid programs. The political differ­ ences which had been a problem in the post secondary community was put aside by former rivals, CFS and the Canadian Alliance of Student A ssociations, as they w illingly cooperated in drafting the proposal.

“Our goal was to convince the federal government to not only con­

tinue to ad m in ister the Canada Student Loan Program , but to improve and expand the program, ' said Lavigne. “I think the fact that these groups worked jointly on the package highlights the urgency of the problem, and the need for strong federal involvement in student aid.”

The response to the proposal, which was released on January 20, has been positive so far. P eter Adams, chair of the Federal Liberal C aucus C om m ittee on H igher Learning, has expressed support for the package. The groups also pro­ posed a m easure to extend the tuition fee tax credit to include ancillary fees, which was accepted by the House of Commons Finance Committee in November.

Though confident that the groups have put together a strong proposal, Best realises that this mea­ sure is only the first stage in wh.it promises to be a long battle.

“All the organisations involved recognise that the federal govern­ ment may not be likely to tackle it all at once,” he said. “But we want it to be a priority and we want a clear indication from the government to commit to the program over time.

The government has room for strate­ gic investm ents and they should realise the importance of continued education.”

NeWS

February 4th, 1997

SSMU laws valid pending translation B y N o a h G itterm a n

All SSMU by-law and constitutional amendments since 1991 will be granted temporary validity, even though they were not adopted in both official lan­ guages, the SSMU Judicial Board ruled last Friday.

SSMU has been given until April 1, 1997 to trans­ late all amendments which are not yet available in both French and English.

Earlier this year, SSMU VP University Affairs Don McGowan realised that most of the amendments passed by SSMU since 1991 were only adopted in English, in contravention of article 31.5 of SSMU’s constitution which states that “all amendments to this Constitution and By-laws shall be adopted in both offi­ cial languages.” Two weeks ago, he brought his com­ plaint to the Judicial Board in order to get a ruling on the matter.

McGowan first brought the issue to SSMU coun­ cil’s attention on September 12, 1996, as they were voting on an amendment to the by-laws in order to cre­ ate a set of new council committees. The amendment was only available in English. At the time, however, council co-speaker Sky Jondahl ruled that the amend­ ment could still be passed.

In his case to the Judicial Board, McGowan argued that all amendments passed only in English before September 12, 1996 should be given temporary validity, while those passed after the issue was brought to council’s attention should be declared invalid.

McGowan also made an exception for those amend­ ments which involved third parties outside of SSMU. Disagreeing with McGowan, the Judicial Board decided that all amendments up to the date of the hear­ ing on January 24, 1997 would be considered valid, pending translation into French.

“I’ve never been so happy to lose a case,” said McGowan. “I think this decision is just fine — it allows us to get back to business.”

Jondahl was the respondent at the hearing, and was elated that the Judicial Board agreed with her argument that all amendments, even those passed on or after September 12, should be declared valid. Jondahl feels that the decision lends credence to her claim that coun­ cil was not acting maliciously when it did not have French translations available.

“The Chief Justice of the Judicial Board confirmed

Rebecca Catching

that council was acting in good faith,” she said. “People weren’t intentionally going against the constitution.”

She explained that with this decision out of the way, SSMU can now get back to substantial business.

“There has been some air cleared in the SSMU office. Now people are ready to work together,” she said.

McGowan pointed out that he has decided to come back to council after walking out on the meeting on January 9 over a disagreement with SSMU President Chris Carter. The Judicial Board ruling removes one more obstacle to his return.

“It certainly removes an element that was creating strife,” he said. “Chris and I can start playing in the sandbox again.”

SSMU Francophone Com m issioner Elisabeth Gomery was also pleased with the decision.

“It demonstrates an increased willingness on the part of people in SSMU to not only talk about making francophone students more comfortable, but to act on it,” she said.

RCAP Conference held at McGill over weekend The McGill Institute for the study of Canada hosted a threeday conference last weekend on the Royal C om m ission on Aboriginal People.

The RCAP, a 5,000 page document that took five years to complete, examines the plight of Canada’s Aboriginal population.

First Nations leaders, academics, politicians and economists gath­ ered at M cG ill to discuss the

implications and reccomendations o f the RCAP report. Over 800 people from across the country participated.

“If we want to end the depen­ dency of Indian people, we must correct the mistakes of the past,” said Assembly of First Nations Grand Chief Ovide Mercredi.

A full story looking at the RCAP will be published in next week's Tribune.

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Ontario’s sweeping education reform B y D a r r y l L evine

SSMU co u n c il co-speaker Sky J o n d a h l is p lea sed that council can now get back to work

Mclen na n LIBRARY SHERBROOKE

w dattM M vM ENTER FR O M METCALFE

Is y o u r p ig g y b a n k f ru n n in g l o w ?

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your dollar through smart budgeting _- V and helpful hints on saving money

Budget Seminars 'will be held in the Powell Student Services Bldg, Em. 205,3637 Bed St. on the following dates Thu. Feb. 6 1:00 - 2:00am Fri. Feb 7; 11:00- 12:00pm Tue. Feb. 11 4:00-5:00pm Thu. Feb. 13 1:00 - 2:00pm Thu. Feb. 20 1:00-2:00pm For more information please contact The Office of Student Aid at 398-6013/14

Page 3

Major changes could come to Ontario’s post-secondary education system if recommendations from an advisory panel are approved by that province’s PC government.

The A dvisory Panel on the Future of Post-Secondary Education presented John Snobelen, Ontario’s education minister, with 18 recom­ mendations last December. Headed by form er Q ueen’s U niversity Principal David Smith, the panel held consultations with educators, students, business people, and mem­ bers of the general public from across the province.

Sm ith’s major recom m enda­ tions include an end to post-sec­ ondary education cuts, increased government funding for colleges and universities in order to raise it to the national average, a new student loan

program, an end to government regu­ lation of tuition fees, and the possi­ bility of allowing privately-financed universities.

In response, the Ontario govern­ ment announced a freeze on all cuts to education w ithin days of the Advisory Panel’s recommendations.

This announcem ent was well received by student and university groups which had feared that more cuts to education were on the way.

Ontario had reduced their education budget by $400 million in 1994-95.

‘The government has taken the first step by stopping the cuts,” said Rick Martin, president of the Ontario Undergraduate Students’ Alliance.

“Ontario universities receive the lowest government funding of any Canadian province. Hopefully the Smith report’s recommendation to

C ontinued on Page 5

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Page 4

News

February 4th, 1997

Marois stands firm on implementing differential tuition B y R enée D u n k

In a series of le tte rs, Q uebec Education M inister Pauline Marois has rejected all of McGill Principal Bernard Shapiro’s recommendations regarding her recent decision on tuition fees.

In late 1996, Marois announced that as of autumn 1997, out-of-province stu­ dents and international students studying at Quebec universities can expect a tuition increase, while Quebec residents’ tuition will remain the same.

During recent correspondences with Marois, Shapiro outlined several objec­ tions and recommendations regarding the differential tuition fee regulation. Shapiro hopes to at least convince Marois to modi­ fy the policy.

“I did not hope to entirely change the policy, but perhaps suggest a transition stage, with help from the government,” Shapiro said.

In his letters, Shapiro opposed the idea of differential tuition. He believes that tuition should go up, but that as Canadians, all students should be paying the same fees for education.

“It seem s to me that d ifferen tial

tuition rates within Canada are discrimina­ tory,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro also opposed the fact that the government will still be setting internation­ al student rates. Shapiro feels that each university should be responsible for setting this type of tuition. He explained that the international student situation varies from university to university, therefore making it difficult to raise fees universally.

Shapiro brought attention to a recent universal tuition fee increase in Ontario for international students, which caused a rapid drop in enrolment.

He urged Marois in a letter “to look fully into the situation in Ontario to evalu­ ate how the same sorts of repercussions could affect McGill before making any decisions.”

F inally, Shapiro was hoping that M arois w ould consider a process of “grandfathering,” whereby students cur­ rently enrolled in post-secondary programs will be exempt from tuition increases, and the new fees will only apply to new stu­ dents.

“G randfathering will help us deal more justly with the consequences regard­ ing all students in Quebec and at McGill in

particular, until we have more fixed objec­ tives,” Shapiro wrote.

In response to Shapiro’s concerns, Marois reiterated the three decisions con­ cerning tuition rates for the upcoming 1997-98 school year. The three parts of Marois’ differential tuition ruling include out-of-province tuition rates comparable to those in the rest of the country, a tuition freeze for students with Quebec residency, and raises across the board for internation­ al students.

“The decisions concerning Quebec, Canadian and international student rights are dealt with in a general perspective that takes into consideration the budget and the needs of Quebec universities,” Marois con­ cluded.

Although Shapiro was not expecting anything but a reiteration of the policy from Marois, he did not recieve the support and collaboration from the Quebec govern­ ment that he had hoped for.

“The problems that I addressed in my letters still remain unsolved,” Shapiro stat­ ed in a later letter. “I hope that there is a future occasion during which these prob­ lems can be discussed further with the gov­ ernment.”

Shapiro recieves no response fro m Marois

File photo

McGill Senate’s five-year plan stresses ‘economic viability’ B y L a u r a M a c N eil

The McGill Senate updated a new five-year plan last Wednesday by passing 22 recom m endations submitted by the Academic Policy and Planning Committee.

The academic directions and budget strategies for the next five years serve as param étrés within which the university can direct its course of action for the next five years, and they emerge from over a year’s worth of research and dis­ cussion.

C hair o f the A PPC , VP Academic Bill Chan, explained the basic function of the recommenda­ tions within the university.

“These recommendations are the response to a series of consulta­ tions with a number of academic fa c u ltie s in lig h t of b u d g etary considerations implemented by the

Senate to guide McGill’s decision and actions for the next five years,” said Chan.

“T hese reco m m en d atio n s focus on academic quality, efficien­ cy and quality control in academic and non-academic fields,” he con­ tinued. “If the budget is cut, they will tell us where to cut. If the bud­ get increases, which it could, they will tell us where the allocations will go.”

SSMU VP University Affairs Don McGowan, a student represen­ tative at Senate, declared that these recom m endations deal prim arily with concern over the budget crisis.

“I’ve seen the provisional bud­ get allocation for the next year and it is ugly,” said McGowan. “McGill has found itself in a bind, with the non-academic staff with job securi­ ty, tenured professors, and huge fixed costs.”

In response to these budgetary considerations, Senate passed rec­ ommendations preparing a system for evaluating the university’s ‘aca­ demic offerings’, within which the u n iv ersity could p rio ritise the worth of certain programs accord­ ing to their cost.

In the 286th R ep o rt o f the APPC to the Senate containing all the proposed recom m endations, R ecom m endation 1 sum m arises one of the university’s main con­ cerns.

“The university and faculties shall proceed to evaluate units and programs, existing or proposed, in terms of their intrinsic excellence, their contribution to the priorities in support of the mission identified by the university and by the facul­ ty, and their economic viability,” reads the APPC document.

Streamlining and cooperation with other Quebec universities are encouraged in these recommenda­ tions.

R ecom m endation 13 states that “the University should encour­

age established or new programs that could benefit academically and economically through collaboration to consider inter-university cooper­ ation.”

As Recommendation 5 encour­ ages stu d en t d iv e rsity , R ecom m endation 8 req u ests a review of low-enrolment courses and the system of prerequisites and co-requisites “in order to ensure that they do not drain university resources away from core courses and that we utilise our teaching resources fully.”

Recommendation 12 is already being implemented by VP Planning F ran ço is T avenas to supply an express STCUM bus from LionelGroulx to MacDonald Campus so that “the University shall take the necessary steps to enhance the in teractio n and c o llab o ratio n between the downtown campus and MacDonald campuses and ensure a better use of facilities.”

The responsibility for imple­ menting the recommendations hasbeen delegated to the respective

units and departments. Chan men­ tioned the possible creation of an Implementation Committee which would focus on putting all the rec­ ommendations into effect.

“The APPC is now more clear­ ly defining these parameters,” said Chan. “An im plem entation com ­ mittee is one approach to acting upon these recommendations.”

McGowan has a more cynical perception of the use of the fiveyear plan.

“I see these proposals as basi­ cally being a group of pious sug­ gestions,” said McGowan. “What does this mean? Not much. This is a collection of ‘W e’d like to look in this direction’ statements.”

Chan as chair o f the APPC mentioned that there will be future reports to Senate with updates on the im plementation of these pro­ posals.

“What I would like to see is APPC report back to Senate with future progress reports.”

CASA campaigns for education

By T em o C h a la sa n i

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T his w eek, the C anadian Alliance of Student Associations launched a promotional campaign e n title d “ E d u catio n B u ild s a Nation: The Value of Education”.

CA SA N atio n al D irecto r Matthew Hough explained that the campaign aims at marketing edu­ cation and raising awareness. Its primary message is that post-sec­ ondary education affects the future of the country.

“The cam paign is a fram e­ work for prom otional activities.

The campaign will be launched in both official languages and will have a positive, catchy and memo­ rable flavour to it,” he said.

“The p ro v in ces may have jurisdiction over education but the nation needs a vision,” Hough con­ tinued. “We intend to give the stu­

dent bodies ideas to which they will add their own essence address­ ing local issues — there will be a lot of flexibility. To make any dif­ ference federally, we need to inte­ grate the issues facing local com­ munities.”

A ccording to a recent press release, the campaign is designed to last four to six months. It will use such techniques as advertising and visits into the community by student leaders in order to stress the importance of education.

Thirty student leaders from 15 in stitu tio n s in clu d in g M cG ill, University of Waterloo, University of Alberta, and University of New B ru n sw ick m et at O ttaw a and Montreal to discuss the issues of the n atio n a l cam paign. T hese include rising student debt, student m obility, and B ill C-32, an act which amends the copyright act.

Bill C-32 threatens to increase the cost of copying and using certain texts at universities.

At the wine and cheese recep­ tion held for the launch of the pro­ motional campaign last Thursday at M cG ill, CASA leaders w ere pleasantly surprised to see repre­ sentatives from La Fédération des E tu d ia n te s U n iv e rsita ire s du Q uébec and the C o n co rd ia Students’ Union, both of which are not members of CASA. “We at C oncordia are very impressed by the way things are going at CASA and intend to have much closer relations with CASA in the future,” said Don Gagnon, p re sid e n t of the C o n co rd ia Students’ Union.

Phillipe André, who was rep­ resenting FEUQ at the reception, stressed solidarity between franContinued on Page 5

News

February 4th, 1997

Page 5

Students, administration react to Ontario’s education reforms Continued from Page 3 increase government funding will bring Ontario universities up to the national average.”

Deregulation and privatisation The recommendations to dereg­ ulate tuition and permit the establish­ ment of privately-funded universities worry those who fear for university accessibility.

“W e’re concerned about how high tuition might rise if the govern­ ment transfers the responsibility of setting fees to the universities,” said Martin. “Even with the financial aid plan the panel has recommended, there is still the danger some students won’t be able to afford a university education.”

Deregulation does, however, have its supporters. The University of Western Ontario’s VP Academic Greg Moran believes that with more control over tuition fees, universities will be in a better position to recruit the students they want.

