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P u b lis h e d b y th e S tu d e n ts ’ S o c ie ty o f M c G i l l U n iv e r s it y
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T R IB U N E
http://www.tribune.numt real.qe.ca
I 7 Issue I7
Shake the vision By C hris S elley T h e h isto ry o f M c G ill’ s African Studies Program is one of a fairly epic struggle against bud get cuts and the sometimes half hearted support o f the administra tion. The A fric a n a Stu d ies Committee (ASC) was formed in 1 9 9 4 a fte r stud ents narrow ly avoided the elim ination o f the A frican studies m ajor and has since widely promoted and suc cessfully lobbied in support o f the program. The ASC was also behind F rid a y ’ s “ Sh ak e the V isio n ” at Isart, an extrem ely diverse and well-received collec tion o f performances in aid o f the program. Is a rt’ s cozy confines were packed to its in tim ate rafters early on in the evening. Folks may have sim ply been taking advantage o f the tequila special, but the b o istero u s crow d was qu ickly im pressed by a strong acapella set from McGill student Enisone. Though she claimed to be nervous, it certainly didn’ t show in her set, w hich varied from Tracy Chapman to consider ably more incendiary m aterial. “B efo re I am b lack ,” she sang, “b e fo re I am A fric a n , I am human.” Also featured was the Grupo S em en te do Jo g o de A n g o la, which demonstrated Capoiera, a hybrid o f dance and martial art which originated in Angola and was used as an e x p ressio n o f p ro test by A fric a n sla v es in Brazil. The Capoiera is trance like; dancers move in a kind o f slow motion, standing briefly on their heads and moving seeming ly at random. Soon however, sub tle patterns begin to emerge, as dancers join hands and arms and seem to struggle with each other, then release and kick their legs over each other’s ducked heads. The dancing is accompanied by chanting and ceaseless banging on o n e-strin g e d in stru m en ts. Though a long demonstration, the
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W oodchipsfly at the 38th Annual Intercollegiate Lum berjack Competition in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. Please see story on p a g e 5.
Rachel Ong
SSMU business procedures challenged in petition By Nilima G ulraiani A petition fded with the SSMU Judicial Review Board argues that the most expensive contract ever signed by the Students’ Society is illegal since it was never approved by the elected council. SSM U law councillor Mario Nigro asserts that the $6 million agreement between SSMU and the Quebec Student Health Alliance vio lates four articles of the society’s constitution, including mandatory contract reviews by the Financial Ethics Research Committee and SSMU council ratification. “Arguably, this contract is null and void. The constitution stipulates that this contract must go to council for approval and that it must be reviewed and reported on by FERC,” Nigro stated. “Furthermore, this agreement overrules the ability to cancel the Health Plan by student referendum.” The three year exclusive con tract was approved by former SSMU VP Finance Jon Chomski in April 1997. The SSMU Health Plan bro kered by the QSHA provides med ical and dental coverage to all McGill undergraduate students for
roughly $140 per year. Though last year’s council discussed the possibil ity o f entering a legal agreement with QSHA, no motion was ever presented to council on the issue. Nigro claim s that current VP Finance Duncan Reid was obliged to raise the issue with this year’s coun cil. “The affairs of the society don’t stop on April 30 with a new execu tive. It is [the new execu tiv e’ s] responsibility to make sure that the affairs of the society are in order when they arrive in o ffice,” said Nigro. Reid explained that his prede cessor had intended to present a motion on the QSHA contract but was unable to do so because quorum was not met for the last council meeting of the year. Reid further argues that the constitution stipulates that he should not be held account able for the actions of last year’s executive. “It is not our business — we w eren’t th ere...I can’ t bear the responsibility of reporting the deci sions of the previous year’s execu tive,” he said.
FERC’s role Nigro contends that the contract between SSMU and QSHA should have been reviewed and reported on by FERC — as outlined in the SSMU Constitution. FERC member Samantha McGavin explained that a review of the contract did occur last spring, although the committee did not deliver an official report. “Since FERC didn’t find any evidence for rejecting QSHA, we did not submit a report rejecting the pro posal. Therefore, we were assumed to have accepted it,” she said. Reid also contends that the constitution does not stipulate that FER C must o fficia lly submit a report regarding all contracts. He believes that renewals of existing contracts like the QSHA agreement are not always necessary. “FERC never got involved in existing business dealings with SSMU [last year],..FERC only got involved with contracts concerning newer companies,” he stated. McGavin disagrees, however. She asserts that FERC should be analyzing renewals as well as new contracts. “We do not want to have con tracts automatically renewed without
a review. This gives us the ability to examine contracts that were signed before IT R C was established,” she
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F e a t u r e d I n s id e ! O ff-loading costs: adm in tries to stick students with cafeteria clean ing bills........................................ pg.3 M c G ill stu dents: accused o f abusing Ritalin......................... pg. 11 Drudging up the d irt: some sick stuff on the internet................. pg. 18 Profile: Martlet track athlete M arie H ild eb ran d ............................ pg-23 W hat's O n listings..............................pg.27
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