“We believe deregulation is rea­ sonable and can be handled responsi­ bly by universities. The U.S. exam­ ple illustrates that competitiveness in recruiting keeps tuition rates from going through the roof.”

Moran counters that privatisa­ tion w ill be harm ful to all of Ontario’s universities.

“Ontario has more than enough universities which need additional governm ent funds,” said Moran.

“P rivate u niversities w ill take research money away from the pub­ licly funded schools. We need to give existing universities more sup­ port.”

Loan payback While student groups may be concerned about deregulation and increasing tuition, they are happy with the financial aid proposals rec­ ommended in the Smith report. The report urges the Ontario government to introduce an income-contingent loan repayment plan. Interest pay­ ments on student loans would be postponed until after graduation, or after a fixed number of years.

In addition, the panel recom­ mends that the interest on loans should be tax deductible, arguing that “taking out a loan to make an invest­ ment in education is analogous to taking out a loan to make a business investment.”

“The Smith report has made some excellent recom m endation regarding student loans,” said Dave T om pskins, President of the University of Western Ontario’s stu­

dent council.

He warns, however, that “the devil is in the details. Implementing the recommendations might prove more difficult.”

A lthough student groups applaud the recommended loan pay­ back system, many worry about the recommendation which would have the government limit the amount of financial assistance it could provide to a student. For example, if the gov­ ernment were to set an upper limit of $5,000 on fees used to calculate the bursary allotment, and if a student had a $10,000 tuition fee, the differ­ ence between the two figures might be too much for some students to handle. Although the Smith report recommends that universities provide their own bursaries to help students make up the difference, student groups still worry the bursary plan might not be enough to help the financially strapped.

“These deregulation proposals have taken the burden off the govern­ ment to ensure an affordable univer­ sity education for Ontario students,” said Tompskins. “The government should keep the cap on tuition.”

William Hsiao

them to handle a larger debt load,” said Associate Dean Jeffrey Gandz.

In a memo last December to the university com m unity, UWO President Paul Davenport maintained that only a limited number of pro­ grams should be privatised and that no other programs at UWO are under active consideration for full-cost recovery.

Still, many students worry that governments are abdicating their rok as guardians of a low cost publicl) funded post-secondary educatior system.

“The role of the provincial gov emment is to ensure that tuition fee: stay at a reasonable level,” sait Tompskins.

“By allowing universities to set their own tuition, students and theii parents will have no more control over tuition costs,” he continued.

“D eregulation w ill open up a Pandora’s box. Where’s the account­ ability going to be if university tuition is too high?”

Privately funded MBA Although unrelated to proposals submitted to the Ontario government, a privatisation project is underway at

U n h a p p y w ith M c G ill?

D is e n c h a n te d w ith S S M U ? H a v e a s to ry to te ll? C a ll 398-D O O M .

FEUQ checks out

the University of Western Ontario which has drawn much attention.

The Senate and Board of Governors have given their approval to a plan which would see UWO's MBA pro­ gram become completely self-sup­ porting. Tuition would rise from its current $3,186 to $18,000 over the next four years.

Larry Tapp, Dean of UWO’s Ivey School of Business, thinks that even at $18,000, their MBA program will still be competitive with others in North America.

“We have to compete for faculty world-wide, and the government is cutting back on grants,” he said. “We have to be able to stand on our own two feet. We are looking to provide a quality program that is an alternative to the one in the U.S.” There has been virtually no opposition to the plan at UWO. The starting salary of last year’s MBA grads was $88,000, and 98 per cent of them found jobs.

“The future of MBA graduates is economically strong which allows

1 143 OUEST DE MAISONNEUVE • MONTREAL, QUEBEC H3A 3B7 TÉLÉPHONE: (514) 288-5275

SUS AWARDS O F E X C E LLE N C E

CASA National Director Matt Hough launches promotional campaign Continued from Page 4 cophone and anglophone students.

“FEUQ, which represents the majority of the francophone stu­ dent community in Quebec, have things in common with McGill and [we] share common values as stu­ dents,” he stated.

The possible involvement of FEUQ in the new campaign will most likely strengthen ties between it and SSMU. The student society p u lle d out o f FEU Q in M arch 1995. because of controversy sur­ rounding its support of Quebec separation.

SSMU VP External Chantal Da S ilva e x p re sse d fa ith in McGill’s continued involvement in the campaign.

“M cG ill will lead the cam ­ paign in Montreal,” she promised.

“Starting in March our campaign will focus on the issue of student mobility. SSMU is presently work­ ing out the details.”

Garret Poston, president of the U niversity of A lberta S tudents’ U nion, drew from e x p erien ce stemming from involvement with a sim ila r cam p aign nam ed “Education Makes Sense”, which was conducted in Alberta last year by the University of Calgary and the U of A. “There are a lot of people who think post-secondary education does not affect their lives,” he said.

Poston was concerned with the m ore p ra c tic a l, fin an cial aspects of the CASA cam paign, and hopes that it will be as suc­ cessful as the Alberta campaign.

“The only problem we foresee is funding for the project,” Poston e x p la in e d . “W e are ex p ectin g sponsorships for the project from schools, governments and business com m unities. L ast y e a r’s cam ­ paign was a great success consid­ ering the financial constraints. We tabled the second largest petition in the history of Alberta.”

The Science Undergraduate Society sponsors two awards of excellence recognizing academic achievement and contributions to the community -

scholarships are valued at $1000 each minimum CGPA: 3.5 significant contributions and com m itm ent to the com m unity m ust be a full-tim e scien ce student must be continuing in a full-tim e degree program financial need is not a consideration

Pick up an application in the SU S office (Burnside 1B19).

The deadline is M A R C H 7, 1997.

Q uestions? Call Karen K w ok (V P A cadem ic) at 3 9 8 -6 9 7 9 or em ail at acad em ic@ su s.m cgill.ca.

February 4th, 1997

Page 6

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E

Published by the S tudents’ Society of M cGill University

McGILL TRIBUNE “People who know little are usually great talkers, while men who know much say little.”

— Jean Jacques Rousseau L iz L a u Editor-in-chief Sa r a J e a n G reen Assistant Editor-in-chief

R a c h e l St o k o e Assistant Editor-in-chief

E d i t o r i a l

W hither FERC? B y D a v id B u sh n e ll

Time passes without us. In the story of what was and what will be, our efforts will most likely be summarily forgotten. Change often occurs seem­ ingly anti-climaetieally, and the blood, sweat, and tears put toward the implementation of change are memorialised by an emptiness of the soul after the toil is no more, after the unstoppable force and the unmovable object relinquish their roles.

Pepsi’s recent economic withdrawal from Bunna serves to remind us of the folly of narrow-minded striving. The contract between Pepsi and the Students’ Society of McGill University — and especially the ethical impli­ cations of dealing with a corporation which also did business with a military dictatorship — raised some questions, many of which had never been asked before. In the course of the contract controversy, every student aware of the dispute came to form an opinion, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that the spectre of tuition hikes is the only issue which inspired the student population more over the last eighteen months. Countless pamphlets, news­ paper articles, and letters to the editor appeared. The fervour was so great — and so ignored by the SSMU — that it led students to create the Financial Ethics Research Committee, the first significant— and potentially effective —- group to appear in years at McGill. Due in large part to the inestimable hours of work from a handful of dedicated individuals, FERC leaped the SSMU’s referendum hurdle — and the machinations of two SSMU council­ lors — with ease, and came into fruition last March.

Its mission was simple. FERC aimed to prevent future lapses of ethical reason. Thanks to FERC, the SSMU would have a clean conscience, at least when it came to its business dealings. No longer would the supporters of fascism have a home in the Shatner Building. Hey-hey, ho-ho, it was Pepsi’s time to go.

SSMU’s intricately-worded labyrinth of a constitution, though, would allow FERC to stand as only an “advisory body,” relegating the committee to the position where it could make only recommendations to SSMU, rec­ ommendations which would not necessarily ensure action. Polite-but-firm letters were the most serious action that FERC — now just another lame duck in SSMU’s pond — could perform.

No matter how stultifying the situation, there always loomed the spirit of Pepsi. Pepsi was the mission statement, the glaring model of corporate villainy. FERC could look at Pepsi's name on the office dartboard and feel secure that there is evil in the world, that the mere existence of this simple committee was a line in the sand, if nothing else.

Last week, Pepsi announced that it will sever ties with Burma.

Suddenly there is an emptiness at SSMU. The Big Bad Wolf no longer exists. There is victory, and though the goal was years in the making, there is also a feeling of disappointment. Pepsi beat FERC and SSMU by pulling out of Burma and citing “current U.S. government foreign policy.” There was nary a mention of human rights, of concerned citizens and boycotts, of socially responsible university kids. There was only Uncle Sam. And SSMU must live with Pepsi — and Pepsi’s attitude — for at least another three years, until the contract expires.

Its impetus for conception gone, FERC has a weight lifted from its shoulders, only to have another burden take its place. One might very well ask the question: was FERC a one-trick pony, the one trick being Pepsi?

Now is the time for the committee to establish an identity, to actively research companies and vocally laud or denounce them, regardless of their relationship with SSMU. Inaction today would be disastrous for SSMU’s financial ethics tomor­ row. FERC might very well quietly slip into obscurity, and we’ll just go back to our delicious carbonated beverages.

Entertainment Editors Marc Gilliam Anya Spethmann Features Editors Samantha Lapedus Elizabeth Wasserman

Stop the Press

Don McGowan: a potential Outreach volunteer?

In the January 21 issue of the Tribune, Don McGowan included an ad to inform M cGill students of his responsibilities to them, and to p u b lic ise th e p ro je c ts upon which he is working. In his adver­ tisement, [McGowan] wrote that one project that particularly inter­ ested him was the development of a cam p u s g ro u p th a t w ould add ress the re sp o n sib ility th at men have to com bat the current sexist, social environment that tol­ e ra te s m ale v io le n c e a g a in st women. As he so eloquently said: “ It co n cern s m e th at we d o n ’t seem to have a group at McGill d ed icated to the idea th at men have a responsibility to fight sex­ ism.”

In lig h t o f h is c o n c e rn , M cG ow an e x p la in e d th a t he w ould lo c k w ith in the SSM U organisation to see if any current­ ly existing group could take on the role of addressing the respon­ sibility that men have to combat sexism if provided with adequate financial support from SSMU. In the a b sen ce o f su ch a g ro u p , M cG ow an su g g e ste d th a t he would initiate the development of a new organisation himself.

If o n ly M cG ow an had scanned the list of SSMU organi­ sations sooner! He w ould have learned that the Sexual A ssault Centre on cam pus (SACOM SS) includes the Outreach Program, an educational and pro-active branch o f the centre that perform s the very function he is talking about.

Run by 17 men and 17 wom en volunteers, O u treach ’s prim ary goal is to raise awareness in the M cGill and M ontreal com m uni­ ties about issues pertaining to sex­ ual assault, particularly those con­ cerning acquaintance rape.

Increasing p eo p le’s aw are­ ness about sexual assault is best a c h ie v e d w hen p e o p le re fle c t upon and q u e stio n th e ir ow n b eliefs and b eh av io u r. To this end, we facilitate discussions with a variety o f groups in which per­ sons are encouraged to participate and share their opinions on the topic. During the 1995/96 acade­ mic session, the O utreach pro­ gram spoke with several thousand individuals. At McGill, our volun­ teers participated in the training of

E-mail the Tribune, if you dare! tribune@ssmu.mcgill.ca

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the Frosh Leaders, Walksafe, and G erts’ staff, and they visited all the residences, many sororities and fra te rn itie s, and academ ic d e p a rtm e n ts. O ff-c a m p u s, we sought out and accepted invita­ tions to numerous groups such as high schools, CEGEPs, and youth organisations.

B ut p e rh a p s the fa c t th a t O utreach is not run entirely by m ale v o lu n te e rs c o n c e rn s McGowan. Perhaps he would pre­ fer to organise an all-male group to combat sexism that works inde­ pendently of the different wom ­ ens’ organisations on campus. If so, we q u estio n his ju d g m en t.

Certainly, men have an important role to play if sexism is to be min­ imised in our society; we are the perpetrators of sexual violence, we are still in the m ajo rity o f p o sitio n s o f po w er, and our b e lie fs and n eed s c o n tin u e to inform so much of public policy.

T h u s, we m ust w ork to change our conduct, attitudes, and the infrastructure around which so much of our society functions. In doing so, however, we need to lis­ ten to the w ishes and heed the ideas of the many women who are addressing the same social prob­ lem . F or it is w om en, and not men, who are disadvantaged and d ise m p o w e re d by th e p re s e n t social milieu. And it is not men’s ro le to re -e m p o w e r w om en; women do not need us to do it for them. Any belief to the contrary is part of the problem.

In light of the above facts, we think that O utreach provides an optimal environm ent for men to address th eir resp o n sib ility for fighting sexism. It gives them the opportunity to engage in dialogue with women who have a variety of concerns relating to the issue; dialogue, which in turn, will allow men to decide how they may best contribute to the efforts to elimi­ nate sexual violence.

Happily, this sentim ent was shared by the greater M ontreal Community. In March 1996, the im portance and effectiveness of our program was recognised when the Comité d ’Action Femmes et S e c u rité U rb a in e p re se n te d Outreach with one of its four Prix S ecu rité des F em m es. CA FSU

Staff Manny Almela, Mila Aung-Thwin, Keith Campbell, Rebecca Catching, Temo Chalasani, Park Cho, Drew Cormack, Amy DiNolo, Renée Dunk, Paul Futhey, Ethan Holda, William Hsiao, Amin Kassam, Graham Kay, Sarah Keenlyside, Angie Kim. Leslie Kriekle, Samuel Lapalme-Remis, Michelle Lee, Darryl Levine, Randy Levitt, Lucy Lowes, Laura MacNeil, Dom Michaud, Kris Michaud, The Mihn Luong, Dave Morris, Harris Newman, Aaron Rollins, Melissa Radier, Heather Ritch, Patricia Rowland.

Sara Rutkowski, Aijun Taneja, Jason Young

was particularly im pressed with the m anner in w hich O utreach addresses the responsibility that men have to elim inate the prob­ lem of sexual assault in our soci­ ety.

N o d o u b t O u tre a c h n eeds more money, particularly to raise the issue in the minds of men on campus. A joke about Rohypnol in th e P lu m b e r ’s F a u c e t last semester indicates how little many male students have thought about the numerous issues surrounding the sexism that colours our cam­ pus, and society at large. This n eed s to c h an g e. A nd m en in Outreach are willing to contribute to that change.

So, D on, w e e x p ect th a t a cheque is in the m ail. You can send it to S A C O M S S , 3480 M cTavish, Suite 430, M ontreal QC, H3A 1X9. Or call 398-2700.

We could pick up the cheque per­ sonally.

One last thing. Your eager­ ness to accept the responsibility that you have as a man to combat sexism is ad m irable. O utreach w ould be m ore than w illing to interview you for one of our vol­ unteer positions. We recruit in the beginning of September. Look for the signs for more information at the start of the next fall term. In the mean time, you might encour­ age SSM U c o u n c il to in v ite Outreach to facilitate for them a discussion about the issues relat­ ing to sexual a ssa u lt. C o uncil rejected our offer last semester.

Better to lead by action than by words. Don’t you think?

The Outreach Men: Paul Grossman, Sasha Dubrovsky, Aiyanas Ormond, Carl Hofbauer, Daniel Hertzman, Daniel Marchand, Jason Ruttan, J e ff Canetti, John Shestowsky, Lawrence Ioannou, Michael Bernstein, Peter Bevan, Vorravit Siripark, Walter Hooper, Zvi Ish-Shalom, Paul Ruel, Paul Kershaw

Clarification: We feel no small amount of shame for putting in all those filler boxes advertising the ABSOLUTELY FREE Valentine’s announce­ ments in next week’s Tribune, but we must stress that they exist and that you should take advantage of them, sexy girl/boy.

O p in io n

February 4th; 1997

Page 7

Ode to Snow, Woe of Car, Fear of Armageddon and salt stains You might as well get used to the fact that the snow is here and will never leave. The city workers have slipped up and fallen a few steps behind; snowbanks will con­ tinue to increase in size until July. There will be a slight amount of melt­ ing, but not enough to clear the way for the tulips. The snow will linger until it begins to snow again. M ontreal will cease being a bi-seasonal town (Spring and Fall, being moderates, w ill go w ith . Sum m er to Vancouver).

Of course, as a pedestrian, you are somewhat elated by this news.

Pedestrians in the city have a spe­ cial relationship with snow, as it transforms you into a more efficient transportation device than an auto­ mobile. You’re sentient, don’t need parking and your traction is much

better, provided you have proper boots.

You are a pedestrian in the city, one of the only demographic groups who can enjoy the snow as a

[italics mine] M ila Aung-Thwin complete novelty. You may hate the cold, but you look forward to the white landscape. Compare the mood of pedestrians with that of drivers the morning after a snowfall. For you, snow is a bizarre gift; you walk outside and think, hmm, inter­ esting, how seasonal, and continue wherever you were going. Perhaps you whistle. Those with cars (or, light-duty trucks) begin planning their complaining tactics. Their cars

are now irrelevant.

Automobile owners just can’t frolic in the winter. You have never seen someone get out of his car and then playfully throw his passenger into a snowdrift. Yet pedestrians do this all the time, it’s a game that probably doesn’t make any sense to drivers, who must remain hostile at all times for the entire duration o f w inter. Pedestrians can often be seen throw ing each other into snowdrifts after a storm; drivers are much too hostile at the cruel tw ist of nature that forces them to park in snowbanks. True, drivers are often skiers but this is not frolicking. Skiing is a driver’s hostile dream of the subjugation of snow.

Snow is how the universe bal­ ances out the magical fun a car pro­ vides in the summer. As a pedestri­ an, you wince at the Beach Boy

summers automobile drivers auto­ matically enjoy in their little deuce coupes. As a pedestrian, you have to live in a hot town, summer-inthe-city, with the hostile realism of The Lovin’ Spoonful, back of your neck feeling dirt and gritty.

You know there must be some reason why you stay in this climate, and it can’t be simple inertia. Where would you go? To a place where the only buffer between summer is a m ilder version of summer? You need the sobering love that only snow can provide: the love of a dominatrix.

If you are still not convinced that snow, and to a certain extent, w inter in g eneral, are p o sitive things, think of the alternative: Global Death. The most current sci­ entific and popular anxiety is that the world will be struck by a large asteroid and life as we know it will be destroyed. If the object strikes

The cruel joke we played on ourselves , “B a sta rd ,” y elled V ice President External Affairs, Chantal DaSilva. The comment, directed at P resid en t C hris C arter was an appropriate réintroduction for me as I proceeded to walk into council for the first time as an observer in the gallery.

A fter serving for over two years on our beloved le g isla ­ tive council I swore that I would never return, but felt compelled to do so after hearing of the countless tales of bickering and squabbling that have erupted throughout the year.

Ms. D a S ilv a ’s com m ents proved to be just the tip of the ice­ berg. Indeed, this is a council in crises brought on by the clash of wildly inflated egos. It is a council where personal animosities, m is­ trust, self-indulgence and sheer stu­ pidity reig n suprem e.

Consequently, there has been a full scale search to find explanations as to how and why a bunch of educat­ ed leaders transform them selves into bickering school children week after week. The following is a syn­ opsis of these theories and their rel­ evance in terms of understanding the current tensions prevalent at SSMU.

Explanation #2: President Chris Carter lacks leader­ ship and is dragging Council down with him; In many regards this belief has been espoused primarily by bitter

I witness

Explanation #1: Divisions among Executives are playing out in Council: While it is true that this year’s executive is unprecedented in its desire to air out its dirty laundry and to antagonise one another, divi­ sions among executives is nothing new. In fact, a divided executive has become somewhat of a hall­ mark at SSMU with history provid­ ing numerous examples. While a more unified executive could cer­ tainly ease some of the strain, histo­ ry has shown such divisions do not have translate into an ineffective legislative body.

Am in Kassam individuals upset over the fact that Mr. C arter won the election for p re sid e n t to start off w ith.

Nevertheless, our fearless leader would be well advised to drop his “I ’m the victim” song and dance which has become tired and drawn out. As much as “Christ” Carter would like to be viewed as a martyr for social ju stice, the S tudents’ Society would perhaps be better served by someone who brought students together instead of divid­ ing them with such silly and illthought schemes, such as council reorganisation. However, to pin this issue on just one individual is simply short-sighted and ignorant.

Explanation #3: C ouncil is too id eo lo g ically polarised: This is perhaps one of the most popular and ludicrous excuses pro­ posed. The fact remains that ideo­ logical divisions do not necessarily have to tran slate into childlike squabbling. Intelligent and articu­ late debate can and should be strengthened by differences in opin­ ion. Unfortunately, there is a seri­ ous vacuum of mature independent thinkers who are not willing to set aside their own personal agendas.

The re su lt are co u n cillo rs who d eterm ine w here they stand on issues based on which proponent they identify with personally and ideologically, without giving any thought to the issue at hand and its repercussions for students at large.

U ltim ately , blam e c a n ’t be

the ocean, it means tsunamis and Global Death. If the object strikes land then it means fires and earth­ quakes and dust blocking the sun’s light and Global Death. However, if the asteroid strikes a large mountain of snow, such as the ones the city of Montreal'has strategically placed all over town, the world is saved. The snow gets knocked into the air and then it snow s again. So w hat?

Y ou’re used to it. Or, the snow melts. Drivers will be able to find their cars and everything goes on as normal. At the very worst, all the dust that’s knocked into the air will block the sun and we begin a new ice age. So what? You’re a pedestri­ an in the city, an ice age will not effect you, let the drivers worry about it.

Mr. Aung-Thwin will continue his career as philosopher/meteorologist/ideological Grand Poobah in a Leacock near you.

While we don't publish death threats [anymore], almost anything else is printable for our special Valentine's Day issue.

Keep it under 25 words.

Boxes for submissions in Shatner.

You so lovely. We love you!

placed on either one person or a group of individuals. In fact, not only is council as a whole to blame, but we as students are just as guilty for neither demanding excellence from our leaders and institutions nor encouraging or putting forward strong candidates who are willing to set aside personal agendas and differences. Indeed, it is a cruel joke that we’ve all played on our­ selves.

Mr. Kassam will continue his ca reer as p h ilo so p h er/C h ris Carter’s PR advisor/rabble rouser in a Leacock near you.

M cGill Consortium For Ethnicity & Strategic Social Planning School O f Social W ork, M cG ill University

Presents

G E M T L E

Caribbean Youth in Canada: The Challenge of a Multicultural Society

D E N T A L CARE

AN EXCITING LECTURE BY

Professor Jewelle Taylor Gibbs

Dr. Gabriel Buck

Zellerbach Family Fund Professor of Social Policy Author of several books

381*1023

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Page 8

February 4th, 1997

Ontarians up in arms over Tim Horton’s grand opening aquarius (Jan. 19-Feb. 18) Do you know that if you really like a candy company you should write them a nasty letter com plaining about quality and enclose the empty container of the said candy and they’ll send you a big box full of the treat that you poo-pooed? It’s the same thing with relationships.

Start treating the person who you’re in love with like crap, and it’s guaranteed s/he’11 give you twice the affection you crave. pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Pepsi pulled out of Burma. What’s left for a budding anarchist to do?

Keep defacing the Shatner signs — I’m sure they’re engaged in other im m oral activ ities that w arrant harassment.

aries (March 21-April 19) Is it wrong to go on a date when your heart is with someone else? It all depends what your chances are that “someone else” gives a shit

Horoskop C. Bronte about you. If not (don’t kid yourself about it), MOVE ON!!! taurus (April 20-May 20) The cheat notes you wrote on your palm before your midterm have faded into your skin like a tattoo.

Out damn spot! Use a mixture of vinegar and turpentine to scour your guilt.

gemini (May 21-June 20) You need to adopt a new attitude tow ards m id-w inter depression.

Make cue cards that read “Laugh”, “Smile” and “Happiness.” Positive affirmation is the only thing that’ll make the mean reds go away. cancer (June 20-July

22)

L egions of Royal Commision On Aboriginal People conferencers have left your house in sham bles. Who says it pays to be philanthropic? Sucker some Canadian studies majors into helping pick up the pieces. leo (July 23-Aug. 22) You fall horribly short when mea­ sured against Martha Stewart. So does the rest of the natural universe.

Put your home-made wreaths in the closet and start buying pastry shells -— despite what she’d have you believe, your dinner guests can’t tell the difference. virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) That “Body P olitics” special on television has got you thinking. Are you defeating yourself with your preoccupations? Subverting the dominant ideology will make you an outcast — pick up some free Flirts at SSMU and embrace the sta­ tus quo. libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Your fridge keeps saying “Smell my innards” when you walk by. It’s a cry for help! Throw away the left­ overs and stop your inner voices.

1

Have you ever felt like stealing everything? You should. Capitalism is just plain bad. It values some people more than others. Why do you think 97 per cent of the world’s land is controlled by 1 per cent of the population (or something like that)?

Capitalism — and its equally evil twin, democracy — are the root of [most] evil.

Now is the time to take arms! Steal everything! Kill your boss!

Write a Valentine’s m essage of 25 words or less and let the Tribune publish it next week!

Or just go back to being a little ball of bitterness.

And yes, only you can read this secret message.

Awardof Distinction

The Students’ Society Award of Distinction is a cash scholarship awarded to those students who mix a high level of scholastic achievement w ith a substantial involvement in th eir community.

If you think you are such a person (o r even if you don't but your friends think you are), pick up an apphcation form from the SSMll desk in the lobby of the Shatner Building.

3

S

10 13

32

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2

33

38 41

J

ACROSS I Aryan Rural Banal 4 Cablegram, abbr.

7 Othello Bites It 10 Sonny and Cher (when they were together) II A major division of geological time 12 If Fran Drescher was a Brit, this is what they’d call her affectionately 13 How to get to Dante’s inferno 15 The compass point that is one point north of due east 16 Beaten eggs or an egg mixture cooked until just set 18 What teenagers call their parties 21 A C aucasian who speaks a Semitic language 24 Makes angry 26 Plural of the magical drug in Brave New World 27 What people felt about Marilyn Monroe 29 Part-time employee 30 Seraphe, except drop the h 32 — Humbug 34 A geek is ------— 38 Reverence 39 New Kids Rock 40 What Michael Jackson thought himself 41 Not or (what) 42 You have two of ‘em on yer face 43 Type of hair style worn by the Beatles

scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Your Du M aurier collector’s tin container is looking weathered to say the least. Splurge on one of those Valentine M&M containers for your significant other. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Shiva pushed you down on the road and laughed. Keep the cycle of vio­ lence going and beat up Buddha — he’s fat, got weird hair, and kids love him!

S a g it t a r iu s

capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Living for others has put you at a disadvantage. Forget ‘em and take back the night — they can unclog their own toilets.

I’ r r_

DOWN 1 D eterm ine the sum of » 2 European strongscented perennial herb with graygreen bitter-tasting leaves 3 Boss Over Sucked 4 A way to buzz 5 Ernest minus the t 6 Vessels 7 At some prior time 8 Founder of Babism 9 Hostelry 14 Cling 17 In a way, behaved 18 Lack there of made Pamela Lee infamous 19 The work of caring for or attend­ ing to someone or something 20 When you’ve spent too much time at Gert’s you’re --------22 A woolen cap of Scottish origin 23 The X-files count on this phenom­ enon 25 At peace 28 Dark plus the second to last letter in the alphabet 31 When someone hasn’t done any­ thing incriminating 32 The cry made by sheep 33 Slender bristlelike appendage found on the bracts of grasses 35 Big Blue 36 Religion that Pooh believes in 37 Electronic data processing 8

9

Created by the Cogix Crossword Wizard

Solution to last week’s puzzle

February 4th, 1997

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Page 9

A breath of fresh air: Mother nature cleans up the boardroom New bio-filtration systems combat the decades-old problem of Sick Building Syndrome

Dr. Michael Dixon, ecological engineer and professor of horticulture sciences, proudly described his office at the University of Guelph.

“I’ve got an ecosystem in a bowl here,” he said. “Fish swimming around, roots of plants growing down into it. It’s in my window. I have a piece of ivy 15 feet long growing along my bookcase and down my computer terminal.”

Dixon’s ‘ecosystem in a bowl’ is an example of new technology in bio­ filtration systems, developed in part from Dixon’s own research in indoor air quality issues, and manufactured by the Toronto-based Genetron Systems, Inc. These new and costly bio-filtration systems are used to combat building-related illnesses, col­ lectively known as Sick Building Syndrome.

The system s, usually set up along a wall of an office, filter air through a relatively self-sustaining, self-contained mini-ecosystem which can consist of running water, plants, insects, fish, and even small amphib­ ians.

G enetron Systems hopes to someday produce more affordable and accessible system s. At the moment, however, purchasing one of their products could put quite a dent in your wallet. Their smallest home model costs about $10,000 while a small office model costs about $60,000.

The extravagant and highly pub­ licised Breathing Wall in Toronto’s Canada Life Building cost approxi­ m ately $1 m illion. It boasts of approximately 800 plant species, 50 aquatic animal species, a large num­ ber of insects, a lava-rock surface, and

B l a c k

water which sprays down from the ceiling into a pool.

Wolfgang Amelung, a horticul­ turist and experimental engineer, is the head of Genetron Systems, which he founded 11 years ago. His basic premise is that nature can do a better job than machines at cleaning and fil­ tering air.

“We’re using engineering power to create an interface between man’s technology and nature’s technology, to multiply exponentially what nature does,” he explained. “There’s a limit to the m echanical ways of doing things. But there’s no limit to what live and living things can do.”

M c G ill’s D r. Menzies

William Hsiao

Polluted air Building-related illnesses are a widespread problem caused mostly by low levels of humidity and airborne pollutants. The pollutants come from building m aterials, the external atmosphere, and even from office workers themselves. When trapped in a badly ventilated building, these pol­ lutants can cause a variety of medical ailments including respiratory prob­ lems as well as nose, eye and throat irritations.

In addition, high carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels, resulting

H i s t o r y

M o n t h :

from faulty ventilation sys­ tems and too many people sharing air in confined space, can cause fatigue, headaches and difficulty concentrating.

This can lead to a decrease in office productivity.

Dr. Richard Menzies, an epidemiology and bio-statistics professor at McGill, has done research on buildingrelated illnesses. He con­ firmed that “with very poor fresh air quotient, carbon dioxide will be high and will make people sleepy. Carbon monoxide will have even worse effects.”

Menzies explained that Volatile Organic Compounds, which often lend a chemical smell to an office space, are the main culprits.

VOCs include toluene, which is pro­ duced by old photocopiers and build­ ing materials; formaldehyde from pressed wood furniture and glues; and tricloroethane (TCE), the carcino­ genic fluid used in dry-cleaning.

Dixon stressed that it is not diffi­ cult for some of these chemicals to reach relatively high levels.

“If you have twelve directors in suits that have just been dry-cleaned that week, then your TCE levels go up dramatically,” he said.

Specific hydrocarbons such as benzene, used in photo processing and print shops, are also dangerous and carcinogenic. They can spread beyond the darkroom and permeate the building, especially in airtight buildings, with sealed windows and mechanical ventilation, where the same air is constantly re-circulated.

Imitating nature The Breathing Wall, and systems like it, work on several levels. On a psychological level, they lend the sight of flowers and the sound of run­ ning water to an otherwise aestheti­

T h e

f i r st

pa r t

cally sterile environment. On a physi­ cal level, the plants consume excess carbon dixoide and replace it with fresh oxygen. Additionally, both the plants and the microbes present in the mini-ecosystem filter noxious chemi­ cals out of the air.

Alan Darlington, a postgraduate student at the University of Guelph, works with Dixon and manages the day-to-day research conducted in Toronto.

He explained that many of the higher life forms, such as salamanders and frogs, are primarily there to sup­ port the complex food web and other natural cycles.

“Though we mostly rely on microbes, we need everything to upkeep the ecosystem ,” said Darlington. “We try to keep it as selfsustaining as possible.”

Darlington sees indoor biofiltra­ tion as a way of mimicking the natur­ al mechanisms used to rectify prob­ lems in a traumatised ecosystem.

“In an outdoor setting, nature can recover from a severe contamina­ tion, for example, an oil spill,” he said. “We are trying to speed up that process by finding those microbes that turn harmful materials into harm­ less materials.”

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Mechanical ventilation For those of us who can not afford a Breathing Wall, there is still hope.

According to Menzies, a basic office check up for levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide as well as certain pollutants can cost as little as $500.

And, according to a study done

by Dr. Jean Bourbeau, now a researcher at the Royal V ictoria Hospital and a newcomer to McGill’s faculty of medicine, office workers afflicted by building-related illnesses can find relief through such simple measures as maintaining better venti­ lation systems and keeping separate rooms for old photocopy equipment and smokers.

“The beginning step is always to address the health problem. Then we go to the workplace and assess the ventilation,” said Bourbeau.

M enzies, who has conducted research with Bourbeau, explained the results simply.

“If you take people out of a building with bad ventilation and put them in a building which is clean, well humidified and well ventilated,

C ontinued on Page 10

s e r i e s

Digging up the past: slave cemetery uncovers history Newly discovered cemetery in the Eastern Townships brings attention to Canada’s historical role in the slave trade B y M elissa R a d le r

As Black History Month com­ m em orates the achievem ents of blacks in North America, the discov­ ery of a slave cemetery in the Eastern Townships has stimulated interest in Canada’s own black history.

After human skeletal remains were unearthed in the fields of Rejean Benoit in the town of SaintArmand Station, Hank A very, a grade three school teacher, lodged a formal grievance. He complained of “grave desecration” to the local authorities in an effort to commemo­ rate what is known to locals as ‘Nigger Rock,’ a communal slab of limestone around which an estimated 30 freed slaves were laid to rest. He has since found two, similar cemeter­ ies in Know lton, Quebec and in Westfield, New Brunswick.

Although the Montreal Gazette reported initial hostility between sur­ veyor and landowner, Avery stated that Benoit has agreed to construct a

historical marker on the property, and to open it to the public.

“This is an opportunity to create, for the black com m unity, a holy place,” said Avery. “It will be a chal­ lenge to the black community to be responsible to maintain these sites and not allow anyone else to [disre­ spect] them.”

Surprisingly, the name ‘Nigger Rock’ is not deemed offensive by the townspeople, and is used freely by both Avery and Saint-A rm and’s mayor, Brent Chamberlin.

“I don’t know who gave it the name,” said Chamberlin. “Probably whoever discovered it and decided to name it, maybe for a lack of etiquette or education, came up with the name and it stuck.”

D iscovery of the cem etery aroused a measure of town pride when the burial ground was traced back to C olonel Philip Luke, a United Empire Loyalist. According to local folklore, Luke travelled to Florida every year where he bought

eight slaves and set them free in Quebec.

The Saint-Armand cemetery is the fourth slave cemetery to have been discovered in Canada. In Birchtown, Nova Scotia, an attempt to build a new town dump over a cemetery prompted local outcry, and officials ceased the project in favour of a bronze historical marker.

According to the less exalted facts of Canadian history, the first African slave was sold in Quebec in 1628 and, until 1783, the majority of Canadian blacks were slaves. In 1783, 3,500 free black Loyalists set­ tled in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, along with the thousands of white Loyalists who brought their slaves with them. After the War of 1812, thousands of black American slaves arrived in Halifax, where they were promised freedom under British protection. Slavery was abolished throughout Canada in 1833.

Between the years of 1833 and 1863, when the Em ancipation

Proclamation was passed in the U.S., thousands of slaves were spirited through slave territory to free states, the Caribbean and Canada by way of the Underground Railroad. The UR — composed of individuals, such as Colonel Luke, and small groups of Q uakers, free blacks, Native Americans, and abolitionists — was an informal network of paths and roads, through swamps, mountains, rivers and seas, along which protec­ tive shelters were set up at intervals of 10 to 30 miles.

In 1850, when the U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which rendered it illegal to har­ bour runaway slaves even in free states, the UR network was extended so that most of its roads led to Canada. By the time of the American Emancipation, Canada’s black popu­ lation had reached 60, 000.

According to McGill history professor Michael Echenberg, slaves who arrived in Canada faced a very different kind of social hardship than

that suffered by those emancipated in the UnitedStates. Suddenly, they found themselves in a predominantly white society, devoid of the African American culture that had developed among the numerous and populous black communities south of the bor­ der.

“One of the worst things about slavery is that it is social death. This social death is bad enough as it is, but it is multiplied when it is lived out in such isolation,” said Echenberg. “At least in the American slave system, people in the [African] diaspora had created a world for themselves.”

Dorothy W illiams, author of Blacks in Montreal 1628-1986: an Urban Demography, expressed con­ fidence that the discovery of slave cemeteries will awaken people to the long-obscure history of blacks in Canada.

“We’re always fighting invisi­ b ility ,” said W illiam s, “because we’ve been erased from the historical record.”

Pageio Features

February 4 th, 1997

Feng Shui: finding fortune in furniture

Buildings...

Continued from Page 9 people will feel better, work better, and continue to work better,” he stat­ ed.

Menzies stated that, from a prac­ tical point of view, many problems are not difficult or extremely expen­ sive to solve. However, drastic mea­ sures, such as the total restructuring of ventilation systems, can be costly.

“If the problem is one of filtra­ tion, then it is not expensive to fix.

But if you want to move your air intake from the ground level, where there are trucks, diesel fumes, and animal droppings to the top of the building, where the air is cleaner,

then it can be expensive,” he explained.

However, Menzies feels that, despite the initial costs of refurbish­ ing eco-unfriendly work spaces, building design and maintenance have improved on account of greater awareness about building-related ill­ nesses.

“The concepts we are studying have led to better building construc­ tion practices,” he stated. “New build­ ings are built to avoid some of these problems. New ground rules have been set in inspection that ensure that ducts are not blocked and filters are clean.”

the ancient philosophy a year ago when she met a Feeling unfulfilled in your rela­ Feng Shui expert while tionships? Has your budget slipped visiting Taos, New through your fingers? Perhaps it is M exico. Soon after, time you “Feng Shuied” your apart­ Valmai began her studies at the Western School of ment.

Feng Shui, meaning wind and Feng Shui, where rigor­ water, is the ancient Chinese art of ous training and a natural placement. Based on the Taoist phi­ flair for interior design losophy of humanity’s relationship to are essential prerequisites the environment, Feng Shui makes for Feng Shui.

“It involves about use of the elements of nature to deter­ mine how an individual’s home or 50 per cent intuition and office could better promote well­ 50 per cent knowledge of the formal principles,” being.

According to the Feng Shui said Valmai. “It is a A ssociation, which m aintains an holistic approach to the extensive website on the Internet, the environment. In Western aim of performing Feng Shui is to civilisation, we have dis­ harmonise all levels of energy within regarded intuition and the an environment. This could involve way we feel. But you changing a colour scheme, knocking need that, along with the down walls, or simply hanging a pic­ principles.”

According to these ture. These adjustments are thought to be intimately connected to the indi­ principles, every dwell­ vidual’s life and can ultimately foster ing or building consists of nine areas, each corre­ happiness, health and prosperity.

Valmai Howe-Elkins has made sponding to an area of an important career move thanks to our lives, including liiiffiitfw r-----— ..................... ............................ ........... ,— ------Rachel Ong the principles of Feng Shui. The health, relationships, Chinatown’s Holiday Inn isfaithful to Feng Shui Montreal writer is a practitioner of the prosperity, and commu­ ancient philosophy and will be open­ nity. In applying Feng ing her Feng Shui consulting firm, Shui, these zones must be brought toward an end,” explained Valmai.

Dragon Farm International, early this into harmony with the elements of “All we can say is that we can create nature. This promotes the flow of pos­ harmony and little miracles can hap­ spring.

“All my life I used the principles itive energy, which, if obstructed, can pen.”

While the art of Feng Shui has of Feng Shui without even knowing have a negative effect on an individ­ only recently caught on in the west, it it,” said Valmai. “From the time I was ual’s personal life.

However, Feng Shui experts can­ has long been practised by the a little girl 1 would walk into a room and say ‘this doesn’t feel right’ and I not promise any immediate transfor­ Chinese and in Chinatowns across North American. mations. would want to change it.”

The M ontreal C hinatow n’s “Feng Shui is not directed Valmai was first introduced to Holiday Inn is perhaps the most recognisable product of Feng Shui.

Susan Huang, an administrative assis­ tant for the hotel, explained how, shortly after it was built in 1991, the Holiday Inn consulted a Feng Shui expert, with the hope of improving business. The main doors were moved to achieve Southern exposure and the fourth floor was wiped from exis­ tence.

“For Chinese [people], the num­ ber four is very unlucky. Most Chinese buildings don’t have a fourth floor,” Huang explained.

Although Feng Shui might not sit well with western sensibilities, £ corel practitioners warn against labelling it “New Age.” # NEWBRIDGE Valmai argued, “There is an awful lot of ‘New A ge’ garbage around but Feng Shui is different. It is Each of the companies listed here, When you combine your university old, disciplined, and accessible. We and many more, have hired recent degree with a post graduate program can modify some of the principles for ITI graduates, because they have from ITI Information Technology Western application and we have to the skills they need.

Institute, you become a qualified infor­ be quite humble about it.” mation technology professional - the Although scepticism still per­ To find out how you can acquire these kind employers are looking for right sists, given the shaky economic times skills, call today to receive a brochure, now. and the high cost of decent therapy, Feng Shui might be just what people to arrange a convenient time for a ITI’s nine month Applied Information are looking for. In that case, sub­ personal appointment or to register Technology program is completely scribers to “the art of placement” for an information session. market driven and is taught by qualified would indeed have the last laugh.

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N o m in a t io n s a re n o w o p e n fo r th e f o llo w in g p o s it io n s : Elections: ★ Chief Returning Officer Elections Coordinators (2)

Publications: Tribune Editor-in-Chief Old McGill Editor-in-Chief Red Herring Editor-in-Chief i SSMU Handbook Coordinator(s) ★ Telephone Directory Coordinators (2)

Activities: ^ September Frosh Program Coordinators (2) January Frosh Program Coordinators (2) Welcome Week Coordinators 7 Winter Carnival Coordinator(s) Blood Drive Coordinators (2) Culturefest Coordinator(s) ★ Activities & Clubs Night Coordinators (2) # Used Textbook Exchange Coordinator(s) Exam/Test Bank Coordinator

All positions are open to any M cGill student. There is no restrictions on who can apply, on what background you must have, or whether any position is to be assumed by a single person or by a team. W hile experience is an asset for many positions, enthusiasm is held in equally high regard by the selection committee.

M any positions come with an honorarium.

Descriptions and applications for each position can be picked up at the SSMU front counter in the W illiam Shatner University Centre. For more information, please visit http://ssm u.m cgill.ca/ or contact Mark Feldman, Vice-President (Internal) at 398-6799 or internal@stusoc.mcgill.ca.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, March 5,1997

Pagei2 Features

February 4th, 1997

Computer-based GREs to replace paper and pencil format

By A my D iN olo “All students must have a valid form of identification with them. No calculators allowed. Please fill in your answ er sheets using only a number two pencil.”

Do these instructions sound familiar? Since its introduction in the last generation, Scantron has revolutionised the way millions of students around the world take tests.

The little machine that reads pencil marks has made standardised testing much easier to administer and score. However, what was once considered the wave of the future in testing is quickly being phased out by the new technology of the com­ puter age.

In the fall o f 1996, the E ducational T esting Service in Princeton, New Jersey, introduced a com puter-based form at for its General Record Examinations, taken annually by graduate school hope­ fuls across North America and other parts of the world. While the tradi­ tional pencil-and-paper tests contin­ ue to make up the bulk of GREs, the ETS plans to com pletely replace these with com puter-based tests some time in the future.

This new test is far from an automated version of the standard GREs. While some features remain, namely the multiple-choice ques­ tions and the three levels of difficul­

Students now study a n d take GREs in a computerised world ty (easy, average and advanced), the presentation of these problems is tai­ lored to meet the individual needs of each student. The test begins by pre­ senting each student with a question of average difficulty. Subsequent questions are then determined based on the previous answer. Thus, if a student gets a question right, the com puter will give him or her a harder question than if it had been answered incorrectly.

“In almost every case, I could tell if I’d answered a question incor­ rectly, because the following ques­ tion would be visibly easier,” said Harvard student Chris Simons, a Canadian who recently took the computerised GREs in Winnipeg.

“This feature actually served as

positive reinforcem ent as I kept plugging away. When the next ques­ tion seemed im possible, I would give a little cheer...secure in the knowledge that I couldn’t be doing that badly if it wasn’t asking me how many fingers and toes I had,” he said.

This type of problem adjust­ ment is known as computer-adapted testing, and offers many benefits over traditional testing methods. The ETS claims that this new format will allow the GREs to provide more precise and detailed inform ation about students, as the questions are specifically adjusted to each individ­ ual’s level of ability.

Another advantage to comput­ erised testing is that students can opt

to know approximate­ ly how well they are doing as they take the test. They also have the option of viewing th eir scores before deciding w hether or not to send them to prospective graduate schools, a policy which could enhance their chances of accep­ tance.

“You can imagine some very good things about computer-based testing,” noted Debbie Moskowitz, a McGill psychology professor who teaches a course in testing m ethods Leslie Krieckle psychology. The format allows for more interesting prob­ lems that simply wouldn’t be feasi­ ble in the pencil-and-paper format. “ I t’s more e ffic ie n t,” she added. “You don’t have to waste your time doing problems below your ability, so there’s less possibili­ ty of making stupid mistakes.” This ultimately serves to help students do their best.

There are a few problems, how­ ever, with the new format. For one thing, there is a wide discrepancy in the computer ability of the students taking the test. Currently, the ETS is working with the lowest common denominator; that is, those students who have no skills whatsoever with computers.

“I found the tutorial for the

computer system annoying and dis­ tra c tin g ,” Sim ons com m ented.

“Having to sit there and drag the mouse around until the computer was satisfied that I knew how to point and click was maddening,” Simons noted that there was no way to skip ahead in the tutorial.

“The com puter tutorials are included to ensure that even com­ puter illiterate students will be able to complete the test,” said Jenny Parks, an information coordinator with the ETS. “We’ll be completely phasing out the paper tests in the future, so it’s important that every­ one knows how to take a test of this type.”

Generally, the new computerbased tests have received positive reviews. If anything, the new format makes the tests a bit easier to take, although research conducted by the ETS has shown that scores from both types of test are compatible.

“If you’ve been used to penciland-paper tests all your life, then yes, the computerised version may take some getting used to the first tim e aro und,” said M oskow itz.

“Most people, though, adapt to these conditions by the second time taking the test, if not by the middle of the first time.”

“I’d say that the computerised test was overall a less nerve-wrack­ ing experience than the paper-based one,” added Simons. “For me, it was not an entirely unpleasant experi­ ence, though I could probably think of ten better things to be doing on a chilly December morning.”

la zone, l'hebdomadaire maga: de lancer son cahier culturel 3

ir

SORTIE

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Equip-CinémÀ - Équip-MediA

to ^

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- Equip-LectuR Participez aux critiques instantanées collectives

Vidéotron Vive le monde... libre!

L e site In te rn e t In fin iT É d u c a tio n d e V id éo tro n c ’e s t au ssi plus d e 15 p a rte n a ire s offrant d e s outils a u m o n d e d e l’é d u c a tio n allan t du p rim a ire à l’u niversité.

http://education.infinit.net

Page 13

February 4th, 1997 Attack of the Killer BMovies plays February 616 at the Rialto. And Star Wars is way over-hyped.

_ A its & Entertainm ent

‘All McGill ’s a stage... the students merely actors’ Two chronicles, a review, and a series of vignettes play this week in and around campus This is fo r you, Anna (February 6-8, 13-15 at 8 p.m. at M o rrice H a ll. S tu d e n ts and seniors $6, adults $8. Pay What You Can preview February 5 at 8 p.m. Call 398-6600.)

Murder, revenge, abuse, and c an d id real life are all m ixed together with a distinctly feminist flavour to create This is fo r you, A n n a , th e n e w e st p ro je c t by M c G ill’s T u esd ay N ig h t C afe (TNC). The experim ental p lay ’s four actors constantly change roles to piece together the real life story of Marianne Bachmeier, an aveng­ ing mother.

Director Mala Bhaumik calls the unfolding vignettes an “investi­ gation into what makes a murder­ ess.” Rape, poverty, teenage preg­ nancy, and the death of her daugh­ ter are ju st some of the facts of Marianne’s life. “ I t ’s re a lly ab o u t so c ia l (in ju stic e ,” Bhaumik comments.

“The play is more com plex than basic ‘hatred’ or ‘revenge’. It gives a beautiful illustration of just how complicated the human mind really is.”

“It show s how M a ria n n e ’s daughter is murdered and, instead of being the victim of the crime, M arian n e b eco m es th e one to blame. Society has this image of the archetypal mother, and when a woman doesn’t fulfill this image she isn’t considered a good moth­ er.”

Bhaumik continues, “It’s like a mother isn’t even a human being, she’s someone who is expected to live solely for her child, in many cases this is just not possible.”

E lain e O ’C o n n o r, M elissa H olland, D aphne F edoruk, and Olivia Bottenheim share the role of Marianne.

“W e’re all women, and after working so closely with the script, we all had very strong feelings and opinions about the play. I wanted everyone to give input, and for the most part this play has been a very collective creation. The actors did a lot to form their own characters, and most of what I did was open direction allowing them to do their own experimentation. It was a very creative process.”

Bhaumik points out the rele­ vance of a play about a mother for a m ainly stu d en t au dience: “In m any w ays M arian n e is ev ery w om an. F ar too m any stu d en ts already have experience with abu­ sive relationships, an issue pre­ dominant in the play.

“This play will appeal to any­ one interested in women’s issues, abuse at home, and problems with the legal system . M arianne also has a very im perfect family life, and an imperfect family life seems to be the norm in society today,”

says Bhaumik.

The Sexual Assault Centre of M cG ill ag re e s w ith B haum ik.

Impressed with how the play deals w ith sexual a ssa u lt, they fully backed TNC, helping to advertise for the production.

— Patricia Rowland

Broadway Review (February 7-8, 8 p.m. at the St. Jam es U nited Church, 1435 City C ouncillors. Students and seniors $5, adults $8. Call 3986826.)

What true rock ‘n roll enthusi­ ast didn’t rejoice when Neil Young and Pearl Jam got together? What basketball fan didn’t see their fan­ ta sie s realised w ith the Dream Team? What gourmet chef hasn’t drooled in envy o f Mr. R eese’s legendary chocolate/peanut butter masterpiece? On February 7 and 8, supporters of Montreal theatre will turn out to cheer their own ‘dream team,’ when Da Capo Productions and the Savoy Society of McGill join forces to present their fourth annual Broadway Review.

Since 1964, the Savoy Society has brought their unique vision to

The mighty, m ighty Heidi such operettas as The Gondoliers, The Mikado, and Ruggidore, faith­ ful to the material while infusing it with an irreverent, contemporary sensibility. Da Capo Productions are the young upstarts who gar­ nered rave reviews for their pro­ d u c tio n s o f G o d sp e ll and Assassins. The troupe may be new to the scene, but its members are old pros — out of Da Capo’s cast o f 20, all but th re e are v o ice majors at McGill.

This year’s Broadway Review p ro m ise s to be th e ir best yet, b rin g in g to g e th e r som e o f the hottest singers, actors, and dancers that McGill and Montreal have to offer. Expect to see encore perfor­ m an ces o f h ig h lig h ts from Da C ap o ’s production of A ssassins

and Savoy’s Free To Be... You and M e, as w ell as “te a s e rs ” for Savoy’s upcoming take on Gilbert and S u lliv a n ’s P ira te s o f Penzance, and Da Capo’s current project, A Little Night Music. The audience will also be treated to scenes from The Wiz, Little Shop o f H o rro rs, . C a b a ret, The F a n ta stik s, P h a n to m , and Les Misérables, as well as a touch of class(ics), courtesy of M cG ill’s ow n B lack Box O pera, w hich sh ares som e m em bers w ith Da Capo.

The Broadway Review is an important fund raiser for both pro­ duction companies and an amazing variety sampler. It’s also a blast for the people involved.

“It’s so much fun for us,” says Savoy’s Paul V andenberg. “I t’s hard for us to believe that it’s a serious production!”

With so much talent under one ro o f, th ere is sure to be som e cross-pollination between the two.

On the possibility of an on-stage jam betw een theatre com panies, both directors are keeping their lips sealed.

“Maybe at the end...” said Da C ap o ’s P eter Phoa, d irecto r o f B roadw ay R eview . So keep on

bound to m ove au d ien ces as it relates the changing A m erican world from 1965-89.

D irector Ian Ryan (D efrost W altz, from last y e a r’s M cG ill Drama Festival) states that Heidi is an observer. “We examine chang­ ing social issues as she advances through time.”

Annas in bandanas

He is quick to point out that this is not yet another sob, comingof-age story. “We don’t know what Heidi is thinking. Being a voice, she makes us look at these issues ourselves.”

T he p lay fo llo w s H eidi as a young girl in 1965 throughout a painful transition into adult-hood and m iddle age. Heidi is portrayed as a strong char­ a cter, “ one w ho seizes what she wants. The prob­ lem is that she eventually re a lise s th a t she is not happy. She does not know w hat she w ants at a ll,” explains Ryan.

The m ultim edia ele ­ ments that Ryan incorpo­ rates lend his interpretation a distinctive flavour. Leigh E llio tt (S ix D eg rees o f S e p a ra tio n , A C horus Line) says that “the various media form the backbone Rebecca Catching of the play. Heidi is herself shouting encore, and you’re bound just another medium. It was diffi­ cult, though, to ensure that the film to see some magic happen.

— Kris Michaud footage, the music and art fit the changing times.” Lights, photogra­ phy, music, video, film and innov­ ative design unite to create a port­ The Heidi Chronicles (February 5-8,11-14, at the folio for the audience’s perusal.

“I think that it is important to P la y e rs’ Theatre. Students and seniors $6, adults $12. Call 398- say that this is not a play about a woman. Heidi is often categorised 6813.) as a fem inist play, but i t ’s not.

The Players' Theatre mounts Ryan steers it differently so that it yet another production with The addresses all people,” says Elliot.

The cast feels that the produc­ Heidi Chronicles, a celebrated play tion is strong enough to overcome

by Wendy Wasserstein.

A lth o u g h th is is the first sp e c ific h isto ric a l re fe re n c e s.

Montreal production of the play, it Parents and adults will certainly has a respected history. W inning get the te x tu a l jo k e s , but “ the the P u litz e r P rize and a Tony dynamic within the cast” allows award among other accolades, this anyone to engage with Heidi.

— Drew Cormack sen sitive and dram atic piece is

Mad Boy Chronicle (F eb ru a ry 12-15, 19-22 in Moyse Hall. Students and seniors $6, adults $8, groups $8/$5 per person. Call 398-6070.)

A n ticip ate a lo t m ore than y o u ’re used to fro m M ad B oy C hronicle. The E nglish d ep art­

tnc

ment’s second production this year has a script prom ising both big laughs and screams.

Directed by Jill Sweetin, this rec e n tly co m p o sed w ork by C an ad ian p la y w rig h t M ichael O ’Brien is a parody of a period piece that oscillates between come­ dy and the macabre.

Using Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Saxo G ra m m a tic u s’ G esta Danorum as a base, O’Brien creat­ ed a Danish adventure of war, lust and desire for revenge.

In te re stin g ly , m usical and assistant director Gabriel Levine sees “an element of Canadian sens ib ility flo a tin g in the p la y .”

Indeed, M ad Boy Chronicle was n o m in ated fo r the p re stig io u s G o v ern o r-G en eral’s aw ard last year.

Like any Shakespearean tale, th e r e ’s m ore to M ad Boy Chronicle than just a great story.

Levine explains that the play is about “ideologies and how they are used to ju stify negative hum an desires for power and corruption.”

Stage M anager Jen Harding rem arks how the play is “much more extreme than any other pro­ d u ctio n o f re c e n t m em ory at McGill.”

B oth H arding and L evine agree that the brutality and humour in M ad Boy C hronicle is unset­ tling. Much of the spectacle puts the audience in the position where they are not sure how to react.

Rumour has it that the set is exceptional. Add giant wolves, lots of howling and live music, stilts and snow, and it becom es clear that the extrem es to which M ad Boy goes are insane.

— Heather Ritch

Pageh Entertainment

February 4 th, 1997

Ninja Noisebringers: DJ Vadim slips stealthily into Montreal B y H a r r is N e w m a n

Hot on the heels of his debut LP, U.S.S.R. Repertoire (The Theory o f Verticality), DJ Pierre Vadim is making his way to America as a part of N inja T u n e ’s Stealth tour. A monthly fixture in London, the tour also features DJ Food's Strictly Kev, DJs Wig and Gnat (two of the minds behind behind the launch of Ninja Tune’s North American headquar­ ters in Montreal), and Kid Koala, Ninja Tune’s first North American signing.

Vadim seems less than amused to hear how anxiously people are awaiting the tour. “I hope there’s more of an interest in the chance to hear som ething good and have a good night rather than people just

going around saying, ‘Omigod, I’ve got tickets for Ninja Tunes’,” Vadim laments.

As useful as it may be to have a hot label carrying him around the globe, Vadim is more than a little wary of the fad followers. He com­ m ents, “people buy N inja Tune records sim ply because th e y ’re N inja Tune, not because o f the music.”

This m ight explain why he seems most comfortable working under various guises, often on Jazz Fudge records — the label he oper­ ates out of his home.

Working alone and with others under aliases like Little Aida and André Zuroff, Vadim has packed a lot o f living into his tw o-year recording career, with at least four

M oi...u n accent ?

EPs and a full-length to his name so far.

For a fellow who gave up life on the tennis circuit late in his teens and just recently dumped his day jo b as a civil design engineer, Vadim has fast established him­ self on the cutting edge of ... whatever it is that he does.

“Sometimes I won­ der what kind of music I m ake m yself. I know what influences me, 1 know what kind of music I listen to, so hence I must be an accum ulation of what I listen to.”

He continues, “some people say I make instru­ m ental hip hop, but I DJ Pierre don’t because I have sam­ pled vocals on my record, I’ve got talking on my record, I’ve got a guy rapping down the telephone on my record. I’m certainly not recognised by the hardcore hip-hop fraternity.

It’s not instrumental, it’s not hiptop, it’s not this, it’s not that ... it’s just me.”

Vadim seems especially critical of the forces which commodify and corrupt music, even though he’s the first to admit it’s too problematic for him to get caught up in the wave — U.S.S.R. Repertoire is not the stuff hit singles are made of.

“I’m not all about exposure. It’s good to get a certain amount, but you’ve got to come from absolutes, not relatives, because otherwise I’d make pop music or jungle music or something like that if my main con­ cern were ex p o su re,” V adim

using collage as innovative composition. While he may nick his sounds from so many classic sources that one review er declared U.S.S.R. Repertoire ‘the hip hop hall of fam e,’ he goes far beyond sim ply recombining found sounds: “I don’t use loops, I play the sampler. People often think anyone can just use sampled instruments ... but the most difficult thing to do is m ake an oboe sound like noise and noise sound like an oboe.”

When asked if he was worried about getting nailed for the more obvious bites, Vadim says, “I’m not really worried about sampling at Vadim does his own thing at Groove Society all. They’re still trying to get Eric B and Rakim for explains. “I’d rather have ten people samples on their second and third in the whole world know what I do, album s, let alone w h at’s on the understand what I’m trying to do streets at the moment.” with the music, than have 100,000 For a fellow whose rapid ascen­ people who m ight know me but sion through the ranks has left some have no idea what I’m doing.” scratching their heads, Vadim seems His influences seem to run the realistic about his place in the gamut of New York-based innova­ scheme of things and the limits of tors, from the experimental ‘down­ his accessibility. town’ scene to the ghostly produc­ He says, “I don’t strive to be on tion aesthetics of east coast hip hop, a major label or sell units, that’s not with a healthy dose o f fu tu rist- what I want. I’d rather just do my inspired musique concrète for good own thing, just try and do something measure. The first single, “Aural new.”

Prostitution,” just begs for a WuTang voice-over. Tracks like “Relax Stealth hits G roove Society With Pep (part 5)” and “Knowledge (1288 A m herst) at 11 p.m . on vs. Wisdom (part 2)” highlight his February 7. Call 859-9055 fo r tick­ subtle yet haunting sound, the latter ets. Catch Vadim earlier in the day track echoing as eerily as an Alfred showcasing his ‘DJ techniques’ at Hitchcock soundtrack.

Disquivel, 7 p.m.

V adim goes a long way in

Improvising 24 hours of comic chaos *

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players throw it back with enthusi­ asm. In fact, it is a code amongst the improv members to give the audi­

obvious. They hold free, weekly workshops, open to anyone (look for them in the Shatner lobby at noon The McGill Improv dares you on Saturdays), and perform every to stay up all night this Wednesday night in the Alley.

W ednesday, as they present their annual 24-Hour Improv Oliver comments, “None of Marathon benefitting the Sexual our shows are typical. You can be sure to see a different show A ssault C entre of M cG ill.

Laugh your way into Thursday! every time you come out. We’re Watch the sun rise with tears in constantly experimenting, trying out new stuff.” your eyes! Do something that’s While their gift for perfor­ actually interactive at McGill!

So what or who comprises mance is unquestionable after watching them on stage, their the best of M cG ill im prov?

Ringleader Jeff Oliver describes comic skill speaks for itself. Who the troupe as “out of control could resist games like “Deaths ballerin as and form er class in a M in u te,” “R ap-M aster Theatre,” and an ongoing soap clowns ... people who never really found their niche.” opera called, “My C rim inal Neighbour” featuring Dirk the O liver stresses that the troupe is not com posed of German eunuch with the magic drama students — but not for beans, Shaniqua the street-smart, lack of trying. “We tried doing jive-talkin’ babe, and the omi­ nous and om nipresent Shady improv with scripts but it didn’t work. People’s talents come out Priest. naturally. Like, you don’t know The McGill Improv needs McGill’s insomniac comics! Rebecca Catching your energy, and you’re sure to that you can rap until you try.”

Hm m ... R apping — is catch a great show with enough improv a talent show? Sure. Is it a ence what they want, no matter what laughs to thaw out any frost-bitten free-for-all? More like organised it takes. “Audience participation is funny bone. chaos. Things just seem to happen. the key to our show ,” concurs Oliver.

Vague, but accurate.

The 24-Hour Improv Marathon But improv is not all fun and gathers donations to benefit the Oliver describes their activities as ‘theatre sports’ that involves both gam es for the m em bers o f the McGill Sexual Assault Centre start­ players and audience. The audience troupe. “It is about being the class ing tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. at Alley usually consists of 50 to 60 regu­ clown but not without discipline and Cats. At 10:30 p.m. the action moves lars, who, like avid Rocky Horror commitment to the show,” he elabo­ upstairs to the Players Theatre until fans, know when to shout out and rates.

Alley Cats re-opens the next morn­ throw stuff at the stage. And the The group’s com m itm ent is ing at 10 a.m.

B y S a r a h K e e n l y s id e

If # W V f v *

Entertainment

February 4th, 1997

H ey, declare your love in 25 w ords or less by this Friday.

D ro p -o ff boxes in Shatner.

F ilm ellan eo u s G oes to the Zoo! Fish Tale Soup There’s something a little off about C an ad ian film s. N ot the M cD o n ald , E go y an or o th e r canon-m em bers’ products — the other stuff. The actors look a little too human, the dialogue is a little too forced, the pace moves three seconds too slow, the background music just manages to overwhelm the action, there are too many selfconscious multicultural PC-isms, and the sex sc e n e s... w ell, th ere ju s t is n ’t en o u g h Vaseline on the camera lens.

So su ffers the fate o f Fish Tale Soup.

Playing like a hybrid of Disney and a Group of Seven painting, the story is pretty H o lly w o o d e x c e p t fo r the Canadian idiosyncrasies. Just h ittin g 40, co u p le V ivi (K athleen Laskey) and Paul (John Jarvis) want to make a baby, but can’t. Enter Markus (Rémy Girard), a portly illegal alie n w ith a su p er-h u m an sperm c o u n t w ho sets up house with them, paints John Wayne on their walls, fries up th e ir g o ld fish in b re a k fa st o m elettes, and m akes th eir male rabbit reproduce.

The first hour and twentyfive minutes work through the co u p le’s personal fears and the last four save them with a redem ptive bowl o f fish-tail soup. The ‘miracles’ central to the m ovie p lo t are w eighed down by the humanity of the c h aracters. And any o f the carry-you-away magic gets lost in psychological analysis.

Perhaps most annoying is the d o u b le m e ta p h o r p la g u in g the film: Canada needs diversity to have life (no question about this film ’s NFB fu n d in g ). M arkus serves as the immigrant everyman, unstifling the rigid Canadian cou­

ple, unpacking their 20-year old moving boxes and, generally, mak­ ing the couple’s life better. In the end — surprise! — Vivi and Paul just had to get rid of their baggage to make a baby.

It’s too bad Fish Tale Soup is so human. Added gloss might have made it a hackneyed Hollywood sell-out, but at least it would have been watchable.

— Rachel Stokoe

Fierce Creatures John Cleese’s character Rollo L ee re m a rk s m idw ay th ro u g h Fierce Creatures (the return of the team that brought us 1990’s A Fish Called Wanda) that “the marketing is a little crude.” He’s complaining that the latest in a series of wacky

attempts to hype the zoo he man­ ages is insultingly fabricated. He might as well be referring to the movie itself.

Fierce Creatures awkwardly tack s J u ra ssic P a rk onto America’s Funniest Home Videos.

The prem ise has great potential with the success of today’s visual, thrill-m e humour. Cleese, along with old friends M ichael Palin, K evin K lin e, and Jam ie Lee C urtis, engage in slapstick with lemurs, emus, sheep, tarantulas and goril­ las. To this, mix in plenty o f b estiality jo k e s and C u rtis ’ b re a sts, et vo ila ! unabashed box office desperation.

The w ritin g is wholly to blame. We know these four mis­ fits can carry the show brilliantly when the right things come out of their mouths.

Even so, it wasn’t just the snide punchlines th at had W an d a ’s audiences reeling.

Gapingly absent in the q u asi-seq u el are the p e rfe c tly drawn caricatures that once enticed viewers to m arvel at th e ir every gesture, smirk at their w onderfully p re d ic ta b le crash course, and then bust a gut at their volatile interactions with one another.

Fierce Creatures, in contrast, presents new, half-baked charac­ te rs th a t grow tire so m e fast.

C urtis’ body, regularly flaunted, was put to much better use (amaz­ ingly, comic and erotic at once) in True Lies. K line m aintains the one-trick stiffness of his namesake

page 15

Richard on an off day on Three’s C om pany. P erh ap s th e b ig g est fumble was reversing Palin’s lov­ able mute character into a zoologi­ cal know-it-all who refuses to shut up or give up laughs.

Gags get stale pronto when you’ve already seen them executed b e tte r in classic com edies like Ruthless People, or, shamelessly, lo w e r-g ra d e TV sitco m s.

Definitely not the same thing as w atching that poor old E nglish lady u n av o id ab ly w itn e ss the death-a-day o f her four pups — hilariously drawn out one by one.

F ierce C rea tu res is n ’t the mirthful romp it should be. It gar­ ners chuckles, but fails to reach the heights of its predecessor for more th an a fle e tin g m om ent.

Recommended only to those who haven’t seen these guys in action before.

— Marc Gilliam

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February 4th, 1997

[jJ Discellaneous Stereolab Fluorescences (Duophonic UHF) Stereolab has a knack for writ­ ing songs that all sound the same, but reveal in fin ite variety upon closer inspection.

The four tracks on the Fluorescences follow the .same dis­ tin c tiv e S te re o la b blueprint that mark the band’s previous 100 track s p u t to disc. Despite the for­ m u la’s co n strain ts, Stereolab continually improves by adding new, subtle elements.

The title track is a quirky pop song that makes clever use of a flute. “Pinball” fea­ tures Laetitia Sadier d o ing h e r F rench ch a n te u se ro u tin e, with a bouncing keyboard backgroup that adds texture to the song.

“You Used To Call Me Sadness,” a slow , w istful ballad, carries an array o f w ind instrum ents. The closer, “ Soop G roove # 1 ,” sees Stereolab satisfying their experi­ mental urges — its basic three-sec­ ond ‘groove’ is repeated for nearly 15 minutes as various instruments

as well as Sadier’s voice flow in and out of the mix. It’s a neat little package which never gets boring — placing Stereolab among the w o rld ’s b est ex p erim en tal pop bands.

— Samuel Lapalme-Remis

Our Lady Peace Clumsy (Sony) O ur Lady Peace has finally produced the long awaited sequel to their phenomenally successful first album, Naveed. Clumsy nicely follows up OLP’s predecessor with

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Course is accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE).

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points include tracks featu rin g Method Man, Rae Kwon, and Nas. An enhanced-CD release contains video clips, etc., which is a nice but peripheral touch. On a scale from

Mobb Deep Hell On Earth (Loud/RCA)

Established in 1971

9^

their trademark ultra-heavy, melod­ ic sound. It’s an uneven album, yet all of Clumsy is listenable. Some tracks are, however, more obvious­ ly radio-friendly than others. “4 a.m .,” “Superm an’s Dead,” and the title track all show promise of a tta in in g the iib er-su ccess o f “Naveed.” The lyrics, as always, are both touching and disturbing, best illustrated by the beautifully morbid “4 a.m.” “If I don’t make it / Know that I loved you all along / Just like sunny days that we ignore / B ecause w e’re all dumb and jaded.”

— Anya Spethmann

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Q ueensbridge, New York, natives Havoc and Prodigy put forth their third effort weighted with smooth, yet dramatic beats, piano loops, and string sam ples reminiscent of Scarface (the movie, not the rapper). The lyrical content is pretty much standard fare, but the rhyme flow is steady and even.

While some will say that Hell On E arth is n ’t as good as M obb Deep’s last offering, Infamous, and others will say that they sound like Wu-Tang only less so, the delivery is listenable from beginning to end with not a loser in the lot. High

one to ten, ten being W u’s 36 Chambers and one being House of P a in ’s second album , H ell On Earth scores a solid seven.

— Ethan Holda Even Tide Things Change (Unal Records) The sounds of classic rock are either dead or dying. Image has replaced the clichés of the naked

guitars o f the ‘re a l’ sound that flavoured the ‘70s and ‘80s. Image is w here i t ’s at — ju s t look at M arily n M anson. T oo bad C anada’s latest push Eventide is last to know. Busy with Deep Purple solos and Iron Butterfly epics, the tunes filling Eventide’s first release reeks o f gratuity. Long-winded effects and “Mississippi Q ueen ” riffin g gives Things Change a heavy vibe of déjà-vu. More so their image. These ro ck ers are retro by default. The sound may be pure ‘70s, but the look is all ‘80s. Blink and it’s Kim M itchell and the boys. Atop this muck o f messy sound and faces su ited fo r radio is a singer/lyricist plum p with pretense. The band leader goes by one name: Emre.

L y ric a lly , Em re co v ers all the favourite beaten-to-death themes of old. Tunes like “Electric Jesus,” “Addiction” and “Ease My Pain” have all the lyrical finesse o f a translated bazooka cartoon. So if y o u ’re trying to kill a m ood or wrap up a party give E ventide’s Things Change a spin.

— Dave Morris

Moonlighting strangers: Someone by night / Someone by day...

The y e a r w as 1989. One Sunday evening at 8 p.m ., ‘80s co uch p o ta to e s cam e acro ss a choice betw een two series finales. The dignified — but easily em otionally manipulated — chose a graciously inflated hour of Family Ties on NBC. T he co u ra g e o u s (but m ost likely m aso ch istic) tuned into ABC as it wrenched out the re m a in d e r o f life left on Moonlighting.

I am o f the la tte r and not ashamed to say so. Moonlighting, despite a soap-opera final season, deserved to be seen through. At its height, it was a brilliantly self­ reflexive revelation during a prime time that always needed to know w hat the K eato n s w ere up to.

Maddy Hayes and David Addison flaunted their fictionality to savvy audiences who didn’t give a flying fig ab o u t A lex P .'s b o tch ed Princeton admissions interview.

A nyw ay, I was ten w hen I first caught my parents watching a revived Cybill Sheperd and thenu n know n B ruce W illis solve crime. Of course, the boomers that they w ere, Mom and Dad were h o o k ed on the sex u al te n sio n while I adored a couple of grown­ ups that engaged in pie fights. (I must admit that my first lessons in sex ed were in fact sparked from their episode on Gaugin.)

Shunned openly in Grade 5 for hyping the upcom ing black and white episode, I can accurate­ ly say th at m ost o f my social d é v ia n c e s em an ate from my M oonlighting-triggered abandon­ ment of puritanical values. You see, originally, M oonlighting ran

Tuesdays until 10 p.m. Bedtime was scheduled at 9:30 so that I could get up early enough in the

I have no tribunal Marc C illiam morning for a right productive day (I liv ed a c ro ss tow n from my M ontessori elem entary school).

In e v ita b ly , I fell victim to the devil, but since “The Taming of the S h rew ” e p iso d e, I h a v e n ’t looked back.

D uly, the W o m en ’s Television Netw ork has helped.

The cable channel now broadcasts M oonlighting W ednesdays at 9 p.m, repeating Thursdays at 1 a.m.

Accruing a few episodes short of the 65 minimum for syndication (Moonlighting took twice as long as any other prime time program to produce at the tim e), it was once d estin ed to never see the light of day again. However, with the ‘90s p ro life ra tio n o f cable channels, C ybill and Bruce are back with their decidedly bigger hair.

T e le g e n ic P ro g ram s, a Canadian distributor, specifically pitched the show to WTN last year because they offer ‘off-netw ork’ syndication. This type of syndica­ tion not only w aives the hefty North American residuals — sales percentages paid to various guilds, like the Screen Actors G uild — the repertory nature of the pro­ gramming also allows WTN to air David and Maddy’s hijinks once a week and make the goodness last

fo r 6 0 -o d d w eek s, w ith no repeats.

I called W TN’s headquarters in Winnipeg to find out just how this women’s special­ ity ch a n n e l got Moonlighting's exclusive rig h ts in C an ad a. T he program director told me sim ply: the W TN ra tio ­ nale is to present “program­ ming that women and their fami­ lies want to w atch.” She’s right.

There are females in my family.

So, okay — W TN c rite ria m et, but m ore p re ssin g issu es came to a head during our conver­ sation. Namely, that WTN has no Quebec carrier, but is otherwise n a tio n a l. I to o k my co n c e rn s h e n c e fo rth to E m m a R h o d es, M cG ill cultural studies student and member of W TN’s Board of Directors.

Me: Emma, I want to w rite this column on M oonlighting so W TN can fin d an ‘i n ’ to the Quebec market. I can’t stand the an x ie ty o f h av in g my p a re n ts operate the VCR. Em m a: I ’m so rry but Moonlighting may not be the best selling point here. Despite transla­ tions into Mandarin and Turkish, the nature o f the show — what with its overlapping dialogues — doesn’t hold up well to Québécois French.

My S o c io lin g u is tic s Prof: That’s right. It’s a diglossic phe­ nomenon. Dialogues in this dialect demand unity of voice.

M e: W ell, I g u ess I ’ll go home for Reading Week.

Mr. G illia m was o ffe re d money by WTN to hype the station.

They recently ceased payment.

S

p

o

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t

s Page 17

February 4th, 1997

Redmen shut out No.l ranked UQTR B y Pa u l C o n n e r The game was nothing short of spectacular. The Redmen, with their high flying offence and stingy defence took on the U QTR Patriotes, the best team in the country, Saturday night.

M c G ill ran away with a 2-0 shutout over Université du Québec à T ro is-R ivières, pulling off a big upset. Hard hits and sweeping, endto-end action in the first period set the tone for perhaps the best game of the season, a celebration of the team’s 120th birthday and a new set of uni­ forms.

The teams have a rich history, one dominated by UQTR. Of the 136 games played in almost 30 years, McGill has won just 32 times. None of that mattered on this night, howev­ er, as the Redmen did what only Guelph has done this year — beat the Patriotes.

the Stingers goalie, faced 26 shots in the second period alone, but held the Redmen to one goal and gave his team the chance to score two goals on three shots. Entering the third, McGill had outshot the Stingers eightfold, but trailed 3-2.

Frustration was setting in on the Redmen, but they kept their compo­ sure and did not take the stupid penal­ ties that the Redmen of three months ago might have.

“We’ve been getting fewer and fewer penalties,” said Raymond. “It helps the focus for the teams too; some guys get upset on the bench when we get a stupid penalty.”

But that problem seems to have been solved, as the Redmen took few bad penalties on either night.

In the third period, Benoit Leroux tipped in a sharp angle shot from captain Martin Routier to tie the game at three. M cG ill pressed, but was unable to settle the game in regu­ lation. Despite the uncharacteristical­

M c G ill tries f o r th e e q u a lis e r T h u rs d a y a g a in s t C o n c o r d ia R e d m e n fir e

b a rra g e

at

s te lla r g o a lie R ic h a r d Thursday night, the Redmen snapped a five-game losing streak by tying the Concordia Stingers in M cGill’s first home game of the new year. The Redmen played intense hockey, not as spectacular as in November, but more in synch.

“Right now, we’re not scoring like we were in the first half,” said coach Martin Raymond, “but we’re playing well in tight games.”

M cG ill went into Thursday’s game third in the conference and los­ ing ground to Ottawa, a close fourth.

Since only three teams make the playoffs, the Redmen had to end their slide in a hurry.

So, they went out and fired 57 shots at Concordia and completely dominated the play. Benoit Richard,

Athletes

Kevm Koch

ly open play, overtime decided noth­ ing.

“Before Christmas we were not playing too well, but we were win­ ning. Now we’re playing really well, but we’re not winning,” Routier said after the tie.

F ast p a c e a n d h a rd h it t in g ig n ite s R e d m e n Saturday night, the Redmen came in fired up. M cGill is a team which relies on confidence; if they have it, the game is spectacular, if they do not, they drop blowouts to sub-par teams.

From the opening face-off, the Redmen took the play to the Patriotes. Aggressive forechecking by the Redmen, and Mathieu Darche in particular, sparked the team to outshoot and outplay Trois-Rivières.

of the w eek

P ie r r e G en d r o n

V ic k y T e s s ie r

m en ’s hockey ’

w om en’s basketball

Gendron posted 3 goals and 1 assist in M cG ill’s two games this week. His 2 goals in Saturday’s game led the Redmen to their 2-0 victory over UQTR, the top-ranked hockey team in the country.

Tessier scored 50 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the Martlets’ two games this weekend.

She was an incredible 16 for 30 from the field, and 17 for 20 from the free throw line.

Pierre Gendron opened the scor­ ing in the last minute of the first, on a pristine pass from Luc Fournier right into the slot. The Redmen caught UQTR off balance, taking advantage of having two unguarded attackers standing right in front of the goal mouth.

The score held up through the second as the Patriotes pressed for the equaliser. U Q T R ’s offence relies on quick breaks and counter attacks to score goals. But on this night, McGill shut them down and allowed only a handful of good opportunities.

Jarrod Daniel, M cG ill’s goaltender, kept the Redmen in the game by holding off a few dangerous attacks from the Patriotes. Daniel credits the defence for the lock-down in the last few games, saying that hard work and a new defensive sys­ tem has been the key.

“W e’ve been playing our best hockey we have all year in the last two weeks and we just haven’t been getting the results we should be.”

The intensity and hitting picked up again in the third. A few knock­ downs after the whistle and loose elbows reminded the crowd that this was Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union hockey, but for the most part, the play was clean. The energy from the ice expounded into the crowd and M cG ill’s fans were really into the game.

A two-on-one seven minutes in brought the fans to their feet.

Gendron and K e lly Nobes broke away with only one Patriote laying back. Gendron slowed at the blue line to deek the defender as Nobes carried the puck over the right side. Nobes looked over, waited, and slid the puck behind the defenseman to Gendron, who potted the goal into the wideopen net.

With 1:48 to go, the Patriotes pulled their goalie. The sixth man jumped into the play and U Q T R rushed into Redmen territory.

U Q T R is often dangerous on faceoffs deep in the offensive zone because often they keep a man back and send him streaking into the zone to take a quick one-timer from the far side. Saturday, they were stoned each time.

“They like to send the stretch guy in, but we had our defence pick him up, and they played really well,” said Raymond.

Gendron got hold of the puck with a minute left and slapped it down ice in an attempt for a hat trick in his 100th Redmen game, but was stopped by a desperate defenseman at the blue line.

After the dust cleared from a rash of penalties in the dying seconds of the game, the Redmen celebrated their first shutout of UQTR in 12 and a half years. The winless streak is over; the Redmen are back and ready to charge towards the playoffs.

“Tonight was definitely a team effort for the shutout; the guys played great,” said Daniel. “This [shutout win] might be that extra little thing that puts us over the top.”

The R edm en tra v e l to Q u e e n ’s n ext w eekend b e fo re p la y in g th e ir fin a l home games o f the re g u la r sea­ son ag a in s t T oron to a n d G uelph in two weeks’ time.

W e n d y W h e la n p r e p a re s f o r s trik e a g a in s t L a v a l

Rivka Maissner

Martlets split series B y A r iu n T a n e ia T h is past weekend saw the M c G ill Martlets play two tough games in volleyball competition. On Saturday, the Martlets hosted the second-ranked team in the country, the Laval Rouge et Or, while on Sunday they welcomed the squad from Sherbrooke.

Despite local television cover­ age, tough play, and hard work, the Mairtlets were unable to conquer Laval and were defeated in three tough sets on Saturday. This defeat and the desire to secure the second position in the tight Quebec Student Sports Federation, made the game on Sunday all the more important for the McGill team.

Understanding the magnitude of the situation, an inspired Martlets squad hit the floor against Sherbrooke and took the first set.

The momentum shifted in the second set, as it did throughout the match, and Sherbrooke was able to tie the score at one set a piece, taking the second set 15-7.

The teams proceeded to exchange the next two sets, which were marked by long and intense ral­ lies. The tight competition set up a fifth and final set.

The deciding set went back and forth, with the Martlets maintaining a slight lead. With the score 11-9 for the Martlets, they began to pull away taking leads of 13-9 and 14-9 before closing out the set and the match with a 15-10 victory.

Anne Mullin, middle blocker and native of Oshawa, Ontario, was pleased with the victory.

“We played w ell and it was

great to beat Sherbrooke in such a close match. We were also able to continue our successful play from last w eekends’ tournament at Dalhousie,” she remarked.

Assistant coach Ho Juen Chan was also pleased, especially consid­ ering the approaching playoffs.

“Right now we are in a fight for home court advantage in the playoffs and victories like this against Sherbrooke are important,” said Chan. “The key for us in a victory like this [against Sherbrooke] and down the road is our veterans, Anie de la Fontaine and Wendy Whelan, both of whom had excellent games.

If they play well, the chances are we will continue to win. Setter MarieEve Bergeron was also on the top of her game against Sherbrooke.”

The Martlets are currently 23-13 overall and 7-5 in the very tough Q S S F division. W ith two league games remaining before the playoffs, the Martlets are in position to secure home court advantage for post sea­ son play.

Coming up this week Women's basketball: Friday vs. Carleton, 6 p.m.; Saturday vs. Ottawa, 6 p.m.

Men's basketball: Saturday vs.

St. Laurent, 7 p.m.

Women's hotkey: Saturday vs.

St. Laurent, 7 p.m.

Women's volleyball: Saturday vs. Concordia, 2 p.m.; Sunday vs. U. de M., 1 p.m.

Men's volleyball: Sunday vs.

U. de M., 3 p.m.

Page 18 S p O r t S

February 4th, 1997

Good fencers make good neighbours B y R a n d y L evitt

C1AU W O M E N S S W IM M IN G

W O M E N S B A S K E TB A LL a s of J a n u ra y 2 8 1. W e s te rn (1 ) (O W IA A ) 2. McGill (2) (Q SSF) 3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

(as of Jan 2 7) 1. M cm aster (1) (AU AA ) 2. C algary (2) (C W U A A )

3. McGill(3) (QSSF)

R e g in a (3 ) (G P A C ) M a n ito b a (5) (G P A C ) L au ren tian (4) (O W IA A ) T o ro n to (6 ) (O W IA A ) Y o rk (N R ) (O W IA A )

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

8 . A lb erta (8) (C W U A A ) 9 . V icto ria (7 ) (C W U A A ) 1 0 . C o n co rd ia (N R ) (Q S S F )

C IA U S w im m in g R a n k in g s - M e n

QUEBEC GP

W

L F

McGill 13 12 1 C o n co rd . 1 3 9 4 L aval 14 7 7 B ishop’s 1 4 3 11

1003 842 853 771

A

P

701 769 867 995

24 18 14 6

M E N S B A S K E TB A LL

QUEBEC B ishop’s C o n co rd .

McGill Laval

GP 14 13 13 14

W L 9 5 4 9 3 10 3 11

F 1154 953 887 910

Toronto(4) (O U A A ) Laval (5) (Q S S F ) Alberta(7) (C W U A A ) Victoria (8) (C W U A A ) U B C (9) (C W U A A )

A P 1 0 0 6 18 1058 8 1032 6 1097 6

(As of January 27th) 1. C algary (1)(C W U A A ) 2. U B C (3) (C W U A A ) 3. M cM aster (2) O U A A ) 4. Toronto (4) (O U A A ) 5. Laval (5) (Q S S F )

6. McGill (6 (QSSF)

7. M ontreal (7 ) (Q S S F ) 8. University N e w Brunswick (10) (AU AA ) 9. Alberta (8) (O U A A ) 10. Laurentian(9) (O U A A ) W O M E N ’S V O LLE Y B A LL

M E N ’S V O Q U E B E C (as MP UdeM 11 S h e rb .

L aval McGill

10 12 9

LLE Y B A LL of J a n 2 7 ) MW ML GW GL P 9 2 2 8 11 18 8 2 27 1 0 1 6 4 8 17 2 5 8 0 9 27 0

M E N ’S H O C K E Y O N T A R IO FAR EAST GP W U Q T R 20 16 McGill 21 10 C o n co r. 2 0 10 O tta w a 21 9

L 2 9 9 11

T F A 2 11 8 5 0 2 104 80 1 87100 1 73 85

S C O R IN G (T o p 2 0 , tie) (jan 2 7 ) GP C . S ko ryn a, A c a 20 J -F G ré g o ire , M en 2 3 P. Gendron, McG 19 D . C e m a n , W in 18 G . C lan cy, A c a

20

G 20 21 16 17 17

A 35 27

P 34 22 21 19

P

55 48 31 47 8 45 28 45

1. Alberta (1) (C W U A A ) T 2 . British Colum bia (2) (C W U A A ) T 2 . Laval (T 2) (Q S S F ) 4. M anitoba (4) (C W U A A )

5. McGill (5) (QSSF) 6. Sherbrooke (7) (C W U A A ) 7. McGill (6) (Q S S F ) 8. Montreal (9) (Q S S F ) 9. W innipeg (8) (C W U A A ) 10. Toronto (N R )(O W IA A )

MP MW 13 13 13 7 McGill 10 6 UdeM 9 1 C oncor . 9 0

ML 0 6 4 8 9

GW 39 26 18 8 1

P 26 14 12 2 0

aware during the game. A fencer must anticipate his/her opponents moves while, simultaneously, attack­ ing and combatting.

The game has less to do with brute force than with sharp mental skill. Alan Ivanita, a student who has participated in the instructional pro­ gram, says “fencing is a sport that requires agility, versatility, and above all else, a focused state of mind.”

M cG ill’s Currie Gym has elec­ tronic scoring equipment. This sort of scoring wires the fencers so that each instance of bodily impact is sounded by the machine. The scor­ ing tends to be more accurate than the conventional method, where a judge deems touches and points.

Often, however, in addition to the electronic scoring, a judge watches games to decide discrepancies.

The M c G ill team trains throughout the school year and com­ petes in Ontario’s intercollegiate

K e v in K o ch

tournaments, as there is no such fencing league in Quebec. This sea­ son, there are three tournaments organised. The top competitors from each event advance to the next tour­ nament. The team has already com­ peted in their first tournament, and many McGill players will advance to the league semi-finals, to be played at the U n iversity of Ottawa this weekend.

Among the top competitors are several from each of the epée and foil events. On the women’s side, Natasha Ogryzlo and Beth Young were in the top five two weeks ago in epée, while Kim Cochrane took sixth in the foil. On the men’s side, Zbigniew Rudzki won the epée. while Kenny finished seventh in the foil. McGill will send these players and a half dozen others to the Ottawa semis in search of a berth in the finals. The final tournament is the following weekend at Royal Military College.

n a tio n a lly s e c o n d r a n k e d S h e rb ro o k e

B y Pa u l F u t h e y

G 3 21 17 24 27

A n age o ld sport a liv e a n d w e ll a t M c G ill

Men’s volleyball gains momentum R e d m e n ta k e s e t f r o m

QUEBEC Laval S h e r.

Fencing is a sport dating back to the Middle Ages. The goal of the game is to garner points by hitting your opponent in the designated body area with your weapon. This act of violence is a combination of skill and wit, and fencing is a grow­ ing sport world-wide.

There are three different types of fencing: foil, epée and sabre. Each type is named after the weapon used.

As well, each division has a specific target area (places on the body where you can hit the opponent.) Fencers norm ally practise with all three weapons, but specialise in one.

At McGill, the sport of fencing has been played for over 90 years.

Currently, McGill supports a fencing team, although they are officially designated as a club. The team con­ sists of about 30 men and women who practise for at least six hours a week and is headed by captain Nicholas Kenny and coach Boris Lukomski.

Lu ko m ski, who competed internationally for over 20 years, has been coaching for 25 years. His record as a player is superb: 1976 World Cup champion, 1979 World Champion and a 1980 bronze medal­ ist at the summer O lym p ics in Moscow.

Apart from coaching, Lukomski also teaches instructional fencing at McGill. There are approximately 40 students enrolled in instructional fencing, and some move on to join the team.

According to Kenny, the sport involves a lot of physical and mental training. To succeed at fencing, it is necessary to not only be physically dexterous, but to be cognitively

Sometime down the road, it is very possible that last Friday night’s men’ s volleyball match between M c G ill and Sherbrooke w ill be looked upon as a major stepping stone for the Redmen.

Although the Redmen did not win, they showed enough to their coach Normand Bouchard to con­ vince him that the team is going in the right direction.

“I ’m more than pleased,” said the third-year coach. “This is defi­ nitely something to build on.”

W hile Sherbrooke took the match three sets to one (a fairly convincing 15-6, 15-6, 13-15, 15-4) it was the third set that had the fans on the edge of their seats as they watched the Redmen take the set,

something the team hasn't done in a long time.

“We played great defence in the third set,” explained Bouchard, who noted strong performances from power hitters M aziar Divangahi and Jamie Mitchell.

Sherbrooke is the second ranked team in the country, and as Bouchard pointed out, carries two members of the national B team. He cited inexperience as M cG ill’s main stumbling block.

“When yo u ’ re facing teams such as Sherbrooke and [Université de] M ontréal that have a lot of experience compared to us, it’s dif­ ficult to win,” he explained. “The experience will come, it just takes time.”

That inexperience showed in the first two sets which the Redmen

3461 PARK AVE. • 8 4 4 .3 3 1 3

lost by id entical 15-6 scores.

Sherbrooke’s ferocious net blocking and spiking were too much for the Redmen. The third set, however, saw the Redmen start with the lead, thanks to some strong net play and good serving.

It was a tense affair, seeing the Redmen attain leads of 3-0, 6-3, 106, and 13-10, only to see Sherbrooke come back and tie it each time. The Redmen finally put it away, much to the delight of their fans. That seemed to take all the energy out of M c G ill, as Sherbrooke calmly bounced back with a convincing 15-4 win in the fourth set to take the match.

However, the match proved to the Redmen that they have what it takes to compete on the Canadian university volleyball circuit.

S p o r t s / W h a t ’s O n

February 4th, 1997 Tuesday, February 4 C oncert entitled, “C ontem po rary M usic E nsem ble” under the direction of D e n y s B o u lia n e . A d m is s io n is free. P ollack Hall at 8 p.m.

M c G ill S tu d e n ts ’ In te rn a tio n a l D e v e lo p m e n t In itiative p re s e n ts its “2 4 H o u r F a m in e ” fo r C a n a d ia n H u n g er Foundation at 12 p.m . C all 3 9 8 -3 0 1 0 ext. 0 0 2 2 9 .

T h e E n te rta in m e n t D e p a rtm e n t of P aram oun t C a n a d a ’s W onderland w ill b e h oldin g a u d itio n s fo r 1 9 9 7 s easo n in S h a tn e r B allroom b e g in ­ n in g a t 11 a .m . P o s itio n s fo r s in g ers, d a n c e rs , ac to rs , etc . C a ll audition hotline at (9 0 5 ) 8 3 2 -7 4 5 4 .

T h e Latin A m erican A w a re n e s s group will m eet at 5 p.m . in S h atn er 4 3 5 . For m ore info, call 3 9 8 -8 1 7 8 .

T h e R e d H e rrin g n e e d s you to be funny! C o m e to o ur m eeting on T u e s d a y a t 5 :3 0 p .m . in S h a tn e r 3 0 3 , or c a ll 3 9 8 - 6 8 2 5 . A c c e p tin g alm ost any id ea for a story or draw ­ ing or w hatever.

U n iv e r s ity A ffa ir s P o r tfo lio C om m ittee is holding its next m e e t­ ing at 6 :3 0 p .m . in th e A U S office.

(3 4 6 3 Peel) Wednesday, February 5 P layers’ T h e a tre presents, ‘T h e H e id i C h ro n ic le s ” by d ire c to r Ia n R yan . T ickets $ 6 /8 . F o r info, call

S p o rts M a r t le t s ’ b a s k e tb a ll w in n in g s tre a k e n d s The McGill women’s basketball team split a pair of games this week­ end in Toronto and Kingston. The Martlets lost their first league game in two years, falling 63-60 to sixthranked University of Toronto, after narrowly escaping Queen’s with a 57-56 win.

Friday, McGill held on for the win after leading 31-27 at the half.

Queen’s had ball possession for the entire final minute, but missed on two scoring chances. Vicky Tessier led the Martlets with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Anne Gildenhuys chipped in 13 points and 5 rebounds.

On Saturday, the Martlets fell behind early, trailing 41-31 at the half, and were forced to play catch­ up for the entire game. The team made a charge at the finish, but came up short in what has to be considered one of the biggest upsets of the sea­ son. Tessier put on a strong perfor­ mance with 24 points and 8 rebounds, while Gildenhuys added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The loss against U of T, beaten

by McGill earlier in the season by 12 points, snapped the Martlets’ 23 game winning streak against Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union teams. The loss will surely drop the Martlets from their second national ranking and will hurt the Martlets as they make a charge for the national championship as they will hold a tougher draw in the final eight in mid-March.

The Martlets are now 12-1 in league play and 22-2 overall this year. The Martlets will host Carleton Friday and Ottawa Saturday night at 6p.m. at the Currie Gym. M e n ’s b a s k e t b a l l s w e p t over w eekend The M cG ill men’s basketball team were swept in two games this weekend, losing 73-62 at Queen’s and 90-58 at the U n iversity of Toronto.

3 9 8 -6 8 1 3 .

An A U S m eeting will be held in the the Arts Council room at 6 p.m.

D e a n M iller will be th ere to a n sw er q u e s tio n s a n d ta lk a b o u t c u rre n t state of the Arts faculty.

C o m e imprint a part of your body on a tapestry to be displayed at the B ody Im a g e Forum from 3 :3 0 -5 :3 0 p.m . in S h a tn e r 4 2 3 . F o r info, call 3 9 8 -6 8 2 3 L B G T M ’s Bisexual G roup m eets in S h a tn e r 4 2 3 a t 5 :3 0 p .m . B oth m en and w om en a re w elcom e.

L B G T M coordinating m eeting at 5 :3 0 p.m . in S h atn er 4 3 2 .

a .m . in rm 9 0 3 in M cIntyre M edical Bldg. 3 6 5 5 D rum m ond Street.

N Y C E presents “A p p ro ach es to C om m unity Econom ic D evelopm ent” w ith D e b b ie H a rris o n . H e ld a t 6 p.m . in W ilson Hall, W e n d y P atrick rm. For info, call 3 9 8 -7 4 1 1 .

Dr. M arkus Affolter will be guest­ lecturing on “G e n e tic dissection of c e ll— c e ll in te r a c t io n s d u rin g D rosophila e x b ryo g en esis a t 1 2 :0 0 p.m . in the H ersey pavilion R m H 538 C B C /M c G ill p r e s e n t s , “T h e A L C A N Q u a r t e t ” a t 7 : 3 0 p .m . a t Pollack Hall.

Thursday, February 6 T h e T u e s d a y N ig h t c a fe p r e ­ s e n ts “T h is Is F o r Y o u , A n n a ” at M orrice Hall from Feb. 6 -8 and Feb. 1 3 - 1 5 . S tu d e n ts & s e n io r s $ 6 , adults $8 . Show tim e at 8 p.m. 3 9 8 6600.

T o n ig h t a t 6 :3 0 p .m . L B G T M ’s W o m e n ’s G ro u p m e e ts in S h a tn e r 423.

A nnual Body Im a g e Forum with S u s a n K e n o fo llo w e d by a “h u g e fre e e a t - w it h o u t - g u ilt f e a s t ”.

L e a c o c k a u d ito riu m from 7 -9 p.m .

For m ore info, call 3 9 8 -6 0 1 7 .

Dr. M oshe S Z Y F will be giving a talk on “D N A m ethyl transferase as an anticancer drug target?” at 1 1 :30

Friday, February 7 S ia m s a p r e s e n ts “ Ir is h C e ili D a n c e ” a t R o yal C a n a d ia n Legion H a ll. T ic k e ts $ 5 /$ 8 . F o r in fo, call 4 8 3 -4 0 6 4 In g rid S c h m ith u s e n , s o p ra n o and M a rc C ouroux, piano. H eld in P ollack Hall at 8 p.m.

D a C a p o P ro d u c tio n s a n d th e S avoy Society present fourth annual B ro a d w a y R e v ie w . A n e v e n in g of song and dance! S how s a re Feb. 7, 8, 8 p.m . St. J a m e s U nited Church, 1 4 3 5 C ity C o u n c illo rs . $ 8 G e n e ra l adm ission and $ 5 for students and seniors.

A t 5 :3 0 , L B G T M ’s C o m in g out G ro u p m e e ts in th e b a s e m e n t of

Briefs The Redmen trailed Queen’s 36-34 after 30 minutes in Friday’s game.

Hubert Davis led the Redmen with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks. Other Redmen of note were Joel Perlman, with 10 points and 6 rebounds, and Matt Watson, Rick Varisco and Peter Fraser, with 9 points each. Despite the wellrounded effort, the team was unable to hold off the Golden Gaels’ second half charge — a season long-prob­ lem for the Redmen.

McGill trailed 43-29 to U of T at the half on Saturday. Davis had 18 points and 6 rebounds, while Joel Baetz scored 8 points.

The Redmen are now tied for third in the league standings with a 3-10 record. They are 5-17 overall this year.

The team will host Carleton Friday night and Ottawa Saturday evening as the team draws into the stretch run of the season. Both games start at 8p.m.. at the Currie Gym.

U T C . D on’t be shy, and com e out.

Saturday, February 8 T h e Japan A w aren ess club and K A P P A J Y C is organising an event to in tr o d u c e J a p a n . “A B o w l of J a p a n ”, cultural exposition, starting 1 1 :0 0 a .m .

9 3 3 -0 1 5 6 , or b3kc@ m usicb.m cgill.ca for info Sunday, February 9 T h e Y e llo w D o o r s p o n s o rs a S to r y t e llin g n ig h t w ith D e n is e M arkham at 7 :3 0 p.m . H eld at 3 6 2 5 A ylm er. C all 3 9 8 -6 2 4 3 .

Monday, February 10 Q P IR G and P R O B E will sponser ta lk a n d v id e o , “L u b ico n V a lle y & D a is h o w a ’s In v o lv e m e n t ” in th e Leacock 2 3 2 a t 7 :3 0 -1 0 :3 0 p.m.

M cG ill D ebating U nion presents “B IR T : th e C a n a d ia n lab o u r m o v e ­ m e n t is d e a d ” w ith D ’A rcy M a rtin , E d .D . in S h a tn e r 3 0 2 a t 6 p.m . All a re w elcom e.

T h e 6 th A n n u a l T e a c h e r s ’ C a r e e r D a y p re s e n te d in S h a tn e r Ballroom from 9 a.m . to 4 p.m .

Ongoing and Upcoming S ig n up fo r H e b re w . B e g in n e r a n d a d v a n c e d le v e ls a v a ila b le .

M o n d a y s or T u e s d a y s , 7 to 9 p.m .

E ight w e e k session costs $ 6 5 . For snapped a 44-game losing streak in league play a week ago at Collège St. l.aurent.

The win keeps U Q TR one point ahead of Concordia, widely recog­ nised as a top team in the country.

The Martlets will finish out their sea­ son this weekend at M cConnell Arena Friday and Saturday night.

Frid a y, the women w ill host Concordia at 5:30, w hile on Saturday, the Martlets look to take another game from C o llège St. Laurent at 7 p.m.

with a time of 9:22:12.

F in a lly , the m en’ s 4x400m team of K irk M cN ally, Alex Hutchinson, Stéphane Brodeur and Ravind Grewal finished fifth, but qualified for the national champi­ onships.

M a r t le t h o c k e y d ro p s g a m e to U Q T R 4 - 0 The powerhouse UQTR Patriotes beat M cG ill’s women 4-0 in Trois-Rivières Sunday afternoon.

The game comes after M cG ill

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On Saturday, the McGill track and field team made a triumphant journey to the Syracuse Invitational meet.

In the triple jump, Max Oates won the gold medal with a jump of 14.59 metres. He also qualified for the upcoming C IA U national cham­ pionships. In the women’s competi­ tion, Brigitte Bigras won the bronze medal with a jump of 11.05 metres.

M c G ill football star Sam ir Chahine qualified for the national championships with his third place finish in the shot put. His 4.3-metre throw was the fourth best effort in the C IA U this year.

In the m en's 3000m, Doug Penick won the gold medal with a time of 8:40:50. His victory came against 12 runners.

The women’ s 4x800m team relay qualified for the C IA U champi­ onships. The team of Tambra Dunn, Melanie Bassett, Rosie Mullins and Kelly Maloney won the gold medal

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T h e A rt H is to r y S tu d e n ts A s s o c ia tio n is n o w a c c e p tin g a rtpieces for annual art exhibition. All finished w orks m ust be received no la te r th an M arch 3. Info call 2 8 4 4 9 9 3 o r 9 8 5 -5 2 2 4 .

Living w ith Loss: B e re a v e m e n t s u p p o rt g ro u p s a re b e in g o ffe re d fre e of c h a rg e th ro u g h th e M c G ill school of social work for adults, chil­ dren and adolescents. A nyone w ho is e x p e rie n c in g a n y ty p e o f lo s s including the loss of a fam ily m e m ­ ber or friend, p lease contact E stelle H o p m eyer at 3 9 8 -7 0 6 7 .

W a n t to h e lp o u t w ith a n a n S S M U ta s k fo rc e ? M o re m e m b e rs for the accessiblility, L B G T M , visible minority and religious accom odation ta s k fo r c e s a r e w a n te d . L e a v e a m essage for D arren a t 9 8 2 -9 1 7 0 or at S S M U .

W a n t to m ake a difference with only a few hours a w eek? V olunteer with the Y ellow D oor Elderly Project.

H elp seniors in the dow ntow n com ­ m unity with friendly visits. D rop by 3 6 2 5 A ylm er or call Chi at 3 9 8 -6 2 4 3 .

W e b s e m in a r s o f f e r e d by Faculty of Arts C o m p u ter Lab. $ 30.

In fo a n d re s e rv a tio n s . 3 9 8 -6 0 9 2 .

Starts Feb. 12.

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